SUNNINGDALE

SCHOOL NOTES

COMMENT

Lent 2013

Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence. Pope John Paul II How well these words of a former Pope encapsulate the approach that we would all like our children to have. We need to encourage children to attempt things, without fearing failure. It is that fear of failure that so often prevents people from achieving their goals. Boys at school so often do not want to be seen to try and subsequently fail. Many of them would rather put down any failure to the fact that they did not really try. If this is the approach they are allowed to continue with they will never realise their full potential. One morning in chapel this term we heard the story of Louis Bleriot who crashed ten aeroplanes before he managed his successful flight across the channel. His perseverance is a lesson to us all.We need to teach the boys to cope with disappointment and use it to their advantage rather than being defeated by it. We need to be there to celebrate the successes of the boys, of which you will read many in these pages, and we need to be there to pick them up when they fall and encourage them to try again.That is the job of a prep school.

RUGBY 1ST XV
The gods of rugby were not smiling on this years 1st XV, at times our season closely resembled a Greek tragedy with injuries, enforced absences and plain old bad luck. It would be fair to say that this was not as strong a side as we have been blessed with in previous years and we struggled because of our size or lack thereof. However, our biggest failing was a lack of a killer instinct or bite.Too often we were bullied by oppositions and made to look a poor outfit even when infuriatingly we were better than the side we were playing against. Rugby is a strange old game and it takes a measure of belligerence and a refusal to kowtow or be bested by ones opposite man to have success.Too often we as a side rolled over and died rather than taking the fight to our opponents. Things started brightly as we easily dispatched a rusty looking Twickenham Prep side with Gaba looking in inspired form, running the show like a little general from fly-half. Following this we took to the field against a much vaunted Woodcote side and were half asleep for most of the match only to realise that actually this was an eminently winnable game and although we lost, it did say much that Woodcote declined to reschedule the abandoned return fixture later on in the season and thus maintain their unbeaten record. Due to the appalling weather we then took on Cothill at Charters and proceeded to put in an emphatic performance of back play, winning by more than 40 points with Gaba performing sublimely again. It was then the bitterest of body blows that the following day he was to be injured and effectively ruled out for the season before we really had got going properly. To add to our disappointments Dorset House strangely cancelled the next fixture for the third year in a row and we were therefore deprived of a hoped for win.Against Horris Hill, probably the nadir of the season, a patched up and makeshift backline failed to fire and we were bullied in the forwards. It was a disappointing loss mostly because it was entirely avoidable and came down to a lack of fight. However, we dusted ourselves down and with a little innovative thought in the makeup of the backs took on Ashdown House and trounced them convincingly. It seemed that things were on the up only for us to have to take on a strong Wellesley House team missing our hooker, scrum-half, fly-half and full back. Unsurprisingly, we lost with only our captain able to bring some semblance of pride with his solo barnstorming performance. It was therefore with some trepidation that we travelled to Ludgrove to take on an unbeaten and exceptional team.The auld enemy were a monstrous team of giants and it looked like we would be lucky to escape with a 50 point hiding. However, in a show of sheer guts and determination we held our own and were within two points of winning up until the final five minutes. It was a terrific display from every member of the team with ferocious tackling and thundering running from both the skipper and Bonham-Lloyd.
Continued on page four

SCHOOL NOTES
FORM PRIZES VI VIa V Va IV IVa III II I Soloviev,Ampofo ma & Miles Silva ma & Gaba Lea, Sviridov & Cao Hopton, Kim & Silva mi Neckel, Pangin & Thomas Delikatnyi, Malhame & M. Russell Buxton Gourlay,Wilson & Hinchliffe Kuanyshev & Van Heusden

Art
Two boys took art scholarships this term. Pernebayev to Tonbridge and Fry to Harrow. Both boys put together excellent portfolios that included printing, sculpture, painting and drawing and both should be congratulated on the huge amount of extra time and work they put into these. Both were up against a very competitive field and we were thrilled that Fry was awarded the Harrow Art Scholarship. ACD

The SHOW-UP prize was won by SILVA ALVEAR MA The GENERAL KNOWLEDGE was won by SILVA ALVEAR MA (Senior) & BUXTON (Junior). The CARRELET BELL was won by HART
Spaceman by Pernebayev Serenity by Fry

The SENIOR FIVES CUP was won by SILVA ALVEAR MA The JUNIOR FIVES CUP was won by M. RUSSELL The MOST IMPROVED RUGBY PLAYER was BONHAM - LLOYD The RUGBY 7S CUP was won by SPERLING The RUGBY CUP was won by AMPOFO MA The FATHERS AND SONS CLAY PIGEON SHOOT was won by MR CLEGG & LUKE.

ACTIVITIES Go Karting
Braving the near arctic conditions a group of boys enjoyed a fun afternoon of karting. Some spectacular moves and impressive cornering made for some very impressive racing. Reddyhough ma. was on fine form and ended up winning the day even outpacing the staff who tried to in vain to keep up.

Warhammer Club
With boltguns chattering and paint brushes whurring the Warhammer club goes from strength to strength.As the Emperors armies spread across the galaxy the boys have been busy building, painting and battling for the title of best army which so far has resulted in several stalemates. Next term we will be holding a painting competition to showcase the boys models and encourage them to learn new painting technique.This term they have learnt the value of washes and are touching upon highlights. D.W.

We had a fascinating talk from Olly Hicks who in 2005 completed a lifelong ambition to row across the Atlantic, becoming not only the first person to do so from the USA to the UK, but also the youngest to row any ocean solo. During this voyage Olly decided that the ultimate challenge lay in rowing around the world, unsupported. In January 2009 Olly departed Tasmania on the Virgin Global Row.After 96 days he landed in New Zealand, writing history again to become the first to row the Tasman Sea, but due to a fundamental boat design flaw the voyage had to be suspended. We were incredibly lucky to have Andy Kirkpatrick as a guest speaker at Sunningdale.The US magazine Climbing once described Andy as a climber with a strange penchant for the long, the cold and the difficult, with a reputation for seeking out routes where the danger is real, and the return is questionable, pushing himself on some of the

hardest walls and faces in the Alps and beyond, sometimes with partners and sometimes alone. One of these ascents was a 12 day solo of the Reticent Wall, viewed at the time as perhaps the hardest climb of its type in the world, and the subject of his award winning book Psychovertical. In 2002 he undertook one of the hardest climbs in Europe: a 15 day winter ascent of the West face of the Dru.This 1000 metre pillar pushed him and his partner to their limits and was featured in the award winning film 'Cold Haul'. Andy has also taken part in many expeditions, including four winter expeditions to Patagonia, a crossing of Greenland. It was the trip across Greenland that his talk focused on, and it was one of the funniest and most informative talks I can remember.Andy was quite simply inspirational, the boys thoroughly enjoyed the talk and we very much hope to have him back next year.

The Concert
THE ADVENTURES OF MR TOAD
A parent writes.......

same time and without even so much as a frog in his throat.The scurrying Rat, extremely well played by Lea suffered an immediate attack of the giggles but made a professional recovery and the play rolled on. Cartwright Ma (Badger) managed to turn a rather black and white role into a very colourful one.Toad could not have wished for better friends than Mole, Rat and Badger who each gave vibrant and well polished performances. Sitting in jail,Toad contemplated his long sentence with uncharacteristic gloom. His exuberance quickly returned when the delectable prison laundry maids, Rosy and Posy (Reddyhough and Hopton) contrived and executed a daring escape, assisted by the rotund Laundry Lady herself whose portrayal by Wade-Norbury brought the house down. The Chief Weasel ( Silva Alvear Ma) proved to be a suitably threatening character. His assistant weasels (Forms IVa, III, II & I), were all played with great menace by the boys. Stoat (Senior Ma),Vole (Ker), Otter (Buxton) and Field mouse (Tonkins) all added further colour and a good degree of humour to the Woodlands.

As usual with a Sunningdale performance anticipation mounted as the date drew nearer for the Adventures of Mister Toad. I could not help but wonder whether the Sunningdale players and crew could better the very high standards of past performances? The title role of Mr Toad was skilfully portrayed by the energetic Miles who certainly brought the character to life and to the audience. Following some rather erratic driving,Toad found himself in the dock at the Magistrates Court. The Lady Magistrate (Sviridov), complete with outsize knitting needles, presided over her court with an iron hand. She listened to the evidence of the prosecutors,Assistant Weasels (Cartwright Mi and Tear).Toad stood no chance; he was given a 20-year prison sentence for his minor traffic offence and with no wife to pass on the sentence

The singing throughout was a credit to the entire cast and reflected the obvious hard work by all and what an achievement in such a short time! The chorus line of Riverside, Punting Animals and Duck sang and danced with huge gusto and enthusiasm.They did not quite emulate the standards of the Crazy Horse, but the odd leg or arm going in a contrary direction to the main flow added a unique charm. to, was duly incarcerated. As he protested his innocence he struggled with the Policeman, admirably played by Soloviev who with his height and authority made a perfect strong Arm-of -the- Law. The excellent Mole (Hart) and Rat did what they reasonably could to dampen Toad's driving frolics but his personality was not to be changed.At one stage, Mole achieved the impossible; to sing in wonderful harmony, eat and quietly belch at the

Following a lavish party at Toad Hall,Toad was back to his usual dashing, carefree form. He bravely announced that his motor car had become insufficiently challenging and he was now about to enjoy the freedom of the skies by buying his own aeroplane! In any play there is always a vast crew behind the scenes and what also made this performance of Mister Toad so enjoyable and polished was the dazzling set, makeup, costumes, direction and music. (Amy, Miss Guppy and the talented Mr Lea on the piano).All of which went into making a very slick and thoroughly enjoyable performance. Did the Sunningdale players and crew excel themselves? Most Definitely.... Poop! Poop!

Continued from front cover

The final score of 32-24 did not do justice to just how much of a nail biting and bone crunching encounter it was. Bloodied but unbowed we returned determined that now we had found our mettle as a side and the next fixture against Lockers Park seemed very winnable. Sadly, the weather decided otherwise and another fixture was lost.This left only two matches; the first against another unbeaten and huge outfit from Brockhurst, again we were missing players and had to make do and mend. It was a gritty encounter against a superior side but we acquitted ourselves well and were dogged in defeat, never giving an inch.The last match of the season was an altogether more one sided encounter where a large Bishopsgate team were simply blown off the park and Ampofo had to be taken off the pitch at half time such was our ascendency. the scoreline of 48-5 would have been doubled had it not been for his early withdrawal. It was a fittingly bombastic end to a dramatic season. The team was led by Ampofo ma, who not only a magnificent player in every respect was a wonderful and charismatic leader of the side. He has all the ability to go a long way in the game and we have the highest of hopes for his future.The skipper was ably assisted by Sperling whose bone crunching tackles led him to earn the sobriquet of team chiropractor. Notable mention must also go to Lane and Miles, both of whom are redoubtable and doughty figures, who gave of their all week in, week out with Lane running wonderful lines and Miles scoring arguably the try of the season against Bishopsgate. It must also be said that this was a young side with many exciting prospects for next season in the guise of Sikorski,Thomas and Silva minor to mention but a few. It is then with mixed emotions we must look back at what might have been had injury, weather and timing not so effected our season, but the future is bright and at the end of the day all you can ask is for a team to give of their best and this redoubtable set of players certainly did that. Played 9 Won 4 Lost 5 WB & BWRH

Colours were awarded to Ampofo ma, Sperling, Miles, Lane

2XV
In a term disrupted by poor weather the boys have produced some good rugby.At the 2nd team level the boys were always more confident with ball in hand than defending which resulted in some high scoring games and against Woodcote a missed opportunity to take the local bragging rights for a year.All the boys who have played this term should be commended and be rightfully proud of their performances however particular mentions must go to Titov and Hart our captains; Neckel and Merrill for providing the grunt in the scrums; Markous for his thumping tackles and finally Lachlan Collins for his haul of 7 tries. Played: 7 Won: 3 Lost: 4 D.W.

U11A
The second half of the season has seen a mixed bag of results for the U11A. We were unlucky to end up on the losing side against Ludgrove as the boys played some of their best rugby.The team has worked well and the forwards on more than one occasion got complimented for being such a strong scrummaging unit. It was a shame the season had to end when it did as the team had really come a long way and were looking sharp.They did manage to get a win against Brockhurst and again played some fine rugby. Played 10 won 1 lost 9 H.E.

U11B
This term the Bs had a heavy fixture load, despite some cracking performances they managed only one good win (v Brockhurst) as well as plenty of heavy defeats.A mixed bag of ability tried their best, ably led by Crespi and Ker, to put together some semblance of a rugby team in both shape and form and I am delighted that by the end of term they were all giving it a go, tackling with relish and living up to the 'never say die' attitude that is the trademark of the Sunningdale boy. A.D.V.

U9s
There are very few times at prep school when one is lucky enough to coach a boy with outstanding talent.When I soon found out that the majority of the U9A team fell into this category you can imagine my reaction. Not only did many of the boys have outstanding natural talent but they possessed the commitment, intensity and 'rugby aggression' which is extremely difficult to instill at this level.With all of these elements in place the boys were able to practice skills that would usually be too advanced. After an excellent couple of weeks training the boys were ready for their first match against St Andrew's Pangbourne.They were a very strong team (unbeaten at this age group for six years) and after a very physical opening battle, Buxton scored a superb try for Sunningdale.The boys then started to pull away scoring six superb tries.There were more blistering runs from Buxton,Ampofo mi., Senior ma. and Hopkins and some equally ferocious tackling from Hinchliffe and Senior mi. Getting through this tough opening game was the platform for an remarkable season.The boys then followed up with convincing wins over Ludgrove,Woodcote, Horris Hill, Dorset House and Brockhurst.With every game, the boys improved on their previous performance, particularly their rucking and offloading.Astonishingly their average tries per game was 8 and they had only conceded one try before the last game.What was also pleasing was to see how the younger boys (Brooks, Jackson,T Davies and Lamb) improved throughout the season. Some of their try saving tackles in the final few games were as good as their senior peers. The last match of the season was against Bishopsgate and it was set up perfectly, as Bishopsgate were also unbeaten.We knew we were in for a tough match when they scored in the first minute of the game. It was by far the most physical game of the season and many of boys were feeling the pain. Despite it being two tries all with five minutes to go our boys just ran out of energy.They conceded two late tries and they lost 4-2. It was such a shame they couldn't quite pull-off the perfect season but I am sure they will have learnt more from that game than all of the others put together. It has been an absolute honour coaching them and they should feel extremely proud of their achievements.Their future at Sunningdale looks incredibly bright - very well done boys! Played 7 Won 6 Lost 1 A.J.L.

Ski Trip
We had a wonderful week in Val dIsere. The sun did not shine as much of some of us would have liked but the snow was fantastic and the skiing excellent. All the boys improved thanks to the brilliant ski instructors, the beginners were doing parallel turns after one week. At the end of the week there was a very competitive slalom race where Sviridov pipped Clegg at the post, the adult race was equally competitive! The chalet was perfect and we were so well looked after by all the staff, the chef was the best we had ever had on a ski trip. We are hoping to book the same place next year, so if you are hoping to join us, get in early to secure a place. ACD

Ski Races
This year's IAPS ski races were held in Passo Tonale, Italy.A group of four boys led by BonhamLloyd spent five days competing against 170 competitors in a slalom final held on Thursday March 9th.The boys competed well with Hart achieving the quickest time of 0.59'34 despite a bad stomach that had dogged him for two days. Bonham-Lloyd wiped out in his first run and thus ran the second too cautiously, unable to break the one minute barrier. Clegg put in a very promising performance giving a hint of what he may achieve next year. Lea put in a gentlemans performance. All in all we had a wonderful time as we always do, it is a great event and a fine opportunity for budding skiers to test themselves in a solid competition that makes good allowance for all abilities and speeds. No medals this year, you need to break the 50 second mark for that, but Hart came 16th (Clegg 34th) and in a field of 174 that's not bad at all.

Squash
We had a close match against Ludgrove this term which, although we lost 4-2, came down to only a couple of points before the score could have been reversed. The boys were playing determined squash and quickly had to get used to the warmer courts. In the match against Woodcote House the boys were very keen for a win. Having played them twice the previous term with one win apiece it was all to play for.The challenge was made even harder with our number one being ruled out with an injury.We started off well winning the first three matches, the boys were in fine form.The last game we all knew would be a challenge with Sperling stepping up to try and claim the number one spot, he unfortunately ended up losing 16-21 but had a great game.Well done to Sperling, Lea and MacDonald-Buchanan and Silva mi. on a good team win. In the school competitions, in the Seniors, Silva Alvear ma beat Sperling and in the Juniors, Hopton beat Kim. G.J.S-B

Cross Country
We entered into two big Cross country meets and were optimistic about our chances. The Horris Hill meet had a few boys that really stood out. U9 Hinchcliffe (top 10 finish),Ampofo, Senior ma and Senior mi. all ran well. In the U11s Hopton, Mayo and Beckworth-Moore all finished one after the other and all in the top 20. For the U13s Campbell-Breeden had a fantastic run and came in third with Bonham-Lloyd not far behind, helping the senior team finish third overall. A mention must be made of Jackson who unfortunately missed his U9 race but then decided to run with the u13s for fun and finished in the top 25, watch this space. The Oratory run saw us come up against some much bigger schools and a very long course. Mayo had a solid run for the U12 team and came in the top 20. H.E.

Fives
Some very exciting results this term as Sunningdale were crowned winners of the Prep School Fives Plate (Sunningdale 2 were Silva Alvear mi and James) and the U12 Fives Championships Plate (Sunningdale 2 were M Russell and Hopton). In the U12 Championships our first pair reached the semi-final comfortably and then ran Highgate I closer than anyone has for a while and in the Prep Schools tournament our first pair lost by the narrowest of margins to Summer Fields I. The quantity has backed up the quality of our boys' performance with some of the largest teams we have fielded. We took 7 pairs to play Highgate at Eton early on in the term and we took 6 pairs to the U12 Championships where all pairs reached a semi-final or better in their respective competitions. There is much to look forward to next year as our U12 pair have beaten everyone except Highgate who they have firmly in their sights. M Russell has also played a number of senior matches for the school (with a very respectable amount of success) although officially still under 10. The other U10 and U9 players have been training hard and have already had a taste of what Highgate can do. They will need to put their mind to it seriously next year to turn the tables in future years. In the school competitions, in the Seniors, Silva Alvear ma & mi beat Gaba and James, in the Juniors, M. Russell and Hopton beat Senior ma and Ampofo mi. The Top Step competition in the Seniors, Silva Alvear ma beat Macdonald Buchanan and in the Juniors, M. Russell beat Hopton. G.J.S-B

Activities

Music
Musical activity has continued at Sunningdale with many positive achievements throughout the department.We were very pleased with the news that William Miles has gained a full Music Scholarship to Harrow School starting in September. He has worked tremendously hard and made very significant progress, and his success is well deserved. We had two very successful Informal Concert given by pupils. Items ranged from beginner level to the more advanced and the concert at the end of term included ensemble items from the Guitar group and three pieces from the Choir. I am pleased that a number of small instrumental groups have been formed recently giving boys the chance to play in chamber groups as well as by themselves. J. Kim, Hopton, Miles and H. Russell gave a short concert for parents of new boys who came for the Assessment Morning, and his was very well received, and many in the audience commented on the maturity of the performers and the confident way they played and sang. We were pleased to welcome pianist Peter Hurst from Sheffield who came to give a concert on two pianos with Mr Lea on Sunday 3rd March which was appreciated by the audience of pupils and parents. It is hoped we can make a regular feature of these Sunday evening concerts given by visiting professionals and look forward to soprano Rachel Louise Marsh who will be coming to us next term on April 28th. This term 14 boys took ABRSM music examinations and preparatory tests and we are hoping for successes when the results are published. Chapel Choir have sung a wide variety of anthems at our Sunday services. In the second half of term these have included Ave Verum by Mozart, the Agnus Die from the Mass for St Benedict by M. Rizza, and The Prayer which was made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. Our peripatetic music staff work very hard each week giving lessons to a large number of boys in the school and supporting our concerts and events. If your son does not have individual lessons and would like to start, we have some vacancies for boys to start or take up a second instrument. Over the years I have talked to many adults who regretted not having lessons when they were younger, and I am keen that all our boys have the opportunity to try learning an instrument whilst at the school. If you want more details please email me on slea@sunningdaleschool.org.uk or telephone me via the school office. SJL

Obituary
Sir John Horsbrugh-Porter Sir John came to us from Emanuel School to teach History and for twelve years he enthralled, amused and intrigued the boys with his encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject. He entered into all aspects of school life, taking junior games with a total disregard for suitable clothing. He was a large man, remembered for his stage performances; on one notable occasion appearing as a fairy. Many boys will recall his frequent use of the blackboard, not always finding it easy to decipher his unique calligraphy.

Harrow Football