ParkLife
Issue No 38
The newsletter of Seaford College
inside
STUDENTS
BOND
TOGETHER
Talented Sara has her sights set on Rio Olympics
SIXTH-FORMER Sara Carr, left, is flying high after
becoming the British Women’s rifle shooting
champion.
Sara, 16, is also the U21 Junior Champion, Cadet
Champion and County Silver Medallist. She is about
to take her Grade 8 piano and singing exams and also
plays the flute – as well playing hockey, rounders and
athletics at first team level. Phew!
Sara, who came to Seaford on a music scholarship in
Year 10, began shooting by accident when she went
along to Chichester Rifle Club just “for the ride”, at the
age of 12 with her mother and elder brother Peter.
Within a couple of years, she had won the British
Women’s Championship at Bisley, the U21 Junior
Championship and also became the Cadet Champion.
Now she shoots for the county and also for Great
Britain at both junior and adult level.
She scored a maximum 400 in the Randle match
against USA and South Africa last summer.
Sara would like to shoot in the 2016 Olympics in Rio
de Janeiro, as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games
in Queensland, but says if she doesn’t get selected
for the GB team in rifle shooting, she might switch to
pentathlon!
Despite such an active sporting life, Sara obtained
5A*s and 6As in her GCSEs last summer and also took
her Physics AS a year early.
She is now studying Physics, Chemistry, Maths,
French and Spanish and will be taking her Physics Alevel in the summer. She is also doing her Gold Duke
of Edinburgh Award and working towards leadership
in the CCF – AND is a key member of the Young
Enterprise team!
The daughter of a pilot, Sara hopes to follow an
aeronautical degree at university and then join the
Army Air Corps.
She said: “I want to fly helicopters such as the
Apache and Wildcat in war zones, picking up the
troops. I guess my driving force is the adrenalin rush!”
‘Thrilled’ to
take the helm
“
S
eaford College is about to enter an
exciting new phase, having appointed
John Green as Headmaster from September .
Mr Green, 45, the school’s current deputy,
will take over from Toby Mullins who is to
take on new challenges in the state sector.
The appointment comes hard on the heels
of recruiting 42-year old Sebastian Rees as
head of the College Preparatory School – a
role he is already embracing with new ideas
and initiatives.
For Romford-born Mr Green, it is his second
spell at Seaford – he was their Director of
Sport from 1999 to 2001.
Prior to that, Mr Green was educated at
the all-boys Campion School in Hornchurch,
Essex, and then studied Sports Science at
Cardiff University, where he went on to do
a Master’s degree in Business and Sports
Science, before taking an advanced diploma
in Economics from the Open University.
He is perhaps best known nationally for
his sporting prowess: he played rugby for
England U16s, U19s and U23s, and captained
England students for three years. He played
professionally for the Saracens from 1992
– 1997.
He combined his rugby with teaching in
the state sector at Barry Boys’ School where
I will be taking on a
school in great health,
thriving on all fronts,
both in and out of the
classroom . . .
JOHN GREEN
he was Director of Sport and, later, taught
at Ardingly College, Sussex, where he was
deputy head of the Prep School and Director
of Sport and PE.
Following two years at Seaford College, he
was appointed Head of the Upper Sixth and
a Boarding Housemaster at Hurstpierpoint.
For the last four years at Hurst, he was
Deputy Head and also taught Economics.
Married to Sian, whom he met in Cardiff,
the couple have three children – Megan, 17,
Ailsa, 14, and Johnny, eight.
Mr Green said: “I am absolutely thrilled to
have been appointed Headmaster of Seaford
College. I will be taking on a school in great
health, thriving on all fronts, both in and out
of the classroom.
”
“Sian and I are looking forward to leading
Seaford through the next stage of its exciting
development and being part of such a
strong, friendly and vibrant community.”
Mr Green believes his understanding of the
Seaford ethos will stand him in good stead,
as will his comprehension of the holistic
nature of education, founded on a strong
academic core.
Mr Mullins, who has been Headmaster for
the past 16 years, is leaving the independent
sector to take on the challenges of running
Lodge Park Technology College in Corby,
Northants, an academy in the Midlands
which was recently placed in special
measures.
l Continued inside
Surprising who you
meet on a walk
see the full story inside
Seaford’s literary role for familiar face on the brink of national acclaim
AWARD-winning author Andrew Mulligan has
been appointed playwright in residence at
Seaford College.
Andy, a former head of English at the school,
has gone on to write several children’s books
since he taught at the school a decade ago – one
of which, Trash, is on the brink of being a big
screen sensation.
Trash – Andy’s second novel – was published in
autumn 2010 in the UK and the USA, and is now
set to be published in 25 languages.
It attained immediate notoriety after being
controversially dropped from the shortlist for
the 2011 Blue Peter Book Awards – because
the programme editor thought it might upset
younger readers.
Hailed by the Times as “outstanding . . .
exceptionally satisfying”, Trash is essentially
a thriller. It tells the story of three dumpsite
boys and an astonishing discovery they make
amongst the city’s refuse. Smart enough to know
they have something truly special – truly lifechanging – they try to stay one step ahead of a
vengeful police force out to silence them.
The novel shifts rapidly from the squalid slums
of a lawless third-world city, to its prisons and
graveyards.
Film rights were snapped up soon after UK
publication, and filming starts in the spring.
Ironically, the controversy merely served to
heighten the book’s popularity
with a packet of Maltesers in my hand.
and schools around the world are
“My first meeting with Richard made it
pushing the book onto the syllabus.
clear that the screenwriter’s job is very
It was shortlisted for the 2012
different from the novelist. His instinct
Carnegie medal.
is for telling a story in images rather
The screenplay has been written
than in prose, and he made me realise
by Richard Curtis and it is to be
I’d no more try to adapt Trash than I’d
directed by Stephen Daldry, who
wander into a dentist’s to give myself a
was the main player in the creative
filling.
team behind last year’s incredible
“He knows how to do it and I’m
COMING HOME:
Olympic opening ceremony.
thrilled to bits that he’s doing it to
College role for Andy Trash. The book couldn’t be in better
Andy remains a consultant to
the movie, but will not be directly
hands.”
involved. He said: “I’m not a screen-writer, and
The film looks like being shot on location in
my only experience of movies is watching them
l Continued inside
Acting
is Max’s
passion
The bright lights of the stage and
small screen are beckoning for 16year-old Max Jukes, a keen actor who
looks set for stardom.
Max’s career got off the ground
when he first started taking part in
school plays.
“At first I saw it as just a bit of fun,
but as I got more involved I began to
take my acting and performing more
seriously,” he said. “Over the last couple
of years I have realised that I want to
have a career doing something that I
love – acting.”
Every Saturday, Max attends the
Guildford School of Acting and takes
part in all the school performances.
Max was also thrilled to be one of
400 people – out of 8,000 applicants
nationwide – to win a place with the
National Youth Theatre.
All the more remarkable when
you learn the talented teenager is
dyslexic. Not that it has ever put him
off! He said: “I’ve just adopted various
strategies and techniques that help
me learn my lines, or complete tasks at
school. I’ve never let my dyslexia get in
the way of anything that I want to do.”
Internet star
Max is currently making a name for
himself on the internet too.
Wordebite is an innovative website
that features
stories and
films written
by teenagers
for teenagers,
and he is
acting in a
14-episode
series on the
site called The
Word, which
is about a
love triangle,
where he
plays Alex,
a brother of
one of the main three characters.
Max said: “It was great fun to make
and be involved with, and the stories
and characters are brilliantly written.”
He is now hoping to film season
two of The Word and will also be
performing in a new Wordebite series
about a teenage boy who wants to
become a racing driver after taking
part in a young driver’s experience day
at Silverstone.
Max said: “The best bit about acting
is playing the character. Christian Bale
once said that you need to fit yourself
to the character and not make the
character fit you. This is something
I really believe in and it’s why I love
acting. I enjoy thinking about the
character and trying to understand
how I can portray their personality and
emotions.”
Max particularly enjoys playing
difficult, dark or devious characters
– because they are so different to him!
“Each character affects me in different
ways, but it’s the complex roles that
fascinate me most and give me more
of a challenge,” he said.
Listen out for
Seaford Radio!
SEAFORD Radio has gone live on air!
The school radio station, which has
been some months in preparation,
went live in October and is being used
as a practical tool in the Media Studies
A-level.
After just one training day, three
students were capable of putting
out a live broadcast – no mean feat!
The aim is to roll out training to more
students and establish a pattern of
regular broadcasts.
Profir proffers
A-level help
to his peers
Sad to leave but Steve couldn’t
resist wonderful opportunity
ANOTHER familiar face will be leaving
the College in August, with the
departure of College Chaplain Rev’d
Steve Gray.
Steve, who has played a very active
part in the life of the College for the past
three and a half years, combining it with
his ministry as parish priest at Graffham,
has been appointed to a senior role
as Chaplain at Bradfield College in
Berkshire.
During his time at Seaford, Steve has
forged strong links with a community in
the Central African Republic of Rwanda,
through the charity REACH, had the
privilege and pleasure of conducting a
rare wedding of an old boy – by special
licence – in the College Chapel, as well
as the wedding of Joscelyn Johnson’s
grandson James Sayer, performing
the full immersion baptism of Freddie
Miller in the College outdoor swimming
pool and leading innumerable
Remembrance Day services, carol
services, confirmation classes – and, of
course, the regular chapel services for
students and staff.
Informal chats
Another success has been the casual Tea
with the Vicar – an informal discussion
about anything over tea and cake in the
sports hall cafe.
Steve said: “It is with mixed emotions
we move on from Graffham and Seaford
College in August but with many happy
memories.
“Although not looking to move on,
I knew the time would come soon to
decide whether my ministry would be
full-time in a Church or a school – and
the opportunity of a senior job as
Chaplain at Bradfield College opened up
for me that I believe I would have been
foolish not to grasp.”
As with many family men and
women nowadays, a move was largely
conditional on his children’s schooling.
Lucy, 14, is at a boarding school in
Eastbourne, while Amy, 12, and Millie,
A SEAFORD College student is making
a name for himself in the world of
academia – even though he is still only
17.
As well as amassing his own set of
amazing AS and A2 results in a very
short space of time, Profir-Petru Partachi,
right, is working on an e-book to help his
fellow A-level students gain the essential
conceptual understanding required to
achieve success at A-level.
Profir, from the Republic of Moldova,
came to Seaford last year on an HMC
scholarship. He has already completed
AS and A2 in five subjects in just one year
and is looking forward to a very bright
future, according to deputy head Breege
Jinks.
Profir obtained D2 (A* equivalent)
in Pre-U Physics, A* in Further Maths
and A in Maths, A in Physics, and B in
Computing in the exams last summer.
This year he is doing preparatory
studies for a Robotics course in Czech.
Profir, who comes from Chisinau, the
capital of Moldova, chose Seaford College
for Sixth Form because of its excellent
reputation of working with students from
the Republic.
He said: “My main motivation is
the wish to find or obtain a piece
of knowledge either not noticed or
completely unknown before me. A
research or discovery that can bring
about change.”
legacy: Steve has forged links with
a community in Rwanda
10, are currently in Seaford College Prep
School. Amy will start at Bradfield in
September.
“A window of opportunity for
September has minimal disruption of
uprooting the girls with key stages of
their education on the threshold,” he
said. “I feel honoured to take up my
post in September but inevitably sad
to depart such a warm, welcoming and
supportive community as Graffham and
Seaford College.”
However, as with most people who
leave Seaford College, the ties are
never truly severed and the Chaplain
has warned he will be back . . . possibly
wielding the willow as a guest for
Graffham cricket club or to play the odd
game of tennis!
Steve concluded: “The Labradors will
miss the heavenly walks too. A big thank
you to so many of you for your love and
prayers for us as a family. It means the
world.”
l Nine students were fortunate to visit
Rwanda with the Chaplain in 2011 and
the College has raised a significant sum
to help rebuild the lives of the people
there, via the Peace International
School, on the outskirts of the capital,
Kigali. Seaford House, a boarding house
for 120 orphans, is now an integral part
of the school in Kigali which – hopefully
– will be an ongoing link for many years
to come.
Bonding together
MORE than 100 Year 9 students got the term off to a flying
start with a team-building trip to Fairthorne Manor YMCA,
near Southampton.
Following last year’s hugely successful trip, it was
decided to repeat the exercise, giving the students a
chance to get to know each other better – particularly the
45 new students who joined the College for the first time
this year.
It was also a good opportunity for the tutor groups
to get to know their tutors, outside the restraints of the
classroom.
Students enjoyed a wide range of outdoor pursuits and
adventure activities during the three-day trip, including
abseiling, raft-building, climbing and kayaking.
Teachers who accompanied the trip were tutors Mrs
Weekes, Miss Sims, Miss Prince-Iles, Mr Cook, Mrs Griffin,
and new to the school Mr D’Agar, as well as Mr Hart (Head
of Year 9), Rev Steve Gray and Gap students Georgia and
Jessie.
Amazingly for the time of year, the weather was hot and
the group actually needed suncream – although those
doing kayaking and raft building soon cooled down.
The low-ropes course was another great opportunity
to work as a team and without each other no-one would
have made it over the 10-foot wall! The ‘leap of faith’ was
the highlight for many on the trip.
Goes like a Dream
FROM PAGE 1
‘Thrilled’ to take the helm
He said: “I have had a wonderful 16
years at Seaford College, during which
time we have improved the academic
results beyond recognition, increased
pupil numbers and engaged in several
major building projects which have
brought the College bang up to date in
the 21st century.
“I am happy to be leaving the school
in the capable hands of John Green and
am confident he will continue to grow
the school in line with its ethos and
principles, building even further on the
foundations which have now been laid.
“My new role will certainly be very
different – but provide me with a range
of challenges which I shall relish.”
Chairman of governors Graeme
Sinclair said: “The interview process
was not an easy one and involved over
100 applicants, with the shortlist going
through three days of interviews and a
wide variety of tests.
“In the end I am pleased to say Mr
Green came out as the unanimous
choice of the Board and we are thrilled
that he will be leading the College from
1 September 2013.”
Literary role for familiar face
Brazil and Daldry is now casting for the
parts of the three central characters.
So, while filming goes on in South
America, Andy will be enjoying the
more temperate climes of West
Sussex, where he has been
appointed to Seaford on a six-month
contract, during which time he will
be helping students throughout
the school to improve their creative
writing skills.
He said: “I’ve got enormously fond
memories of Seaford. I met teachers
who taught me a huge amount.”
Two years ago, Andy told Park Life he
would happily return. Now it appears
he has got his wish!
Educated at Oxford, Andy worked
for 10 years as a theatrical director
before re-training as a teacher. He has
taught English and Drama in places as
diverse as Brazil, India, Vietnam, the
Philippines and the UK.
He first taught at Seaford College
from 2002 to 2004 during which time
he directed a number of plays – and
his Ribblestrop trilogy is loosely based
on some of the pupils and teachers he
met whilst there!
Described as “Hogwarts meets St
Trinians, with a touch of Pullman’s
Northern Lights”, Andy has confessed
that his main character – Millie Roads
– was based on a girl in Year 9 at
Seaford while the main character
in book two was based on “an
enormously charismatic boy I taught
in Year 8”!
Return to Ribblesrop was shortlisted
for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and
won the coveted Guardian Children’s
Fiction Prize 2011.
His latest work, The Boy With Two
Heads, will be published this spring.
DREAM ROLE: Ned Sanders as Bottom playing
Pyramus in the Mechanical’s performance of Pyramus
and Thisbe
House of fun
WALKERS from Walled Garden
West (WGW) set out on their nowannual Charity Walk following the
Remembrance Service on
11 November.
As last year, the weather was superb and allowed
all those who dressed up to be able to show off
their costumes to the full.
More than 40 people took part – from toddlers
upwards – which started and finished from the
boys’ boarding house.
The prefects chose this year’s charity – the cancer
unit at Chichester hospital – a cause close to many
of the boys’ hearts, given the
high number of family and
friends they have seen go
for treatment at the unit in
the past few years.
The purpose of the walk is really to unite the
house rather than simply raise money for a worthy
cause. That said, with donations totalling more
than £350, this was a very successful event in all
respects.
The students in WGW also put together a House
Calendar, which went on sale just before Christmas,
to raise further funds for the cancer unit.
STUDENTS from Years 9 to 13 put on a splendid
performance of Shakespeare’s popular A Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
Ouli Jagne and Max Jukes were suitably sinister and
seductive as Titania and Oberon, with Tom Holder as a
guitar-playing Puck.
The lovers, played by Eliot Sizeland, Chloe Gooding,
Becci Eden and Freddie Millar, successfully brought out
the comedy as well as the frustration of their plight
when lost in the woods.
The Mechanicals – Scott Boarer, Owen Godfrey, Pip
Gurney, George Lawson and George Sturgis, gave both
warmth and humour to their characters – led by an
accomplished and hilarious performance from Ned
Sanders as Bottom.
Head of Drama Dr Jane Askew said: “The students all
did extremely well to both learn the Shakespearean
language and be able to convey its meaning fully,
through their performances.”
The play was directed by Dr Askew, with Jamie
Kluckers doing an excellent job with the sound and
lighting effects.
Calendar’s
snapshot of
school life
Profir’s e-book is designed to help
A-level lessons be organised in a
different manner than the usual slideshow, whiteboard and Smartboard™
combinations.
A reduced version, tailored to the
A-level spec for the Physics A Unit 2, has
already been trialled at Seaford.
Profir said: “My aim is to create a fully
interactive e-book interface that may
work similar to slideshows – but requiring
only the vital bits to be on the inter- or
intranet.”
Profir said that only once he was
satisfied with the fully-functional version
would he consider publishing it for
educational purposes.
In the meantime, he plans to continue
in the field of research, either for public
or private bodies, within the field of
Computer Science and Robotics.
Profir admits that, like his peers, he
enjoys video games for recreation
– but, not surprisingly perhaps, enjoys
strategy games the most. He also enjoys
photography.
No one’s lost for words
SEAFORD College was chosen to host
the first round of the English Speaking
Union Schools’ Mace Competition for
the first time in its history at the end of
2012.
Sixth formers from Portsmouth
Grammar School, Angmering, Lancing
and Seaford College, pictured below,
pitted their wits and argumentative
skills against each other in the debating
competition, which was fiercely fought
in the new Music Recital Room.
Two tricky topics had been set by
organisers.
James Watts and Natali Bilandzija,
from Seaford, proposed the motion:
“This house would ban all public
sector employees from wearing
religious symbols” in a debate with
Lancing College, while Angmering and
Porstmouth battled it out on the subject:
“This house would tie development aid
to a population control mechanism.”
Some 50 spectators – fellow students,
parents and visiting schools – attended
to listen to the debates and, while
the Seaford duo were not massively
successful in winning the argument,
they certainly gave Lancing a run for
their money!
Chairman of judges was Carrie Oliver,
from Portsmouth University.
The debating society is just one of the
new initiatives being launched by the
school’s new head of English John Doy.
To further students’ interest in
debating, Mr Doy took a party of pupils
from Years 9 to 13 to the Houses of
Parliament in Westminster to listen
to the John Smith Memorial Debate
– a fascinating debate between top
journalists and MPs on the hugely
topical subject of media intrusion.
Events planned for 2013 include a
team of Year 9 students participating
in a public speaking competition in
Chichester Town Hall in February, the
Rotary speaking competition in April
and both junior and senior house
debating competitions.
Team hopes idea will translate into success for Young Enterprise Challenge
moneyspinning: Apex’s calendar on sale at
Graffham Christmas Fair
Seaford students are putting their linguistic skills
to the test in a bid to beat off the opposition in this
year’s Young Enterprise Challenge.
Team Apex have decided to offer a service, as
well as goods, in this year’s challenge. Responding
to the influx of Eastern European workers to the
South Coast in recent years, the team is offering a
translation and proof-reading service for letters,
application forms, manuals, advertisements, CVs
– even emails; everything the modern worker or
business could need, with the exception of legal or
insurance documents.
Apex managing director Alex MacPherson, 17,
said: “We decided that in order to make some
serious money, we needed to engage with the
wider community and take our services outside of
the school environment.”
Several students speak fluent Albanian,
Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian and Serbian as their
mother tongue, so are well placed to translate
essential documents at a competitive price.
For more details about the service, contact Fiona
Askew, SMT Secretary, on 01798 867822 or email
[email protected]
Young Enterprise is a national schools
competition, which encourages students to set up
and run their own business. Most companies go
down the production route, making and selling
goods in order to maximise their profit.
As well as offering the translation service to
local businesses and community groups, Apex
has produced a 2013 pictorial calendar of West
Sussex, which is now on sale at the school, having
been unveiled at the Wilberforce and Graffham
Christmas fairs.
They are also honing their event management
skills by organising two corporate golfing days in
March on the school golf course in the spring.
“The aim of these will be two-fold – firstly, for
corporate hospitality and the second, a chance to
network with like-minded professionals from the
local business community.”
Both days are expected to include lunch, plus a
round of golf.
As well as Alex, the team comprises James Smith
(Head of Marketing), Toby Nugent (Financial
Director) and Joseph Ayeni (Head of IT) who has
been given the task of setting up a company
website! Nita Skendari has led the calendar project,
while Kalina Krastanova is in charge of translation
services and Ollie Gatland is team leader for the
corporate events.
THE stunning scenery surrounding
Seaford College has been put to good
use in a fundraising calendar for 2013.
Student Tom Newman collated
photos of the College for the calendar,
which went on sale towards the
end of term for the first time at the
Wilberforce Christmas Fair and then
at two of the main end-of-term carol
services.
Priced £10, the calendar depicts
the College and some of its students
through the season. Tom said: “This is
a collectible calendar which shows a
unique picture of school life at Seaford
for every month of the year – plus
space to make a note of upcoming
events and reminders for all the
family.”
A total of 300 calendars were
produced for the project and are
expected to raise a total of £1,000 for
the 2014 Camps International trip to
Ecuador.
Thanks to Tom’s aunt and printing
company Morgana, the calendars
were produced at a cost-effective
price to maximise the profit for the
school.
The four-week Ecuador trip will take
place in the summer of 2014, when
the group of young people will help
conserve and protect wildlife, improve
sanitation and help the local people
with building projects.
They will also get the opportunity
to trek round the Andes. The
students from Year 10 will join three
other schools in Ecuador, forging
friendships as well as helping the local
community. Each student has to raise
£3,500 in order to take part in the
expedition.
Camps International promotes
environmental, health and education
schemes throughout deprived areas
abroad via the promotion of young
adult volunteering schemes.
A few of the calendars are still
available at the discounted price of £5
– contact Tom Newman in Year 10 or
email: seafordschoolcalendar@yahoo.
co.uk
Sporting dinner
boosts the coffers
for rugby trip
EX-British and Irish Lions rugby star
Fergus Slattery was guest speaker at a
fundraising dinner held to raise funds
for the forthcoming South Africa
Rugby Tour.
The programme for the tour, which
departs on 3 July and returns on 16
July, is due to be finalised in February,
but guarantees some challenging
games against South African school
sides.
Five members of staff and 45 players
are hoping to go on the tour, which
will be based in the Cape Town area.
The two squads will play four games
each.
The November dinner, which raised
in excess of £5,000 towards the tour
and purchase of supplies for the
Fisantekraal Community Project,
involved fun games, an auction,
speeches and a raffle.
Don’t forget – if you have any old
mobile phones, you can help raise
funds for the tour by recycling them
at forgottenmobile.com. The scheme
will continue to run until March 2013,
with the aim of recycling over 1,000
phones. If you want to be part of
the scheme and donate a phone, or
your company would like to be part
of the scheme and help support the
charity and the rugby tour, please
contact: [email protected] for more
information.
Shooting his way to Australia
STUDENTS who remember Dan Tarrant shooting
his way to success in the past few years at
Seaford College will be thrilled to learn he has
been selected to take part in the Australian
Youth Olympic Festival, which takes place Down
Under this month.
Daniel, 16, who was capped for Great Britain in
April and again for England in June, shot at the
GB selection shoot at Nuthampstead in October
and came first in the Juniors and 9th overall.
He has now been capped and is an official
Team Member of the British Olympic Association
– and the only Junior Olympic Trap shooter
selected to attend the festival, in Sydney. He
joins 120 other young athletes from Great
Britain taking part in the festival, from 16-20
January.
The AYOF will see 1,700 athletes aged 13-19
from 30 nations competing across 17 Olympic
sports in many of the venues used to host the
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Inspired by Team GB’s outstanding success
at last summer’s London Olympic Games,
the young athletes will be aiming to use the
AYOF experience as a springboard in their
development towards fulfilling their aspirations
of representing Team GB at future Olympic
Games.
Daniel now ranks no.1 Junior for the second
year running and is ranked 10th overall out
of about 120 Olympic Trap shooters (seniors,
veterans and juniors) in the UK.
He left Seaford College after six years in the
summer to further his studies in Chichester,
having gained a place on the coveted Peter
Jones Academy Entrepreneur Course.
Pack of players set to
bolster strong sides
THE strength of Seaford’s rugby is ever-increasing
and it certainly looks promising now that a powerful
bunch of Year 11s are poised to join what is already
a very strong Sixth Form contingent.
1st XV
The 1st team was the most successful 1st team for
seven years at Seaford – with only three matches lost
(and two of these should have been wins!)
The squad was large for the first time in many years
and all players pushed one another to improve, under
the able leadership of Captain Lee Reilly.
His determination and his work-rate, combined with
Jamie Wilcock as the other flanker, turned over huge
amounts of ball and allowed Seaford to be on the
attack more than on the the defence.
Callum Monks was inspirational in midfield with
thunderous tackles and pace to burn, and changed
the game on several occasions, scoring a number of
tries. The 1st team are also into the quarter finals of
the county cup.
2nd XV
The 2nd XV enjoyed a solid season, with some
exceptional players that really bonded as the season
went by.
Christ’s Hospital and Caterham were the two most
memorable games of the season with excellent wins
in both.
David Kallend led as captain with strength and
determination, and his leadership pushed the 2nds
to be a very balanced and free running squad. Henry
deCandole and Ben Besley were much improved
players and showed great determination and desire
to put in the effort both as individuals but, more
importantly, for the team.
U16 XV
The U16s were slow to get into the groove of things,
reflected in the first two results of the season.
But from then on, the boys did not look back and
the Glynn Tech game was the turning point in the
season.
In a tough test in the Sussex Cup against Worth
School, the boys produced one of the games of the
season and ran out 37-12 victors against a big Worth
side.
Hurstpierpoint College at home was always going to
be a tough test but the boys played the awful weather
conditions well and got a well-deserved 12-5 victory.
In the second part of the term, the boys had some
tough games against Worth 3rd XV but again proved
too strong and ran away to a 46-0 comfortable win.
Christ Hospital was next and again the U16s put
together some great rugby and ended up winning
36-12.
Against St Phillip Howard, we produced some great
flowing rugby and scored some good tries – reflected
in the score line of a 58-0 win.
The season ended with a home game against
Churchers which was a highly competitive game
between two quality sides.
Watching this last game, which we lost 16-20, you
could see the improvements the boys had made both
as individual players and as a team.
Special mention must go to captain Harry Collins,
also Matt Langmead who has been remarkable at
fullback.
U15 XV
The u15s had a mixed season with varying results.
They produced two exceptional wins scoring
more than 50 points and had a number of close
matches.
The team improved throughout the season with
excellent performances from Oscar Clark, spoiling
play all over the park; Josh Napthine with his strong
runs in the midfield; Oli Whitehouse with his powerful
running on the wing; Ben Williams with his solid
rucking and mauling; and George Stainsby leading
Polo team
ready to
gallop into
new season
from the front as captain.
Their best game was their last – against Churchers
College – in which we suffered a 3-0 loss.
The passion and commitment to each other in that
game was excellent and the boys played their best
with some excellent rugby in the last 10 minutes as
well as excellent defence throughout the entire game.
A good season with glimpses of real potential from a
lot of players.
U14 As
A good season with wins against some big schools,
notably London Freemans and Worth. The side have
also progressed well in the county cup. Particular
mention needs to go to James Wallace and Oskar
Strasman for their non-stop effort and solid play
both in attack and defence, and Jonny Lance is
commended for his excellent captaincy.
U14 Bs
The team started the season well, defeating a well
organised London Freemans 5-0, with the winning try
being scored by Matthew Bridgeman.
The following game, the team continued their
great start, led by the captain Patrick Langmead, with
an excellent victory over Perrins school with Aiden
Jones scoring five tries to win the game 45-19 in an
emphatic style.
However then came the turn of Hurstpierpoint, a
much-loved rival game, with both teams playing some
good rugby.
It was Seaford that took the lead with an early try.
Although Hurst came back strong, Seaford’s tackling
couldn’t hold the determined backs of Hurst which
created four tries to win the game 26-5.
After this first loss the team struggled to regain
confidence in their tackling, which was evident in their
next game against Worth. Throughout the season
Xavier Orler, Kai Shadforth, Harry Bennett and Tim
Spillman excelled.
SEAFORD’S up and coming polo
team is looking forward to an
exciting season, which gets under
way in April.
Ralph Richardson, who has come
to the college from Millfield, is
already one of the best schoolboy
players in the country and
should ensure the Seaford squad
continues to thrive, under the
leadership of coach Matthew
Pitteway.
Ralph is regularly part of the
young England and England
schools polo teams, and hopes
to follow in the footsteps of his
brother who is a professional polo
player.
Ralph plays at Cowdray and,
along with Cody Jones, will make
formidable back two players in the
Seaford squad this year.
The college is due to play a
number of schools in Arena Polo in
the New Year, with three players a
team, against Cheltenham, Stowe,
Eton, Radley and Marlborough, all
of which will be good for training
and team building.
Then, from Lent through to
summer, the four-man team will
start playing in earnest, with the
first main fixture being confirmed
against Cheltenham on 18 April.
The team will also have the
opportunity of competing in the
National Schools Tournament,
which starts on 10 March and
concludes with the final on 23
June.
New-look course delivers another great year
YET another year has flown by on the Seaford
College Golf Course!
2012 was another brilliantly successful year in
our growth, the main highlight being the opening
of the four new tees, as well as the completion of
the reshaping and ground moulding around the
7th green.
All the work was carried out by the in-house
estates department led by Paul Boarer. A special
mention should go to Steve Mullen who has been
delegated responsibility for the course under Paul’s
watchful eye. Steve really has taken to his task and
gets very upset when Mother Nature does not play
ball to allow him to produce a top class facility 365
days a year.
I’m not sure how the team managed to maintain
the magnificent conditions throughout the very
wet autumn. Well done guys, much appreciated by
the membership.
As a token of their appreciation the Tuesday
regulars, led by Bryan Morgan, in conjunction with
Club Captain and former deputy head John Hall,
organised a Xmas Bonanza fun competition; the
entry fee was a bottle, with all the proceeds being
divided between Paul and the boys. I am told it
was so much fun that they didn’t have a winner;
everybody was a winner in what was a great day!
The Seaford College Golf team had mixed results
towards the end of the year.
In the HMC Foursomes the six-man team put up
a terrific fight against a very good Bedes team,
with the final match going to the first extra hole to
decide the winners. Unfortunately nerves got the
better of our pair and it was Bedes who progressed
to the next round. The next match was in the ISGA
Knock Out against Winchester College. Again the
draw was not very kind and the boys had to travel
this time to Hockley Golf Club. In what could only
be described as testing conditions, the threeman team of James Smith, Callum Syrett and Olly
Gatland put up a stern fight, finally going down
2-1 in a close contest. Again it is a wonderful
opportunity for the players to play in national
competitions against some of the best young
players around – great for character building.
However, they do not always look at the result in
that way at the time!
Once again, the highlight of the year was
the Club Championship with a record number
of entries and, for the second year running,
Headmaster designate John Green came out on
top with a 2&1 victory over 18 holes in a very hardfought victory over John Miles. All the monthly
competitions were very well supported again this
year with the following picking up their trophies
from Toby Mullins at presentation night:
Spring Medal: Andy Putnam. May Stableford: Paul
Rixon. 3-Club Challenge: Roger Burgess. Cross
Country: Darren Clarke. Final Fling: Bryan Morgan.
Monday Roll-Up. Winner: Chris Collins; joint
Written and produced by JSPPR, Maidstone, on behalf of Seaford College
VICTORIOUS: John Green receives his trophy
from Toby Mullins
second: Paul Blackwell and John Miles.
Golf at Seaford is great fun, from both a sporting
and social point of view. Why don’t you join us?
Neil Macfarlane, Golf Professional