Autumn 1990
Mount
House
School
m.Fanfare
September 1989 - July 1990
Edited by David Cowgill
Photographs by Brian Jones (of Brian Jones Photography),
Charles Price, Dominic Price, Peter R Hamilton-Leggett,
Geoffrey Allen, Jan Evetts, John Symons and David Cowgill.
Photographic Work by Michael Viney
25th January 1990
View from the Study
I wonder if future generations will look into backnumbers
of Fanfare to compare their storms with the great storm of
1990. Thursday 25th January was a day, firstly of much ex­
citement for the boys as the winds rose dramatically and la­
ter of fear as we all watched helplessly the awesome
strength of the gusts.
Despite the damage to the conservatory, the Georgian win­
dows, the roofs and the lovely trees, we can count ourselves
very fortunate that it was not a day of tragedy. Heavy ridge
tiles crashed through the velux roof lights of the changing
room whilst the school was in breakfast, whole slates were
found embedded by the back gates and the conservatory
was evacuated some time before part of it exploded into a
thousand fragments down the hillside towards the River
Tavy. Lindsay Young and Mike Viney, the gardener, had
the narrowest of escapes as the huge Turkey oak by the
Common Room just missed them.
It now seems hardly real that it was too dangerous to set out
for the pantomime, that Hawkins dormitory had to sleep in
the library, that the school had to eat in shifts for fear of the
2
large dining room windows giving way and that miracu­
lously the Victorian painted glass of the front hall skylight
blew upwards to remain unbroken on the roof. The storm
also served as a reminder of how fortunate we are to have so
many loyal friends in the town. Within minutes of request­
ing their assistance, Peter Tugwell and his builders, Ber­
nard Chamings and his plumbers, Mike Wooley, the tree
specialist and others were on hand to help wherever they
were needed.
The view from the study was remarkable. Lovely old trees,
particularly beech, cedar and oak were brought down and
yet amongst the devastation was the unforgettable sight and
coincidence that at that very moment the tree replanting
scheme was underway! Thanks to the many willing hands,
much further damage was prevented. The insurance asses­
sors took this into consideration when agreeing to meet the
costs of all repairs and replacements. It will be for another
generation to witness the full grandeur of those little trees
which were planted on the day of the great storm.
Charles Price
People
Governing Body and Staff
Governing Body
F Davey m a Dip Ed Head o f Classics
P R Hamilton-Leggett b S i a p s Dip Head o f Science
Miss J Lee Cert Ed Junior Forms
Mrs E Saxon Cert Ed Junior Forms
P Stephens b Ed Head o f P E , Mathematics
M B L Stock m a Cert Ed Head o f Geography
J Symons b Ed Head o f History
Mrs Y P Symons b Ed English, Extra English, Maths
G Whaley ce rt Ed Dip Ed Head o f Design & Technology
Miss L M G Young b Ed Latin, Science
J H Trafford Esq b a (Chairman)
G D Adam Esq f r i c s
C H Christie Esq m a
T D Denner Esq m a
A B E Hudson Esq m a
D r C Leather m b chB
Mrs W G Mumford j p
J R M May Somerville Esq
Surg Capt (D) R L Travis r n
M R G Williams Esq m a
R P Vi7right Esq Dip Inst. D u Pantheon Paris
c
Academic Staff
C D Price b a i a p s Dip Headmaster
J D Cowgill r d m a p g c e Second Master, Head o f English
G R Allen Cen Ed English
Mrs M Allerton n d d (sculpture) Art
Mrs V Asater b Ed Cert Ed l r a m Director o f Music
J H Banyard b a C m Ed French
M J Bassett b Ed Head o f Maths & Computing
Maj J D Bengough b p m Cert Ed Head o f Scripture
G Bush Cen Ed Maths
G P W Cashell i a p s Dip Head ofFretich
K C Cload a m i e t Dip Carpentry
Administrative Staff
L t Col A J Craigie o b e m b i m Bursar and Clerk to the Board
o f Governors
Mrs W Wroe Secretary
D r R A Gude m b BSc(Lond) m r c p m r c g p d c h School Doctor
and Medical Adviser
Mrs A Wellman Head Matron
Miss S H Roberts Assistant Matron
Miss W P Howell Assistant Matron
Miss K Buder Junior Assistant Matron
Miss N Furse Junior Assistant Matron
L Mitchell Caterer
E G Willcock Head Groundsman
School List, July 1990
Rhys Abbott
Simon Allenby
Christopher Anthony
Robert Babbage
James Babbington
Thomas Babbington
Guy Bailey
Timothy Ball
Christian Barford
John Barneby
Thomas Beard
Paul Bennett
Rupert Bettison
Charles Borradaile
James Bowles
Sebastian Britten
Lee Broderick
Tom Browne
Anthony Burnell-Nugent
Rupert Burnell-Nugent
Jake Burnett-Hitchcock
Mark Burton
Marcus Butler
Philip Cass
Thomas Charlesworth
Robert Choa
Simon Church
Hayden Clark
Jonathan Clarke
Thomas Clarke
Alexander Clayton
Benjamin Clayton
John Clayton
Oliver Collier
James Collin
Oliver Coryton
Hugo Cox
Edward Craddock
Richard Cross
Robert Cross
Oliver D ’Adda
Giles Darch
Jason Darch
Paul Da Rocha
Benjamin Davies
Thomas Davies
Jan Evetts
Richard Ferguson
Michael Follett
Peter Friend
James Fulton
Mark Fulton
William Gabb
Robert Gaffney
Mark Gent
Simon Gent
Justin Gibbs
Kinder Goodall
Warwick Goodall
Peter Goodfellow
Patrick Grant-Sturgis
James Grey
Nicholas Grey
Simon Griffin
Edward Hampshire
Timothy Hanson
Charlie Harris
William Hatchard
Harry Hensman
Jeremy Hill
Thomas Hudson
Edmund Hulme
James Humphry
Adam Hurst
Christopher Hutton
Thomas Inman
James Irvine
Ross Jackson
Stuart Jackson
Laurence Jarrett-Kerr
Nigel Jarvis
Thomas Jefferson
John Jeffreys
Timothy Jellicoe
Nicholas Jenkins
Timothy Jenkins
Clive Jennings
John Jennings
Alexander Jones
Edward Jones
Toby Keane
William Keeler
Christopher King
Simon King
John Kitson
Charles Kivell
Martin Kongialis
Robin Kongialis
Simon Kongialis
John Lawrence
Christopher Longden
Jeremy Lott
William Luke
Andrew Lytle
Robert Lytle
James McCoy
Matthew McCoy
Duncan McDowall
David Mackenzie
Alastair Mackie
Archie Mackie
James Macleod
Matthew Martin
Charles Matheson
Edward Merrill
Christopher Moore
Edward Moore
Alexander Moth
Matthew Muldowney
Duncan Murray
Tom Newey
Benjamin Nicholls
Jonathan Nicholls
Charles O’Connor
Nicholas Owen
Simon Painter
Jaimin Patel
Richard Pearn
Nicholas Pepper
Roger Perowne
Timothy Perowne
James Petrie
Michael Philpott
Richard Philpott
Sam Plagerson
Oliver Pool
Crispin Procter
Julian Radcliffe
Michael Radcliffe
Nicholas Radford
Max Rangeley
Charles Reeves
Andrew Ridland
Robert Ridland
Andrew Robertson
Justin Rosenfeld
William Russell
Alexander Samborne
Timothy Samborne
Conrad Scofield
John Seldon
Rupert Seldon
William Seldon
Thomas Sellick
Julian Shakerley
Peter Sharp
Austin Smith
Peter Spong
Geoffrey Stead
William Stirling
Andrew Stone
Duncan Stone
Robert Tait
Ross Talbot
Russell Talbot
Alexis Tanner
Ivan Tanner
David Timms
Matthew Timms
Christoper Timpson
Henry Tonks
James Turner
Daniel Udy
Humphrey Voelcker
Alexander Walter
Charles Walter
Jonathan Ward
James Warren
Gerens Weaver
Alexander West
Nicholas Whatmough
Christopher Wheal
Hugo Wilkinson
Edmund Williams
George Williams
Stephen Williams
Thomas Williams
Michael Willoughby
Simon Wilsey
James Woolford
William Worthy
Mark Wyer
Callum Zaloumis
Kyle Zaloumis
Sydney Zaloumis
!3
People
The Honours Board 1990
King’s College, Taunton
Canford School
King’s College, Taunton
Blundell’s School
Blundell’s School
Blundell’s School
Blundell’s School
M R Gent
E C G Hampshire
J A Gibbs
C H Wheal
M C Willoughby
J R Woolford
A Ridland
Major Scholarship & Classics Award
Scholarship & Jubilee Art Scholarship
Barrow Scholarship
Music Exhibition
Art Scholarship
Military Bursary
Military Bursary
Congratulations also to Dane Salter at Repton School, on
being elected to a Foundation Scholarship, the highest
accolade the school bestows.
Twice Forty Years On
Mr Geoffrey Stevens, who was a boy at Mount House in
1910, with our two youngest new boys, Edward and
Christopher Moore.
Salvete
September, 1989
G C S Bailey
C M V Barford
P A Bennett
J A Bowles
R M Burnell-Nugent
J N Burnett-Hitchcock
P T Cass
A S Clayton
J R T Collin
O D ’Adda
B J Davies
M V J Follett
W H Gabb
A J Harris
W J Hatchard
S J Jackson
L P Jarrett-Kerr
N A C Jarvis
T L M Jefferson
J E Jeffreys
T A Jellicoe
T D Jenkins
C E F Jennings
C D Longden
M J Martin
C R K O’Connor
R N Pearn
N R Pepper
M S J Rangeley
J C Rosenfeld
W H A Russell
P R F Spong
R M Talbot
4
et
I G Tanner
H C Tonks
E S W Williams
W J Worthy
January, 1990
O F G Pool
April, 1990
C G Moore
E D Moore
Valete
December, 1989
G D Price St Budeaux Primary
March, 1990
A J Barnicoat France
P A McClarty Stoke Mandeville County
July, 1990
S J Allenby Blundell’s School
M J Burton Shrewsbury School
M W Butler King’s College, Taunton
P W Da Rocha Kelly College
J E Evetts Blundell’s School
A S G Griffin King’s College, Taunton
JW H ill King’s College, Taunton
A M H urst Kelly College
E M P Hulme Blundell’s School
N J Jenkins Charterhouse School
T R H Keane Plymouth College
J P A McCoy Plymouth College
M D W McCoy Plymouth College
D J M McDowall King’s College, Taunton
D N Mackenzie Allhallows School
J L D Macleod Wellington College
C V Matheson Milton Abbey School
M C Muldowney Kelly College
C B Reeves Sherborne School
C J Scofield Kelly College
R M Talbot Kelly College
M J K Timms Kelly College
C R J Walter Blundell’s School
G M Weaver Kelly College
A P G West Waterford College, Swaziland
T E Williams Eton College
People
Malcolm
M arathalingham
Sadly we have to record the death in March of this year of
our Head Groundsman. Malcolm Marathalingham was an
exceptional person. After retiring from a successful career
in the Royal Navy, during which he rose to the rank of
Chief Petty Officer, he joined the Staff at Mount House in
the summer holidays of 1986.
Always a keen cricketer (he had captained the Royal Navy
in his time), he decided to keep that interest alive and his
work at the school gave him considerable fulfilment,
especially when improving the various wickets and pitches
for the boys to play on. He was a hard worker with high
standards. If a job was to be done, it was to be done
properly, no half-measures; for this his naval service takes
due credit. Work was tackled head on, and if sometimes his
approach was too direct for some, it was because he could
not put up with second best. He came to care deeply for the
grounds in his care, and the attention which he lavished on
them become plainly visible in the relatively short time he
was with us. These grounds remain as a tribute to him and
Welcome to:
Geoff Whaley
Geoff Whaley arrived at Mount House in September 1989
from Bishop’s Stortford College to be Head of the new
Craft, Design and Technology centre. Besides his academic
qualifications he brought with him a host of sporting
interests. He was captain of the British Athletics team in
1977-78, he played county rugby and was an England U23
trialist, he was a member of the British Colleges judo team
and weight lifting champion of East England, Anglia, All
Midlands and the Scottish open champion. Besides sport,
he has numerous other hobbies and is a keen fisherman.
Geoff s wife, Jayne is also a keen games player. They have a
young son, Tom.
Farewell to:
to the organisation, dedication and professionalism which
he brought to bear on the job. Had he been spared to us
longer, it is certain that Mount House would have become
the first choice of venue for many inter-county school
sporting competitions. The standards which he inspired
will be upheld by his successors and his ambition will
surely be realised.
Malcolm was a devoted family man and a dedicated
church-goer, with many friends from the Navy, his parish
and Mount House School. At his funeral service the church
was filled to capacity with those who came to pay their last
respects. We were privileged to send the school choir to
take part.
We mourn him and miss his presence, but still feel that he
is with us when we look round the estate and view his
achievements. Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife and
family.
A JC
Together with his wife, Margaret, he helped to launch and
run the development appeal which was so successful. That
we have such a fine sportshall and craft, design and
technology centre is largely due to his drive and
enthusiasm. His fondness for Mount House was evident in
many ways but none more than during the storms in
January and February of this year when he was often to be
seen in the building late at night checking that all was well.
He leaves us to become Bursar at the Cathedral School,
Salisbury. We wish him, Margaret and their family every
happiness in their new home, and Andrew great success in
his new appointment.
Miss Sally Roberts &
Miss Wendy Howell
Sally Roberts and Wendy Howell have been at Mount
House for two years as Assistant Matrons. Always efficient
and dependable, we will miss them very much and wish
them every success and much happiness in their future
Andrew Craigie
Andrew Craigie arrived at Mount House in September
1987 as Bursar and Clerk to the Governors after a
distinguished career with the Royal Artillery. He quickly
became fully involved in the life of the school, not only in
the role to which he was appointed, but also helping out
with adventure activities and sport.
He took great interest in the grounds of the school
overseeing the tree replanting scheme and ensuring that
there was improvement where it was required. The
beautiful state of the grounds today bear testimony to his
interest. He kept a watchful eye on the buildings ever
seeking to restore or renovate when time and funds
permitted.
5
People
Mrs Evenden
In December a farewell party was held in the Study to
mark the retirement of Mrs Evenden from the Mount
House Domestic Staff after 26 years’ service.
‘Mrs E’ came to Mount House in the spring of 1963 for one
month’s temporary work. When the month had elapsed Mr
Wortham asked her if she would stay on - which she did,
until 1989, and over all those years she was only off work
three times!
H er daughter, Esme Hannaford, started work here in May
1989, again on a temporary basis for six weeks, and is still
with us, and Mrs Evenden’s grand daughter, Diane
Dingle, worked here full time from February 1979 until
December 1982, when she left to have her first baby. She is
now back working part time.
We shall all miss Mrs Evenden’s calm and cheerful
presence and wish her every happiness in her well earned
retirement.
Visiting Preachers
1989-1990
Gifts Received
1989-1990
D r Sheila Cassidy Medical Director, St Luke’s Hospice
Revd Canon L R Skipper Old Boy of Mount House
F E Maidment Esq m a Headmaster, Shrewsbury School
Revd Preb R T Gilpin Vicar of Tavistock Parish Church
C H Hirst Esq ma Headmaster, Kelly College
Emma Nicholson m p
A J D Rees Esq m a Head Master, Blundell’s School
R S Funnell Esq m a Headmaster, King’s College,
Taunton
P S Larkham Esq l v o m a Headmaster, Allhallows School
N R Bomford Esq m a Headmaster, Uppingham School
C A Stuart-Clark Esq m a Eton College
A H Beadles Esq m a Headmaster, King’s School, Bruton
The Rt Revd Richard Llewellin Bishop of St Germans
R L Bowley Esq (Old Boy) His own book on chess
B J Lott Video tape on rugby football
R T Anthony Hymn board and numbers
Mrs Moore Books signed by M r Patrick Moore
P Matthews Esq (Old Boy) Donation to Beckly Bursary
Fund
M C Willoughby Most Improved Artist Cup
The Earl of Morley Two bookcases
Major R P W Wilsey RM Squadron photograph
Mr and Mrs R A Gregory Donation to Beckly Bursary
Fund
Mr and Mrs N Broderick Reversing voice on school
minibuses
J L D Macleod Basketball Challenge Trophy
J W Hill Cross Country Shield
M CM uldow ney Yucca plant
D Plagerson Esq Hand-carved wooden animals
E C G Hampshire Shields for dormitory doors
E M P Hulme Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack annually for
some years to come
Mr and Mrs M H urst Six trees
Mr and Mrs T Beard Donation to Beckly Bursary Fund
C R J Walter Leather bound Head Boys’ Journal
Donations to Charity
MENCAP
Cornwall Historic Churches
St Luke’s Hospice, Plymouth
Action Research
National Children’s Home
The Royal British Legion
Tavistock Parish Church
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Royal Marines Disaster Fund (Deal)
Children in Need
Helen House Hospice
Wantage Overseas
St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice
Abbeyfield Tavistock Society
Riding for the Disabled
AMREF
Plymouth Romanian ReliefAid
Save the Children Fund
British Red Cross Society
RUKBA
Victims of Torture
Church of England Children’s Society
MacMillan Nurses Fund
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Children’s Ward
6
£
84.90
140.98
226.40
83.85
114.15
147.54
90.95
127.16
109.02
427.00
173.97
160.03
108.46
127.81
75.31
108.26
102.96
148.20
49.28
135.52
100.00
273.60
216.31
98.33
We would like to express our most sincere thanks for these
most generous gifts.
The Beckly Bursary
The fund which was set up last year and was the brainchild
of D r and Mrs Beckly is to assist with the education of boys
whose parents fall on particularly hard times. Thanks to
the generosity of present parents and Old Boys the fund
now stands at just under £10,000. We are extremely
grateful to those who have given to this most worthwhile
fund.
Music
Christmas Term 1989
The term opened with the usual recital of excuses for stiff
fingers and slack embouchures, and the problem of trying
to find teachers and practice rooms for the 97
instrumentalists. Why, despite orienteering training in
Adventure Activities, do so many boys experience such
extreme difficulty in finding their practice rooms?
A vital part of education through music is attendance at live
performances. A group of boys was taken to Kelly College
to hear Barbershop singing (and other more physically
painful forms of mouth music) by the Demon Barbers. The
third forms visited the Theatre Royal in Plymouth to see
the London Contemporary Dance Company, and in school
we welcomed the group Ozone - who were occasionally
seen through billowing smoke and pulsating lights, but
certainly heard!
The string players spent an enjoyable day at Blundell’s
School where they joined players from other preparatory
schools for a day of rehearsals and a short concert. In
November the Wind Band (conducted by M r J. Boorer)
and the Junior Choir competed in the St Austell Music
Festival. We had a successful day. The Band returned with
a rose bowl and certificate of Merit, the choir with a
certificate of Distinction. The Festival items, together with,
other ensembles and solo items, made a very pleasant
programme for the End of Term Concert.
Auditions for places on 1990 IAPS Music Courses were
held in November. Four of our choristers - Thomas Beard,
Richard Ferguson, Alexander Jones, and Simon King attended the auditions, and all were successful. They spent
a very full, enjoyable, and rewarding week in Giggleswick
during the Easter break.
The choir joined with other RSCM choirs in Devon to sing
a Festival Evensong in Exeter Cathedral, led a candle-lit
carol evening in aid of St Luke’s Hospice, sang carols with
the residents of Crelake House in Tavistock, and was in
fine form at the school Carol Service.
The following were successful in the examinations of The
Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music:
Grade III
T Beard
S Britten
W Stirling
S Britten
R Ferguson
T Beard
M Burton
Oboe
Clarinet
Flute
Piano
Piano
Piano
Trombone
127 (M)
120 (M)
120 (M)
117
115
104
103
Grade II
A Jones
N Radford
Piano
Piano
127 (M)
106
Grade I
P McClarty
E Merrill
D Stone
J Kitson
B Clayton
C Kivell
R Lytle
Trum pet
Trombone
Clarinet
Clarinet
Clarinet
Clarinet
Clarinet
140
139
134
124
116
104
100
Theory
Grade V
Grade I
C Wheal
E Merrill
(D)
(D)
(D)
(M)
88
90
Easter Term 1990
A term in which mighty storms raged without, and frantic
activity was noticeable within. The imminence of the
Annual Set Music Competition provided the motivation for
boys to find and use their practice rooms! This is first and
foremost a Set competition, therefore a large entry is
encouraged. This year we decided to hold preliminary
rounds in each Set, and these were adjudicated by M r Ben
Morland. The four highest scoring entries in each class
(together with the Set songs) went through to the Final
which was adjudicated by M r Anthony Kerr-Dineen, the
Director of Music at Kelly College. These were the results:
The David Key Cup for The Most Promising Singer
Hawks (S Britten)
The Beard Cup for the Most Promising Woodwind Player
Kangs (J Lott, flute)
The Peter Evelyn Cup for the Most Promising Brass Player
Owls (C Wheal, trumpet)
The James Trophy for the Most Promising String Player
Otters (A Moth, ’cello)
The Bawtree Trophy for the Most Promising Pianist
Otters (A Jones)
The Channel 4 Cup for Ensembles
Owls (T Beard,
R. Ferguson,
C Wheal)
Junior Musician of the Year
Otters (R Ridland)
Senior Musician of the Year
Owls (C Wheal)
The Channel 4 Trophy for the Winning Set
1. Owls 274.5
2. Kangs 259.5
3. Otters 234.5
4. Hawks 219
We had an enjoyable and informative insight into how the
work of the percussion department is being extended
through the introduction of M ID I and drum pads when
Tony Parkinson demonstrated his ‘World of Percussion’.
The Choir represented the school at the Tavistock schools
Songs of Praise in the Parish Church, and attended an
excellent performance of ‘Godspell’ given by the Plymouth
Amateur Operatic Society. We were all saddened to hear of
the death of our Head Groundsman, Mr Marathalingham,
and the choir was honoured by the invitation to sing at his
funeral service, and pay last respects to a friend.
Throughout what seemed a very short term we were
rehearsing ‘Smike’, a musical loosely based on ‘Nicholas
Nickleby’ by Charles Dickens, words and music by Roger
Holman and Simon May. All worked with commendable
drive and enthusiasm and, although pressure of other
commitments was such that the first performance was only
the third time the whole cast had worked together, they
were justifiably pleased with the finished product.
Continued over
7
Music
The results of music examinations taken this term were:
Grade V
T Inman
Trum pet
105
Grade IV
J Lott
A Moth
T Beard
Flute
Piano
Oboe
123 (M)
122 (M)
121 (M)
Grade II
P Friend
C Procter
E Merrill
A Ridland
C Scofield
Alto Sax
Violin
Piano
Piano
Alto Sax
128 (M)
117
111
110
102
Grade I
Theory
Grade II
Grade I
0 Collier
J Petrie
C Timpson
T Davies
A Moth
G Weaver
Trum pet
Clarinet
Piano
Flute
’Cello
Trum pet
A Moth
E Craddock
74
72
131
123
121
121
116
105
(D)
(M)
(M)
(M)
The Choir
Summer Term 1990
We started this term without the Broadwood grand piano
in the music room. This fine instrument, made in 1893,
had been noticeably feeling its age and so was returned to
Broadwoods for a major overhaul. At half-term we
welcomed back a much more responsive mellow-toned
instrument. (NB Pianists taking examinations will
henceforth need to look elsewhere for excuses re poor
marks!)
We were delighted to hear that Christopher Wheal was
awarded an Exhibition for Music to Blundell’s School, and
that the trumpet playing of Justin Gibbs had counted
towards his Barrow Scholarship to King’s College,
Taunton.
A group of instrumentalists attended an orchestral day at
Blundell’s School, a varied concert programme was given at
half term, and Justin Gibbs and Christopher Wheal
(trumpets) played incidental music at the Grannies’ Tea
Party. The instrumentalists among the leavers played their
‘swan-songs’ in the Leavers’ Concert, and we thank them
for the support they have given to the various musical
activities.
8
The choir (which this year has been particularly good)
again had a busy term. In addition to leading our Sunday
Services they provided the Ragazzi choir in the Kelly
College Choral Society’s performance of ‘Carmina Burana’
by Carl Orff, and gave an exciting performance of ‘O Clap
Your Hands1by John Rutter at the End of Year Service.
Before this service the organist (Mr David Crocker)
played a movement from Sonata No 1 by Michael Bawtree
(1984-88). Mrs Saxon and I were most grateful for the
co-operation of choristers and their parents in delaying the
start of their summer holiday so that the choir could sing at
the marriage ceremony of M r and Mrs Saxon’s second
daughter in the Chapel of Kelly College.
Choir members currently holding RSCM awards are:
Red Ribbon
T Beard, S Britten, R Ferguson,
C Wheal
Dark Blue Ribbon P Friend, A Jones, S King, T Inman,
J Woolford
Light Blue Ribbon T Clarke, E Craddock, N Jenkins,
C King, W Luke, E Merrill, W
Stirling, D Udy, A Walter, J Warren
Continued over
o
'3 5
3
s
The following were successful in music examinations
this term:
Grade IV
Thomas Beard
Piano
115
Grade III
Alexander Jones
Jonathan Clarke
Piano
Violin
131 (D)
120 (M)
Grade II
Thomas Davies
Robert Ridland
Jonathan Clarke
Piano
Piano
Piano
121 (M)
109
107
Grade I
Crispin Procter
Jeremy Lott
David Timms
Kinder Goodall
Timothy Ball
Mark Fulton
Piano
Violin
Flute
Clarinet
Piano
Trum pet
127 (M)
126 (M)
117
116
114
106
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The Dukes Lounge is perfect for morning
coffee or a Devon Afternoon Tea.
The W oburn Restaurant is a popular venue
for family lunches and dinners.
r^f1
Available to all Parents, Old Boys and
relatives associated with Mount House School
we are pleased to offer an inclusive Dinner,
Bed and Breakfast rate for one or more
nights.
\T1
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®
To make your booking please write or
telephone: The Bedford Hotel
Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon p l w s b b
Telephone: (0822) 613221
Trusthouse Forte Hotels
9
■g
Art
It has been something of a vintage year for Mount House
artists. Edward Hampshire won a Jubilee Art Scholarship
to Canford and Michael Willoughby gained a major Art
Scholarship to Blundell’s. These awards certainly reflected
the innate individual talents of both boys who each had to
complete drawing and painting exercises under exam
conditions. Yet of no less importance were the high quality
portfolios which they presented at the time of their
examinations. Their collections of work were the product
of sustained effort in the Art Department over several
years. The scholars apart, artwork by James Woolford,
who obtained a Military Bursary to Blundell’s, and Simon
Allenby, also made particularly impressive viewing at the
Summer Exhibition on show over the Family Camp
weekend. All four of these leavers have set high standards
for the younger boys to emulate. In fact there are already
clear indications that their example has increased the
artistic aspirations of others.
A rt as a subject has always been attractive to those with
open minds who love to experiment with new techniques,
styles and media. But it requires determination and
tenacity to see ideas reach fruition; indeed, probably the
most important single characteristic an artist can possess is
the will ‘to have another go’. Artists have to be bom
optimists! Luckily for Mount House, there are plenty of
these around!
In January 1990 a party of fifty boys enjoyed a visit to the
Bristol City Gallery which staged the 42nd Cadbury’s
National Exhibition of Children’s Art. This trip was hugely
beneficial for the boys who were able to see the high
standard of work by other peer groups and to absorb new
Three P m and Ink Drawings by Edward Hampshire
10
The Art Club
ideas and practices. The party was greatly indebted to
Major Bengough and Mrs Cashell who helped escort the
group.
W hat of the future? A new Art department, based on the
present arrangement but with an enlarged first floor studio
facility, has been mooted for late 1991. Bigger, purposedesigned premises are desperately needed if we are to
capitalise more successfully on youthful enthusiasm,
determination and skill.
<
Still Life by James Woolford
B y Michael Willoughby
Railway Yards by James Woolford
J imow M u w a v
By Nicholas Radford
Prize Winners 1990
‘Joint Artists of the Year’ Michael Willoughby,
Edward Hampshire
Runners Up to this prestigious award James Woolford,
Simon Allenby
Pottery “ Sculpture” Andrew Ridland
3 Dimensional Design Jeremy Hill
‘Most Improved Artist of the Year’. (A new cup presented
to the school by M. Willoughby) Nicholas Grey
B y Simon Allenby
Mariebel Allerton
Carpentry
Carpentry
During the year many carpentry projects were completed; a
short list is given below:
Stilts in beech and keruing;
Book racks and computer stand in parana pine;
Bird nesting boxes in deal;
Lamp stand in mahogany;
Trays in mahogany and utile;
Boxes of various sizes in deal;
Seagrass stools in mahogany;
Spice rack and key rack;
Tree cup-stand in utile and mahogany.
The major items were:
A part open glazed cabinet in parana pine by
Gerens Weaver;
A matchboarding trunk in deal by Mark Burton;
A rabbit hutch in deal by Daniel Udy;
A tall large open shelved tool cupboard in parana pine by
Alastair Mackie;
Two open bedside lockers in parana pine by Jeremy Hill
and Andrew Ridland;
A doored locker by Richard Philpott.
Telephone:
Many items were started which we hope will be finished by
Christmas:
Seagrass stools
Browne, Radford and Anthony;
Twisted lamp
Friend;
Cutlery boxes
Bennett, Clark and Ward;
Step ladders
Jackson and Samborne;
Small work bench
Borradaile;
Dovetailed boxes
Cross and Gent;
Open book shelves
Sharp;
Book rack
Broderick;
Candlesticks
Philpott;
Tray
Cox.
Three prizes for work done during the year were awarded
to:
Jeremy Hill for all round ability and endeavour;
Gerens Weaver for excellent work in lap dovetailing and
ploughing;
Marcus Butler for the dovetail work in his small cupboard.
It has been a good year, and there are a few vacancies for
boys in 4A and above.
Ken Cload
(0822) 612293
P. & J. HOWELL
FAMILY BUTCHER
LICENSED TO SELL GAME
Free Delivery
PAN N IER MARKET.
TAVISTOCK, DEVON
Drama
The Squeers Family
Smike
How, I wondered, could anyone derive any pleasure from a
pop musical based on Charles Dickens’ ‘Nicholas
Nickleby’? Two hours later, thanks to Valerie Asater’s
superb direction, not only was it clear that the packed
audience had appreciated ‘Smike’ but that the cast,
through much hard work in a very busy term, had given
their all with clear enjoyment.
The 20th century setting for the opening of the story was a
class of restless school-children and at once our sympathies
went out to Smeeton (Sebastian Britten) an orphan,
shunned by his classmates. Tubby (Jake BurnettHitchcock) derived much sadistic pleasure out of making
Smeeton’s life a misery.
The arrival of a new English master, Mr. Nicholls (Thomas
Inman), introduced to the class by the Headmaster (Peter
Friend), brings a new approach to the study of Nicholas
Nickleby for Mr. Nicholls suggests turning it into a
musical much to the chagrin of Miss Grant (James
Warren), the Drama teacher.
At this point, there was a swift transition to the 19th
century and we found ourselves in the Saracen’s Head.
Here Mr. Squeers of Dotheboy’s Hall is gathering new
pupils and Mr. Ralph Nickleby (Benjamin Nicholls)
introduces Nicholas Nickleby, his nephew, as a new
teacher.
The scene moved swiftly on to Yorkshire and we met the
Squeers family, Mrs Squeers (Tom Newey) fussing over
her family, Fanny Squeers (James Warren) enjoying the
arrival of Nicholas and Wackford Squeers junior (Jake
Burnett-Hitchcock) - an unpleasant boy. They all enjoyed
the distribution of Brimstone and Treacle! Nicholas
quickly sizes up the situation and leads the boys in revolt
against the Squeers.
Back finally to the 20th century where as a result of
experience, modern advantages are realised by the boys.
Smeeton is now accepted by the Headmaster and Miss
Grant.
Playing in front of a strong orchestra was a challenge to the
soloists whose voices did not always manage to compete,
but the chorus came across strongly particularly in the
rousing Dotheboys Rock!
Minor roles were played by Alex Jones, (lively rock and roll
artist) Simon King, Tim Perowne, Nicholas Radford,
Andrew Ridland and Jeremy Lott.
For his bubbling performance and enthusiasm throughout
the production, Tom Newey was adjudged ‘Actor of the
Year’.
Patrick Cashell
Cast
Smeeton/'Smike
Nicholls/Nicholas Nickleby
Headmaster/Mr. Squeers
Mrs Squeers
Miss Grant/Miss Fanny Squeers
Tubby (a bully!)/Wackford
Squeers J nr.
Brown/Bolder
CoateslCobbey
MarshlGreymarsh
Plank (a slow boy!)/Master
Belling
Mr. Ralph Nickleby
Mr. Snawley
Sebastian Britten
Thomas Inman
Peter Friend
Tom Newey
James Warren
Jake Burnett-Hitchcock
Alexander Jones
Simon King
Thomas Beard
Timothy Perowne
Benjamin Nicholls
Nicholas Radford
Continued over
13
Drama
Trumpets
Continued
Richard, Landlord o f the
Saracen’s Head
Tilda -friend o f Fanny
New boys
Boys
Flute
Clarinet
Saxophone and Bass Clarinet
Guitar
Andrew Ridland
Jeremy Lott
Richard Cross
Christopher King
Nigel Jarvis
Duncan Stone
Tom Browne
John Clayton
Edward Craddock
Robert Cross
Nicholas Grey
Andrew Robertson
William Stirling
Simon Allenby
Mr J Boorer
M r R King
Form Plays
Form 1
Anyone for Rugby ?
by Form 1
Cast
Miss Jefferson
Margaret
Julie
Penelope
Charlotte
Rebecca
Katherine
Jane
Jessica
Abigail
Zoe
Suzie
Rosemary
Clarissa
Tamsin
Isobel
Thomas Jefferson
Guy Bailey
Rupert Burnell-Nugent
Alexander Clayton
Benjamin Davies
Alexander Harris
William Hatchard
Stuart Jackson
Timothy Jenkins
Clive Jennings
Matthew Martin
Charles O ’Connor
Max Rangeley
Peter Spong
Ross Talbot
Ivan Tanner
Form 2 Y
Charlie and the Great
Glass Elevator
adapted from a story by Roald Dahl
Cast
M r Wonka
Charlie Bucket
Grandpa Jo
Grandma Josephine
Grandpa George
Grandma Georgina
Shickworth
Shanks
Showier
Houston Control
President Gilligrass
Miss Tibbs
Chief Spy
Chief of the Army
Chief o f the Air Force
14
John Seldon
Thomas Babbington
Oliver D ’Adda
Benjamin Clayton
Julian Radcliffe
James Bowles
William Luke
Laurence Jarrett-Kerr
Giles Darch
Philip Cass
Justin Rosenfeld
Henry Tonks
Crispin Procter
Edmund Williams
Timothy Ball
Trombones
Percussion
Directed from the piano by
Justin Gibbs
Christopher Wheal
Mark Burton
Edward Merrill
Mr G Price
Mrs V Asater
Acknowledgements
Very sincere thanks and congratulations to:The members of the cast who, in a short and very busy
term, have given freely of their time to prepare this
production.
Backstage
Mrs. Saxon
Lighting
Mr. Viney & Mr. Symons
Costumes
Mrs Radford
Prompt
Nicholas Jenkins
and to the many others who by their support and
encouragement have made this production possible.
Form2S
School on a R aft
adapted from a story by Sara Smith Beattie
Cast
King
Wise Man
H a lf’n H a lf
Teacher
Father 1
Father 2
Father 3
Father 4
Father o f H a lf’n H a lf
Mother o f H a lf ’n H a lf
Koo Koo
Toom Too
Kwai
Kang So
Ling Lee
Nicholas Pepper
Robert Choa
James Collin
Christopher Timpson
Michael Radcliffe
Nicholas Whatmough
Richard Pearn
Timothy Jellicoe
Timothy Samborne
William Russell
William Gabb
Robin Kongialis
William Seldon
James Grey
Kinder Goodall
Form 3S
Unhand me Squire
by Richard Tydeman
Cast
Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Fanny Adams sweet seventeen
Grandmother sweet seventy one
Percival young and handsome
Sir Jasperdark and villainous
M a Adams Fanny’s Mother
Pa Adams Fanny’s Father
A Princess
First Village Girl
Second Village Girl
Third Village Girl
Fourth Village Girl
Fifth Village Girl
Sixth Village Girl
Seventh Village Girl
Front end o f Cow
Back end o f Cow
Humphrey Voelcker
John Jeffreys
James Petrie
Lee Broderick
Peter Goodfellow
Jonathan Ward
Robert Ridland
William Keeler
Simon Wilsey
Thomas Charlesworth
Archie Mackie
John Kitson
Andrew Stone
Duncan Murray
Kyle Zaloumis
Thomas Clarke
Tom Sellick
Charlie Borradaile
Drama
Form 3 Y
Red Hot Cinders
by Richard Tydeman
Cast
Compere
Cinderella
Her Mother
Lily - Ugly Sister
Grace - Ugly Sister
Fairy Godmother
Prince Charming
Herald
Mouse!Horse 1
Mouse!Horse 2
Rat/Postilion
Coachman
Pumpkin/Courtier 3
Lady Courtier 1
Lady Courtier 2
Lady Courtier 3
Gentleman Courtier 1
Gentleman Courtier 2
Hugo Cox
James Irvine
Tom Davies
John Barneby
Mark Fulton
Hayden Clark
Alexis Tanner
Paul McClarty
Anthony Burnell-!
James Turner
Jaimin Patel
Charles Kivell
Oliver Collier
Andrew Lytle
Michael Philpott
David Timms
Simon Church
John Jennings
So what do you think?
I thought the form plays were very good and I enjoyed
watching them.
The first play was called ‘Any One for Rugby?’. Everyone
in that play was acting as a girl, except for two people Justin Gibbs and Callum Zaloumis. They were acting as
rugby players.
The next play was called ‘Charlie and the Great Glass
Elevator’. I liked the Chief of the Army and the Astronauts
best. But all of it was good in its own way.
The next play I did not think was so good as the rest. It was
called ‘School on a Raft’ and was performed by 2S. This
story was about going to a school which was in the middle
of a river. Half ’n Half makes a big danger and he rescues
the raft from a big waterfall. That is why he is called Half ’n
Half, because he is half good and half bad.
The next play was my play, which was 3S’s play. It was
called ‘Unhand Me Squire’. Before the play started I was
really trembling, but it was not too bad after all. The next
play was performed by form 3Y and it was called ‘Red Hot
Cinders’. It was just like the straight forward story of
Cinderella. All the plays took much practising, so I think
we all did very well.
James Petrie
The Spoken English Competition
We were most fortunate to have as our Adjudicators in the
final round of the competition M r Jim Spalding, Head of
English at King’s College, Taunton, and his colleague,
Mr Giles Ramsay.
There was again a huge entry, which meant a lengthy
whittling down process to produce our seventeen finalists.
My thanks to all those who entered, many of whom were
unfortunate not to go through to the finals. Their interest
and involvement ensures a high standard of competition.
The adjudicators were full of praise when remarking on
the high ability shown throughout and the great variety
of material. They took the trouble to comment in detail
on each competitor’s performance, which was a great
encouragement to them all. Their positive criticism has
given us much to learn from and I hope that this will be
reflected in an even higher standard next year.
Picked out for special praise, and winning him the Rory
Benham Cup for Spoken English, was Michael Follett’s
excellent reading of Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum
est’ which conveyed with real sincerity Owen’s anger and
disgust at the loss of young life in World War I.
The Programme
Group A - Under 9 year olds
Nicholas Pepper
The Itch by Michael Rosen
Ivan Tanner
Swops by Allan Ahlberg
Nicholas Whatmough
Empty House by John
Redwood-Anderson
Group B - 9 to 11 year olds
Prose
Richard Ferguson
from Ecclesiasticus,
Chapter 44
Timothy Perowne
from I Was There, by Hans
Peter Richter
from Sharpe’s Sword by
James Warren
Bernard Cornwell
Poetry
James Irvine
Thomas Inman
Harry Hensman
Michael Follett
Tom ’s Bomb by David
Hornsby
The Crocodile by Roald Dahl
The Roman Centurion’s
Song by Rudyard Kipling
Dulce et Decorum Est by
Wilfred Owen
Group C - 12 and 13 year olds
Prose
from Whale by Jeremy Lucas
Adam Hurst
from Moby Dick by Herman
Christopher Wheal
Melville
from A Rabbit in the Air by
Thomas Williams
David Garnett
Poetry
Edmund Hulme
Warwick Goodall
Mark Gent
Simon Griffin
Dunce by Robert Service
At the Theatre by
A P Herbert
The Listeners by Walter de
la Mare
The Highwayman Part One
by Alfred Noyes
The Winners in each group were:
Nicholas Pepper
Group A
Richard Ferguson and
Group B
Michael Follett
Group C
Adam Hurst and Mark Gent
The Rory Benham Cup
Michael Follett
David Cowgill
15
CDT
What is CDT?
It is quite possible that some people may think that C .D .T.
is short for “Can’t Do A Thing” ! But, contrary to popular
belief, Craft, Design and Technology is the most rapidly
developing and targeted subject of the school’s curriculum.
It is a mixture of Woodwork, Metalwork, Technical
Drawing, basic Physics, Mathematics, Geography and
Graphics/Artwork. Indeed, it is a total technological
education.
The Conversion of
Homelands
The conversion of Homelands began in September 1989.
For the next three months the builders set about
completely gutting the building, leaving only the bare
essentials and tidying the place up. By Christmas 1989, the
builders and decorators had finished. Homelands was now
a purpose designed, empty C D T centre.
With plaster and paint barely dry, I set to the task of
equipping the Design Studio. The room is organised to
cater for 20 boys, using the latest British Thornton work
stations. These consist of Powertracking for Electronics,
and drafting units for Design and Graphics. This is one of
the 3 main working areas, where the boys are able to carry
out the design aspects of CDT. The emphasis here is the
promotion of learning through problem solving, in a clean
working environment. A later addition to the room was a
BBC A3000 computer for use in Computer Aided Design
(CAD) and Graphics work.
After much decision making and ordering, the Easter
holidays saw the bulk arrival of the machinery, tools and
equipment needed to kit out the Plastics area and main
workshop.
The Plastics area consists of: two 4 manned stationed
woodwork tables and hand tools; a Radiant Strip Heater
(for folding plastics); a hot wire polystyrene cutter (for 3
Dimensional model making); and a vacuum former (a
multi-purpose mould maker). A small oven (for softening
plastics) will also soon be added.
The main workshop is designed to cater for the 3 basic
materials - wood, metal and plastics. Equipment-wise,
there are: five 4 manned stations (multi-purpose work
benches with peripheral hand tools); two 36inch wood
turning lathes; two Hobbymat 65 metalwork lathes; two
pillar drills; one bandsaw; one scroll/fret saw; one heavy
duty metal cutting saw; one buffing machine (for
polishing); grinding wheels; and heavy duty bench shears
(metal guillotine).
The School is fortunate to have such a totally equipped and
modern CD T Centre, giving the boys a thorough and
complete grounding in pre-GCSE skills and more. Each
boy is timetabled for one double period once a week, and
the Centre is also open Wednesday afternoons for boys to
use as they wish.
The Centre is currently 80% operational, with only the
storage and resources spaces to be sorted. Although it has
been a very hectic year, it has also been challenging and
rewarding.
Geoff Whaley
British Thornton work stations in the Design Studio
Homelands gutted
16
In the main workshop
Tom turning on a Hobbymat 65 engineering lathe
Getting down to work
Stepping up to work
■
One drilling, a?iother setting up the pillar drills
Getting it up to scratch
17
H
Q
O
The Plastics Area, the radiant strip heater
Watch how I use the hot glue gun. . .
Fulton’s finishing touches
18
The Fish Factory (these started as
plastic lemonade bottles)
.. .N ow go and do it yourself
TPD hooked on CD T
New Roots
The Mount Tavy Tree Planting Scheme
Most of the trees requested by parents and members of the
Mount House Old Boys’ Association were planted on the
estate earlier this year. A few, notably the Lucombe oaks,
cannot at present be obtained and a number of labels
showing species and donor have yet to be completed.
The trees have been planted on the south side of the school,
below the conservatory, around the cricket field and on
both sides of the stream that runs from the bridge to the
River Tavy.
H P Wortham
Eleven Beeches Green (Fagus Sylvatica) or Southern
(Notho fagus)
Tim Emerson
John Emerson
Alastair Heslop
Alexander Heslop
Gordon Heslop
Stuart Heslop
Nicholas, Tim and Alexander Lewis
Nicholas Hughes
In memory of Patrick McCready
Marrack Goulding
Dennis de B Welchman
Nine Copper Beeches (Rivers purpea)
S H Rivers
P Knowling
Boyd Campbell
Peter Gent
Robert Beard
David Davies
Commander and Mrs R Bawtree
M M J McClarty
Rev and Mrs D Ferguson (for Matthew)
Two Whitebeams (Sorbus aria)
Mrs K Buckland
Colonel and Mrs J Hensman
Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
Peter Gent
Three Handkerchief Trees (Davidia involucrata)
Patrick Savage
Robert Beard
Dennis de B Welchman
Five Red Horse Chestnuts (Aesculus x camea)
Simon Cameron
Mrs Friend
M r and Mrs Anthony
Jonathan Trafford
Colonel and Mrs J Hensman
D r and Mrs D Mackenzie
Two Norway Maples (Acer platanoides)
Robert Beard
Commander and Mrs R Bawtree
Two Rowans (Sorbus aucuparia)
David and Valerie Wright
Paul Gay
Plane (Platanus x hispanica)
Richard and Patrick Holmes
Cider Gum (Eucalyptus gunnii)
Lois Spencer
Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Robert Beard
Cedar (Atlantica Glauca)
Captain D E Mannering
Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica)
Charles Witherington
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
B D H James
Eight Common Limes (Tilia x europaea)
S H Rivers
Leslie Perowne
George Glossop
Christopher Odling-Smee
Michael Odling-Smee
In memory of Mrs Wimbers
D r and Mrs M Inman (2)
Mrs R Woodard
Four Tulip Trees (Liviodendron tulipifera)
Patrick Savage
Major and Mrs McDowall
Hugh and Tim Pratt
M r and Mrs D Anthony
Four Red Oaks (Quercus borealis)
Stephen McCormick
Robert Beard
Rev and Mrs D Ferguson (for Richard)
Colonel and Mrs J Kendall
Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)
Michael Wooley
Three Turkey Oaks (Quercus cerris)
Peter Gent
Rev and Mrs D Ferguson (for Austen)
Wendy Wroe
Three White Horse Chesnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Mrs R C Bonnalie
Peter Mannering
Timothy Hodgson (2)
19
New Roots
Tree Planting
Programme 1989-1990
Complementary to M r W ortham’s Mount Tavy Tree
Planting Scheme the School has undertaken an extensive
programme to replace trees felled because they constituted
a potential hazard and those brought down in recent
storms, and also to ensure that other aged trees still
standing will have replacements when they are felled in
future years. In addition, large numbers have been planted
to cover the ground recently left exposed when the Sports
Hall was built. Hedges have been planted along new
pathways and a lovely avenue of limes is now growing along
the back drive, in memory of Marja Ball, the trees having
been donated by Denis Ball.
In all about 1,050 trees have been planted, mainly in these
six separate locations:
1 On the steep bank to the north of the Centenary Hall:
75 silver birch
75 alder
75 rowan
75 whitebeam
50 English oak
50 red oak
50 hornbeam
50 beech.
These 500 trees will have to be thinned out in about ten
years time.
2 Around Rowden playing fields and in Rowden wood:
25 willow
25 wild cherry
50 rowan
100 beech
25 oak
225
3 Around the eastern edge of Homelands playing field to
extend the Marja Ball Avenue:
25 limes.
4 150 hedging beeches on the new path from Homelands
to the Sports Hall.
5 100 various beeches around the lake, in Rowden Woods
and to the west of the school.
6 In the area of the lake:
20 Norway maple
30 various beech.
In addition these trees have been planted in other locations:
on the Sports Hall bank
10 silver birch
on the riverside walk
1 elm
in the Sports Hall garden
1 spindle
by the Lodge gate
1 chestnut
south west of the school
2 handkerchief trees
south west of the school
1 tulip tree
position yet to be decided
1 cedar Atlantica glauca
Andrew Craigie
o7mil End h o t e l
Sandy Park, Chagford, Devon TQ13 8TN
Phone 0647 432282
This old flour mill, with its wheel still turning in the
peaceful courtyard, nestles in the Teign Valley on the
edge of Dartmoor about one and a half hours drive
from Bristol and three and a half hours from London.
The whole atmosphere is one of a rather comfortable
private house, with lots of nooks and comers. Tea by
the fire in Winter, drinks on the lawn in Summer —it is a
most relaxing place.
The restaurant is open every day for all meals;
prior booking strongly recommended.
20
Form One’s Christmas Crackers
M y Christmas Alphabet The Story o f a
Christmas Tree
C is for churches we pray in;
H is for holy, God is holy;
R is for reindeer that pull Santa’s sledge;
I is for ice that is on the road;
S is for Santa who brings us our toys;
T is for the Christmas tree we put our toys under;
M is for mistletoe we have fun with;
A is for the antlers that reindeer have;
S is for the Christmas story.
Ross Talbot
C is for Christ who was bom on Christmas Day;
H is for holly that we hang in our homes;
R is for Rudolph, he pulls Santa’s sleigh;
I is for the ivy that hangs from the trees;
S is for the snow that falls from the sky;
T is for the Christmas tree;
M is for the myrrh that one of the kings brought;
A is for the Angel Gabriel who brought the Good News;
S is for the shepherds who were frightened of the angels.
I am a Christmas tree in London. I come from Norway.
When I was cut down I fell and hurt my head. In London I
had decorations put on me. I have lots of decorations on me.
There are round decorations on me. There are thin ones on
me. I have red ones on me. People sing carols round me.
William Hatchard
I am a Christmas tree. Christmas trees get taken around in
cars and vans. We are put in gardens and they make us stand
still. People have hung decorations like tinsel on me. I need to
itch but I can’t because the tinsel ties me up. If you want to
know, I am Norwegian.
Rupert Burnell-Nugent
I am a Christmas tree. I grow in a big forest and then I am put
in a pot. I am decorated and I sparkle and shine. The littie
children all come and admire me.
Peter Spong
M ax Rangeley
C is for candles on the tree;
H is for holly upon the door;
R is for robin sitting in some misdetoe;
I is for icing on your Christmas cake;
S is for snow resting on your grass;
T is for toys under your Christmas tree;
M is for misdetoe that you hang up round your house;
A is for anders that belong to Rudolph who pulls
Santa’s sleigh;
S is for stockings at the bottom of your bed.
I am a Christmas tree. I came all the way from Norway in a
big ship. I stand in Trafalgar Square. I am decorated with
lights and tinsel and coloured balls. I love being a Christmas
tree. People come from all over Britain to see me standing in
the square.
Charles O’Connor
Timjenkins
C is for Christ, Christ is another name for Jesus;
H is for holly we use for decorations;
R is for robin, a bird we see in winter;
I is for ivy, it is sung about in a carol;
S is for sleigh that Santa comes in;
T is for toys Santa gives us;
M is for merry, everyone is merry at Christmas;
A is for antiers, reindeer have antiers;
S is for the snowman that you make out of snow.
O
-j
G
Guy Bailey
C is for crackers that we pull at the table;
H is for holly that we have in the house;
R is for reindeer that pull Santa’s sledge;
I is for icicles that hang from the window ledge;
S is for singing when we sing carols;
T is for the tree that we decorate beautifully;
M is for the mistletoe that we hang in our homes;
A is for the animals in the stable at Jesus’ birth;
S is for the sledge that Santa comes on.
Charles O’Connor
S u p plie r o f Bread and Rolls
to M o u n t House School
PROPRIETOR
W. F. FO STER
TELEPHONE:
(0822) 613109
85 WEST ST R EET
T A V IST O C K
DEVO N PL19 8AQ
21
Alone
urely for Pleasure
The beach was silent. I was the only soldier left.
The place was Dunkirk, a long stretch of beach on the coast
of France. As I sat dazed I heard the gentle lapping of the
waves on the seashore and in the distance the odd crack of
gunfire. The beach, in some parts, had craters from German
guns Lorries, tanks and small tents were smoking and one or
two of them burning.
I got up bruised, but all right. The sky was not visible in
some places because of the mist and the smoke coining from
the burning wreckage. Bodies were in every direction; the
Germans had not been merciful in their onslaught.
I walked around a bit looking for something to eat. I saw a
tent still standing, the flaps blowing around in the cold wind
racing down the beach like a cold hand getting as much as
possible in its palm. The tent was riddled with machine-gun
holes. I looked in; two dead bodies were lying face down in
their beds. I found a half-eaten bar of chocolate; I took it and
started to eat it.
I walked out of the tent and looked out to sea. I saw lots of
tiny craft sinking or sunk. I wondered if any of the boats had
life-rafts. I waded out - the water was cold and black from the
oil of sinking boats. One boat, a sailing dinghy, had a white
goose on the side and as I went out to the boat it started
hissing and flapping its wings. I quickly went to another boat.
I had a job getting in, but I managed, and rowed for home.
Later, a patrolling frigate picked me up.
Russell Talbot
A Virginia Story
I had had a very nasty argument with my parents. Many
times I had thought of running away from home, but if I did,
where would I go? I would have had to pack refreshments,
things to entertain me, money and loads of other things you
need to survive in this world. But, this time I was sure about
it. I had had an argument about why I should not have the
same privileges as my sister who was one year older than me.
At the end of the argument my parents screamed at me. The
anger was boiling up in me, but I walked up the stairs very
calmly knowing that if I stamped I would get into more
trouble. I had all my valuables in my ruck sack and my
clothes and books in two plastic bags. I walked down the
stairs hoping my mother and father were not there, but,
unfortunately, they were.
“Hey, Sam! Where are you taking all those bags and a ruck
sack?”
“E r... I am going to draw some buildings and I might have a
look around town to see if they have any new computer
games.”
“You can’t fool me. You would not take all those bags just to
have a look at computer games. Come on tell me the truth.”
“That’s the truth, dad. Honest.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“O.K. I am going to paint some of the buildings. I have
packed my paints in tissue paper and the other bag is full of
drawing equipment and a board to stick my painting or
drawing to. The ruck sack is full of food. Is that good enough
for you?”
“All right you can go.”
22
I ran out of the door and jumped onto my bike. I was free at
last. I cycled up to the town and bought a packet of crisps, a
Mars bar and a can of Sunkist from a newsagent. There was a
wood five miles away from the town. I had been there once or
twice with my parents, but I had never really explored it.
There was a steep hill leading up to my school. I clicked into
third gear and rode up the hill with great enthusiasm.
When I reached the top of the hill I got off my bike and had a
drink of my Sunkist. The sun was shining and there was a
gentle breeze. I took a sip of my Sunkist again and started my
journey to the wood. It was a nice ride there. There were
people walking about and trees flopping and swaying, but,
when I came to the woods, nobody was there except the
animal life.
I got off my bike and had a look around at the beautiful
surroundings. There was a river next to a bunch of trees
where an obvious footpath had been made. I followed the
footpath and found a hut made of twigs and stones. I very
cautiously opened the door slightly and a boy about twice my
size pounced on me. I tried to push him off, but he was a lot
stronger than me. He got off me and gave me two large,
painful kicks. I got up very slowly aching with pain and tried
to talk to him.
“Sorry I did not know this was your house. I was just
curious to see if anybody lived here. You see I have run
away from home and I thought I might find a friend.”
“You are no friend of mine. You come into my house
without knocking. Go before I do more damage to you.”
He spoke in a slow, gruff voice. I was tempted to go but I
kept on talking to him.
“I am really very sorry I did not know anybody lived here.
I can’t blame you for being angry at me, but it was all a
terrible mistake.”
At this his face softened. I put out my hand for him to
shake, but he did not take this as a kind gesture. H e had
obviously been living here for a long time and he had
become more like an animal than a human.
“Come into my house. I will show you around.”
I walked into his house and I was surprised to see how neat
and tidy it was.
It did not really fit his nature. He had all the human-like
things that most people have in their home. There were
two chairs with a table and he sat down on one and asked
me to sit down on the other one.
“So you have run away from home and you are sure about
it.”
“Yes, la m .”
“It’s tough living here and you have to learn to make camps
and your food. Everything your parents used to do you
have to do or you will not survive.”
“I understand.”
“Come, I might as well show you around. I will help you
survive, but you must learn to do it yourself or you are no
friend of mine.”
He then grabbed a bow and arrow and ran off into the
woods. I followed him and took a bite of my Mars bar. He
lead me to a place where there was a little stream. He shot
up a hazelnut tree and came down with millions of nuts
stuffed into his pocket.
“Collect all you can. This will be part of tonight’s meal.”
Continued over
I picked up all the nuts I could and stuffed them in my
pockets. As we were walking home I came across a little
nest in a tree. We both inspected it and found an injured
baby falcon. We were both very touched by this miniscule
creature and each of us wanted it as our own. I picked it up
and held it in my arms. It was an adorable creature with a
golden brown mark on his head and bright blue eyes. I ran
to the river and washed the falcon. He had broken his
wing. My friend dashed after me and every bit of attention
was spent on the falcon. We were both getting very hungry
and we rushed back to the camp. We had roasted hazelnuts
with deer, specially coated in rich herbs. It was absolutely
delicious. It was at least as good as home, if not better.
The next morning the sun was shining and the birds were
singing. I got up about nine thirty with a great big yawn. I
wondered what I was going to have for breakfast, but I did
not ask my friend Yowel because he was deeply asleep. I
opened the door very quietly and walked into the sunshine.
Squirrels scuttled around my feet as I walked to the river
where Yowel collected his hazelnuts, and filled up my
flask. Yowel had said that it was pure water and he was
right. Well it tasted better than the water at home anyway.
As I washed my face in the water I caught a glimpse of
eight people. They must be poachers I thought, or they
were a search party looking for me. Yes, they were a search
party. I could see my dad behind the whole of the party.
They all had rifles. I thought what do they need rifles for
and then I suddently remembered Yowel’s warning about
the black panthers and the rattle snakes. They moved
forward and I ran back to Yowel’s house. They must have
noticed me because their pace became quicker. I ran
through the door of Yowel’s and frantically looked for a
hiding place.
“Hey, Sam, what is the m atter.”
“A search party is after me, I have to find a hiding place.”
They all ran into the house and started poking around
Yowel’s belongings. One of them shot at his windows.
“Hey, kido, we are going to find you. You know that don’t
you. Come out of your hiding place,” one of them said.
“I think he has been killed by a black panther or a rattle
snake,” another said teasing my father.
“Shut up, Tom, that’s not funny,” my dad said in an angry
voice.
After an hour of shouting and looking for me, they went
back to their homes. Yowel crept down the tree very
quiedy and entered his house. When we came in, pictures
of his, and all his belongings had literally been destroyed.
Yowel cried out in anger.
“Your father’s friends are like this. Then you will become
like them. You will become horrible.”
“I am really sorry about this. It was not my father who did
this, but the search party.”
After an hour Yowel’s anger cooled down. At dinner time I
explained to Yowel that I had to go back home because I
would not survive out here and I missed my family.
“You liar, you said you’d cope, but you can’t can you?
No you’re just a littie weed.”
“I am sorry, Yowel, but I have to go home, that is where I
belong.”
“But you promised.”
“I did and I am very sorry.”
“My life is ruined. My house is wrecked all because of
you.”
I tried to explain I had to go home to him for a second time,
but he did not accept my reason.
“You won’t find a hiding place in my house.”
“Well, where can I find a hiding place.”
“Right here!” and Yowel opened the door and shot up a
tree. I followed him and saw a flat wooden board attached
to two thick branches, It was covered in leaves and there
was an opening, Yowel dashed in and I followed him. We
could hear them approaching.
The next morning I left a sad and angry Yowel. I jumped
onto my bike, threw my penknife and a note, with my
telephone number on it, outside Yowel’s house and cycled
back home.
The next day I came to see how Yowel was, but there was
nothing left of his house or his belongings.
Sam Plagerson
“He must be here some where. Ah, a little house,” my
father said.
John Kitson, Tournament Champion
The Grannies came to tea this year
23
Betrayal
It was late in October of 1854 and our mounts jostled
uneasily at the side of the road as we waited and listened.
We had been planning the hold-up for several weeks in
advance, for we knew that it was about ten times riskier
than any exploit we had attempted before. There had been
four of us, but one was apparently absent, sick. At around
8 o’clock a stage coach, laden with tax money, would be
passing along the road, and, amazingly, it would be
unguarded.
It was now 7.55 and we knew we could expect the stage
coach at any time. The autumn wind howled through the
trees so they groaned and croaked in protest, and it sent
flurries of dried leaves jumping and dancing through the
air. Then we heard the coach. The tell-tale plod of weary
hooves against the dry, rutted track came steadily closer
and closer, and then it was upon us.
The coach, slightly smaller than we had expected, was
drawn by a pair of obviously tired black stallions whose
breath condensed into small white clouds as they exhaled
into the cold air. The driver, a stout, burly man of about
forty, had his hat pulled down over his eyes to protect them
from the biting wind, and he did not see us until it was too
late.
I drew my pistol, rode round to the front and covered the
driver. Meanwhile, the other two rode round to the side of
the coach and I heard one of them call:
heard a scuffle involving a few shots and I started to ride
away, but I had barely gone ten yards when I felt a searing
pain in my right thigh and I collapsed into a heap on the
ground.
It was then that we realised that our friend, whom we had
believed to be sick, had betrayed us, and I felt so angry that
I cursed him there where I lay.
‘Click!’, the key turned in the lock and I knew that I would
be behind bars for the best part of seven years.
Mark Gent
A Day in my Life’
(Narrated by a lOp coin)
It was the 23rd of September and it was about half past
nine when I was stirred by a huge hand plunging into my
room. In my room was an awful hanky which I and the
other coins - Brassy and Six-sides - used as a duvet. Even
though it was small and smelly we enjoyed the pocket,
because it was cosy, so we could sleep.
Bill, my owner, was going to the bank in the main street.
As he pulled the money out of the machine and put it in his
pocket I noticed the crumpling noises which the notes
made.
“Is that you in the wallet, Fiver and Tenner?” I said.
“Yes, it is. Is that Ten-Pence?”
However, there was no reply from within the coach so one
of them tried the door, pistol at the ready.
The next shop Bill went to was the stationery shop, where
sadly Fiver was spent and imprisoned in the till! Bill spent
Tenner at the grocer’s and I was hoping that it would not
be my turn next, because I liked my friends and the pocket
I lived in. But it was my fate to be spent in a sweet shop.
Then things happened so quickly that I hardly knew what
was happening. The door swung open, knocking one of our
party from his horse, and several policemen jumped out. I
Luckily I was saved from a long imprisonment by a small
girl who bought some sweets and was given me back in
Continued over
“Your money or your life!”
3 from 2 Y =?
24
change. Just as she was leaving the shop she dropped her
change. She found all the rest, except for me, because I had
rolled out of sight under a bench.
About half an hour later a young man dropped his wallet on
the ground. As he picked it up he noticed me and carried
me out of the shop with him. He then went to the pub.
After buying himself a beer he moved over to the slot
machine. Now, a slot machine is the worst possible doom
for a helpless, feeble ten pence coin and soon I found
myself in the well of money inside the machine. The next
thing I knew was that I was shooting down a long, dark and
smelly tube which led to the money outlet. The machine
was being used illegally by a young boy, but I did not
mind.
slightly. Lightning flickered again. I could make out the
dormant form of a tree lying, sleeping, on the hard ground.
I was amazed that still no one had stirred; everyone was
snoring peacefully. ‘Lucky them ,’ I thought. ‘I wish I
could do that.’
The door opened, bathing the dormitory in light. Matron
stepped in, flashing her torch from bed to bed. She went
out, closing the door softly behind her. I heard her talking
to M r Cowgill, almost echoing my thoughts.
“I’m amazed; only one or two boys are awake!”
“I wouldn’t mind being able to do that, M atron,” he
replied.
So, I changed hands again. My new owner went home to
sleep, and I made some new friends in my new pocket.
There were light footsteps and the voices faded away.
I noticed then that there had not been any thunder or
lightning for a while; the wind had died down, and the rain
had almost stopped. There was just a gentle pitter-patter
against the windows, instead of the clash and clatter of
before. Soon that stopped and there was a peaceful
tranquillity.
Jeremy Hill
The calm after the storm.
A Stormy Night
Thomas Williams
The boy took me behind the school bike shed where he had
a tree house; every Saturday night the boy and some of his
friends had a gambling game there. At first he did well, but
as the evening went on he lost all his money.
I woke with a start. As my eyes grew accustomed to the
dark I saw that everyone else was asleep, no one was
stirring. A peal of thunder rang out across the sky, rattling
the windows loudly.
The rain came; it hurled itself against the window panes, as
if trying to force a way in. Then lightning joined the everincreasing crowd of hostile elements; it illuminated the
room for only a millisecond, but I saw the shadows of my
slumbering companions. The wind was growing stronger,
whistling through the cracks in the window frames.
Eventually my curiousity won its battle with my warm bed.
I slipped out from beneath my covers and tiptoed across to
the window. I drew back the curtain, and at that moment
the lightning struck. It lit up the sky, silhouetting the trees.
The trees were rocking madly as if dancing to a wild kind
of music. Then there was more thunder, reverberating
across the sky, shaking the window frames in their sockets.
At this fresh attack I thought it better to scramble back into
bed and stay hidden under the covers.
There was a huge crack, and then a thump, as something
heavy fell to earth. Again I ventured out of my warm and
cosy bed, my desire to see what was going on drawing me
towards the window like a magnet. I drew back the curtain
‘Indiana Cat’
“Up you get, you lazy fellow, Indiana; time to go out,” said
Mrs Jinks as she bundled the playful, bouncy cat out of the
cat-flap. Indiana roamed around the garden, looking for
something to play with. Indiana had acquired his un-cat
like name because there was a dark patch on his head,
which made him look as if he was wearing a hat, and
because of his adventurous spirit. And who else is
adventurous and wears a hat? None other than Indiana
Jones; hence ‘Indiana’, the cat.
After his early morning walk, Indiana lay down. He started
to plan his day and reached as far as what he was going to
do after he had finished planning his day. This morning he
had been attacked by boredom. After lying prostrate for
five minutes, he had a brainwave. He was going to live up
to his name; he was going to explore what was outside the
garden gate.
He squeezed under the gate, brimming with thoughts of
adventure. As he set forth, a huge red monster on four
round legs whizzed past, leaving a trail of black, choking
smoke in its wake. After staring at a few more monsters,
Indiana set off up the pavement. As he turned the corner
he came face to face with a smelly, fanged, blundering
beast. When this beast emitted a growl, Indiana turned and
ran. As he was running he looked back and the beast was
nowhere in sight.
“SMACK!” went Indiana’s head as it came into brutal
contact with a gate which had carelessly been left open.
When Indiana came to he was in an unfamiliar kitchen,
and, not liking the environment, bolted out of the door.
As he sprinted into the garden, a lawnmower flattened
him. What a messy cat! After cleaning himself up he
thought, “I’ve only seven more lives to go, so I ’d better be
careful.”
Indiana walked through several gardens and came to a
stream bridged by a small log. He decided to cross and he
started walking along the log when a dog’s bark made him
turn around and, as he turned round, he fell in.
“Six more”, he thought as he dragged his soaking form out
of the stream.
Tuck Box Wallahs
Continued over
25
He had left the suburbs now and was walking through
some fields when he saw an electric cable hanging from a
wooden telegraph pole. Seeing something to play with, he
jumped at the cable, grabbing hold with his paws. The
shock threw him up into the air, and then he crashed onto
the ground. He had only five more lives left!
Indiana was becoming very fed-up with losing his lives.
He was thinking about how to keep his other lives when a
pellet thumped into the telegraph pole next to him. He
turned and saw two boys with air rifles. The second boy
fired his rifle and the pellet embedded itself in Indiana’s
side.
excellent craftsmanship. Then I undressed and hopped into
the large and saggy bed and closed my eyes. ..
I was awoken by a terribly loud thunderclap that
reverberated around inside my head for some time. I sat up
in bed and looked out of the window; there was a dense
covering of cloud, occasionally streaked with flashes of
lightning.
I was snuggling down into my bed when I saw something
out of the corner of my eye. It was the doll’s house, and,
straining my eyes, I could see a small glow being emitted
from it, casting an eerie shadow upon the wall.
I was startled into reality, and sat bolt upright in bed,
holding the covers tightly around me. After thinking it
over, I came to the conclusion that I would have to
investigate. As I was stealing across the room, a lightning
flash illuminated the shadow that the doll’s house cast, and
“Oi, you,” it said. “What are you doing here? I hope you’re I could just hear quiet, high-pitched chanting, repeatedly
not planning to eat that fish.” He gestured to a dish of fish, saying:
surrounded by kittens.
“D on’t go down to breakfast, don’t go down to breakfast,
W ith only four more lives left, he had left for home, when
he smelt the wonderful smell of fish. He was approaching
the source of the smell warily, when a huge dog came up
behind him.
“Well,” said Indiana, “if there is some to spare, may I have
some?” The big dog hit Indiana so hard he nearly turned
inside out!
don’t g o . . . ”
He continued his trek home and came upon a railway
track. “H m m ,” he said, “this track looks interest. . . ”
At about three o’clock, sleep overwhelmed me and I sank
mercifully onto my pillow.
SPLAT! “One more life,” thought Indiana. “Help!”
When I next awoke I was greeted by the delicious aroma of
fried bacon; the smell was so tantalizing that I just had to
change and go downstairs to satisfy my hunger. I did not
care that something out of the ordinary had happened
during the night. I was famished.
As it was growing dark he decided to go somewhere light.
He trotted off to the motor way. H e set out across the
motor way when he saw two beady eyes coming towards
him. He was very curious. T H U D , went Indiana as he
came down to earth fifteen feet from where he had been
standing.
His last thought was, “Stupid cat!”
James McCoy
The Doll’s House
I was driving down the Okehampton by-pass in torrential
rain; it was beating against my wind-screen. Every time a
large gust of wind blew, the rain crashed onto my window
in great sheets. During one such squall my vision was
impaired and I skidded off the road and into a hedge. I was
forced to seek shelter in a bed and breakfast. I was warmly
greeted by an old woman, who looked at me as if I was a
demi-god! I glanced around. The hall was very cosy
looking and prim - far more so than I had expected it to be,
from the rather ramshackle appearance of the exterior and plants festooned the banisters. The lady ushered me
into her small farmhouse-type kitchen, bustling around me
like an excited bee.
I ran back to my bed and leapt under the cool sheets. I
pinched myself to see if this was all a bad dream; it was not.
When I entered the kitchen the old lady was standing
there, smiling. I sat down at my place and began to munch
my succulent slices of bacon. I finished my meal and
downed the tea I had in front of me. When I looked up the
old woman was still smiling in her sickly way. Then the
world begun to swim and everything went black. ..
Mrs. Glick is very good to us; she even feeds us luxurious
meals. I have many new friends: Ben is one of them, and
we enjoy each other’s company. Life is strange without a
television, but not nearly as strange as being two inches tall
and living in a doll’s house.
William Stirling
After I had quenched my thirst with a cup of steaming hot
tea, the old lady, Mrs Glick was her name, told me to sign
my name in the visitors’ book. While I was writing my
address, I glanced up at the last name; it said:
10.7.79 Ben Mears, 7 Grasner Avenue, Hartlepool. 0724
831920
There was a blank space under the ‘Comments’ section.
I said good night to Mrs Glick, walked upstairs and entered
the room I had been given. Funnily enough I noticed there
were only two rooms, the old lady’s and mine.
In the corner of the room was a large Victorian doll’s house.
Its architectural style was very Gothic and it was painted
brilliant white. I was immediately drawn towards it, in
awe. I studied the house for quite a while, marvelling at the
26
Safety in numbers
A Moor View
It was on a sunny day with a tepid breeze blowing through
the bracken and the gorse bushes that I set out on a
particularly memorable ride. I was mounted upon a stout
Welsh horse, Vulture by name, and he was revelling in the
change of weather, as was I. We crossed Shorts Down,
followed a lane for a hundred yards, and turned onto the
open expanses of Plaster Down.
Trotting to the road, we crossed, and walked to the small
stream that rippled gendy. Reaching a small rise below Pew
Tor, we could see far into Cornwall. My horse seemed
happy at the suggestion of a rest and nibbled the yellow
grass on a tussock. Kit Hill stood tall and solemn above the
lower hills, and, shrouded in the pale, mid-morning mist, it
looked almost ghostly.
To the left of Kit Hill lay gendy undulating fields leading
down to a very far distant seashore. To the right of Kit Hill
lay some humped and squashed hills, becoming steadily
smaller as the eye could see less. Tavistock looked less
colourful from the moor than it did from within. The white
of the houses seemed to have become mixed up with the
grey roofs and trees, roads and bare stone walls. The sun
sparkled on windows, cars and other shiny, reflective
objects. Even from Pew Tor the huge gas tank was visible,
rising out of the grey and white mass to peek up through its
surrounding trees.
My granny’s house was visible, just, its pink paint standing
out between the grey trees and the long green grass. Below,
and to the right of us, lay the cottage that belongs to Mrs
Nicholas, her dog barking as a car drove by, shivering the
leaves. Cold, grey and alone stood Moortown, through the
long line of poplars. To our left lay the fields of Mike
Thomas, the sheep and cattle basking in the unusually
warm sun. Behind us, or at the end of our journey out, rose
the tor that looks like an obtrusive lump of clay on the
potter’s wheel, Pew Tor. Surrounded by orange-brown
bracken and jagged boulders, intermingled with the odd
gnarled and twisted tree, Pew Tor stood dominant above
Sampford Spiney and Plaster Down. Hillwalkers climbed
the rocky outcrops and another rider was exercising his
horse.
The frothy white clouds rode the swirling wind like the
white-caps of the Eddystone rocks. They swirled about the
tip of the radio mast at Hessary and made wonderful
patterns. A rogue storm cloud brought rain to the Abel’s
farm at Coxtor and I decided to move off. From Pew Tor
the view was almost the same, except that you could see the
far side of the hill, and into the valley beyond.
The storm cloud was determind to ruin our day and we
were sent off down the hill and home with the driving rain
at our backs. Despite this, it was a most enjoyable ride.
James Warren
so they were set off and seemed to soar higher than any
before.
The Guy at the top of the bonfire was stuck on two sticks;
his head looked like a skeleton’s head. He was clothed in
dark blue garments from head to foot.
The flames of the bonfire rose violently and the ashes flew
about in the wind. Then there was lots of black smoke, just
like rubber when it is being burnt.
It seemed some while until the flames started to die down.
Just as everybody was turning to go back up to school there
was an enormous firework which had been let off
somewhere in the distance.
Fireworks and Bonfire
Then we all walked wearily up the slope to the parked cars.
The parents said their goodbyes and the boys went off to
bed.
James Fulton
It was a blowy, rainy evening and conditions were awful for
fireworks. Cars were streaming up the drive, bringing
spectators to watch the display. Parents all piled out of their
cars while the boys had to put on their Wellington boots and
anoraks. After that they collected a packet of sparklers each
from one of the masters.
W hen the boys had found their parents, everyone went
onto the slopes in front of the display, waiting for the
fireworks to begin, but at half past six, the time for the
display to start, the rain poured down and all the umbrellas
went up! At last, at a quarter to seven, the fireworks were
ready and a couple of men walked slowly over to light the
first of them. This was a Catherine wheel which spun
violendy round. The next gave out a series of very loud
screeching noises. Then there were ones which soared into
the sky and exploded, making lovely patterns.
When the display had finished, we shuffled down towards
the bonfire. The boys were huddling as close to it as they
could, to keep themselves warm. Just as the bonfire was
blazing, the person in charge of the fireworks found one
that had not gone up. In fact, there was a number of these,
Government Health Warning
27
Lydford Gorge
Shooting
Having been to Lydford Gorge I realise why it attracts
visitors by the dozen. It is extremely pretty and
uncultivated.
I picked up my gun from its resting place in the larder and
wiped the excess oil from the barrel. I reached up and
fetched my ammunition from the shelf above my gun.
The day that my family and I arrived was warm and sunny,
a glorious summer day. We set off along the route marked
in our National Trust brochures, rambling through the tall
and shapely trees as we chatted together. We were going to
the White Lady waterfall and then up to the Devil’s
Cauldron, a deep, round ravine.
I stepped out into the garden and surveyed the land for a
good place to shoot from. My eyes rested upon a branch
which looked like an extremely good position from which
to shoot.
My brother ran on ahead. As we trudged round a corner in
our Wellington boots we could see down a steep slope to a
river gushing and bouncing through and off stones. We
walked down to a log bridge crossing a small tributary
cascading down to the main river. As we were half way
across a little head popped up and squealed ‘boo!’ It was
my brother!
We tramped past a patch of bluebell buds sprouting out of
the ground like grass and I imagined how it would look in
the spring, a mass of bluebells swaying like the sea. We
passed a tree that had been blown over in the gales about
four months earlier (I presumed). Its broken roots would
have made a glorious painting, all twisted and smashed. We
went on, gently zig-zagging down the slope, weaving in and
out of many wind beaten trees. We were quite near the
bottom of the gorge, or V shaped valley, when we walked
through a patch of rhododendron bushes; they were all
different shades of pink.
When we eventually reached the bottom we were faced
with the most beautiful waterfall. It is called the White
Lady, is one hundred and twenty feet high and it crashes
down onto the rocks and then into the main river.
We then walked up to the Devil’s Cauldron along planks of
wood suspended on iron railings. It is a round pool,
extremely deep, with rocks surrounding it. It has a sort of
turbulence because of the river crashing into it and then out
again.
We walked up to the National Trust shop and then
returned to the car; what a marvellous day out.
Andrew Ridland
I went back inside to collect the target. I set the target up in
the garden, making sure that any stray shots would go into
the bank, I climbed up the tree with my gun and my
pellets. I made myself comfortable and raised my gun,
aligning the foresight and the rearsight.
I squeezed the trigger and the pellet shot from the gun and
slammed into the wooden target, making a satisfying
‘crack’ on impact. I reloaded my gun and took aim again.
When the sights had rested on the centre of the target I
delicately pulled the trigger. The rifle cracked dully,
trailing wisps of oily smoke which hung in the air until they
were borne away by the breeze.
I reloaded, and I was raising the gun to take aim, when two
pigeons landed in the tree next to the one I was sitting in,
not thirty feet away. As I looked at them they started
singing to each other in their mellow voices. They seemed
to know that I could not and would not try to shoot at
them. They turned towards me and met my gaze, and
written in their eyes seemed to be the words, “Why do you
not try to kill us with the death-bringer you hold, like many
other humans do?” One of the pigeons looked sharply to its
left and flew off. The second pigeon stayed on the rocking
branch for a moment and then was gone.
The trance broken, I took aim and fired carefully, applying
pressure slowly to the trigger until the pellet, backed by a
powerful surge of air, rocketed away into the target,
pulverising itself on impact with the wood.
I sat in the tree for half an hour, shooting, making sure that
I followed the same firing procedure each time.
W hen my stock of pellets was completely depleted, I
descended from the high branches of the tree with my gun,
and ran to the target. Shards of splintered wood lay
scattered around. Standing my gun against the tree, I
started the tedious job of picking up the scattered wood
splinters which, if left about, would foul the lawnmower,
maddening my father beyond belief.
James McCoy
Old
Old can be taggy
New can be shiny
Old can be wise
New can be a prize
Old can be tattered
New can be shattered
Old can be clever
New - never
New can laugh at old
But then stories will be told
Eddie Williams
So that’s how long a piece o f string is!
28
Ghost Train
It was the last day of the summer holidays and Edward
Merrill had invited me to go to Bicton Park in Exeter with
him. I accepted the invitation without hesitation.
As soon as we had passed the turnstile we sprinted off
seeking fun like hungry carrion crows searching for meat.
After our little visit to the games arcade we walked towards
the “Wild West” building, thinking only of the ghost train.
We stepped inside the building and to our delight we saw
the ghost train! Quickly we paid our fares, and, stumbling
with excitement, made our way to one of the little black
carriages.
“Hop on, boys,” said the man who had collected our fares.
Two ‘Hairy Hands’ protruded at each side of the
forbidding double doors. The man gave us a little push and
the magnetised rails started pulling us towards the doors,
which creaked open, and we were in. Darkness surrounded
us as we trundled through the pressing black wall.
Suddenly a barred cage lit up in front of us, revealing a
growling, wire-haired werewolf. The car was heading
straight towards this six foot beastie. A sharp turn settled
my thumping heart. On the left of this huge cage a grave of
pigment-drained hands rose like featherdown in an
updraught.
My attention turned when a witch appeared in the darkness
by the rails. She was brandishing a wicked carving knife in
her left hand and a bloodless head in the other. My
stomach turned at this ghastly model and I turned around,
waiting for the next horror to pounce upon us.
In front a sickly yellow glow could be seen.
The little carriage was suddenly confronted by a wickedjawed spider. On the right was a glowing lattice work.
There seemed to be no way out, and we still plunged
relentlessly on. The lattice parted and the glow was
swallowed in the darkness.
The cart turned, revealing a crack of light. We were at the
end! The cart gradually slowed. As we neared the doors a
huge crash and a blinding flash marked the end of our
journey. The doors opened and we were out. Edward and
I stumbled away, this time in fright, not excitement.
James McCoy
Sounds in the middle
o f the night
In the middle of the night,
W hen my prayers have been said,
I rest all alone,
In the warmth of my bed.
The light is at rest,
The day has gone far
And the stars and the moon
Light up from afar.
Click, clack, click, clack,
W hat’s that?!
Is it a ghost? Is it a ghoul?
Or is it a monster from the swimming pool?
I don’t know,
I don’t care,
I’ve got my teddy bear.
I snuggle up,
Warm as can be,
But the noises are still heard.
Click, clock, splatter, donk,
Is it me?
Is it my imagination?
No it can’t be.
It’s certainly not me.
I hide under the sheets,
Where there is no ghoul,
I think to myself
“You are such a fool!!!”
Jake Bumett-Hitchcock
The Queue
I gave a huge yawn as I stood in the queue outside the Post
Office. The early morning air was crisp on my cheeks.
I gazed around me. I saw a variety of people with different
appearances. At the front of the queue was an old man
leaning on his walking stick, his back hunched and a huge
wart on his forehead. He peered over his circular glasses
and smiled at the rather rude, observant glare on my face.
Behind him was a young teenager, whose hair was almost
non-existent. In one ear he had three earrings. He wore
skin tight, bleached jeans and a bomber jacket.
The next person in the queue was an old lady. Her face
looked kind and helpful. Her short body was covered by an
anorak. She saw me looking at her and offered me a sweet.
I refused, as my mother does not let me accept money or
sweets from anyone other than family.
In front of us was a young mother holding two prams. She
was very touchy and objected to anything she could. She
flung her head around and her hair swung with it. Her two
sons started crying. “Shut up!” she screamed at them.
They cried louder and louder, until suddenly they did stop.
The mother’s aggressive expression changed, and her
frown rose up her brow.
Behind us was a middle-aged man. He must have been the
most unfashionable man I have ever come across. His
trousers were brown and several inches too short. H e was
wearing a white and green striped shirt with an orange and
jade tie. He looked ridiculous!
Finally, right at the very back was a perfectly ordinary
person, standing, however, rather oddly. She was slumped
against the wall. She looked as if she was on her way to
work in an office. She was very smart and tidy, which is
why I was surprised when I saw her lazily leaning against
the wall.
After a long, tedious wait the door of the Post Office
opened. Everyone scrambled in, desperate not to have to
wait any longer. In the commotion the old, white haired
lady dropped her purse. The youth bent down, picked it
up, and then, when she was leaving, offered to help her
across the road.
When my mother and I had left the Post Office, we were
walking through the town centre and I saw the
unfashionable man going into Burton’s, one of the most
fashion conscious clothing shops in Britain. I thought to
myself, ‘It just proves you cannot judge anyone on his
appearance!’
Paul Da Rocha
The Encounter
The air was cool and crisp that night as I ventured out of
the tent, Mark following close behind me. We scampered
across the damp ground and through the thin blowings of
rain which met our faces. The gende wind brushed
through our hair and made our noses cold and rosy, like
ripened apples.
We stopped dead still, like rabbits being preyed upon. A
slow clattering and clanging was rhythmically approaching.
We listened and stared: there was a glimmering light
travelling quickly towards us. The sound was growing and
we were glued to the spot. We had now managed to
associate the sounds and lights with a train. The train was
close and becoming a danger to us. Closer. Closer...
We scurried away in disbelief, the lights flashing past,
dii77ling our eyes. We could just pick out the faint figure of
a driver, but that only. We called out to him, but there was
no reply over the loud rumbling as the train echoed away
into the distance, followed by the rattling carriages.
We wheeled round and strolled back to the safety and
comfort of the tent. We clambered in and fell asleep.
When we awoke in the morning we retraced our night-time
wander and arrived at the point where we had seen the
train. No track was anywhere in sight. We drew our own
conclusions, and we were mystified by them.
Paul Da Rocha
1 Ready! Load!
2 Have a break. . .
Lundy - A sight that
few children have seen
stands South Light, which is manned, unlike N orth Light.
The main power source of South Light is four very large
generators run on diesel.
Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel. The island is
three miles long and half a mile across. It is roughly
thirteen miles in circumference. The nearest point or
headland is thirteen miles away, Hartland Point, on the
north coast of Devon.
The island has many interesting features including:
animals, sea life, old mines, quarries, old hut circles, a
church and three lighthouses.
The North Light is on the north east point. Below the light
are the Virginia Springs, and to one side is Constable Rock.
The light was built in 1896-1897. At the same time, at the
south end of the island, St Eleyna’s church was being
constructed by the Reverend H.G. Heaven, who owned
Lundy at this time. The Old Light had been made before
this and is not used any more because it is too high. It was
the highest light in England. At the most southern point
30
The only food source on the island is a shop called the
Marisco Tavern; the Tavern also has a pub. This pub has
no licensing hours at all.
In the 1880s the Lundy Granite Company ordered three
hundred men to dig for granite. Lundy is one solid lump of
Lundite, the name for the special granite found on Lundy.
The company built quarters for the workers above the
mines. In many of the mines are still the crane
implacements. One particular quarry is called ‘V.C.
Quarry’ because the Harman family’s son, John, won the
Victoria Cross in one of the wars. As a boy, John had
played in that quarry. Proof of this is a slab which was
erected which tells the story of John Harman.
Another aspect of Lundy is its wildlife. There are Soay
sheep, Sika deer, wild goats, black rabbits, wild ponies,
black rats and the Lundy Bogit. There is a lot of bird life
Continued over
and marine life as well. The most famous of the birds is the
Lundy puffin; ‘Lundy’ means Puffin Island. The major sea
life is protected by the Landmark Trust. The rarest sight is
the seals: only at one time of year do you see them. The
reason the seals like Lundy is the naturally formed seal
caves at the foot of the cliffs.
The north and west sides of the island could very easily be
mistaken for Iceland or Norway in the summer or winter,
but the east side is covered lavishly with trees and plants.
The only problem is the rhododendron which has covered
the whole of the island.
At the north end there are hut circles. In these hut circles
there have been finds; for instance, flint saws, knives and
pot boilers. Also there are kistvaens and tumuli.
My main impression of Lundy is how beautiful I thought it
was, and how awesome and mysterious the rocks and cliffs
were. I have only mentioned a few points about Lundy; if I
had carried on I could have written a book! I would advise
anyone to go to Lundy for a few days.
Jeremy Hill
The Present
John yawned and craned over to look at the alarm clock: it
was seven twenty-four in the morning. He groaned quietly
and turned his head to look at his wife. Then he
remembered: it was her thirty-first birthday! He leapt out
of bed and pulled on his clothes. He ran down the stairs
and into the kitchen. W hat was he going to buy her? Over
his cup of coffee he pondered the many thoughts which
crossed his mind. That was it! She had always wanted a
diamond ring. He finished his drink and went outside to
the garage. He pulled at the handle on the door of the
Volvo and uttered a cry of despair. It was locked. His wife
always kept the key about her person. The town was six
miles away. He trudged wearily up the road to the bus stop
to look at the timetable. The next bus was at eight fortyfive, in twenty minutes time. ‘I’ll wait here, then,’ he said
to himself.
One hour later the bus vibrated up the hill and John angrily
jumped aboard. He had a heated argument with the bus
driver and was thrown off. He sulkily tried to ‘thumb a lift’
and ended up sitting in a dilapidated Morris Minor,
chatting to a Greenpeace fanatic.
He hurriedly stepped out of the car and bade the talkative
hippy farewell. He ran to the best jewellery shop in
Grangely and enquired about the cheapest diamond ring.
The prices were far too steep, but he was told there was a
shop of the same branch in a neighbouring town. John
went down to the station and leapt onto the train just as it
was about to leave. A couple of minutes later he arrived in
Chanderford and asked people in the street the directions
to the jeweller’s. John was reluctant to pay the two hundred
and forty pounds for the ring that caught his eye, but he
decided that his wife would thank him all the more. He
glanced at his watch and noticed that it was twenty past
ten; his wife would be wondering where he had gone. He
hurriedly scribbled out a cheque and ran out of the shop,
clutching the little box in his hand. He stumbled into the
station, gasping for breath. He had lost himself in the town
and had spent a lot of time asking pedestrians the way. He
was bustling around by the track when the litde box in his
arms was knocked down onto the rails. He gaped in horror.
There was a train coming. He leapt down onto the track
and bent to pick up his treasured box. The train was
getting nearer, and, seconds after he had clambered up the
wall, it rushed past.
He was soon on the next train to Grangely, and had started
a conversation with an elderly man, who was supposedly a
retired practitioner from the nineteen-fifties. John stepped
out onto the platform and started walking towards the taxihire alcove. Suddenly a man ran past and grabbed the
precious box. He was going flat out when he tripped over a
dog’s lead and skidded along the ground to land in a
crumpled heap on the side of the ticket office.
The box lay on the floor, and John strolled over to pick it
up. He hired a taxi and was driven back to the village. He
was a sorry sight: scruffy hair, torn jacket, ripped trousers
and a grubby face. He asked the driver to stop outside his
house, paid him and then stole up the garden path. He
opened the door and shouted, “Darling, I’m home!”
His wife bustied round the corner with a look of anxiety on
her face. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”
“Darling, I have a present for you; I have specially chosen
it.”
He produced the box and asked her to open it. She gasped
in awe at the ring.
“Why, John, it’s beautiful. Was it difficult to get?”
If only she knew, he thought; if only she knew.
William Stirling
The Morning
The birds and animals waited under
the blanket of night, motionless and asleep.
While the Morning, below the brim
of the horizon, prepared to peep
his head once more.
He hesitated, took a deep breath,
and lifted his head to the tree line
noting what he saw.
The Night had turned her back; creatures stirred,
rallying to the light of the Morning.
The fluttering and singing of every bird,
coupled with the sun already dawning,
turned the Night around.
Surprised at what she heard, and
seeing the morning dove spread his wings
with the sun among his feathers,
She did what she thought best:
Defeated, she headed west.
Finger trouble, Cross?
Edward Hampshire
-
31
Storm at Sea
0
3
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G
o
0.
Vi
O
We did not notice the clouds coming over us until the last
moment. Then Henry shouted, “Help! A big breaker!” but
it was too late. It tossed us like a feather. We crashed onto
another wave that took our oars. We tried to motor, but the
wave had us like a dog with a bone.
We were soaked and freezing. Henry was clinging very
hard onto the boat, yelling like he had been bitten by a
snake, but I could not move an inch. It was like being eaten
alive for both of us. Henry managed to haul himself on
before another roaring and whistiing wave came smashing
towards us.
It smashed up under us and took us flying like a plane in
the wind, splitting into thousands of pieces. Then we were
falling.
We saw the water clinging to the beach like a man clinging
for his life, but there was no hope of us escaping this prison
of waves.
Simon Gent
The Hunt
The wind blew fiercely above the dry surface of the planet
Acheron. Against the dark sky a figure could be made out,
struggling against the wind. It ran to the protected bunker
and slammed the door button. Jones ran through the gap as
the electronic door slid back on its tracks. He hit the close
button and sat down on a bench. At least he was safe from
the wind now. Looking around the room, Jones imagined
he was in an assault bunker. Still out of breath, he glanced
at the array of space marine weapons clinging to the wall.
Jones had previously been caught trying to smuggle illegal
goods back to the space station. At the moment he was on
the run. When he had left Dauphin in a dropship, he knew
that the space marines would not be far behind.
E
Suddenly, in the distance, the low hum of the landing
engines of a dropship could be heard. The space marines!
They must have found him! Quickly Jones grabbed a
pulse-rifle and six magazines. H e trotted over to a security
door and hit the button marked ‘open’. Nothing happened.
He must have needed a securicard. Feverishly Jones took
off the panel of the control box and retrieved the pair of
wire-cutters from his utility belt. He cut a couple of wires
and touched them together. The door opened a crack.
Jones inserted his fingers in the gap and pulled. The crack
slowly grew bigger. He squeezed himself through into a
long corridor, just in time to see the door slide shut. Jones
slammed the magazine into place on the gun and advanced
down the corridor.
Outside stood five space marines, loaded with weaponry.
“I was told he was dangerous,” Private Ferro announced.
“H e’s no match for us, Ferro. Don’t be stupid!” Private
Drake replied.
The marine team consisted of Sergeant Appone and
Privates Ferro, Drake, Hudson and Frost.
“Load up!” Apone ordered.
“Ready to rock, sir,” Drake answered.
Drake was the smartgun operator in the team. Smartguns
did most of the work for you. All you had to do was pull the
trigger. Each had a built-in electro-laser and flame thrower.
Automatic target locking was included on Drake’s model.
Apone opened the door, letting the other marines enter the
room first.
Back in the corridor, Jones settied down behind some
crates. An assault trooper came walking from round a
corner, but before he saw Jones, Jones opened fire. Three
bolts hit the trooper, who collapsed to the ground, dead.
“I heard shots!” shouted Frost.
“Get that door, Drake!” ordered Apone. Everybody
stepped back and Drake opened fire on the door. When the
smoke cleared a gaping hole was left where the door had
been. The marines advanced down the corridor, covering
each other.
“I’ll get him yet!” swore Hudson.
Suddenly, from behind a pile of crates, jumped Jones,
pulse-rifle ablaze. Frost collapsed to the ground and
Drake’s smartgun went into action again. Jones retreated
behind the crates. Suddenly remembering that magazines
could be used as stun grenades he threw one over the crates
and jumped out firing. A small explosion occurred, shaking
the corridor. Drake and Ferro lay sprawled on the floor;
Hudson was injured in the leg, but Apone was still safe. He
slowly switched to flame-thrower mode and pulled the
trigger. The crates ablaze, Apone screamed: “Drop your
weapon and come out peacefully! You’re under military
arrest!”
But Jones was not listening - he was dead on the ground,
with his own knife embedded in his chest.
Nicholas Jenkins
*■
A Chick on his shoulder
32
Table Tennis..
He did not have long to wait. In moments I was dashing
down the corridor again and into the dormitory. In the
dormitory there was a silence that brought me to my senses
like a smack across the cheek,
I calmed down. Having hung up my towel, I turned on my
bedside lamp and put on my pyjamas; I crawled into bed.
The sheets were freezing and my cotton pyjamas, which
were intended for the summer, did not warm me. I had to
curl up into a tight ball so as to retain some body heat.
As I began to read my book, a loud, eerie noise could be
heard. I assumed, and hoped, that it was the wind. Then
there were footsteps. I remember thinking: ‘Who is it?’
The door in the adjacent room opened. My mind filled
with evil creatures that I had read about. Then the light
next door went on and I knew that it was only Duncan.
However, the comfort of our electric lamps did not remain
with me all night.
New boys on Cox T or...
At twenty minutes past nine we turned off our lights.
Darkness surged into the room from the corners where it
had been hiding.
I became aware of the eerie noise outside again, and the
label in my pyjamas dug into me at the base of my spine.
The door started banging persistently until one of the boys
crept out of bed and quietened it by jamming it closed with
a duster.
At about ten o’clock a door slammed and, once again, I
could hear footsteps. They were growing louder; they were
coming to my door! The door opened and I could see the
silhouette of a man standing in the doorway.
I could feel myself trembling, and then the man spoke:
“Come on, James. It’s time you were asleep.”
Very soon I was; oblivious of the storm outside.
James Woolford
A study in concentration in the study
M y Dog
His skin is black as black can be,
He is exactly what I like to see.
His eyes are hazel with a tinge of brown,
And his face is as loving as a clown.
He looks at me with his head on one side,
And loves to play if I go and hide.
His tail is long and bent at the end;
He broke it once but it’s now on the mend.
He is not very tall but built like a brick;
Though he is small he is still very quick.
He loves to fetch his ring and ball,
And always obeys me when I call.
He is still very young, but incredibly smart.
I would hate to lose him - it would break my heart.
Chris Wheal
The Old Man
The clock ticks
The bells chime
Tolling the length of time.
Here I am
Relying on people,
People who come in their cars
All in a flash
Then go
As if I were behind bars.
Here I am
In my small house
Where happiness has passed me by.
Over sea,
Below sun.
A ll in the Mind
Here I shall die,
But no children will cry.
Bang! The door slammed behind me.
Edward Craddock
Patter, patter, patter, patter as I ran up the corridor in my
dressing gown and slippers. I burst into the bathroom,
hung up my dressing gown, left my slippers beside my
towel which I had dumped on the floor, and dashed
underneath an extremely cold shower. I was not long in
there, for Richard Hannay, in ‘Greenmantle’, was sitting
on my locker, awaiting my return.
33
Sunrise
And when the sun’s first probing rays
do touch the countryside
The yawning hills will stretch their arms
and let the light shine wide.
And when the dark hills golden turn
and cockerels start to crow
The dormant houses rise from sleep,
their movements tired and slow.
And when the sun does bravely show
its head above the hills,
To lighten up the countryside
it golden lustre spills.
And soon the day will truly start
when people rise from sleep.
They’ll throw their windows open wide
And hope the light will keep.
Mark Gent
The Model Citizen
>
All day long he stands watching
People pass by him,
But he just ignores them.
His clothes are changed frequently
And sometimes people stop and stare at him.
He views the world through glass,
Haunts the menswear store,
But never buys a thing.
Team Work
34
He has only one companion,
His identical twin you might say,
Though they dress differently.
He is there to attract attention That is all he wants, and
If people make fun of him, which
They rarely do,
He does not care;
Even though they call him a dummy,
Because he never talks,
He does not care.
He does his job well.
The manager says he does not know
W hat he would do without him.
He is the Model Citizen.
Nicholas Jenkins
The Prisoner
In the darkness, in the gloom,
I heard the screams and shouts from the solemn walls,
From the people who were once here
But are now gone.
The postcards upon the wall that said
“Wish you were here”, and showed
Children playing on the beach,
Free as birds.
But here I am in this sad cell,
W ith doors clanging and windows smashing,
With beds as hard as steel
And the sink so dirty with algae growing
And the deathly sound of
Hell in this little cell.
Nicholas Grey
Contra-Diction
The dulcet tones of E-—d Jones*
are really not that mellow:
his flats are sharp, his sharps are flat,
and his blues are almost yellow.
The dolorous tones of this same Jones
are strangely rather moving.
His funeral march is full of life
and his heavy metal soothing.
The non-stop tones of E-—d Jones
I think you’ll find are boring.
His piano’s a crashing sound
Which quite defies ignoring.
Mark Gent
*Editor’s disclaimer: The E— d Jones referred to above is
an entirely fictional character. Any resemblance to any
living person of that name is purely coincidental.
Tucking in
-
WEBB
-
MOUNTFIELD
-
HATTER
.j g s .
'S s c
S
ales
‘ SERVICE
'REPAIRS
[Telephone: Tavistock 6140531
U nit 22, Crelake In dustrial Estate
Pixon Lane, Tavistock
SNAPPER
TORO - WESTWOOD -
- QUALCAST
AND HIRE OF
GARDEN M ACHINERY
tI OME LI TE' * SUFFOLK - ALUN
ABBEY GARDEN
MACHINERY
>
VICT
A ll systems Go
35
Uprooted - the redwood by the tennis court
■ “ ‘‘ "
‘The Turkey Oak outside the common room Ims been
blown over’
I
A public leaning post
A Windy Day
As James McCoy and I marched promptly down to
Collingwood at bed time we noticed the wind was picking
up speed. The trees were bending over as if they were
picking up their leaves off the ground.
The next morning it was even more windy. I ran up to my
music practice, being blown this way and that.
Breakfast was very noisy, because everyone wanted to tell
their friends all their news. Coming out of breakfast was a
large gathering of people standing outside the toilets. I
pushed my way to the front, only to find that a flying tile
had come straight through the skylight, narrowly missing a
few people. Once I had viewed the dramatic scene I strode
off to my form room, where I saw more effects of the wind:
the large pane of glass in our window was bending inwards
dangerously under the ninety miles an hour winds.
The latest news from our teachers was that we were not
allowed outside, because of flying tiles. This was all
extremely exciting to the boys, but rather scary to the
teachers.
36
The conservatory has been partly blown away
Once the third lesson had finished I headed for break; I was
STARVING. I could sense excitement and when I reached
the front of the queue I saw why. The Scripture Room the conservatory - which protrudes from the front of the
school, had been partly blown away. Mrs Price, Charles
Walter, Mark Gent, Russell Talbot and Duncan McDowall
were all lending a hand. Major Bengough looked very
upset. I stepped over the blockade and helped with the
rapid clearing of the Scripture Room. We were then told it
was time for lessons, so we all piled into English. M r Price
entered our classroom and warned us of the danger of
sitting by the windows, so we shuffled nearer to the walls.
After lessons I heard everyone saying, “Did you know the
tree outside the Common Room has been blown over?” I
did not know if the latest rumour was true, so I decided to
investigate. Yes, it was true. The Turkey oak, well over a
hundred years old, had fallen across the road.
I went and sat in my form room before bed time and
thought to myself, “Nature is red in tooth and claw
tonight!”
Edward Merrill
A Very Unexpected, Storm
pummelling the window. I shut the curtains for fear of the
window shattering and sending showers of glass
everywhere.
I then decided to go down to the computer room, where I
forgot everything for a while. Then, at ten past eight, a boy
came downstairs, panting, and said that while he had been
undressing in his dormitory the window had smashed
behind him. I suddenly realised that the wind must be
blowing a strong gale and I rushed to my form room. One
member of my dormitory said that we had to go to the
library instead of going upstairs.
. and some people were reading
Nobody knew when it started to blow up at about noon,
that before everyone was asleep in their beds, two
dormitories would be evacuated and repairs from the
aftermath of yet another severe storm, which had occurred
previously that month, would be swiftly and mightily
removed by mother nature.
This real experience, which I was involved in, kept me very
nervous and frightened. I was a member of Benbow
dormitory, which had to be evacuated.
It was around midday that the wind became noticeable,
and then, at one o’clock it died down, but not before
torrential rain. I and about three others went with a
member of staff down to the drain, or leat, behind the lake.
We had the entertaining job of clearing away an enormous
tree which had fallen across the lake. Time passed, and we
came up to school at five. The wind started up again, and at
six, while resting in my form room, I could hear the wind
In the library one boy was crying because of shock when
his dormitory window smashed. Soon the library furniture
was cleared and we were told to bring our mattresses down.
Once we had done that I went to fetch my camera and I
took some photos. There were mattresses and sheets lying
about and some people were reading.
The library had formerly been a dormitory, about twenty
years ago. Now it had been brought back to life after lying
dormant for those years, like a rusty steam engine being
repolished.
Once everyone had changed, the lights were turned out and
everything was pitch black. Lying in my bed I could hear
the wind howling furiously outside. It was ripping parts of
this ancient school away, slowly, as if stripping it to its bare
bones. Nature was in a merciless mood. Between strong
gusts of wind there was a forbidding silence and the tap,
tap, tapping of water on the verandah. Nerves were on
edge, and suddenly the wind would start up again,
besieging the school. I fell asleep and awoke at three.
The silence was overwhelming; the wind had gone.
JanEvetts
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Telephone: LYDFORD 242
37
SHI vous plait
Mots Croises par Mark Gent
A La Gare
Horizontalement
1 Information (14)
7 C’est comme la S.N .C .F ., mais sous-terrain (5)
8 Ici on peut acheter des cigarettes (5)
10 On le cherche avant de monter dans le train (4)
12 On la suit quand on doit changer des trains (14)
15 On doit l’acheter pour monter dans le train (6)
16 Le train roule -— une rue dans un tunnel (4)
17 Train a Grande Vitesse (3)
21 Ici on trouve les trains (4)
23 Niveau (5)
24 Bureau de gare oil Ton depose provisoirement les bagages (8)
25 Trans-Europ Express (3)
26 Ce qui porte le train par-dessus une riviere, par exemple (4)
27 “Pour entrer, prenez la porte d ’
” (6)
28 Faire un voyage par le train (7)
Andre et Henri
Une fois un chat, qui s’appelle Andre
Habitait dans un grand logis gris,
II desira quelquechose pour son dejeuner,
Comme Henri - une petite souris.
Henri habitait dans une cavite
Dans la meme maison que le chat,
Et un jour quand il vit du fromage frais,
II se dit qu’il le mangera.
Mais Andre vit la petite souris
A l’entree de sa cavite,
II y courut et poussa un cri,
“Maintenant je vais te manger” .
Mais Henri disparut sous un fut de biere,
Puis il sauta sur la tele,
II saisit le fromage, il glissa par terre,
Et il frappa le grand nez d’Andre.
Verticalement
1 Un aller e t ----- (6)
2 On le trouve a la gare (5)
3 Ici on doit composter les billets (10)
4 On peut les acheter au tabac (8)
5 Ici on achete des billets (7)
6 Sur lequel les porteurs peuvent porter les bagages (7)
9 On peut arriver a la gare e n ------(7).......
1 1 ......ou en — (4)
13 On descend du train, et puis on la cherche (6)
14 U n indicateur des temps de trains (7)
15 Ici, sur le train, on peut acheter les sandwichs (6)
16 Une gare du metro (7)
18 Dans laquelle un passager porte ses affaires (6)
19 L ’arrivee du train (5)
20 Ce train - c’est pour les longs voyages (6)
22
Societe nationale des chemins de fer frangais (4)
Puis Henri fila a sa cavite
Et Andre est tombe par terre,
II avait une bosse au bout de son nez,
II se decida a manger le ‘P urr’.
par Mark Gent and Simon Allenby
Mots Croises - Blancs!
On lit les definitions,
On debrouille les anagrammes,
On verifie les epellations,
On cite un mot de drame.
On complete les mots croises Un devoir journalier On les met de cote, tout est dit
C’est pour l’honneur, il n’y a pas de prix.
Gros Mots - ******!
G PW C
38
urely for Pleasure
Mots Masques
Les Vivres
AGNEAU
AIL
ANANAS
BANANE
BEURRE
BOEUF
CAROTTE
CERISE
CHOCOLAT
CHOU
CITRON
CONFITURE
FRAISE
FRAMBOISE
FROMAGE
JAMBON
LAITUE
M ELON
N OUILLES
OEUFS
OIGNON
PAIN
POISSON
POMME
POU LET
PRUNE
RADIS
RIZ
SEL
SUCRE
TOM ATE
VIN
Par Simon Allenby and Adam Hurst
X p0 H
N A 6 0 £
A P A 1 KJ
N 0 R r 1
A A 0 N X
s E K 1
c M U R 0
R£ F M s
0 A S 0 s
C U K) £ 8
M£ 6
U P c
KJ f? Q
C S H
z £ 0
L I R
sA J
1 A S
M£ «
r ci—
L u 0 P F
R Cr V K 6 R &
z M Q- S A S T
Mw V 0
p A
F R 6 A A c H
H O L 1 NJ R A
1P H L E Er
A
L
L
I
II y a quelquechose de louche
Dans la salle ou Jean prend sa douche.
Enfin, il comprend que c’est une mouche
Qui s’envole quand Jean la touche.
Or 5a, Jean ne fait jamais la fine bouche,
II poursuit et il tue cette maudite mouche.
Puis, fatigue par la chasse, il se couche
Et, bientot, Jean dort comme une souche.
GPW C
Sf 0 H C E
Q P £ 2 c \) C
r0 sQ RC H 0 uA
F
0S N0 PMu
L KJ M P
A 0 T Gr
T S E L
C 0 N F
zzzzzzzzzzzz
B £ V R R
a 0 1 Gf N 0 NJ
A 1 T U E6 V
( u 0 NJ r U s
T V a E R /\ D
£ KJ R
1 A 0
V F T
£ U T
1 S E
Des Poemes en
cinq vers
II y avait une modele de Bruxelles,
Qui pensait qu’elle etait ties belle,
Elle a degringole l’escalier,
Elle s’est dechire les oreilles,
Maintenant elle porte les poubelles.
II y avait une fille de Bordeaux,
Qui aimait boire beaucoup d’eau.
Elle etait joyeuse quand la mer elle a vue,
Mais elle a avale une grande morue,
Cette pauvre fille sotte de Bordeaux.
II y avait un homme de Marseille,
Qui est ne le quatorze juillet.
En conduisant son auto,
II renversa un oiseau,
Cette personne aveugle de Marseille.
par James Woolford et Edward Hampshire
Un pauvre jeune homme de St. Lo,
Souffrait severement de mal a son dos.
II a cherche un remede
D ’un medicin de Zagrebe,
Depuis quand il fait toujours dodo!
G PW C
Posez une question stupide,
recevez une folle reponse!
par Simon Griffin et Nicholas Jenkins
Un Anglais, un Ecossais et un Francais conduisaient dans
le desert quand, malheureusement, ils sont tombes en
panne. Ils ont decide de marcher a la ville la plus proche en
portant une possession chacun.
L ’Anglais a pris de l’eau, l’Ecossais, du whisky et le
Frangais, une portiere de la voiture!
Apres un long trajet, les trois hommes sont arrives a la ville
ou on leur a fait bon accueil et on leur a pose des questions.
A l’Anglais - “Pourquoi est-ce que vous avez apporte de
l’eau?” . II a repondu: “Parce que je pouvais la boire quand
j’avais soif’.
A l’Ecossais - “Pourquoi avez-vous apporte du whisky?” .
II a repondu: “Parce que je pouvais le boire quand j’avais
soif’.
Et au Francais - “Pourquoi avez-vous apporte une portiere
de la voiture?”
II a repondu: “Parce que quand j’avais chaud, je pouvais
baisser la glace!”
'
39
Sport
1st X V 1989
1st X V Rugby 1989
Like all schools, the XV has to be developed in the first few
weeks of term. Once fixtures start, changes tend to be
cosmetic or enforced due to injury. This year would
certainly see several of the latter.
The Clayesmore Sevens and the Prior Park XV’s Festival
are ideal (and most enjoyable) competitions with which to
start the season. Both provide pointers as to future success
or otherwise; some players confirm their places, some
never play again; certain skills are shown to need more
practice while some tactics need redefining.
At Clayesmore, we fielded two teams. The 1st VII lost their
first game against Prior Park, but thereafter remained
unbeaten to win the Clayesmore Shield (awarded to the
winners of the Plate Competition). Wins over Taunton,
Wolborough Hill and Daneshill, without conceding a
point, were boosts to a growing confidence. The 2nd VII
also played well to win their group without conceding a
point before running up against a very strong Millfield VII
in the semi-finals.
v Daneshill at Prior Park (2)
Hot work
The semi-final, against an impressive St. Mary’s Hall side,
was a ding-dong battle, each side scoring a try. At the end
only Patrick Grant-Sturgis’s conversion separated the two
sides.
v Daneshill at Prior Park (1)
At Prior Park the XV had its first test. Losing a tight match
against the hosts, the XV had to win both its remaining
group matches to qualify for the knock-out stages. Narrow
victories over Monmouth (6-0) and Daneshill (12-4) saw
them through to the quarter finals. On a small pitch,
against large opponents from Colston’s School, the XV
adopted sound tactics and ran out comfortable winners.
40
Trophy presentation at Daneshill by British Lion
Andy Robinson
The XV had been spurred on throughout the long day by
the chance to avenge their earlier defeat by Prior Park. The
Sport
final gave them the opportunity. In another hard fought
match the XV took the lead only to concede two late tries to
lose the match 4-10. The weary players who received their
runners-up medals from British Lion Andy Robinson had
acquitted themselves magnificently and fully deserved the
praise heaped upon them.
The Downs, Wraxall, is never an easy opening fixture and
missed opportunities in the early part of the match proved
decisive. Poor kicking and tactical naivety meant that much
of our effort was wasted and two defensive lapses cost us
the game.
This result prompted three changes in the XV. Callum
Zaloumis, recovered from illness, returned to the front row
allowing David Mackenzie to revert to his normal position
of flanker. Mark Gent moved to the wing to tighten the
defence down the flanks and Adam H urst came in at
fullback.
These changes proved effective as the next four matches all
resulted in victories, three of them by very comfortable
margins indeed.
Exeter Cathedral School proved far better than usual and
provided stiff opposition up to half-time; the second half
however was rather one sided. St. Michael’s, Tawstock are
always tough to beat, so our convincing 36-4 win was
especially pleasing. The three-quarters in particular caught
the eye with some excellent running and handling. We
equalled our second highest score ever (74-0) in the win
over a very poor Buckfast Abbey side, scoring fifteen tries
in the process.
Half term, as ever, came at the wrong time in terms of the
team’s development. Over confident following earlier
results, the XV found themselves in trouble against a lively
King’s Hall XV. A try down approaching half-time, the
XV woke up to draw level with a good score by Rupert
Seldon. Immediately after the break Paul Da Rocha scored
a splendid solo try and the team gradually gained the upper
hand without extending their lead. The following day the
XV raised their game for the visit of Prior Park. After an
open, entertaining match between two well matched sides
Prior Park recorded their first win at Mount House thanks
to a solitary try just before half time.
The next two matches saw the first changes to the XV since
the match against Exeter Cathedral School. M ark Burton
and Sydney Zaloumis made their debuts, while Adam
H urst moved from full-back to deputise for the injured
Patrick Grant-Sturgis at fly-half. Despite these enforced
changes the XV scored eighteen tries without reply in wins
over Sherborne Prep. (46-0) and Taunton Junior School
(36-0).
Our annual battle with Wolborough Hill was as
competitive as ever though the XV was again disrupted by
injury. Once again Callum Zaloumis was missing from the
front row while the three-quarters continued to miss
Patrick Grant-Sturgis’s inventiveness. In a tight game,
scoring chances were few. Wolborough created two and
scored from one; we manufactured more but could convert
none. A disappointing result, but a sound performance
under the circumstances, especially from replacement prop
Richard Ferguson making his debut.
We returned to winning ways against St. Peter’s,
Lympstone, and then recorded a very good win over Long
Close, on tour from Berkshire. Although the score (26-8)
suggests a comfortable match it was a very close game for
the most part. Injury robbed us of David Mackenzie and
Duncan Stone made a good job of replacing him at prop.
We won because we took our chances and turned them into
points, an outstanding individual try by Justin Gibbs
sealing the victory.
This was a good result, for our visitors had suffered only
two previous defeats: 0-20 against Caldicott and 4-22
against Papplewick.
The season ended at Millfield Junior School where it is
difficult enough with a full team let alone one showing four
changes from the normal XV. The opening exchanges
indicated a close affair but a five minute spell midway
through the first half changed all that. In this period
Millfield ran in three tries, all down our right wing, thereby
killing the game as a spectacle. After this, things settled
back to normal and the rest of the match was evenly
contested.
In retrospect this was a good season with much achieved.
Individuals worked hard to improve their particular skills
and both pack and three-quarters showed limitless
enthusiasm to develop the unit skills that are essential for
team success.
The pack, despite constant changes, won considerable ball
from the set pieces and developed an aggressive rucking
style in the loose. David Mackenzie, Justin Gibbs and
Charles Walter shone throughout the season, while Simon
Griffin, Russell Talbot and Mark Wyer all made telling
contributions.
The three-quarters meanwhile were evolving into a most
effective unit. Ex-Colts James Fulton and Patrick GrantSturgis were a highly successful halfback pairing, James’s
superb passing giving Patrick plenty of time to get the
centres moving. In the centre Charles Reeves exhibited
skills that received too little appreciation; his ability to
create space for those outside him was paramount in the
eighteen tries shared between Paul Da Rocha and Rupert
Seldon.
In all, twenty-two players represented the 1st XV in 1989.
Ten of those will still be available in 1990. And so it goes
on.........
1st XV Results 1989
Played 12; W on 8; Drawn 0; Lost 4; For 288; Against 65
4-14
L
v The Downs, Wraxall (A)
24-0
W
v Exeter Cathedral School (H)
36-4
W
v St Michael’s, Tawstock (A)
74-0
w
v Buckfast Abbey School (H)
46-0
w
v Sherborne Prep (H)
8-4
w
v King’s Hall, Taunton (H)
0-4
L
v Prior Park (H)
36-0
W
v Taunton Junior School (H)
L
0-4
v Wolborough Hill (A)
30-0
W
v St Peter’s, Lympstone (A)
W
26-8
v Long Close, Berks (H)
L
4-27
v Millfield Junior School (A)
Tries: Gibbs 12, Da Rocha 9, Seldon 9, Reeves 6, Gent 5,
Grant-Sturgis 4, Mackenzie 3, Wyer 2, Zaloumis C. 2,
Walter 2, Ridland 2, Philpott 1, H urst 1 Fulton 1,
Talbot 1, Griffin 1.
Cons: Grant-Sturgis 13, Fulton 7, Hurst 2.
The following boys have represented the 1st XV :
A M H urst, M R Gent, P W Da Rocha, C B Reeves, R J W
Seldon, P B R Grant-Sturgis, J A G Fulton, C C Zaloumis,
A S G Griffin, C R J Walter, R C A Philpott, R M Talbot,
D N Mackenzie, M A Wyer, J A Gibbs, M J Burton,
S J Zaloumis, R T R Ferguson, D R Stone, R E Jackson,
J L D Macleod, A Ridland
41
Sport
2nd X V , 1989
2nd X V Rugby 1989
The first game was at home against a strong side from the
Downs. All the boys gave 100% during the game; in fact on
the final whistle they just made it to the grass bank beside
the pitch before collapsing onto their knees! The forwards
played as a tight and effective unit, the backs ran and
tackled well. The game was well contested but through our
poor kicking and slight lack of pace we lost 12-0.
The next two matches were against St Michael’s Tawstock
and Taunton Junior School. These were slightly easier
games, resulting in Mount House recording wins of 32-0
and 20-0 respectively. It was at this stage in the season that
players such as Harry Hensman, James Macleod and
Andrew Ridland began to excel on the field; unfortunately
Andrew was to break his collar-bone during a training
session prior to the match against T .J .S .. Matthew
Muldowney, a last minute replacement for the Taunton
game, displayed fine running skills and held his place in the
team until the end of the season.
The Wolborough Hill match was played at Mount House
and proved to be a cliff hanger of a game. The back-row of
Jeremy Hill, Michael Willoughby and Edward Jones had
an excellent game; in fact all of our scores came from moves
involving these players. With three minutes to go before
the final whistie, the score was 10-8 to Wolborough. Then,
after a fine rolling move by the forwards, Edward Jones put
the ball down to score the winning try for Mount House.
In the match against St Peter’s the front row of Duncan
Stone, Duncan McDowall and Richard Ferguson put on a
fine display of scrummaging skills. W ith plenty of ball won
by our strong pack, the three-quarters, particularly Simon
King, Michael Follett, Sid Zaloumis and Matthew
Muldowney, played some great running rugby. The
resulting score was 42-0 to Mount House.
The last match of the season was, as usual, against Edgarley
Hall. Edgarley were a big side and took a lot of containing;
42
the Mount House pack did this remarkably well. Our
three-quarters and half-backs failed to get into the game
and defence was poor except for the sterling efforts of
Oliver Coryton. Edgarley won the game 16 points to nil.
Played 6; Won 4; Lost 2; Points for 106; Points against 38.
M JB
THE JOURNAL OF TH E PREPARATORY SCHOOL WORLD
The m a g a z in e for parents
a s w e ll a s t e a c h e rs.
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Sport
3rdX V , 1989
3rd X V Rugby 1989
Although it was asking the impossible to equal the results
of the 1988 3rd XV, it was in many ways an equally
exciting season due to the closeness of the scores in three of
the matches played.
We were unlucky to meet our strongest opponents The Downs - in our first match. McCoy and Matheson,
perhaps the most influential players during the season,
both did so much to keep our hopes alive, but two missed
tackles cost us the match and provided the only ‘low’
moment of the season.
Exeter fielded a weak side due to illness and after ten
minutes we were four tries up and the contest was over.
It was a good team performance with nine different players
scoring tries.
The match at St Petroc’s was the first of two ‘classic’
games in which nerves were tested to the limit! Mount
House went ahead with a try by Matheson in the corner,
but after the interval St Petroc’s scored. Hulme scored after
a line-out break but St Petroc’s then went 10-8 ahead with a
converted try. With only a few minutes to go McCoy
scored a captain’s try to snatch victory and ensure a safe
journey home in his father’s car!
The second ‘cliff-hanger’ in four days saw King’s Hall
score in the opening minute before Muldowney replied
with a try, starting his run from the half-way line. McCoy
converted - a vital kick as it turned out. King’s went 8-6
ahead in the second half, but then a try from Hensman
swung the match our way in another terrific finish!
The final match against Wolborough saw the backs in good
form. Roger Perowne had a great game as hooker and
provided the three-quarters with plenty of possession and
three tries. Leading try scorer of the season, Charles
Matheson, scored the other two:
Results:
Played 6; Won 5; Lost 1; For 118; Against 38
v The Downs (H)
v Exeter Cathedral 2nd XV (A)
v St Petroc’s 1st XV (A)
v King’s Hall 2nd XV (A)
v Taunton Junior School (A)
v Wolborough Hill (H)
L
W
W
W
W
W
8-16
48-0
12-10
10-8
20-4
20-0
Tries: Matheson 7; McCoy 4; Hensman 3; Hill 2, Hulme
2, Gaffney 2, Evetts 2, Allenby 2, Muldowney 2, Hulme 1,
McDowall 1, Stone 1, Warren 1, Woolford 1.
Cons: McCoy 1
Team: J Shakerley, J Woolford, M Muldowney, J Evetts,
H Hensman, J McCoy (captain), E Hulme, R Perowne,
D Stone, R Gaffney, C Matheson, A West, W Stirling,
S Allenby, T Perowne, S King, J Lott, W Worthy.
Also played: A Walter, M Timms, C Wheal, J Warren,
E Jones, R Bettison, E Hampshire, J Hill, D McDowall,
R M Cross.
Jonathan Banyard
A week later the team was again in action on Taunton soil
at Taunton Junior School. Despite the final score it was
another well-balanced game as Jeremy Hill inspired the
pack to its best performance of the season.
43
Sport
4th X V Rugby 1989
Brook S treet, T avistock
D evon PL19 OBH
P hone 612266
DELICATESSEN ‘ G R OCERIES ” PROVISIONS * W INES ' SPIRITS
OLD FASHIONED GROCERS
FOR QUALITY
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* Teas packed from original chests, unblended
* Coffee freshly roasted each day
* York and Devon Hams cooked in our own kitchen
* Devon Cured Bacon freshly cut for each customer
* Dried Fruits of highest quality
* English and Continental cheeses - try our Stilton
* Herbs and Spices
* Wines of quality and value
* Malt whisky and fine clarets a speciality
Our two matches this term were against King’s Junior
School and St Petroc’s. The first, against King’s, saw
Mount House score in the second minute of the game when
Edward Hampshire dived close to the corner flag. The best
try came in the second half when Jeremy Hill (No 8) kept
the ball at his feet as the scrum moved forward. At the right
moment he picked the ball up and charged for the line.
It was a good game to win, despite the cold, wet weather,
with the team playing well together and demonstrating
some useful skills.
The second match was in complete contrast. This time
St Petroc’s scored in the second minute of the game. Our
confidence had been knocked. True, three star players had
been promoted to the 2nd and 3rd teams and we were
fif-lrling five new caps but, nevertheless, it was no excuse
for our ineffectual play. St Petroc’s made us look
amateurish as they did to us what we had done to King’s.
Their team consisted of three large players who were ably
supported by several under elevens and their commitment
was 110%. We did have our moments and William Worthy
scored our only try. A disappointing game. Both games
were well captained by James Woolford.
Results:
v King’s Junior School
v St Petroc’s School
Price List on request to Robert Creber
GIFT PARCELS - YOU SELECT THE
CONTENTS FROM OUR SHOP OR PRICE LIST
WE PACK AND DESPATCH
W
L
24—0
4-24
The teams were chosen from:T R Beard, R J C Bettison, T E Browne, R M Cross,
E C G Hampshire, J W Hill, N J Jenkins, J D Lott,
A D Mackie, E S Merrill, T P Newey, N A N Owen,
G N R Radford, A W P Samborne, C J Scofield,
M J K Tim ms, A H J Walter, C H Wheal, J R Woolford,
and W J Worthy.
H VC A
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Colts X V , 1989
Colts Rugby
Autumn 1989
Plymouth College Prep (A) Lost 4-8
Our first game of the season was the usually close
encounter with Plymouth College Prep. Plymouth scored
two tries playing down the slope in the first half. Simon
Gent replied quickly in the second half and nearly levelled
the score but had a try disallowed. Our inability to
maintain the pressure for long enough proved the telling
factor.
The Downs, Wraxall (A) Lost 4-24
The very powerful Downs pack and incisive three-quarters
scored six tries, five of which were in the first half. They
exposed our overall lack of pace and erratic tackling. The
20-0 score at half-time looked ominous; however Simon
Gent took a quick penalty and barged his way over for a
try. The Downs replied late in the match.
Exeter Cathedral (H) Won 18-4
A much better performance saw the first win of the season
against Exeter Cathedral. Two tries by Gent, one each by
Tait and Barnicoat and a conversion by Britten produced
the points.
St Michael’s, Tawstock (A) Won 12-4
The long journey to St Michael’s provided us with our
second win. Two first half tries by Britten and Tait
rounded off a very competent performance up the slope
and against the wind. With the elements in our favour we
conceded a try and only scored one in return by Barnicoat.
Our lack of concentration highlighted the limitations of the
team.
Plymouth College Prep (H) Drew 0-0
My match report for this game read “ a very boring game” ,
this seemed to sum up the post-match feelings of
disappointment. We lacked any sense of purpose
throughout the match and were lucky to escape with a
draw, as the few opportunities in the game fell to
Plymouth.
King’s Hall (H) Won 18-6
The forwards overpowered the opposition, winning a lot of
good ball throughout the game. This allowed us to score
four close range tries, two by Barnicoat, one each by Lytle
and Udy. Britten kicked one conversion.
Taunton Junior (H) Lost 0-8
Against quite a big, strong running side we tackled very
well, except for a lapse that allowed Taunton to score just
before half-time. We were under intense pressure in the
scrums and did win some possession, but it was Robert
Lytle’s brave tackling that caught the eye. We rarely
threatened to score but it was one of our better
performances.
Wolborough Hill (A) Lost 0-18
We failed to perform at all well against Wolborough Hill
who were as usual an efficient, well drilled side. We won
little good possession and were rarely able to threaten their
line. They scored four tries by being more alert and
capitalising on our mistakes.
St Peter’s Lympstone (A) Won 12-8
This was a particularly hard-fought game made difficult by
*a dry sloping pitch and strong breeze.Despite being
outscrummaged throughout the first-half we scored three
tries by Gent, Barnicoat and Lawrence .We knew that with
the elements against us in the second-half it would be a
hard struggle, and so it proved. St.Peter’s replied with two
tries and were denied a third by a tremendous try-saving
rear tackle from Austin Smith.This proved the decisive
factor in a tense encounter.
Edgarley Hall (A) Lost 4-12
The long journey to Edgarley Hall almost proved fruitful
until poor tackling in the last quarter of the game cost us
two tries. Simon Gent scored early from a quickly taken tap
penalty by barging his way over. The forwards performed
solidly and the three-quarters ran elusively but lacked the
necessary support to score tries.
The season from a coaching point of view was most
enjoyable, the squad of players were enthusiastic and a
pleasure to work with. Our lack of pace and mobility meant
we would always find it difficult to score tries and in this
respect we relied heavily on Simon Gent who scored seven,
and Aston Barnicoat six. For the future, we found it
necessary to play five Under 10’s, which gave them
valuable experience for next season. Robert Lytle captained
the side with great credit, leading by example with some
outstanding tackling.
PS
45
Sport
Under 10 Rugby 1989
Played 3; Won 2; Drawn 1; For 38; Against 20
v Cathedral School, Exeter
v Wolborough Hill School
v Plymouth College Prep
D
W
W
8-8
12-8
18-4
Tries: J Barneby 3, J Turner 2, O Collier 2, R Ridland 1,
W Keeler 1.
Cons: J Turner 1
Match Reports
v Cathedral School: Despite intense first-half pressure
when we remained in their 22, we failed to take chances to
score. Stung into greater effort by a Cathedral score early in
the second half, first Keeler then Collier ran in good tries.
A missed tackle let in the Cathedral for a equalising score.
Captain and Flanker Simon Church had set a fine example
with good tackling and he was well supported by William
Keeler.
v Wolborough Hill School: This was a close and hardfought game with some fine individual efforts. It was good
to see better passing in the 3s, giving Simon Wilsey and
Crispin Procter chances to run. James Turner, from the
base of the scrum, scored twice with well-judged jinking
runs and Oliver Collier, with a try, rounded off a fine win.
Alexis Tanner, brought in as hooker, won good ball for the
forwards, whose rucking was particularly good.
v Plymouth College Prep.: The team produced a very fine
performance on the small pitch, with the well-defined
slope. We played downhill in the first half and scored twice
through N o.8 John Bameby and Centre Robert Ridland.
T urner was on target with a conversion. Early in the second
half we conceded one try but withstood further intense
pressure. Gradually we worked our way out of trouble and
ended a splendid match with another try from Bameby.
The following represented the School: W Seldon, S Wilsey,
J Seldon, R Ridland, C Proctor, W Keeler, J Turner,
T Davies, A Tanner, H Voelcker, M Philpott, S Church,
T Sellick, O Collier, J Barneby, C Borradaile, K Zaloumis,
M Fulton, T Keane, H Cox, P Bennett, J Kitson.
Patrick Cashell
Under-Nine
Mini-Rugby, 1989
Competition to gain a place in the squad was again fierce
and the boys put up a fine performance, tackling and
passing well. The forwards gained a good deal of possession
and Jefferson gained a plentiful supply of good ball which
he used to good effect.
Results:
v St John’s
v St Peter’s
v Ravenswood
v St Michael’s
v Wolborough Hill
W
W
W
W
L
18-0
10-0
14-4
12-0
0-18
Tries: Jefferson 10, Bowles 1, Davies 1.
Cons: Jefferson 3.
Our own Toumament followed a week later and we started
too slowly in our opening game against Plymouth College
to come back into contention. Our best game was against
Wolborough Hill, when we showed a great degree of
determination, and just one missed tackle lost us the game.
By this stage Ben Davies, Tom Babbington, Thomas
Jefferson, and James Petrie were making a very good
impression.
' Results:
v Plymouth College
v St Michael’s
v St Peter’s
v Wolborough Hill
L
W
W
L
0-8
10-6
4-0
4-6
Tries: Jefferson 2, Bowles 2.
Cons: Jefferson 1.
Out third and final Tournament was at Wolborough Hill
where we put out A and B teams.
The A team started in fine style with a convincing win over
Buckfast Abbey, but their tackling against Wolborough
Hill was disappointing. However, tackling, passing and
confidence all improved against St John’s and they played a
storming game against Plymouth College to end the season
on a very high note.
The B team started very weakly, with wild passing, missed
tackles and too much running across the field. This was
their first experience of match play, and it was encouraging
to see them improve as the afternoon went on. This is, after
all, what such tournaments are all about.
Results:
A Team
v Buckfast Abbey
v Wolborough Hill
v St John’s
v Plymouth College
v Wolborough ‘C’
B Team
W
L
W
W
16-0
0-20
22-4
10-0
L
0-22
L
L
0-8
0-8
Teams: These represented the A team at least once:
T Babbington, S Bowles, P Cass, B Davies, W Gabb,
J Grey, T Jefferson, R Kongialis, J Petrie (captain),
J Radcliffe.
These came on as A team replacements and/or played in the
B team: J Collin, K Goodall, C Harris, L Jarrett-Kerr,
W Luke, W McNeil, M Radcliffe, W Russell,
T Samborne, C Timpson.
We are sending some promising and enthusiastic players to
higher games next year, and are happy to be able to have
Davies and Jefferson as under-nines again in 1990.
Our season started most agreeably with the delightful
Tournament hosted by St Peter’s at Lympstone, which
supplies an early season scamper, in the friendliest of
atmospheres, against five other schools, on an all-play-all
basis.
46
David Cowgill
Sport
Devon X V
Devon v Somerset Prep Schools Set Rugby 1989
Devon 24 Somerset 13
In December Mount House hosted the annual fixture
between the Prep Schools of the two counties. For the first
time, five boys from the School were selected to play. In
the three-quarters, centres Charles Reeves and Paul Da
Rocha were chosen after their excellent performances
during the term, while Rupert Seldon’s abrasive running
and deadly finishing made his selection almost inevitable.
David Mackenzie confirmed his versatility by gaining a
place in the pack at prop, while the ultimate honour befell
Justin Gibbs who was asked to lead the side from lock.
W ith Wolborough Hill also supplying five players the
Devon XV looked a strong outfit. Somerset selected chiefly
from Millfield Junior School and Hazelgrove House and
they too appeared a good XV.
Appearances however can be deceptive. While the Devon
XV gelled instantly, Somerset never really came together as
a unit. When the first hints of cohesion eventually surfaced
Somerset were well beaten. It is pleasing to note that the
intense rivalry between Mount House and Wolborough
Hill engenders great respect and friendship among the
boys; essential requirements when playing representative
rugby.
The close match envisaged never materialised. Devon ran
away to a commanding lead by half-time, Rupert Seldon
adding to his reputation with two well taken tries. Further
tries were added by Hill and Evans (both Wolborough
Hill).
Somerset did get back into the game with two tries midway
through the second half, but Devon had the last word with
a try by David Mackenzie.
After the game John Rees, Head Master of Blundell’s
School, awarded the Sam H unt Cup for “Man of the
Match” to the Devon prop Mark Jameson (Wolborough
Hill).
Three cups were competed for in the Set Rugby
competition this year.
At U9 level a knock out tournament was organised. Hawks
and Owls won through to the Final where the Hawks were
convincing 18-0 winners. In the last match of the
competition the Otters defeated the Kangs to avoid the
wooden spoon.
The U11 competition resulted in a convincing victory for
the Otters. In the early rounds Hawks easily defeated the
Owls (16-4) while the Otters came through a close match
with the Kangs (8-0). The Final was mostly one way traffic
as the Otters scored three tries to win 12-0.
In the Seniors the Owls looked very strong and confirmed
their status as pre-tournament favourites with an easy 28-0
win over the Hawks. In the other game the Otters beat the
Kangs 8-0 in a much closer affair.
The Final was a very competitive match. Though the Owls
enjoyed considerable territorial advantage, the Otters
defended well and Paul Da Rocha was a constant threat.
Tries by David Mackenzie and James Macleod gave the
Owls the lead, but this was reduced just before half-time
when Paul Da Rocha scored a splendid try.
The second half saw almost constant pressure by the Owls
and their efforts were rewarded with tries by Mark Wyer
and David Mackenzie.
This position remained unchanged until the final whistle
and the Owls ran out worthy winners 16-4. This result
enabled the Owls to maintain their firm grip on this
particular competition, having won the trophy in each of
the previous four years.
The Kangs and Hawks revived the long forgotten wooden
spoon match and fought out an honourable 4-4 draw.
J Symons
47
Sport
IstXISoccer
Soccer 1990
As usual in the Winter Term the only real winner was the
weather! The 1st XI managed only four matches of which
two were won and two lost! The team, on paper, was a
strong one, but contained rather too many ‘fair weather’
players who froze (literally and metaphorically) in adverse
climatic conditions!
We started the season with a hard fought 3-1 win over
Buckfast Abbey. St. Peter’s Lympstone again proved to be
the best footballing side on the circuit and inflicted a 3-1
defeat on us. An ‘A’ side - mainly 1991 hopefuls went over
to Bude and achieved a comfortable 7-1 victory. In what
proved to be the last match of the season we travelled to
Ravenswood and in appalling conditions surrendered a 3-1
lead to lose 4-3 - a disappointing result as we should
certainly have won comfortably.
Simon Griffin made up for in handling, bravery and
positional sense what he lacked in stature and became a
most dependable goalkeeper. The back line changed
during the term but the best formation was undoubtedly
Mark Wyer, fast and sure footed at right back; Justin
Gibbs, steady, reliable and ever more skilful in the centre,
and James Macleod, also speedy and determined, in the
perennial problem spot of left back.
The midfield also went through some changes but again the
most effective combination was the aggressive, even
impetuous Andrew Ridland on the right; the skilful and
thoughtful Charles Reeves, the captain in the centre, and
the naturally left footed, sound and dominant David
Mackenzie on the left.
At the front we played with two wingers - James Fulton
clever, skilful and gaining in confidence as the season
progressed on the right; and either Adam Hurst, with great
skill and control but lacking in pace, or the more direct
approach by Harry Hensman on the left. Each was
48
successful on different days in different circumstances!
Paddy Grant-Sturgis is a naturally very gifted footballer but
tended to flit in and out of matches (more consistency next
year!) and the main scoring duties fell to Paul Da Rocha
who indeed scored all the goals in the 1st XI matches! A
naturally ‘goal hungry forward’ with skill, pace and
determination he was the outstanding footballer in the team
throughout the season!
So, rather a disappointing season from what had, on paper,
appeared to be a very good side. I am sure that had we been
playing in the summer term with warmer weather results
would have been very different - but football is a winter
game and conditions must be adapted to!
My thanks to Jonathan Banyard for his help and support
during the season and as a nucleus of the team remains in
1991 perhaps with clement weather and thermal shorts we
shall be able to produce the kind of football (and results) of
which I know we are capable!
Graham Bush
hr
o
a
m
Set match finalists; Hawks ( l ) v Owls (2)
Colts Soccer 1990
Played 4; Won 1; Lost 3; For 4; Against 15
The above facts speak for themselves. This year’s side,
captained by Robert Lytle, lacked the fire power to score
and the determination and strength to clear its lines in
defence. Opportunities were presented to the forwards,
particularly from the wingers, Mark Fulton and Simon
Wilsey but, too often, final shots went wide or straight to
the goal-keeper.
No nonsense, skilful attacks found our defence fairly easy
to penetrate, largely due to indecision or misdirected
kicking.
v Buckfast Abbey School (Lost 0-8)
We were quickly into the attack and threatened their goal
for five minutes or more. Sadly, we failed to score and
began to retreat, muddle and panic. We need to be first to
the ball; we weren’t and a smart footballing side secured an
impressive win.
v Cathedral School (Lost 1-5)
For the majority of the game we were penned back in our
own half and through indecisiveness conceded some soft
goals. The final ten minutes, however, were ours; Fulton
scored and the spectators saw a revitalised side.
v St Peter’s School (Lost 0-2)
In the hopes of finding a striker to score and to ease the
congestion in defence, we went into this match with a 2-3-5
system. The overall effect was better and, although we
failed to control the midfield, James Turner in goal looked
less harassed and more in command, whilst Aston
Barnicoat tried hard to convert opportunities in their area.
Goal!
v St Petroc’s (Lost 0-4)
Against a stronger and more experienced side, we rarely
left our half and the pressure exerted on our defence
resulted in a clear-cut victory for our visitors.
The Colts XI: J Turner, S Gent, O Collier, W Keeler,
S Britten, R Lytle, S Wilsey, J Jeffreys, A Barnicoat,
R Abbott, M Fulton.
The following played for the ‘B’ side: R Tait, N Grey,
H Voelcker, P Bennett, J Lawrence, T Keane, T Hanson,
R Ridland, A Smith, C Kivell, M McCoy, T Sellick,
P McClarty, J Babbington, D Timms, J Patel.
The U. 10 XI enjoyed their one and only match at
Wolborough Hill. A 1-1 draw was a very fair result in a
game in which much good football was played. Collier in
our goal kept out some powerful shots and our forwards
tried hard to add to John Seldon’s goal in the opening
minutes.
The team: O Collier, T Sellick, H Voelcker, W Keeler,
J Turner, C Kivell, S Wilsey, J Jeffreys, J Seldon,
R Ridland, M Fulton (capt.)
Patrick Cashell
v Ravenswood School (Won 3-0)
On what must have been the coldest, wettest and one of the
windiest days of the term, we travelled to Ravenswood and
won decisively. The conditions were such that the referee
had no hesitation in curtailing the second half with the
majority of the 22 players soaked to the skin, crying with
cold and only keeping going through sheer courage.
Fulton, Jeffreys and Wilsey scored the welcome goals to
give us our only victory of the season.
The ‘B’ side had two fixtures.
v Cathedral School (Lost 0-3)
Away on a big pitch in Exeter where 3 corners proved too
much for our defence, which scored twice in panic and
conceded a third goal to the opposition. Our attack lacked
cohesion and scoring power, although there were many
individual praiseworthy efforts.
Under-Nine Soccer,1990
We opened our season with a highly exciting match at
St Petroc’s, Bude. 0-1 down at half time, rather against the
run of the play, we did well to come back and win,
deservedly, but with some timely assistance from the very
strong wind. We were clearly put off our stroke by playing
on a much larger pitch than the one we were accustomed to
and all sense of positioning and to a great degree our
confidence were noticeably damaged in the first half. The
goals came from Williams and Petrie, and Babbington and
Cass both played very well. As the game progressed our
skills became more evident and it was good to see the boys
trying to play some good football.
Continued over
49
Sport
It was disappointing, then, to be soundly beaten by our
next opponents, The Cathedral School, on their large and
sloping pitch in Exeter. We never came to terms with this
pitch and they ran rings round us from start to finish. Our
forwards, even when in scoring positions, seemed reluctant
to shoot. Everything went wrong for us, including two
goals scored from blatantly off-side positions. There were
several plucky and determined performances from
individuals, but never a good team effort, and we could but
admire the skill and speed of the Cathedral School boys
who were rightiy delighted to beat us 6-0.
We travelled to Newton Abbot for our final match which
turned out to be a fast, skilful and entertaining game from
which both sides emerged with great credit. Wolborough
Hill defended very stoutly and they were much faster on to
the ball. For Mount House, Davies, Radcliffe, Petrie and
Jefferson played particularly well. Despite going down 0-4
to our doughty foe, it was a pleasure to watch such a
sporting contest, refereed quite impeccably.
The following played in the Under-Nine XI this season:
T Babbington, P Cass, B Davies, K Goodall, J Grey (goal),
T Jefferson, R Kongialis, J Petrie (captain), J Radcliffe,
N Whatmough, E Williams.
David Cowgill
time the scores were equal and it was only in the third
period of extra time that Mark Gent scored the winning try.
The final lasted twenty-nine minutes! The courage and
determination shown in the final was extraordinary but at
the end it was apparent to all watching that Mount House
would be a side to be reckoned with.
The Sevens season, when we seem to live in the mini-bus
for three weeks, really gets under way at The Downs,
Wraxall. Our record in this tournament is pretty grim and
this year proved no exception.
The 1st VII struggled to beat a mediocre Port Regis side,
politely lost to the hosts and then convincingly defeated
Davenies. The 2nd VII fared little better, losing to
Caldicott and beating Oratory in competitive matches.
Caldicott, in Buckinghamshire, was our next stop and the
long journey hardly seemed worthwhile as we contrived to
lose our first match against an equally bad Papplewick side.
The now familiar discussion about commitment followed
and a substantial improvement materialised.
An easy win over St. John’s, Beaumont led to a final group
match against Millfield J.S. Victory was crucial if a place in
the quarter-finals was to be achieved. Against all the odds
the VII performed magnificently and David Mackenzie
poached a blindside try to give us a deserved win.
Undoubtedly the best performance of the season.
The quarter-finals pitched us against Caldicott. Out of the
frying pan and into the fire! We took the lead through
Rupert Seldon and only a late mistake let Caldicott back
into the game. Extra time was needed to separate the teams
and both sides had chances before Caldicott took one of
theirs, to settle the result. We remained perfect guests!
O ur group at the Millfield Sevens included Caldicott and
Oratory (both previous winners of the National Schools
Sevens), Rokeby (winners of the London Prep Schools
Sevens) and Taunton J.S.
1st V II
Rugby Sevens 19891990 (Senior)
Early success at the Clayesmore Sevens gave impetus to the
Sevens training that took place throughout the winter and
spring evenings. That there were the makings of an excellent
VII could not be denied; but did they have the enthusiasm
and dedication to give up much of their free time in order
to achieve a standard capable of challenging the best?
The first real test came at the Montpelier Sevens.
The group matches proved disastrous as we struggled to
beat a Wolborough Hill ‘B’ side, drew with St Michael’s,
Tawstock and then lost heavily to a very strong King’s Hall
team.
Looking back, however, this was the making of the VII.
Though they had shown good skills and sufficient
organisation, they had been found wanting in other areas:
commitment, awareness and decision making were all
poor. Changes in the side were made to counter these
problems and a far stronger team evolved (mentally as well
as physically).
The results were immediate. Despite our weak showing we
had secured one of the semi-final places. Taking to heart
some of the comments made after the group matches, the
VII defeated Wolborough Hill ‘A’ 16-0 to set up a return
match with King’s Hall.
It was an unbelievable final. We had lost our group match
against them 4-18, but here we were a different side. At full
50
To emerge from that company with four wins was a quite
considerable achievement. To do so conceding only one try
was remarkable! The belief that this was as good a side as
Mount House has produced was now fully confirmed.
Our quarter final opponents were the Downs. We
dominated for much of the game and scored two good tries
though only one was allowed. Sevens is a cruel game,
however, and an interception led to a Downs try under the
posts. The conversion gave the Downs a fortunate victory.
On the same day the 2nd VII was representing the school in
the Port Regis Sevens. It proved to be a difficult afternoon
against the 1st VIIs of the other competing schools. Despite
this there was a win over Walhampton to celebrate and
most boys agreed that it was interesting to visit a new
school.
At Sherborne the 1st VII won its group but lost their
semi-final against a much improved Port Regis VII. The
lure of third place medals dispelled the disappointment of
missing the final and the VII played splendidly to overcome
a strong Shrewsbury House side.
The National Schools Sevens is always a pleasant three
days, no matter the results. Our routine is now well
established and always starts with breakfast at Taunton
Deane Services, followed by a visit to the Leisure Pool at
Swindon.
Once in London we watched the early rounds of the Public
Schools Sevens. This year we bumped into several Old
Boys: Andrew York (Prior Park), David Carter
(Sherborne), Robert Abernethy (Millfield) and Paul
Wilson (King’s, Taunton). Barneby W right (King’s,
Continued over
Sport
Taunton) missed the Tournament through injury, Simon
Thompson (Sherborne) due to GCSE Spanish Oral and one
other (who shall remain nameless) due to the kick off times
being too early!
Overnight we stayed in comfort at the Hotel Antoinette and
enjoyed a tour of Twickenham before tackling our group
matches the following afternoon.
Our first match was a hard fought batde against Dean
Close. Unbeaten as a XV, Dean Close were a powerful
unit. They took the lead in the first half but some desperate
scrambling in the second half saw us score in the comer.
This still left us behind and we only took the lead when the
forwards crossed the line following a prolonged rolling
maul. Hardly classic Sevens, but the most important try of
the season.
The Old Malthouse and Davenies provided far less of a
threat and in these games we scored twelve tries for the loss
of only one. These results meant that Mount House would
make its first appearance in the knock-out stages of the
National Sevens at Rosslyn Park.
Our opponents on this historic day were well known to us.
We had played The Downs twice before and lost on both
occasions, albeit in close matches. Events this time
followed a similar pattern though in this match there was
no disputing The Down’s superiority.
How good was this VII? It was a question they themselves
continually posed. Despite their splendid record they
constantly underestimated their ability. Let me answer
them through this magazine.
In 1986/7 Mount House enjoyed its best ever Sevens
season. They reached three major finals, two semi-finals,
won their group at Rosslyn Park and won 22 of their 31
matches.
This year’s VII won the School’s first Sevens trophy,
reached one semi-final, two quarter-finals, won its group at
Rosslyn Park and won 20 of their 29 matches.
There is very little to choose between them, even the points
for and against are similar! Perhaps the best compliment to
pay the 1989/90 VII is to say that when future VIIs want to
know how good they are it will be their record and that of
the 1986/7 VII with which comparisons will be made.
J Symons
Rugby Sevens 1989-1990
1st VII
Clayesmore Sevens
Group
v Prior Park
v Taunton Jun. Sch.
Shield
v Wolborough Hill
v Danes Hill
(Winners, Clayesmore Shield)
L
W
W
W
0-18
16-0
20-0
16-0
Montpelier Sevens
Group
v Wolborough Hill B
v St. Michael’s, Tawstock
v King’s Hall
S/Final
v Wolborough Hill A
Final
v King’s Hall
W
D
L
W
W
8-4
0-0
4-18
16-0
8-4 (a.e.t.
Downs Sevens
Group
v Port Regis
v The Downs
v The Davenies
W
L
W
6-0
0-14
36-0
Caldicott Sevens
Group
v Papplewick
v St John’s Beaumont
v Millfield Jun. Sch
Q/Final
v Caldicott
L
W
W
L
4-6
14-0
4-0
4-8 (a.e.t.)
Millfield Sevens
Group
v Caldicott
v Oratory
v Taunton Jun. Sch.
v Rokeby
Q/Final
v The Downs
W
W
W
W
L
4-0
8-0
18-0
8-4
4-6
Sherborne Sevens
Group
v Sherborne
v Buckfast Abbey
S/Final
v Port Regis
3rd Place
v Shrewsbury House
W
W
L
W
14-0
16-0
4-12
20-4
National Schools Sevens (Rosslyn Park)
Group
v Dean Close
v Old Malthouse
v Davenies
Group Winners v The Downs
W
W
W
L
8-6
40-0
26-4
0-20
Sevens Playing Record:
Played 29; Won 20; Drawn 1; Lost 8; For 326; Against 128
Tries: Seldon 15, Da Rocha 11, Grant-Sturgis 10,
Mackenzie 10, Gibbs 9, Gent 6, Reeves 6, Walter 1.
Cons: Da Rocha 12, Grant-Sturgis 12, Fulton 4.
Colts Sevens 1990
The first tournament of the season at Plymouth College saw
most of the best Colts teams in the South-West
represented. In the group matches we comfortably defeated
Wolborough 2nd VII, and King’s Hall and drew with the
hosts Plymouth College Prep 4-4. In the quarter-finals we
came up against a very competent Buckfast Abbey VII who
won comfortably by over twenty points. The tournament
was eventually won by Edgarley Hall who defeated
Buckfast Abbey in the final.
A week later we accompanied the first VII to Millfield and
struggled all afternoon losing to Sherborne Prep,
Wolborough Hill, Clayesmore and St. Michael’s from
Wales. Our only victory came against Edgarley Hall 2nd
VII. This tournament was won by Wolborough Hill who
defeated Edgarley Hall in the final.
Sherborne Prep once again staged their Sevens tournament
which included Sherborne, The Downs and Wolborough
Hill. Each side played the other three. We started poorly
against The Downs, played very well against Sherborne
Prep, but lost 4-0, and convincingly beat Wolborough Hill
12-0. The Downs won all three of their games and were
worthy tournament winners.
The final tournament of the season was across the river at
Kelly College on the last day of term. We lost the first game
against Plymouth College Prep 4-0, but defeated Monkton
Combe 8-0, Robert Tait scoring both tries. Our group
results put us into the Plate competition where we defeated
Exeter Cathedral 12-0 with tries by Tait, Gent and Smith.
We then played Edgarley Hall in the semi-final and in a
very close game were awarded a penalty try when James
Turner was prevented from scoring by a high tackle; this
was the vital score. In the final, we met Wolborough Hill.
All seven played with total commitment, tackling bravely
and running elusively, none more than Robert Tait who
scored two excellent tries. Sebastian Britten also scored and
added a conversion. The final whistle blew with the score
14-8 in our favour.
„
,
Continued over
51
Sport
This rounded off the season admirably and undoubtedly
saw us play our best sevens of the term. It was also a fitting
farewell to Aston Barnicoat who left Mount House for the
warmer climes of Southern France. The main tournament
at Kelly was won by a talented Cheltenham Junior VII who
defeated Buckfast Abbey in the final.
In the group matches Mount House successfully defeated
Victoria College (8-0) and St. Michael’s (28-0) while Cheam
and Bedford School were cruising through their group.
PS
The two best sides had reached the final, but Bedford
proved no match for an ever improving Cheam side who
ran out easy winners.
Rugby Tour toJersey
In the Easter holidays a party of boys flew to Jersey to play
in the St. Michael’s Mini-Rugby Tournament.
We flew from Exeter and arrived at St. Helier in midafternoon. Within an hour the boys were playing their first
match! As a makeshift XV we played well, but could not
match the Cheam opposition in terms of organisation.
We lost 4-16, but did score first with a good try from
Edward Jones.
That evening we settled in our excellent hotel,
The Sandringham, in St. Helier and the boys were
quickly asleep.
Saturday morning was spent at the German Underground
Hospital before setting off to St. Michael’s for the
tournament.
Hockey
The inclement weather meant that we were often unable to
use our grass pitch and so the boys were taken by mini-bus
to the all-weather surface, which Kelly College kindly let us
use. Being a short term, few matches took place. The first
game was against Kelly who, fielding rather too strong a
side for us, won convincingly. The Mount House hockey
team is a casual side, the players coming from 3rd, 4th and
5th soccer teams unless matches permitted boys from the
top two games being able to represent the school at hockey.
This year we played two matches against King’s Hall. Our
‘A’ XI beat King’s Hall 2nd X I, whilst our ‘B’ XI came
second! The weather was absolutely appalling but this did
not deter the boys or those magnificent parents who came
along to support us, thank you! For our second game
against Kelly the team was strengthened by a few boys
from the 2nd XI soccer team. We still lost the match but
this time it was a very close game.
‘A’ XI: J Hill, C Zaloumis, R Talbot, J Woolford,
S Allenby, D McDowall, C Matheson, A H urst, T Inman,
M Gent, S Zaloumis.
‘B’ XI: C Walter, R Perowne, E Hampshire, S King,
J Shakerley, J Lott, W Stirling, R Cross, M Willoughby,
P Friend, T Beard, C Scofield, A West, J Woolford,
R Jackson, O Pool, M Follett.
M JB
In the semi-finals Mount House lost to Bedford School
(4-12) in a tough game while Cheam defeated the remaining
island team, Victoria College, by a large score.
On the following day we spent the morning at Gerald
Durrell’s magnificent Zoo and then had lunch at Jersey
Rugby Club. In the afternoon we played against the Rugby
Club’s mini rugby team running out very comfortable
winners.
In the evening we explored the Fort Regent Leisure Centre
and swam in the superb pool, before Matron (holidaying on
the island) paid us a surprise visit at the hotel to check that
the boys were in bed on time!
Monday morning was taken up with packing and last
minute shopping before a run along the beach at St. Ouen
prior to flying home.
A cloudless sky gave us a magnificent final view of the
islands and the forty minute flight was spent ship spotting
before the plane gave us a wonderful aerial view of the
south Devon coast on its approach path to Exeter.
J Symons
Indoor Hockey League
The league consisted of 8 teams and competition was based
on a round-robin principle. Play was restricted to 6 minutes
each way yet some high scores were achieved. The top
scorer over the course of the term was Toby Borradaile
with 12 goals, then came William Martin and Charles
Reeves with 6 goals each and James Macleod with 5 goals.
The outstanding goalkeeper or kicking-back was Simon
Griffin, a player of great nerve. The league was won by the
Skellys, just beating the Vikings by one point!
The teams in league order were: The Skellys, The Vikings,
The Dinos, The Bears, The Wizards, The Tigers, The
Knights and The Dracs.
Indoor Hockey Tournament
It was 2pm on Sunday 4th February; 6 schools arrived to
take part in the Mount House Indoor Hockey Tournament.
The first round of matches produced 3 draws; it was going
to be a closely fought and exciting afternoon! The standard
of play was high, the sportsmanship was excellent. At the
start of the last round King’s Hall and St. Peter’s had 8
points each, St Michael’s 7 and Mount House 5 points.
King’s Hall won their last match, as did St Peter’s . . . it was
all on goal difference. King’s Hall won the cup by three
clear goals.
Result:
Winners
Runners up
3rd
M JB
52
King’s Hall
St Peter’s
St Michael’s
4th
5th
6th
Mount House
Clifton
Exeter Cathedral
Sport
Junior Winner: James Petrie
Senior Cross Country, They’re off
Intermediate Winner: William Seldon
Senior Winner: Jeremy Hill
Cross Country 1990
Held under good conditions in the Easter Term , the Cross
Country was won by:
Hawks
2nd
Owls
3rd
Otters
4th
Kangs
Individual winners were:
Juniors
James Petrie
Intermediates
William Seldon
Seniors
Jeremy Hill
Squash
The new squash courts in the sports hall have given many
boys yet another opportunity to expand their sporting
horizon still further. We were fortunate to have several
boys who had played a considerable amount of squash with
their parents to form a squad with some ability.
I think I ’d rather be running!
One match was played at St. Michael’s, Tawstock on the
occasion of the opening of their courts also so very
generously given by Denis Ball and his family. The match
could not have been better arranged as the result hung in
the balance until the final game between the No. 1 players.
St. Michael’s won by the narrowest of margins, but
deservedly so.
The open competition was keenly contested and an
enthralling final was won by Adam Hurst who beat James
Fulton to be awarded the Tugwell Shield. The under 11
final was to have been between Paul Bennett and Tom
Davies, but unfortunately Paul was taken ill and the tide
went to Tom Davies.
There were regular coaching sessions, although these are
difficult to fit into an already overcrowded day. However
I am grateful to Mrs Jill Brooks and Miss Lindsay Young
for all they did. Next term several of the top boys are still
with us and we look forward to a good season.
Charles Price
53
Sport
1st X I, 1990
1st X I Cricket 1990
With the splendid weather of late April, the season started
well with conditions ideal for batsmen. It was soon clear
that, if we batted first, the lower half of the order would not
take guard. Our declared totals in the first four matches
bore witness to this fact. Somewhat to our chagrin and
dismay, we lost two of these matches which proved just
how difficult our bowlers found their task. Three good
wins before half-term (and before the change in the
weather) brought us to the Wolborough game, that against
Aldwickbury - a strong touring side from Hertfordshire,
and the always close encounter with Plymouth College.
Our fortunes fluctuated, but we were not too anxious about
the traditional Sunningdale visit. However, the heavens
opened and not a ball was bowled whilst they were in
Devon.
James Fulton, young but experienced, captained the side
and set a fine example with both bat and ball. David
Mackenzie bowled a lot of overs and captured the most
wickets. Patrick Grant-Sturgis fielded very keenly and also
discovered the joys and frustrations of leg-spin bowling.
Edmund Hulme emerged from the 2nd XI to bowl a steady
line and length. Harry Hensman scored just over 100 runs,
whilst Tom Inman, Peter Friend and Adam H urst all
enjoyed success with the bat. Thomas Williams bowled
quite steadily and the final two places were shared between
Paul Da Rocha - a very safe fielder; Russell Talbot, no
mean all-rounder; Andrew Ridland, potential batsman and
Simon King, sometime wicket-keeper. All played their part
to the best of their ability. By and large the fielding was
adequate but, occasionally, dropped catches proved
expensive and not every player quite kept to his designated
place in the field.
Our visit to Prior Park for the 6-a-side tournament proved
singularly abortive. We were one of two rather weak sides
and met powerful batsmen from Caldicott (eventual
winners), Prior Park, the Oratory and Packwood Haugh.
Our bowling did not stand up to attack, nor did we manage
to score very many runs. O f the side, six return next year to
improve upon this season’s performance.
James Fulton won the Single-wicket competition at King’s
Hall, Taunton, beating strong entrants from 11 other West
Country Prep Schools and he was selected to play for, and
captained the Devon Schools U12 XI. Peter Friend, Tom
Inman and Patrick Grant-Sturgis all had trials for the same
XI and were chosen to represent the County in several
matches.
Match Reports
v Whitchurch CC We fielded a predominantly U12 side,
batted first and declared at 127 for 5. Friend (33) and Inman
(32) scored well. The opposition proved weak batsmen and
Hensman (4 for 1), T Perowne (3 for 10), Fulton (2 for 10)
and Friend (1 for 1) dismissed them for 22.
v Cathedral School, Exeter Here we batted first on a
strange and not very even artificial wicket. 113 for 5 dec
(Fulton 49) seemed a good total before tea. The Cathedral
batsmen, however, were sound and despite fairly steady
bowling from Fulton (1 for 23), Williams (1 for 29) and
Mackenzie we left, well-beaten by 8 wickets.
v St Michael’s, Tawstock Fulton (56*), Hurst (36) and
Hensman (14) enjoyed batting first and 125 for 5 dec was
another good total. However, our bowling was rather
wayward and, in allowing one of their batsmen to score a
50, we suffered a rather disappointing defeat by 5 wickets.
Hensman excelled in the field that day, but others drooped.
v St Petroc’s Another fine total of 120 for 8 dec was made
at Bude, where Fulton (44), H urst (21), Mackenzie (18)
and Hensman (14*) made the best contributions. The pitch
was not very good and batting was a bit of a lottery I think we were lucky to survive and reach a respectable
total. St Petroc’s found life even more difficult and six of
our bowlers enjoyed brief spells to dismiss them for 26.
(Mackenzie 3 for 5, Hulme 2 for 4, Friend 2 for 0, Grant-
Sport
Sturgis 1 for 1, Fulton 1 for 2, and Williams 1 for 12).
v Buckfast Abbey School O ur fielding in this match was
particularly good and with Fulton (4 for 10), Grant-Sturgis
(3 for 15) and Hulme (1 for 6) bowling tidily, our visitors
could only reach 54. Some silly calling resulted in an early
run-out, but Mackenzie (15*) steadied us and, after Fulton
(11) and H urst (12) had gone, ensured a 6 wicket victory.
v Kelly College On the small pitch the other side of the
Tavy, the home side reached 137 (Grant-Sturgis 4 for 22
and Mackenzie 2 for 24 were the pick of our bowlers),
despite particularly brave fielding by Da Rocha and Inman.
O ur splendid 5 wicket victory was thanks mainly to
Fulton’s 65. Grant-Sturgis (14), Inman (20) and H urst (12)
had made valuable contributions.
v Wolborough Hill In this drawn match, we gave far too
many runs away in the field and dropped several vital
chances. Hulme (3 for 27) and Grant-Sturgis (2 for 21) did
their best to stem the flow of runs, but 137 for 7 dec was
always going to be a big total to chase. Despite sensible
batting from Hensman (36) and Inman (22) we struggled,
but eventually held out for 75 for 7 ... very much a ‘losing
draw’ in League Cricket parlance.
v Aldwickbury If we thought 137 a big target,
Aldwickbury’s 173 for 3 dec was probably way beyond us
and beyond most Schools on our circuit. Mackenzie’s 1 for
13 were the only respectable bowling figures. He batted
well, too, for 27*, supported all too briefly by Fulton (14),
Friend (11) and Hensman (10) as we succumbed for 74.
This was a tough lesson delivered by some very useful
cricketers - we hope that they will return next year and that
we shall be able to compete rather better.
v Plymouth College Our visit to Ford Park produced our
most emphatic win. Their U12 side was not playing to its
Batting
J A G Fulton
D N Mackenzie
T W Inman
A M Hurst
H J Hensman
P B R Grant-Sturgis
P G Friend
Innings
7
5
7
6
8
6
5
normal standard but we, at the same time, had raised ours.
Mackenzie (4 for 9), Hulme (2 for 10), Talbot (1 for 4) and
Grant-Sturgis (1 for 22) all bowled well to dismiss them for
55. With Hensman (29*) and Grant-Sturgis (24*) in fine
attacking form, we rounded off the season with a fine
10 wicket victory.
As a footnote, may I add to what has already been written
and said about Malcolm Marathalingham. Malcolm set
about refurbishing the Square on the Oval four years ago
and now I am proud to say that it is the best of all those at
the Schools we play. No greater tribute can be paid to his
efforts than the compliments of visiting Cricket masters
and their teams, who have enjoyed even bounce, fair speed
and the beautiful setting. Eric Willcock has now taken over
and the work to improve and maintain the wickets
continues. It is a privilege for all players to bat, bowl and
field on a square and outfield so well looked after.
1st XI Averages
Played 8; Won 4; Drawn 1; Lost 3.
Mount House scored 760 runs for the loss of 44 wickets average 17.3 runs per wicket.
The Opposition scored 823 runs for the loss of 56 wickets average 14.7 runs per wicket.
lost by 8 wickets
lost by 5 wickets
won by 94 runs
won by 6 wickets
won by 5 wickets
lost by 99 runs
won by 10 wickets
v Cathedral School, Exeter
v St, Michael’s, Tawstock
v St. Petroc’s
v Buckfast Abbey School
v Kelly College
v Aldwickbury
v Plymouth College
Other match U12
v W hitchurch CC
Not Out
1
3
3
-
1
2
1
Highest Score
65
27*
22
36
36
29*
11
won by 105 runs
Runs
239
65
77
98
101
54
17
Average
39.8
32.5
19.2
16.3
14.4
13.5
4.2
Also batted: A Ridland, T E Williams, P W Da Rocha, R M Talbot.
Bowling
D N Mackenzie
P Grant-Sturgis
J A G Fulton
E M P Hulme
P G Friend
T E Williams
Overs
58.4
35.2
37
38
28
37
Maidens
15
7
10
10
10
5
Runs
142
114
106
136
72
115
Wickets
13
9
8
10
3
4
Average
10.9
12.6
13.2
13.6
24.0
28.7
Also bowled: R M Talbot (1 for 18), H J Hensman.
Catches (25) Da Rocha 7; Hensman 4; Grant-Sturgis 3; Friend, Williams, Mackenzie, King (+ 1 stumping) 2; Ridland,
Fulton, H urst 1.
Edward Hampshire was in charge of the scoring and kept a very neat and accurate record.
Patrick Cashell
55
Sport
2nd X I, 1990
2nd X I Cricket 1990
Played 4; Won 1; Drawn 1; Lost 2.
In the first game against Exeter Cathedral School, Roger
Perowne (50*) and Jeremy Lott (32) produced an excellent
opening partnership of 75, which enabled us to declare at
113 for 1. Seven bowlers managed to have a turn against
the Cathedral batsmen and six took at least one wicket as
the opposition tumbled to 41 all out.
We then travelled to St. Michael’s, Tawstock and scored
110 for 7 by tea, Edmund Hulme (36) providing a stylish
backbone to the innings. St. Michael’s 6 wicket victory was
in part due to several dropped catches - a draw would have
been a fairer result. Against Kelly College U12 team we
scored 144 thanks mainly to two big partnerships: Russell
Talbot (23) and Tim Perowne (27) and then Simon Allenby
(25*) and Callum Zaloumis (22). In reply, Kelly struggled
to 69 for 9 to force a draw. Roger Perowne produced the
best 2nd XI bowling of the season in taking 4 for 16 and
this included 3 wickets for no runs in his last five overs!
Our final match, at Wolborough Hill was the only occasion
when we were outclassed. We were soundly beaten, scoring
only 44, and losing by 9 wickets. In summary - another
season of mixed fortunes!
The regular Team members: R Talbot (captain),
R Perowne, T Perowne, J Gibbs, S Allenby, J Lott,
C Zaloumis, R Jackson, S Griffin, M Gent, R Seldon.
Also played: E Hulme, P Grant-Sturgis, M Wyer, J Evetts,
A Ridland, C Matheson.
Jonathan Banyard
The Set Matches 1990
Williams (11). Mark Gent (1 for 21) and Andrew Ridland
(1 for 25) found containing bowling difficult.
1st Round On the Oval, Owls beat the Kangs by
4 wickets. The Kangs batted first and were just a little slow
in scoring 35 for 4 in their allotted 12 overs. Jeremy Lott
top-scored with 12*. Mackenzie (2 for 20) and Friend (2 for
14) had picked up the wickets. The Owls had a shock or
two on their way to victory, losing 2 wickets without a run
on the board and another with the total at 2! Callum
Zaloumis, Macleod, Wyer and Richard Philpott all sensibly
contributed to their winning 39 for 6. Talbot (3 for 4),
Hensman (2 for 29) and Lott (1 for 0) took the wickets.
The Final The Hawks set a formidable target in scoring 85
for 4 in 15 overs. Hulme with 35* led the assault, Fulton
added 20 and H urst 14. Roger Perowne (1 for 12) and
Friend (1 for 18) were the pick of the Owls’ bowlers. Their
batsmen made a brave attempt to reach a winning total.
Rupert Seldon (12), Roger Perowne (15), Timothy
Perowne (11*) and Friend (15*) pushed the total to 65 for
3. A splendid, exciting match in which the Hawks were
well-marshalled and fully deserved their victory.
On Herongate, Otters batted first and scored 56 for 5
(Mark Gent 18, Da Rocha 14*). For the Hawks, Hulme
(3 for 12), James Fulton (1 for 8) and Gibbs (1 for 15) had
controlled things well. In winning by 8 wickets, Hawks
were indebted to Fulton (28*) - all fours! - and Thomas
56
Patrick Cashell
Owing to the adverse weather conditions towards the end
of term it was impossible to complete the Senior SingleWicket Competition for the Perry Cup which, therefore,
was not awarded this year.
Sport
Cricket 3rd X I
Our annual match against Wolborough Hill was away this
year, on their very small Colts’ pitch. Fours and sixes
should have been scored with ease but good, tight fielding
by both sides prevented many from being obtained. Mount
House opened the batting against some rather good
Wolborough bowling. Both Matthew Timms & Mark
Wyer scoring 17 apiece but the top scorer was Extras with
24. We were 86 all out.
Our bowling this season has been poor and despite some
excellent fielding we could not take many wickets. Time
Colts Cricket 1990
The success of the past four years was based on a mixture
of talent, enthusiasm, cricketing know-how and a desire to
improve. Unfortunately, these attributes were in short
supply this year and results suffered accordingly.
Our bowling was probably better than our batting, though
neither inspired much confidence. The bowling was
generally accurate, but lacked penetration. Nick Grey and
Sebastian Britten were the pick of the bunch with George
Williams close behind. Crispin Procter and Mark Fulton
showed considerable promise and will still be available next
year.
Most of the batsmen played one valuable innings but
reliability was missing. On too many occasions wickets
were surrendered without a fight or thrown away
senselessly. Sebastian Britten deservedly topped the
averages, but Paul Bennett and Robert Ridland were the
only other regular batsmen to average double figures.
Fielding, despite much practice, never reached a good
standard and throwing in particular was weak. Poor
concentration cost the team runs and wickets throughout
the term.
was running out and with only two overs left Wolborough
Hill managed to get the winning run for the loss of only two
wickets. It was an entertaining match well supported by
both sides.
Mount House 86 all out Wolborough Hill 87 for 2
The score of each member of the team is in brackets.
Mark Burton (1), Jan Evetts (captain) (2), James Macleod
(9), Charles Matheson (0), James McCoy (3no), Charles
Reeves (9), Andrew Robertson (1), Matthew Timms (17),
James Woolford (1), William Worthy (1), and Mark Wyer
(17). Scorer & 12th man was Charles Walter.
v Exeter Cathedral School We bowled 41 overs during
which Exeter scored 82 while losing 7 wickets. Britten
(4-30) and Bennett (3-36) did the damage with the ball.
We paced our reply perfectiy and reached the target for the
loss of only 3 wickets. Robert Tait (30no), Bennett (20no)
and Britten (17) all batted well.
v St. Michael’s, Tawstock Batting first, we accumulated
91 runs by tea thanks to a splendid innings by Britten
(32no), ably backed by Bennett (25) and Tait (13). St.
Michael’s lost wickets quickly, but good 6th and 7th
wicket stands enabled them to secure a deserved draw.
Again Bennett (3-19) and Britten (3-22) were the chief
wicket-takers.
v Buckfast Abbey Buckfast benefited from the services of
the quickest bowler seen at this level for some time. Our
batsmen did not enjoy him at all and succumbed meekly.
Only Robert Ridland showed the technique and
temperament to cope and scored 14 out of our total of 44
runs. Not content with destroying our batting the “demon
bowler” turned out to be a batsman as well, scoring 35no in
a total of 45 without loss.
v St Petroc’s An improvement in the fielding saw
St. Petroc’s dismissed for 78. Four good catches were held
as Nick Grey (5-27), George Williams (2-20) and Britten
Continued over
57
Sport
(2-28) all bowled well. There was no such improvement in
the batting however; only Grey (16) and Ridland (10)
reached double figures in a total of 56.
Colts Cricket 1990
v Wolborough Hill Big hitting put our bowling under
pressure in this match and eventually seven bowlers were
used in an effort to stem the runs. Chasing 142 to win we
were soon in trouble. Nobody reached double figures and
only Crispin Procter and Williams batted with any
determination. Indeed, they came closer to achieving a
draw than the team deserved.
v Exeter Cathedral School
v St Michael’s, Tawstock
v Buckfast Abbey School
v St Petroc’s
v Wolborough Hill
v Treliske
v Plymouth College Prep.
v Treliske An interesting and nerve tingling game with the
result always in doubt. We bowled straight and took
wickets regularly, in the end dismissing Treliske for only
34 runs in 12 overs. Grey (6-16) and Williams (3-1) took
the honours. Was this to be our second victory of the term?
At tea we were 28-8 and confidence had sagged a little!
However, after tea Rhys Abbott and Toby Keane batted
sensibly until Toby smote the winning boundary.
Averages
Batting
v Plymouth College Prep Britten (28) and Bennett (16)
enjoyed a return to form with the bat, but it was Toby
Keane (17) who rescued the innings after another middle
order collapse. Our total of 84 was respectable but unlikely
to be good enough on a small pitch. That was very much
the case as Plymouth passed our score for the loss of only
two wickets, both falling to Grey (2-23).
John Symons
Played 7; Won 2; Drawn 2; Lost 4.
Britten S
Bennett P
Ridland R
T aitR
Won by 7 wkts
Drawn
Lost by 10 wkts
Lost by 22 runs
Lost by 92 runs
Won by 2 wkts
Lost by 8 wkts
Innings
7
7
3
7
N ot Out
2
1
Overs
34.1
22.3
51
39.2
1
H .S.
32no
25
14
30no
Runs
89
70
30
55
Average
17.8
11.6
10.0
9.1
Maidens
11
8
9
9
Runs
105
61
157
101
Wkts
13
6
14
8
Average
8.07
10.16
11.21
12.62
-
Bowling
Grey N
Williams G
Britten S
Bennett P
Catches
2 - Bennett, Grey, Lytle R
1 - Procter, Ridland, Keane
Timpson and Jarrett-Kerr bowled very steadily. Jackson
and Kongialis gave our innings a sensible start but the next
pair scored only 2 runs. The third pair added a further 15,
leaving Babbington and Petrie to score 24 which they set
about achieving in a spirited manner, helped just a little by
some friendly wides!
Under-Nine Cricket 1990, absent T Jefferson
Under-Nine Cricket 1990
(Played under N C A rules)
(Under NCA rules teams of 8 players play a 16 over game,
batsmen batting in pairs for 4 overs each pair. Each team
starts with 200 runs on the board. However, when a
batsman is out, he forfeits runs, normally 4 or 6, to the
fielding side and continues at the crease. Thus the batting
side, while adding to its score with the bat, can also lose
runs . . . as we discovered to our cost more than once!
Each fielder - the wicket-keeper apart - has to bowl in
turn. Five fielders bowl two overs each and the other two
bowl three overs.)
We opened our season against St Peter’s in a home fixture
which we lost by 47 runs. It was, nevertheless, an
encouraging start. Three of the St Peter’s batsmen played
particularly well, hitting the ball cleanly and hard, and we
were unable to dislodge them. Our batsmen proved more
fallible, and our calling and running, when we needed
every run we could muster, was altogether too casual.
Two days later we made the journey to St Michael’s,
Tawstock where we saw a very evenly balanced and
extremely exciting game, which we won by 4 runs, even
without the help of Jamie Grey, our stalwart bowler and
fielder! St Michael’s batted first and scored 256. Our
fielding and throwing were both good and Babbington,
58
It looked at one stage as if we were going to win our next
match, too, played at home against the Cathedral School,
Exeter. We invited our visitors to bat first and they scored
223 - not a huge total, particularly as we contributed 14
wides! Babbington and Grey bowled well but the others
were not on form. The fielding, though, was excellent, and
this certainly contributed to their low score. Timpson,
Grey, Babbington and Jefferson all shone in this
department. We started our innings confidently, but
Exeter’s bowling was too good for us. They took 9 wickets
(we had taken only 4), and so our score steadily went
backwards! With six overs to go we needed only 4 runs to
win. But it was not to be. Babbington and Petrie, despite
all their brave efforts, could not rescue us. We actually hit
50 runs to their 22, but their bowlers had the upper hand
and we lost by 6 runs.
For all the advantages the NCA game offers in terms of all­
round participation, it does deny the better batsmen the
chance to build an innings of any length, and the bowlers
the opportunity to experience long, unchanged spells. So it
was a pleasant change to return to ‘proper’ 11a side cricket
in our match against Treliske. Treliske batted first and
Babbington and Grey had a field day, taking 5 wickets each
and dismissing them in 12.4 overs for 28 runs. Kongialis,
batting no. 1, took his time, very sensibly and as requested,
to make a valuable and undefeated 3, while Babbington,
Petrie, Grey and Jefferson were more adventurous and
pushed the score along to bring us victory by 6 wickets in
8.2 overs. This left us with the time to play an informal 15
over game which brought pleasure to players and spectators
alike.
Sadly, bad weather robbed us of our fixture against
Wolborough Hill, but it had been an enjoyable and
worthwhile season. Many of the boys put in a great deal of
hard and willing work to try to turn their natural aptitude
Continued over
Sport
into cricketing ability, and by the end of the term it was
paying off. Time is the real enemy, and there were more
boys deserving of net coaching, for instance, than time
allowed. Generally, the batting came on better than the
bowling. Petrie’s wicket-keeping deserves a special
mention; it was always safe and at times outstanding. I am
left looking forward to next year - he is a lucky man indeed
who is asked to coach this age group!
Team: The following played at least once in the NCA
matches:
T Babbington, W Gabb, K Goodall, J Grey, S Jackson,
L Jarrett-Kerr, T Jefferson, R Kongialis, J Petrie,
C Timpson; and B Davies played in the XI.
David Cowgill
Athletics 1990
At the beginning of the term I viewed our prospects with
‘cautious optimism’! The seniors in particular looked
strong and, for once, well balanced between the track and
field. In retrospect I erred on the pessimistic side for this
was an excellent and rewarding season!
There was not an outstanding sprinter but a nucleus of
‘quick’ runners, and competition for places is a great
incentive to improve. Paul Da Rocha, Rupert Seldon,
James Macleod and Mark Gent were never more than a
couple of metres apart in the sprints and David Mackenzie
(captain of athletics) led from the front as captain, and
literally in most of the competitive races!
The middle distance also did not have a ‘star’ but Jeremy
Hill developed into a most determined and ‘gutsy’ runner
in the 800m and 1500m and his all round efforts made him
a worthy winner of the Victor Ludorum on Athletics Day.
W ith Patrick Grant-Sturgis and Ross Jackson ‘pushing’
him constantly, times improved consistently throughout
the term. W ith Charles Reeves confirming his ability as a
very competent hurdler the track team was completed!
With the arrival of Geoff Whaley as coach, mentor and
inspiration to the field event squad it was no surprise that
standards improved dramatically. Justin Gibbs developed
into a fine technical shot putter, ever improving discus
thrower and, with his emerging talent as triple jumper and
‘latter day’ sprinter, should become a fine all-round athlete.
M ark Gent, by dint of dedicated practice, became an above
average javelin thrower.
There was plenty of competition for places in the jumps
with M ark Gent and James Macleod vying for the triple
jump spot and there was a similar struggle in the long
jumps with Gent, Reeves, Seldon and Grant-Sturgis the
main contenders. Rupert Seldon dominated the high jump,
but William Worthy should be a ‘worthy’ (sic) challenger to
him next year!
After the ‘preliminary skirmishes’ in the King’s Taunton
Athletics meeting it was obvious our main rivals would,
predictably, be the Downs and Wolborough in the Area
Championships at Kelly. So it proved to be, but with the
whole team performing on top form and with everyone
(with the exception of the unfortunate Jeremy Hill who
came a praiseworthy 4th in the 800m) gaining a ‘medal’, we
eventually won the 12 school competition and secured the
overall trophy for the first time. A remarkable team
performance.
The Junior Squad, not thought to be particularly strong,
also acquitted themselves well and finished a creditable 3rd
overall, with promising performances from Oliver Coryton
in the sprints, Seb Britten in the hurdles and Rhys Abbott
in the 800m. Rhys followed this up by breaking the
meeting record at Millfield - which augurs well for the
future!
Our own Athletics Day produced some fine, closely
contested races: with new records in the senior sprint relay
and the intermediate 800m (Rhys Abbott again!) and the
Continued over
59
Sport
The Decider
Silver Medallist
at the National
Championships
Rupert Seldon
From Mother with love:
A kiss and a cup for D avid Mackenzie
intermediate hurdles - Seb Britten continuing the Mount
House tradition for producing good hurdlers! The overall
result was in doubt until the final ‘Giant’ relay and for the
first time produced a tie between Hawks and Otters!
Nine of our athletes represented the area in the National
Championships at Crawley. The standard was incredibly
high and though most managed personal best performances,
only Rupert Seldon managed a medal, an excellent silver in
the U. 13 High Jump.
Archery 1990
So an exhausting but successful and rewarding season came
to an end - sadly our annual match with Wolborough being
cancelled due to the vagaries of our ‘summer weather’.
My thanks go to Geoff Whaley and Malcolm Bassett for
their tremendous help: but most of all to the boys
themselves for their whole-hearted effort to ensure a
memorable athletics season. Thank you and well done!
Graham Bush
D Udy and E Merrill were candidates for a guest place in
the Staff “B” team, Merrill winning 43 to 36, a guest of
some account having the best group in the whole shoot but
only scoring 18 in his application.
The weather was kind to the group of twenty-five boys who
lost but one evening’s practice. The standard has remained
very high and last year’s victory over Wolborough Hill was
followed by another success, this time by 214 points.
In the match against two balanced Staff teams, the school
eight won comfortably the scores being-
The situation is more than encouraging with all members of
the team returning next year and two of them available for
three years.
Staff“A” team
Staff “B”
School “8”
A word of thanks to Mr Carl Palmer and for all the help
given by M r Arthur Ball
However, with the best eight scores from the two Staff
teams, and the best eight from the School the result was
reversed
Match Result (away):
Wolborough Hill
Mount House
Team:
C Kivell
H Wilkinson
N Radford
C Procter
Reserve: R Bettison
673
887
Staff best eight
School
Won by 214 points
Cup Winner D McDowall
Runners Up J McCoy
P Friend
OCoryton
Shooting -1990
The shooting this year has been of a very high standard and
competition to win a place in the school eight, tremendous.
Those who succeeded were,
60
175
174
172
171
171
170
169
162
with match scores of
393
374
In the competition for the shooting cup, in addition to the
term total, score against the Staff teams are added to
ascertain the winner. J. McCoy last year’s winner shot last
and had to score 51 to tie. Under considerable pressure he
scored a fine 50, thus losing by a single to D McDowall.
257 points
219 points
206 points
205 points
Michael Stock
D McDowall
0 Coryton
J McCoy
P Friend
J Macleod
T Williams
D Stone
J Evetts
352
340
370
48
47
50
50
46
39
44
46
223
222
221
221
The top score for the Staff was Wendy W roe’s excellent 51
out of 55.
I’m sure all thoroughly enjoyed the shooting during the
term.
KCC
Sport
Swimming Report
The term started well with wonderful, hot weather to
encourage swimmers and non-swimmers alike. We were
able to concentrate on improving technique. Unfortunately
the weather then became cold and wet and swimming time
was devoted to stamina and survival.
The Taylor Cup for Best Swim was won by Christopher
Wheal for his tenacity and for his superb length in the
Giant Set Relay. Simon Griffin was awarded the Runner
Up Medal.
The Dolphin Trophy, sorting out by sets
The Dolphin Trophy, shivering on the brink
A t fu ll stretch
The Set Swimming Gala was held in the cold if not the wet,
on Wednesday, July 4th. The boys shivered from race to
race but, never-the-less several School records were
broken:
Simon Allenby
James Macleod
Justin Gibbs
Backstroke (2 lengths)
Breaststroke (2 lengths)
Butterfly (1 length)
Freestyle (2 lengths)
Owls. (Both squads selected from:
Senior Medley Relay
Senior Freestyle Relay Owls. David Mackenzie, James
Macleod, Richard
Philpott, Callum
Zaloumis, Mark Wyer.)
The Set Cup was won by Owls.
In the swim
After the Set Gala it was time for the Giant Set Relay for the
Dolphin Trophy. Every one in the set took part, even if he
had to use a float or swim a length for the very first time.
Four teams of 50 swimmers per team means quite a squash
at both ends of the pool but it was most successful, with
Hawks finally becoming this year’s winners of the Dolphin
Trophy.
ES
61
Activities
Dear Mr Allen...
Dear Mr Allen,
This is to confirm that Charlie (aged 8) has cooked a light
meal comprising toast, scrambled eggs and baked beans
plus made a cup of tea.
Tasted delicious and we all survived!
Dear Mr Allen,
I write from my hospital bed - no, seriously, we survived a
very nice tea made by Philip (aged 9) this evening. He
thought scrambled egg in our microwave would be simple,
but found the co-ordination of matching the toast, grilled
bacon and tomato and a cup of tea for his mother slighdy
more tricky. I didn’t lift a finger and he produced the lot in
edible form and cleared away, more importantly!
Dear Mr Allen,
Tom (aged 9) has prepared a hot drink and a light snack of
scrambled eggs, and the house is still standing!
Dear M r Allen,
We took your advice and let James (aged 9) loose in the
kitchen...!
He cooked breakfast very competently on two mornings the dress rehearsal went pretty well, and the following day
he cooked (to an excellent standard):
1 bacon, eggs and baked beans
2 two kinds of toast
3 cocoa
He had orange juice and cereal on the table as well.
M y only problem was being unable to persuade him to do it
every morning o f the holidays!
Dear M r Allen,
Just a note to tell you that Tim (aged 8) has cooked us all
breakfast and made hot drinks during the half-term. We all
survived, but could you please explain to the boys about
washing-up!
chocolate sauce; coffee and cheese. The meal was
beautifully presented, with minimum supervision, and set
off by candle light and usual trimmings.
2. Assembled a garden hose cart, supplied in kit form with
unbelievably complex instructions. It works!
3. Painted his 12' dinghy with anti-fouling and hull paint.
Applied official identification numbers. He has learnt to
handle boat under oars and engine.
4. Constructed wooden slipway for dinghy leading to the
water from the existing boat dock at the bottom of our
‘yard’ (where we keep our motor boat.)
5. Assisted with assembly and erection of basket ball net
and back board on outside of garage.
6. Cut grass (twice) - one acre - with hand and ride-on
mower. Instructed friend in handling ride-on.
7. Moved furniture to re-arrange layout of two bedrooms.
Replaced bulbs, fixed damaged lamp etc.
Dear Mr Allen,
This letter is to state that both Benjy (aged 9) and Lex
(aged 7) can cook simple meals and make hot drinks. They
survive their own fried egg and bacon regularly and can
also bake cake AND peel potatoes!
(We’re now working on the next stage of ironing clothes!)
Dear M r Allen,
This is to say Henry (aged 9) is able to make a hot drink
and a snack. I look forward to being redundant in my
kitchen as my son is now competing with his sisters.
Dear M r Allen,
John (aged 10) has cooked my supper of sausage, beans and
chips and my breakfast of mushrooms, bacon, egg and
tomato, and if he continues so efficiently I shall retire!
Dear Mr Allen,
This is to certify that we have survived the haute cuisine
cooked by Robert (aged 10). He cooked a main course of
grilled sausages and beans on toast and this was washed
down with an excellent cup of tea.
Yours sincerely.......
Yours ‘windily’, . ..
Junior Adventure
Challenge
Dear Mr Allen,
A short note to confirm that David (aged 10) makes a
terrific hot drink - the coffee on Sunday morning is
particularly good. On the cooking front he has coped with
scrambled egg, eggy bread and of course beans on toast.
As far as Matthew (aged 13) is concerned . .. he has done a
three course meal (does a whisky and water count as a
starter?), has painted various skirting boards - gloss paint
should score triple points - the shelf and washer will be
covered at Easter. A couple of years ago he impressed me
greatly by clarifying some M FI furniture
instructions__ We haven’t met anyone else who can
understand M FI furniture instructions. Could this be the
way the future lies?
Dear Mr Allen,
James (aged 13) has been busy this holidays. Apart from
home work he has completed the following projects
towards the Adventure Challenge scheme:
1. Cooked a three course meal: home made soup; home
made pizza with tossed salad; ice cream with home made
62 ■"
(What do you do without them? - Editor)
Adventure Challenge is an exciting period that takes part
every week instead of games. It includes climbing, first aid,
places of interest and many others. These activities are
divided up into three sections. Bronze is the easiest, Silver
is a bit more difficult and Gold is hard. When you have
passed Bronze, Silver or Gold you will receive a certificate
from Mr Price.
However, we now also do dry slope skiing. We go in the
mini bus. When you get there you are given a sticker, then
you collect boots and skis and go outside. When your ski
instructor comes, you follow him to your slope.
Alexis Tanner
Activities
Junior Adventure Challenge
The Peelers...
The Patient...
The Professional...
and the Puffed...
Adventure Activities
On Mondays all the Juniors have Junior Adventure
Challenge, which is very good. Different members of staff
take different groups. Junior Adventure Challenge is in
three parts. The first part is Bronze and that includes the
Green Cross Code, Thanks and being Polite. The next part
is Silver, which includes making kites, night games and
visiting a place of interest. The final part is Gold, which is
quite hard, there are first aid, entertainment and obstacle
course. When you finish them you go on to Senior
Adventure Challenge.
Paul McClarty
Award Work
Award Work is quite fun. I think everybody liked Murder
in the Dark in the Sports Hall. We had to stop the game
twice because some people got so scared that they
screamed. We thought they had been murdered! But they
had not. We played wink murder which was quite fun as
well. We have done kites and all of them actually got into
the air. It was great fun trying to get them into the air! We
also had to make some soil fine and take the weeds out of it
- could you believe it! But then I found out we were going
to plant seeds. We also did Bicycle Safety and Flags.
are beginning to rot. There is nothing much more to say
except I hope it will be open soon. (It is! Editor)
Thomas Charlesworth
Junior Adventure Challenge
Barbeque
It was a lovely day. We collected the food and down we
went. When we got there we made the fireplace by putting
some quite big stones in a circle. Mrs Turner put some
firelighters in so we could light it easier. Soon we got the
fire going. Shortly afterwards I helped her peel the potatoes
so we could have chips. Soon the chips were done and we
stated to eat them. The frying pan had caught alight about
five times so far. We were all waiting for the ducks to come
down the river and some people had even gone down the
side of the river to help catch the ducks. One boy,who had
gone down the river, had been stung by a bee and had
almost fallen in. Back at the fire we were now cooking the
eggs, but all the yolks had broken so we had baked beans
with the remainder of the omelette. Soon it was time to go
up to school to tell our friends about one of the best times
we had had this term.
Tom Davies
James Petrie
63
Activities
Junior Adventure Challenge
Adventure Playground
The Adventure Playground is very good and exciting. It
has a lot of things to do there. Like, for instance, a death
slide, a rope walk and lots more besides. It is still out of
bounds though from the storm in January. A lot of trees
came down then. Then there is the wood, just below it.
It has quite a lot of camps there which make it even more
fun. I’ll now go back to talking about some more of the
activities. There are three tyres on a thick branch in the air.
It is a bit dangerous, but I haven’t fallen off and, hopefully,
I never will. There are two rope-walks. One has got two
places to put your feet and hands, the other one has not.
There are some very rare trees in the Adventure
Playground. They are called Weeping Beeches. On the
other hand there are some very tall, old trees there. They
Grass sledging
We have to get changed into our games clothes, boilersuit
and wellies then line up outside the Adventure Store.
There we wait for Mrs. Anthony. When she comes she
opens the door. We collect four turfboards and four grass
sledges. We take them to the hill by the Conservatory.
We have to wear helmets to protect our heads.
People give us large pushes and we go right down to the
bottom of the hill. To steer you have a lever on either side
and if you pull the lever on the right you will go right and
the same with the left lever. It is just like a tank’s steering.
To stop you pull both levers together.
On the turfboards we have to stand up on a skateboard
with a track in the middle. We keep our balance by holding
on to a piece of string. It is quite difficult to steer because
you have to lean over and sometimes you lose your balance.
We are not allowed to kneel or he down because our fingers
may get caught in the track. Mrs. Anthony gives us a drink
afterwards.
Simon Church
Senior Adventure Challenge
Assignment
We were given an assignment which was quite hard. We
had to fill up the bases of the giant chess pieces with sand.
We went off with some of the bases and bags of sand and
started to fill the bases. It was quite hard because there was
a small hole which we had to put the sand in and when we
used the funnels the sand just stuck in it.
Christopher Anthony volunteered to clean the bases and
take them back and then he brought new ones along. When
we had finished we had to screw the tops on the bases. That
was easy and then we went to get changed and have tea.
Bivouac Making
Bivouacs and Firelighting
John Clayton
Burrator
Thursday afternoon is when we do Adventure Challenge.
This time the notice said that we were to meet the Bursar at
the Land Rover at 2:30 pm. When I got to the Land Rover
there were nine people waiting for the Bursar to come.
Soon the Bursar came and let us into the Land Rover.
Jones sat in the front with the Bursar, I sat in between
Clayton and Newey. After about 25 minutes on the road we
arrived at Burrator Reservoir and stopped there for a few
minutes.
We drove on to the Tor. The Bursar said that this was the
Devonport Leat. There were lots of trees down and the
Bursar was worried that a tree might come down on us. We
walked down and saw a potato cave which was used to store
all the potatoes in. It was all slimey in there and a few of the
boys ventured in.
We went with M r Stock and M r Bassett to Rowden
Woods. We were organised into groups of four. First of all
we started to make a bivouac. A bivouac is a small hut
made out of twigs and leaves. Our bivouac had to fit at least
two people in and it had to be used as a shelter from the
wind. We found an ideal place to make it about half way
down the hill next to the path down to the pitches. There
were two trunks of trees next to a small pit. We found lots
of good branches and we piled them up on the tree trunks.
Soon we had finished the side next to the pit. Christopher
Anthony and Toby Keane then went to look for some good
strong branches that we could put on the roof while we
started to organise it. They found some very big, strong
pieces of wood and we piled them onto the roof. We only
had to block off the side away from the wind now. I went
searching for some logs and soon found some sturdy ones.
Our bivouac was well made, but we had completely
forgotten about lighting our fire and Christopher Anthony
went off trying to get some matches from M r Bassett, but,
unfortunately, the bell went before we had lit it.
Then it was time to go back to school. On the way back the
Bursar told us we had to write an essay on it next week.
Sam Plagerson
Alexander Moth
Bivouac Camping at Eagle Rock
The idea of bivouac camping excited Jason Darch,
Christopher King, John Lawrence, Jeremy Hill,
64
Activities
Senior Adventure Challenge
Christopher Hutton, Simon Painter, Charlie Matheson and
me. So we signed our names up on the Adventure
Challenge notice board and waited impatiently for
Saturday.
We set off for Dartmeet car park.
When we arrived at Dartmeet we unpacked the Landrover
and then Mr Allen disappeared and came back five minutes
later with ice-creams.
We arrived at the Eagle Rock, where we were to build our
bivouacs, to find that some other people had chosen Eagle
Rock as their campsite.
When we had built the frame for our bivouac we covered it
with heather. When everyone had finished their bivouac we
went exploring at the top of Eagle Rock. I was in a group
with Christopher King and Simon Painter. It was great
fun.
When we went to bed we told ghost stories and gazed at the
stars!
We woke up at 5:00a.m. and I was about to go and wake up
everyone else when Chrisy reminded me that we weren’t
allowed up until 7:00a.m. I climbed back into my sleeping
bag. We could not bear another moment in bed, so,
ignoring Mr. Allen’s rule of not getting up until 7:00, my
group went and woke everyone up. We climbed up to the
top of Eagle Rock and messed about.
At half-past seven we came down and had breakfast,
packed up and got back to school just in time for my Mum
to take me out. A recommended trip.
Moles emerging
Caving
When we got to Pridhamsleigh we changed into our
wetsuits and boiler suits. We collected our hats and
batteries. We started to walk up the track to the cave
entrance. Mr Allen told us about the cave as we went in.
He showed us where whirlpools had been. Soon our eyes
got used to the cave and our lights. Then we had to go
through some tight gaps. At one point M r Allen told us to
turn off all our lights. You could not see anything.
We did not go down Maggot’s Hole because it was too far
to go, so we went back. When we left the cave we were
steaming. We walked down to a stream where we washed
off all our gear. Then we went back to the Landrover,
changed and went back to school.
Alexander Walter
Oliver Coryton
Canoeing
I was not looking forward to canoeing because everybody
had been telling me you were jumping off fifteen foot
weirs. I knew that they had wildly exaggerated what had
happened, but it was rather daunting! The last lessons
passed and at three fifty, there I was getting changed into
my tracksuit. I walked up to the Adventure Store, put a
wet suit on and jumped into the Landrover. Mr Allen
drove us past the fish farm and down to Rowden Woods.
The sky was not very promising and I was not looking
forward to it. We helped M r Allen ship the canoes out of
the trailer and he dragged a canoe past the weir and
demonstrated how to jump it. It looked so easy, but still I
was dreading my turn. Two other boys did it and then it
was my turn. I paddled round the area and got ready to
jump the weir.
“Well here goes,” I thought and shut my eyes.
The sensation was wonderful riding down it and water
spraying all over the place. The worst was over now, I just
had to dodge the rocks and paddle leisurely. I got stuck
quite a few times, but everybody helped me get free. I
dragged my canoe past the wire and then swam to the place
where we were going to pot jump. There was quite a big
drop down into the water and I was timid about jumping in
and going under water, then popping up with your wet suit
acting as a float. We did this several times until the sad
moment came when we had to stop and put the canoes
away. The one thing I had been dreading now I wanted it
to last forever!
Sam Plagerson
Mudlarking
Clearing the lake
On the 26th of June, nine other boys and myself offered to
clear out the lake with Mr Allen. First we went up to the
Adventure Store (after looking at the Lynx helicopter) and
changed into wet suits. When we got to the lake we put on
life jackets and pushed the weed from the side of the lake
into the middle. When we had done that we got a net and
pulled it through the water and pushed the weed down the
weir and when we went through the middle of the lake I
could not stand up because I sank in the m ud and when
that happened lots of smelly bubbles came up.
When we had finished one length of the lake we ran around
the side and jumped in by the top weir. On the second time
through Thomas Beard found a very big eel which looked
horrible. As well as going through with a net, Julian
Shakerley and Marcus Butler went through with a rope
cutting off the bottom of the weed so it would just float
down the weir.
When we had finished we washed off in the river leading
into the lake. We had a big water fight and I got very wet.
Anon
65
Activities
Senior Adventure Challenge
Cooking
First Aid
The best thing I have done in Adventure Challenge is when
I was cooking with Robert Babbage. The Bursar gave us
some bacon, eggs, one tea bag, bread and two sausages.
We were going to have a first aid test, but nobody had ever
taught us the basic first aid, so Mrs Saxon had to explain it
to us. She talked about treating a nose bleed first. She told
us that instead of just blowing, or wiping your nose, you
should put a pencil in your mouth and bite on it. If you
don’t the blood will stop for about five minutes and then it
will pour out again.
A couple of minutes later we lit the gas fire. Then we put in
the bacon and then we put in the sausages and that was all
for the moment. When Rob Babbage and I were talking we
forgot all about the bacon and, when we realised it was
burnt, we went to get some more.
When we had cooked the bacon and sausages we cooked
the eggs and potatoes. I forgot to tell you about the
potatoes. The eggs were cooked quickly. While the eggs
were cooking I cut up the potatoes and peeled them to
make chips. When the chips were cooking we ate the
bacon, sausages, eggs and bread which we cooked and we
ate them straight away. They were really nice as well.
Then Rob Babbage found the tea bag. It was under his leg.
We started to heat our tea, but the gas ran out so we
borrowed Matt McCoy’s stove. When it was done it was
really hot. We put some milk and sugar in and we waited
for it to cool down.
Robert Tait
Dry Skiing
Then Mr. Bassett showed us how to get people into the
recovery position, what to do if you see somebody suffering
from shock and how to treat a bee sting. Three boys
handed out some test sheets and some sides of foolscap.
We wrote down all we could remember.
Sam P lagerson
Incident Hike
I looked at the Adventure Board and it had Group 12,
Incident Hike with M r Ball and we met up in the
Geography room. Mr Ball said that we had to light a fire
with 6 matches, follow a rope with a blind fold on and then
we played a game of hide and seek really. M r Ball said we
could head down to the gate at Rowden and wait for him
there.
Dry skiing was a new sport for Mount House.
He said, “Go and get a fire ready and I will give you a box
of six matches.”
On Saturday we got ready for skiing. It was not very stable
weather.
I lit mine with one match and M r Ball was very surprised
with me.
We walked down the drive to the coach. On the coach it
was raining.
Then we got our blindfolds on and went to the ropes. I
finished first and then he explained the hide and seek to us.
I was hiding by Everest, but he still saw me behind that
tree.
At the Ski Plymouth Centre we were given our skis and ski
boots and told to wait for our ski instructor.
We skied down to the drag lifts, doing snow plough basic
swings. The drag lift was not very easy to hold onto, so I
missed two drag handles.
Our ski instructor (called Rick) said that we should make a
snake of Mount House skiers.
I skied to the drag lift. I was now at the top of the ski
slopes. It was about 200 metres to the bottom.
Every 25 metres I did a basic swing turn.
We did not have a ski instructor now, because it was the
end of the lesson. We had had free time on the ski slope.
On the coach we were given a Mars bar, because we had
missed tuck.
R Jackson
The Lake
I like the lake because of its wide range of boats and the
wildlife. I often see the ducks and the Canada Geese fly
overhead and, sometimes, if I’m lucky, I see the ducks on
the lake with their ducklings.
I always try to go down to the lake whenever it is possible.
I like going on the wave riders and the big raft. I often
jump in!
You have to be careful on the finned boats, such as the
wave rider, because there is a sandbank in the middle of
the lake.
TomBrowtie
There is an island on the left side of the lake where it is out
of bounds to school boys without a member of staff, mainly
because lots of ducks and geese nest there in the summer.
Firelighting
Then it came to building a fire. Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum!
Luckily we had two sheets of newspaper as it was a windy
day. Dan and I had our fire going in no time at all. I, of
course, was the bellows that kept the thing going. Once I
got a tongue of flame about two foot and a bit up. Then the
other three in our group came running up moaning that
they were no good at fire lighting. We said they could get a
light from our fire and then go back to their bivouac. At the
end of the day everyone stamped out their fires and went
back to school. Everyone had enjoyed himself.
James Humphry
66
"
At the other end of the lake on the right there is the weir
and you are allowed to jump off the weir into the smaller
lake below. Sometimes H .L . throws mini-crunchy bars
and you jump and get one.
Occasionally you see herons flying overhead and sometimes
you see them in the lake. I often see salmon and trout
jumping in the lake.
Robert Ridland
Senior Adventure Challenge
Letterboxing
Mapping Expedition
First we were dropped off by Major Bengough on
Dartmoor.
After reading we split up and checked the south face. It
took us quarter of an hour to find a double lone hawthorn
with a dead lamb and sheep by it. We found it was the
wrong hawthorn!
It was a cold, windy, Thursday afternoon. We were on a
mapping expedition. We were huddling in the minibus
while Major Bengough told us what to do if the worst came
to the worst. I was chosen as a leader in charge of Robert
Babbage, Matthew McCoy, James Babbington and
Christopher Anthony. Mrs Saxon supplied us with a map
and two grid references. We set off heading for the cross
next to Feather Tor. W hen we arrived at the cross I sat
down by the leat to study the map. There was a call from
Robert Babbage:
We carried on looking, but found nothing. All this time
Cross was saying:
“Oli, look at this sign. It says ‘Drinking W ater’, can we
drink some?”
“I know where it is!” But no one would listen to him.
“Yes, why not?”
After half an hour had passed, Charles Reeves told Cross to
take us to where it was. Then he immediately turned round
and shot off in the direction none of us had been and
showed us the double hawthorn. We walked one hundred
paces and found the letter box.
W hen I had worked out the route to the aqueduct, we set
off following the leat. We were walking alongside the leat
peacefully when there was a yell from Matthew:
When we reached the top of the tor we took out one of the
clues. It read: One hundred paces from the double lone
hawthorn.
When all of us had got a stamp it was time for us to be back
at the cattle grid to meet Major Bengough. While we
waited we played games and threw stones.
Then Major Bengough turned up with the van and we all
got in and went back to school.
“Look at this!”
We ran to see what he was yelling about. It was a carcass of
a sheep in the leat! We told Major Bengough. He said that
we would be all right.
Oliver Coryton
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Activities
Senior Adventure Challenge
Lydford Castle
Putting up a tent
There were eighteen of us going with Mr. Davey to
Lydford. The castle was built as a prison and was used as
one until the last century. First of all we went to the
Watchmaker’s tomb which unwound the story of his life.
This was very funny. Then we walked into the grounds and
straight up the motte which was built after the castle. We
looked at the cellars, prisons and the guardrobe, which was
an old-fashioned toilet. After that we wandered along a
path to a very old L-shaped Saxon fort. It was protected on
one side by Lydford Gorge, the same as the castle is. On
the way back to school we saw Brentor Church which
stands on a volcanic crust.
We all assembled outside the Adventure Store and, after
having a lecture about gas stoves, we all ran down to Sunny
Slope.
Julian Shakerley
Orienteering
Because some of our group had gone to the Royal Cornwall
Show, two groups combined and consisted of Alex West
and Nick Jenkins in one and Austin Smith, Jake BurnettHitchcock and me in the other. As we set off, it began to
drizzle a particularly damp and persistent drizzle. We
jogged enthusiastically towards what we believed was the
first label to find. To cut a long story short, we couldn’t
find it. Instead, we headed off to the lst’s pavilion, where
we found one. A quick glance at the now disintegrating
map and we headed for the island. It was successful. Our
next destination was Rowden and, en route, we popped by
the study to pick up one. When we got to Rowden we
couldn’t find that one, so we jogged up to the CD T centre.
The same situation. After getting cheesed-off with the
whole thing, we went all the way back down to the sluice
gate. After finding one, we ran out of patience as well as
time, so we handed in our wet, torn and rapidly
metamorphosing map. We had collected nothing but
extremely wet clothing, and four labels. We met Alex on
the way in. Nick had fallen in the lake and he was wringing
himself out.
H Wilkinson
Painting
On one Thursday afternoon I looked at the notice board
and found myself in a group that was painting. I walked to
the Adventure Store and found out that M r Ball was taking
us. We walked over to the climbing wall where the boats
were. M r Ball talked to us about how the boats should be
painted. Some people gathered together at one boat, while
my friends and I found another boat. M r Ball asked for the
paints so someone collected them. He came back with some
brushes as well which was clever.
We started, but I had to wait a while because there were
not enough brushes to go around. After five minutes I was
painting the boat. When our group had finished one colour
we started on another colour. We had nearly finished, but
there was a corner to paint. We could not paint over the
mark. Even M r Ball had a go, but he could not do it either,
so we left it and after we had cleared up we were allowed to
go.
Geoffrey Stead
68
Mr. Allen carried the tent down. The first thing we did was
to lay out the ground sheet on the grass. We got lots of pegs
and then we walked round the ground sheet pegging it in.
W hen that was done M r Allen opened up a sack of tent
poles. They were telescopic. You had to unfold them and
then they snapped home.
Many minutes later we had all the poles in place. The next
step was to pull up the top of the ground sheet and to hook
it onto the centre pole. We then put the fly sheet on and
pegged it down. It was assembled.
The most important thing to do with a tent is to put its rear
end into the wind.
We finally packed up and raced back to the school.
Jake Bumett-Hitchcock
Rafting
For Adventure Challenge, a week ago, Group Five did
rafting on the lake. We had to build the raft and try to
reach the rubber tyre just above the weir, before tea. We
started to build the raft at four o’clock. Tea time was at half
past five, which seems to be a long time, but the time soon
catches up with you.
When we had built the raft we lifted it into the lake. As
soon as it floated onto the lake one of the barrels rolled out
of the bottom of the raft. We jumped on to the raft and
started to row. Every time we rowed a piece of the raft fell
apart. By the time we reached the tyre there was nothing
left of the raft, except a few logs and a barrel which soon
rolled away. By this time, we were all in the water anyway!
Matthew Muldowney
,
J v lV e r R u n n i n g
I looked at the notice board and I saw my name,
R. Jackson, under River Running. I shot up to the
Adventure Store and chose my wetsuit. I slipped into it and
collected an inner tube. Mr Whaley took the biggest one,
an earth-excavator inner tube!
We made our way down with M r Whaley and M r Allen to
the river. As we moved up stream a bit we spotted a rope
which some boys from Kelly had put up in a tree. We each
had a go on it. Justin Gibbs was too big, so as soon as he
swung down his feet touched the water and he fell off the
rope. Then we made our journey down to the big rapids.
Activities
Senior Adventure Challenge
On the way down Charlie Reeves’ inner tube burst and he
had to borrow M r Whaley’s.
Francis Chipster (e.g. a chip that he bunged in the river.) It
started something like,
When we were pot-jumping M r Whaley cut himself on a
rock at the bottom. He had to go up because of the
bleeding. When we reached the big rapids Patrick GrantSturgis went down on four tyres. A few people and I
balanced on the biggest one and went down. When we had
twenty minutes to go till tea we all rushed up to school,
changed and had to rush to arrive on time.
“He was bored of the b a r b e q u e .a n d some waffle about
waffles.
Ross Jackson
The Senior Barbeque
“Right, all I know is that we’ve got to build a fire, and
we’ve got to build it on the beach. I trust you lot have the
firelighters, turps, matches, hot coals etc., all sorted out.
Oh yes, and the food. W e’ll need food. And drink of
course. I trust they’ve got some Pimms for the Members of
Staff, such as myself and you lot can have squash. Austin,
you go and get............ Austin? Where are you? Oh, there
you are, go and get some wood. I’ll see you down there,”
said Mr Bassett to us, in the courtyard.
We went off to collect wood, grub, drink, turps, etc., and
we got down to the beach without much hassle. The food
consisted of potatoes, sausages, baked beans, cowburgers
and eggs. The only really noticeable thing that happened
was the omelette, which looked sort of second-hand and the
baked beans, which seemed unable to decide whether they
were going to stay cold or allow themselves to be heated,
when heated. At the end Jake (B-H) babbled on about Sir
Hugo Wilkinson
Special Assignment
On Thursday I read the notice board which said, “Get
changed into games clothes, boiler suits and trainers, meet
Adventure Store.” I changed, walked up to the Adventure
Store and waited while the others were given their jobs.
Then Mr Allen saw me and said I had to paint a sign saying
“Caution Walkers” . M r Allen gave me a plank of white
wood and left.
I walked back down to the form room to get a pencil and a
ruler and started marking out the plank, after returning to
the store.
Marking the plank out was hard, especially putting the
letters on, for you had to work out where each letter was to
go before you even thought about drawing it.
After drawing out the letters and squeezing S in at the end,
painting came next. That was even harder than drawing the
letters. There was black paint spilling on me while I was
trying to get it in the letters and nowhere else, but I seemed
to get it everywhere else except on the letters. At the end,
when M r Allen checked, I did not pass because he said a
driver would have an accident trying to read it!
Jonathan Clarke
P. V. TUG WELL & COMPANY
BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS
KHBC
Registered House-Builder
Pixon Lane, Tavistock PL19 8DH
TELEPHONE: (0822) 613335
/
Activities
Padstow
We arrived at school, Dad and I, all ready for the Padstow
trip. I was going on Padstow 1. We had a pleasant drive to
Harlyn Bay. We arrived in good time and picked our beds.
The people who came in the Landrover were Ross Jackson,
Nick Radford and myself. After we had unpacked we
disappeared down to the beach to be back by 6:30. When
we arrived back at the house Ally Mackie and Thomas
Williams were there. Benjie Nicholls was coming the next
day.
The first evening, when we were all there, M r Allen gave
us a safety talk about Harlyn Bay. We were not allowed to
go into the arcade. I could see Ross and Thomas were
thinking they were going to spend their money that way.
Later on M r Allen said if we had some money left at the
end of the week we could spend it that way. It’s funny how
Ross and Thomas never bought anything in the early part
of the week.
On the second day we did some canoeing out at sea. Then
at lunch Benjie came with his mother and Jonathan. They
zoomed off and we disappeared down to the beach for a
swim.
We discovered horseriding one day. It was very hot.
My horse was called Moonfleet.
70
Canoeing a long way out to sea one day was brill. Other
boys have not done it because the tide has to be just right.
One evening we ventured for a walk along a headland.
When we reached the end we played a game of ‘it’ on the
rocks.
On Thursday evening we went to the Ashworth’s. William
and Henry were there, so was George Edward-Collins.
We had games of M an-hunt, H it, Chainy and, at the end, a
game of British Bulldogs, which was good fun. When it
was dark we went inside and played table-tennis. In the
middle of the games we stopped for a lovely barbeque.
We went fishing from the Cornish Bird, a modern fishing
boat. T hat day we had a trip on JAWS a 211 twin horse
power engine. They are both fuel injected as well. We went
for a joy trip on the Jubilee Queen around the Rumps and
Pentire Point. We saw a basking shark which was fun. The
trip before us saw a puffin.
One of the days we attempted windsurfing, but there was
no wind.
On the evening of Wednesday we saw a film in Padstow.
Afterwards we bought fish and chips, then we walked up
through a dark churchyard. We also tried waterskiing
which was good fun. W hen it was time to leave I was sad.
Julian Shakerley
Activities
The Payne Cook
Spelling
Competition 1990
The overall standard showed a distinct improvement over
last year’s results. Form 6 again headed the Form averages
with 99% and Form 5 ran a close second with 97%.
Form 1, who are asked to learn only the first 25 of the 100
words on the list, produced the magnificent average of 36/
100! Charles O’Connor (71), Ivan Tanner (65), Rupert
Burnell-Nugent (58) and Guy Bailey (51) all scored over 50.
Alexis Tanner (98), Charles Kivell (96) and James Irvine
(95), all from Form 3Y, produced remarkable results, as
did Crispin Procter, Form 2Y, with 90.
Only 8 boys failed to improve on last year’s scores and
several of these were in any case very high scorers who
dropped only a mark or two.
12 boys scored 100 (6 boys in 1989)
45 boys scored 90+ (29 boys in 1989)
61 boys scored 50— (88 boys in 1989)
Into the Spell Off for the second year running went
Warwick Goodall, Mark Gent and Harry Hensman. They
were joined by Justin Gibbs, Adam Hurst, James Macleod,
James Woolford, Mark Burton, Thomas Beard, Tom
Inman, Timothy Perowne and the eventual winner of the
Competition, Andrew Ridland.
David Cowgill
Ski Trip 1990
This year’s ski trip was very good. We arrived at the front
gate of Mount House. My parents had a quick chat with
Mr Allen. I loaded my bag into the minibus. I said goodbye
to my parents and hopped into the minibus. Mr Allen
started driving for about half an hour, then Mr Stevens
drove. Soon we stopped somewhere near Axebridge to get
some more petrol and collect the Burtons. We drove on for
about another hour. Then we stopped at some loos. I
stayed asleep for about one hour, then I woke up, when we
were about fifteen minutes away from Gatwick.
We arrived at Gatwick at one o’clock in the morning.
Talbot, Matheson and I went to play on the Arcade games.
Then the whole party went to sit down on the baggage
trolleys. The loud speaker said “Please will the baggage by
gate 10 be looked after please. Thank you.” Soon seven
o’clock came and we boarded Air Caledonian’s 737 I was
sitting by the window.
Then we arrived in France.
(BumMtligea itotel
AA**
Princetown, Yelverton PL20 6SW
Tel: 082 289 206
RAC**
W hen we got to the resort we were told where we were
sleeping. I was sleeping with Smith and King. The first
day’s skiing was quite funny. First I slid backwards down
the slopes. About one hour later I crashed into some girls!
On the second day I improved a lot. On the last day I tired
out M r Stephens and Mrs Stirling. I also managed to get
my bronze medal. The next day we went back home.
Humphrey Voelcker
The Sponsored Walk
“An 18th Century Posting Inn in the heart of Dartmoor, only 8
miles from Mount House. Ideally situated for a short break
with walking, riding, fishing and golf (3 courses within 9 miles),
20 rooms en suite all with colour TV and direct dial telephones.
Renowned locally for good food and wine, for traditional
roasts from the Carvery at weekends and a la carte menu every
day in the Grill Bar. Bed & Breakfast from £36 to £60 for 2 .”
Phone for reservations quoting ref: 3A
First we parked near the Rescue Control and walked to the
‘gap bridge’. This is at Whiteworks. We jumped over the
gap bridge and started down the leat. After about quarter
of a mile the leat entered a tunnel. Here we crossed and
went over to N un’s Cross. Then we slightly detoured up a
hill but, luckily, were directed back to where the leat left
the tunnel. We walked on along the leat for about two
miles. Suddenly the leat dropped down a steep hill to an
aqueduct. After crossing this and slogging up a long hill,
we finally reached the ‘early lunch stop’. We had a quick
snack and set off on our way again! Soon we came across a
bog. After a lot of hopping we reached the old railway line.
We walked along it for about one and a half miles and then
left it heading for the late lunch stop at the Four Winds Car
Park. Here there was a small enclosure where we had
lunch.
After lunch we set off again down to Merrivale. There are
two bridges here, one modern and one old. There is also a
quarry there. Then we headed up to Pork Hill Car Park.
We all bought an ice cream! After that we headed to the
refreshments. We arrived, had a drink and went on again.
Peter Goodfellow
71
Activities
Lieutenant Commander Pepper brought his Sea King
helicopter for us to see.
The Sea King
Helicopter
It was a sunny day in the early part of June. All the boys
were very excited because Lieutenant Commander Pepper
was bringing a Sea King helicopter for us to see.
I was running down from my gardening when I heard the
rumbling of a helicopter. I ran straight for Sunny Slope.
As I arrived the Sea King Mark Five naval helicopter was
circling above, and a few moments later it landed on Stony
pitch.
The bell for lessons went, but that did not matter. I ran to
double maths, (very unusually for me!) and bagged the seat
nearest the door. M r Bassett came in almost immediately
and we left, following him down Stony pitch. On the way
there M r Bassett had thought of one question for our exam:
he was going to ask how long the rotor blades were and at
what speed they went round.
We reached Stony pitch, and there was the helicopter. It
was grey and very tall. My form was one of the first to
reach the site, so we sat and waited patiently. While we
were waiting I thought of the many questions I was going
to ask.
After a few minutes we were hushed to silence as Mr
Cowgill introduced us to Commander Pepper, who then
gave us a briefing about the helicopter and we were
introduced to the crew. One of the crew grouped us beside
the helicopter for a photograph, and we then took it in
turns, form by form, to be shown around.
Tom Newey
Inside the aircraft we looked first in the cockpit and a pilot
talked to us about the flight and explained nearly all of the
buttons and dials to us. He told us about his training and
which planes he had flown before. It was all very
interesting and I was surprised by the number of buttons
and dials there actually were.
Then we went further back into the helicopter to see all the
navigating and sonar equipment. There were more
buttons, and little screens and maps as well. There was a
winch to let down the sonars into the sea. These are used to
track down submarines.
Outside, there was another winch on the side of the aircraft
for lifesaving emergencies.
72 .... .............................— ...
Later on, when the whole school had had a conducted tour,
the helicopter’s giant rotors were started and the massive
creature lifted into the sky.
Jeremy Lott
Climbing at the Dewerstone
with Mike and Sue Hardwick
Central Groove
As soon as the clock struck mid-day, I and two other
members of my form left our lesson and outside the front
porch met up with M r Allen, Sue and Mike Hardwick and
one other boy from another form who had been invited to
climb also.
The adults were ten minutes late, but, after fifteen
minutes, we were on our way to the Dewerstone, jolting up
and down in the school land rover.
After a swerving half an hour journey along twisting
country lanes, we arrived at a small car park where many
cars were parked. When we had loaded each other up with
ropes, rucksacks and climbing equipment, we ambled off
towards the rock.
At last, we arrived at the base of the rock; there was a
surprisingly large number of people climbing, all with
multi-coloured climbing trousers, shoes and harnesses.
We then split up into two groups. Mike took Mark Gent
and Warwick Goodall and Sue taking Jeremy Hill and
myself.
After much preparation of ropes, Sue commenced scaling
the rock face whilst Mike ascended a climb neighbouring
ours. Thirty minutes later Sue had reached a point at which
she could safely set up a belay and she soon did.
We decided that Jeremy should climb first and when he
had tied on he commenced the climb.
After about twenty minutes Jeremy reached the belay
point, tied himself on to the rock and waited patiently for
me to ascend the rock face.
The first little section I spent what seemed like twenty
minutes, trying to climb, but later I was told it took only
ten minutes or less.
Continued over
Activities
Finally I cleared that section and proceeded up the rock
with aching limbs.
After much effort I arrived about thirty centimetres from
the end of the pitch when I felt my hands slipping;
suddenly I was dangling on the end of my rope facing away
from the wall a hundred feet up gazing across a heavily
wooded valley.
Although the thought of falling gave me the shudders, the
actual fall was quite enjoyable for I only fell about ten
centimetres, due to the rope holding me up.
Norwegians who were also lost, but they did have a map.
So, with Mike’s compass and the Norwegians’ map, they
found their way down.
Mike played some more music and we watched some slides
of the descent, or should I say the sunset, and that was
about it.
Afterwards came the usual asking of questions and then the
juniors went off to bed while the seniors had free time.
Robert Gaffney
Five minutes later I was securely tied on to the rock face
and was leaning out away from the rock sitting comfortably
in my harness belaying Sue as she subtly climbed the
second and last pitch.
When Sue had set up a belay at the top of the climb, I set
about tying on and ascending the last pitch.
This section was much easier and considerably more
enjoyable, especially when I had cleared a small overhang.
It was quite easy.
I reached the top and waited for Jeremy to arrive. Then I
suddenly felt my stomach rumbling, which was not
surprising, for it was half past four!
We walked around down the back and met the other group
whom we had seen eating lunch when we were only half
way up. They seemed to have had an exciting climb and
after we had finished lunch we packed all our equipment
away and set off back to the Land Rover feeling shattered
by the day’s climb.
Justin Gibbs
The Troll Wall
Mike Hardwick and his wife came south from Plas Y
Brenin, North Wales, to give Mount House a lecture,
based on the ascent of the Troll Wall which they
accomplished two years ago.
The slides started with pictures of Mike loading up his car.
He explained that food is very expensive in Sweden, and
that if he took his car over he could pack it full of food and
equipment. Then he showed us slides of himself and his
wife on the ferry going over to Norway. So far I thought
the lecture was a holiday snaps show. After this we saw
slides of the country and he told us how jagged the coast of
Norway is.
The next section of the lecture was quite good: he played
some music while we watched a set of slides describing the
journey to the Troll Wall. The countryside was very pretty.
It had many waterfalls, hills, valleys and different coloured
trees in the bright woodland. I thought the music blended
in well with the slides.
When they had approached the mountains as far as they
could by road, they thought they should find their way to
the base of the mountain. After pushing through dense
forest they came to the bottom of the wall. They looked
around and after planning their route up from the base they
returned to their car. They camped for the night.
Mike then explained the early stages of the climb, where
they camped and what they had to eat and drink. The
actual ascent was not really detailed enough, and in no time
at all they seemed to be in the usual poses at the top.
Then, as they began to climb down, the clouds and mist
closed in. As they were going down the other side they had
no map! Luckily they found footsteps in the snow. After
following these for a while they came across a group of
Aromatic Cruise
It was on Saturday the second of June that I was to go
cruising on Aromatic, M r Beard’s new yacht.
The weather did not look like it was going to be sunny, but
we were not going on a Caribbean cruise. Mr Goodfellow
drove us to Sutton Harbour, where we found M r Beard
and Reg (a policeman) who were going to look after us.
After we had stowed everything in the main cabin we set
out to sea, all wearing oilskins as we had been warned the
seas were very rough.
We had just got out of Sutton Harbour and we were already
doing seven knots. I knew that when we were past the
breakwater and Penlee Point we would go much faster.
We tried going to Looe, but there was not enough time, so
we turned around and headed back to the river Yealm, my
home, world, where we picked up Mr Beard’s moorings.
On the way into the Yealm we saw my parents on a friend’s
mooring. Mr Beard kindly invited them over for a drink,
which they accepted.
Reg cooked us all a really good stew. I went round the buoy
twice.
The next morning everyone was up early, we turned on a
machine that told us the temperature of the water. It was 14
centigrade. Nobody wanted to swim so we had breakfast.
Before we left the mooring a yacht passed us and one of its
crew told us there was a seal further up river, so we went
and had a look.
Before long, we were out past Mouthstone Point and into
the sea. The waves were much rougher than the day before.
As there was a lot of wind we got to Plymouth quickly. It
was early so we went up the Tamar to have lunch. Yet
another good meal by Reg.
Mr Beard soon decided we should get back to Sutton
Harbour. I did most of the helming there. At one point we
were doing seven knots.
Soon we said goodbye and went back to school.
Richard Cross
73
Activities
climb. I thought that it wasn’t, but he just wanted to knock
off a few schoolboys. Warwick climbed first, then Hugo
and then me. My time came and I went up. I did not have
many problems. W hen I had climbed up I was greeted with
the question,
Climbing,
Foggintor
“W ho’s for coffee?”
We left lunch early and set off in the Landrover. I was
surprised we were going because of the weather. After a
quarter of an hour or so we reached the track that leads to
Foggintor Quarry. The group was Nick Owen, Hugo
Wilkinson, Johnny Nicholls, Richard Cross, Warwick
Goodall and myself. We put on our climbing gear and set
off on the long, puddly track leading to the quarry. It was a
cloudy, wet and windy day. Quite typical for the moor.
After a tiring walk we came to a narrow, trodden-in path.
We scrambled up it and entered the quarry. We then set up
the belaying points. We set up three in all. It was easy
enough. Then we took off our coats and boots and put on
our trainers. When we had accomplished that we put
ourselves into (what you could call) a ‘queue’. I went third.
Abseiling first is quite unusual because normally you would
climb up and then abseil back down.
My time came; I attached my descendeur to the rope and
then my karabiner and, just to be safe, you had to tie onto
M r Allen, who was fastened to a belaying point. I put my
feet on the edge and cautiously leant back. I’ve heard
‘curiousity killed the cat’ but just then I did not really care.
I thought I was just going to go weeeeeeeee! Splat! But,
much to my surprise, I didn’t. It was hard going down at
first, but then it became easier. There were a couple of
ledges on the way down. On the first one I was enjoying
myself so much that I just went quite simply THUM P!
“Ouch!” In between the ledges I found an easier route, but
if I took it I would go too far to the left. I was not to know
that and I took it. Suddenly, I swung to the right and
TH UD ! Mr Allen was quick off the mark and was already
laughing his head off at the top of the rock face. The rest of
the journey went by with comparative ease. Nick Owen
was waiting at the bottom so he could show me the route
up. We took a direct route across a bog. About half way
across I had found my balance, I thought it was getting too
easy; I lost my footing and, S Q U E L C H ! The sound was
repulsive and it was worse still taking my foot out.
George Williams
Surfing Weekend at
Harlyn Bay
On a Saturday five boys got into the school Landrover. The
boys were Duncan Stone, Nick Jenkins, Rupert Bettison,
Marcus Butler and I. We had packed our rucksacks and
were about to leave for Harlyn Bay.
We were on the way. As we drove along in Cornwall I
recognised some of the roads because my family and I had
been on them when we had visited Cornwall for a week in
the summer holidays.
W hen we arrived at Harlyn Bay we chose which beds we
would sleep on. Rupert Bettison had to sleep on a lilo
which kept on going down. After that we went surfing and
I impaled myself on the board twice. When we had to go in
for dinner we had a quick shower and then dressed. The
dinner was delicious. First we had tomato soup with cheese
in it; then salad and salad dressing and, for the last course,
chocolate pudding. While I was finishing I heard the
television being switched on, so I finished quickly, just in
time to watch the ‘A Team’.
In the morning we went surfing one more time and then
tidied up the house we had stayed in. We packed and then
got into the Landrover and drove to a farm. On this farm
we tried out a new kind of grass sledge.
After that we played a kind of hide and seek with the
farmer’s son and daughter. Marcus, Nick, Duncan and
Gisselle went into a tree house and the rest of us stayed
outside until we had to go back to school.
John Clayton
As soon as we had reached M r Allen we were told to go
back down again because Mr Allen thought it was safe to
BRIAN JONES
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74
Activities
Bedtime with Bernard (Picture by James Lyne, Focus Press)
The firemen arrive (Picture by Jaynes Lyne, Focus Press)
Fire Practice
The West Devon fire fighting services again held a full
scale practice at the School this summer term. Teams came
from Bere Alston, Princetown, Tavistock and Yelverton
one evening just as the junior dormitories were going to
bed. A roll call was held in the Centenary Hall and five
boys were found to be missing, as was one matron, Miss
Wendy Howell. These had been ‘planted’ in the school and
were later to be rescued.
Water was pumped up from the lake; firemen, fully
equipped with breathing apparatus, went into the building
which had been filled with dense smoke, and soon the
‘casualties’ started to be brought out for the attention of the
doctor who had also swiftly arrived on the scene. In less
than an hour the operation was over, and all the boys and
staff were given the chance to sample for themselves the
difficulty of finding their way around a smoke filled
building when they groped their way through Benbow and
Hawkins dormitories.
Such practices are of great benefit to the school, as we can
check that our drill and precautions are satisfactory, and
also to the Fire Services who have the opportunity to
familiarise themselves with the layout of the school lest one
day their call out is in earnest.
Footnote: Mr Bernard Chamings, Tavistock Fire Chief,
also runs Philpott (Souwestjwho look after the school’s
plumbing and heating and is a good friend to Mount
House. We congratulate him most warmly on the British
Empire Medal he was awarded in this year’s Queen’s
Birthday Honours List.
75
Activities
Flying Visit from the
Royal Marines
Late in the Summer term Major Robert Wilsey dropped
into the school in his Lynx helicopter to lead a presentation
on some aspects of the work of the Royal Marines.
His ground team set up displays on survival in the wild and
ditching at sea, a video was shown to the boys and they
were also given guided tours of his helicopter.
This was a thoroughly interesting afternoon and our thanks
go to Major Wilsey and his team for coming over to us.
Bang, You’re dead
Parties by arrangement, Major Wilsey’s Lynx on view
S urvival training
76
Obviously out o f his depth
Activities
L eaver’s Camp
At 7:00 pm Sunday evening, I arrived at Holne Park. I set
up my two-man tent with the help of Simon Allenby who
was sharing it with me.
After we had all finished we had free-time.
On the first activity day, we started with hillwalking with
Mr. Davey. In total, we walked eight miles along the River
Dart, from Sherrill to Holne Park itself, stopping to eat and
swim.
The rain had not been bad, so far; it only forced us to have
breakfast in the shelter most mornings.
On the second day, we climbed Hay Tor. This was my first
climbing trip and I found it good fun. On the third day our
group caved. This I had also never done before and it was
brilliant. We spent a total of five and a half hours down in
Baker’s Pit. We crawled through the 90 ft. ‘Drainpipe’
which really was not as bad as it seemed. We were led by a
person called Nigel. He kept making jokes that he was lost.
He really knew how to put someone off. That evening we
did the high ropes course and the parachute jump; both
were fairly nerve-racking, but good fun.
The Parachute Jump
I came running to the parachute jump area with David
Mackenzie and James McCoy after completing the high
ropes course. I arrived and stared up at the platform in awe
and with timidity. David was already down and James was
ready to jump. James jumped and when he reached the
bottom he was all red and looked worried, but he said it
was brilliant!
As I climbed the ladder I became ever more petrified.
When I had virtually reached the top I glanced down to the
ground - a quick drop of about seventy feet. This sent a
shiver through me. I clambered onto the platform where a
man called Vernon was waiting for me. He strapped me
into a harness and told me not to worry.
“I’ll count to three, and then you jump,” he said. “If you
don’t, I’ll kick you off!”
On Thursday evening, the last day, it rained all the time,
which meant that we packed up the tents in the wet. We
left Holne Park at 2:30pm. We had had a really good time.
So, as he uttered the numbers, I prepared myself for the
jump. I stepped off, with a feeling of dread. As I descended
the air rushed up around my body. My heart was in my
mouth. I stopped suddenly, but it did not feel sudden. It
felt as if I had been stopping slowly. One boy, who was
trying to hold me down, was grappling with my legs, while
two other boys unstrapped me from my harness. I walked
off the crimson crashmat, my body feeling as if it would
crumble in a heap. My legs quivered for a long time after,
but I enjoyed it all immensely and I’m sure I will never
forget the parachute jump.
Russell Talbot
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Activities
The High Ropes
Course at Holne Park
I was Alex West’s ‘buddy’, helping him around the course
from the ground, making sure he was always clipped on to
a safety line. While I was helping him, I was fiddling with
my own karabiners, hoping my turn would not come.
After what seemed an age Alex came tumbling down the
net to the ground. I knew it was my turn. I reached the
ladder and slowly plodded up. I reached the top safely,
with a pit in my stomach. I tried to clip myself onto the
safety line, but found it difficult as my hands were shaking
frantically. Eventually I was clipped on and I began to
climb a chain ladder. Various reasons for not doing the
course flashed through my mind and I came out in a fret.
Luckily Alex gave me lots of help and encouragement as he
was acting as my ‘buddy’, and I managed to climb the
ladder twenty feet up.
I reached a rope bridge with logs spaced a stride apart. The
best way to tackle these obstacles was to look straight
ahead; when I looked down I felt nauseated. Another thing
to remember was to stay clipped on to a safety line at all
times. There was not one long safety line, but one for each
obstacle; that is why we had two karabiners, so we could
clip on to two safety lines while changing obstacles.
After the rope bridge came the worst two tasks for us to
undertake. First of the two were the logs. They were
spaced out two feet apart, one at head height, the other at
foot level. You had to lean across, face towards the ground.
My blood rushed from my head and I almost fainted.
About half way across my legs would not obey my brain
and I became stuck. It took me a while to collect myself
and I struggled to the end.
The second task came in the form of two wires, one above
the other. I stepped carefully out onto a wire, with my
hands holding the wire above my head. The wire began to
wobble - 1 felt like letting go and crossing on the safety
line. I moved steadily along; looking to my side I could see
a vertical ladder with steps that rotated, stretching up to a
rope tunnel.
W hen I had finished the tantalizing task of the wire, I
hugged as close as I could to the ladder, using every part of
my body as an anchorage. At last I reached the top, but
only after a few trial runs. I unclipped my safety line and
proceded to crawl down the rope tunnel which was the only
obstacle without a safety.
The next obstacle, though short, was frightening: you had
to walk a gang plank, then jump onto another on the other
side, with no railings. I cheated slightly on this one by
holding the pulley on the safety line above me to stop me
over-balancing.
That was really the last of the frightening obstacles,
because I had now gained my confidence. There was a
bridge, like the first, but metal. Then came the Burma
bridge, where I became caught up in the safety line and Mr
Rowe, the instructor, had to untangle me when I was
hanging on for dear life without a safety line.
The last obstacle was a death slide, from one tree to another
that was almost a piece of cake. Finally, to reach the
ground again, I had to tumble down some thirty feet into a
scrambling net.
Chris Wheal
78
Computing
Superart, a graphics package, has been the most popular
piece of software this year. Nearly a quarter of the entire
network memory has been used up by the boys creating
pictures. The top artist on superart was Nicholas Jenkins;
close runners-up were Ed Hampshire and Simon Griffin.
Another piece of software that has proven to be very
popular is a History package that simulates the Crusades.
The vast number of boys that are busy trying to get into
Antioch or even become a Lord or Lady (!) has meant extra
allocations of memory to the History department!!
Simon King and Simon Kongialis have been the two
busiest and most proficient programmers in Basic, whilst
Warwick Goodall remains the number one Logo
programmer. The standard of programming varies a great
deal but enthusiasm has been terrific.
Throughout the year I have run numerous computing
clubs and almost one hundred boys have belonged to at
least one of these! The clubs this term have been: junior
and senior Superart clubs, Logo club, programming club,
newspaper club and junior and senior recreation clubs.
During the set computing lessons the boys have been
involved in such things as producing newspapers using a
desktop publishing package, learning how to use Superart,
how to program in Basic and in Logo and how to use the
wordprocessor and the database.
The school recently purchased an Archimedes 420
computer complete with a desktop publishing package and
word processor. The advance facilities that this machine
provides will considerably enhance the quality of our work.
M JB
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Activities
Family Camp 1990
You probably know the feeling: sitting down to enjoy a
long anticipated meal at a favourite restaurant, you are told
that more or less all the choices on the a la carte are ‘off.
So it was with the Family Camp. The weather was cruelly
unkind: cold, windy and very wet. ‘O ff were the cricket
matches; golf and tennis tournaments; barbecue; donkey
derby; duck race; stew competition and outdoor service.
Left ‘on’ were lake activities of an informal nature;
swimming, but no organised ‘Gala’; casual tennis, but
please disperse the puddles before playing; badminton and
squash in the sports hall and Jonathan Banyard’s ever
popular disco in the Centenary Hall, starting with its
‘Power H our’ for the younger set at 9.00pm and going on
until ‘quite late’!
Overheard during this wet weekend were several wet
comments not worthy of repetition here, but some dry
humour was also in evidence. “I can never understand
parents who bemoan putting their dogs into kennels for
twenty-four hours when they happily send their children
away to boarding school.” (And this from a parent, please
note!)
One dog who was reprieved took first prize in the adults’
fancy dress, leaving his owner, M r Warren, to share second
prize with M r Spong. Master Warren won first prize in the
children’s section (boys), and Master Spong was declared
the winner in the children’s section (girls). “Highly
irregular!” I can hear someone saying, and it does sound
very rum to me, but then I was not, sadly, there to see all
this. Dangerous events, Fancy Dress Competitions. I hope
feelings did not run too high.
Given the option on arrival of staying on and making the
most of the reduced menu or treating the weekend as a
surprise bonus exeat weekend, a large number chose the
latter and ran for cover before nightfall. Those who
remained, buoyed up by an immense superiority complex,
disdained even umbrellas in the downpour and sloshed
about in their wellies on the social round. Every so often
games of rounders or baseball sprung up on the higher
ground, but early on Sunday morning the whole thing was
officially declared ‘off - there was nothing left on the
menu, and slowly the tents were dismantled and the
campers set off for home. This was a great disappointment
to every one. Most families had made elaborate
preparations for the Family Camp, but none can have been
more disappointed than Geoffrey Allen who had put such
energy and effort into his meticulous arrangements.
It was left to Geoffrey to tow forty-three caravans from
their cantonment (I like this word: it is not listed amongst
the 80,000 on my word processor’s ‘Spell-check’!) on
Herongate field - and then to face the Head Groundsman,
Eric Willcock, next morning. No stick-in-the mud he: next
day tons of sand arrived and he and his team threw
themselves into the rescue operation.
And Wimbledon, meanwhile, escaped it all. There surely is
something strange happening to our weather.
Ear-Witness
Master Spong, winner o f the fancy dress (girls)!
The Stamp Club
The Stamp Club has been supported by a small but
enthusiastic band, who have derived much pleasure from
this Wednesday evening activity. We have been much
encouraged by the participation of M r and Mrs Ben
Morland at several of our meetings.
Any stamps which are unwanted will always be very
warmly received by us.
We hope that all those who took part last year will try to
encourage new members to share our interest with us next
year.
Lois Spencer
The Set Cup
1989-1990
Kangs won the Set Cup this year, by dint of accumulating
a greater number of pluses (for work, art, music, games
and helpfulness) than the other Sets, who followed them in
this order:
2nd
3rd
4th
Otters
Owls
Hawks.
79
Old Boys News
Old Bays’ News
Patrick Hughes (1989) is staying at school in America and
has been enjoying acting.
James Gaskell (1987) has just completed his GCSE
examinations at Sherborne and is hoping for good results.
He is going to study art, English and maths for A ’ levels.
He is still hurdling in athletics.
Simon Thompson (1987) has also completed his GCSE
examinations at Sherborne. He has represented the school
at rugby, hockey and cricket and is taking up swimming.
David Carter (1987) is taking English, Spanish and art for
A ’ levels at Sherborne, where he is also indulging in as
much Thespian activity as possible.
Mr Charles Price has somehow found time to compile these
notes from information sent to him by Old Boys at their
Public Schools. We are most grateful to him. Such news is
always very welcome - please do not wait to be asked!
Inevitably some news is repeated in the later columns
presented by M r Wortham. Editor.
Toby Wright (1985) gained some very respectable GCSE
grades at King’s Taunton and is studying English, history
and social biology for ‘A’ levels.
Christopher Cashell (1986) did very well in his GCSE
examinations and has had considerable success with the 1st
XI this summer at King’s Taunton.
Barnaby Wright (1986) gained excellent GCSE results at
King’s Taunton last year. He has been playing for the 1st
XV as flanker.
Paul Wilson (1986) produced the best GCSE results of all
at King’s Taunton last year when he achieved 10 A ’
grades. He represented the College at the National athletics
in hurdles, and played for the 1st XV.
William Ireland (1987) is enjoying life at King’s Taunton
where work and sport are going well.
Ben Lott (1989) played Under 14 B rugby and cricket at
King’s Taunton and was over playing for the Wanderers.
He is finding the work quite difficult, but coping
reasonably well, and finding life enjoyable.
James Homewood (1987) was also playing for the
Wanderers and tells us that he has just taken 9 GCSEs at
Blundell’s where he is enjoying life. He hopes to take
biology, chemistry and French at A ’ level and then go on
to study marine zoology at university. He has been playing
cricket and hockey for the school.
Adam Dalgliesh (1986) is off to France after a busy term at
Sherborne which included the Ten Tors again and sailing.
Rory Benham (1986) is nearing the completion of his ‘A ’
level course at Sherborne. He runs the Photographic Club
and is a member of the Environment Committee. He plays
bass guitar in a band and would have participated in the
Ten Tors, but for an injury.
Tim Donne (1986) is enjoying life at Sherborne. He went
on a French trip to Paris during the term. He is still playing
the flute and is a member of the School concert band.
Jeremy Morton (1986) is still at Sherborne. He has enjoyed
wind surfing.
Julian Perowne (1986) and Edward Madgewick (1986) are
enjoying Sherborne and doing well.
Dane Salter (1986) has been elected to a Foundation
Scholarship at Repton. This is the highest accolade that the
school bestows and is awarded to only a small number of
Sixth Formers.
Daniel Hughes (1989) has enjoyed his first year at
Marlborough taking part in major sports, cycling,
electronics and technology design.
80
James Carter (1985) has finished English, art and French
A ’ levels at Sherborne. Although he had an unconditional
offer from the Central St. Martins School of Art he has
chosen to go to Newham to study a foundation course.
He is considering graphic design.
Nicholas Kendall (1989) has completed his first year at
Cheltenham College, where the work has been going well
and he has been playing hockey and rowing.
Henry Madden (1987) has finished his GCSE examinations
and is really enjoying life at Gordonstoun. He is a member
of the school Inshore Rescue Unit and hopes to end up with
the qualifications to be a lifeguard on some Pacific island
beach during his gap year! He has been on twelve
expeditions including a recent one to the Hebrides. He is
going on tour with the school cricket XI to the Blundell’s
festival.
Marcus Taylor (1984) has left Gordonstoun and was
working at the Armidale School in Australia. He was last
heard of in the cotton fields in New South Wales.
Hamish Southby-Tailyour (1987) has played for the 2nd
XV at Wellington College as hooker and won his house
cross-country colours. He has won the Junior Design prize
in CD T and is still playing the bagpipes. He is following in
his father’s footsteps and has entered for the Royal Marine
Scholarship.
Toby Borradaile (1989) has had a successful first year at
Millfield, particularly in sport. In athletics he has done the
hurdles and triple jump and was awarded his colours.
Timothy Pratt (1988) won the prize for the boy making the
most progress in lower school music at Sherborne.
William Martin (1989) had the pleasure of meeting the
Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during Eton’s recent
five hundred and fiftieth celebrations. He has started
Spanish and has taken up design. He has been playing
cricket for the house team and rowing occasionally.
Robert Shove (1988) has played rugby, hockey and tennis
at various levels at King’s School, Bruton. He was in an
unbeaten basketball team and also was swimming for the
school. He had a major part in the junior play. He would
dearly like to be selected for the forthcoming rugby tour to
New Zealand and Fiji as reserve hooker.
Tom Craig (1987) has finished taking nine GCSE
examinations at Shrewsbury. During the year he has played
for the under 16 A ’ XV and also for the school football and
tennis teams. He has been made a senior instructor in the
camping society which has about 200 members. Next year
he is doing Geography and business based A ’ levels. He
will be joined in his house next term by Mark Burton
(1990).
Edward Nottingham (1987) is continuing to do Science
based A ’ levels at Shrewsbury and has enjoyed tennis and
squash as well as playing badminton for the school.
Old Boys News
James Hodgson (1986) passed all seven GCSE
examinations last year and went on to study geography,
politics and economics for ‘A’ levels, which he is taking
next year. He hopes to eventually become a chartered
accountant. He has enjoyed caving and canoeing. He has
been sales director for their ‘Young Enterprise’ company,
selling Christmas cards, cards and notelets. He has
represented the school for fencing and backstroke
swimming. He was part of the team in the ‘Young Business
person of the year’ competition in which the school reached
the national semi-finals. This summer he is cycling with
Bamaby Harwood (1986) through the highlands of
Scotland from Inverness to Skye, a total of 300 miles.
Toby Harward (1984) left King’s Bruton for a gap year in
New Zealand during which he has taught, farmed and had
a thoroughly worthwhile time. He has a place at St.
Andrew’s University.
Tim Hodgson(1988) is finding the work harder, but is
enjoying life at King’s Bruton. He was in the under 15 ‘B’
rugby and cricket teams. He takes his GCSE examinations
next year.
Harry Spedding (1986) is in his lower 6th year at
Pangbourne College where he is studying ’A’ levels in
mathematics, further mathematics, physics and chemistry.
He has represented the school at 1st team level in sailing
and fencing. He has also been in the 3rd XI hockey team.
He has maintained his interest in the theatrical world and
is hoping to be in the main college production next term.
He has directed and acted in house plays. He is hoping to
enter the P».oyal Navy as an engineer and is applying for
university places at Exeter, Southampton and Sussex.
Edward Noy Scott (1985) has completed a year as Head of
School at Bradfield College and has been offered a
conditional place at St. John’s College, Cambridge to read
classics. During the past year he has played cricket for the
lst/2nd XI and has captained the college XV. His academic
requirements have unfortunately caused a reduction in his
extra-curricular activities this year.
Christian Ball (1988) has just taken mathematics and
French GCSE examinations at King’s Canterbury and has
been playing in a very successful under 15 ‘A’ XI cricket
team.
Robert Clayton (1988) has joined the Charterhouse scout
group. He has taken English Language and French GCSE
examinations. He has enjoyed scoring for and watching
cricket.
George Edward-Collins (1989) played in the under 14 ‘A’
rugby and hockey teams at Milton Abbey and also
competed in the Athletics team. He has particularly
enjoyed carpentry and pottery.
Toby Payne-Cook (1986) has been in the middle of his ‘A’
level studies at Milton Abbey, where he came first in
biology and chemistry. He has set his sights on medicine
and possibly a career as an Army doctor. He is secretary of
the Natural History society and was recently promoted to
House Pilot (one down from Head of House). He played
3rd XV rugby, and has enjoyed swimming and tennis. He
has seen various Mount House old boys during school
matches. (Both Toby and George entertained my wife and
me on a recent day for Prep School headmasters and their
wives. We were most impressed with all we saw - CDP).
William Martin (1989) has had a splendid first year at
Eton. He has found the work quite demanding. He has
been in the C3 football team and is in the judo team. In a
six mile long steeplechase he came 7th out of 256. He is
taking up rackets, fives, fencing and waterpolo.
Toby Cox (1987) has finished his GCSE examinations at
Kelly College. He is playing rugby for the college and is a
Lance Bombardier in the CCF.
Jonas Hurst (1987) has represented Kelly College in
rugby, hockey, cricket and athletics. He was selected for
the South West of England under 16 XV.
Richard Dawe (1987) has finished his GCSE examinations
and has enjoyed windsurfing and sailing with the college.
Frederick Mosdell (1987), Alistair Robins (1987) and
Jeremy Ball (1987) have finished their GCSE examinations
and are enjoying life at Kelly College.
Michael Priddis (1986) is leader of the Army section of the
CCF at Kelly College and is second in charge of the Army
section.
Richard Martin (1986) has completed his Lower 6th year
at Kelly College and has been awarded an Army
scholarship.
Timothy Lister (1989) has enjoyed his first year at Kelly
College and played cricket for the Junior ‘A’ XI.
John Taylor (1989) represented Kelly in the hammer at
athletics and competed against Ben Hicks (1989) from
Grenville College.
Nicholas Hamilton (1988) writes from Sherborne “wish
you were here.” He has competed in ‘B’ team rugby
matches, is enjoying all sports, sailing and he took GCSE
mathematics.
Rupert Bolingbroke (1988) is in the middle of his GCSE
course at Sherborne and has played representative cricket.
Ben Davis (1989) played in the mini colts ‘A’ XV at
Sherborne with Sam Hunt (1989) and had a very successful
season. Ben has been sailing in Poole Harbour for the
junior team.
Stephen Butler (1988) is enjoying life at King’s Taunton
before the arrival of his brother! He has represented the
athletics, rugby and cross-country teams and successfully
completed the Ten Tors in May.
Alistair Banner (1988) has been working hard at King’s
Taunton and has enjoyed life in Neate’s House.
Jonty Tucker (1989) has played three different
representative sports at King’s Taunton and manages to go
surfing most weekends.
Ashley Crawshaw (1988) played for the ‘B’ XV at King’s
Taunton and is working hard!
Jonathan James (1986) is enjoying the new challenges and
responsibilities of sixth form life at Radley. He hopes to
take the fourth term entrance examination to Oxford next
term along with an organ scholarship. He now has the
ALCM on the violin. His high point this year has been the
new dimension of being able to conduct his own groups,
the school choir and orchestra. He still hopes to read
modern languages at university.
Warren Greatrex (1988) has been in a number of teams at
King’s Bruton. He represented the under 15 ‘A' XV at
scrum-half and was impressed by the King’s Taunton
team. He also represented the school in hockey and cricket.
He has been on the stage in “Tom Jones” and in “A Penny
fo ra Song.”
Richard Williams (1989) represented Sherborne in the
LAC National championships at Barnet in the high jump
and came 4th. He is looking forward to his younger
brother, David joining Mount House in September.
Hugh Cope (1989) is looking forward to a busy Summer
holiday after having a full and happy first year at Canford.
He has played in the ‘C’ teams for cricket, hockey and
rugby, and will join the RAF section of the CCF next year.
Swimming and golf also occupy him. Edward Hampshire
(1990) joins him in Franklin House next term - “the most
modern house with good facilities.”
Continued over
81
Old Boys News
Christopher Barley (1979) is working for Ove Arup, a firm
of Consulting Engineers.
Paul Barley (1981) is in his final year at Reading where he
has been reading Geography. He has ideas of now training
to become a barrister.
Roderick Porter (1973) is now a Captain in the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers. He is married.
Daniel Huntington (1977) is a Captain serving with the
Gurkhas and currently recruiting in Nepal.
Tim Huntington (1975) advises fish farmers. He is married
and lives in Leamington Spa.
Paul Gay (1959) is a Major in the Gurkhas and has recently
taken up a new appointment in Nepal. He was recently at
home on leave and found time for a little bird-watching. He
is married with three children and they all holiday in
Nepal.
Paddy McKillop (1969) is working on a diving support
ship owned by Stirling Marine. He is married and has a son
and daughter. His home is at Loddiswell in Devon.
Andrew Key (1983) is in his second year at Clare,
Cambridge, where he has a Choral Scholarship. He also
sings with the Cambridge University Chamber Choir and
the University Consort of Voices.
Patrick McCready, circa 1925 in Plymouth.
Patrick was born in 1917 and after Mount House went on
to Rugby and Oxford. He was a poet, playwright and
linguist. During the war he became ADC to General
Leclerc and was killed in N orth Africa in 1943.
Patrick had a sister, Noreen, who now lives in Tavistock,
and who married David Hughes. They had a son,
Nicholas, who left Mount House in 1959. His sons Daniel
and Patrick left Mount House in 1989, Daniel for
Marlborough, and Patrick for the USA where his father
works. HPW
H.P.W. writes:
The following notes have been gleaned from many sources
- personal contact, parents, relations and friends. I cannot
vouch for accuracy and some news will inevitably be out of
date. Those who are members of the MBOBA will already
have read many of the notes. I apologise for errors and
omissions, but I hope you will find some interesting news
of your com temporaries. I have purposely avoided
tabulating names in date or alphabetical order.
(Dates in brackets after names are those of leaving Mount
House - Editor)
Christopher Sharrock (1970) is a solicitor in Hong Kong
and married with two children.
Michael Sharrock (1972) works in London for BP and is
also married. He visited Mount House last year.
Crispin Hain-Cole (1964) is now head of the Market
General of the Ordnance Secretariat, Ministry of Defence.
He is having 12 months in Cambridge, USA, at the ‘Centre
for International Affairs’.
Sam Rutherford (1986) goes this year to St Andrew’s
University to read French and Russian. Then he plans 5
years in the Army Air Corps before joining the
Metropolitan Police.
Jeremy Sankey (1983) is at the City University reading
Business Studies. He spent part of his GAP year at a
kibbutz near Tiberias in Israel and found that a most
interesting experience.
Mark Barley (1976) is a solicitor with Bond Pearce in
Plymouth. He spent three weeks in summer 1989 working
in a solicitor’s office in France.
82
Paul Vick (1983) is also in his second year at Cambridge,
Magdalene College, where he is reading Architecture, not
History as recorded last year. (Apologies! HPW ) He has
been joined by Simon Donne (1983) who is reading
Mathematics, plays hockey and is in the University
Orienteering Club. He was also stroking the College second
boat in the Lents.
David Pinder (1983) is at Robinson College reading
Geography.
Adrian Travis (1975) is a Ph D and a Fellow of Clare,
Cambridge. He has a Lectureship in Optical Engineering.
A recent lecture he delivered in Nevada was on ‘Passive
quadrative detection using speckle rotation in a
multisegment photo detector’! He also continues his
research into three dimensional television. H e and four of
the Mount House undergraduates attended a Gathering in
the Fellows Guest Room at Magdalene last October. Sadly
Richard Youngman, also at Magdalene reading History,
was unable to attend owing to a Golfing Society
engagement.
Ben Simpson (1983) is at Durham University reading
Law, Economics and Political Studies.
John Gay (1957) is a Regional Operational Manager for
Crane Industrial. He, his wife and two children live in
Suffolk.
James Allerton (1981) achieved a 2:1 in Geology and
Geography at the West London Institute. He is now at
Reading working for a M Phil in Land Management.
Christopher Allerton (1983) is also at Reading, reading
Zoology.
Jonathan James (1986) who is at Radley, has been awarded
an Honorary Exhibition for excellence in his GCSE last
summer - 9 ‘A’ grades. His music goes from strength to
strength.
Simon Goodenough-Bayly (1978) left Edinburgh
University with a 1st Class Honours degree in English
Literature. During his last two years there he ran the
University Theatre for the Fringe. H e is now studying
Dramatic Art and the Japanese Theatre at London
University.
Nicholas Goodenough-Bayly (1981) is in his second year
at the West Sussex College for Higher Education doing
Sports Studies. At present he has ideas of becoming a
sports journalist with plenty of time for cricket. He plays
for the Dorset Rangers and the Bryanston Butterflies.
Old Boys News
David Gimson (1980) has gone down from University
College, Oxford, with a degree in History. He is now in
Japan teaching English under the Japanese English
Teachers’ scheme. After that his plans are undecided.
Neil Maciver (1983) is at Bristol University reading
Mechanical Engineering.
Robert Scourse (1980) has completed his third year at
Portsmouth Polytechnic reading Civil Engineering. He
continues to be keen on photography, managing the Film
Society. He is also an enthusiastic windsurfer.
Toby Scourse (1986) has done his GCSEs at King’s
Bruton. He is a keen canoeist and fives player.
Patrick Thompson (1963) works at Superior Interior
Decorating. He lives at Sennen, Cornwall, and married
last year.
Gordon Lewis (1982) is reading Engineering at the South
Glamorgan Institute. He plays rugger for the Newquay
Hornets.
Evan Lewis (1983) is at the Cambridge Technical College
reading Business and Finance.
David Lewis (1985) is in his last year at Blundell’s and
played in the 1st XV.
Toby Ashworth (1981) is in the Royal Navy and has been
on a course at RNEC Manadon. He and David Bartlett
(1977), also at Manadon and a Lieutenant RN , paid us a
visit recently.
Graham Beaumont (1966) and his brother Keith (1970)
are both Chartered Surveyors working in London. Both are
top class rugby referees - Graham with the London Society
and Keith with the Devon Society. I had the pleasure of
watching him refereeing the Blundell’s v King’s Taunton
match last autumn.
Keith Graham (1968) emigrated to Australia in 1970. He
works at a Job Centre in Sydney. He paid us a visit last
autumn.
Timothy Graham (1965) also emigrated to Australia. He
runs a cleaning business in Armidale, New South Wales.
Robert Fogwill (1968) is involved in numerous enterprises
in Tavistock. He is the proprietor of the Drake Manor Inn
in Buckland Monachorum and his wife Mandy is always
busy there. He is also a partner in Tavy Graphics, which
prepares a weekly newspaper, magazines etc for printing
(including the MHOBA literature). His mother, Jacqui,
known to many Old Boys as Assistant Matron at Mount
House when Wimbers retired, works there tirelessly on the
typesetting.
Andrew Lamb (1982) is now at the Plymouth College of
Further Education doing Sports Studies. He hopes to do a
degree course elsewhere at a later date.
Andrew Cross (1986) has been stroke of the Winchester
College 1st VIII.
Henry Ashworth (1982) is at the Oxford Polytechnic doing
a Hotel and Catering course. He has also done a ‘sandwich
course’ at a London restaurant.
Andrew Gillett (1971) is a viola player with the SW Mozart
players. He also teaches, and has his own ensemble, The
Parnassus.
Michael le Flufy (1960) has recently left his job in
Cambridge and now works in Aldermaston.
Robin Bertram (1983) spent his GAP year travelling and is
now settled at Nottingham University reading
Architecture.
Michael Priddis (1986) who is at Kelly College, has been
awarded an Army ‘Scholarship’. He hopes to go to a
university before joining the army.
Christopher Bullocke (1981) has joined the Merchant
Navy and is at the School of Maritime Studies, a branch of
the SW Polytechnic in Plymouth.
Michael Greenwood (1975) is proprietor of Albaston
Garage, near Tavistock. He is getting married shortly.
Peter Fox (1978) now has his commercial pilot’s licence
and works in Tanzania. His elder brother Christopher
(1977) runs the Game Park at Mafindi in Tanzania.
Alexander Fox (1986) has one more year at Plymouth
Technical College working for a B Tech National Diploma
in Mechanical and Production Engineering. When he
qualifies he, too, hopes to work in Africa.
Robert Orr (1974) passed well into Sandhurst after leaving
Wellington College. He is a regular soldier in the Royal
Engineers, stationed at Chatham.
Ian Orr (1981) is in his second year at the Oxford
Polytechnic. Also keen on service life, he is a member of
the OTC.
Dane Salter (1986) is at Repton and has excellent GCSE
results. He has been awarded a Foundation Scholarship.
His interests include computing, hockey and rockclimbing.
Gill Baldwin (1973) is a Captain in the Queen’s Dragoon
Guards and Adjutant of his Regiment. He plays polo and
paints portraits of his fellow officers to help pay his mess
bills and he makes furniture. He has been decorated for his
service in the Lebanon.
David Balmer (1983) is at Stirling University reading
Biology and Psychology. Last year he converted a VW
transporter into a caravan and conveyed the family to
Venice and back - safely.
Adam Fox-Edwards (1975) is a Flight Lieutenant in the
RAF and is instructing after a stint flying Tornadoes in the
West Country. He has recently become engaged.
Thomas Blaikie (1971) is teaching English in London after
graduating at London University.
Richard Pinder (1977) works for a Public Relations firm in
London.
Edward Bye (1969) is in television, on the production side.
He is married to Ruby Wax.
Adrian Lukis (1970) is a television personality. He played a
lead in the Agatha Christie Miss Marple Mystery ‘A
Caribbean Mystery’, shown last Christmas.
Richard Baker (1985) is at the Plymouth College of
Further Education doing a course in Hotel Catering and
Institutional Management
Richard Lamb (1986) is also at the Plymouth College of
Further Education and doing a similar course. They paid
us a visit recently.
Nicholas Mannering (1986) is at Bryanston doing ‘A’
levels in Economics, History and CDT. His sights are set
on the Police Force.Robin Mannering (1989) is also at
Bryanston. He has played for the Under 14 B rugby team,
enjoys squash and tennis and is keen on acting.
Rory Benham (1986) is at Sherborne and has started on his
‘A’ levels in Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
Simon Travis (1971) has a three year appointment at
Oxford lecturing on gastro-enterology. He and his wife
Pamela are living in Oxford and have a daughter,
Clementine.
Rupert Travis (1973) is working with Thomas Howell, the
Loss Adjusters. He and his wife live in London. They have
two children.
Quintus Travis (1977) is serving with the Royal Marines
and has a two year appointment as Training Officer in
Barbados.
Continued over
83
Old Boys News
Julian Churcher (1972) is a GP in Acton. He is married
and has a daughter, Louisa.
William Churcher (1977) was, on the last count, job­
hunting in Australia.
Rupert Houghton (1981) is in his second year at
Edinburgh University.
Sebastian Smith (1981) is in his final year at Edinburgh
reading Spanish.
Marcus Stone (1978) is in the Merchant Navy. He is a
Fourth Engineer with Furness Withy.
John Beckly (1984) has been on a British Schoolboys’
expedition to Alaska, in particular doing botanical and
zoological research. He intends to go to Medical School in
due course.
Robert Creber (1968), proprietor of N H Creber Ltd of
Tavistock, was this year’s National Winner of the
Delicatessen and Fine Food Association, an accolade he
received with his usual modesty.
Toby Wright (1985) is in the Upper VI at King’s Taunton
after some reasonably good GCSE exams last year. He
much enjoys squash and has time to visit the golf course
occasionally.
Bamaby Wright (1986) had good success in his GCSE
exams last year and later played as a flanker in the 1st XV.
Paul Wilson (1986) achieved 10 ‘A’ grades in his GCSE
exams. He took part in the National hurdles and played in
the King’s Taunton 1st XV.
Sam Perowne (1988) is also at King’s Taunton and is doing
very well, especially in the academic field. He played for
the Under 14 cricket XI.
Rufus Bowen (1974) is head of ‘The Marketing for
Business Intelligence Group’ based in Dublin.
Marcus Bowen (1976) is a Chartered Building Surveyor
working in central London.
Martin Stubbs (1975) is an actor and lives in North
London. He left Christ’s Hospital in 1982.
David Key (1981) is a Second Lieutenant in the
Coldstream Guards. He has been temporarily seconded to
the Scots Guards in Northern Ireland.
Cameron Todd (1981) is at Kent University doing Media
Studies.
Sinclair Stevenson (1972) is a Training Officer with the
Legal and General Insurance Company in London. His
brother Toby (1977) works for J Lewis in London. He has
also been orchestrating a Pop Opera for Leeds Playhouse.
Both brothers are defecting (temporarily!) to Moscow this
summer.
Peter Glossop (1958) lives in Heytesbury, near
Warminster. He has his own Agricultural Seeds Merchant
business.
Patrick Coutin (1972) now a Ph D , is in Australia.
John Caverhill (1956) a Lieutenant Colonel in the Lowland
Brigade, is stationed in Edinburgh.
John Harvey (1985) is working for ‘A’ levels at King’s
College, Taunton, taking Chemistry, Biology and English.
He is Captain of Shooting, the nearest substitute for
archery at which he excelled at Mount House. He hopes to
go in for Marine Biology.
Christian Ball (1988) is having a busy life at The King’s
School, Canterbury. Apart from much hard academic work
he has been playing hockey for the Junior Colts A team. He
has been joined by his younger brother Robin (1989) who
has played rugby for the Under 14s and also enjoys hockey.
(I attended Christian’s confirmation by the Archbishop of
Canterbury in the Cathedral and later tried unsuccessfully
to keep up with them on the Lech ski slopes! HPW .)
William Beard (1984) is working at Blostin’s Restaurant in
Shepton Mallett. (Highly recommended in the Good Food
Guide.)
Horatio Morpurgo (1980) went down from Cambridge last
summer and has since been in Heidelberg studying
German in his own time. He was in Bavaria when The Wall
crumbled. He has much to tell of his experiences on the
border, and also has time for bird watching.
Chris Peam (1959), Richard Tonks (1963), and John
Jellicoe (1967) are to be congratulated on sending sons to
Mount House last autumn.
Paul Vincent (1975) is proprietor of the Vincent Gallery in
Magdalen Road, Exeter. Since he opened the Gallery last
year he has held a number of exhibitions of Ceramics and
paintings of countrywide importance.
Harvey Phillips (1969) is a Tax Accountant in New
Zealand. He is happily married with a family.
William Phillips (1976), Harvey’s brother, is on the Design
Board of March Engineering in Bicester. He is working on
Formula Three racing cars and says that his success is
largely due to Ken Cload’s insistence on meticulous care
when designing his carpentry projects in the ‘Cop Shop’.
Stephen McCormick (1961) and his wife have emigrated
to Ontario, Canada.
84
—
Patrick Smiley (1979) is a stockbroker in London.
David Glossop (1961), a Major in the Royal Corps of
Transport, is on an advanced Transportation course. He
hopes to spend next Christmas with his sister Susan in
Sydney.
Daniel Hughes (1989) is enjoying life at Marlborough. He
plays tennis in preference to cricket, does athletics and
swimming and is interested in CDT. His brother Patrick
(1989) enjoys school in the USA and home cooking! H e is
involved in acting and computers.
Charles Cameron (1982) is at Sandhurst and will be
joining the Queen’s Own Highlanders, following in his
grandfather’s footsteps. He is a keen Scottish dancer and
performed the Hamilton House and a Sixteensome before
the Princess Royal in a demonstration team.
Robert Milne (1984) is having his GAP year in Australia
after leaving Sherborne. He also visited Thailand, Hong
Kong, China and New Zealand. While in Australia he had
a 7 day diving course on the Great Barrier Reef. He has a
place at Kingston Polytechnic to do Business Information
Technology. He helped with flood relief while in New
South Wales.
Dominic Phillips (1981) has had his training with the
Royal Marines disrupted by an accident. He is uncertain
about his future.
Christopher Cashell (1986) won his 1st XI cricket colours
at King’s Taunton, where he has been made a School
Prefect.
Simon Read (1979) is training in management at the
Bedford Hotel in Tavistock.
Paul Gregson (1983) is doing Estate Management at
Newcastle Polytechnic.
Richard Rashleigh (1971) is setting up a computer system
for a housing association.
Simon Cameron (1988) is enjoying life at Pangbourne,
rowing and sculling and only worrying a little about
approaching GCSEs. He much enjoyed the three years with
his parents in Sri Lanka and had visits from his friends
Christian Ball, Robert Parker-Swift and Ian Forbes.
Rupert Woodard (1977) who is in the Royal Navy, has
recendy been serving in the Falklands which he says are so
chilly that even the penguins have gone abroad! He much
enjoyed his year in Britannia with William May Somerville
(1975). He has recently married and plans to leave the
Old Boys News
Navy next year after a great time since 1984, during which
he has visited sixty foreign ports and spent two weeks on
the Galapagos Islands. He hopes to settle in Plymouth after
the Navy, but is uncertain about his future career.
Denis de B Welchman (1961) has become Building
Surveyor at the University of Warwick.
James Milne (1988) is at Sherborne with GCSE ahead of
him next year.
Mark Deeble (1974) has been doing some great filming for
the television series ‘Survival’. His interest in filming
brought first success in 1986 when he and a friend, Victoria
Stone, produced a film of underwater life in the Fal
estuary. ‘Valley under the Sea’. His latest film, ‘Here be
Dragons’ is a remarkable study of crocodiles made in
Africa, in the vicinity of the Murchison Falls.
Robert Gillett (1968) left farming 2Vi years ago and is now
a computer consultant and partner in Cloud 9 Computers
in Tavistock.
Anthony Wilson (1968) after service at sea in a variety of
vessels from tankers to ferries is now a nautical journalist.
William Wilson (1970) works in Barclays Bank
International. He has been at the bank’s headquarters in
Lyon, Munich, Paris and is now in Madrid. Both Anthony
and William meet up annually with Edward Bye.
Justin Morshead (1973) works for a leading computer firm
in London.
Christopher Morshead (1976) works for a firm
constructing fencing in Buckinghamshire. When time
permits he returns to Launceston to assist with the farm.
Anthony Horridge (1977) works for British Aerospace in
the computer department dealing with Harrier jets.
John Bussell (1975) owns a fruit and vegetable retail shop
in Broadway, Plymstock. His hobby is racing Porsches.
Ian Dacre (1964) is married to a Chinese girl and lives in
Hong Kong. H e is a successful performer at the triathlon,
but his business is hiring out and running bicycle tours.
His venture has been very successful.
Philip Helby (1965) lives in Australia and has transferred
from the Royal Navy to the Royal Australian Navy as a
submariner.
Robin Forshaw-Wilson (1963) works for television,
producing music programmes.
Rufus Wixon (1978) now has his own model making
business in London. He visited Mount House in July.
Simon Goodenough-Bayly (see earlier entry) has
completed his course at the University of London with an
MA and a distinction in Drama and Theatre Studies. He is
presently directing the Galloglass Theatre Company,
touring Eire this summer. H e is learning Polish and has
been awarded a scholarship when he joins the Polish
Theatre in October.
Would you
like to advertise
in Fanfare?
Please contact
the Editor on:
0822 612244
John Hutchison (1966) has left the Army after six years as
a Chaplain and is Vicar, or Priest-in-Charge, of Viney Hill,
Lydney, Gloucestershire. He is also Warden of the
Diocesan Adventure Centre. He is married and has two
daughters.
David Hutchison (1969), John’s brother, is a Major in the
Grenadier Guards. He has been a Company Commander
while serving in Germany and after a Staff College course
he is expecting a staff appointment in this country.
Martyn Bateman (1947) recently Canon of St
Edmondsbury and Ipswich is now Rector of Lydford and
Rural Dean of Tavistock. He visited the school in July.
Patrick Harris (1984) has left Marlborough and is starting a
Foundation Course in Art at Falmouth Polytechnic.
Meanwhile he is helping to sail a boat to Gibraltar.
Vincent Harris (1985) is still at Marlborough. He has
completed his GCSE exams and is undecided about his
future.
85
Old Boys News
Mount House
Wanderers Tour 1990
The 1989 tour report was sent out on 9.10.1989. Dates for
1990 were notified on Christmas cards to all members.
Fixtures were arranged, availability lists were sent out in
April, so the scene was set for 1990.
Our first match, against Charles Price’s XI at Mount
House, proved to be a very fine game indeed. James
Allenby, captaining the Headmaster’s XI, elected to bat
first. Patrick and Christopher Cashell opened the batting to
the bowling of Robin Lumb and Ben Lott. W ith the short
boundary there were obviously many runs going to be
scored, but with 30 on the board, Patrick was well taken by
wicket-keeper James Homewood off Lott. Chris Cole
relieved Lumb and had Edmund Hulme lbw with his score
at 1. Christopher Cashell scored an attractive 37 (3 6s and 3
4s) and looked to be in a menacing mood before being
given lbw to D Carr. Allenby senior was the next to go at 84
to a good catch by Neil Major. Simon Allenby scored 8
before falling to another catch by Homewood, this time off
Cole’s bowling. B Hulme and W Lean took the score to 116
before William Lean was brilliamly caught by Skipper
Chris Pearn off Lott’s bowling. Cole bowled Hulme for 14.
David Grey and Peter Hamilton-Leggett were now at the
wicket. Peter was bowled for 10 by the untiring Cole. Jim
Hannaford played a minor but crucial role in the ensuing
partnership, which saw 101 runs added, before the innings
was declared closed at 238 for 8. David Gray’s powerful
batting of 73 not out, including 8 6s and 3 4s, was a delight
to watch. The bowling showed Cole taking 5 for 80 and
Ben Lott 2 for 26, while Homewood let through only 8
byes and had two catches to his credit.
The Wanderers opened with David Rees and Jonas Hurst,
the latter scoring only 5 before being caught and bowled by
Charles Price, who then accounted too for Geoff Whaley
(7). When Graham Bush was bowled by Edmund Hulme
the Wanderers seemed in deep trouble. The situation was
steadied when Neil Major came to join David Rees and 70
runs were added before Neil fell to a good ball from Chris
Cashell for 37. Chris Cole now joined Rees who was batting
steadily, but was caught behind by Patrick Cashell off
Christopher’s bowling. David had scored a most valuable
50, including 9 4s. James Homewood and Cole put on 52
runs before Homewood was run out to a brilliant fielding
recovery by Chris Cashell, whose attempted catch was in
itself fine, and the good throw to the wicket-keeper gave
Homewood no chance. His 17 runs were most valuable.
The Skipper managed a couple of singles before being
bowled, but No 9, D Carr, showed the value of a good eye
by hitting a fine 26 before being beautifully caught on the
boundary by Charles Price. In the meantime Chris Cole yet
again proved what a fine cricketer he is, for in the last over,
with two wickets in hand, he hit a mighty six to win the
game for the Wanderers; his 76 not out included 7 6s and 6
4s. A most valuable single from Robin Lum b had ensured
that Chris was at the right end at the right time.
With his 5 for 80 and his 76 not out, Chris was adjudged
Man of the Match by umpire Rodney Browne. It was a
very good game of cricket.
KCC
Produced by Nicholas Toyne Topsham Devon Printed in England
Bfi.
.......
v Launceston
Launceston batted first on a very good wicket. Trevor
Ryder and Nick Blythe opened the bowling for us and
Ryder had Walter caught at the wicket for 0. The second
wicket fell at 33 and Launceston declared their innings
closed 177 for 6. Ryder bowled 12 overs, taking two
wickets for 18. Ben Lott took two for 18 in two overs,
thanks largely to two magnificent catches in the deep by
Christopher Cashell. James Homewood kept wicket well,
taking a good catch and conceding only two byes.
The Cashells opened the batting and put on 51 runs. Chris
Cole joined Chris Cashell and took the score to 108 when
Cole was run out for 27. Nick Blythe and Geoff Whaley
failed to increase the score and at 137 Chris Cashell’s fine
innings came to an end. His 81 included four 6s and eight
4s. Jonathan Perry scored 15 and we then lost David Grey
for 0 and William Perry for 2. W ith 11 runs needed for
victory in the final over James Homewood hit two
boundaries and a single. Ben Lott was facing the last ball
with 2 to win. The ball was bowled fast down the leg side
and Ben was unable to connect, so the match ended in a
draw, having swung first one way and then the other.
KCC
1989 Caption Competition
Last year’s caption seemed to spark off the imaginations of
only a few of our readers.
The winning caption, in true nautical style, came from Sir
David Clayton:
DO YOU HEAR THERE.
THIS IS YOUR SKIPPER SPEAKING ALL HANDS ON DECK!
The Horn of Plenty
GULWORTHY * TAVISTOCK * DEVON
Tel: TAVISTOCK 832528
continues its tradition of
excellent cuisine together
with the comfortable
bedrooms with bathrooms.
The Horn of Plenty, Gulworthy,
Tavistock, Devon PL 19 8JD
Tel: (0822) 832528
Rooms open all year except Christmas Day.
Restaurant closed Thursday and Friday lunch.
Prize for the best caption - Entries to the editor by 1.1.91