12 / 120
10
GAUDY, 4TH JULY 2015
win over Marlborough; and again there
have been more records broken:
• Highest 1st wicket partnership of 239
between Will Bull and Calvin Dickinson
• Highest partnership for any wicket
in history of the school between
AJ Woodland and Calvin Dickinson –
276 runs
• Highest ever individual innings –
Calvin Dickinson – 181 runs
In rowing last Saturday the J14 girls’
Octo won the Reading Town Regatta to
make them one of the most successful Shell
girls’ rowing crews ever at Teddies; they were
also women’s J14 champions at Birmingham
Regatta, Thames Ditton Regatta, and
Bedford Star Regatta. The boys’ 1st VIII
reached the last eight at Henley despite an
extraordinary number of setbacks in the
run-up, and they showed true grit to beat
the German champions by two lengths on
Thursday.
On Sunday I enjoyed the Leavers’ Music
Platform at the Holywell Music Room
followed on Monday by two wonderful
recitals in the Warden’s Rooms; last night
and on Thursday there were two more first
class concerts, the first featuring Lucienne
Young playing the Handel Harp Concerto
which reminded me of the splendid evening
earlier in the year at St John’s Smith Square
where three of our pupils – Aaron Gruen,
Horatio Holloway and Ben Swindells –
played the Haydn Cello Concerto, and fully
one fifth of the School were on stage to
entertain the audience in one of London’s
great musical venues. If I may be permitted
a small advertisement, I would note that the
choir will be singing Evensong at St Paul’s
Cathedral on 28th September, hopefully
followed by a drinks party somewhere.
In yesterday evening’s dance showcase,
the performers metaphorically travelled
around the world to take in exciting
locations including New York; last term we
were also metaphorically dancing in New
York in
Fame!
– enjoyed by so many – and
by the same token we will return to that
City for
West Side Story
in the autumn.
Showcasing the School this week,
particularly in the arts, inevitably means
that we showcase the wonderful facility that
is The North Wall and I know many of you
thoroughly enjoyed Terry Pratchett’s
Mort
(with excellent performances from all the
cast, but not least Sam Shuker and Max
Brennan) and also Caryl Churchill’s
Love
and Information
which I look forward to
seeing again in Edinburgh. I am reminded
too, when thinking of our great tradition
of drama here, of last year’s leaver, Flossie
Pugh, whose film,
The Falling
was released
earlier this year to rave reviews. I have no
doubt that she is another OSE superstar
heading for the front cover of
Vogue
like
Emilia Clark.
The visual arts have been to the fore,
and if you have not seen the leavers’ art
exhibition (open until 4.00 pm today in the
North Wall) and the mixed years’ exhibition
(also open until 4.00 pm in the Art and
Design department), then please make a