BLUNDELL’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2013

London Calling

Signing Out: Year 6 celebrate on Speech DayOutdoor Learning: thinking outside of the boxStrings Attached: violin instrumental in Summer Concert success

Regular features: Head Master’s News Trips and Visits Music and Drama Sports Reports

review

Sent to the Tower, museums and galleries, TudorTimes on the Golden Hinde and a Wicked time at thetheatre... a Year 6 residential to cap it all

Signing Out: Year 6 celebrate on Speech DayOutdoor Learning: thinking outside of the boxStrings Attached: violin instrumental in Summer Concert success

Head Master’s NEWS

Andy Southgate Head Master

The Summer Term has to be my favourite for all the obviousreasons. The sun comes out (finally) and the opportunities toexplore the great outdoors become all the more enjoyable. Thisterm we have seen the next stage in our Outdoor Learningprogramme come to fruition with workshops for all of ourchildren, including making fires, camp building, orienteering andteamwork challenges. When we return in September we will havethe use of our new ‘Hub’ and this will provide a focal point (aswell as much needed shelter from the inevitable rain!) for furtherworkshops and daily use of our beautiful grounds. The SummerTerm has also provided plenty of opportunities to enjoy cricket,rounders, athletics and tennis as well as many hours playing with

friends. The Summer Concert was a magnificent showcase for the musical talent atBlundell’s Prep and the Sports Days showed the athletic potential that is being realised inour very youngest through to our senior pupils. There is no doubt that the Summer Term isthe most action-packed and this has been exemplified by all that our Year 6 pupils haveenjoyed during their final weeks with us.

The final year at Prep School is the most exciting. It is also the most challenging, bothacademically and pastorally. The children focus on their Entrance Exams and work tirelesslyto prepare, completing practice papers and looking at exam technique in a quest to dothemselves justice when the day of the ‘real thing’ arrives. This year’s cohort was verysuccessful and passed with flying colours, managing to win eight academic scholarships inthe process. They were all delighted when the results came through and we celebratedtheir success. Having successfully navigated this hurdle you might imagine that these 41children would down tools and sit back. This could not have been further from the truth asthey embarked on their BALSA scheme, or Blundell’s Adventure, Leadership and ServiceAward, devised by Mr Mildren and run by our Year 6 tutors, Mr Moore and Mrs May. Overthe two terms that followed the exams the children looked for ways to win points towardsthe Shackleton, Scott or Fiennes Awards and this required full engagement in the manyactivities that had been arranged at school but also an even greater emphasis on takingpart in activities outside of school. All of our children move on to senior education inSeptember and the BALSA scheme is aimed at helping them to develop the skills neededto make that transition and to thrive in their new environments. Throughout the pages ofthis edition of the Review you will see some of the activities that they have enjoyed thisterm, helping to ensure that their final year at Prep School is packed full of challenging,purposeful and stimulating activities.

I have been fortunate to welcome many guests to the Prep School over the year and oneof the best parts of my job must be giving tours. Without exception, my visitors alwayscomment on the children, how happy they look, how polite they are and how engagedthey are in their learning. The photographs and articles in this edition of the Review capturemany of those qualities and are a wonderful representation of our school. As the academicyear comes to an end I hope that you will enjoy looking through these pages as much as Ihave.

Have a great summer. Have a great summer.

“ ...my visitors always comment on the children, how happy they look, how polite they are and how engaged they are in their learning...”

Blundell’s PrepNEWS

PoND DiPPiNgYear 3 visited the Tiverton CanalBasin on a somewhat cold afternoon.The Ranger explained how to PondDip and the three types of habitat inwhich they were going to dip. The children then had theopportunity to dip and collect specimens from each habitatwith the Ranger on hand to identify any species that thechildren could not locate on their information sheet. The Year3 children returned from the canal with tales of “millions ofcreatures” and thankfully no-one fell in!

ild then had the

The children got to grips with learningoutside of the classroom when Tomand Chris from Exeter Forest Schooland Andy from School OutdoorLearning visited to lead them in suchactivities as building fires, makingdream catchers using willow andwool, and using saws and drills tomake ‘tree cookies’ to wear aroundtheir necks. The different activitieswere interspersed with various gamesand challenges that helped to developself-confidence, team work andlistening skills. All had awonderful experience, and arevery much looking forward todeveloping their outside learningskills further next year.

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s

Outdoor learning

Head Girl, Luli Mountbatten andHead Boy, George Gibbs (above,with the Head Master), thankingGuest Speaker Mr Ralph Heimans(left)

Speech DayWe were delighted to listen to Mr Ralph Heimans speakat Speech Day. Last year Ralph painted an amazingportrait of the Queen standing in Westminster Abbey,and Ralph spoke to the audience of approximately 600guests, children and staff about his life, the experience ofboth meeting and painting the Queen and how each ofhis paintings encapsulates the story surrounding thesubject. His inspirational talk was listened to by a raptaudience, who at the end of the speeches, were able toview copies of some of his work, including a copy of theportrait of the Queen. The School now owns a signedcopy of the painting which will be on display soon.

Speech Day also included a speech by our Head Master,Mr Andy Southgate, which looked back over a highlysuccessful and eventful year for the School.

There were a large number of children who receivedprizes for their hard work throughout the year and thesethey received from Ralph Heimans.

The afternoon was rounded off by a delicious teaprovided once again by our super catering team. Our Year6 leavers spent much time hunting down ‘autographs’ fortheir Leavers’ Books – with Mr Heimans’s being themost popular!

Speech DayOutdoor learning

In May Year 6 enjoyed a day at Croyde Baypursuing the ‘Adventure’ element of theirBALSA scheme. There was opportunity towork in teams for some problem solvingactivities before donning wetsuitsand taking to the beach for asurfing workshop. Some seriouscoasteering challenges, on andoff the rocks, presented theopportunity for all to step out ofthe comfort zone and really testthemselves, and all respondedfantastically to the experience, tomake the most of their learningexperiences outside of theclassroom!

NaVal gaziNgIt is not every day that you have theopportunity to tour the flagship of theRoyal Navy but thanks to the generosity ofCaptain Andrew Burns, our Year 6 childrenwere able to do just that. No part of HMSBulwark was left unexplored as weclimbed ladders, negotiated our waythrough narrow corridors and saved theship from sinking through a system ofwooden wedges! Wewere welcomed ontothe ship by CaptainBurns and thenescorted in threegroups by membersof the crew who gavetheir time sogenerously to explainhow the ship workedto a group of veryexcited 11 year olds.Uniform was triedon, the captain’s hatwas shared aroundand every type ofmilitary weapon washandled, including the 20mm deck-mounted canons! The highlight of the daywas the trip around Devonport in a launch,accompanied by the Commandos who arestationed on Bulwark. We are grateful toMr Rees and Captain Burns for theirgenerosity and hope that we can dosomething similar next year. A.D.S.

g

BALSA

BLUNDELL’SADVENTURE,LEADERSHIPAND SERVICEAWARDThe BALSA programme provided a fresh focus for Year6 following their Entrance Exams this year, offeringopportunities for all to show their initiative anddevelop their citizenship and service skills both insideand outside of School...

COASTALEXPEDITION

Year 6 parents were welcomed with an array ofappetizing food as they joined their children andthe staff for the Balsa and Farewell Evening at theend of term. The children had spent the daypreparing delicious treats which included honeycoated sausages, mini sandwiches, baconwrapped vegetables and chocolate strawberries.After ensuring that their guests had beensufficiently replenished the children sang ‘Skyfall’by Adele. The evening was an opportunity torecognise the children’s achievements in theBlundell's Adventure, Leadership and ServiceAward scheme (BALSA) and every one of our 41Year 6 pupils was presented with a ShackletonAward; there were also a number who had put ina great deal of extra effort in order to go wellbeyond the elements worked on in school alone,and ten pupils received their Scott Award forshowing initiative to undertake manyextracurricular activities in service to the widercommunity outside of school as well. Twomanaged to gain the Fiennes Award, the highestlevel, a truly remarkable achievement and onefully deserved by Milly Curtis and Jasper Pring forall of the hard work and endeavour they hadinvested in pursuing this scheme. The eveningended with the children sharing some of theirfavouritememoriesof theirtime atBlundell’sPrepSchool.

Blundell’s PrepNEWS

Year 6 Farewell Eveningin June we welcomed RadioDevon and Spotlight toBlundell’s Prep as they werekeen to see how the Year 6Speed Watch project wasbeing used to help children tobetter understand the dangersof excessive speed on our localroads. all of the children inYear 6 have had the opportunityto use the police speed guns toidentify those drivers whowere exceeding the limit asthey enter the 30mph zone onBlundell’s Road. Some driverswere then interviewed by thechildren and were asked somechallenging questions, themost challenging perhapsbeing ‘How would you feel ifyou knocked me or one of myfriends over?’ it would bedifficult not to feel a pang ofguilt and it is hoped that thiswill help to reduce speedoutside schools across theregion. if you saw the Spotlight reporton BBC news then you wouldhave seen the confidence withwhich the children spokewhilst on camera, howarticulate they were in theirquestions and how engagedthey were with the projectitself. They are impressiveyoung people and that reallycame across strongly on thetelevision. as you mightimagine, it caused someconsiderable excitement inSchool! a.D.S.

Beach Tidyin June we welcomed Radio

SPEEDWATCH

The Big Beach Clean Up proved agreat success and some of our Year 6were amongst 30 plus volunteers whoturned up to Exmouth Beach onemorning in April to help the MarineConservation Society in conjunctionwith M&S to undertake a national beachsurvey. The children had taken an interest in

how much rubbish is polluting our shoresafter watching a moving film clip aboutMidway Island. They had discussed theimpact of plastics and other waste thataffects our sea and wildlife, and in thespirit of the BALSA scheme, they hadbeen keen to get involved with thisproject and do their bit to help. It certainly gave them a better insight

into what is really happening in the worldoutside of the classroom. Amongst theitems found were a large tractor tyre thatthe class dug out for the council toremove and lots of plastic bottle tops andsweets papers.It was a really good experience for the

children and I do hope that they continueto take an interest in the impact ofpollution on the environment, and willspread the word that we can all do our bitto use less packaging and dispose ofwaste appropriately. L.M.M.

Blundell’s Prep OUTDOORS

ESCoT WalKERSYear 2 enjoyed a fantastic day at Escot onWednesday. it was raining for most of theday but to their credit the children didn’t letthat dampen their spirits. Needless to saythe children were very excited about theirtrip but they all behaved extremely well andwere a credit to the school. When wearrived we went straight into the maze. Themaze is very tricky, however this didn’tdeter our intrepid explorers and every oneof them made it to the finish. after a shortrest stop which included name badgemaking, we went over to see the otter andbird of prey shows. once the packedlunches had been devoured the childrenwere treated to a dessert of fire-roastedmarshmallows. The afternoon saw thehighlight of the trip for most people: a walkthrough a chest-deep swamp! To theircredit the children (and teachers!) bravedthe muddy water with smiles on their faces.once we had been hosed down the childrenended their day with a rope scramble, aspot of wild garlic munching and then acalming look in the pond. all in all a greatday was had by all!

In order to complement thecurriculum and push the learningexperience beyond the classroom,children from across the school havebeen lucky enough to visit many ofthe local attractions and facilitiesavailable in Devon this term...

Out and about

outand about

SuPER MoDElSThe children in Year 1 had a wonderful day ontheir trip to Babbacombe Model Village andKent’s Cavern. The children loved walking aroundthe grounds of the Model Village looking at themodel houses and buildings. The fire breathingdragon and the burning house particularly caughttheir attention. After a delicious lunch in thegardens of Kent’s Cavern, Terry, the tour guide,enthralled the children with tales of mammoths,lions, bears and cave men and women. The sunappeared as they came out of the cave and theyenjoyed an ice lolly before returning to school,tired but happy!

Blundell’s PrepOUTDOORS

ViCToRiaN HiSToRiaNSYear 1 enjoyed an interesting day out at TivertonMuseum in April. They loved dressing up asVictorian school children and finding out just howstrict the teachers used to be. They looked at avariety of wooden toys and learnt how to make apeg doll, which many Victorian children wouldhave made at home. There was so much to seeand do at theMuseum that wecould easily havespent a 2nd daythere.   S.A.S.

CaSTliNgon a gorgeous sunny morning in May, Year 2 travelled in the school minibuses tovisit Tiverton Castle. We were met there by Mrs gordon and she kindly gave us atour. We looked at many interesting features, which we had talked about in theclassroom. The children particularly enjoyed looking at the armour, trying on thehelmets and holding the heavy cannon ball. They were not quite so keen to seewhere the old lavatories used to be and hear that young children, of about six orseven years old, would be expected to climb up and clean them! The childrenlistened carefully to Mrs gordon as she told them the history of the castle and aghost story too. it was a very enjoyable trip and the children learnt many interestingthings about Tiverton Castle. D.M.K.

CouNTRY liFEThe Kindergarten children were all veryexcited when it came to boarding thecoach to take them to The World ofCountry Life in Exmouth. They just couldn'twait to get there! Although the weatherwas a little cloudy this did not dampentheir enthusiasm and after a quick stop forsnack we all headed off to feed the calvesand the lambs. They must have been evenhungrier than the children because thebottles were soon empty and it was timeto take the lambs for a walk or perhaps arun was more accurate! Then it was off tothe train ride to feed the deer. There wasone tiny deer which was only two days oldand everyone seemed to want to take ithome. Most of the children were braveenough to feed the deer and there were afew llamas that joined the queue too. Aftereating our own lunch we all went to watchthe falconry display. The birds flew so nearand one of the owls even landed on theseat beside us. We certainly had afantastic view! We all agreed that it hadbeen a great day out for everyone andeven the sun came out to say goodbye.

NuRSERY TiMESNursery 1 have had a busyterm exploring places inour locality. TivertonMuseum, Tiverton library,West Exe Park and St.Paul's Church have allbeen visited. HalbertonCourt Farm was thesource of deliciousstrawberries; the childrenhad fun picking these anddistributed them to all ofthe children in the Pre-Prep! our final trip was toKia ora Farm, Cullompton.Here the childrendiscovered model nurseryrhyme characters, saw alarge carp being caughtand were fascinated by apeacock giving a full taildisplay. it was anexcellent morningrounded off by a deliciouspicnic! D.McD.

in the school minibuses to

p

a RooM WiTH a PEWYear 4 enjoyed a visit to the church atSampford Peverell to support their R.E.studies this term, where they got a chance tosee behind the scenes from pulpit to belltower.

Overnig...walking up theriver and slippingand sliding throughthe tunnels wasEPIC!

“”

ht sensationsBlundell’s Prep ACTIVE

In a move to bring the residential experiences into line in the Summer Term, the Schoolstrived for a Trips Week this May, when all at the Prep School had the opportunity toenhance their education offsite, whether through academic, artistic or cultural endeavour,or physical or outdoor pursuits – whilst of course having a lot of fun away from home inthe process...

Year 5 enjoyed four days at the Kelly College adventure Centre on Dartmoor...

Year 5 on Dartmoor: Stretching the Comfort Zone Year 3 enjoyed two

fantastic days at BeafordArts Centre in NorthDevon. Under the guidanceof the professional artistsat the centre, they enjoyedmaking mythical driftwoodcreatures (almost as muchas they enjoyed spending anight away from home!)The next day they movedon to look at the amazingstatues at BroomhillSculpture Park, which theyused as inspiration forbuilding their own sandsculptures on the beach atSaunton Sands. The overallexperience was one thatwill leave an indelibleimpression!

Blundell’s Prep ACTIVE

Year 3 at Beaford: artists in Residence

There were loads of activities to do on Dartmoor,including abseiling, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing,raft building, river walking, climbing the high ropesand the trapeze; we also went weaselling (whichinvolved climbing through tiny gaps between rocks)and letter-boxing, which was looking for stampshidden in tins all over Dartmoor. Some of the activitieswere very scary (especially the high up ones!) but theinstructors were all friendly and encouraging andeveryone had fun! We had to wear wet suits andhelmets and buoyancy aids for the water activities, butwalking up the river and slipping and sliding through

the tunnels was EPIC! In the evenings there were other activities todo, including wide games like Capture the Flag and Camouflage onDartmoor, or archery and orienteering at the Adventure Centre. Thefood at the centre was amazing, and we all talked and talked into thenight in our dormitories (at least until Mrs Garcia came in and told usoff!) Everyone had a great time and we didn’t want to come backagain! Laura Smith & Holly Nugent

Tinrainahwinehw

the tunnels was

We had an action-packedtime at Folly Farm. The firstthing we did was ponddipping. We caught a newtand named it Steve! We alsocaught some snails andsome wiggly things! Thenwe went minibeasting andfound centipedes andworms! We also looked atowl pellets and went badgerwatching – we saw four badgers, it was amazing!The next day we went den building with sticks;our team worked well together. We also collectedwood to make fires, and cooked bread on thefires. One of the best bits was setting traps to seewhat animals we could catch –there was a really funny bitwhen Eve looked into ourtrap and thought there wasa slug in it, but therewasn’t! We had a fabtime at Folly Farm!Lottie Southgate &Anna Maunder

Year 4 at Folly Farm: Back to Nature

Year 6 enjoyed three days inlondon, staying at the Baden

Powell House Youth Hostelnear Hyde Park and using this

as a base for a fantasticallybusy schedule of sight-seeing,

theatre-going, cultural toursand educational workshops in

the capital...

Overnight sensations

Wednesday 22nd May

09:00 Depart School; snack at Services. Eat packed lunch on coach.

13:30 Tour Natural History Museum.16:00 Check-in at Baden Powell House.17:00 Supper at Baden Powell House. 18:00 Depart on coach for Apollo

Victoria Theatre.19:00 See West End play: Wicked.22:00 Return to Baden Powell House.22:30 Bed.

Thursday 23rd May

08:00 Wake up and shower.08:30 Breakfast at Baden Powell House.

ITINERARY

Blundell’s Prep ACTIVE

09:00 Tour Science Museum.11:00 Depart on coach for Tower of

London.11:30 Arrive at Tower of London.

Eat packed lunches. 12:00 Tour Tower of London;

Imprisonment, Escape and Execution Workshop.

15:00 Walk across Tower Bridge to Southwark Cathedral Refectory.

15:30 Eat tea in Southwark Cathedral Refectory.

16:30 Walk to Golden Hinde for Living History Workshop and supper.

21:00 Return on coach to Baden Powell House.

22:00 Bed.

Friday 24th May

08:30 Wake up and shower.09:00 Breakfast at Baden Powell

House.09:30 Depart on coach for Tate Modern.10:00 Tour Tate Modern galleries.12:00 Walk to National Theatre. 12:15 Backstage tour of National

Theatre. Eat packed lunches.

14:00 Walk to meet coach at Southwark Bridge.

14:15 Depart London; snack at Services.

18:45 Arrive School.

Year 6 in London:A Capital Adventure

Music in the Forest The sound of woodpeckers could be heard inthe school grounds when the children in thePre-Prep enjoyed a wonderful afternoon ofmusic making with Mervyn Bedford fromMusikgarten. after starting with a welcomesong the children joined in an action songabout a dandelion. They each had a scarfwhich they blew into the air to represent theseeds. a song about a woodpecker wasaccompanied by children pulling strings toplay some wooden woodpeckers that Mervynhad attached to the trees. a variety of songsand movement followed and all the childrenthoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Musical notes

Our Tea Time Concerts wereheld over two evenings thisterm, and kicked off with aJunior Tea Time Concert,providing an opportunity forchildren in Years 3 and 4 toshowcase their musical talents.Pieces performed in what wasa very varied and enjoyableconcert included traditionalFrench music, the ChattanoogaChoo Choo and Part of YourWorld, from The LittleMermaid. It was wonderful tosee so many of our youngermusicians performing withsuch confidence andenjoyment. Our Senior TeaTime Concert followed, andsaw children in Years 5 and 6performing, with performancesincluding music from themusicals (Oom Pah Pah, Whereis Love, Cabaret and MyFavourite Things), a HungarianFolksong and Take That! AmberSharp performed Adele’s‘Rolling in the Deep’, playingthe piano and singing – a firstfor one of our Tea TimeConcerts. Both concerts werethoroughly enjoyed by all, welldone to everyone whoperformed. B.L.C.

The Mamas and Papas:Sing for ShelterTickets sold really well forthe Mamas and Papasconcert on Friday 3rd May.Our programme started withChattanooga Choo Choo,continued with songs likePenny Lane, Lullaby ofBirdland and Nobody Does itBetter, and finished withIrish Blessing. There wereplaces where the audiencewere asked to join in andjoin in they did, which wasmarvellous. Altogether therewas a wonderfulatmosphere.

The music was followedby something to eat anddrink and a very successfulraffle. The evening went along way towards raisingenough money to buy acomplete Shelterbox and Iwould like to thank everyonewho came along, boughttickets and supported us.R.J.B.

Tea Time Concerts

The Summer Concert in themarquee was a real celebration ofall the music making that happensthroughout the School. It gaveevery child in Years 2-6 theopportunity to perform.

The programme for the SummerConcert was very varied andincluded both instrumental andvocal performances. It was lovelyto see some of the Pre-Prepchildren joining in with the stringand brass groups. Other groups performing included thewind group, orchestra, guitar ensemble, piano trios,recorder group and flute group. Year 3 had spent all yearlearning to play the violin and they performed their threepieces confidently, joined by the Year 2 string group andsome of our older violin and cello players.

Singing featured throughout the concert and three of ournewly formed groups made their marquee ‘debut’. OnlyBoys Aloud sang ‘Raw Energy Rag’, Girls Aloud sang‘Summer’ and The Scholarettes performed Adele’s ‘Set Fireto the Rain’. Other songs performed included Mr BlueSkies, The Lion King and a Tribute to Queen. Year 2 sangWe’re Going Swimming and the whole school joinedtogether to sing Lean on Me. The Choir, Staff and TheMamas and Papas all performed and everyone in themarquee joined in with a four part song called Pop Idol.

A huge thank you must go toall the children who took part inwhat was a fantastic concert,and to all the parents whohave supported them inpractising their instrumentsand learning their song wordsat home. Thank you also to allthose visiting music teacherswho have worked so hardwith the children throughoutthe year. B.L.C.

Summer Concert

Blundell’s Prep MUSICAL NOTES

The Mamas and Papas:

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it was a real treat to watch theNursery children perform theirSummer Play, The garden. it wasa delightful story about a palacegarden that had no flowers orvegetables growing in it.luckily, help appeared in the

form of many Bob the Builders and two fantastic magicianswho helped dig the soil, get rid of the stones and weeds andplant the seeds. The end result was a beautiful garden forthe King and Queen. The children sang some lovely songsincluding "Bob the Builder" and many traditional NurseryRhymes. They were all having such a wonderful time on thestage that many of them were reluctant to come off at theend! T.N.

The Kindergarten children performed a wonderful summerplay for their friends and families which told the story ofNoah's Ark. There were all sorts of animals on the arkincluding pigs, ladybirds, rabbits and penguins. There weretwo raindrops who brought the flood and a dove and a ravenwho went to look for land. The children sang lots of lovelysongs and spoke their words loudly and clearly. It was a mostwonderful performance! T.N.

PlayDazzleYear 6 dazzled in their leavers’ Play at the end of term...Dazzle is set in a funfair fallen on hard times and tells astory full of imagination, mystery and opportunity. Thecast have all been amazing! They have embraced thewhole experience by performing at an audition beforebeing allocated parts and then learning the lines early,allowing us time to develop the play and make it ourown. This year they have been encouraged to add somefeatures of their own.

as always with a production of this size and naturethere are a whole host of people who have beeninvolved in helping us. We would especially like tothank the unsung heroes who mostly remain in theshadows or behind the scenes, without whom, wewould not have a production! Many staff have rallied,helping out backstage and providing support andprops, proving what a very talented Prep Staff we haveat our School. Final thanks must go to the SeniorSchool staff for their continual support – and forallowing us to use the fantastic facilities at ondaatjeTheatre! T.M.C.

time

The garden

itNSagvel

form of many Bob the Builders

T

Noah’s ark

Blundell’s PrepON STAGE

Jack Swain

The very best thingabout Dazzle is

everything and I lovedevery single moment

of it. It has beenabsolutely amazing

fun from the start to the end!

Year 1 performed a super play calledTattybogle, which told the story of ascarecrow who was not very goodat scaring the crows away...

I was Tattybogle. It was fun. I did my own solo. We workedreally hard on the play. Therewere three crows calledCharlie, William and Harry. Therewere pretty dances. The crowswere really funny and keptsaying caw. I wore really tattyclothes. My favourite bit waswhen I was on stage with thedancers doing the wind wolvesdance. I felt a little bit scaredwhen I saw the big audience.Grace Horan, Year 1

YT

w

G

Tattybogle

“...There were selection headachesfrom day one with the eleven

places hotly contested between anumber of enthusiastic

cricketers...”

Blundell’s Prep SPORTS

u10 a CRiCKETThe U10 A squadhas been supportedby a strongbackbone ofplayers who haveconstantly playedtheir part in boththe batting and bowlingsides of the game. By the very nature of thegame it is always possible to mistime a shot andlose a wicket cheaply, but the team has gotbatsmen throughout the order who can allcontribute to the total. Duncan Johnson-Ferguson, as captain, has been excellent atrallying the troops and keeping the squadcommitted to the very end of play. I’m sure thatnext season will see the team continue to gel asa forceful unit intent on working together forvictory. S.G.S.

u10 B CRiCKETFollowing some early disappointments, the U10B squad improved as the term progressed andshould be congratulated on the success theyenjoyed in some of their later matches. LeoOgden-Barker was our biggest improver and hewell deserved his promotion to the ‘A’ team.John Bishop and Mathew Tait also improved andthe whole team always showed a good spirit,playing with a smile on their faces. E.S.H.

u9 a CRiCKETWe started the season with high expectationsafter an excellent win against Exeter Cathedral.Unfortunately it didn’t last; our next matchagainst St. Peter’s went right down to the lastover and sadly we weren’t the victors, St.Peter’s winning by just three runs. The teamregrouped and we had good wins at Stocklandand West Buckland with some excellent bowlingperformances from Nathan White, ZebedeeWinzer and Kit Barnes. We drew our first matchafter half term against Kelly College, butfollowed this up with a convincing win at St.Joseph’s. Our final match of the season, againstExeter Prep, was supposed to be our one andonly hard ball game; however in a fixture mix-upExeter arrived with their B team so it was sadlynot to be. However, not to be outdone, wearranged our own hardball fixture in the lastweek of the term against Mr Swains U10s. TheU9s bowled and fielded superbly and kept theU10’s score down to just 70 runs. A splendidbatting performance saw the match finish on awell deserved draw. My thanks go to the boysfor all their hard work in the nets and on the fieldthis summer. S.J.M.

u9 B CRiCKET‘Massive enthusiasm’ are two words that sumup our season this year. Ollie Butler, Will Cave,Thomas Labdon, Dominic Wielenga, and JoshuaWithey were our star players. Thomas Labdonbowled and batted very well and the wholeteam improved as the season progressed. Thereis still room for further improvement, but thiswas a thoroughly enjoyable season. E.S.H.

u9 C CRiCKETThe team have been very gracious towards eachother – and often to the opposition too. Cricket isa game for gentlemen but it is also competitive.There is still some work to do to develop ahunger for victory and improve tactical play, butthis will come as the raw ingredients of energyand teamwork is found in this happy squad inabundance. S.G.S

u8 CRiCKETThe enthusiasm of the Year3’s has been infectious and adelight to see! They havechased every ball hit,although they do need tolearn that fielding is theresponsibility of the nearestplayer, not everybody everytime. There have been a fewtennis or golfing shotsplayed during the battinginnings, but the boys arelearning and the team spiriton show during matches andpractices has beenheartening. There is goodpotential here for nextseason. S.G.S.

‘MupThWbteisw

uToaTht

Cricket

wling

“...The enthusiasmof the Year 3’s hasbeen infectiousand a delight tosee!”

Blundell’s Prep SPORTS

u11 a CRiCKETThe weather was kind to us this year and we managedto play every game, even if one or two of them were inthe rain. This year’s cohort has been cricket mad andhas relished every opportunity to play and to practise.There were selection headaches from day one with theeleven places hotly contested between a number ofenthusiastic cricketers, all of whom wanted to showwhat they could do with bat and ball. The final stats ofplayed 9, won 5, lost 4 tell the story of a season thatincluded some very close contests and some wonderfulindividual performances. The five victories cameagainst Queen’s (Joe Hancock 43, george gibbs 28), St.Peter’s (Jasper Pring 47), Stockland (a win by 4wickets), Exeter Junior School (Joe Hancock 3-6,george gibbs 2-24, luca Kemp 2-19) and ExeterCathedral School (Dom Vause 25, luca Kemp 5-9).Defeats came against Taunton Prep in the first game ofthe season, Millfield (george gibbs 4-19), our old Boysand Claire’s Court (Jasper Pring 50 not out, Joe Hancock50 not out). Every member of the squad made valuablecontributions with bat and ball, and fielded withremarkable skill and athleticism. Ben gresswell’s catchagainst Millfield whilst running backwards wasastonishing! george Mcintyre, Daniel Stagg, liamNapier, Harry Charlesworth, alex Venner, Will Sawyer,Jack Swain, Joe Horsey and Henry Dyke were all part ofthis talented squad and i am grateful to them all for theirefforts throughout the season. a.D.S.

u11 B CRiCKETa strong squad of thirteen boys represented theu11 B team this term and were victorious in everygame bar a bit of a wash-out at St. Peter’s. Theteam was led superbly by Theo Rees whocombined his captain’s duties with those of wicketkeeper which he also shared with the reliablepairing of Joe Horsey and Harry Charlesworth.These three also scored plenty of runs for the teamand they were ably assisted in this by DanielStagg, Jack Swain and liam Napier. a realhighlight of the year was the wonderfulimprovement in our bowling, typified by theexcellent progress of Jack Winzer, HenryRichards, Sam Willder and Tom greenfield. Theseboys were supported by some fabulous fieldingand catching, most notably from liam Napier,Sammy Provis and oliver leyshon. J.C.K.

PREP SPoRTS DaYHaving lost out to the weather on a previous date,this Sports Day was set to be sunny and warm. Howtrue that was. All of the children were dressed in theirHouse coloured t-shirts and were keen to competefor points for their Houses.

With track and field events happening at the sametime, there was a real buzz about the place. Many ofthe races were closely fought and two school recordsfell in the first two events, with Anna Maunder and HarryHuggett both running with determination.

The relay races saw a fantastic display of teamwork, andwere fiercely contested, with both Senior and Junior racesrequiring the smoothest of change overs to ensure victory.

Margins between the Houses were very narrow throughoutthe afternoon, but finally, when the last race was run,Grenville emerged victorious, closely followed by Raleigh thenDrake.

Tea was enjoyed by all throughout the afternoon and manythanks go to the catering department for this.

The ESSa Schools Relay competitionwas a very exciting event with lots ofschools from all over Devon, Cornwalland Somerset competing at Millfield.21 schools competed in 3 heats, andboth the girls and boys teams swamstrongly in their races. This was awonderful opportunity to swim in alarge competition against the best inthe region, and the teams were a creditto themselves and the School. l.M.M.

Blundell’s Prep SPORTS

SWiMMiNg

Athletics

Mrs May presented themedals to those coming1st, 2nd & 3rd as this washer last Sports Day atBlundell’s Prep. AnnaMaunder, Sam Olive,Rebecca Hamilton andJoseph Horsey were allawarded the top athleticprizes for outstandingperformances during theafternoon. S.G.S.

Following their excellent result atMillfield at the start of the season,the U11 girls have enjoyed a greatseason of rounders. Both A & Bteams have played extremely welland worked hard to involve everyonefully within their team. We have hadsome super performances from all ofthe girls and many memorablemoments!

It was unfortunate for the U10 girlsthat Millfield had to cancel their tournament as it would havebeen a wonderful experience and opportunity for them. The U10girls have had some tough games this term but they haveworked hard and played in great spirits.

Well done to the U9 girls for finishing runners-up in theMillfield U9 Tournament, and only narrowly missing out toMillfield in the final. It was the only match we lost throughoutthe whole term. The U9 B team have also been very successful,winning the majority of their matches too.

The U8 girls in Year 3 have worked hard with Mrs Carter and Iam delighted with their progress andplaying ability. I am certain that thisteam will go on next year to do well inmatches and tournaments. They showgreat potential!

I would like to take this opportunityto say a huge thank you to all of thegirls for the hard work and effort thatthey put into Games over the year. Ithas been an absolute pleasure toteach and coach the girls and I wisheach and every one my best wishesfor playing and representing theSchool in the future. L.M.M.

PRE-PREP SPoRTS DaY

It was touch and go with theweather but luckily the rain heldoff for long enough for the Pre-Prep to hold its Sports Dayoutside on the field. There wasa wide variety of races, everychild was involved in a Sprintrace and there were lots ofnovelty races too. Nursery 1children showed off their expertgardening skills with their “Picka Flower” race. The children inNursery 2 enjoyed taking part ina “Happy Event” race whichinvolved working as a team tocarry different types of babyequipment to the end where an“expectant Mummy” waswaiting. The Kindergartenchildren tried their hands at theEgg and Spoon race, Year 1children jumped their way downthe track in their sacks and theolder children in Year 2 werevery competitive with theirdifferent ball skills races. Therewere even races for the Mumsand Dads which was veryexciting for the children. Manychildren went home after anextremely entertainingafternoon happily clutching awell-deserved certificate.

Rounders is a very tactical game with so many differentscenarios and decisions to be made. a good all-roundplayer has to have the ability to bat, sprint, judge distancesand then make quick decisions, throw accurately andcatch. This is a lot to ask of the girls, but i have beenpleased with the progress of all the players and teams andwe have done extremely well over the term against manyschools far and wide. We have also been more fortunatethis year with the weather and not had as manycancellations. u11 MillFiElD

TouRNaMENTThe girls performedoutstandingly at theMillfield u11 RoundersTournament held atMillfield Prep School.With a last minuterevised playing order, dueto wet weather and someteams having towithdraw,  Blundell'sPrep enjoyed the roundrobin competition. Westarted well and clincheda victory over The DownsSchool with our lastbatter, RebeccaHamiltion, sprinting tosecure a 5 1/2 to 5 victory.We then drew againstMillfield, lost narrowly toMonkton, who had beenimproving with eachgame and then beatPerrott Hill. We were verypleased with our secondplace medals behind TheDowns. zoe labdon wasour team’s player of thetournament for herconsistent and strong lefthanded batting, but welldone to all the girls,especially for someexcellent catching in thefield.

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Rounders

Blundell’s Road, Tiverton

Devon EX16 4NA

Telephone: 01884 252393

Email: prep@blundells.org

www.b l unde l l s . o r g / p r ep

Summer Smiles

Parent and Toddler group meets onWednesday afternoons during term time.

There is always lots of fun to be had using therole play, arts, craft and play equipment

inside or out, refreshments are served beforea group singalong and a different structured

activity each week ensures that there isalways something new and constructive to

do. activities this term have includedcreating collages, painting murals, growingsunflowers, making flags and puppets. if youwould like to know more, please feel free tojoin us from 2:00 on a Wednesday afternoon.

T

at Parent and Toddler GroupSummer Smiles