Our 1st XI and U15 XI squads are going on tour to Cape Town from 11th - 24th December 2012.

The tour brochure includes their full itinerary and many other details; please click on the image on the right to view it as a pdf file.

They have set up a Facebook page for the tour, which will be updated with match reports and photos throughout the tour:
www.facebook.com/ShrewsburyinCapeTown2012

They will also be sending regular updates to Twitter: @ShrewsburySport.

Please note: you do not need to be a member of Facebook to view the tour pages, but you will need to have a Twitter account in order to 'follow us' there.

STOP PRESS 10 December: following the late withdrawal by Charlie White (G LVI) due to medical advice, Jonty Small( M LVI) has joined the tour party. Jonty has been training with the squad over the last six weeks and is delighted to have the opportunity.

John Henry Carter (Rt 94 99) led Oxford University to victory against Cambridge for the second successive year, with the Dark Blues winning by 26pts to 19, in a close, enthralling encounter at Twickenham on 6 December.  Although Cambridge dominated the first half and had a 19pts to 6 lead early in the second, Oxford rallied after a stunning try by Sam Egerton and went on to win the 131st Varsity Match. 

Although Carter had to leave the pitch with a knee injury, he was able to celebrate another famous victory with his team mates at the end of the game (see photo, right).

A fuller report can be seen here.

Our 1st XI and U15 XI squads are going on tour to Cape Town from 11th - 24th December 2012.

They have set up a Facebook page for the tour, on which their full itinerary is posted (under Events), and it will be updated with match reports and photos throughout the tour:
www.facebook.com/ShrewsburyinCapeTown2012

They will also be sending updates to Twitter: @ShrewsburySport.

Ian Haworth apologised for the length of this report, saying 'I got a bit carried away with writing it. I need to learn to write less like Dickens and more like Hemingway...'  Be that as it may, this piece captures the tension and excitement of both the race and the presentations in a way that Hemingway might have struggled to convey so well.

The full team
L-R: Charles Wade (PH); Oscar Dickins (R); Ben Remnant (Ch); Freddie Huxley-Fielding (R); Charlie Tait-Harris (Rb); William Hayward (R)

Nevertheless, confidence was high among this team of three 4th formers and three 3rd formers. They had trained hard in the build-up to this and were excited about the prospect of showing what they could do. Of all the things Bolton is famous for, glorious sunshine probably isn't top of the list, but this is what greeted the team as we pulled up to register.

Temperatures were very low, and though the region had experienced (like everyone else) a huge amount of rain in the previous week, conditions were otherwise excellent for cross-country running. Ours was the fourth race of the day, by which time the course had been churned up nicely, probably suiting our runners more than many of our competitors, who will have been used to more track and road-running in their preparation. A walk of the course before the race (which would be three laps, totalling 4500m) identified some key areas to avoid (including a sheer drop of about 150 feet down to a stream below!) and areas suitable for pushing on and making up ground.

As they lined up in their pens, all were focused on what they were about to do. The gun duly sounded, and a terrifically fast start meant that it was vital to get into position early. Going round the first bend after about 400m, the boys had settled into decent, if not dominant positions.

It was clear that this was going to be a very different race from the regional round, where our quality was noticably greater than the opposition. In this race, every single competitor was a strong runner.

The boys found it hard to work together as a pack, largely because of the greater numbers, and they were all faced with the prospect of running their own individual race, picking their own battles irrespective of their teammates. Freddie Fielding had managed to secure a position around 9th after the first lap, but was looking strong and his eyes were firmly fixed on the (rather larger) boys ahead of him. It was clear by this stage, though, that this was to be St Albans's race; five of their runners were very high up the field and were looking very confident indeed. Ben Remnant was our second-placed runner, battling away in around 22nd, followed by Oscar Dickins, further back but looking the more comfortable in around 28th. Not far behind him our three other runners, roughly evenly spaced; Charlie Tait-Harris, Will Hayward and Charles Wade (who, incidentally, had valiantly stepped in to Gene Ratandaros's spikes as the latter was playing Repton in the U15As football match).

The dynamic of the race in the second lap didn't change a great deal, except for the fact that Ben looked increasingly uncomfortable and had to concede a couple of places. Oscar, meanwhile, determinedly pushed on and got close to catching up with Ben. Charlie Tait-Harris made excellent headway in the middle of the field and made up some vital places, while Will and Charlie were steadily battling away against a remarkably strong lower order.

In the final lap, Freddie had the bit between his teeth and made up an impressive amount of ground on his competitors, pushing his way up to fifth and setting his sights on a fourth-placed runner roughly twice his size. It looked on the final straight as if Freddie might have the measure of him, but the longer legs won out in an exciting finish and Freddie took 5th - an astonishing result given that he's a year 'young' in this competition, and thus will be able to get his revenge in this equivalent race next year.

Ben had recovered by the final lap, and was making headway to recover those positions he'd dropped the previous time around. He showed huge determination here, and he was richly rewarded by taking 25th position ahead of a clutch of runners just behind. Oscar, too, had a strong final lap and continued to make up positions finishing 32nd, less than ten seconds behind Ben. Charlie Tait-Harris, another extremely promising third former racing against boys predominantly a year older, had a stunning race to finish 37th, while the other third former in our team, Will Hayward, finished 63rd. It conveys an impression of how close this race was - and of the quality of the middle-order - to note that he was only just over 30 seconds behind Charlie. Charles Wade was our final finisher in an extremely encouraging 94th position. Given that this is his first competitive race against other schools, this suggests real promise from Charles, who ran an extremely sensible and very gutsy race.

This is predominantly a team event, and positions are judged by adding up the positions of the team's first four finishers. Given that St Albans had their first four finishers in the top 20, we knew that the title was beyond us. However, our total of 99 points was very competitive. As we made our way to the presentations, we had a vague idea that we'd be between 2nd and 5th, but we knew that the Judd School are historically extremely strong and appeared to have several runners high up the field.

Tension was running high and as the Judd School were called up to take their 3rd-place certificates, a glance was shared between Mr Middleton and Mr Haworth which conveyed both worry and excitement. We weren't to be disappointed. 2nd place was ours! This was a hugely proud moment for the Junior Hunt, who'd never even qualified for this final before, so to clinch 2nd ahead of Judd - the dominant force in schools cross-country for many years - was extremely satisfying. Huge congratulations to the six runners - and to Gene, for his help in qualifying us for it - who worked so hard for this. The tremendous talent and dedication displayed by these young lads will make this one of the biggest highlights of the year for the Hunt, who are setting their sights on national titles at Coventry and the Knole run in the Lent term.

By a very proud IPH

Golf is offered on three separate week days with fixtures played on Wednesdays or Sundays, although  our younger students are introduced to the sport in Curriculum Games. Mr Schofield (Master i/c of Golf) is assisted by Mr Joyce and Dr Foulger, and the number of pupils wanting to start or develop their game playing for the School is growing. 

The 2012-13 Captain of Golf is Harry Boutflower (S UVI) and we already have a sprinkling of good new and developing golfers to represent the School for the future  - Ben Oswald (S 3) enthusiastically playing off 11; James Walker (Rt IV) is one to watch for the future; Alex Haspel (Rb V) is already regularly scoring single figure rounds and has a club championship to his name; Charlie Adams (S V) will only get better over the next few months and both Daniel Legge (SH LVI) and James Warburg (PH LVI) have great hand/eye coordination.  I am confident that the experience gained this year will enable these boys to push for success in competitions next year.

On Mondays, up to ten students, from across the age range, have a group lesson with a qualified PGA professional at a local golf club such as Arscott (Glyn Sadd);  Shrewsbury (John Richards) or at the Shrewsbury golf driving range (Phil Toomer). This is usually a six to eight week course to introduce students to the game and develop their skills and enthusiasm enough to spend the last few weeks of term playing on the golf course at Arscott or Meole Brace.  For those Salopian golfers with a main sporting commitment midweek, it is a good way for us to spot talent for future matches!  The golf activity is subsidised but carries a termly charge (£30), added to the School bill, with golf equipment available for those starting out. 

On Wednesdays, those with their own golf equipment have the opportunity to play on local Shropshire golf courses and there are about six to eight regular players. Obviously, this is weather and light dependent, but we are blessed with a variety of good and varied golf courses in the county. For example, Hawkstone Park, Bridgnorth, Shifnal, The Shropshire and the infamous Church Stretton golf clubs to name a few, and there is no charge for participation.  Thursdays are similar to Wednesdays but form part of the Sixth Form Activity option and charged for accordingly - Dr Foulger always has a full minibus! 

On occasional Sundays throughout the year we head to Little Aston Golf Club – about an hour away from School.  A venue for many major amateur and professional tournaments, Little Aston is a fantastic golf course and very welcoming to Salopians. Also this year on the Michaelmas field day, Dr Foulger arranged a great golf day at Bridgnorth Golf Club for about eighteen enthusiastic and grateful Salopians courtesy of Mr Legge, father of Daniel Legge (SH). 

The School enters a number of national golf tournaments each year. The HMC Foursomes involves six players in a pairs matchplay competition, played off scratch handicaps. This year past champions, Birkenhead, were just too strong for us over the 18 holes, at an impressive Caldy Golf Course. The team comprised Ben Oswald (S), Alex Haspel (Rb), Daniel Legge(SH), (c) Harry Boutflower (S), James Warburg (PH) and Charlie Adams (S).
The ISGA Schools Matchplay competition involves three singles matches, again off scratch handicaps. This year we were narrowly defeated by The Grange A team. Our team was Ben Oswald (S), Charlie Adams (S) and (c)Harry Boutflower (S). 

Other golf matches include the annual Prior Cup at Shrewsbury Golf Club, Condover, played between members of the club, and the School.  This event was first played back in 1920 and our team partners Schoolmaster with senior Salopian. This year the School lost by a single point over six pairs matches and the team included: Sam Roberts (Rb), James Warburg (PH), Alex Haspel (Rb), Harry Boutflower (S) and Tudor Sartain (SH) as well as Dr Foulger, Mr Schofield, Mr Conway and Mr Warburg.  Alex Haspel shot an impressive gross of 8 over par.  The ISGA Shire Trophy is played in June, at the only Seve Ballesteros designed golf course in the UK – The Shire golf club in Barnet, near London. This year, Harry Boutflower (S), Max Hulse (G) and Ulrik Cappelen (Rt) represented the school, and this proved to be invaluable experience.

The School is also represented at various ‘Old Salopian Golf Club’ meetings, for example at Trentham and Royal Liverpool Golf Clubs, and we look forward to the OSGS versus The Schools annual golf event in May, at Hawkstone Park Golf Club.

The School fortunately has a tradition of manning The British Open score boards. This is a great ‘paid’ work experience opportunity, especially for golf fans.  Those involved in Royal Lytham, July 2012 were Harry Flowers (I V), Jack Hodges (G V), Ed Harrison (I V), Ed Holroyd (S V) and Nick Douglas (R LVI).  We look forward to the international event returning to Royal Liverpool, in 2014, where there are strong Salopian connections. 

For the near future, I look forward to the return of the School Golf Championship; a House golf competition and the first girl golfer to represent the School.  Also, sandwiched between British Opens, we will hopefully be introducing a golf tour.

MS

The first of the many hoops to be jumped through to attain the coveted GB lycra next summer arrived on Saturday 17th November.

Three boys, all from Oldham's, made the long journey to Boston, Lincs for the day's sculling trials. Although all three will be trying to gain a place in the GB sweep oared team, all athletes are encouraged to participate in this first sculling trial. The results from the sweep oared athletes are not held against them later in the process!

Pictured L to R: Max Kimpton-Smith (UVI), Harry Lonergan (UVI), Niall Barrow (LVI)

Harry Lonergan joined the School in the Sixth Form and is now a veteran in the junior GB team! This being his third year of trials, his place of 5th from the 135 starters puts him in the right place to challenge as one of the country's top junior oarsmen.

Niall Barrow has just joined us from King's School Chester, his position of 80th was in line with expectations and his first GB outing. Max Kimpton-Smith came in 118, again, where expected - Max has done little sculling over his time at Shrewsbury and l'm sure he would agree, not his favourite discipline in the sport!

Harry's 5th place from the 135 entrants made him the highest placed sweep rower (non-sculling specialist), as is Niall's 80th place for a L6th former.

Paul Manser

HMC Foursomes matches off scratch handicaps, Wednesday November 7th lost to Birkenhead 3-0 at Caldy GC.

Ben Oswald and Alex Haspel went off first and were all square around the turn but ended up 3 and 2 losers against 2 experienced Birkenhead players, without doing much wrong in the match.
James Warburg and Daniel Legge were up against a tough experienced pair and ended up shaking hands on the 13th. The highlight for them was the clubhouse's toasted sandwiches!
Charlie Adams and Harry Boutflower fought well on an unfamiliar course to stand on the 18th tee all square. However, they lost the match.

This was a good match against seasoned opposition in Birkenhead, who are recent past winners of the HMC Foursomes competition. Overhearing the good natured banter coming from the back of the minibus on our return journey you might have thought we had won, such was the enthusiasm and sense of togetherness witnessed. The experience of this competiotion will be valuable in the future.

Most of these boys will be playing for the School versus Shrewsbury Golf Club, at Condover, on Sunday 11th Nov in The Prior Cup.

MS

Sentayehu (who likes to be known as ‘Coach’) is regarded as running royalty, having coached over a dozen Olympic medallists and world record holders – all from the small village of Bekoji, which has only 16,000 inhabitants.  His impressive coaching CV includes Derarta Tulu, who was the first ever African female to win Olympic gold in 1992, the Bekele brothers (3 Olympic golds and a bronze between them) and Tiruness Dibaba (3 Olympic golds from Beijing and London).

Last year, the RSSH amassed their best haul of trophies ever when they won four county events and came second in the prestigious national Coventry Relays in February.  This year, one of our Third Form entrants came fourth in the whole-school Tucks race, with a time that would have won the entire race just three years ago.  With such a wealth of talent and determination in our ranks, we are confident that this once-in-a-lifetime coaching opportunity will make a real difference.

Coach’s presence at Shrewsbury has created quite a media frenzy; the BBC screened some of the interviews and footage that they took of the coach in action here on the Midlands Today programme at 6.30pm on Wednesday 7th November, and the story was also taken up by the BBC News Channel and BBC World.  The specialist running shop in Shrewsbury ‘Up and Running’ is also donating some kit and spikes for Coach to take back to Ethiopia with him.

The Guardian featured Coach in an article earlier this year, and the documentary ‘Town of Runners’ had a global release last year and features Coach and two young girls from the Bekoji as they attempt to 'make it' as athletes. Although it is predominately a film about running, it also gives an interesting and inspiring insight into Ethiopian life.

We screened BBC Midlands Today live in Quod at 6.30pm on 7th November, followed by the screening of 'Town of Runners' and then a Q&A with Coach. 

Other articles about Coach's visit to Shrewsbury:
BBC Midlands Today on BBC iPlayer : www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mj57 - move the slider across 19m30s, when the clip starts.  Available until 6.30pm on Thursday 8th November.
BBC Shropshire : www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-20236470
Town of Runners : http://www.townofrunners.com/run-with-us/Education/Shrewsbury_School

"The Tucks": This historic race is apparently one of the oldest cross country races in the world. As someone viewing it for the first time the race is quite a spectacle. The entire school becomes a ghost town as pupil and teacher alike walk the mile up to Meole Brace and the start of the race.

Matrons' cars stacked with drink, chocolate and ice packs for the return of the runners from the 3.5 mile course. The houses line up in 3 waves. The "A" string runners first, the "B" wave 2 minutes after, and then a further 2 minutes on everyone else.

The first 2 waves are relative calm, as 10 runners  from each house run across the starting field and then filter through a gap in the fence about 3 m wide. The last wave is tremendous as the rest of the school start with a cry to war and then the spectacle for the viewer of 400+ students heading for the same 3m wide gap. Wonderful stuff. The event itself is what tradition is made of.

I watched the start and the finish and felt that my own children were in the race as I eagerly anticipated the first girl back. Alice Sykes Waller for MSH was the first girl home and 3rd overall. However, the other MSH girls were not far behind and we won the "A" wave race. I felt very proud of them but also felt I had let them down by not running with them as many of the other housemasters had.  So next year I too will run the famous Tucks, and hope to god I survive our own Beechers Brook; that first gap in the hedge, because I can tell you all now I will definitely run in the 3rd wave!

MS Peak

On the last Friday before Exeat, several hundred Salopians made their annual trip down to the playing fields of Meole Brace for the traditional Tuck’s race, a whole-school event which we believe to be the longest-running cross-country race in the world. A very wet spell earlier in the month had made the going soft, which drastically lengthened the odds on any records being broken, but enthusiasm was undimmed among the competitors and this year saw our highest participation for many years.

The weather on the day itself was an improvement on last year, when it rained heavily just before the start, and this year’s runners were noticeably drier as they lined up in their House pens, awaiting the Huntsman’s cry - ‘All hounds who wish to run, run hard, run well, and may the devil take the hindmost!’ It duly sounded, and the first wave of 130 runners charged for the narrow gap in the corner of the field and out onto Church Road, with only a handful of minor knocks and not a single fatality!

Tension built as the next wave lined up, waiting for their two-minute interval to elapse, and then they too sprinted for the corner and out, in hot pursuit of the first wave. The third wave - much larger - could not contain their excitement and a shout of ‘Joe!’ from Mr Morris, in an effort to call one boy back from in front of the line, was enough to set off around 400 eager runners in an unstoppable (despite Mr Haworth’s best efforts) surge for the gap.

Out along Church Road, across the Rea Brook, and out on to Pulley Lane, the mile-long hill where most of the positions are settled and where the fitness of the participants is put to its sternest test. Then down towards Red Hill, and across into Tuck’s field, where the mud provided a further test of strength and stamina to already-tired legs. With no Mr Harding to race against this year, the boys would have to pick their own battles, and defending positions at this point was a grimly fought affair. Past the log, down across Rea Brook again and back onto Church Road for the finishing sprint towards the finish and glory. And possibly a Mars bar.

Ed Mallett, our Huntsman and the odds-on favourite (also younger brother to George, winner in 2010 and 2011), duly took the honours, in 18:08. Though this time was rather slower than he would have liked, this really is a remarkable achievement in those conditions, leading from the front the entire way. Not far behind was his Severn Hill rival, Seb Blake, in 18:20. Rory Fraser of Churchill’s took a hard-fought third. Only a couple of seconds behind him, astonishingly, was Freddie Huxley-Fielding, a 3rd Former who has shown huge promise already and in finishing 4th has, we believe, broken a record in this race’s 180-year history. It’s interesting to note that his time of 18:33 would have won the entire race just three years ago. Behind him was his own Housemaster, Mr Middleton, who contrived to look both proud and miserably shame-faced all at once. The first girl home was Amy Stockdale of Emma Darwin Hall in an impressive time of 24:48, and placing 109th overall.

Severn Hill stormed to victory in the team competition, with just 115 points, ahead of Churchill’s with 196, and Rigg’s took third with 308. The girls’ houses were extremely close, but Mary Sidney Hall just pipped Emma Darwin with less than 20 points separating them.

Overall this was a hugely successful event, enjoyed by just about everyone (although some were certainly suffering towards the end) and congratulations to all those who took part and gave their all. It’s a real privilege to keep this tradition going and many thanks go out to all the staff who helped in all sorts of different ways - including those who participated themselves - to ensure its smooth running.

IPH

The Junior and Senior House Swimming Championships took place the week before half term. The atmosphere on poolside was immense and every student got behind their houses and supported their team to swim fantastically well.

Congratulations to School House who firmly won the Junior Championship, scoring 157 points, for the third year running. Porthill secured second place, with 124 points, and Severn Hill came third, with 96.

Ingram’s securely won the Senior Championships, with 130 points, again for the third year running. School House scored 116 points, placing them second and Porthill came third with 111 points. The Grove won the Sixth Form cup by 11 points.

Rigg’s won the Senior Cannon relay, with a brilliant time of 1:30.39 and Radbrook secured the top stop in the Junior Cannon relay, with a time of 1:43.60."

REP

This week saw the first set of tests for six of the top Hunt runners in the school, conducted by The Sports Lab, an initiative led by the Director of Sports to further enhance our sporting provision for the very best sportsmen and women in the school.  

The tests took place in the Hunt training room in the Stott Pavilion and involved a number of different tests including maximal inspiratory muscle tests, body fat tests, and Vo2 Max testing on the treadmills.  The latter provides data breaking down maximum heartrate, work rate economy, training zones, and oxygen intake.  The data from these tests will provide us as coaches with crucial information that can be applied when looking towards developing individual athletes.  The athletes will be tested again next term.  We are also extremely lucky to be able to expand this testing into our juniors with the generous financial support of a former Huntsman who has offered to pay for three more juniors to be tested in this way. 

Indeed, we are extremely grateful not only for this funding, but also the exciting new initiative of a Coach in Residence, where Sentayehu Eshetu will spend a week with our Hunt runners providing a valuable and unique insight into coaching methods at the elite end of African running.  Coach Eshetu is one of the leading Ethiopian coaches, and amongst the many athletes he has worked with include multiple Olympic medalists such as Tirunesh Dibaba who this year defended her title as Olympic gold medalist in the women's 10,000m.  He has also coached another double Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, the very first black African female Olympic gold medalist.  His coaching credentials, in short, are impressive!  With the financial support of our former Huntsman and in parternship with the charity 'Running Across Borders', we are flying Coach Eshetu over from Ethiopia and accommodating him for a full week of coaching masterclasses.  During that week we will be screening in Quod the award-winning documentary 'Town of Runners' which features Coach Eshetu, which will be followed by a Q&A session. 

If you are interested in attending the event on Wednesday 7th November, please e-mail pjm@shrewsbury.org.uk.  More information on the film can be found at www.townofrunners.com.

Building on the success of sport at Shrewsbury over many years, and the introduction of girls’ sport at Sixth Form level since 2008, the School is delighted to announce a full programme of sport, exercise and extra-curricular activity for girls from September 2014.

The School is committed to introducing (or reinforcing), encouraging, and resourcing girls' sport with the same vigour and passion that it has done for boys over many years.

Shrewsbury looks forward to reinforcing and enhancing its sporting provision for girls from 2014, by employing the highest quality full time staff and visiting coaches, and also financing improved facility provision for both indoor and outdoor sports. Our Sixth Form girls have already established themselves as serious competitors on our fixture list for hockey and netball. We look forward to more of our girls going on to representative honours in both sports.

In addition, we are very excited to announce the introduction of lacrosse and cricket to our provision for girls from 2014. We are already working with local and regional development officers in both sports in order to ensure that our programme exceeds expectations, and that a competitive fixture programme is established. Within a relatively short timeframe we are aiming to become a centre of excellence regionally, and in time nationally, for lacrosse and cricket, as well as hockey, netball and tennis.

To give parity to the boys, girls will be asked to opt into a sport and/or exercise programme at the start of each term. For example, the ‘ball games’ option in the Michaelmas term will be hockey and lacrosse, in the Lent term, netball and lacrosse, and in the Summer term, cricket and tennis. A full range of alternatives will be available throughout the year to complement the ‘ball games’ including the following activities: rowing, swimming, Eton fives, cross country, fencing, squash, variety of gym classes, badminton, yoga, trampolining, rounders, archery, shooting, polo (school fixtures only, no training on site).

All new entrants at Third Form will enjoy a varied, timetabled core PE and curriculum games programme in addition to afternoon sport. House competitions and tournaments will be an important feature of the girls’ programme (as it is now at Sixth Form level) to ensure girls experience intramural competition and rivalry! Girls will also be most welcome to opt for Physical Education as a GCSE option.

Parents of talented girls are most welcome to explore the possibility of a Sport Scholarship award by contacting Director of Sport, Paul Greetham (01743 280697, pg@shrewsbury.org.uk) or Head of Admissions, Kathy Campbell (01743 280553). Scholarship assessments for sport and all-rounders take place in October 2013 for September 2014 entry.

Paul Greetham
Director of Sport
pg@shrewsbury.org.uk

Tatler magazine’s exclusive annual guide to the top prep and public schools in the UK has just been published. Compiled over the summer of 2012, here is what they have to say about Shrewsbury School.

"One prospective parent told Shrewsbury head Mark Turner 'I want my son to be like Michael Palin.'  Well, Palin is an old Salopian and he's funny, clever and adventurous – you could do a lot worse. In his day, there were no girls here, but now there are – large as life and doing brilliantly in the sixth form. By 2014, the school will be co-ed throughout. The smart new boarding house built to accommodate the girls is drawing them in in droves.  Other lures are the 81per cent A*–B results at A-level, and the outstanding music – concerts performed at Birmingham Town Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, and two students making it into the County Concerto finals. The sports department has produced fives and orienteering champions, and 20 years at the Edinburgh Fringe is testament to the drama department, with one student winning a scholarship to the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Across the Pond in the other direction comes the rowing teacher - from Harvard, no less.  Foreign trips are eclectic: Indonesia for biology, Croatia for sea kayaking and then home to spectacular views of the River Severn from this industrious but happy school, housed in an old Victorian asylum - excellent recycling."

Having reached the T20 Finals Day at U15 level and the School Sports Magazine National U17 Final this week, there was plenty of optimism heading into the week for more silverware for Shrewsbury cricket. However it wasn’t to be on both counts, but both teams acquitted themselves well in close encounters.

The U15A XI lost by seven wickets to eventual winners Bolton School having batted first and posted a handy 153 from 20 overs. Shrewsbury had the opposition 23-3 in reply, however one of the Bolton batsman launched an attack on some occasional wayward bowling and Bolton came through as victors – Bolton went on to defeat Whitgift School in the Final by 10 wickets!

The U17 XI played Gillingham School last Wednesday in the National Final (40 overs). Gillingham won the toss and batted first, rattling along to a competitive total of 223. Shrewsbury lost wickets fairly regularly although the third wicket partnership of Harry Flowers and George Lewis threatened to make serious inroads into the Gillingham total. Unfortunately both were lost in fairly quick succession after drinks, and Shrewsbury eventually fell 25 runs short on 198 for 9.  Please also see WAH's full report.

Shrewsbury had a fantastic run in this competition beating Trent, Bromsgrove and Richmond en route to the final.  This was played on the picturesque club ground of Cumnor CC in Oxfordshire.

Our opponents, Gillingham School from Dorset won the toss and elected to bat.  They got off to a decent start scoring 10 off the first over, but they were quickly pegged back by Jack Doyle who struck twice in two overs.  This did not seem to upset Gillingham however and they played with positive intend, happy to dispatch the friendly fare that Shrewsbury were keen to serve up. Charles Kidson was the pick of the Shrewsbury bowlers and his tight spell was crucial in restricting Gillingham to 220 for 6 from their 40 overs.

The Shrewsbury reply started well with 8 off the first over including a big six from Ed Pollock.  George Lewis batted superbly for his 40 showing a maturity beyond his years, but unfortunately no-one else was able to build a decent match winning innings and far too many players got themselves in and then threw away their wickets with poor shots.  Freddie Earlam, Jack Flowers and Charlie White all got starts, but could not quite get Shrewsbury over the line.

This was a fantastic cup run and great experience for this young side and there are many positives to take from the campaign.

WAH

Full report to follow!

After an exciting and very close fought semi final Shrewsbury School are very much looking forward to the Final of the School Sport Magazine Competition at Cumnor CC, near Oxford. We will be up against Gillingham School.

"The very young side have done well to play through the rounds to date and without any standout performers the team really have pulled together when the pressure has be on.

Win or lose on Wednesday next, this squad have thoroughly enjoyed the competition."

ASB

DAY 1
After a decent afternoon of training at Shrewsbury, followed by lasagne and chips at The Beacon Pub, both squads settled in at Ridgemount to watch a rousing Everton performance against Man Utd.   A few hours sleep were managed before our 4.15am departure to Birmingham airport.  The flight went very smoothly and the 15 minute transfer from Lisbon airport to the hotel was easy for the majority of the tour party.  However Mr Pridgeon and Mr Hughes (in the hire car) managed to take 2 hours, blaming it on Mr Biggins faulty sat nav! 

A big lunch at the hotel was followed by our first training session at the Jamor complex, set in beautiful surroundings.  We then had a cool down swim in the pool before a big supper and an early night. 

DAY 2
Morning training was again followed by a swim and then some” down time” in hotel  rooms to charge up our batteries before our first match against the academy teams of Division 1 Estoril.

U15 Match Report 1 v Estoril – Sam Mitchell (Goal keeper)
The game started relativity evenly, both teams passing the ball well on a perfectly flat 3G surface.  In the sixteenth minute the opposition scored first with a break away and a curling chip into the left side of the goal. Then in the 23rd minute the opposition struck again with a great cross and a well-timed header back across the goal.

It wasn’t until the 30th minute that Max Parsonage sprung to life and scored what was to be the pick of the goals. After a misplaced goal kick Max received the ball on the turn and drilled the ball into the bottom left corner of the opposition net, this all happening just beyond the 18 yard line. At 2-1 the game tightened up again, and on the 40th minute Max Parsonage rounded the keeper and finished in style to give us the equaliser. Our goalkeeper hadn’t had too much to do and neither had the opposition's with most of the game being battled in midfield and defence. It wasn’t until deep into the second time that the opposition’s 3rd and 4th goals were scored. The first being a cross that was deflected in of one of their strikers at the near post, and the second a well-placed shot into the bottom corner after the striker was a little too strong for one of our defenders.

The highlights of the match were undoubtedly Max’s goal, a crafty chipped pass by the captain, Jake Morris, and a certain amount of skill shown by our keeper to outwit an opposition striker. Overall, the game was a success and the team worked very hard, especially considering a lot of the players were playing out of their favoured positions.

1st XI Match Report v Estoril – Matt Gregson
On a fine August evening in Estoril, the 1st XI kicked off against an academy team. Shrewsbury were dominant from the start with Max Pragnell smartly heading home in the 3rd minute after an Adrian Tong assist. We passed the ball around fairly well on the flat 3G surface after our hard training sessions on the previous days of the tour. However, the other team kept the ball well and kept Shrewsbury chasing the game. We pressed the ball well and kept them playing the game in the middle of the pitch which meant that they were not a threat on goal and our keeper Ben Gould didn’t have to make a save in the first half.

After a prolonged spell of pressure from the hosts, Elliott Christie picked out Max Pragnell in the 27th with a superb through ball which Max finished well, rounding the keeper and slotting home with expert precision. At half time we made a couple of changes and found ourselves on the back foot from the outset. However, we defended very well and didn’t let their slippery salmon of a striker have any real chances on goal. We held out for the second half and neither of our goal keepers conceded a goal.

Overall this was a very good start to the tour and the shape of the team and how we defended was very encouraging as we kept a clean sheet against a decent outfit. Hopefully there will be more wins to follow throughout the tour and the season!  The low point was losing Matthew Gregson with a nasty ankle ligament injury which means he will miss the rest of the matches.

Match 2
U15 Match Report  v Castelo Forte – Harry Schofield
The match kicked off at  5 o’clock in the Jamor training ground. To begin with, our performance  was reasonably composed, however around 15 minutes into the match, the opposition managed to secure a cross into the box, leaving a man unmarked on the back post, who tapped it into the back of the net. We returned to our match facing an opposition hungry for another goal. A small lad holding the number 10 shirt was dominating our midfield along with a talented number 6 creating opportunities from central defence. These players caused our defence to drift to the right; exposing our left flank. This led to a one-on-one and then another goal. It was late in the first half, when a corner for us led to Jake Morris placing a volley into the net.

After the half, we held them off for a while but then once again they struck in about the 55th minute with a header to potentially seal their victory. We did however, have other chances to score again but all were put to waste. We really should have won this match but at the end of the day our efforts were left aside.  The match finished with a 3-1 defeat.

1st XI Match Report v Castelo Forte – George Ellery
We kicked off at around 6:30pm. The first 10 or 15 minutes of the game was very poor, we didn’t get any good passages of play and we couldn’t keep the ball for more than a few minutes. We kept losing it with mistakes. However, after the first 15 minutes we gradually started playing, but it wasn’t up to our usual high standards.

At half time, Mr Biggins and Mr Hughes said a few words and got us focused again. The second half we were a lot better. We wanted the ball a lot more and we worked a lot harder to keep the ball and to get the ball back.  However the match turned with 10 minutes to go. They scored…. But then our striker, Max Pragnell was fouled in the area and earned us a penalty which he scored. The final result was 1-1 but we should have won!

Match 3
1st XI Match report v Oreiras Academy
After a tiring week of intense physical preparation for the upcoming season, the 1st XI arrived at St Julian’s School where we were greeted by a younger opposition than we expected. Max Pragnell came to a very premature conclusion we were not playing them because we dwarfed them in stature and physique.  Our warm up was sharp and crisp; we passed the ball quickly and fluently and everyone was in the right frame of mind to start the final match. Our younger opponents were a very talented team, organised and not scared to put challenges in. In the first half we battled well against them, winning headers and challenges as we should but just couldn’t keep possession well.  The turning point of the first half was when Shrewsbury conceded a soft penalty, when Alex Styles (Centre Half) chested the ball down, but the referee thought he had handled.  Luckily Ben Gould saved the penalty very confidently and justice was done. We quickly went down the other end and Adrian Tong (Midfield) cut in from the right flank and slotted one in the bottom right corner. Our lead did not last long and their superior fitness and ability to keep hold of the ball proved to be our undoing. 

The game ended up 3-1 against a very impressive opposition.

U15 Match Report v Oreiras Academy - Ben Sansom (Midfield)
After our last disappointing performance, we arrived at St Julian’s school with a burning desire to perform at the best of our ability. As it was the final match, many of us felt as if we needed to win this match to regain our reputation and confidence. It was a good temperature to play in and we were excited to play on the completely flat 3G pitch.

The game started, and we passed the ball around crisply and accurately. After a miss from the opposition because of a goalkeeping mistake, Max Parsonage was played through and was fouled, resulting in a penalty. He calmly placed it in the corner, putting us in the lead.

Our confidence levels grew and Jack Fox was played through twice scoring both times with great composure. However both were offside and so at halftime we only lead by one. We had played well, creating waves and waves of attack, mainly run by Ben Jones and Toby Mason in the middle. Ed Dolphin had defended well as a centre half and Max Parsonage continued to threaten their defence.

In the first ten minutes of the second half, we continued to play well. Anton Nelson scored a great header to give us a 2-0 lead, but then everything turned upside-down. They scored two free kicks, to level the scores.  We then took a 3 -2 lead, which did not last long and the final nail in our coffin came in the last minute and we were devastated to go 4-3 down in a game we certainly should have won.  The matches were all very even however and provided us with great experience before the season.

Shrewsbury's Saracens team beat the Harrow Wanderers to bag the 2012 Cricketer Cup in a decisive 111-run victory at Shenley on Sunday 19th August.  Our young team included three leavers from this year's Upper Sixth: Stephen Leach (M), Henry Lewis (I) and Alasdair Pollock (I). Alasdair led the scoring with 49, followed by Stephen (44) and captain Tom Cox (41) as they finished on 199-8. 

There was concern that this might not be enough; the Wanderers started well and raced passed 30 without loss in 5 overs, but a superb bowling performance from Steve Barnard saw him take five wickets, and the Wanderers were dismissed for 88.  Please also see the full match report.

The Saracens last won the Cricketer Cup in 1987.                   

More photos of the Cricketer Cup from first round to final can be found at the Saracens web page:  http://www.shrewsbury.org.uk/page/saracens-cricket

Tom Marshall (SH, 2012 leaver) and Harry Lonergan (UVI O) competed in the 2012 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where they were representing Great Britain. 

On Sunday 19th August, in 30-degree heat, Tom stroked the Junior eight to a bronze medal in the final, just being pipped by Germany by a canvas. Italy won the gold.  The Junior 8 is shown in this photo, with Tom in the middle of the front row.

Later in the day, Harry rowed in the junior mens' coxless four, but finished just outside the medals in fourth position.

It is a huge achievement for any boy to be selected for the GB team, and we are extremely proud to have had two Salopians in the 2012 GB Junior Team. 

Old Salopian Patrick Lapage (R 2003-08) also won a bronze medal in the men's coxless fours, making it the third medal that he had won in the World Championships in as many years.

In the photo of the bronze medal winning eight at the top of the page,Tom Marshall is in the stroke seat. 

More details can be found on the GB Rowing website www.britishrowing.org.

The final of the Cricketer Cup will be held at the London Shenley Club, Hertfordshire on Sunday 19th August. Map here.  The Saracens will be playing Harrow Wanders in an attempt to win the Cup for the first time since 1987.  The match begins at 11.am.  More information at http://www.thecricketercup.org.uk/.

Please contact the Saracens Secretary, Paul Nichols in the event of poor weather:  07710 132 770

On Sunday 29th July, the Shrewsbury Saracens beat Bradfield in the semi-final of The Cricketer Cup, chasing 271 in 49.3 overs.  Supporters were kept in suspense until the last over when Tom Cox (Captain) hit the winning 4, taking the Saracens to 275 for 7 and through to the final against old foes, Harrow Wanderers.

A report of the match can be downloaded here and any 'anoraks' or those unfortunate enough to miss this exciting match can find the score-card here.

Pictured l. Ben Chapman (Rt 1995-00) and r. Ben Williams (Rt 2008-10) 

The Alex Wilson Scholarship aims to give a boy from one of the local maintained schools, the chance to benefit from our educational and sporting facilities in the Sixth Form.  The award goes live in September 2013, with interested candidates taking part in our Sixth Form assessment weekend the previous November.

The award has been set up thanks to the fund raising efforts of the family and friends of Alex. His brother, Henry, has been the driving force behind the initiative, together with his parents.

“Alex attended Shrewsbury between 2003 and 2008 and he flourished both in the classroom and on the sports field, representing the school at football, cricket and rugby and going on to a top university,” said Henry.

“In Alex's short life, school was where he spent his happiest days, so I thought that this would be good place to start in terms of a memorial. This is a great opportunity offering a boy those opportunities that Alex had and took, and as a result achieved what he did in a very short space of time.

“This scholarship, which goes live in September 2013, will be offered to a 'Shropshire lad' who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford the school fees. This will give another boy the chance to build a really strong foundation for future success and will mean that Alex’s legacy lives on.”

Candidates should be state educated with three A and three B grades at GCSE and should be able to attain first team standard of two sports, preferably football, rugby or cricket, and to excel in one of these.  Further details of this and our other scholarship awards are on our Scholarships and Bursaries webpage.

After five days of trials at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham in July, Harry Lonergan (LVI O) and Tom Marshall (UVI SH) were both selected to represent Great Britain at the World Rowing Championships in Bulgaria from 13th to 19th August 2012.  This also involved taking part in a training camp at Caversham, the GB training lake.

It is expected that Harry will be in the top GB boat, probably a 4, whilst Tom could in the the 8.

Only 14 boys in the UK have been selected to represent their country at this event, so huge congratulations to both on attaining the pinnacle of School boy rowing.

They both now proceed for a month's training camp at the GB training lake at Caversham, l presume they will be mixing with a few Olympians at that venue.

Good luck to both, here's hoping they come back with a medal!

P Manser