Brighton College Sport News

Brighton College Sport 2004:
updated 6th January 2004

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Brighton College Sport 2003:

Cricket
Autumn 2003 report:

At the start of the 2003 season the Captain, Chris Grammer, stated that we could and should win every game. Chris has always had plenty to say, but this really was fighting talk! And he so nearly succeeded. We won 15 out of 16 matches, narrowly failing to fulfil the Captain’s dream when we went down to Eton. Having won the last 6 games of the 2002 season, we extended our winning sequence to 19 consecutive victories, quite easily a College record; I wonder if this has ever been matched on the Public Schools cricket circuit?

The highlight of the season was our Langdale Cup success. After last year’s shambles it was nice to be able to play the competition out properly. We owed a huge amount to Chris Grammer with 106 against Lancing, recovering from 46-3, 101 against Hurst, adding 175 for the first wicket with Richard Young, and 94 in the final against Eastbourne to mastermind victory with 17 overs to spare. Other exciting wins were against Old Brightonians, scoring 22 off the last 2 overs, Dulwich, Whitgift and King’s School, Macclesfield, who were all strong sides with good track records this season.

We also took part in the inaugural Ben Hollioake Memorial 7-a-side competition at the Oval. Most of the best cricket schools in the South East took part and the event raised funds for the Ben Hollioake Fund, which aims to support the work of hospices and promote cricket in deprived areas. It was a glorious, sunny day and there was some marvellous cricket played; I will add that it made the new 20:20 format in the professional game look like a blocking competition! How marvellous for our youngsters to perform on the square where Sir Len Hutton, Michael Holding, Devon Malcolm and so many others achieved immortality. The boys thought about their tactics and were worthy winners. Thank you to Mr Campbell of Joe & Co Music for sponsoring the day.

Chris Grammer, with 831 runs, was chasing the magic 1000 but cancelled matches and rain-affected wickets on the Festival stumped him. His contribution as the leading batsman, cagey bowler, cat-like fielder and dynamic captain was immense - he could go far. Marc Gardner, the vice-captain, was also a key player with his steadying influence at number 5 and his classy ‘keeping’. He was invited to captain the XI in 2004. Malcolm Waller kept us entertained with some fine attacking innings but, by his standards, he was a bit disappointing. Joe Gatting gave us glimpses of what he can achieve; he is very powerful but now needs to convert his good starts into high scores. Michael Thornely won us the game against OBs and was the batter of the tournament at the 7-a-side competition at the Oval. He will have more opportunity up the order next year, but his steady bowling and athletic fielding made him a key member of the side.

Ronak Sekhri averaged 40 with the bat and took 46 wickets, coming through as a fine all rounder. His flight and guile and awesome glare were among the features of the season. Stuart Woodbridge had plenty of opportunities to go down to the seconds to ensure he batted, but the honour of playing for the 1st XI always won the day. He is a stalwart with values that really matter and deservedly won the fielding cup. Matthew Wood’s tally of wickets did not match his immense contribution to the side; he bowled well in every match and close appeals and beating the bat seemed to occur just about every over! Matt Sleep lacked the venom of last year, but still contributed. Chris Savile bowled well on occasions and showed some class with the bat.

Four key players leave, but I am confident that we have enough budding talent to extend this ‘golden era’. We are planning our next overseas tour to Sri Lanka in December 2004. I went out on a promotion visit with David Lowe and we decided that such a beautiful, friendly and cricket-mad country was a must! It will test us to the limit, but we will reap the benefit in future seasons.

John Spencer

Girls' Cricket
Summer 2003

The Brighton College Girls’ Cricket Club enjoyed another hugely successful season. Not only did the team remain unbeaten for a fifth consecutive year, but more significantly, numbers attending training were higher than ever before. The first half of the term, as ever, was more organised than the second half where training sessions after school were hard to organise and poorly attended with exams hitting every year group. Over 30 girls attended Tuesday evening practices with the 4th form all really eager to get involved. The 4th form are a sporty, competitive group of girls all really keen to learn new skills. Their enthusiasm for a new sport was fantastic to witness and they achieved success as a result. Harriet Broun, Jenny Sheppard, Meg Robertson and Verity Carr all represented the XI and Harriet struck a powerful 40 in only her second innings. Sarah Taylor, also 4th form, is an awesome prospect for Brighton College cricket, playing every match for the U14A boys’ team. In her first game for the girls’ XI she made 75 not out.

Katy Williams led the team well, helping coach the newcomers at the start of the season. She was always a source of encouragement to the younger members of the team. Laura Marsh and Nicky Stanton also played a vital part in the team’s success. As usual, this was an enjoyable activity to be a part of and I hope that the keenness displayed by the 4th form this summer will extend into next year and beyond. This will ensure that there is a growing nucleus of players and success will continue as a result.

Clare Connor

Girls Hockey 1st XI
Autumn 2003

This was a year of some very notable achievements for the 1st XI, and some fantastic performances that hinted at a growing team spirit throughout the season. The team was essentially a young one, with only five regular senior players taking the field: captain Jackie Timeyin, Rachel Williamson, Katie Williams, Nicky Stanton and Mel Harrison. Credit must be given to these players for their dedication and commitment; they consistently set high standards for the younger players to meet.

The season started in the best possible way, a stunning victory in the prestigious Christ’s Hospital pre-season tournament. Wins were recorded against Cranleigh and Tormead, and draws against St. John’s, Sevenoaks and Sutton Valence. The final was a tight affair against City of London, which we managed to win 1-0.

The following weekend a buoyant, and now full strength, side faced Epsom in the first fixture of the season. Despite going 0-1 down we managed to pull the score back to 5-1, with goals from four different players. Our next fixture against a well organised and powerful St Bede’s side was our strongest opponents of the season. The final score was 0-6.

The next game against Cranleigh was a rare opportunity for the team to play at home. In a close match the fighting spirit of the team came out and Jo Jenning’s goal from the wing won the match 1-0.

The following week saw another disappointing fixture, this time against Ardingly. A game which should have been won was lost 0-1, the team suffering somewhat from missed chances up front.

After the swings and roundabouts of the regular fixture list it was back to tournament play at the King Edwards School Whitley grass tournament. Coach, Ben Barnes, introduced some tactics specific to the grass game, and for much of the day it worked with the team notching up victories against Priorsfield, St Mary’s, Portsmouth Grammer, Tormead & St John’s. In the final the defence held firm against some determined Roedean attacks but a draw of 0-0 meant the result was determined by penalty flicks and the team eventually lost.

The remaining fixtures before half-term saw a 0-4 loss to a strong Eastbourne side and a determined 1-0 victory over Christ’s Hospital.

Unfortunately, the first match after half-term brought a loss of 0-2 against Hurstpierpoint. A close match against Sevenoaks finished with a 2-2 draw and the season ended with one of our best victories, an excellent 4-2 win over Roedean, sweet revenge for the penalty flicks at the KESW tournament.

In the U19 Sussex cup the team had an easy run to the 3rd round, with two bye’s taking us through without a ball being hit. The first match was against Bexhill and the team played with assured professionalism to win 13-0. The final was against Eastbourne, and despite a valiant effort we were not able to overcome this strong side, and lost 2-3, a favourable result when compared with the regular fixture earlier in the season.

A mention must be made of all the girls who handled the squad system so well, often spending half the game on the bench or playing excellently for the 2nd XI. Also a thank you to Ben Barnes, who’s excellent coaching has seen the team improve enormously throughout the season.

Simon Hawkes

SOUTH AFRICA RUGBY & NETBALL TOUR 2002
Winter 2002

The rains certainly came to bid farewell to the party on 10 August, at the start of the 3 week tour to South Africa, and thus the first leg was made in a blinding torrent. At the end of a long but uneventful journey the tourists found themselves deposited at Manyane Camp in Pilansberg National Park and immediately the team coaches conducted the first training session - the first of many and carried out before anyone had a chance to unpack. The ostrich, roaming the grounds, luckily kept an aloof distance.

That same evening everyone crammed into two trucks for a game safari, many ignoring the management advice to wear warm clothing and paying the cold penalty. Another early morning drive complemented the evening experience and four of the "big five" had been spotted - buffalo, elephant, lion and rhino - the latter taking an instant dislike to the truck and giving chase. A two ton white rhino heading ones way is guaranteed to wake the sleepiest of tourists and the quick action of the driver ensured the safety of the players for the second training session later that morning. Departure from the camp came too early for all concerned but a stopover at Sun City dulled everyone's disappointment. Almost the entire tour party rode the giant waves produced artificially in the swimming pool. The first injury of the tour was suffered by Nicola Corrigan, when an innocent elbow succeeded in perforating an ear drum, without a ball being passed in anger.

Arrival at Trinity House School, Randberg, a six year old establishment in an affluent part of Johannesburg brought the first braii (BBQ) of the tour and the start of the red meat binge that was to test everyone's stamina. The match day began at 7.30am, the norm for school starts in South Africa, which tested the 'bonhomie' of many a tourist. Morning training in the warmth of the South African sun brought rugby and netball players alike to the realisation that the real tour was about to begin.

A trip to a local restaurant for a team meal further cemented the camaraderie of all and the opening salvo fell to the girls. The group was made up from five different College teams; the lack of cohesion and the effects of altitude allowed the girls from Trinity to make a come-back and win by 39-27, a close encounter for the entirety of the match. In the rugby, the Trinity boys welcomed the College with 'in your face' tackling that introduced the players to the rigours of South African rugby. The College produced most of the constructive play, but were not decisive enough to gain a points cushion, and thus Mr Halsall and Mr Burns became somewhat agitated with the score at 10-9. The referee extended the match by 13 minutes but the score remained the same to everyone's great relief.

Tuesday morning started with an early training session for both squads before the College tourists were welcomed at the Trinity School assembly. This was followed by a warm-down in the freezing pool - a truly apt description! The highlight of our second stopover, Boksberg High School, situated in a far less affluent area of Johannesburg, was the welcome at the field by the whole school with the singing of both national anthems as the rugby and netball teams lined up in front of the stand. A confident start for the girls, built upon during the game, brought a deserved 27-15 victory. The boys started in the same confident vein and made early scores before succumbing to an unexplained lethargy. Eventually, a score of 24-3 satisfied no-one, but two wins helped to neutralise any problems over receiving the A/AS Level results.

The following day everyone enjoyed the entertainment at Gold Reef City, a gold mine and theme park, and in the evening Boksberg High tried to kill everyone by the ordeal of death by red meat at their extraordinary braii. The next day the party headed south to Port Elizabeth and the second leg of the tour along the Garden Route, arriving at Paul Sauer School in Kareedouw just after a bout of flooding. The spartan boarding facilities of the school provided a marked change to the homely billets that had been left behind in the north.

Sunday was spent at Tsitsikamma National Park, viewing the immense grandeur of the Storm River gorge. Match day on Monday started with a visit to Jeffrey's Bay, a beach resort and factory shop paradise, where the tourists did their bit for the local economy.

A sluggish performance in the netball led to a 38-27 defeat. The rugby had similar fortunes, when a slow start was met by an over-vigorous approach from the opponents. Stiff resolve saw the College keep hopes alive before going down 15-3. The day ended by a visit to an outlying farm for a traditional "poikee", a type of stew prepared in a cauldron over an open fire. It was a shame that the opponents could not join the social gathering - the only time that this happened on tour. The next day a two hour sojourn at Plettenberg Bay did much to heal bodies and spirits, and the views along the golden sands must have touched the hardest of travellers. It was certainly Miss Langhorne's favourite beach of the tour. The sun beat down throughout the day and the excursion to Knysna Heads and Featherbed Nature Reserve further heightened everyone's mood. Back on the road again the tourists travelled to Outeniqua High School in George on the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe train, a journey back in time on a steam train.

The well tried formula of excursion in the morning with lunch before a return to school for the matches, was repeated with Kanga Caves and a crocodile farm placed on the itinerary. On arrival back at the netball courts it was evident that the girls were up against formidable opposition. The entire Outeniqua team were tall and athletic and, in Mr Burn's words, were likened to a group of ostriches. Their team contained a national player, had won district championships and had just toured Australia, and so it was not surprising that the College went down by 52-12. Fortunately, the rugby staff had taken advice about playing the correct age group in rugby and a very open game ensued. Outeniqua led into the last 10 minutes before a late break saw the College score a converted try and steal a win by 12-10 at the death.

The following day was a long one as the tour transferred to Stellenbosch. A stopover at an ostrich farm saw the girls taking the chance to ride these big birds. After dumping luggage at the hotel the party departed for the evening's rugby match between Western Province and Boland at the famous Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. On the Saturday the party split up for the first time with the boys repaying a visit to Bishops School for training and to watch the 1st XV match, whilst the girls took another opportunity to shop at the impressive Century City Mall. The afternoon gave the boys a chance to taste the delights of the old town of Stellenbosch while the girls did their stint on the training ground.

The weekend period in the hotel gave the whole party a chance to recuperate and everyone looked bright-eyed in the team photograph set against a magnificent mountain backdrop. Rest time over and the coach was off in search of whales at Hermanus, where a large crowd signalled the presence of four or five in the bay.

The official introduction to Parel Vallai in Somerset West was conducted at the Monday morning assembly before a boat trip to see the seals at Hout Bay. In the afternoon the rugby match was played first with a win looking achievable for much of the match but a couple of moments of indecision in the last ten minutes allowed the opponents to take advantage and win by 15-9. The girls led by two goals at half time in their match but a succession of mistakes and a newly found urgency from Parel Vallai saw the opposition win by the close margin of 28-23.

Somerset West was left behind for a full day of sightseeing with the coastal journey to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. Two other stops at Boulders to see the penguins, lunch at Simons Bay with a well earned beach swim for some seemed to have completed the day, but a phone call established that Table Mountain was clear. This was the third attempt and luckily the cable cars arrived at the summit in excellent clarity.

The party checked into their final hotel, Breakwater Lodge, near to the waterfront in Cape Town, where the delights of eating and the inevitable shopping awaited.

The last Wednesday was taken up with a tour of Langa township, culminating in fixtures against Langa School in netball and Langa RFC in rugby. In the evening the tourists met for the final official meal where speeches and awards were given. There were enough memories to last a lifetime.

John Pope

Squash 2002
Summer 2002

The phenomenal 2000/01 season was a hard act to follow, but we had another very successful season. The 1st V won 17 out of 19 matches and the retained the Rose Bowl with the U15s surpassing last years achievement by coming runners up in the National Schools competition. The girls won 9 out of 10 matches, just being pipped for a place in the National Finals by Brentwood School and the U14s lost in the final of the Paris Shield competition. On top of that, we had large numbers playing for pure enjoyment.

There were three new faces in the 1st V this season, winning all but 2 of their matches and in both defeats, hampered by injury - a terrific achievement. Our area group in the National Schools competition was very tight and we just lost to Bay House, having lost pole position because the die-hard, Matthew Curry, pulled up lame. Over the years the Rose Bowl has been won easily by the best school or via a scrap between two schools who have easily disposed of the other schools. Not this year: it was by far the best competition that I can remember with just one 5-0 win in the whole competition. The final against BHASVIC went to the wire with Chris Saville displaying cool determination in the deciding match to fight back from 0-2 down to inch his way to victory in a tense and highly competitive final game against his older brother!

The girls, by winning 9 out of 10 matches, extended their golden sequence to 17 out of 18 in two years under the captaincy of Emily Nelson. As four of the girls' V leave it marks the end of an era. The surprise package of the season were the U15s. For the National Schools matches Chris Saville, Max Obermuller and Adam Baines-Jump and Sean Forsythe were brought from the 1st V and U14s respectively. They worked hard at their squash and, having qualified for the SE Regional final in the National competition, they overwhelmed a talented, if diminutive, Heathside School from Weybridge. We went up to Wolverhampton for National finals and knocked out RGS Newcastle, last year's winners. Exeter were too strong for us, but we went down fighting. It was a very proud team that arrived back in Brighton late that night as the National Schools runners up.

As with the 1st V, it was our strength in depth that carried us through, with the elegant Adam Baines-Jump at 3, the battling Charles Burtt at 4 and the 'bulldozer', Sean Forsythe, at 5. The U14s worked quite hard with Mr Sice and cruised through the first four Paris Shield matches to meet Lancing in, what was in effect, the final. It was disappointing to be without the number 2 as it changed the balance of what might have been a very exciting final.

Another successful season reflects very well on the coach, Peter Sice. Peter is ever enthusiastic, meticulous with his timing and wise in his advice. In his own words, he is "getting on a bit and can't go on for ever!" and will be concentrating more on the Prep School and the U14s next year. We have been very fortunate to have had the services of a very talented young squash player, Stephen Burton, a former junior South African champion who is with us as a GAP student.

John Spencer

Boys' Hockey
Summer 2002

This was a very successful year for the Boys' Hockey although it might not have seemed that way at times. The fixture list has become much stronger with games against higher levels of opposition. All the teams came through these tough fixtures with much to show for it even if the scoreline didn't suggest it.

The younger players are really starting to shine and we are beginning to truly compete against the best in the county. The role of honour was a long one this year. All age groups had representative players at county level, Simon Acott captained the South U17 team and was named Sussex Young Player of the Year. Stephen Edmonds represented England at U18 level and will surely go on to greater success. He is now training at the U21 Academy. David Bell played in goal for the South U14 and is currently being assessed at national level. Finally the school 1st team won the Sussex Cup for the first time in the school's history.

Peter Smales