THE HARROVIAN
Vol. CXXVI No. 21
www.harrowschool.org.uk/theharrovian
April 20, 2013
JAH
James Hanson left Harrow at the end of the Spring Term
to become head of The Royal Boys’ Senior School – a
new school branching off a successful girls’ school in
Hindhead, Surrey. He has served here at Harrow for
almost ten years as an outstanding maths beak, as well as
in a variety of roles that the vocation of schoolmastering
brings with it.
After Warwick School, he took an MMath degree at
Brasenose College, Oxford,
followed by an MSc in
Evolutionary Biology at the
Department of Zoology there.
He has also recently completed
an MPhil at Brunel University,
researching teaching of lowerlevel calculus. After a spell
teaching at his alma mater, he
came to Harrow in September
2003 and quickly established
a valued position in the Maths
Department. He was always
one to stretch his students to
the maximum and in addition
to outstanding exam results,
he had huge success in major
maths challenge competitions
He lead the senior team
of Harrow mathematicians
to victory in the national
challenge in 2011, and
subsequently to represent the
UK in the International Maths
Olympiad in Cesenatico, Italy. More recently, the junior
team (this time jointly with Orley Farm School) won
their National Challenge in 2012.
Beyond the form room, James has been incredibly
active. Perhaps his most important administrative role
has been as Master in Charge of External Exams, a job
which he took over from SAH in 2008. It sometimes feels
as if the holder of this post runs the whole of the summer
term, and JAH has always looked after the exams and
the candidates with meticulous thoroughness, excellent
judgement and complete calmness under pressure. As
a great team-player, he has worked very well with the
Exams Administrator, Mrs Corinne Cooke, who reports
that he maintains his energy and focus through the
complex arrangements of the Summer Term on a staple
diet of chocolate. As the importance of this job has risen
over recent years, JAH’s profile and importance has risen
commensurately.
In terms of sport, James’ greatest contribution to the
life of the school grew out of his personal enthusiasm
for rowing. Despite our location on top of a hill in
North West London, he and a small group of other
enthusiasts ran a very successful rowing squad here
for five years, involving training camps in Seville and
Belgium (twice). Their single most outstanding success
was training Alec Dent, Rendalls 20023, who rowed at
Oxford, became President of the Boat Club there and
was part of the winning Boat Race crew in 2011. On
land, James was coach of the
Junior Colts rugby team for
most of his decade here. As
JJC comments, “Boys really
enjoyed their rugby with
JAH and as a result were
very successful.” His team
went unbeaten in 2006.
Making a contribution to
the pastoral life of the school
was also very important to
James. He served for four
years as Assistant House
Master in West Acre and says
that the feeling of being part
of a house team there with
MES and Matron Elizabeth
Easter provided him with
a very happy period in his
pastoral work, as well as
developing skills that will
be very useful now that he
has his own school to run.
He has since worked as a
non-resident tutor in Bradbys where his dedication
and energy meant he was the sort of tutor boys ask to
have.
James has concurrently taken a multitude of roles
at Harrow. Running work experience, being on the
Masters’ Conditions of Service Committee, running the
Independent State School Partnership Oxbridge Summer
Course in 2011 come to mind as examples. In all this he
has been supported by two major props. Firstly, he has
found personal happiness with Jenny, whom he married
in 2007, and with their two daughters Ella and Thea.
Secondly he has been sustained by a deep but quiet
Christian faith which has found expression through his
work both with Flambards and St Peter’s Church, West
Harrow.
We are sure these will continue to sustain him
through the exciting challenges yet to come in his
new responsibilities. He has certainly made a great
contribution to Harrow over the last ten years and will
be much missed in many areas of school life.
The Harrovian is published weekly during term time by Harrow School as both an organ of record and a forum for comment, debate and the expression of
individual opinion within the School. Articles are submitted anonymously and any views expressed do not necessarily reflect official School policy.
T H E
April 20, 2013
Here & There
Many congratulations to Daniel Lewis, West Acre, who
has been awarded a choral scholarship at King’s College,
Cambridge. He is the first Harrovian for many years to
be offered the chance to join one of the most famous
choirs in the world.
H A R R O V I A N
to show aspiring vocalists how to do the job. Bass Robert Rice
used to teach here and is most fondly recalled as a powerful
force and talented presence in school music-making.
A feature of the joint choirs, which always strikes as soon as
they take their opening number is the freshness of the sound,
which predominantly young voices can achieve. There was a
palpable sense of comfort as they entered with And the spirit of
In a first for Harrow football, as well as links between
Harrow and The John Lyon School, a group of sixth
form PE students from John Lyon braved the mud of
the Hemstalls to enjoy an introductory game of footer
with Harrow's Outcasts. It is hoped that this will become
an annual event.
Harrow School Choral Society
With the choir of Francis Holland School
(Director: Elisabeth Rolfe Johnson)
The Creation by Haydn
Speech Room
19 March
The approach of Easter and the much-anticipated end of the
Spring Term would not seem the same without the annual Choral
Society concert. Each year, we are amazed at the product of two
months work by this disparate collection of voices, bringing
together the HSCS and the girls of Francis Holland School,
prepared for the last time this year by Mrs Rolfe Johnson and
backed by a professional orchestra made up of beaks, Harrovians,
most-welcome OHs and friends of school music.
Soloists: Mark Chaundry, Mary Nelson and Robert Rice
This year, the conductor DNW returned us to the world of the
late eighteenth century after a couple of years of late romantic
repertoire, with Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation. The work
requires a moderate-sized orchestra and seemed to suit the chiefly
youthful voices of the chorus of about 180 singers.
The solo lines are extensive and demanding, so it was
comforting to welcome three top-flight singers who are all
regarded very much as from the home team. Soprano Mary
Nelson has taught singing here for a number of years and it
seems this work really suits her voice and considerable style.
Tenor Mark Chaundy has taught here for a shorter period, but
has already made a strong impact upon his pupils – and was able
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Combined forces in Speech Room
God…, not only because they worked so well together but also
because they sounded so convincing. They quickly showed the
power available, too, in Despairing, cursing rage… where their
characterisation and unanimity showed not only the hard work
they have put in, but also DNW’s trademark attention to detail.
Perhaps their greatest moment was No 13 The heavens are
telling when their ensemble with the soloists was impressive
and showed their aspiration to achieve the highest standards
of musical presentation.
The orchestra plays a huge part in providing the colour
and interest which enlivens this work. Here, there were many
examples of the way that these talented players coalesced to
underpin the vocal lines. Outrageous storms sounded just so,
with the strings led by DNB really digging into the musical
effects. Similarly, the descriptions of the animals coming into
existence “in perfect forms and fully grown” allowed space for
fun and colour. However, perhaps the most entrancing moment
was during Adam and Eve’s Duet in Part Three, where the
playing was crisp and respectful and entirely at the service
of the musical effect.
Miss Nelson’s performance showed that she felt very much
at home with the music. She was able to hold her own with
the chorus in the larger numbers such as No 4, but was also
tenderness and sweetness personified in her description of the
“tender dove” in No 15.
Mr Chaundy brought a certain operatic power to the tenor
role but really beguiled the ear with his natural, elegant story
telling at the start of Part Three. From the celestial vaults pure
harmony descends on ravished earth. This seemed entirely
plausible in his performance.
The bass, Mr Rice, has a voice which blended beautifully
with the others, yet it was his artistic sensitivity and judgement
which provided one of the high points of the performance as
he palpably held the Room in thrall with his singing about The
limpid brook in No 6.
The whole project was, of course, the inspiration of DNW.
The conductors of such concerts are not just impresarios and
producers but also a vital member of the artistic team, deciding
everything from the work – and indeed the edition – to be used
to exactly how each musical phrase will be paced and turned.
In this case, perhaps Mr Woodcock’s greatest achievement was
motivating each element of the ensemble to give of their best
to create the shape and drama of the music. The result was
a remarkably consistent performance without the peaks and
troughs that the work can fall prey to. There was a sense of
each component playing its part with a feeling of dedication
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H A R R O V I A N
to produce a lively and engaging musical experience. We
certainly felt that there was nothing routine in the way the
forces combined to produce something really special for the
2012 Choral Society concert.
It would be a mistake to take these yearly high-quality
performances for granted. A considerable amount of work
has gone into making such a persuasively impressive evening
possible, and relying upon the depth of singing talent in the
two schools, DNW was able to provide an engaging musical
and educational experience for everyone present.
Photos by Rachel Marchant
Jazz Concert and Samuel Cup
Music Schools
21 March
Adjudicator: Jason Yarde
It was a great pleasure to welcome the eminent composer and
sax player Jason Yarde to the Hill to judge the competitive part
of this relaxed and happy evening. We also hugely appreciate
the continued support of the Samuel family in sponsoring this
event and coming to join in with us each year.
Nick Samuel, whose own musical career is going from
strength to strength, was able to be here and to join in with
the band himself.
Although there is always a stress-free end of term feel to this
event, the quality of the playing is also very sharp. The mood
is inclusive and attracts a keen and appreciative audience to
the Music Schools. The Swing Band always works for a tight
rhythm and ensemble, but also allows the instrumentalist to
express some of their personal feeling by way of decoration
and embellishment.
The effect was to provide lots of vigour and excitement,
mixed with a few more reflective moments and numbers from
a repertoire covering many of the greats, including music by
Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Neal Hefti, not
to mention “a number of our own” – which usually implies a
piece by SM – who is the originator and instigator of all that
happens on this evening.
Apart from a guest appearance by Nick Samuel, the vocalist
in Route 66 was William Fraser, The Park, whose voice is
really improving and from whom we hope to hear more in
the future.
Mr Yarde thanked everyone for the warm welcome he had
received here and congratulated the players on the dedication they
showed to producing such high quality music. He mentioned
each section of the band in turn, but in the end selected the
drummer, William Minashi, Bradbys, as this year’s winner
of the Samuel Cup. Congratulations to him and to everyone
involved in this most enjoyable occasion.
Music for Lent (2)
Bach Cantatas
Chapel
13 March
It was a fine coincidence that the Chapel Choir’s performances
of two Bach cantatas coincided with the evening of the election
of Pope Francis, the 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio,
the first Argentinean pope and the first non-European for over a
thousand years. JEP also reminded those attending that the new
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was embarking upon
a tour of all cathedrals in the land, prior to his enthronement
on the following Thursday.
The music was, of course, uncompromisingly Germanic and
Protestant and had been carefully chosen by DNW to illustrate
April 20, 2013
Lenten and Easter themes.
Cantata No 48 Ich elender Mensch was the first performed by
the choir accompanied by a chamber orchestra of strings, trumpet
and oboe, with the chamber organ played by Mr Singleton. The
counter tenor soloist was Hugo Morrell-Roberts, Rendalls, and
the tenor Daniel Lewis, West Acre.
The second Cantata was No 158 Der Friede sei mit dir, which
is build on slimmer lines than No 48. The baritone soloist was
Robin Randall, Moretons, accompanied by Nathan Cho, The
Head Master’s, violin, Tarquin Strickland, West Acre, cello,
Michael Yeung, The Grove, oboe and Jacky Wong, The Knoll,
organ – with an additional vocal line by Marcus Harman, The
Grove. A select band of the choir joined in with the final choral
Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm.
Though this was in many ways principally a spiritual experience,
the performances were certainly to be judged on their musical
merits and were of a remarkably high standard. It was particularly
invigorating to hear such confident and accurate solo vocalists
taking on the challenge of this music and acquitting themselves
so creditably. The choral and instrumental lines worked sweetly
together and one might imagine Bach himself wishing to have
had such talented musicians available to him for his original
performances in Leipzig.
Strangford Geography Lecture
12 March
Old Music Schools
On the 12 March the Strangford Geography Society welcomed
Mr David Job to the old Music Schools to present ‘Yarde Orchard
and Ecotourism’ to a large number of Lower Sixth formers. The
enthusiastic Mr Job runs his own ecotourism business in North
Devon making it extremely useful a Sustainable Tourism Case
Study. With this an essential part of the AS exam preparation
having Mr Job come in and discuss the case study in a personal
manner was extremely productive for the Lower Sixth.
He discussed the aim of his project: to encourage people
to travel responsibly to natural areas so that it conserves and
enhances habitats and the welfare of local people. He conversed
how to achieve Green Tourism by using ideas such as orange
juice containers to harvest rainwater and using reed beds to
manage the sewage and wastewater treatment. His last major
factor considered Sustainable Tourism. This was about the wider
sustainability agenda: reducing carbon footprint by using warmcell
insulation in the bunkhouse quarters habitat enhancement by
protecting the beautiful grassland and managing the coppiced
willow on the bike and footpath trial banks. Another factor on
the agenda was supporting local economy and employment.
An example was reintroducing the bizarre annual event of the
Wassail on the 17th January. This event involves having bread
covered in cider placed into trees by a virgin from the village
to frighten off evil spirits.
Yarde Orchard has been a major success, going from a brownfield
in 2002 to being awarded the Devon Environmental Business
Award in 2010. 95 per cent of their cafe clients are cyclists
and 45 per cent of guests to the bunkhouse are also cyclists.
Though this is a very good example of sustainable management,
scoring 29 in the Energy Performance Scale, showing that there
are some weaknesses which Mr Job pointed out. Gas cookers
using propane emit pollution in the cafe. Compromises have to
be made to make the facility economical feasible. Food miles
with some products such as chorizo and sun dried tomatoes are
made. These examples showed the difficulty of being completely
sustainable which made the case study so useful.
This brilliant case study from North Devon underlined excellent
ways of becoming sustainable but also outlined problems which
are difficult to address. This lecture gave an excellent personal
insight from the eccentric and enthusiastic Mr Job of our case
study of Yarde Orchard.
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April 20, 2013
5A Art Prize
Prizes are being heaped on the artistic shoulders of Lynus Woo,
Moretons. Following his award of Guild Colours and then an
Art scholarship recently, Lynus has now won the bi-annual 5A
Art Prize for his Lower Sixth painting which will hang on the
prominent display wall in the offices of the Harrow Development
Trust and the Harrow Association, known as ‘5A’.
His prize is an Amazon voucher and was highly merited. He
works tirelessly in the Art department and is both a role model
and ambassador for the subject. “Lynus produces superb work,
going above and beyond expectation, and has become one of
the best artists we have in the School currently,” commented
Douglas Collins, Director of the Development Trust, seen
presenting the prize to Lynus at the end of last term.
Lynus’ winning painting in 5A is a large, colourful and
skilful oil painting of shoppers descending the escalators in
a shopping centre in Causeway Bay, an area of Hong Kong,
Lynus’ home town.
H A R R O V I A N
companies did not get their reputation for nothing. The dancing
was mesmerising throughout and Prokofiev’s famous music,
of course, amazing (although during the interval I confess I
heard from more than one Harrovian the words “music from
‘The Apprentice’”). The beaks’ asking after the show whether
the boys would consider going to a ballet again elicited such
mildly nervous ‘maybe’ responses as may be expected from the
adolescent boy demographic, but I suspect that every Harrovian
really did enjoy the evening, even if he wouldn’t say that to
your face. I certainly did.
Enormous thanks are due to the beaks who organised and
led the trip, NP and KAF, and their gallant efforts to culture
unsuspecting Harrovians. With such a packed and exam focused
curriculum, something different from time to time is always
welcome, especially something to bring us closer to the culture
of the country whose language we study. If another such trip is
advertised, I would recommend it to anyone who could spare
an evening. Beats doing prep, anyway.
Easter Revision: How it really is
Slavonic Society
7 March
On the evening of Thursday, 7 March, the Slavonic Society
held a trip to see the Moscow City Ballet’s performance of
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet at the glamorous venue of the
Coliseum, Watford, after KAF realised that it would be simply
unthinkable for her Russian students to do a few years of
Russian at Harrow and never see a Russian ballet. The trip
proved surprisingly popular, with enough Russian students
to fill a whole minibus, including a brave contingent of nonnative speakers.
For almost every member of the party, this would be his
first ballet, and it was difficult to know quite what to expect
as we took our seats. I personally was pondering the practical
conundrum of how to tell an audience that a bottle contains
a potion to make the drinker appear dead, through dance, but
when the performance began it was clear that the Russian ballet
208
For the young, innocent, naïve Shells and possibly Removes
of our school, Easter and Work are two as incongruous,
incompatible and oxymoronic concepts as JJC and ballet – it
simply doesn’t happen! But for the older and (hopefully now)
wiser among us, we know the real deal: The “Easter Break”
is a fallacy, a sadistic joke that teachers label this time of year
to gain the small yet satisfying feeling that for once, during
this so called “holiday” time, we, the victims, have more work
than them. While they have their feet up watching TOWIE
with their Easter eggs, they know that “unfortunately”, we’ll
be slaving away on some 5000 word essay that won’t even be
marked in time for the exam anyway.
We come back from school absolutely shattered, slump into
bed, and don’t fully resurface for about 3 days, living in an
extreme cocoon of sleep, TV, eating, and sleep. Then one
afternoon, when we’ve finally emerged from our dark dens
and changed out of pyjamas into normal clothes, our parents
know that now is the time. With mischievous grins, and furtive
whispers, someone, generally your father, will casually sit
down, bring out the newspaper, and after a few minutes of
pretending to be interested in the financial crisis when actually
T H E
H A R R O V I A N
he just wants to read the cartoons, the innocuous, innocent, yet
utterly devastating “A-Bomb” of a question will be uttered:
“Shouldn’t you start revising soon?” Mother ducks behind the
door to stifle her laughter, your Dad attempts to hide a grin
behind the newspaper, (although this could be because he’s just
found the puzzles page), and you sit there, miserable, knowing
the so-called “holiday break” is over.
The next morning, you set your alarm for the ridiculously
early time of 8am (and realize in the process it is actually
light at this time!) and, bleary-eyed and forlorn, you set about
preparing to revise.
First, you procrastinate for a few hours, desperately trying
to stall the time until you actually have to learn something.
Making a “revision timetable” is a good form of this, when you
spend thoughtless hours counting how much time you have,
drawing it up, inputting the necessary details, and then colour
coding it just for fun. For this delay, we can happily blame
TW’s “Guide to Revision”, because it definitely stresses the
importance of planning…
Then you sort out your folders, because “an organized mind
is a healthy mind”, making sure everything is in the right
order and ready to be processed, and that everything on the
desk is perpendicular at right angles, in size order, and fully
operational. To calm yourself as the imminent time for work
approaches, you turn on BBC Radio 2 (88-91 FM!), sit down,
and begin. And it is then that you realize: Forget re-vision,
most of this is plain vision!
At some point around 10am, your sister will carelessly breeze
down the stairs in a dressing gown and tauntingly flash you a
smug grin as she prepares her breakfast. Many a pencil has been
snapped in barely suppressed rage at the injustice of the world,
but you grit your teeth, and get back down to learning about the
economic importance of mushroom growers in Lithuania.
It is during these long, cold, fruitless hours that the smallest
and previously dullest things now gain immense interest and
fascination to you. An entire coffee industry has grown and
flourished out of my holiday drinking habits, and as the day
goes on, the coffee gets stronger, so that by the evening the only
thing keeping me awake is the pain caused by the concentration
of the coffee as it slowly burns my innards, rather than the
caffeine itself. To be honest, it’s needed, because I’m sorry
New Schools, but there is nothing duller and more masochistic
than learning Greek Grammar on a Saturday evening when
you could be watching Doctor Who, or rather Jenna-Louise
Coleman in Doctor Who.
You suddenly develop a curious desire to go grocery shopping
with your Mum, and then, one day, when Mum asks someone
to do the vacuuming, you volunteer. Never before has this
been proffered from your lips, but in desperation to escape
learning about feminism in “The Hungry Caterpillar”, you
agree to vacuum not just your room, but the whole house!
What is this madness? Then again, this could just be a ploy
to plug in your iPod and sing along at the top of your voice
to Michael Buble’s greatest hits, without actually being able
to hear the results…
Yes, this time of year is horrible. The sun may shine, there
may be parties, and you could be sat in an armchair idly listening
to Chris Evans and the Beach Boys, but instead you’re sat at
a desk in front of a book, desperately cramming everything
you might need to know about the scientific discoveries
involving Smarties before returning to school to find your
ridiculously tanned beak is giving you what he calls a “pop
quiz”, but whose failure results in Saturday Night Detention.
Shells, Removes, beware! Be afraid; be very afraid, because
in a few years' time, your comfortable world of sun drenched
bliss will implode before your very eyes as you sit in a cold
sweat in front of your knitting text book, desperately trying
to remember how to knit crochet for what you thought was an
elective, but turned out to be a GCSE. And the worst thing?
You know it’s necessary.
April 20, 2013
British Art Medal Society
Reception and
Student Medal Project 2013 Prize Giving Ceremony
OSRG 12 March
One of the key exhibitions in the OSRG last term (About Turn)
was a loan of 24 medals from the British Art Medal Society
(BAMS). Shrai Popat (W-U) had selected them from among the
many dozens stored at the BM and this year’s Shell Sculpture
Group had designed and created 40 Art Medals of their own,
Henry Adeson (R-S) introducing the
Gardner Wilkinson vases to a guest.
in response to the BAMS Collection.
On 12 March the BAMS Council met formally in the OSRG
and their meeting was followed by a Members Reception
and the Annual Student Medal Project Awards Ceremony.
Mrs Walton, OSRG Curator, and IAS, Head of Sculpture,
Philip Horton presenting Katy Wildgoose from the
University of Edinburgh with the Grand First Prize.
addressed the BAMS membership for 40 minutes; Mrs Walton
gave an Introduction to the OSRG (a fully illustrated power
point presentation that the boys of the OSRG Arts Society had
devised), and Mr Stroud described the work programme of
his Shell Sculpture group which resulted in the Shell Group’s
Making Medals exhibition.
Boys of the OSRG Arts Society and invited guests from the
School then joined the Reception and mingled with BAMS
members until the annual presentation of awards and prizes
for the best student art medals took place. There were seven
categories in total and students from art colleges as far afield as
Falmouth, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Rochester were invited
to receive their prizes given by such auspicious organisations
as Morton & Eden Ltd, the Marsh Christian Trust, the Bigbury
Mint, Spink, the Worshipful Company of Cutlers, the Worshipful
Company of Tin Plate Workers and the Worshipful Company
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April 20, 2013
of Founders.
Henry Kenyon (H-L), OSRG Arts Society member, took
photographs of the proceedings. They will feature in the next
edition of The Medal magazine. Sir Mark Jones, Master of
St Cross College, former Director of the V&A - and BAMS
Council Member - spoke to Mrs Walton about the Peel Medal.
(This was established at Harrow in 1826 as an award for the
best essay in Latin prose.) He is planning a further visit to
the OSRG and Archives after Easter to research its history
and recipients. There is no doubt that this year’s successful
collaboration between the British Art Medal Society and the
Old Speech Room Gallery will continue for some considerable
time to come.
The Du Maurier
50 Years of Music: The 70s
The 60s are to the 70s what The Godfather is to The Godfather
II. The latter wouldn’t be able to exist without the former, but
what the latter lacks in precedence it more than makes up for
in quality and innovation. Essentially, without the revolutionary
music of the 60s the greatest artists of the 70s wouldn’t have
been able to be so musically creative, but the 70s produced far
more diverse music than the 60s. Where most of the 60s was
dominated by rock/pop/blues, the 70s spawned everything from
glam-rock, electronica, punk to post-punk, heavy rock and even
the roots of modern R&B. Once again I’ve had to be brutal
in culling artists to get down to 10, but what I can say is that
every artist/band on this list absolutely deserves to feature.
Amongst the casualties this time were: T-Rex, Led Zeppelin,
Brian Eno, Bob Dylan, Gang of Four, The Jam, Bob Marley,
Serge Gainsbourg, Neu!, Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, The Ramones,
Stevie Wonder, Patti Smith, The Modern Lovers, The Beatles
and countless other arguably deserving bands.
10. Suicide - Suicide
I had never felt scared when listening to music before; then
I heard “Frankie Teardrop”. You think I’m making this up. I’m
not. Suicide’s penultimate track is the most blood-curdling,
stroke-inducing piece of music ever pressed onto plastic. Don’t
listen to it at night. Don’t listen to it alone. If it wasn’t such a
masterpiece, I would tell you not to listen to it at all. There, now
that I’ve got the obligatory “Frankie” worship out the way I can
tell you about the rest of the album. Though they are usually
described as the first synth-pop band, Suicide were also the
first band to use the term punk in describing their shows. Both
descriptions are right; “Cheree” and “Ghost Rider” both feature
catchy melodies accentuated by the songs’ surging synths lines.
However, the majority of songs follow punk’s stripped-down
instrumentation and some contain archetypically politicised,
anti-establishment lyrics.
9. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
Plenty of albums deal with broken hearts and broken
relationships; few albums do so mid-breakup. Christine and
John McVie had just ended eight years of marriage, Lindsey
Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ on/off relationship was beginning
to disintegrate, Mick Fleetwood had recently discovered his
wife cheating on him with his best friend and to top it all off
the open-ended budget the studio offered them led to both the
band and its engineers spending inordinate sums on energising
self-indulgences. In this particular case the clichéd notion that
artists have to suffer for their art proved true. “Go Your Own
Way” is pop-rock at its best, with Buckingham’s accusatory
lyrics giving the song an ironic tinge, and “The Chain”’s bass
line is both laden with gravitas and instantly recognisable.
8. Unknown Pleasures – Joy Division
Personally, this is my favourite Joy Division album,
partly because it exposes the falseness of all those miserable
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Dostoyevsky-reading Ian Curtis wannabes. Yes, Closer is drenched
in desperation, but Unknown Pleasures has moments as dancey
as anything Sumner, Hook and Morris recorded as New Order.
Opener “Disorder” features some of the most defiant, hopeful
lyrics Curtis ever wrote: “Could these sensations make me feel
the pleasures of a normal man?” could be interpreted as Curtis
delighting in an adolescent lament, before he responds, “I’ll take
no pity from your friends”. Unknown Pleasures does, however,
reveal the roots of their sombre follow-up: in “Candidate”
Curtis repeats the phrase “I try to get to you”, alternating
between shouts and murmurs, marking the development of his
increasingly schizoid private/public persona.
7. What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Regarding his initial hit tracks (such as “I Heard it Through
the Grapevine”) Marvin Gaye said before recording What’s
Going On: “My success didn’t seem real. I didn’t deserve it. I
felt like a puppet…I had a mind of my own and I wasn’t using
it.” It’s true; as pleasant as “Grapevine” is, it can’t hold a candle
to the honest observation of the tracks on Gaye’s first concept
album. Gaye’s song titles and lyrics tapped into the confusion
spreading throughout the country at the time. The first two
tracks (“What’s Going On” and “What’s Happening Brother”)
set up a rhetorical question that’s answered in the third: “I’m
seeing nothing but trouble / nobody really understands.” Gaye
wasn’t afraid to keep questioning, and he does so in such an
authoritative tone that the questions seem to proffer answers
of their own. “Children today,” he asks, “are they going to
suffer tomorrow?”, then, “You will save the babies, all of the
children,” letting the listener decide whether or not to put a
question mark at the end.
6. Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols –
The Sex Pistols
Are The Sex Pistols the only band to have risen to international
fame thanks to one, and only one, album? Probably, but in their
first and last album, Johnny Rotten and co. created a record
more influential than the entire discographies of countless other
bands. Punk, originally anyway, meant not knowing (or caring
about) how to sing, play instruments, and, most importantly,
royally pissing people off left, right and centre. In that sense,
Never Mind the Bollocks is the seminal punk album. Cheap
shots at the upper echelons of society (“God Save the Queen”)?
Tick. Spitting venomous lyrical darts at your previous record
label (“blind acceptance is a sign / of stupid fools who stand
in line / like EMI EMI EMI”)? Tick. Proudly pointing out
your audience’s superficiality? Advocating political extremism?
Churning out song after song spewing with spit, grime, bile
and filth? Tick, tick, tick.
5. Exile on Main St. – The Rolling Stones
When Pitchfork Media said that Exile on Main St. is “a
record that simply cannot be written about” they weren’t far off.
Almost every extreme has been chucked at the record; critics
panned it, then, in Keith Richards’ words, began “extolling it
as the best frigging album in the world”. The band themselves
weren’t (and still aren’t) satisfied with it; Jagger said “It’s very
rock & roll, you know. I didn’t want it to be like that” and that
he would “love to remix the record”. With records like these
it’s best to try and block out the cultural ghosts that obscure
the songs. If you can do that, then sit back and enjoy that dark
Rolling Stones bluesy-rock ‘n’ roll they developed in the Sixties
and perfected in this album. “Sweet Black Angel” is one of
their great girl-praising songs; its A-side, “Tumbling Dice”,
in typical Jagger fashion, laments the women “that think I’m
tasty, but they’re always tryin’ to waste me”.
4. Trans-Europe Express – Kraftwerk
Without Kraftwerk there would be no Berlin-era David
Bowie. Without Trans-Europe Express there would be no Kid
A. Enough to warrant a place on this list, true, but Kraftwerk
were so much more than proto-Bowie/Yorke. By subverting the
Krautrock sounds that dominated their previous records, and
experimenting with mechanical minimalist beats that remained
T H E
H A R R O V I A N
accessible and catchy, Kraftwerk brought electronic dance music
into the world. Not that Kraftwerk were only about the beats and
synths; “Showroom Dummies” showcases their lyrical penchant
for blurring the line between fantasy and reality: “We’re being
watched” sings Ralf Hütter as choric howls flutter in the distance,
“We are showroom dummies”. The album art itself reinforces
this point; the men look too perfect, too airbrushed to be real.
Some albums sound ahead of their time; Trans-Europe Express
sounds like it wouldn’t fit onto any linear definition of time. It
is an immortal work shot straight from a different dimension
into ours. Call it once in a lifetime; call it lightning in a bottle.
But know that we will never hear anything that approaches its
kind of successful experimentation ever again.
3. “Heroes” / Low – David Bowie
“Heroes” or Low? Pop perfection or avant-garde
experimentation? Passion or melancholy? “The beauty” or “the
beast”? As you may have noticed by the two albums at this entry
I wasn’t able to choose. As self-indulgent as that may seem, if
there are any two albums by Bowie that work so well together
it’s these two (it may be the Berlin Trilogy, but both Low and
“Heroes” are far superior to Lodger). The songs – particular
highlights include the long-gestating climax of “Heroes” and
the Krautrock synths of “Sound and Vision” – draw from the
intense personal turmoil Bowie was experiencing at the time.
In an attempt to break his diet of “red peppers, cocaine and
milk” Bowie retreated to Berlin where Tony Visconti’s pitch
perfect production (notably impressive was his was of creating
cavernous drum sounds, a secret he has kept to this day) resulted
in Bowie’s most significant work. This was Bowie distilled;
gone were the masks of Ziggy or the Thin White Duke. Who
knew that Bowie himself was more interesting than any persona
he’d created.
2. Marquee Moon – Television
Play this to someone
today and they would
have a difficult time
placing it in any
particular musical era, let
alone one that featured
The Ramones, Patti
Smith and The Modern
Lovers. They open with
a song called “I See No
Evil” for crying out loud:
“I see no evil / it seems
so perfect”, really? In
late 70s New York? Like
much seminal work,
Marquee Moon bucked the contemporary trend (in this case,
punk). Whilst the instrumentally challenged, lyrical simpletons,
The Ramones were recording unvarnished 2-minute romps,
Television were recording songs that took the same garage
band aesthetic but sounded like engineers had toiled over them
for months. The title track is indubitably their masterpiece; a
10 minute epic (that could stretch to 30 minutes during their
live sets) where, unlike much of the glam rock that followed,
each note feels utterly essential. Marquee Moon was the album
where Television most successfully stood up to punk’s almost
derogatory view of musical talent. Tom Verlaine’s lyrics read
like poetry; the band’s instrumentation is so precise, so detailed
that it is almost inimitable. For a band to seemingly come out
of nowhere with such a fully formed masterpiece (as a debut
no less!) is nothing short of miracle. “Lightning struck itself”
sings Verlaine on “Marquee Moon”. Yes. Yes it did.
1. London Calling – The Clash
London Calling is, if not the best album of all time, then
certainly the greatest double album. Thinking of a reason why
that hasn’t been stated before is quite tricky. Is it the lyrical
sharpness? Whether they were shattering any lingering illusions
of free-love culture (“Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust”) or,
April 20, 2013
on a more personal level, describing one man’s paranoia (“When
they kick down your front door how you gonna come? / With
your hands on your
head, or on the trigger
of your gun?), Joe
Strummer and Mick
Jones’ lyrics carefully
balanced wit and
menace in equal degree.
Is it the prominent
contradictions the songs
are rife with? Say, the
upbeat rockabilly of
a track like “Spanish
Bombs” juxtaposing
with lyrics about the
bombing of Guernica
(“Spanish bombs shatter
the hotels”) and anarchical communism: “They sang The Red
Flag / they wore the black one”. Or is it the fact that The Clash
took advantage of the ground-breaking music of the Sixties
to make an album that bends countless genres – ska, reggae,
punk, jazz, soul, pop – into a defiant yet subversive whole?
Ultimately, it’s all of these things and countless others. I don’t
feel the need to list them; if you haven’t heard this record yet,
then do. That should be proof enough.
Festa Brasileira
On Sunday 17 March, nine Portuguese students were treated
to an authentic Brazilian dining experience at Rodizio Rico, a
"churrascaria" in Notting Hill. Having studied various aspects
of Brazilian culture in their lessons, the boys enjoyed getting
to know how a real barbecue should be done, in true Brazilian
style.
The salad bar was rarely visited and the boys instead focused
their efforts on trying to eat their body weight in various different
cuts of perfectly cooked beef, not to mention the other meats
that were on offer. The boys made light work of their sirloin
and rump steaks, however many were stopped in their tracks
when confronted with the offer of chicken hearts. Nevertheless,
a sense of duty prevailed and the braver ones amongst us took
up the offer, describing the experience akin to "eating a chewy
piece of sausage".
As the dessert menus landed on the table, we knew it was
time to quit whilst we were ahead and make our way back to
the Hill.
211
T H E
April 20, 2013
Death in the Vaughan
H A R R O V I A N
Polo
The Case of the Carrados Incunabulum
National Champions
This year’s murder mystery set in the Vaughan was certainly
harder than the last one, and there were considerably fewer
entries. However, three sleuths did identify the murderer, working
out at least one of the three main clues. Oliver Farquharson,
The Knoll, is this year’s winning amateur detective, working
out who murdered Monsieur Poirot, the French beak, via the
murder weapon – a monitor’s cane. He also managed not to
be thrown by a red herring, the initials on the screwdriver
handle standing for “Design and Technology”, not any of the
names of the suspects. The song book clue, though, seems to
have baffled everyone.
A full solution is available in the Vaughan for anyone who
wants to check up on how they did.
On Sunday the 10 March it was the National School Polo Arena
Championships. Over 20 schools braved the arctic conditions and
snow flurries to compete at Rugby Polo Club. Harrow entered
two teams in the top two divisions. The A team, made up of
Will Hinckley, Hugo Lakin, and George Cadogan, only lost
against St Bart's, putting them in 3rd place in the country. In
the second division the B team comprised of Lawrence Wang,
Daniel Graham, and James Emlyn destroyed all the opposition
to come first in the country, winning the Wellington College
Trophy. They beat Lincoln Minster, Radley and Stowe. James
Emlyn was the top goal scorer for Harrow winning Harrow's
Best Player.
Inter-House Badminton
14 March
New Gas Main
For a number of
weeks, North London
Gas Alliance has
been in the process
of replacing the gas
main that runs along
the High Street. At
the start of last Half
Term they reached
the narrows outside
Moretons and had
to close the road
completely there.
Their hopes of
completing that
part of the work
while the school
was not in session
were frustrated by a
number of unforeseen
difficulties which
have meant that the High Street remains closed at the time of
writing. Impressively deep excavations have reached well below
the level of the road, cutting through centuries of old surfaces
to get below the pipes that need replacement.
Meanwhile,
although the traffic
over the Hill has been
much reduced, there
are still many drivers
who are sceptical of
the meaning of “Road
Closed” signs. These
either end up trying
to negotiate West
Street and Crown
Street (with some
dire consequences)
if coming from the
north, or completing
many-point turns to
the amusement of
passers by if coming
from the south.
We wish NLGA
the best of luck in completing the job swiftly.
212
Steven Chua and Sanha Lee
This competition was held on the final Sunday of the Spring
Term. Lyons, West Acre, Bradbys and Newlands went through
to the second round where they met Moretons, The Park, The
Knoll and Head Master’s. Moretons, The Park, The Knoll and
Head Master’s then played in the semi final and The Park and
Head Master’s in the final.
Congratulations to The Park that took the cup this year. The
players all enjoyed themselves and it proved truly a competitive
but happy afternoon.
Rackets Review
Queen’s December 2012
Expectations were high in the build up to the National School’s
Singles Championships at Queen’s. We had three representatives
in the elite singles competition, The Foster Cup. Lalit Bose,
Robbie White and Henry Goodfellow all had the potential to
do well in the event with Lalit as the first seed. We also had
seeded players in the other three competitions. Henry Prenn
was the 7th seed in the Renny Cup, Freddie Ruffell was the
7th seed in the U16, and Jamie Jordache the 4th seed in the
U15 event.
In the Renny Cup, Dhiren de Silva was unlucky not to beat
a talented opponent in a tight match, Edward Buxton won his
first round with some solid play before going out in the second
round and George Parsons gave a good account of himself in
his first appearance at Queen’s. Henry Prenn progressed with
some impressive rackets to a quarter final with Brooks, the
T H E
H A R R O V I A N
Etonian second seed. Henry fought hard to grab a foothold in
the match but was unable to make inroads against a consistent
opponent.
In the U16 competition James Cleverly and Tom Neville
rushed over to Queen’s after their D of E expedition, but were
unable to get through their first round. Shailen Assani staged
an extraordinary fight back to win his first match, saving
match points along the way to underline his determination
as a competitor. Freddie Ruffell showed the advances in his
game by comfortably reaching the quarter final before playing
a ruthlessly efficient Etonian, and lost out in straight games.
In the U15 event Harry Mingay, Hugo Laing and Ben Maxwell
all showed potential but went out in the first round. Alex Temple
won two tight games to reach the last 16 and has the game to
be a fine player if he can get more court time. We entered three
yearlings and all of them gave a strong account of themselves.
Archie Green and Archie Maxwell were able to get through their
first matches with Archie Green saving match points, a good
sign for the future. Archie Stroyan came up against a stronger
opponent but competed well. Jamie Jordache beat two useful
opponents before coming up against Cawston, the son of the
Winchester professional. Jamie has a bright future in rackets
and has played very well in our doubles matches, however, on
this occasion, was just unable to overcome an opponent who
had clearly had more court time in the build up to the event.
The Foster Cup ends the week and with packed galleries the
pressure on the players intensifies. Henry Goodfellow played a
see-saw match against Shaw of St. Paul’s. After establishing a
2-0 lead with some strong play Henry seemed to take his foot
off the gas and lost the next 2 games easily. He then sprung
to life at the start of the final game to establish a 13-4 lead,
only to be drawn back to 14-14. Henry gathered himself to
win 17-14. It had been an exciting match and Henry showed
composure in the last few points to get through. Henry then
faced Lalit Bose in the quarter final but was blown away by
the severity of Lalit’s hitting in straight games. In the other
half of the draw Robbie White came through against Giddins
of Charterhouse 3-1 and then faced Alex Duncliffe-Vines, the
second seed, of Cheltenham in the quarter final. After losing a
tight first game Robbie stepped up with some outstanding play
to win the second game in the set. The third game was crucial
and the more offensive play of Duncliffe-Vines prevailed and
led on to an eventual 3-1 victory.
Lalit Bose and Alex Duncliffe-Vines negotiated tricky semifinals to set up an eagerly awaited final. The two boys could
not be more different in character. This has produced some
fascinating encounters over the years. Lalit has savage power
and a wonderful temperament. Duncliffe-Vines parades around
like a peacock and has outstanding movement and racket skills.
He gave Lalit the best team talk for the final, the day before,
by telling Lalit that Mckelvey of Marlborough would beat Lalit
in the semi-final.
The final had two distinct phases. Lalit played right at the
peak of his game to win the first game 15-4 and then gained
a 7-2 lead in the second game. The ferocity and precision of
his hitting was an impressive a spell of play as any Harrovian
has produced in the last 20 years.
The second phase arrived with improved play from DuncliffeVines and a slight drop off from Lalit. The second game became
very tight but Lalit held his nerve to win it 17-14. The third
game again had little difference between the players but Lalit
played the big points well and prevailed 15-11.
Lalit has made extraordinary progress in the last year and
thoroughly deserves all the accolades he gets for his all round
sporting achievements for the school. Harrow have now won
the Foster Cup 9 times in the last 21 years. Cheltenham and
Wellington are next in the list with 3 wins each. Lalit joins Joe
Bone (2004) and Tom Dunbar(1999) in winning the Foster Cup
without dropping a game. He also joins Harry Foster (1992)
and Sam Northeast (2007) in scoring a hundred at Lord’s in
April 20, 2013
the same calendar year as they won the Foster Cup.
It was great to see Charles Hue Williams and John Prenn
enjoying Lalit’s efforts and I would like to thank the extreme
generosity of the Old Harrovian Rackets Club, and Charles and
John in particular, in helping fund our tour to North America
in October. This provides a vital ingedient to the successes of
the boys. Harry Foster, Alex Titchener- Barrett, Joe Bone and
Sam Northeast all came back to play Lalit in the build up to
Queen’s and provided invaluable advice as well as excellent
match practice.
It is important to say a few words about PJW who has been
the master-in- charge of Rackets for 28 years. It is fitting in his
final year in this post that Lalit should have performed so well.
PJW has been a tremendous supporter of the wider game of
rackets and encouraged boys of all abilities to strive to improve
their performances. He has selflessly given up a huge amount
of time and energy to the game. His enthusiasm and off beat
sense of humour will be hard to replace.
Harrow Football
Saturday 16 March
1st XI v DGJ-P Davis’s XI
Outcasts XI (VI.2) v CJA Virgin’s XI
Outcasts XI (VI.3) v SPB’s XI
Won
Won
Won
7-2
2-1
2-1
This was always going to be a bumper day in the Harrow
football world, with many young OHs gathering for the evening’s
Dinner, keen to risk a little ‘batter of ankle and shin’.
Harvard-Walls, Yarrow and Wigley are faithful Giants who
bravely set about raising a team each year to bring back to the
hill, but there is no more loyal or efficient footer manager than
Dominic Davis, captain of the XI in 2009, who managed to sign
up twenty of his vintage to take on today’s Harrovians. Adding
a few more young bloods picked up here and there during the
season (Aitken, Barrell, Lambert) and a brace of Targets - keen
to grace the same pitch as brother Luke – S.P.B’s XI took shape
very easily. With the Outcasts’ fixture against James Virgin’s
XI re-scheduled from the first snowy Saturday of January, the
Hemstalls witnessed the tramp of no fewer than seventy-two
men at this end-of-season jamboree – surely a sight to gladden
Edward Bowen’s heart!
Clearly the weather gods were also smiling on us, as after a dry
fortnight had turned the Harrow clay into an almost unplayable
treacle, three days of rain then returned the Hemstalls to their
shocking best, before bright sunshine lit up our anniversary
afternoon.
On paper, Davis’s XI was frighteningly strong. Followers
of School footer during these past five years will notice that
amongst the twelve names listed below are no fewer than four
past captains of the XI, seven further flannelled Giants who
played two years in the XI and just one who played only one
year. It is true that not all university students are as fit as they
once were, and the unfortunate Davis again had to withdraw
after just one minute due to an old injury, but the final scoreline
in favour of the School is clear proof that this year’s XI is an
impressive unit. The OHs more than held their own in the first
half, but playing downhill after the break, the School mounted
wave after wave of attack and the heavy scoring in the final
quarter showed that they had now learnt the all-important skill
of giving yards.
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April 20, 2013
Looking for a democratic selection process for the two Outcasts
XIs, it was a team of Harrovians in their final year which faced
up to Virgin’s XI, with next year’s hopefuls taking on a more
than useful OH XI, marshalled by the ever-competitive JCP.
The selection must have been well-judged, as both games are
reported as being very hard-fought, with the Outcasts sneaking
victory in each case by a margin of a single base.
School XI: JPTW Russell (capt), JLH Nelson, MA Brunault,
Moretons, SL Target, TH Johnson-Watts, OP Dean, ZJA Smith,
D Holden, (RH Isbister), Bradbys, LPW Sixsmith, EHY
Ratcliffe, The Knoll, CF Draper, SP Woodhouse, The Grove,
JAG Pinchess, Lyon’s, HMB Kenyon, The Head Master’s, RJ
Smith, Rendalls.
H A R R O V I A N
The Harrow Football Dinner
RAC Club, Pall Mall
There is a fairly loose tradition that a dinner is arranged by a
retiring master i/c, to thank those Old Harrovians who have in his
time returned to the hill to play against the School XI. Without
the hard work of the ‘match managers’ and the loyalty of their
players, School Harrow footer would die, followed soon after
by the traditional Founder’s Day matches against Houses, and
then a few years later by the inter-House competitions.
Looking for a suitable date on which to ‘hang’ such a dinner,
Dale Vargas declared that 2013 would be the 210th anniversary
of the first recorded game of Harrow football. This was enough
to encourage SPB into action and by merging the end-ofseason dinner with an invitation to OHs of all generations,
a capacity crowd of 170 devotees gathered at the RAC Club
for an evening of footer festivity. Fezzes and Flannels jackets
mixed well with black tie at a Champagne Reception in the
Committee Room before dinner in the elegant Mountbatten
Room. After a footballing Grace, said by Father James Power,
the Chairman of Governors (and Captain of the XI in 1975),
Richard Compton, welcomed guests of all vintages. The senior
Flannel was John Leaf, Elmfield 19393, closely followed by
Roger Roberts, Newlands 19473.
Follow up in diamond formation!
DGJ-P Davis’s XI: DGJ-P Davis, Moretons 20033, EHH
Shryane, Rendalls 20033, RM Luke, Bradbys 20033, CWA
Griffiths, CPD Clarke, HJD Gilbert, Moretons 20043, EM Keith,
The Knoll 20043, ATRD Oliver, The Grove 20043, AB Patel,
Bradbys 20043, AFS Thompson, JFP Jolly, Moretons 20053,
EJT Hills, Moretons 20063.
VI.2 Outcasts XI: HR Hobbs (capt), West Acre, WRL Hacket
Pain, N Cho, The Head Master’s, CRT Jenkins, Lyon’s, AS
Rolland, SG Frost, SG Collins, Rendalls, JE Sturgess-Smith,
Elmfield, CPW Bilton, M Altana, Moretons, OJ Greig, (TNS
Judeh), The Park
CJA Virgin’s XI: CJA Virgin Elmfield 84³, GJD Hurley, The
Knoll 19782, L.A.Kunzig Druries 83³, LJ Sutherland, The Knoll
19833, KM Wilkins, The Knoll 19843, JAD de Labillière, The
Grove 19843, RJ St John Webster, The Head Master’s 19853,
JA Stabb, The Head Master’s 19863,
VI.3 Outcasts XI: AW Bath, WLO Gibbon, AK Agha,
Bradbys, WRS Toogood, HLJ Gregory, (HWJE Daggett),
Moretons, MK McSherry, JM Royston-Bailey, TM Redican,
RSM Cavet, The Knoll, A Guedroitz, Newlands, MJ Peers,
Rendalls, RAR Whitrow, Druries, JM Stephens, The Head
Master’s, GH Blount, FH Bullen, Elmfield, HERS Griffin,
Rendalls, Y Hoshina, The Head Master’s
S.P.B’s XI: JC Poole, Bradbys 20003, CA Barrell, Moretons
19983, BRS Target, The Park 19983, HD Target, The Park
19993, CDA Stevenson, West Acre 20033, TCA Lloyd, The Head
Master’s 20043, OJ Murley, Rendalls 20033, JWT Niblett, AJM
Aitken, Moretons 20043, AM Poole, Bradbys 20053, SW Park,
Newlands 20073, TME Lambert, Druries 20073
214
Fezzes, footer & fun
During dinner, a toast to Harrow Football was proposed by
legendary wit and past President of the OHAFC, Fred Woolley,
West Acre 19583, with a reply from another Harrow sporting
legend (albeit with a different shaped ball) Roger Uttley, Harrow
Master 1982-2009. Songs were of course sung, led by SPB who
had ambitiously selected the full footer catalogue, including
Voice of the Bell, Plump a Lump and even Back, Beaks! sung
to the tune of Down the Hill and very probably last sung at a
Beaks’ Footer Dinner in 1940. A Harrow football signed by all
players past and present, as well as a framed copy of Play Up!,
beautifully penned by Henry Daggett, Moretons, was presented
to SPB to mark his seven years as master i/c.
Guests took home with them a copy of Harrow Football:
The First 210 Years, as well as a miniature Harrow football
from the manufacturers Gilbert, emblazoned with the silver
arrows and the confusing dates of 2005-2015. If those present
were left wondering about these dates, they would have not
failed to recognise the warm camaraderie engendered by the
quirky Harrow game which looks set to flourish for many
years to come.
T H E
H A R R O V I A N
Harrow Football 2013
In its fifth year now, the pre-season Harrow football tour
headed off over the November exeat, with the aim of having
some fun of course, and establishing the camaraderie which is
so important amongst amateur sportsmen. The warm Belfast
welcome of the Hastings family ensured a successful start to the
season and it was no real surprise that 57 sixth formers turned
up to the Sixth Form game on the first Thursday of term in
January. This may look like an unmanageable number, but in
the early weeks we could play two practice games alongside
each other on Hemstall 5 and 6 and then select two squads of
15 each for the Saturday games. The 1st XI selection was always
the elite squad and the Outcasts XI could offer a competitive
match to a further fifteen boys. By selecting the Outcasts on
a democratic ‘rolling’ basis, this gave players the chance to
be available for other teams too and this flexibility saw footer
players also enjoying judo, basketball, fives, water polo and
swimming matches – an old-fashioned concept perhaps in these
days of professionalism.
It was already clear in 2012 that to provide matches (and
variety) for these greater numbers, more opponents were needed
– not as easy a task as one might think, since the spread of the
Harrow game juddered to a halt in 1863. This year the Spring
Term included only six Saturdays and on four of these, the
Outcasts squared up to a second OH XI and the addition of John
Lyon to the Thursday opponents would surely have brought a
smile to our founder’s face. With the exception of the highly
competitive match at Sunningdale, these Thursday games are
largely friendly encounters against/with sixth formers whose
PE A level syllabus includes a study of the history of sport.
The exceptions to this rule are of course the matches with our
old friends from Eton and John Lyon’s smile might well have
been strained by the result of the home game this year. There
is, of course, quite a story behind this, but it is probably best
left untold!
The weather gods once again threw almost all possible
conditions at us – but mainly the torrents of rain beloved of
Harrow footballers. Whilst those who play by the new ‘association’
rules had a miserable first half of term, footer players continued
to tramp down to the Hemstalls and Sheepcotes and only one
day of hard frost delayed the inter House competitions. With
Lyon’s now boasting a full house, WMAL had to push MLM’s
spreadsheet to its limits and a record 124 matches had to be
fitted into the jigsaw that is the Spring term calendar.
Success in the House footer competitions requires more than
just a good supply of talented boys, the energy and motivational
skills of a House Master being equally important. The Knoll has
for a couple of years now threatened to break the stranglehold
on House footer of Moretons, Druries and Bradbys and in 2013
they achieved this in some style, with appearances in four of
the five finals and three victories and one shared title. Last
year’s forecast that Lyon’s would soon make a first appearance
April 20, 2013
in a final proved to be a safe bet, as they went one better and
lifted the Torpid trophy.
If House footer is in good shape and the Outcasts XI provides
new opportunities for the ‘gentleman player’, what of the 1st
XI? Are all the sporting Giants of today playing soccer after
Christmas? Certainly, as we tramp back from the farm fields,
one cannot fail to be impressed by the talent on show on the
Sunley Field – but the truth is that there is more than enough
talent to sustain both codes. Our Old Harrovian opposition is
heavy with the Giants of yesteryear and it is no surprise (or bad
thing) that we tend to lose the first match of the season through
inexperience. But a 1st XI player enjoys more footer than ever
in a full ten week season and as was clear from the 7-2 defeat
of Davis’s team in the last match of term, today’s squad player
is very much able to ‘come up to the giants of old’.
The rules of the game allow for up to 4 substitutes and with the
unrelenting pace, and the fact that ‘the game is never stopped, if
it can be helped, while the ball is in play’ – the subs are rarely
left to shiver on the touchline. The make-up of our squad of
fifteen was a good mix of experience and youth. John Russell,
a captain who led by example, is the master of control in the
dribble and so often turned defence into dangerous offense,
supported by the exceptional strength of two fellow centres and
Flannels, Leo Sixsmith and Luke Target. Also in the centres
were two latecomers to the School footer scene, David Holden
and Ziko Smith. Holden’s huge throws and Smith’s aggressive
dribbling often caused panic in the opposition defence. The
fourth Flannel was the mad, bad Thomas Johnson-Watts who
spearheaded the raids down the wing, along with the quickthinking and experienced Ollie Dean and Jack Nelson, foraging
‘flyer’ Josh Pinchess and two to watch for 2014, Sam Woodhouse
and Rupert Smith. At the back, nothing seemed to disturb the
cool-headed general Charlie Draper between the poles, flanked
by the unforgiving Matt Brunault, the ice cool Ted Ratcliffe or
Henry Kenyon, a fine reader of a game and another who will
surely be a leading light in 2014.
Prospects for next year must be good and the season will get
off to an exciting start with a visit to Durham at the November
exeat and a quadrangular competition with the School XI
competing with OH teams from the universities of Durham,
Newcastle and Edinburgh. Two hundred and ten years on, it
seems that Harrovians would still agree with Howson……….
And nothing will drive the dumps away
Like Harrow footer on Harrow clay!
1st XI v C. Harvard-Walls’ XI
v J. Wigley’s XI
v T.G.Ewart-Perks’ XI
v G.F.J. Yarrow’s XI
v T.R.Wallace’s XI
v Oxford University XI (away)
v D.J-P.G.Davies’ XI
lost
won
won
won
won
won
won
0-1
5-1
5-1
4-3
1-0
4-2
7-2
Outcasts XI
v J.F.P.Lloyd-Jones XI
lost
0-1
v J.C.Poole’s XI
lost
1-2
v C.J.A.Virgin’s XI
won
2-1
v S.P.B’s XI
won
2-1
v Eton
lost
2-3
v Mossbourne Academy
won
4-1
v Eton (away)
won
2-0
v Sunningdale Masters (away)
won
6-5
v Hatch End High School
won
4-1
v John Lyon
won
5-1
The School XI: JPTW Russell* (capt), JLH Nelson, MA
Brunault, Moretons, SL Target*, TH Johnson-Watts*, OP Dean,
ZJA Smith, D Holden, (RH Isbister), Bradbys, LPW Sixsmith*,
EHY Ratcliffe, The Knoll, CF Draper, SP Woodhouse, The Grove,
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T H E
April 20, 2013
JAG Pinchess, Lyon’s, HMB Kenyon, The Head Master’s, RJ
Smith, Rendalls
*Awarded Flannels
H A R R O V I A N
Yearlings A: Harrow won 7-3
S. Shashoua, Rendalls, 3; O.N. Alfa, The Knoll, 2; G.F. Reid,
Moretons; H.T.G. Neville, Lyon's.
Outcast Ties were awarded to: HR Hobbs, West Acre, WRL
Hacket Pain, N Cho, The Head Master’s, AS Rolland, Rendalls,
CPW Bilton, M Altana, Moretons, TNS Judeh, The Park.
House Finals:
Cock House
House Seconders
Torpids
Torpid Seconders
Yearlings
The Knoll
The Knoll Lyon’s
The Knoll
Bradbys
1
1
1
5
1
Druries
The Head Master’s
The Head Master’s
Rendalls
The Knoll
0
0
0
0
1
Soccer
The School v. Haileybury
Harrow drew 0-0
12 March
Haileybury are the Stoke City of the A2OM league. No one
likes them, they don’t care. They work frantically hard to win
the ball and when they get it they give it to a 25 year old
behemoth playing at centre back who wallops it up to a lone
striker who tries to make something happen. Cesc Fabregas
once described it as “anti-football” at Harrow Borough they
call it the beautiful game.
This was a pretty dour affair, the midfield was very congested
and Harrow only looked threatening when they switched the
ball wide quickly. Some good play did put the impressive Harry
O’Hara, Newlands, through on goal but the Haileybury keeper
managed to smother it. Chances were few and far between and
the team need to be more clinical about taking them when they
come along. Harrow’s work ethic was excellent again and this
team does have the quality to see off stubborn opponents such
as these but it did not happen on this occasion. Harrow play
St Paul’s in the final match of the season. Let’s hope the goals
begin to flow again.
The School v. St Paul's
Harrow drew 1-1
16 March
Another draw to finish the season against a strong St Paul’s
team who had Harrow on the back foot for large parts of the
match. Harrow started fairly slowly and could not get into the
match early on. This team is best when everyone presses and
then moves the ball wide quickly when they get possession but
the tempo was not there. St Paul’s took a deserved lead thirty
minutes in and Harrow went to half time knowing they would
have to raise their game. A change in formation to 4-4-2 with
Harry O’Hara joining James Breeden up front gave St Paul’s
more to think about and a vicious O’Hara shot lead to a corner
that produced the first goal. Ogyen Verhagen pounced on a
defensive lapse to deftly angle the ball into the net. Game on.
Unfortunately Harrow could not keep the momentum and looked
rather jaded in the second half. They did well to hang on for a
draw thanks in no small part to another colossal performance
from Morgan Ward in defence.
The players should be congratulated on a fine effort this
season. They had the makings of an outstanding side. The only
thing missing was the ability to “win ugly” and grind out a
result in filthy weather on a bog of a pitch. At times they have
played some breath-taking football and have always represented
the school superbly. There were some outstanding individual
performers ably lead by Ed David and this team will certainly
go down as one of the strongest of the last few years.
Junior Colts A: Harrow lost 0-2
Ways to contact The Harrovian
Articles, opinions and letters are always appreciated.
email the Master in Charge tw@harrowschool.org.uk
or Desk Top Publishing eberry@harrowschool.org.uk
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