Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
Regular readers of the Third Year blog (both of you), will have noticed the progressively more unhinged tone relating to the absence of the Hampton DucklingsTM. It would not have been unreasonable to feel concern (even pity) for the Third Year Blog and the extremes of emotion that another ducklingless week would have brought.
But, friends, the ducklings have arrived! Yes! Hampton remains their location of choice.
They weren’t at LEH being fed sweeter treats than we offer.
They weren’t driven away by the frankly incredible noise generated by the collective Hamptonians on the 3G at lunchtime.
They weren’t ignoring decades of history in a way that would lead the Third Year Blog to bemoan the lack of commitment that these modern ducklings’ have to unpretentiousness and liveliness.
No.
They are here, and they are very sweet. They are lively. They are unpretentious. They are even mostly yellow and black (if you squint a bit).
If there is one lesson to be learnt, it is that Mrs Moria, lead School duck wrangler (and Deputy Bursar) speaks the truth. She said, just last week, to a sobbing Third Year Blog, that she believed the ducklings would arrive, and arrive they did.
In order to celebrate, we even have a duckling video below that makes the cloisters look like a bucolic idyll in a way that is utterly misleading.
Of course, the Third Year Blog is supposed to be about Third Years, not ducks.
Having said that, with exam week next week, the focus of the boys has been (mostly) on the upcoming exams. What this means is that even if they have been doing remarkable things, they are less keen to spend time writing blog articles than they sometimes are.
If the ducklings could write, then maybe we would have more articles to share this week (though, I am not sure how interesting those articles would be, as they would likely be focused on fascinating topics such as ‘discovering what grass feels like’, ‘following my mother around’, ‘what are these tall things that come and stand by us all the time?’ and ‘things I found out I can’t eat’.
As it is, we have two separate articles on a cricket triumph and a video and an article on a Drumming workshop this week. There may not be much, but what we have is excellent.
Heads of Year Message
Well done to the U14A Cricket Team for their victory in the County Cup on Wednesday!
Exams
Third Year exams will take place next week. Third Year pupils should continue with their preparations for exams over this weekend. We ask that they prepare as best they can and concentrate during the exams to ensure that they aim for personal best. We will ask no more of anyone than that. There is no failure, only learning, if mistakes occur. Any attempt to violate exam conditions will be followed up by the Heads of Year.
Interform Athletics
Interform Athletics will take place on Thursday 22 May. All Third Year pupils should attend school in their Hampton PE or Sports kit that day.
National Schools’ Regatta
J14 rowers competing at the National Schools’ Regatta on Friday 23 May will not be issued with a new individual exam timetable, but will be expected to complete the missed exams on Monday 2 June. Competing rowers will depart from School for Nottingham at 1pm on Thursday 22 May, so will not be eligible to take part in the Interform Athletics events. Best wishes for a strong performance to all those who are competing at the National Schools’ Regatta!
Absences
As normal next week, if your son will be absent from School for any reason, please complete the absence reporting form, which can be found on My School Portal on every morning of your son’s absence. For absences other than illness e.g. if a pupil has a dental or medical appointment during School hours, notice of this should be given in advance. For planned absences, please contact Heads of Year requesting the absence with as much notice as possible.
Boys – keep up the good work over this weekend and into next week. Stick to your revision schedules. Continue to be thoughtful and kind to the people around you. As always, let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you are having any difficulties.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mr H Moore
plenty of Cricket
U14A Cricket: Cup fixture vs John Lyon
Report 1
On Wednesday, the U14As played against John Lyon School in the second round of the Cricket County Cup. After a few losses in a row, we were determined to win this game and progress to the next round, as we boasted a strong bowling lineup, and a batting order which batted all the way till 11, so winning was the only option.
We fielded first, and led by opening bowlers Louis S and Monty R, we got off to a really good start, picking up a run out in the second over. We continued to bowl in good areas, and eventually Louis picked up another wicket. After the opening spell, Seb W and Vayun J came on to bowl. We kept the run rate down, and eventually Vayun induced a top edge from the batsman, which was taken very well by our captain Manav K, who ended up taking three tough catches over the course of the game. From then on, the wickets kept tumbling and by taking all our catches and keeping the pressure on, we ended the first innings with John Lyon’s on 106/8.
As we batted, Seb W and Sid S stitched a very good opening 60 run stand together, before Manav K came in, later joined by Rajvir S and Charlie L, to seal the game with a very comfortable run chase in the end – off just 16 overs, and with Seb W and Manav K both scoring 30+. Overall, it was an extremely good performance by everyone, who all contributed to a very good win. We look forward to our next few games, where we hope to maintain this form.
By Vayun J (3H)
Report 2
With the sun high in the sky and the weather a balmy 23 degrees the U14 A cricket team headed out onto the pitch. It was an extremely important knock out cup game and we were coming off a string of losses. We needed a win. We were playing John Lyon, a school we were not familiar with. We lost the toss and were in to bowl first. However, from the get-go, one could tell that something had changed from our last few games. As a team, we fielded very well with a lot of intensity, something we had been lacking in our previous games. Rajvir S, in particular looked extremely majestic in the field from the first ball, and despite fielding excellently somehow managed to look nonchalant throughout the game.
Louis S and Monty R were opening the bowling, and it was a 20 over game. It was not long before our intensity in the field was rewarded with a run out, providing us with our first wicket of the game. Louis bowled in lovely areas, the highlight being an absolute seed to pin one of their batters LBW. I have never seen a better ball in all my years of watching cricket, including whilst watching England. Louis bowled all his overs upfront and ended his spell with 1-15 in 4 overs. We then kept the pressure on for the next few overs, not allowing them to score and taking the occasional wicket. Nico W was then brought on and bowled ferociously quickly, taking a whole two wickets (making him our leading wicket taker for the season!) and looking far too quick for their batters, breezing past them with some brutal bouncers. Max J closed out the match and he was alright.
In the end, we limited them to only 106 in their 20 overs, thanks largely to some brilliant captaincy from Manav K. It was unfortunate that Jon-Jon B could not bowl as he was deemed too rapid, but if he had he probably would have left most of their batters severely injured. 106 was a low total, but we still needed to bat steadily in order to make the runs. Our openers, Seb W and Siddhant S walked out to bat, and a spectacular batting performance began. Siddhant hit some fantastic shots, his final score of ten not justifying the beauty on display during his performance.
Seb, as always, was striking the ball terrifically, playing some scintillating shots. He was bowled off a no ball and we all knew what was coming: a massive six over cow corner! Manav then finished the innings with an effortless 30* to chase down their total in 16 overs. It was a brilliant display all round, but the one man who stood out was Jon-Jon B. One might look at the fact that he did not bowl or bat and question this judgement, but his performance in the field, as well as his brilliant support from the sidelines, set a great example for the rest of the team.
By Jon-Jon B (3G)
Taiko Drumming Workshop
There was plenty of noise from the Hammond Theatre earlier this week, read on to find out more:
The Taiko Drumming workshop on Monday afternoon was a really fun and engaging introduction to the Japanese style. We spent the session learning the basic strikes and immediately started experimenting with different rhythms on the drums. It was fascinating how using our voices to count and vocalize the patterns really helped us stay in sync. We worked through a variety of these rhythms, and by the end of the afternoon, we had collaboratively pieced them together into a simple song that we could all play and repeat.
It was a great hands-on and enjoyable experience that gave us a real feel for the energy and teamwork involved in Taiko Drumming.
By Louis C (3G) and Rohan K (3G)
Artist Anonymous
For Giving Day this year, we are hosting an ‘Anonymous Artist Postcard Sale’ and we would like as many pupils, parents, and staff, as possible to demonstrate their artistic talents. To get involved, you can collect a postcard from either the Art department (F63) or the Alumni office (G3). You then have until Monday 2 June to create and submit your anonymous masterpiece. Members of the Hampton community will be invited to view the art work online (exhibited at School to staff and pupils on Wednesday 2 July) and make a donation to take a masterpiece home. Hidden amongst the masterpieces will be submissions from professional Artists – will you take home a piece created by a current award-winning artist? Or one created by the next Picasso?
Food Bank Collection
Please support our Feltham Food Bank Collection on Friday 23 May. They are particularly in need of tinned meat, tinned tuna, juice, shower gel, honey and washing pods. Please bring your donations to the front of School from 8.15am. Thank you!
Two Truths and a lie
Last week, Miss Embiricos was our liar.
- Miss Embiricos’ favourite food is sea urchin salad
- Miss Embiricos has represented Greece in the Ultimate Frisbee World Cup
- Miss Embiricos’ cousin is in the movie Fantastic Beasts
Which of these could possibly be true?
The lie here is the idea that Miss Embiricos represented Greece in the Ultimate Frisbee World Cup – I have not seen her throw a Frisbee, but as I understand it her technique would not cope with the rigours of international competition. As a side note, I should emphasise to you all that, despite her best efforts, sea urchin salad will not be making it on to the regular Hampton lunch menu rotation.
This week the illustrious Head of English, Mrs Rigby, is telling us dreadful fibs.
- Mrs Rigby used to be a professional ballet dancer
- Mrs Rigby went to the same university as Mr Bradley and Mr Baker. They went to different universities – go figure than one out!
- Mrs Rigby once performed the Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue song ‘Kids’ on stage at Hampton
Which is the lie?
Connection Corner
Well done to the everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner. We were after something quite specific last week, merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were all English football team suffixes. Big shout out to Alex G, Vayun J, Arshan M, Willoughby E, Matthew L, Luis M Y, Ben J, Huw C, Danyal P, David W, Oscar S, James G, Seb W, Gordon L, Joe B, Armaan V, Oliver Y, Daniel S and George S.
Another tricky one this week, have a go over the weekend and see if you can spot the connection:
In case you’re still perplexed, here are the answers to last week’s conundrum:
What is the name of the daughter in the Adams family? Wednesday
What is the name of the fictional pub in Coronation Street? Rovers Return
Where does legend say that Robin Hood and his band of men lived? Sherwood Forest
There are four major airlines in the USA – American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines. What is the name of the fourth? United Airlines
Connection: English football team suffixes – Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United (among others)
