Welcome to the Fourth Year Blog!
Welcome to the first edition of the Fourth Year Blog 2024-25! It has been an action-packed first half term and Fourth Year Hamptonians have settled into their lessons and co-curricular activities with typical Hampton energy and vigour. We have been so impressed by the year group’s enthusiasm for and enjoyment of all things Hampton inside and outside of the classroom, and we hope to see this continue over the rest of the year.
Our Hampton writers and editors have been busy rounding up the key events – we hope that you enjoy reading about what the pupils have been up to!
Sports round up
There’s been plenty of action out on the sports pitches during the first few weeks of the autumn term. Let’s hear from our Fourth Year sports reporters:
Football
On Tuesday 24 September, the Football A team’s ESFA cup run started with a home game against Therfield school. Coming into the game they were on a two-game winning streak, hadn’t conceded a goal yet and were “particularly excited” about the season ahead. A solid start to the first half was rewarded with a goal from Oli K 10 minutes from the break. Despite controlling the first half, a one goal advantage could’ve easily been wiped out and so they needed a few more to make it comfortable. The U15A team continued to control the play at the start of the second half and were once again rewarded with another goal for Oli K. After this, the floodgates opened. Soon after, Leo N raised the goal tally to three and Ned L slotted home a composed finish from inside the box. However, this was not before Alex P’s solo run and finish, which was lauded by some as the highlight of the match. Once again, a clean sheet was kept and the final scoreline was 5-0. Overall, this was a “dominant performance” with “great build up play” and they gave the opposition “no chances”. This puts the team in good stead for the rest of the cup run and the season. Captain James P said: “The boys stepped up to the occasion” and “they are extremely motivated to bring some silverware back to Hampton, but we’re focusing on each fixture at a time.” Their next ESFA cup fixture will be against Overton Grange.
By Sanjit B (4E)
Rugby
Experiencing a slightly less enjoyable start to the season was the Rugby A team who (despite valiant attempts) had lost their first five games of the season. A game against St Benedict’s School on Tuesday 1 October, was a chance to get the season going. They did just that and dominated the first half with six tries, with the first three coming from cross field kicks. When the second half commenced, confidence was high and they continued to rack up the tries, bringing their score to 50. Despite two late tries from the opposition, the A’s won handsomely with a final scoreline of 50-19. Olly MH and Gui G scoring four and three key tries, respectively and Ethan M scoring one. In addition, the scrums were exceptional. Also, captain, Bene B, had an excellent kicking game and converted five tries. After the game he said that “we are finding our feet and our cohesiveness and [we will] use [this] game and Harrow as a building block.” Against Harrow, they came up against a very tough team. Yet, despite the loss, they fought hard and the win was in sight for a while. These two positive performances will give the team the confidence they need going into the rest of the season. The next major game for them will be round one of the National plate on 12 October.
By Sanjit B (4E)
Basketball
This Tuesday, our very own Hampton U15A basketball team faced off against a strong Southborough side. The Sports Hall was rife with anticipation, the first match of the season is always a tone-setter. We were gunning for a win, or at least a good performance in the face of very decorated adversaries. The tip was at 3.20pm, and immediately we were off to a good start, with Ben G scoring the first point of the season. However last year’s Surrey Schools basketball champions were not showing any signs of slowing after a close first quarter, and this would prove difficult after a brief but impactful scoring run from the away team.
After the second quarter, the gap widened, and short staffed, our Hampton side could only hope to give chase as fatigue began to set in. Despite their tiredness, our boys in black and yellow played fantastically well for an eight-man team. Led by Oscar M-C and Josh G in scoring who both got 12 on the board and defensive anchor Alex L who grabbed a discombobulating 20 rebounds. Kudos to them for playing a fantastic game against a powerful opposition. The end score was an unfortunate 34-72 however it does not tell an apt tale of a neck-and-neck duel amongst two sides of great basketball players.
By Jaime R-B (4D)
Interform update
Volleyball and Art!
Well done to all the Fourth Year Hamptonians who have taken part in the first few Interform events of the academic year! This half term, we saw pupils battle it out to become Interform Volleyball champions as well as competing against each other in the first of the ‘Quick Quiz’ series, this time answering questions on Art. Sanjit B (4E) had this to say about the quiz:
On 24 September, the Interform Arts Quiz took place with nine forms hoping to add maximum points to their tally. Despite not knowing that much about art, I still found the quiz enjoyable as the majority of it was linked to general knowledge. This meant that getting a correct answer had little to do with artistic ability. Different rounds would ask different questions. Some examples would be “what cities are portrayed in these paintings?” or “who are the artists for these paintings?” Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and one that made me think differently about art and I would recommend it to everyone for next year’s interform.’
The Interform competition is still in its early stages with all to play for in the next events. We look forward to the next ‘Quick Quiz’ on Football trivia as well as the much anticipated Fourth Year Interform Spelling Bee. A big thank you to Mr Hall for organising these events!
Volleyball results:
- 4F
- 4E
- 4C
- 4J
- 4A
Art Quiz:
- 4B – Freddie T, Zach A and Alex M
- 4G – Arshan N, Alexander L, Zhenbo H
- 4E – Sanjit B and Ashton
- 4F – Umair M and Leonardo
- 4H – Nihal B
Talk! Chris Patten
Rory M (4A) tells us all about the first Talk! of the new academic year:
On Thursday 10 October, esteemed former politician Lord Chris Patten gave a TALK! on his career in politics and how the world has changed since his generation after the Second World War. He conveyed his incredible personality and was brilliant at getting his point across, candidly displaying raw emotion and explaining simple points that he wanted his audience to take away.
It was an incredibly insightful TALK! with plenty of humorous anecdotes, but also several serious messages, including how our generation must make a difference and how we cannot blame politicians for things that we ourselves are not doing anything about.
TALK! events are always memorable and enjoyable experiences which I would happily miss 45 minutes of 3G football to attend and I highly recommend them to all Hamptonians. Overall, it was a pleasure and privilege to hear Lord Patten speak, an incredible start to a new year of TALK!
On behalf of all the audience, thanks and congratulations to the organisers of TALK! and I look forward to the next event, Nick Bryant, who will be talking all things US Politics.
Mandarin Speaking Bridge Competition
Charlie E (4B) reports back on the awards ceremony that he attended in September:
The Mandarin Speaking Bridge Competition was an exciting opportunity for me and my other teammates (Arshan N and Kian B). We submitted a video of us performing a mandarin play and the competition judges selected ours and 8 other schools out of all the submissions. We then went into London, where the rest of the competition took place. Each school’s video was played in front of the others and the team was then invited on stage to answer two questions in Mandarin to decide the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for the competition. We competed in the beginner’s secondary school category and placed 2nd. A couple of weeks ago, we attended the awards ceremony. Previous winners came up and spoke about their experiences in the competition and going to the international competition in China, and members of the Chinese and British council spoke about the importance of languages in learning and the benefits it can have on your future. After the official ceremony, we had a chance to be interviewed by CCTV, which was certainly an incredible experience. All of our team are so thankful to our teacher and our school.
Tennis Success
Brennan C (4E) took to the tennis courts earlier this term. Let’s hear how he got on:
In September, I competed in a Home Nations Tennis Tournament in Ireland. The tournament was a team event with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales playing in it. I had been selected to represent England for the U14 age group along with two other boys and three girls. We would play each country in a round robin format over three days and every match won counted as a rubber (point) to the team. I had a maximum of two matches each day, singles and doubles.
On the first day we played and successfully beat Wales. This included playing as the top seed for England and beating a higher ranked player (12 in the country) 7-5 6-2. Overall, we beat Wales 4-2 and were to play Scotland the next day. Again, I played as the top seed playing number 10 in the country this time. I played very well and managed to beat him 6-2 6-2. This was probably my proudest moment of the event as he had beaten me in the few months prior to the tournament. After wins from my teammates we beat Scotland having only lost one match 5-1.
On the last day, we faced Ireland in what turned out to effectively be the final. However, I lost my match to a player ranked 27 in Europe despite my best efforts. Luckily, my teammates won some of their matches meaning we drew to Ireland 3-3. However, as Ireland had lost the previous day, we won the U14 category of the Four Nations tournament. On top of this, England’s U12’s won their age group and the U18’s came third. This resulted in England being crowned the overall winners of the Four Nations tournament (across all age groups).
Chess Challengers
Alex L (4D) reports back on a recent Chess tournament that he took part in:
Having arrived at the hotel where the games would take place in north-Hampton the day before the event, I was filled with excitement. As I settled in my room, I had done some last-minute preparation and went to sleep with a positive mindset about the next day. Waking up at 8:30, I strode to breakfast with my dad, giving myself a pep talk as I did so. Mid-breakfast the pairings had been uploaded and I, rated 1853, was paired against a 1582 for the first round (they pair the top seeds with the bottom seeds in the first round, I was seed 10 by rating).
When I sat at my board, I closed my eyes and meditated, giving myself a silent pep-talk. ‘Ring-ring’ rang the bell, indicating the start of the first round as I shook my opponent’s hand and started the clock. Round 1 went very smoothly, with me outplaying my opponent in the middle-game and winning with a high 97% accuracy. In round 2, I was playing a 1650 rated player, whom I have previously played before and had drawn. Similarly to last time we played, my opponent had surprised me with another strange opening, this time with the black pieces. We battled a tough game, with the advantage slipping from my grasp to his, and back. The position was simplified to a drawn rook endgame, where we were both getting low on time, leaving all three results possible (win, draw, loss). However, my opponent was unaware that if I was good at anything, it was playing endgames with low time and still performing well, unlike anyone else, who usually instantly crumbles under the heavy time pressure. I gained the initiative and had won a pawn, which led me to my victory as my opponent offered me his hand, having stopped the clock which indicated resignation.
Being 2/2 I wasn’t too surprised to be playing the top seed in round 3, who was a candidate master with an astounding 2180 rating points. I was also playing with black, giving me a slight disadvantage as I play after him. Unfortunately, I had suffered my first loss of the tournament, after losing the slight advantage that I had gained from the opening and missing a complicated tactic. I wasn’t too bothered by this though, as I knew that I was still playing well and it gave me even more motivation for round 4, where I was facing another tough opponent rated 2014. This time I didn’t play too well in the middle–game, giving away my opening advantage as white and missing a pawn sacrifice for my opponent, which gave me a near losing position. Luckily for me, I found myself again in an endgame, low on time which played to my strengths. Miraculously, I had managed to draw the game and save the position, keeping me still in contention for the top two spaces, which qualify for the Terafinal.
I sat down for my last game of day one, against a fellow Hamptonian who was performing very well. Despite my good record against him previously, I was still very cautious, and rightfully so. He instantly surprised me in the first 20 moves of the game, almost dominating the position as we went into deep middle-game territory. He launched a frightening attack on my king, as I attempted to defend. Little did he know, however, that I had a trick up my sleeve when I sacrificed, you guessed it, the rook! This opened the previously closed position as we both entered the time scramble. Gaining confidence, I created a counterattack, using my bishops to cut open his position. The game had ended when my opponent had run out of time, understandably so as time pressure can be immense.
This had marked the end of my first day at the challengers, with myself finishing at a high 3.5/5 points, and recovering for the next day.
What a tense report! Hear more from Alex in the Christmas Blog, when we find out how he got on in day two of the tournament.
Charity Walk
Let’s hear from Ambrose B (4J) who walked 100 miles in the Netherlands recently, all in support of Breast Cancer Research.
The day had at last arrived! I awoke with a feeling of trepidation, bolt upright, at 2.30am, my parents’ alarm sounding in the neighbouring room. I had never walked a marathon in a day before and had come to the Netherlands to embark on a charitable event, involving four back-to-back marathons in four consecutive days..
The Challenge
Known as ‘The Nijmegen Marches’ or ‘The Walk of the World’ – this is the largest walking event in the world; with 47,000 people take part, from more than 70 nations. Arriving in the Netherlands, I was surprised to learn how ‘huge’ it was there! The Marches date back to 1909 and started as an endurance test for the military. Everyone we met seemed to know about it, with coverage of the walk nightly, on prime time TV. Our family joined a team from the UK of 18 walkers raising money for Breast Cancer Research. We have a close family friend battling with Breast Cancer right now and have lost family members on both sides. I learnt that 1 in 7 women are affected by Breast Cancer during their life-time and men can get it too.
The Team
Our team were mainly experienced walkers: two having taken part in several ironman events! We were led by Andy – a warm, jovial character who had legs of steel and kept us walking at a fast pace!! This was his 100th Marathon, in memory of his wife – who had died of breast cancer several years ago. The only member of our team, who was not from the UK was Mike – an extremely brave individual from Canada who was weak and currently suffering from Stage 4 cancer. He wanted to complete the 100 Mile Walk, to commemorate his uncle who died in Nijmegen fighting for the allies in WW2.
The Training
I received a strenuous training schedule from the Charity four months before we left and had been working on my ‘Power Walking’ to strengthen my stamina and leg muscles for the marathons. As part of my training, I walked from my home in Hampton to Buckingham Palace, in Central London, a distance of 17 miles!
Setting Off
Early in the morning, before setting off in the dark – I carried out a foot-binding ritual. This involved the taping of my feet to prevent blisters forming. We had been warned that this was a serious issue, with Blister Clinics provided every five miles along the route. We lined up at the start and were amazed to find hordes of well-wishers gathered there and students from the local University cheering us on our way. They held banners aloft with the word “SUCCESS” written on them (the Dutch way of wishing ‘Good Luck’). I walked alongside teams from the Scots guards, British and German armies and Dutch Police belting out marching songs to raise morale. I felt sorry for the soldiers who were forced to walk in the heat, in full uniform, wearing sturdy, black lace-up boots and carrying heavy rucksacks on their backs. They looked exhausted! I saw foot inspections going on at the side of the road and young men inverted, at petrol stations, lying on their backs on the ground, with legs raised, grabbing a five minute break to rest their weary feet.
The Day of Hills!
Day three was known as ‘The Day of Hills’. This seemed strange to me, as The Netherlands is not known for being hilly. We started the day well, walking along a dike with stunning views and mist rising from a canal and sun glistening on the water. In the distance I could see a working windmill, like a traditional Dutch painting. It was later in the day that we came to our first hill. A German Army contingent stormed past us. Their battle rhythm accompanied by a marching chant: “Push! Push! Push a little harder. Push! Push! Push a little harder!”. When we reached the summit, we were greeted with an official sign, showing our height above sea level – 2900 …. centimeters!
Spectators
Television reports stated that there were – 1 million spectators lining the route. From 0 to 90 years of age, we found babies in parents’ arms and Care Home residents, all waiting by the roadside. There were even patients wheeled out on trolleys from a nearby hospital to give us a wave. I also spotted signs held up, by local people, offering ‘Free Hugs’. Children ran out again and again to give us ‘High 5s’ and offer plates of juicy cucumber, water melon and ice lollies to quench our thirst and provide encouragement. The weather was hot and humid. I saw walkers take off their caps, fill them with water and replace them on their heads. My legs and feet were complaining, after 18 miles or so. The very worst thing was to stop! I then found my leg muscles stiffening up and not wanting to start again. A morale boost, on route, was the singing. Uninhibited, everyone sang aloud together ‘marching songs’ with a strong beat, to help the miles pass. We found ourselves, singing side by side with the Dutch Police.
Final Day
The final day arrived and the temperatures soared! Following the collapse of several of the walkers from heat exhaustion, on the day before, the Dutch Government stepped in and changed our start time. Walkers were advised to start at 3am to finish our final marathon before the sun was at full strength. To reach the finish, I had to walk along a very long, straight Roman Road, called the Via Gladioli which seemed to go on forever. The spectators ran up to us with bunches of colourful gladioli to celebrate our achievement. I won’t forget the amazing atmosphere approaching the finish line, doing the Mexican Wave to ear-deafening cheers. I was so proud when my medal was presented and felt I had ‘really’ earned it! Relieved, elated and a little overwhelmed, I learnt later that I was the youngest participant from the UK to complete the 100 mile challenge in 4 days. Besides our medal, we were all offered a sports massage to revive our painful feet and legs, together with a celebration meal. Our team managed to raise a grand total of £45,000 for Breast Cancer Research.
I’m exhausted just reading Ambrose’s report – what a phenomenal achievement. Well done Ambrose!
