Baggage weighed and sticks at the ready, twenty eight hockey players were at Woollams ready to on the most ambitious hockey tour so far. The squad, with four members of staff, are heading initially to Kuala Lumpur to begin a tour of Malaysia. They will be playing fixtures across the country and in Singapore, returning on October 30th. The players plan to keep a blog of their tour updated on the blogspot website, so see if you can find them there.

The whole cohort of Third formers were put through their paces by the Coldstream Guards in the inaugural Third Year Team Building Day. This new initiative is intended to encourage the integration of new and current boys. The day consisted of two components: a cyber-bullying workshop run by Paul James from Barabarani Education, followed by an afternoon session run by the Officers, Sergeants and Guardsmen from the Coldstream Guards, ably assisted by members of the schools CCF 6th Formers.

The morning session presented the boys with a chance to explore the various dangers and problems associated with the cyber world, whilst also touching on the problems more traditional bullying can create. Despite the inclement weather for the outdoor afternoon component, all boys were enthusiastic participants in all activities, which involved wall climbing and various command tasks, while actively benefiting from the opportunity to work and interact with their fellow peers. An entertaining day was concluded with a last reference to the mnemonic Team: Togetherness, Enthusiasm, Attitude and Manner, which we hope all boys will remember for years to come.

The Gents of St Johns returned to the School as part of the Young Musicians Series, led by former Head Chorister Bradley Smith. An acappella group drawn from the choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, the Gents have an international reputation with an impressive list of engagements. Bradley, who was Head Chorister and Lay Clerk at the Abbey as well as leading the School Choir, has enjoyed the experience of singing with the Gents enormously. ‘Singing live on Thai national TV without any preparation was a great moment,’ he said wryly. In their concert at the School, the Gents mixed a first half of religious music with a secular, more contemporary second half, with witty arrangements of well-known songs. As ever, these gave the opportunity for the individuals in the group to demonstrate the enormous versatility, and strength, of their voices. It was certainly an inspirational evening for young singers in the audience.