Mike Payne, Cranleigh School 01483 274406 mkp@oldcranleighan.com

Issue 48April 2012

www.ocsociety.orgcontact

As usual a great social day for OCs, ex members of Common Room and families is planned.

The Olympics: Partly thanks to Jamie Taylor (1 North, 1972), the nephew of OC John Mark (West, 1944) who lit the Olympic Flame in 1948, we plan a celebratory exhibition. OC Olympians will be featured, as well (we hope) as film owned by John Mark’s family, the torch, his medal and his tracksuit top.

Provisional Programme:11.15 am Reception in the Quad. 12.15 am The new Organ and School Choir: Bach Concert in

Chapel (replacing the OC Service this year)12.45 pm Choice of Lunch in Hall, Hog Roast on Jubilee (both

on the house), or your own picnic in the grounds. 1.00 pm Cricket (OCs v School), Boys’ and Girls’ Hockey (OCs

v School), etc. Activity Tent and Bouncy Castle for the even younger, plus Beer Tent and Ice creams and Tours. OC Merchandise on sale, with special prices for the day.

In addition, Special Year Reunions (with reserved tables in Hall and an afternoon Champagne and canapés reception in the Pavilion) will be held for all those who left in 2002, 1992, 1972 and 1962, marking 10, 20, 40 and 50 years since leaving. The equivalent last year was a great success. Please contact the following:-

For 2002 Sam Worthy (sam_worthy@hotmail.com) For 1992 Anna Webster (anna_webster@hotmail.com)

Donald Young (donaldyn@globalnet.co.uk) Andy Geogehan (andrewg@theoldgroup.co.uk)

For 1972 Jamie Taylor (jamie@theleaffoundation.org) For 1962 Chris Phillips (ctf.phillips11@gmail.com).

Round up your friends and come. If you plan to, and would like to have complimentary lunch catered for you rather than bring a picnic, please could you let me know (with all names) ASAP – and let me know too whether you want me to book you Lunch in the Dining Hall or a delicious Hog Roast by Jubilee.

We look forward very much to seeing you!

A second 1992 ReunionMiranda Nevin writes: 1992 leavers – save the date: Saturday evening 7 July for our 20th anniversary reunion, in London or Guildford area. More details will be on the Facebook page or contact one of us for more details. Miranda (mirandanevin@hotmail.co.uk) Anna Webster (anna_webster@hotmail.com) Alex Thorold-Yankova (alextp1@hotmail.com) Claire Parry (claire@honeycomb-marketing.co.uk) Vicky Knights (vicky@rivanet.co.uk) Donald Young (donaldyn@globalnet.co.uk)Andy Geoghegan (andrewg@theoldgroup.co.uk).

Harry Adolphus (East, 2011), who will carry the Torch in Guildford on 20 July. It was Harry’s idea

in 2010 to pair a severely injured soldier with Cranleigh, giving both friendship and financial support. The resuilt has been to bring a torch

into Ben’s life. Now Harry has offered to be part of Ben’s care team in his gap year

Steve Batchelor at Seoul in 1988John Mark at Wembley in 1948

OC Day / Speech Day 2012 – Sunday 8 July – RSVP

Special Olympic Celebration

Floods2

Wildlife ArtistStefan Grol (2&3 South, 1995) writes: I have been a wildlife artiston and off for the last 10 years. In 2005, I completed a 2x3 metrejungle canopy painting, using acrylic paint on canvas. The paintingwas inspired by a trip to Malaysian Borneo, and was created over aperiod of seven months in the garage of the house where I wasstaying. I sold the painting to Standard Chartered Bank. It wasinstalled in the Bank’s New York Central Office on the ceiling abovethe stairway.

I am a professional artist in the sense that I have sold paintings, butI have never painted full time. I have twice exhibited artwork at theSociety of Wildlife Artists exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London,and I am an exhibiting artist at www.thelandgallery.com. My website(www.stefangrol.com) has some of my artwork on it, with prints forsale. I am currently working on a children’s picture book, which I amwriting and illustrating.

MBA Dream Comes TrueThe Master of Business Administration is a master’s degree forwhich Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey offeredthree full scholarships for a two-year evenings course to becomeMBAs. Two of the three winners were OCs Mark Brett-Warburton(1&4 South, 1985) and Nick Dunnett (2&3 South, 1992). Mark is acounty councillor for Guildford South-East and runs his ownarchitectural firm, Neonova Design. Nick is hoping to expand hissuccessful software solutions company. They both see the value ofapplying business theories and strategies to what they do.

James LeakeyI am delighted that I have had to apologise to James (East, 1977)for reporting on his demise in December’s ‘Contact’. He is alive andwell in India. I apologise too to concerned family or friends.

Recalling Cranleigh’s Floods in 196844 years ago, on Sunday 15 September 1968, came the floodswhich devastated parts of Cranleigh. It was the first day of mysecond year at Cranleigh. John Lowry (Common Room andGeography, 1965-87), passionate driver of the Village Fire Engine,was rowing up the High Street rescuing people. Only a fraction ofthe School’s complement of boys arrived. Many families had scaryexperiences, and those who got through were often soaked to theskin. Clothing was lent to parents who succeeded and then had todrive home. It was several days before all boys were present.The topography and impermeable soil of Cranleigh was often amajor problem until later flood relief works lessened the threat.Heavy rain began to fall on the night of 14 September and continuedunabated the next day. Floods like those which resulted arereckoned to occur only once every 1,000 years.

In Guildford the River Wey burst its banks in many places creatinghavoc to thousands of homes and businesses all along the valley.Amateur meteorologist Dennis Mullen recorded 3.75 inches of rainon the Sunday. By Monday water was six feet deep in places. As inCranleigh inflatable boats rescued people stranded in their homes.Plummers Department Store (now Debenhams), which had onlybeen open a year, had its basement completely flooded and theground floor was under three feet of water. The fire brigade had theirwork cut out pumping five million gallons of water from the building.Many thousands of pounds worth of stock was lost, not just atPlummers but also by other retailers in the town. A men’s outfittersin Friary Street without insurance had to resort to selling water-damaged stock to the public at knock-down prices in order to recoupsome of its value. The furnishing store Court Bros suffered losses ofover £15,000, with the Surrey Advertiser reporting that the managerboated in through a broken window to see furniture and crockeryfloating about, wallpaper peeling off, rolls of wet carpet andeverything covered in a layer of silt.

Early on the Monday morning, staff at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatrewere able to move scenery from the stage to safety. Then the watersrose and completely covered the stage and about 100 seats in theauditorium. The manager claimed he was the only person held up ina rowing boat by the pedestrian crossing in Millbrook!

Postscript on John Lowry: John’s devotion to the Village FireEngine was legendary. The first driver to the Station had the honour.Those in his groundfloor classroom in the Rhodes Block will recallhis bleeper sounding, his leap out of the sash window, and his fouryard sprint to his adjacent car. The drive through the village washairy, but the prize coveted.

I was in the Common Room once when the phone rang for him.Margaret, his wife, calling from home: “John, our chimney’s on fire!Help!” John: “Haven’t you rung the fire brigade? Don’t waste time!”Pause. John again: “On second thoughts, wait sixty seconds andthen ring!”

Stefan in front of ‘Jungle Canopy’

Jonathan LeighCongratulations to JonathanLeigh on his appointment to beMaster of Marlborough fromSeptember. Jonathan wasHousemaster of 2&3 South andSecond Master at Cranleigh(1976-92), Headmaster ofBlundell’s and now RidleyCollege in Canada.

Following the announcement,Jonathan wrote on Marlborough’swebsite: “It is an enormouspleasure and honour to have been appointed Master of MarlboroughCollege in succession to Nicholas Sampson. Emma and I lookforward to getting to know all the constituents which makeMarlborough such a remarkable community. I am delighted tocontinue to work with young people who have been the inspirationfor my entire career. Maintaining the enviable breadth so soundlyestablished at Marlborough will be fundamental to this.

Having led schools on both sides of the Atlantic I am only too awareof the importance of global connectivity. It is my intention to alignboth the international and local position of Marlborough throughemphasizing and enhancing high academic potential and the will todiversify and graduate pupils around the world. We should beoptimistic about the infinite opportunities which are available.”

Milk Float floating. Regal Cinema behind

Oldest OC

The Oldest Known Living OCFebruary 9, 2012:I have just had a chat onthe phone to the newlyacclaimed Oldest KnownLiving OC, PeterWightman-Mountain(East, 1928-31). Peter is 97(almost 98) and was bornon 30 June, 1914, whichprobably makes him theonly living OC to have beenborn before the start ofWorld War One, and eightmonths older than TrevorStephenson(1 North, 1929-31, nowaged 97), wronglyannounced as the oldest onpage 9 of the last ‘The OldCranleighan’. At CranleighPeter won his 1st XVcolours and played in the2nd XI hockey.

Peter’s daughter wrote to me after Peter had read page 9 andrealised he could relegate Trevor to number two. She writes: “Fatherlives in Eastbourne on his own now. He walks every day, shops,cooks, makes marmalade, looks after his house, and all hispaperwork. Father was a POW in Changi Jail during the war. Heputs his survival down to his life at Cranleigh School, cross country,and the daily cold showers! He is still the perfect Gentleman, whowould offer his seat on a bus to a lady today. We are all very proudof him.”

Peter referred to his tough war without me asking him. He said thathe was on ‘The Empress of Asia’ which on 5 February 1942 was lostto enemy action while in convoy approaching Singapore. There wereno lifeboats, and he had to jump over the side as the ship wentdown. To this day he remembers a sign on the beach which said ‘NoBathing’!

He then became a POW in Changi Jail, which was one of the morenotorious Japanese camps. After the surrender of Singapore later inFebruary, 40,000 men were marched to this northern tip of the islandto be imprisoned. The treatment of POWs at Changi was harsh butfitted in with the belief held by the Japanese Imperial Army that thosewho had surrendered to it were guilty of dishonouring their countryand family and, as such, deserved to be treated in no other way.

As 1942 moved on, death from dysentery and vitamin deficienciesbecame more common. The mood of the Japanese changed for theworse when a POW tried to escape. The attempt was a failure andthe Japanese demanded that everyone in the camp sign adocument declaring that they would not attempt to escape. This wasrefused. As a result, 20,000 POWs were herded onto a barracksquare and told that they would remain there until the order wasgiven to sign the document. When this did not get the desired result,a group of POWs was marched to the local beach and shot. Despitethis, no-one signed the document. Only when the men werethreatened by an epidemic was the order given that the documentshould be signed. However, the commanding officer made it clearthat the document was non-binding as it had been signed underduress. He also knew that his men desperately needed the medicinethat the Japanese would have withheld if the document had notbeen signed.

The Japanese used the POWs at Changi for forced labour. Theformula was very simple – if you worked, you would get food. If youdid not work, you would get no food. Men were made to work in thedocks where they loaded munitions onto ships. They were also usedto clear sewers damaged in the attack on Singapore. The men whowere too ill to work relied on those who could work for their food.Sharing what were already meagre supplies became a way of life.How well Peter did to survive. We congratulate him.

Meanwhile Trevor Stephenson writes to me: “This news makes meeven more decided to become the oldest.”

Peter’s and Trevor’s next challenge: to overtake the oldest recordedOC, Percy Bradley (born 16 August 1888, at Cranleigh 1902-04).Peter’s death was recorded in The Telegraph of 27 May 1996:“Aged 107. Active Director of Buckbricks, a sand and gravelcompany, from 1948 until his death. Left Cranleigh School in 1904and went into fruit and vegetable business at Covent Garden.Travelled on business in Europe and learned six languages.Chairman of Covent Garden Tenants’ Associaition and member ofWorshipful Company of Fruiterers.” The contest is joined!

Cranleigh, the BBC and AmericaRob Hugh-Jones (Cubitt, 1982) writes: I had a great time atCranleigh and have very fond memories of my time at the school.Friendships have endured (a gang of us “Cubitters” meet in Londonevery year or so for a very enjoyable trip down memory lane!).

When I left the school, I set out to be a BBC journalist. I spent quitea few years in education including a Master’s degree at the stateuniversity of Kentucky, USA (on an ESU scholarship). Kentucky is aland of white picket fences and horse farms. Very Tom Sawyer-ish.And in many ways very “real” America. It was a wonderfulexperience and kicked off an abiding fascination for the US. Back inthe UK I got a job with the BBC as a reporter. My first assignmentwas to cover a contest between ice-cream makers in Glasgow (Iquickly discovered Glasgow is a hotbed of fierce and sometimesaggressive competition among ice-cream producers!). I moved toLondon as a news bulletin writer at the BBC World Service which ledto some interesting overseas assignments including covering thehandover of Hong Kong (I was privileged to be given a tour of theGovernor’s residence and an interview with Chris Patten). Over theyears I’ve covered all sorts of news around the world, both asreporter and producer. I worked on a few ‘Panorama’ investigationsand then was lucky enough to return to America, to live and work forthe BBC first in Boston, then in New York. My small family - wifeAlice who’s also a Bush House-nik, and 3-year old son Leo (whoseonly interest in the BBC is CBeebies) - returned to the UK in 2010.We still walk around at home in our Brooklyn T-shirts, rather sadly!Now, I look after the BBC’s relations with some of our US co-productions and, in any spare time (!), I write and produce topicalfeatures for the BBC news website.

I look back very fondly on my time at Cranleigh. We had a lot of funand it was a creative environment. It’s gratifying to see so manyCranleighans moving on to achieve so much. I was delighted to seean Old Cranleighan get the call-up for the England cricket team.Talking of which, Cranleigh nurtured my love for cricket, though Ishould add my batting average has not remotely kept pace with myenthusiasm!!

Peter at 92

3

Food

Always in RudeHealthNick Barnard (1 North, 1976) writes:Cranleigh was not at the forefront ofa food revolution in my day.Memorable pleasures include thesubtle pink icing on the teatimesticky buns, the medium white slicedbread at breakfast, gently toastedand then stacked so as to steam andgain that unique soggy consistency,and of course, the stuff of legend:matron’s home made cottagecheese, which we knew for certainwas fermented in her stockings…

The latter was, in hindsight, a gourmet delicacy. But food as fuelis what a growing teenager craves, and the cheap, highlyprocessed trinity of carbs, fats and salt kept our taste budsdormant and served our bodies basic needs. Waking up to goodfood took place outside the school dining room. As a boarderwith parents in the Middle East, I looked forward to exeats andsome holidays with school friends and their families.

I remember, vividly, as if there’s a plate by my side right now, thefirst taste of fresh asparagus in melting butter at Jo Higg’s home.And then there’s Angus Storar and me picking berries for ourkeep in a walled kitchen garden in the west of Ireland, andsavouring their exquisitely sharp, yet sweet and bright flavours inthe chef’s loganberry fool…

Thank goodness for real food. And that’s how Rude Healthbegan. My wife and I tasted a neighbour’s home-made muesliand recognised that this recipe brilliantly combined great tastewith health. We all agreed there was a gap in the market, and sopitched in, headfirst. As this was winter 2006, and pre-Lehmanbrothers, selling The Ultimate organic muesli in an artisan brownpaper bag at the correct but also at an eye watering price wasnot impossible - as it was - and is - the best there is. Now RudeHealth is six years old, growing fast, and all because we’rekeeping the faith: we never compromise. We’re outspokenadvocates for real foods that have been proven to nurture andalso give pleasure. We love good fat, unrefined carbs, and richsea salt. We help people to discover these ingredients and thewonder of simple unrefined foods. And we do it the Rude Healthway – by being entertaining, yet provocative and thoughtprovoking…and, when I’m let out from time to time, by ranting.

Mike suggested I offer a generous discount to OCs. So here it is.Shop at www.rudehealth.com and enter the code exculturobur inthe discount window, and your pre-postage and packing bill willbe halved. The offer will stop when I remember to turn it off.

The OC Lawyers’ SocietyAlexi Dimitriou (1 North, 1996), the organiser, writes: The OCLawyers’ Society is exactly what it says on its tin: a society of OldCranleighans who work in the legal field. The objective of theSociety is to act as a fun and informal forum for OC lawyers tomeet up with each other. It is also hoped that the Society will bebeneficial to new graduates interested in the law by facilitatingopportunities to meet experienced lawyers in an informalenvironment.

The Society held its fourth drinks reception at Ashurst LLP’sLondon dining rooms on 25 January and it was well attended.Many of the usual suspects came along, with attendees rangingfrom law students to partners and barristers, a group of whomimbibed late into the evening. While some OCs showedimpressive self restraint others did their best to do the drinks trolleyjustice. Mike Payne (OC Liaison) provided an informative update ofthe upcoming OC events and reunions and the rest of the eveningwas spent engaging in entertaining banter over some food andwine.

The Society has over 80 members, but we would love to see it growfurther and therefore welcome new members, whether qualified oraspiring lawyers in training. Any OCs who wish to join the Society,or would like to attend its next event, should contact Alexi Dimitriouat alexigdimitriou@googlemail.com (07779 259770). Alternatively,search for the “Old Cranleighan Lawyers’ Society” group on theLinkedIn website and request to become a member.

John Gysin (2&3 South,1952) during a match on"what will probably turn

out to have been my lastGolden Oldies tour, toMalta last May, just to

prove that I am stillplaying Rugby at the

age of 77"

4

‘DABBOUS’ – London RestaurantEd Henderson (2&3 South, 1999) writes:

Ollie Dabbous (2&3 South,1999), who opened hisrestaurant 'DABBOUS' in thesecond week of January onWhitfield Street just north ofSoho, cannot have dreamthow well the first couple ofmonths would go. On 2February, Faye Maschler ofthe Evening Standardawarded 5 stars and endeda glowing review with “Thestar ratings on these pagescorrelate to the quality ofcooking. Five stars isreserved for when a placecomes along that changesthe game”. Other reviewershave been equally full ofpraise and diners anddrinkers are flooding in.

This has been Ollie’s destinysince his early teens and those of us who know him well neverdoubted that his solo restaurant venture would be a success.Deciding against Oxbridge he opted instead for universities suchas Le Manoir aux Quatre Saisons, Hibiscus, Mugaritz... the listcontinues. Raymond Blanc schooled him at Le Manoir and ratedhim so highly that he is a personal investor in DABBOUS.

Ollie’s style is to keep things simple and let the quality of theingredients speak for themselves. Yet within this he is creativeand his dishes are works of art. Don’t miss the Iberico Pork,savoury acorn praline, turnip tops and homemade apple vinegar.

He would be delighted to see OCs whether for cocktails in thedownstairs bar (10% off just for OCs) or in the restaurant for thevery reasonably priced a la carte and tasting menus.(39 Whitfield St, 0207 3231544, www.dabbous.co.uk)

Ollie

Sport

OC Mini RugbyWill Fawcett writes: OC Rugby welcomed the advent of mini rugbythis season, with over seventy excited youngsters regularlyattending. Ranging in age from four years old and upward, theemphasis has been TAG rugby for age groups up to eight, with theolder children progressing into contact rugby.Sessions run from 10.30 am until 12 pm each Sunday morningthroughout the season. Blessed by fine weather all year, thesessions combine rugby based games, handling exercises and fun,introducing boys and girls to our great game. All are welcome, withdetails available via the www.ocrfc.com website, or by calling the OCRugby manager JJ Griffin at the club on 0208 398 3092, and the OCMinis Facebook page.Santa arrived to congratulate ‘OC Club’ and ‘Improved Player’ Awardwinners at the Christmas party, with an end of season BBQ partyplanned to celebrate a hugely enjoyable first year. Come down and jointhe fun...all abilities are welcome; OC mini rugby has kicked off in style.

RugbyWill Fawcett writes: With just one game remaining in Surrey LeagueTwo, Old Cranleighans have maintained their impressive earlyseason dominance, and have achieved well deserved promotion.Amassing over 570 points in seventeen fixtures, and beaten justtwice all season, OCs have scored freely, most recently posting fiftypoints on both Worth Old Boys and the Law Society.Based on the collective shoulders of the unbeaten 2005/06Cranleigh School side, the team predominantly boasts a youthfulselection of OCs, bolstered by strong local recruitment, the wholeclub benefiting from the competition for selection. Both the 2nd XVand the BXV have enjoyed winning seasons as well; the whole clubis vibrant, relishing the excitement and energy sustained successhas brought.School coach Andy Houston has galvanised the skills and fitnesslevels at training. Club manager JJ Griffin welcomes all to a buoyantclubhouse. The Golden Oldies lunch on 31 March was the bestattended yet, with the Chairman delighted to initiate the first pre-match lunch for visiting OC parents and supporters. Mini rugbycontinues to flourish (see article), and the first minis fixtures are dueat the end of theseason.Dom Hammondcaptains the 1st XV,and joins theChairman inwelcoming playersof all abilities.Details and resultsavailable:www.ocrfc.com.Come and join us,enjoy the fun,competition andsuccess. TheOCRFC is buzzing.

Dom Hammond

Three recent Old Cranleighans all played for Harlequins lastweekend against the Cardiff Blues. Both Seb Stegmann andSam Smith scored tries with Will Collier coming on in thesecond half.

OC Andrew Houston, Director of Rugby at Cranleigh: “To havethree Old Cranleighans all on the pitch at the same time in sucha prestigious side is a terrific achievement and the school areincredibly proud of all of them.”

HockeyHelen Merry writes: The 1st XI have had another impressiveseason with the team showing a lot of promise for a promotion pushnext year. The 2nd XI have had a solid season and are sittingcomfortably mid table. Although the 3rd XI have had a challengingseason, Captain Nick Aston reports that team spirits have been kepthigh by one or two surprise wins and always with post match cakes!

The Ladies have struggled consistently to score goals meaning theyare now facing relegation from the top division, but the position ismore positive elsewhere in the Club.

Captain of the Vets, Andrew Eve, observes that the recruitment ofsome younger players meant that the Club was able to put out twovets teams, but sometimes we were overstretched meaning thatgames were won or lost by large margins.

Looking to the future, the Club AGM will be held immediately beforethe end of season dinner at Aragon House in Parsons Green on27 April. A trip to the London Prepares series between 2 and 6 May,summer leagues and the mixed hockey festival have been lined upfor the summer. An exciting prospect for next season...the Club willtake its first steps towards running a colts section, with mini-hockeybeing organised for 11 and 12 year olds on Sundays betweenSeptember 2012 and May 2013.

GolfDavid Powell (Captain) writes: The year ended with our annualdinner at Boodles when the new Captain is welcomed in and wehave the chance to say many thanks for the hard work andcommitment to our outgoing Captain Graham Williams.

At the end of November we played our last match against the OldMarlburians at Walton Heath, always a popular fixture.

The New Year sees a continuance of a very busy golfing schedule forthe OCGS members and a chance to welcome new membersespecially our younger recent leavers. They dramatically reduce ouroverall average age and bring us some excellent golfers who willhopefully join in matches and competitions during the year. Tony Whitty,our excellent Secretary, can be reached at Tony@CabotAviation.comfor info on matches, competitions and weekend golf trips.

Our early golf year is focussed on the Halford Hewitt, where on29 March we defeated Highgate in the first round at Deal. We hadan excellent team with a few new players from recent leavers. Thefollowing day we faced last year’s winners Watsonians, and althoughwe lost 1-4 we gave them a good run for their money.

May I wish Old Cranleighans and current boys and girls a greatgolfing year.

5

Calendar

CALENDAR

OC REUNIONS

Fri 20 April: OC Surveyors’ Lunch in London(Paul Jackson – jackson@victorylanduk.com)

Sun 6 May: Over 70s Reunion at the School(Brian Cole – 01420 511212)

Fri 18 May: South-West Lunch at Ilminster(Stuart Wheeler – williswheeler@btconnect.com)

Fri 25 May: Upper VI Leavers’ Get-Together to discuss theOC Society at the School (8.50 pm)

Wed 20 June: Armed Forces Reunion at Kneller Hall, theRoyal Military School of Music(mkp@oldcranleighan.com)

Sun 8 July: OC Day and Speech Day at the School

Sat 8 Sept: Under 30s Reunion and Gower Sevens at theSchool

ProbablyApril 2013: OC Dinner (Chairman: Neil Bennett, just retired

from Common Room)

SCHOOL EVENTS – see www.cranleigh.orgTickets from dmp@cranleigh.org or 01483 273666

OC CRICKET – see www.oldcranleighan.org.uk/occc/fixtures.htm

OC RUGBY – see www.ocrfc.com

OC HOCKEY – see www.oldcranleighan.org.uk/ochc

OC GOLF – see www.ocgs.org.uk/pages/fixture_list.htm

OC RIFLE – see www.btinternet.com/~eilley/ocrc/flist.html

SCHOOL CRICKET & GIRLS’ SPORT – see www.cranleigh.org

OCCC Tour of St LuciaTom Merry (North, 2003) writes: The seventh major OCCC tour sawus return to the Caribbean, the destination for the inaugural trip 15years earlier, and we travelled with the largest party to date, 36players, wives, girlfriends and children plus a nanny. Disappointingly,we lost all but one of our six games but should undoubtedly havewon one (and possibly two) more. There were some highlightsincluding four games at the 12,000-seater Beausejour CricketGround and the inaugural floodlit OCCC game!

On the field, there were some notable performances – Tom Crumpwas the leading run-scorer making one of only two fifties wemanaged, while Watkinson, who scored the other, batted well in ourwin. With the ball in hand, Paddy Harman and Matt Crump toppedthe wicket-taking tables.

Off the field, we were fortunate to eat at some of the EasternCaribbean’s finest restaurants – Cliff@Cap, the CoalPot, the Edge toname a few. Several nightclubs also ‘enjoyed’ our patronage, even ifthe quality of the chat-up lines remained atrocious throughout.Caesar’s Palace, the local karaoke bar, was particularlyaccommodating – allowing a succession of drunk OCs to grace thestage. The locals were surely baffled by our preference for ‘Don’tblame it on the Bugge [sic]’, in honour of the club President, DavidBugge, who was rarely far from the action.

Other highlights included the tour drinks and dinner reception whichtook place at the stunning Cap Maison resort on the West Coast; theall day catamaran trip to visit the world-famous volcanic pitons, andthe nightly fines sessions, held on rotation by the private pools of thesix villas. The tour would not have been possible without the supportof the Sacred Sports Foundation in St Lucia, who organised ourcricketing affairs on the island superbly, and we look forward tobuilding on our relationship and helping a great cause.

General consensus was that St Lucia proved to rank amongst thebest tours undertaken by the club – already thoughts have moved tothe organisation of the next one!

A full report and photos are available online –(www.oldcranleighan.org.uk/occc/index.htm). You can follow the clubvia the website, Facebook (occricketclub), or through Twitter(@ocranleighancc).

DeathsWe are sorry to have to report the deaths of Brian Gowen(Common Room, 1967-95), Peter Greig (East, 1947-52), MichaelRoberts (Common Room, 1989-93), Martin Shaw (2 North, 1956-61), Daniel Stride (1 North, 1936-40), David Ware (West 1960-62)and Colin White (East, 1949-55).

Music in HollywoodCongratulations to Dom Lewis (East, 2003) on successfullyturning his love for music into his occupation. After completinghis studies in Film and TV Composition at the Royal Academy ofMusic, he provided arrangements for projects at Universal Musicand an entire show of music to accompany the world tour ofinternationally-recognized cellist Lizzy May. His collaborationwith film composer Rupert Gregson-Williams brought him toHollywood, where he now works out of Hans Zimmer’s filmmusic hub Remote Control Productions.

In his two years at the studio Dom has supplied music for anumber of Academy Award-winning and nominated filmsincluding Rango, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rio, andHow to Train Your Dragon. He recently composed the score forthe “Golden Reel” award-nominated How to Train Your Dragon:Gift of the Night Fury and is currently working on the upcomingreleases Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and G.I. Joe:Retaliation.

6

Adventure

Five Fortunate Vietnamese

Clockwise from top left: Sam Wilson, Callum Ewing,Fred Wilson, and Jamie Richards

Sam Wilson (Cubitt, 2010) writes: This June, fellow 2010leavers Callum Ewing (North), Jamie Richards (Cubitt), FredWilson (North) and I are cycling 2400km down Vietnam, fromHanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, on behalf of Saigon Children’sCharity. With your help, we aim to raise enough money tosupport five underprivileged young adults through University inVietnam.

The four of us are currently at University thanks to the help andsupport from teachers at Cranleigh and I think you’ll agree withme that many opportunities will come as a result of theeducation we received. By achieving our target of £5000, thesefive students we are supporting will be given the same platformas us to go out and succeed.

“We were amazed when Sam, Callum, Jamie and Fred said theywere going to do this for us – it is a huge undertaking and wewish them every success. It will be a memorable experience intwo ways – firstly because I am sure they will share manyadventures on the tough month-long trip but also because theirefforts aim to put five young people through their full four-yearuniversity courses. This will be the first time ever that anyone inthese families has been to university and represents animportant step forward in lifting these young people and theirfamilies out of poverty forever. Huge thanks to the four of themand to all of their supporters!” Paul Finnis, Director, SaigonChildren’s Charity

Training for the ride has already started, and the ‘Surrey Hills’will provide excellent yet gruelling routes to really test our skillsand endurance, when the four of us are together again at Easter.

If you would like to find out more about our ride or you would liketo DONATE visit: www.justgiving.com/ride4education

ALL MONEY DONATED WILL GO TO CHARITY as each of usis paying for all our personal expenses.

Also whilst we are in Vietnam we will be posting a blog online:www.ride4education2012.blogspot.com

Madagascar with Secret CompassClimb a mountain. Cross a desert. Trek through unknown jungle.Many of us talk about such intangible goals but never really considerthem a possibility and therefore they remain as pipe dreams.

Not so for Ali Wilde (East, 2005), former East House and RugbyCaptain, who will be leading an expedition to trek across the islandof Madagascar – from coast to coast, via the highest peak,Maromokotro – in May with Secret Compass.

After retiring from rugby following a back injury playing for Bristol Uni1st XV, Ali took up climbing, trekking and mountaineering in anattempt to replace the gap rugby had left. After summiting MontBlanc in 2010 with two OCs – Jamie and Ben Wainwright – Alidecided to pursue a career as an Expedition Leader and was takenon by Secret Compass to learn his trade after hounding them for ajob following an outdoor event where co-founder Lev Wood wasgiving a speech. Secret Compass specialise in organisingexpeditions where most people would fear to go. Their previousexpeds include a trek to the source of the Oxus river in Afghanistanand, most recently, the first expedition ever to the world’s youngestcountry – South Sudan.

Madagascar will be another world first expedition – a 23 day trekfrom Sambava on the East coast to the small island of Nosy Bé onthe West coast. 200km across as the crow flies – however, the teamwill not have that luxury. They will be travelling entirely by foot overextremely varied terrain including untracked jungle, open floodplain,and sun-scorched mountainside and will have to negotiate manyriver crossings and chop their way through thick vines in the battle tocross the world’s fourth largest island.

Famed for its wildlife of which over 90% is found nowhere else onearth, Madagascar recently featured as the star of a BBCdocumentary narrated by the great David Attenborough. TheFebruary edition of Geographical magazine brought to light theillegal hardwood trade that is plaguing the forests of Madagascar.But you don’t have to watch it on TV or read about it in articles -Secret Compass is offering you the chance to undertake thechallenge of a lifetime in this strange and unique land.

There are still some places left so if you would like the chance to bepart of this world-first expedition, please visitwww.secretcompass.com for full details.Madagascar: Coast to Coast, May 12 – June 2. If you have anyquestions, please feel free to contact Ali atali.wilde@secretcompass.com

OC ReunionsThe Over 70s Reunion will be at the School on Sunday 6 May.Contact Brian Cole if you’d like to come – 01420 511212.

The South West Lunch: The South West Branch of the OC Societywill again be holding their annual lunch at The Shrubbery Hotel inIlminster, Somerset, on Friday 18 May. The secretary StuartWheeler has sent out invitations to all on his circulation list but ifanyone else would like to attend please contact him by Email atwilliswheeler@btconnect.com and he will send the necessaryinformation.

The Armed Forces Reunion will be at Kneller Hall, Twickenham,the Royal Military School of Music, on Wednesday 20 June.Contact me if you’d like to come – mkp@oldcranleighan.com

OC Livery Association: Organiser Christopher Hayman (2 North,1964) plans to arrange a Livery Association event in the summer.Nick Meyer (2&3 Souith, 1962) is expected to become SeniorWarden of the Worshipful Company of Upholders in April and Masternext year.The Copy Deadline

for the next issue is Monday 18 June

Many thanks toJohn Sandford (designer/typesetter)

Maurice Drake, Mark Tomlin and Maggie Morgan(‘Flipside’)

Quotation Slot“The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to

play the violin.” (Honoré de Balzac)

“A perfect wife is one who doesn’t expect a perfect husband.”(Source Unknown)

7

CRY Crusaders

OC Colonel on Dress-Codes for YoungOfficersCol Barry Jenkins (2 North, 1981),having been Regimental Colonel ofthe Royal Artillery, is now DirectorCorps of Army Music, HQ KnellerHall, Twickenham.

After he sent an e-mail about dressand turnout to his young officersabout 15 months ago, it went viral.It was then received almostuniversally positive, and has nowresurfaced. It is now in many Cityfirms’ handbooks for employeesand St James’s Style made‘Colonel Barry Jenkins – Hero ofthe Week’!

From a report in the DailyTelegraph: In an extensive email,Colonel Barry Jenkins of the RoyalArtillery Regiment instructed maleofficers to follow the lead set byPrinces William and Harry when wearing civilian clothes. He warnedthe subalterns to avoid cartoon character socks, the ‘silvery’ shirtsworn by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker and shoes withtreads like ‘four-wheel drives’. He also told female officers that theirmake-up should not be excessive and, “most importantly”, hairshould be tidy and presentable, adding: “The whole ‘train crashsurvivor’ clambering the embankment look is unattractive andinelegant.”

Colonel Jenkins said: “We should not ape the armed wing of Boden,Primark, Fat Face. I am constantly amazed by what some think isacceptable dress. It is not just the quality but the untidy, scruffymanner in which it is worn – this must sharpen up.”

The memo – which quickly swept the internet – advises officers towear a ‘good, clean, well pressed suit’ with a Gunner zigzag tie forthe men and a brooch for the women. He suggests a ‘slim elegantleather suit belt’ rather than a Harley Davidson-buckle belt and longsocks that “do not show your flaky, spindly, hairy Twiglet-like shin”.He also reminds young officers of the importance of polished andgood quality footwear.

The email continued: “A heavy treadand a big fat square toe won’t dojustice to your well-cut suit… youwouldn’t put ketchup on a Dover sole.The tie should be correctly tied, closeto the collar and checked regularly.The knot must not be big fat GrangeHill special or be seen adorning theneck of a semi finalist from TheApprentice. The tie should just reachover the waist belt, not six inchesabove or below.”

Colonel Jenkins asks Royal Artillerystaff to: “Please disseminate this lickof polish on to our fantastic, brave andimpressive cohort of young officers.”

Conservative MP and former Armycolonel Patrick Mercer yesterday saidthe advice from Colonel Jenkinsshould be ‘applauded’. He said: “I know Barry Jenkins, he was astudent of mine at staff college. He is a good bloke and I suspect ifhe is recommending that young Army officers should presentthemselves in a particular way, then it is good advice.”

CRY Crusaders cry for supportBen O’Neill (Cubitt, 2007) writes: During my last year at school,along with Alex Blundell Jones (Cubitt, 2007) and Rich Irving(East, 2007), we were asked to play in the Surrey 7s competition fora team called Seb’s 7s. Our team was made up from Cranleighansand Lord Wandsworth boys from the Waverley area. Inevitably thequestion was asked about the name. Three years before their closefriend Sebastian English collapsed and died whilst playing rugbylocally at the age of 15. Sadly his father Howard (a former OCRFCplayer) died a decade earlier under similar circumstances. Sebastianwas found to have died of ARVC – a condition which he unknowinglyinherited from his father.

Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently ‘fit and healthy’ youngpeople aged 35 and under die from undiagnosed heart conditions.The majority of young sudden deaths are due to inherited forms ofheart muscle disorders and irregular heart beats. [Players can havea heart check as a precaution: see www.c-r-y.org.uk]

The team re-branded itself and played under the name TheMagnificent Seven and we established ourselves on the sevenscircuit. Since 2011 we have played under the name of CRY (CardiacRisk in the Young) Crusaders and the aim of the team is to spreadthe word about the charity so it is as familiar as other rugby charitiessuch as the Wooden Spoon. Last year the number of competitionsCRY Crusaders entered rocketed, mainly due to the fact most theboys had now finished university, and we were lucky enough to playin the invitational of the Manchester 7s, where we were platewinners, as well as the London Rock 7s.

This year, we have been invited to Manchester and London as wellas Edinburgh. The squad will be represented at the Toad 7s, WestCountry 7s and Bournemouth as well as our usual local circuit.

We have received support from Surrey RFU and we plan aconnection with Harlequins RFC and Esher RFC. Nick Easter andRob Andrew are both patrons of the charity. We are hoping to set aGuinness World Record by playing in the longest ever game oftouch in order to spread awareness of our charity.

Please “Like” our facebook page ‘Cry Crusaders’ or follow us ontwitter @Cry Crusaders. If you wish to make a donation to the CRYcharity, please go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CRYCrusaders. Ifyou are interested in getting involved, our contact details can befound on (www.c-r-y.org.uk/crusaders.htm).

OCs who have played for CRY Crusaders: Ben O’Neill (Cubitt, 2007),Alex Blundell Jones (Cubitt, 2007), Richard Irving (East, 2007),Christian Larsmon (East, 2007), Charlie Barker (Loveday, 2007),Richard Ashton (Loveday, 2007), Murray Shepherd (Cubitt, 2010).

OCs involved in the upcoming season: Paul Arthur (Loveday, 2007),Simon Steer (Loveday, 2006), Tom Garrett (North, 2007).

Ben with the jug and Charlie second from left - winnersof the Farnham Sevens

Uniform of an earlier age: 1812

8

The Lent Term at Cranleigh 9

Firsts For This TermAn unprecedented 20 pupils auditioned for the National YouthTheatre during the first half of this term. After intensivepreparation with Miss Lockwood, Mr Copp, Mr Allison or MissBourne, each auditionee took part in a three-hour workshop witha professional director and had their monologues heard in a one-on-one audition. It is naturally extremely competitive, but allwould have gained a great deal from the day itself and we wishthem very good luck as they receive their results over theholidays.

The news this term that Henry Taylor has signed a professionalcontract for Harlequins heralds a new record for the School, withfour boys signing for the club in the space of four years (theothers being Sam Smith, Seb Stegmann and Will Collier).

The Acting Head’s ReflectionsAndrew Griffiths reflects on his term as Acting Head while GuyWaller travelled abroad meeting OCs and others:

At the end of my time as Acting Head I have been reflecting onthis term just finishing. Standing back and looking in on theschool I have realised just what a special place Cranleigh is, andhow privileged we are to be here. In all areas of school life weare encouraging everyone to strive towards their own individualexcellence and there have been so many successes this term –from individuals, teams and groups, and as the school as awhole. In sum, this has been a very good term. I would like tothank the School, the Common Room, the Governors and theSMT for all their support in keeping me on the right track thisterm. And I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the role ofHead of such a great school.

Personal Bests...ACADEMICIFS Student Investor Challenge: in the UK’s premierinvestment competition for UK students aged 14-19, EddySpencer, George Munday, Will Farrer and Ben Steffens came34th out of 7,000 teams. By investing wisely, they ‘made’ animpressive £26k from their original £100k investment within just3 months – earning them a place in the regional finals inLondon, in which they came 14th.

National Young Enterprise: for the second year running,Cranleigh hosted the Surrey West Area Final. Fifteen out of 35 ofthe region’s liveliest and best-organised companies competedagainst each other in a major trade fair in the Emms Atrium,including Cranleigh’s ‘Calibre’ team – focusing on refreshmentsales at sports fixtures and new strawberry, vanilla, mint andcitrus ‘Smelly Bandz’. Detailed company reports and accountshad to be submitted in advance, and companies then deliveredfive-minute formal presentations to a panel of judges in the ALT.

SPORTHockeyNational Schools’ Indoor Championship: U18 Hockey Boysare National Schools Indoor Runners-up for the secondsuccessive year.

Surrey Semi-Finals: Cranleigh qualified in all three age-groups.

National U14 Hockey Finals: the U14 girls’ team weredelighted to return from the National Hockey Finals, held atCannock Hockey Club on February 29th, with 3rd-place medals,

having beaten old rivals St George’s College after a nail-bitingclimax. A fantastic achievement for the team, our first ever girls’representatives at the National Finals.

England U18 Hockey Squad: James Gall and Ali Clift haveboth been shortlisted for the final squad to play in the FourNations tournament at Easter, against Germany, Holland andSpain.

East Grinstead Ladies 1st indoor team (Premier League):Katie Batchelor

RidingRegional representation: two of Cranleigh’s youngest ridershave achieved Regional recognition, in the contrastingdisciplines of Eventing and Pure Dressage.

• Fifteen-year-old Briony Pearson will compete at the famousBadminton Horse Trials in May, having qualified for theGrassroots competition on her 14.2hh pony, Bellissima.

• Thirteen-year-old Phoebe Osborn has been selected torepresent the Southern Region at an Under 25 Inter-RegionalDressage Competition at The College, Keysoe at the end ofMarch, on her pony ‘Macky’.

NetballSurrey Finals: four netball teams (the U12s, U14s, U15s andU16s) went through to the Surrey Finals this season – a schoolrecord, made all the more impressive for the fact they have toqualify before our official season even starts!

SwimmingSurrey Swimming Championships: Katie Batchelor camesecond in the Individual Medley – and was also part of the BathCup team that was placed well at the Nationals.

GolfWest Sussex Schools’ Invitation Event: the School golf teamJonny Pullar (UVI, captain) partnered with Marc Sadler (UVI)and Charlie Craddock (LVI) partnered with Alistair Hills (LVI) –retained the Handicap Salver, competing against the likes ofWestminster, Radley, Eton, Tonbridge, Wellington, Charterhouseand Epsom.

Riding at the National Qualifiers

The Lent Term at Cranleigh10

MUSICGrade 8 Certificates: Olivia Moxey on flute (merit) and LouisaGolden on cello (distinction).

National Youth Wind Ensemble: Rachel Hurst on Bassoon.

Royal College of Music Angela Bull Memorial Competition:Chloё Allison made it to the finals, in which she was awardedrunner-up prize (beating the Principal Clarinettist of the NationalYouth Orchestra).

Merriman Concert Orchestra: Chloё Allison gave anunforgettable Mozart clarinet concerto, performing with theMerriman Concert Orchestra in January.

Seb Weiss Jazz Trio: Tom Hollister joined this professionalensemble to give a sensational first-half performance onpercussion and second-half performance on the marimba, in anevening of high-class jazz.

Recital No. 12, Bach Organ Concert: Cranleigh Voicesaccompanied Phil Scriven in some really challenging music atthe half way point in his marathon 27-concert survey of theComplete Organ works by Bach, with outstanding solos given byTom Hollister (vocal), Ben Rudolf (violin) and Harry McCagherty(oboe).

Chloё Allison

Performing Arts Round-Upby Peter LongshawI want to focus in this review on four remarkable UVIth Formerswho will be moving on from Cranleigh this summer. In JamesCopp’s magnificent production of ‘The Producers’ Max Bialystockand Leopold Bloom were played by Tommy Lyster and JonOldfield, two of the School’s finest actors, who created a trulycharismatic relationship. Rory Savage performed anoutrageously enjoyable Roger de Bris and as Franz LiebkindBruno Broughton brought his talents to bear with hilarious effect.Technical director Mark Jenkins achieved a level most West Endtheatres would be proud of and even got a stage appearance,along with designer Peter McNiven and the dynamic musicdirector Marcus Pashley. The female star was Rosie Singleton:acting with a Max and Leo two years above her held no fears:she’s got it and she flaunted it. Much as I enjoyed Tommy Lysterand Jon Oldfield in ‘Hamlet’, there was something special abouttheir chemistry in this show which will remain in the memory foryears.

The Merriman ConcertOrchestra concert annuallyshowcases one of theSchool’s finest musicians.Chloё Allison could haveimpressed listeners just asmuch on the recorder, butChloё is equally adept on theclarinet. She played theMozart concerto with liquidtone, subtle phrasing and realemotional depth. In the nextConcert Series concert TomHollister, one of our mostmulti-talented musicians, tookcentre-stage in a concert bythe Sebastian Weiss JazzTrio. Tom (drums) joinedpianist Seb Weiss and hisbassist in a suite by ClaudeBolling, in which the flautist was Ruth Miller. Tom’s drummingwas nifty, cool and insistent as the music demanded. Seb Weiss

introduced two of his own compositions,which was the cue for Tom Hollister toreturn, this time on marimba. His obviousenjoyment in making music withprofessionals was a joy: here was a youngman already on the verge of a careerhimself. We can look forward to the daywhen Tom returns as a professional tothese concerts; for now Cranleigh musicwill feel a little strange without him andChloё.

The Helen Wareham performancecompetitions contained a wealth ofhighlights and the versatile Chloё andTom both played in the piano event (withTom also singing Mozart sublimely on thevocal performance evening). I might add,though, that of all the performances I haveheard this term nothing gave me moresheer pleasure than Hebe Westcott’sfabulous performance of Bartok’s‘Roumanian Dances’ in the pianocompetition: Hebe conjured a myriad ofcolours and variety of tone from the MusicSchool’s fine new Yamaha.

Tom Hollister

The Producers

The Lent Term at Cranleigh 11

Foundation FocusThe Cranleigh Foundation has had a productive few months,continuing to raise funds and, as a result, support key projectsand Foundationers.

Its commendable fundraising efforts have included the hugelysuccessful Christmas Fair, raising just under £9,000 for theFoundation, and the OC Rugby Dinner, raising just under£3,000. The latter will go towards the continued work onBluett’s rugby pitches: when completed and settled, thesepitches will be amongst the finest in the land. Fundraisingefforts continue apace: next term, ladies are warmly invited toattend the Foundation Ladies Tennis Tournament onWednesday 30th May, the funds from which will be used tosupport future Foundationers.

As such, the Foundation is delighted to announce that a newFoundationer will be arriving at the School in September2012. In addition, a generous recent gift has meant that somenew playground equipment will be in place shortly at the PrepSchool. And the Foundation was also delighted to helpprovide a memorial seat and to plant some trees in TildyCurran’s memory, in a tranquil spot beyond the Emms Centre.

As regards the future, the Foundation is looking at ways tomark the 150th Anniversary of the School in 2015, and tobegin an ongoing endowment that will support the Foundationfor many years to come.

Sports Round-Upby Simon BirdWith the exception of one snowy weekend in the first half of termwe have managed a remarkably undisturbed season of sport,and most Saturdays saw us fielding over 30 teams. Our growingreputation as a centre of excellence for hockey was furthered bythe outstanding performance of our teams in the nationalcompetitions this season. In a repeat of last season our U18Boys’ team made it through to the National Finals of the indoorcompetition where they narrowly lost to our old nemesis Whitgifton sudden death penalty flicks. Outdoors they were SurreyChampions and group winners in the South Regional Heats. Atthe South Regional Finals they lost in the semi-final stage –again to Whitgift. Our U16 team qualified from the SurreyChampionships to reach the South Regional heats and missedout on qualifying for the Regional finals on goal difference. Thisterm also saw the National Finals of the Girls’ competition andour U14 team qualified for the first time in the school’s history,eventually finishing 3rd in the country.

In our regular inter-school fixtures the hockey club was no lesssuccessful, fielding 18 teams on most weekends and ending theseason unbeaten in two-thirds of their matches across thatrange. The U15B team were are awarded the Orroroo cup –awarded annually for the best performing hockey side – winningall of their matches, scoring 33 goals and only conceding one. Anumber of players earned county places: Emily Robinson,Georgia Lord, Jonny Pike, Charlie Thompson, Will Calnan,Chloe Nicholls, Jen Vincent, Katie Robinson, Megan Batchelor,Charlotte Calnan and Will Boddington. In addition Ali Clift andJames Gall have been selected for the England U18 team andWill Calnan for the England U16s. Charlotte Calnan has beenselected for the Girls’ England “Lions” U15.

The U14s qualified last term for the Regional rounds of theNetball Nationals held early in January, and despite limitedtraining time together as a team finished 3rd in the region. TheU15s cruised through the Surrey prelims in some style. Anexciting extra-time victory in the semi-final saw them through tothe final for the second year in a row where they wereunfortunate to be beaten by Guildford High. The U18 teammeanwhile battled injury to perform strongly in the SurreyChampionships, finishing third in the county. Clemmie RyderSmith, Poppy Bathurst and Tatiana St Pier have all been playingin the netball academies across the county – the equivalent tocounty selection in Netball.

Our Rugby 7s teams have also been in action with the U16staking part in the Surrey Sevens, finishing as runners up in theplate final. The U18 team won all five of their matches in theHampton Sevens, scoring 210 points for only 28 in reply andemerging as undisputed winners of that tournament.

Henry Taylor has been selected to play for England U18 and hasbeen offered a contract with Harlequins for next season. CharlieCraddock, TobySavill, Dave Forsterand Tom Farrellyhave all beenselected for the U17surrey squad.

In addition, the 1stLacrosse team havehad an excellentseason, winning allof their fixtures thisyear with theexception of the firsttwo of theMichaelmas term,the football clubhave been in actionmost weekstriumphing over anumber of schoolsfor whom football isthe major sport andthe 3rd team can bedelighted with theirunbeaten season.As usual we have also put out the usual strong teams in water-polo, squash and swimming. Outside of school we have alsocelebrated Felix Sudderick’s achievement this term as hebecame the Surrey and Southern U14 Fencing champion; healso came second in the Junior Section of the Public SchoolChampionships. In short then, this has been a typically full termon the sporting front!

Girls Under 14s Hockey Squad

Henry Taylor

Mentoring

The Old Cranleighan Mentoring Programme (OCMP) is one ofthe most exciting initiatives undertaken by the OC Society formany years. Seb Sharpe (East, 2011 - this year's intern) hasdesigned and implemented a new programme to assist youngOCs in finding and deciding on a career. Being an OldCranleighan is to be part of a unique network and some of themost successful people in this country and abroad are OCs. Thesuccess of the professional OC societies such as the City, Law,Media and Property is not coincidental in a time when findingjobs is hard and the landscape is ever more competitive. Goodpeople are struggling to get jobs right now and a guiding handfrom an experienced professional can make all the difference. Asa young graduate it's hard enough to decide on a career path letalone to understand the system and be able to navigate aninterview or gain some priceless work experience.

The recent Cranleigh Midsummer Ball demonstrated how muchparents value work experience opportunities with summerplacements going for thousands of pounds in the auction. As aresult, the OC Society recognised it was able to use its vastnetwork to help and so has developed a full mentoringprogramme which aims to align experienced professionals withyoung OC undergraduates offering them advice and insight intotheir chosen careers.

We have already managed to sign up 40 mentors ranging frombankers to lawyers to movie executives to doctors and mostthings in between. We have offered the service initially to thosein their second year at university and the take up has beenstrong. The results have been instantly impressive with onecandidate already securing a job role at one of the largestmanagement consultancies in the world. We are hoping toexpand this later in the year once we have received somefeedback and added some administration support.

As an example of the potential our programme could achieve,Harrow launched a similar initiative in 2004. They now have a

12

network of 1200 Old Harrovians who have agreed to providework experience or careers advice covering over 80 differentprofessions and have placed over 700 of their fellow alumni inseven years. If they can achieve that there is no reason why wecan't top it given how active OCs are by comparison.

We have included with this mailing an information sheet whichwe hope you will want to complete to become part of thisprogramme, either as a mentor or mentee.

For mentors, the commitment is not onerous and we arerespectful of what you can offer. We have developed a set ofprotocols and safeguards to ensure that identities are protectedand people's time is not wasted. If we are successful this couldbecome one of the most important initiatives the OC Society hasdeveloped.

Across to the City

A New Old Cranleighan Mentoring Programme