Scissorum Issue 191 March 16 2018 - mtsn.org.uk · Antonio Lauro. He was followed ... ensembles...

ScissorumIssue 191

Merchant Taylors’ School

Field Day

September 29 2017

Weekly Newsletter 16 March 2018

02

From the Head Master

Today was Field Day, with the boys enjoying a vast range of enriching trips and activities. Among others, they have visited Tate Modern, the Royal Docks and several universities. We are grateful to our former Head Monito, Athishan Vettivetpillai, who welcomed those interested in applying to Oxford, giving them a tour of Jesus College and many invaluable insights into life at Oxford. Mr Harrison and Mr Gazeley accompanied another group to Cambridge. At MTS, boys doing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the CCF Army section undertook training exercises; RAF Cadets visited the RAF Museum and RAF Benson while Royal Navy Cadets visited

HMNB Portsmouth and HMS Collingwood. We also enjoyed hosting primary school children from two of our local partner schools, Bromet and St Mary’s.

This week MTS boys excelled in the South East Chamber Music Festival where our wind quintet impressed the audience and judges at St John’s, Smith Square. On Wednesday, we welcomed world-famous guitarist Clive Carroll to MTS. He ran an inspirational workshop for some of our young musicians before playing some of his repertoire - our thanks to Clive Carroll for giving of his time so generously.

On Tuesday night I was delighted to meet both current and former

pupils and parents at the City Network event at The Oriental Club in Marylebone. I am especially grateful to Head Monitor, Selvan Senthilkumaran, and Second Monitor, Ore Olubode, who helped host the event.

Lastly, a word to our U13 hockey players who, despite being in the midst of their rugby term, continue to set the highest of standards. They played extremely well in the East Regional Finals, missing out narrowly on going through to the National Finals.

This WeekMerchant Taylors’

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Field Day

Former Head Monitor, Athishan Vettivetpillai, shows Lower Sixth boys around Jesus College, Oxford

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Cambridge University

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Warwick University Warwick University

Loughborough University Loughborough University

Loughborough University

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Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Training




Primary school children enjoying football in the Quad

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Tate Modern

Tate Modern

Tate Modern

London Trip

London Trip

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RAF cadets at the RAF Museum

Trip to Crystal Sustainable Centre

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Trip to Royal Docks

Trip to Royal Docks Trip to Royal Docks

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Success at Rotary Technology Tournament! MTS swept the board at the Rotary Technology Tournament held this year at Bushey Academy where they won at all levels – Junior, Intermediate and Senior. A fantastic performance!

All participants

Junior team receiving trophy Senior team testing

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Intermediate team testing Junior team receiving trophy

Senior team receiving trophy

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World-famous Guitarist Clive Carroll at MTS Steel string guitar virtuoso Clive Carroll’s masterful compositions, coupled with his versatility and unparalleled technical virtuosity, have rendered him one of today’s most admired and respected guitarists, and on Wednesday 14th March he visited Merchant Taylors’, spending time working with many of our guitar students in the afternoon before giving an inspirational recital in the evening.

Clive took the boys through their paces in the afternoon, teaching them the Django Reinhardt standard Minor Swing from scratch in just 35 minutes, before treating them to a mini-masterclass in steel

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string guitar playing. Minor Swing is a great vehicle for improvising solos over the chord changes, and Ali Yaqoob and Soneel Bhattessa managed this with great aplomb. Clive regaled the boys with tales of his travels round the world playing the guitar, and showed them new ways of playing, including creating a drum kit with his guitar whilst playing melodies, and the benefits of be able to use entirely different tunings to free up his fingers to play music that has complicated textures.

In the evening, the boys had an opportunity to share the stage in the Exam Hall with Clive in the Recital. Opening the concert was the Guitar Ensemble, coached by MTS guitar teacher Niké Hawkins, playing Cueca Danza Chilena by the Paraguayan guitarist Augustin Barios Mangore. Sean Duggan was the first of four soloists to perform, playing more music from South

America, this time a piece called Armida by the Venezuelan guitarist Antonio Lauro. He was followed by Thom Haynes, who continued in this vein with Sons de Carilhoes by the Brazilian João Pernambuco, before Ali Yaqoob performed the beautiful Senhorinha by another Brazilian, Guinga. The mood was changed with the final solo of the first half of the concert by Soneel Bhattessa taking centre stage with his rendition of Mohair Mountain on the Electric Guitar. All of the guitarists then performed Minor Swing with Clive Carroll before the stage was reset for Clive’s recital.

Clive’s programme began in South America, too, but the audience was to hear a huge range of music styles and playing techniques, with Clive playing many of his own compositions, as well as Chet Atkins, his arrangement of the famous virtuoso violin piece Czardas. One highlight was a

beautiful piece inspired by a time when Clive was performing in Canada, in a large igloo, and when he walked outside was struck by a sense of silence he had not experienced before. We have been extremely fortunate to have him come and work with the boys, as well as perform for us, and his playing will live long in the memory for all those who heard him play.

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City Network EventOMTs, parents and past parents gathered at The Oriental Club in central London, on Tuesday evening. As guests arrived the evening picked up pace; OMTs rekindled friendships and both current and former parents thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know OMTs and others from across the school community. Head Monitor Selvan Senthilkumaran and Second Monitor Ore Olubode ensured everyone was well looked after; we are so grateful to them for their expert hosting and for creating such a warm and welcoming atmosphere. In his speech Mr Everson spoke effusively about the school and encouraged OMTs to revisit Sandy Lodge to see the many dramatic changes that have taken place since they left the school. We look forward to the next City Network which will take place on Thursday 20th September at Ernst and Young, More London. Put the date in your diary - details on how to register will follow in due course!

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South East Schools’ Chamber Music Festival Concert, St John’s, Smith SquareRegular readers of Scissorum will immediately have noticed that this annual celebration of Chamber Music has transmogrified into a Festival for 2018. Nearly 80 ensembles took part this year, each receiving coaching in which they work in detail on aspects of their performance with Richard Ireland, professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music and Artistic Director of the South East School’s Chamber Music Festival. The very best of these groups are invited to perform again at St John’s, Smith Square in Westminster, a major

London venue, and once again,

Merchant Taylors’ School was

present amongst the elite.

On Tuesday 13th March the Wind

Quintet – a slightly misleading

description given that this year

they were performing Mozart’s

Quintet in Eb major for piano, and

four woodwind - participated in

this concert. This is the fifth year

in succession that the School has

been represented alongside the very

best chamber music ensembles

drawn from schools from across

the south east of the country, and

the second year in succession that has featured some of our best woodwind players. Selected as one of the senior age category groups to progress from eight days of qualifying rounds, no single school had more than one ensemble in any age category. The concert started at 6.30pm, serious chamber music repertoire being performed from the outset. The standard was once again incredibly high – as Richard Ireland commented, there were genuinely moving moments in each of the ensembles performances when you could have believed

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professional ensembles were playing. The Wind Quintet performed towards the end of the first half of the concert. The current configuration of this ensemble has only been together for a couple of terms, but you wouldn’t have known. Toby King-Cline (Oboe), Ben Hunt (Clarinet), Xavier Stavrou-Long (French Horn) and Demetri Alvanis (Bassoon) took the stage with Jack Wu (piano) to perform the Mozart, and their performance was maturely refined and expressive. They gave the impression that they felt completely at home playing in this large concert space, and you could hear a pin drop as the audience was utterly absorbed by their playing. These musicians should be roundly applauded for their achievement here, and thanks must go to the tutors of all of the chamber music ensembles at MTS – Mrs Tait, Mr Francis, Mr Couldridge and Dr Couchman, for their expert coaching throughout the year, but especially to Mr Hooker who masterminded the Wind Quintet to their latest success.

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L6 Trip to Rutherford Appleton LabOn Thursday 15 March, 16 L6th boys when to Rutherford Appleton Lab, in Didcot. The day was a way for the boys to experience some of the ground breaking research that takes place at the facilities, which include 2 large particle accelerators. The day included 4 lectures about different aspects of particle physics, which both broadened our understanding of the theoretical side of the topic, whilst demonstrating the key uses of it in practical everyday life. Amongst these lectures were a series of workshops which included time in a computing lab where we used complex software to analyse real data collected by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is Switzerland. This taught us the real ways in which physicists use the arguably ambiguous results to determine fundamental principles about the universe. As well as this we had a tour of one of the particle accelerators on site. This helped us

to see how these theoretical principles were tested in the real world, the equipment used and the procedures that are carried out to achieve this. The accelerator we saw – which was 700m in circumference, was used to accelerate electrons along a series of straights and then corners. But using powerful magnets to curve the electrons at the corners, it allowed light to be emitted which would continue in a straight line and be sent to a laboratory where it could be used for varying scientific research from biological tests into the structures of diseases to physics inquisitions into the deterioration of smart phone batteries.

The trip was both insightful and exciting. It presented a new take on an already established topic – allowing us to not only grasp its fundamentals better, but to also spark out intellectual curiosity concerning its importance in the real world.

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National Qualifiers (East Regional Finals 2018) The Merchant Taylors’ U13 hockey side represented Hertfordshire county in the East Regional Final competition on Tuesday.

The side are currently in their school rugby term and despite competing against U13 sides in the middle of their hockey term they surpassed all expectations!

Group Results: (4W, 1D, 1L)

• Hollywood House 5-0W

• Framlingham 2-0W

• Ipswich 3-1W

• Spalding 1-0W

• Langley 0-1L

• The Perse 0-0D

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After qualifying from the group stage the MTS side faced an extremely strong Felsted side. Despite losing the game 4-2 the effort and hockey played was of the highest standard.

The boys were disappointed not to qualify for the National Finals, being only one win away from doing so. They were however tremendously proud of each other, never giving up and putting some top performance together.

Final U13 Tournament Squad:

1. Sam Bonnett

2. Charles Waddington

3. Theo Russell

4. Joshua Odegbami

5. George Dalton

6. M-D Laryea-Adu

7. Rishi Thapar

8. Oscar John

9. Qinuo Wang

10. Noah Softleigh-Moore

Selection was difficult due to the strength and depth of the U12 and 13 age groups. Well done to all involved.

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Lower Sixth Politics Essay Prize winner Max Kendix (L6th)Does the centre ground of UK politics still exist?

Nearly every major party leader since Tony Blair has professed the need to capture or recapture the ‘centre ground’ in British politics , what they see as the swinging third of the UK electorate . Meanwhile, anti-establishment columnists rail against a yearning for centrism as a mere continuation of the status quo and the ruling class’ natural aversion to change , or just a meaningless term . Some further see the centre ground as akin to economic liberalism in its promotion of international free trade and open markets . This essay, however, will offer a definition, and so a direction that reflects more accurately the etymology of the word – the ‘centre ground’ is the very centre of the economic and social political spectrum. It is, for example, moderate market intervention and regulation, paired with a respect for liberty limited only when truly necessary (e.g. anti-terrorism laws). With that in mind, UK politics post-Brexit and post-crash is the most right-leaning ever on Europe and the most left-leaning ever on market intervention and welfare issues since the dawn of neoliberalism about 40 years ago. This leaves the centre of UK politics almost vacant (though not completely non-existent) and unlikely to be filled, as public opinion has started a new era away from the centre ground it had bathed in since New Labour’s landslide in 1997.

A case could be made that the centre ground in British politics is in fact very much alive, as the government moderates its right wing, while groups of MPs from all parties still cling to their previous centrist values. It is admittedly odd to see politicians so similar in their outlook residing in radically different parliamentary parties – Conservative’s Anna Soubry, Labour’s Chuka Umunna and Jo Swinson seem almost indistinguishable on issues such as Brexit and sit very comfortably in the centre ground . There could be, then, without the need for a new parliamentary party, a silent majority of centrist MPs in the Commons . This would mean that the centre ground not only exists but is flourishing. With the minority government relying on a confidence-and-supply deal, this invisible force could challenge and hold the government to account from the centre and force it into moderation on issues from cyber regulation and housing to, of course, Brexit. To further the centrist cause, UK politics might just see an aggregate of the two perspectives, leading to an inevitable centrism as the left and right are forced to reach compromises. However, this perspective, though optimistic, fails to grasp the fate of party and governmental structures. MPs, however centrist, almost entirely submit to their party whip and so proposing that a Commons

majority is held by centrists would be challenged by a simple look at voting history. Indeed, to take the three examples previously, only Soubry has seen any real detraction from party line . The centre ground cannot merely exist in the general ideologies of Parliament or public, but in their actions in policy-setting or voting. The state of the government, although having a severe effect on their ability to execute policy, does not imply that they will be coerced into adjusting their policy stance. The aggregate theory is misleading in its supposed simplicity, for an aggregate of perspectives on Brexit, for example, would not see an arrival at the centre, which is likely the perspective of staying in the EU but on its periphery in membership terms. Combining perspectives does not always leave one in the centre, and that is certainly true for the salient issues in UK politics today. The sway of public opinion may have shifted, but the centre ground remains in place, weakened by its vapidity of grand ideas or visions.

To look at the policies and results of the three main parties at the most recent General Election would be to observe the near-complete lack of a centre ground in contemporary UK politics. The Labour party’s enormous shift to the left, the Tory’s strange mix of left and right policies and the Liberal Democrat’s lack of support with their anti-Brexit message demonstrates the ground on which

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UK politics is currently is set, far from any semblance of the centre. The Labour Party, experiencing a split between the ‘Blue Labour’ Blairite camp and the trade-union, socialist side, came into the 2017 election with its most left-leaning leader since Michael Foot. The manifesto was bold, old-Labour socialist and, or at least so many thought at the time, a Tony Benn-esque unelectable new suicide note . Pledges to renationalise the Royal Mail, trains and utilities swept the carpet from under any centre ground of the party for which 40% of the British public voted. The Conservatives, meanwhile, leapt left in economic issues in a vain attempt at attracting working-class voters; promises included installing workers representatives on company boards, capping utility bills (straight from the 2015 Labour manifesto) and scrapping targets for reducing the deficit . On the more social issues, to attract the voters joyously leaving UKIP after it had served its purpose, the Tories moved right – promoting a ‘hard’ Brexit, moving to a double lock on pensions, cutting net migration to the tens of thousands, and even promising a free vote on fox hunting . To see such a radical difference between parties prompts people to see a real choice, or a friend and an enemy, not just two parties converging on one spot. That would explain why the proportion of the electorate voting for the two main parties was at its highest in 2017 since 1970 . This bucks the trend previously well explained by Downs’ theory of party competition, where it is predicted that any two-party politics will see a convergence at the centre as the median voter is targeted . To look at the Liberal

Democrats and SNP as success stories of centrism is unfair in that their vote share decreased , the Lib Dems failed in their task to bring in a significant part of the ‘Remain’ vote and the SNP represented a third way of the gradually fading neoliberal past available only in Scotland and overshadowed by a threat of a second independence referendum . The centre ground in the context of the 2017 general election has been all but deserted by parties retreating to their core and sucking in voters in the process by way of campaigning, marketing and the simple underlying message that they’re the better of two evils.

The argument for the continued prosperity in existence of the centre ground rests in the simple message that it has not died, but it has gone out of fashion. Giddens’ ‘Third Way’ that motivated so much electoral success and change through compromise in left and right-wing politics has become akin in the public eye to a sort of status-quo preserving force. It still exists, but to avoid it being completely undermined it requires a new lease of life and a new face at the helm. For many, the advocate and role model of this new, radical centrism is Emmanuel Macron in France. Currently, centrism is encapsulated by remnants of the Blairite and coalition past – it is still standing strong, but the image is tarnished and requires a reboot. A new party, or at the very least an unprecedented change within an existing one, is needed to institute this change . However, the UK’s situation is very far removed from France’s, primarily in the fact that France has not voted to leave the European Union. Populism had

its cry in almost every Western democracy; in Britain, it was the vote to leave the EU, and in France, it was Macron. With Brexit being instituted, there is no chance of a new successful centrist party being formed; not least because of the bad memories of the SDP’s suffering under the constraining First Past the Post system, seeing them win a quarter of the votes just under 5% of the seats in 1983 . A centre ground revival is therefore unlikely, leaving the UK to choose between what are increasingly two extremes; the centre ground is almost completely lacking in the priorities and vision of this government, and if the same trend persists, which it is likely to do, successive governments as well.

The ramifications of the financial crash and Brexit are having and will continue to have a huge effect on the centre ground; at present this ground is deteriorating rapidly, but not yet extinct in its role in UK government or politics. The financial crash and the ensuing damage to living standards, wages, and growth, stopped just short of a recession. Politically, it didn’t merely signal the end for New Labour’s image of economic prudence and management. It acted as a death toll for the centre ground, in which both parties presided or wished to preside. In 2005, only 23% of the electorate believed there was ‘a great difference’ between the two main parties , as they had converged on the centre, making concessions to appeal to the median. One may be keen to point out that there was a reasonably centrist government under Cameron until 2016 – however, this merely aggravated the problem, as centrism became associated with austerity, cuts to public services and

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wage stagnation. An expression against the established principle of centrism was demonstrated in the referendum, which saw everyone’s concerns, especially on establishment taboo topics like immigration, come to fruition. The result of that decision is coming through now and means that the centre ground is not just vulnerable but almost non-existent in the face of objection to the previous order. The centre ground did not necessarily espouse untrammelled free trade in Europe or worldwide; instead it pushed for a certain amount of restriction within the useful framework of the EU. It may be noted that the establishment is still there, the largest change in MPs was in 2010 after the expenses scandal (not after Brexit), and that our Prime Minister was Home Secretary during most of that period. This doesn’t correlate, though, to an existence of a healthy centre ground now. Politicians adapt to their electorate , and centrism now faces an uphill battle with an increasingly resistant and demanding electorate, many of whom feel let down by the status quo.

There is a body of thought that provides a different, and not entirely inaccurate perspective on the matter. This claims that a new divide has developed in British politics, which Theresa May embodies and

in the centre ground of which she stands. This divide is one between ‘Somewheres’ (those who feel they belong to a certain community and want to preserve it) and ‘Anywheres’ (those who identify more as citizens of the world and wish for more development), as outlined in David Goodhart’s book ‘The Road to Somewhere’. This clash manifests itself in debates on free trade, migration and national identity . Nick Clegg, in his book ‘Politics Between the Extremes’ epitomises the latter feeling, while misconstruing it as centrism on the way; he refers to the emerging dominance of the other side as the ‘Age of Unreason’ and the divide as liberalism against populism . The theory may have its own flaws, but on its assumption, Goodhart argued that Theresa May’s background allows her to strike this balance; she’s a remain voter who participated in the modern Tory revival, but who struck a sharp tone in her position as Home Secretary, once saying ‘if you’re a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere’. He concluded that, in her unflamboyant way, Theresa May has the chance to project an idea of the ‘modern middle’ that combines the best of the two world views. In the process she might also usher in a new Christian Democratic phase of the modern Conservative party.

Having seen the result of the election, it is difficult to see that balance working; her appeal to working-class voters not paying off with the droves of seats expected, whilst also doing long-term damage to the rural traditional conservatives with her embarrassing pensions and social care U-turns. The theory demonstrates, however, that the new order works within different parameters and along different divides. The centre ground as the middle of the two axes is likely to be deemed non-existent in the not-too-distant future.

For now, however, centrism and the politics of the middle are deteriorating under the overwhelming weight of the left and right wings of British politics. No area of politics in a democracy is ever non-existent, but that being said, the dominant force displayed by the centre ground (as defined in the introduction) in this century has rapidly declined. There can be no judgement as to the real-world achievements of the new political leanings, and it would be equally unfair to necessarily characterise the centre as pragmatic or ideological. The centre ground, the modern middle and the third way are sinking into the UK’s political past and will surely continue their path to obscurity.

1. (BBC, 2017), especially 1:20-1:40, (Khan, 2017), esp. 1:00, (Parker, 2017), (Ashton, 2011)

2. (Mellon, 2016)3. See, for example (Ali, 2015) or (Shabi, 2017)4. (Richards, 2015)5. See, for example (Clegg, 2017)6. Adapted from the now out-of-date examples in

(Ganesh, 2014)7. (Rentoul, 2017)8. (the public whip, 2018) (the public whip, 2018) (the

public whip, 2018)9. (The Economist, 2017)10. (Rayner, 2017), (Behr, 2017)

11. (Parker, 2017)12. (Audickas, et al., 2017), see p.1213. (Downs, 1957) as cited in (Lee, 2013). For an outline and

proposed solution to this, see (Collier, 2015) 14. See 1115. As admitted by Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, after

the election – see (BBC, 2017)16. (Giddens, 1998), along with policy statements as in

(Blair & Schröder, 1998)17. (Shrimsley, 2017) generally follows this line except

recognising that it may be wiser to stage a fight from the inside of parties, also discussed in (Bristow, 2017), also see (Ganesh, 2014) especially in his claim that the

public is ‘audibly imploring’ the centre ground to be filled; (Eaton, 2017) sheds light on the issues of creating a new party, and (Shabi, 2017) provides a more anti-establishment take on the Macron comparison

18. (UK Political Info, n.d.)19. (Lee, 2013)20. See, as a recent example, Theresa May on fox-hunting

(Merrick, 2018)21. (Goodhart, 2017) book 22. (Clegg, 2017)23. (Goodhart, 2017) Spectator article24. As in (Mian, 2015)25. As in (Ali, 2015)

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NoticesMerchant Taylors’

MTS OUTDOOR

EDUCATION TRIPSSUMMER 2018

The outdoor Education department will be offering the below trips in the summer term:

• 29th April: Power kiting, land boarding, Kite buggy trip - Camber

• 30th April: ISA Ski Championships- Hemel Hempstead

• 10th June: Paddleboard/ Power kite Trip – Lancing

• 16th June: YARDARMs BBQ- MTS Lake

• 17th June: Wakeboard Trip – Liquid leisure

• 17th June: Mountain Bike Trip- Swinley Forest

• 17th June: Kayak Trip- River Lee

• 5th July: Henley Royal Regatta- Henley

An email will be sent with the timings, costs and further details. Please replay to the email if you would like to attend one of these trips.

Any questions please contact Miss Caulfield [email protected]

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WouldyouliketogainaqualificationinKayakingandCanoeing?Wellnowisyourchance….MTSOutdoorEdwillberunninga1*KayakandCanoecourse.

- Monday9th–Friday13thApril- 2:00pm-5:00pm- Coursewillcover:

o SafepersonalpaddlingskillsinKayakandCanoeo Rescueskillso Journeyplanningandconduct

- Equipmentallincluded

Therearelimitedplaces….

Ifyouareinterestedinattendingthecourse,pleasecontactMissCaulfield.

[email protected]

NoticesMerchant Taylors’

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SocietiesMerchant Taylors’

Herrick Society This week’s Herrick Society was the first of two meetings about our very own Richard Mulcaster, Headmaster of Merchant Taylors’ School from 1561-1586, and his contemporary, William Shakespeare. Led by Mr Manley (Head of Mulcaster House) and Miss Trafford, the idea was borne out of Mr Manley’s desire to learn more about the progressive educationalist who was so influential in his time at Merchant

Taylors’ and who has been compared, by some critics, with Shakespeare’s character Holofernes in Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Mulcaster was an educationalist (rather than a linguist) and, in order to educate his students effectively, he felt that English spelling, at least, needed to be in some way standardised. Considering that the English language was not really codified until the early eighteenth

century, Mulcaster’s awareness of this need was very forward-thinking. However, amidst complaints that English pronunciation had diverged, or was diverging, too far from the orthography (spelling), Mulcaster believed that radical spelling reform was not the answer. Instead, Mulcaster believed in “reason, custom and sound” as the determining factors for the spellings he used in his compilation

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of English vocabulary, The Elementarie, of 1582.

In this text, not only did Mulcaster have to make choices about English orthography but also which words should be included. At the time, many of Mulcaster’s colleagues and members of the guilds of London were quite xenophobic, disliking strangers or foreigners; in the same way, there was also much opposition to the use of foreign words in people’s language. English has always been, as now, full of loanwords and influences from multiple languages, especially its Germanic roots in Old English, along with Latin and French, so to demand that English contain only Old English words or to reject foreign influences was futile. And, unsurprisingly though perhaps ironically, those pedants who complained about these alien words frequently used language rich in etymological variety themselves, stereotypically using unnecessarily long words with Latin roots.

Mulcaster was very different from his contemporaries in this respect. He himself wrote: “I loue Rome, but London better, I fauor Italie, but England more, I honor the Latin, but I worship the English.” And, of course, Shakespeare was extremely creative with his language use, being responsible for the addition of, at the fewest, 800 words into the English lexicon, far surpassing the contribution of lexical items of any other writer in history. In Love’s Labour’s Lost alone, 140 new words were used. Whether Shakespeare actually coined them himself or whether they were words he heard in use around him at the time is virtually impossible to tell, but he

SocietiesMerchant Taylors’

was certainly responsible for their promotion and publicity.

In Love’s Labour’s Lost, Shakespeare coined the term ‘pedant’ and created the schoolmaster character Holofernes. There are a number of arguments to suggest that he based Holofernes on his knowledge of Mulcaster but last week’s Herrick meeting sought to test this theory: Holofernes is loyal to the king, as Mulcaster was to Elizabeth I; Holofernes makes reference to educating girls, perhaps a reference to Mulcaster’s advocacy of elementary education for girls; Holofernes is also critical of others’ language use, particularly in regard to pronunciation and vocabulary choices.

So how like Mulcaster is this portrayal? Through studying the opening to Act V, with Holofernes’ verbosity and use of polysyllabic vocabulary of Latinate etymology,

The Herrick forum argued that this does not match with what we know about Mulcaster. Yes: both were schoolmasters; both had a keen interest in language and in contemporary developments of the English language in the sixteenth century; but Holofernes is ultimately mocked for his verbosity, arrogance and hypocrisy in his language use by lower-class characters, in true Shakespearean form. Mulcaster was not a hypocrite, stating that English should be open to “all kindes of trade, all sorts of traffik” and open to the “foren term”.

If your appetite has been whetted for further discussion about Mulcaster’s and Shakespeare’s linguistic influences, and to see Holofernes well and truly receive his come-uppance, come along to the next meeting of the Herrick on Thursday 22nd March, 1.45pm in EN42.

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LinguachefSome boys enjoying making chocolate mousse with our French Assitant, Angeline!

ActivitiesMerchant Taylors’

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ActivitiesMerchant Taylors’

House ChessThe semi final took place this week. There were many exciting games which led to the following scores:

Clive 4 v 1 Hilles

Manor 3 v 2 Spenser

The winners, Clive and Manor, now progress to the final which will take place on Thursday 22nd March at 1:45 in MA32. Good luck to everyone involved!

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Parent 2 ParentMerchant Taylors’

Our 13+ Offer Holders & Upper Third Choices Evening

has been postponed until

Monday 19th March

An arrival time of 5.30pm is requested for a 6.00pm start in the Great Hall

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SportMerchant Taylors’

v Magdalen College School

1st XI Draw - 2-2 Scorers - Bryn Jones, Aaran Amin

Two games in under 24 hours is always a tough task. Add in 4-5 hours of travel time and you’re asking for trouble. With trial exams also in the mix this had all the hallmarks of a lacklustre Saturday fixture with excuses galore. However, these talismen of the school showed no mercy, held no quarter and fought to the end. They were tired physically and mentally, they were making mistakes far more often than normal... but did they stop? Did they surrender? Of course not - this is Taylors’! Taylors’ created more chances, had better spells of play but twice they switched off mentally to let in two soft goals to be 0-2 down with 10 minutes to go.

As so often with this team, they found an extra gear, responding immediately to make it 1-2 through a Bryn Jones corner, who slammed the ball home rattling the backboard. Taylors’ were now fully on top, creating chance after chance. A full press was called and every man pushed forward. Aaran Amin as spare full back was now patrolling in the other half tackling everything that dared to approach. As he made yet another sequence of

Hockey tackle the ball fell in space, he duly carried past one, two, even three players. As he reached the edge of the D two Taylors’ forwards were already skidding in at the far post to widen the goal. Brave, committed warriors diving on the noses to score the equalizer. Alas their efforts on this occasion were in vein as Aaran Amin buried the ball home just inside the post with a great finish. 2-2. The game finished as a draw but the character that both teams showed throughout left all involved feeling like it was a win. It was a privilege to be a part of such an occasion, where so many outstanding qualities where shown by Magdalen and Taylors’. These young gentlemen are a true credit to their schools.

2nd XI Loss- 1-3 Scorers – Ed Poole MoM – Sachin Shah

A sense of palpable frustration hung in the air as Taylors’ huddled

around the dugout at the end of a disappointing loss to MCS. As the drizzle pattered off the black outfits, the feeling was very much that this was a game which was there for us to win. To understand the loss, it will be necessary to veer off on a slight tangent into the world of primates. Dave Brailsford, the one-time genius maverick of the British cycling world and now questionable overseer of a cracked system, used to speak regularly of the ‘Chimp paradox’ whereby athletes will often allow anxiety and pressure to cloud their thinking and logical thought processes become drowned out by this chattering chimp. (Buddhists speak of ‘monkey mind,’ when calmness and peace do not rein, rather a whooping chimp jumping inside your brain.) This is important to remember if the result will be reversed next year. In the first half, MTS played with a presence of mind, a zen-like state where the team were working as one, the ball

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was fizzing around the pitch, and the boys were simply ‘doing.’ The pace of passing, and the accuracy, was breath-taking.

MTS were camped in the opposition’s half, and were marauding their goal with effortless ease. Sachin and Aman were playing visionary passes from the back, our inner dynamos were relentless in their pressure from the top of the D, and the forwards were finding space and harrying the defence. Whilst we were allowing our unconscious to take over, MCS were under pressure and never allowed any space to think. Byrne was supremely effective in the CM role, whilst Cherry, Dave and Poole were tireless up front, and harried their defence superbly. We would have massacred any team on the circuit and as the ball was doing the work, we met half time with fresh legs. It was pure ‘ataraxia’ at its best.

The second half was an entirely different story. The opposition’s press was good, and they were playing with frustration, yet really, we began to think and ceased to instinctively play. Some sustained pressure resulted in the score being levelled and as our heads dropped and adrenaline filled their once flagging spirits. The pitch became crowded and as the drizzle continued unabated, their shots rippled our net three times in all. Yet, the positives must be noted. The vision and pace in the first half were outstanding. Our entire team combined as one to

play languid hockey. Move the ball, find the space and open stick and keep the other team chasing shadows. Sachin’s attacking play from the back was of the highest calibre and he was a worthy MoM. Nicholls and Ingate continue to set the standard for other teams and our forward line were relentless. Forget Moor Park, this was more Stratford. Yet, next time, lock the chimp up and just play. Well done, and bad luck.

U15C Win – 1-0 Scorer - Baran Menekse MoM - Hamzah Chaudhry

The U15C played brilliantly this week, it was clear that they are now a real team. The work that they put in for each other was amazing, it showed a real step forward in their development. Throughout the side the boys played brilliantly. Alex Baldwin and Baran Menekse combined brilliantly upfront, pulling the MCS team in all different directions.

Dylan Flanagan supported the forward line brilliantly with a real physical display and insatiable desire to run. In midfield Neel Thakkar, Michael Flash and Taiyo Caskie put in a really dominant display with hard tackles and cool passes. Ryhan Patel made numerous darting runs forward and drove the team forward whenever possible. In defence Rahul Randev and Luca Braddock held the line superbly, illustrating a desire to win every ball and protect our goal. The U15Cs scored in the first half and could have had numerous more goals but for a resolute MCS defence. Overall, it was an excellent team performance with everyone contributing amazingly. Well done gents!

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U14A Draw – 1-1 Scorer - Matthew Crow MoM - Matthew Crow

The U14A side came up against an extremely strong Magdalen team who decided to start in a half court press. The tactic made it very hard to break the opposition down, however the MTS side did make some great chances and it was not long before a short corner was won. It took a fantastic save from the Magdalen keeper from a sweetly struck shot by Tom Groves to keep the scores level. The Magdalen side also had some great opportunities but some last-ditched tackling from Zayd Ahmed, Nabil Hassan and the rest of the back line helped Ashin Shah who was outstanding in the goal. With the scores 0-0 at the half time point the MTS side came out approaching the second half with intensity and desire. They imposed themselves on the opposition and for a 10 minute spell played them off the park, creating opportunities

and hunting to win the ball back. Unfortunately a breakaway attack saw the stuffing knocked out of the side as the Magdalen side scored against the run of play. Despite the setback, the MTS side persisted and their desire to come back into the game was evident. With one minute remaining on the clock a well worked passage of play down the left hand side and a great through ball by James Keeney to Matthew Crow

resulted in Magdalen scrambling in defence. Matthew beat one man going to his left and under huge pressure smashed the ball on his reverse stick into the top right hand corner of the goal. An incredible finish and much deserved draw.

U14B Win – 2-1 Scorer – Mirren Shah MoM - James Kenny

Good preparation this week ensured the boys were ready; a spot of luck and some very tired legs got us over the line eventually. First half, as expected saw MTS go blow for blow with a well drilled and highly competitive Magdalen outfit! It took a while for the boys to get their first touch on point but it was important to keep them out during the first half. So, 0-0 at half time and wise words from the skipper and our rock of a goal keeper prepped the boys for the second half- a sweet, sweet early strike from

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the top of the D put our noses in front but at the same time sent the opposition into an attacking frenzy - eventual MoM rescued us on a few occasions and the rest of the team followed! Grouping together, repelling flow on flow of red bombardment. Sure enough, we let one through and it remained 1-1 for the majority of the second half. Two minutes to go - a rasping pass sent from our skipper to the top of their D; a pin ball of sticks sounded as the ball fell kindly to Mirren who nudged it over the line, much to the delight of the team who were running on empty! At last - a fair contest and a great result!

U14C Draw - 1-1 Scorer - Neil Prabhakar MoM - Oliver Mills

Arriving at a hockey match with only ten players is an odd tactic, yet one that the U14Cs were forced to adopt on Saturday morning. Illness had blighted the team, and those that did play knew that the odds were

weighed against them. Nevertheless MTS took to the field determined to prove the bookies wrong! Following a masterclass lesson in tactics on the bus, the boys set up in a rather uncommon formation and focused on quick counter-attacking play. The Cs played their roles to perfection and Magdalen College were clueless as to how to break down the MTS defence. At the end of a cagey first half the score remained 0-0, yet the goal drought would not last long. With five minutes gone in the second half, Magdalen won a short corner and after the ball had pinballed around the D, somehow ended up in the back of the net. For most teams playing with fewer men this would have meant the end. The U14Cs, however, are made of sturdier things and were close to equalising straight away; Neil Prabhakar denied by a fine save from the Magdalen goalkeeper. With the last minute on the clock ticking down it appeared as though MTS legs were too tired to fulfil a heroic comeback. Yet with a single second left on the clock, Neil Prabhakar equalised as Oliver Mills drove into the Magdalen D and crossed for the on waiting Neil

to push home from close range. The goal that MTS so richly deserved had finally come! Had we had a full squad I am sure that victory could have been ours, but to gain any kind of result against such overwhelming odds, proves the calibre and mettle of Taylors’ boys! Man of the match goes to Oliver Mills. His tireless work both defensively and in attack saved the day for MTS on more than one occasion.

U14D Draw - 3-1 Scorers - Rohan Dasgupta x2, Jacek Krynski MoM – Rohan Dasgupta

A fine performance and by far the best so to date. We started with some really good passing and soon had the upper hand. Goals from Rohan Dasgupta and Jacek Krynski gave us a good lead. However, just after half time Jacek Krynski acted as the perfect gentleman and escorted one of the opposition’s grandparents to the viewing area. In this time we were down to ten men and conceded a goal. Raj Shah, Jayden Chapanery and Aman Patel all had fine games and made some excellent tackles. Some really good play by David Justus and Sabarish Ganesh in midfield and defence helped us stay in the game. Rohan Dhillon and Ayush Tokeria came into the side and both played well. Ariyen Patel played upfront and always looked dangerous when attacking. Imran Karawalli had another excellent game in goal. Rohan Dasgupta smashed a third goal to seal the match.

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Fives U14 IV

v Bradfield College

Win - 132-32 MoM - Anikait Garella

The U14s were excellent in their own fixture against Bradfield. Each one of the twelve singles and doubles matches resulted in victory with no more than seven points conceded. The boys’ familiarity with the Winchester buttress showed and they were able to find it regularly, negating any home advantage that Bradfield had.

Though the scoreline was flattering - many of the games were close - this was a dominant performance, ensuring that the U14s are now only one result away from a perfect season.

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1st IV

v Bradfield College

Win - 126-54 MoM – Max Kendix

The 1st IV took to the Winchester courts at Bradfield College for their penultimate fixture of the season. In the singles, Ewan Townshend led from the front, conceding nothing in an 11-0 victory. Jamie Graham and Nikhil

Kapadia both won convincingly whilst Max Kendix was also victorious in an incredibly hard fought match against a highly talented newcomer to the sport.

In the doubles the MTS dominance continued and six of the eight games were won with ease. The Bradfield first pair were able to rally to win the remaining two.

Overall this was an excellent fixture and both sides should be proud of the incredibly amiable, gentlemanly way in which they played the game.

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