Back to the current news this week page.

Week beginning Monday 16 July

British Heart Foundation Junior Golf Championship
At Eyton GC, Chester, the King's team of Joshua Rudge, Michael Brockbank and James Lightfoot qualified for the National Final to be played at The Belfry on October 1st.

This is a magnificent achievement.  Joshua scored 42 points, Michael and James 38 each, a team effort which saw them tie with 80 points for the second qualifying place, the decisive factor being the third score of 38 which beat their opponents' 35.

Week beginning Monday 9 July

Cambridge Cricket Captain, and oustanding performers at King's
More details and photos on the cricket results page.
Recent leaver Fred Owen of Corpus Christi, who gained his second 'Blue' this summer, has been appointed Captain of Cambridge University Cricket Club.

Harry Peel scored a magnificent 112 not out in a County Cup semi-final against Calday GS on Tuesday 10 July.  His innings included an amazing eleven sixes including three sixes off successive balls.

Chris and Mike Blake, Captain and Vice-Captain of the school 1stXI, have played their last match for King's after an illustrous 10 years playing for school teams. They have both gained places at Cambridge University next year and may be hoping to emulate the cricketing achievements of Fred Owen.

Junior Maths Challenge
Bryan Gilmer and Jonathan Verity from the Removes did so well in the that they were invited to participate in the Junior Maths Olympiad. This consists of a two-hour challenge paper and is taken by the top thousand students from the quarter of a million orginal entrants.

Week beginning Monday 25 June

David Whitley's career as an author
Below is an extract from a recent press release. Read the full text.

Roaring Brook has acquired US rights at auction to The Midnight Charter, 22-year-old David Whitley’s dazzling fantasy-thriller for young readers. 

Rights to The Midnight Charter have been auctioned simultaneously in territories around the world, with Penguin acquiring rights in the U.K. and Commonwealth, Doubleday in Canada, Goldmann in Germany, Longanesi in Italy, Dutch Media Group in Holland, Motibo in Greece, and Sesam in Denmark. The book was acquired for Roaring Brook by Publisher Simon Boughton.  Auctions were conducted by Whitley’s London-based agent, Charlie Viney of Mulcahy and Viney Ltd.

The Midnight Charter is set in an insular city-state where anything can be bought and sold. Trade is the only way of life, and debt is death. A successful elite rules, plague festers in the slums, and children are possessions until their twelfth birthday. In the ancient tower of Count Stelli, two children, Lily and Mark, meet. Both have been sold into servitude. At first, their only goal is to work and to survive until they realize that they can each shape their own destiny.

Publisher Simon Boughton, who acquired the book for Roaring Brook, said:  “The Midnight Charter is in the tradition of great children’s fantasies, from C.S. Lewis to Philip Pullman: it’s both a thrilling adventure story, and a book with a clear and compelling moral vision.  We’re very, very pleased to be publishing it—and to welcome David Whitley to the Roaring Brook list at the beginning of his career.

Hockey selection
Following a hockey tournament in Nottingham over the weekend Jonathan Verity (RmSR) and Harry Dodd-Moore (ShAB) have both been selected for the UK U13 Lions squad.

Week beginning Monday 18 June

Sailing for Great Britain
Tom Williams (RmSR) has become a member of the Great Britain Junior Sailing Team. He will take part in the Irish National Championships at Cork.

Hockey selection
Harry Dodd-Moore (ShAB) has been selected to be a member of the North West of England Under-13 hockey team for a tournament in Nottingham.

Week beginning Monday 11 June

Nuffield Bursary Award
Alex White (L6DY) has been granted a Nuffield Bursary Award in chemistry. He will undertake four weeks of project work in the University of Liverpool Chemistry Department during the summer. The details of his project have yet to be confirmed but he will work with two PhD students in the area of organic chemistry.

The Director of SETPOINT, who make the awards, commented in his letter to Alex that it had taken considerably longer than usual to process the applications because the high standard of applications had been overwhelming. The last time a King's student was granted a Nuffield Bursary was some years ago.

Week beginning Monday 4 June

County cricket selection
Thomas Pearson-Jones (4MP) has once more been selected to represent the U15 team at cricket for Cheshire County. Earlier this year Thomas was one of 13 boys from the UK selected to attend a week's Wrist Spin Development course at Loughborough University, where the boys were coached by Mr Terry Jenner, coach to the Australian wrist spin bowler Shane Warne.

British Heart Foundation Junior Golf Championship
The school's team of James Lightfoot, Joshua Rudge and Michael Brockbank took first place in the preliminary round at Upton-by-Chester Golf Club. They also raised £443 for the Foundation. The team will now play in the regional final at Eaton Golf Club on 16 July. The two top teams at the regional final will go on to play in the national final at The Belfry on 1 October.

Week beginning Monday 21 May

Official opening of new buildings by His Grace the Duke of Westminster, Patron of the King's School - photos
More than £6 million have been invested in new facilities and the building programme has taken three years to complete. Pupils now have access to a floodlit all-weather pitch, new classrooms, laboratories and sports pitches, a music school, art and technology studios, a
redesigned sixth form centre with its own cyber cafe and a new assembly hall and gym for the junior school.

Headmaster, Mr Tim Turvey said, "We have worked very successfully with the architects, the Biggins Sargent Partnership, and with Jimsul Construction Ltd to produce outstanding facilities for our pupils. These, coupled with the school's academic reputation and range of extra-curricular activities, are now attracting girls and boys from a wide catchment area. It is wonderful to see these talented young people enjoying the facilities and making the most of their opportunities."

This is the school's most ambitious development programme since its move from the centre of Chester in 1960 when Her Majesty The Queen Mother opened the new buildings.

Junior Maths Olympiad
Of the 202238 candidates who entered the intermediate challenge round 1450 were invited to participate in the Cayley round of the Olympiad. Matthew Williams (3GC) gained a cerificate of merit, and also a gold certificate for the intermediate. Siobhan Barnard and Joseph Dillamore (3JM) both did exceptionally well, being placed the top 50. Each of these has been awarded a bronze medal. The silver and gold medals are reserved for older candidates.

Mathematical Education on Merseyside
Several students from the Removes, Shells and third form took part. Solutions were marked by Liverpool University. First prizes were awarded to Matthew Temple (RmMT), Edward Andrade (3JM), who was second in the north west region, and Siobhan Barnard (3JM). Third prizes were awarded to Emily Guest (ShJJ), Benhur Johnson (RmMT) and Sean Telford (RmSR). The prizewinners will be invited by the university to attend and evening of mathematical activities. They will also be asked to join the masterclasses run by the university maths department next term.

Week beginning Monday 14 May

Upper Sixth students' last day at school together
To recongise and celebrate this key life-event the students enjoyed a breakfast followed by a tug-of-war contest - in fancy dress of course. View photos

Former pupil discovers molecule which stops spread of skin cancer
Rowan Pritchard-Jones (32), who left King’s to study medicine at Bristol University, has recently made a significant breakthrough in the treatment of skin cancer.

Rowan discovered a natural molecule in the body that can restrict the spread of malignant melanoma during a two-year stint of lab-based research. The discovery may have a major impact on the treatment of other cancers and Bristol University scientists are currently studying its applications.

The breakthrough has led to Rowan becoming the youngest registrar to be awarded the Hunterian Professorship by the Royal College of Surgeons. He lives in Whitchurch and currently works as an academic plastic surgeon at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, lecturing on his work in China and throughout Europe.

Week beginning Monday 7 May

International rowing honours
James Clark (L6SB) represented Great Britain in the Munich International Regatta over the bank holiday weekend.

Week beginning Monday 30 April

Junior Maths Olympiad
Of the 202238 candidates who entered the challenge round and the 1450 who were invited to participate in the Cayley round of the Olympiad, Siobahn Barnard and Joe Dillamore (3JM) both came in the top 50. The have been awarded a bronze medal; silver is reserved for the fourth year candidates and gold is reserved for the fifth years. They will both receive a book "Curious and interesting numbers" by David Well and a key fob.

Physics Olympiad
This is for upper sixth students and is designed to find the country's best young physicists to represent the UK in the international competition. Bronze certificates were awarded to Zena Moore, Jonathan Bedford, David Reid, Matthew Skues, Omkar Vedpathak and Pranav Khamar; and silver certificates were awarded to Matthew Firth, David Tattersall and Peter Walker. Chris and Mike Blake excelled in the test papers and were awarded gold certificates, placing them in the top 50 in the country. As a result they sat another paper. In this Chris was placed in the top 15 and was invited to attend a three-day training camp during the Easter holiday. Whilst performing well he was not selected as one of the 5 to represnt the UK in this year's international competition - to be held in Iran. He was presented with his prize at the Roayal Society last week (back row, second right on the photo below).

Physics Challenge
The fifth form paper was sat by 30 students, with Michael Lumb achieving a gold award, 6 students receiving a silver award, and 17 a bronze award. Twenty three students entered the lower sixth competition. All found it tough but 11 students achieved a bronze award and 3 students a silver award.

Associated Board Music Examinations
Thirty three students passed exams at grades 1 to 7. Of these 13 were merits and 4 were distinctions.

Week beginning Monday 23 April

King' School Golf Competition
This took place at Portal Championship Golf Club on the only cold, dull and windy day of the Easter break. Excellent rounds were seen from all of the 14 pupils and 3 fathers who took part. Competition winners were Michael Brockbank (Stableford), Alex Pritchard (lowest gross) and Tom Burnett (closest to pin).

Football honours for former students
Liverpool University Officer Training Corps is a TA unit and one of 19 OTCs based at universities around the UK. The OTC aims to develop the leadership potential of selected university students through enjoyable and challenging training in order to communicate the values, ethos and career opportunities of the British Army.

Sport and teamwork remain key ingredients in the OTC programme and with the strong football traditions of the City of Liverpool it is no surprise that Liverpool UOTC is very keen on football. This year with the help of two former King's School first team captains, David Thomson and Andy Wignall, Liverpool UOTC have become the first ever OTC to win the TA National Football

The game went to extra time before youth, determination and fitness overcame the undoubted skill of a Royal Irish Rangers side that has won the Trophy for the last 17 years.  Two goals in the second part of extra time left an elated

Andy Wignall (on the right in the photo below) is in his final year of a Veterinary degree at Liverpool University and David Thomson graduated from Lancaster University in the summer of 2006 and is an instructor with Liverpool UOTC.

International Chemistry Olympiad
Six students from the upper sixth took part and all received certificates. Chris Blake and Alexei Makhort received gold awards, having been placed in the top 60 candidates out of 1360 entries. Silver or bronze awards or commendations were achieved by Michael Blake, David Reid, David Tattersall and Peter Walker.

National Youth Choir
Eleanor Sowden (3JH) has been accepted into the National Youth Training Choir and spent an intensive but highly enjoyable week over Easter at her first residential course in Oxford. The course finished with a concert at Tewksbury Abbey.

If for any reason you can't find what you are looking for have a look in our alphabetical list, or contact us on the following email: info@kingschester.co.uk