Stopfordian 2010–2011 - Stockport Grammar School

The Stopfordian 2010–2011
supporters, the clatter of fists hitting chess clocks and
mathematical brains foreseeing potential future moves, it was
impossible not to get caught up in all the excitement. Ismaeel
Ramzan brought about some unbelievable check mates and
his brother Yusuf also played confidently. Joel Howarth was a
calm and steady player, focused on his game, despite the
distracting shouts of Vernon support surrounding him. As
always, there was no shortage of players or reserves and
Vernon came out of the chess tournament victorious.
February brought more outdoor activity in the form of Inter
netball and rugby and before we knew it, the swimming gala
was on. Nobody will ever forget Ronil Rawal strutting his stuff
by the pool in head-to-toe lycra and we had a real show of
team spirit from the First Year girls who got involved, with
Joanna Brown, Juliet Downs and Arisha-Jane Marsh all, quite
literally, throwing themselves in at the deep end. So many
people took part it is impossible to name them all, suffice to
say that there were a raft of ducks to hand out at assembly and
all were well deserved – it was absolutely quacking! Rowland
Williams was the clear winner of the Vernon Duck, after years
of super swimming on behalf of the House.
The annual Vernon Show took place shortly after the Easter
break and there was such a vast array of talent to choose from,
that it became necessary to have two different set lists in order
to showcase it all. Natalie Clarke and Leina Warburton joined
forces to sing a beautiful duet; Ismaeel Ramzan, Kim St.Clair
and Tasmin Ray gave a hilarious and memorable performance,
warning of the cruelty of vegetarianism, to mention just some
of the talent. Mr Thorley and Mr Ehegartner delighted the
crowd with a specially prepared number and the show raised
£307 for House charities.
Second Year cross country and senior athletics were big point
scorers for Vernon and at this point in the year, it was very
much still all to play for, with the Fallows’ Shield running totals
all being very close. Both Senior girls and boys showed
themselves to have great style and skill on the tennis courts
and the rounders tournaments looked like great fun was had
by all.
Sports’ Day was looming and everyone wanted to get
involved. The track and field events took place over the
course of the morning and the weather held, which was a
relief to everyone. Tao Warburton spent the morning
throwing a variety of items and threw a pleasing 7.37m in shot
putt and Nino Orton-Clarke broke the long jump record,
clearing 5 metres 32 cm. Megan Smith and Alexa Holland
both placed in the javelin and Emily Dow achieved second
place in the long jump, whilst Michael Schofield came first in
the long jump for the Fourth Year boys.
It was an exciting afternoon on the track and special mentions
ought to go to Ellen Downs and Hannah Clayton for all their
middle distance running and to Luke Berry for all the events
he raced in. The Fourth Year girls pulled out all the stops in
the relay, which was an exciting race with some stylish handovers
and Sophie Hall ran remarkably well on behalf of
Vernon, in a variety of races.
Alas, the Fallows’ Shield was not retained, but Mr Corbett and
I had a real job trying to decide who should receive House
Colours at the end of the year. So many people, only a
fraction of whom have been mentioned here, participated in
and supported so many events. Arisha-Jane Marsh was
awarded Woman of the Year, having participated in every
event and nearly every assembly. Luke Berry received Man of
the Year; always involved and always grinning. The House
Captains were shining examples of taking part, having a go
and smiling through both successes and failures.
Overall, the feeling of camaraderie was prevalent throughout
the year and Vernon members were always willing to sign up
26 Activities and Awards