The Salopian Summer 2023

SCHOOL NEWS 77
RSSH
Dominic Weilds
Despite a virulent spate of illness
that laid many pupils and staff
low, the Michaelmas term ended
with the traditional Paperchases
event intact, with Housemasters and
Housemistresses gamely fielding
enthusiastic, if depleted teams. With
the Juniors setting off first, individual
winners came in the form of Monty
Woodhouse (S 4) and Georgia Grant
(MSH 3). Indeed, Georgia led Mary
Sidney Hall to the team title, whilst
Al Weilds (Rb 3), in second, led the
Radbrook boys to victory. In the
Senior races, it was Rosie Morris
(EDH L6) who finished first, steering
Emma Darwin Hall to victory,
whilst Kristian Tung (I U6) put in a
dominant display to deservedly take
his first School race title. Port Hill
were overall winners of both Senior
Boys 1st and 2nd House races.
January saw the traditional foray down
to Sevenoaks for the prestigious and
demanding Knole Run – 5km for
the girls, and a gruelling 10km for the
boys. First up were the girls, with Iris
Downes (G U6) and Sophia Urquhart
(EDH U6), joint Huntswomen, leading
a team including Sophia Coulson (MSH
5), Ellie Leigh-Livingstone (MSH L6)
and Amelia Blackledge (MSH 4). As
expected, Iris found herself very much
to the fore, holding her fast start to
finish in a very impressive 3rd place.
Sophia Urquhart was also high up, 13th
overall, confirming her return to form
following illness. The team finished a
highly creditable 4th overall.
The Hunt fielded two full boys’ teams
on the day – 16 runners in all – and
clearly had a strength in depth that no
other competing school could equal.
Will Singleton
Whilst our A team were beaten to
1st place by the all-conquering Judd
School, our B team were the highest
placed in the category, rivalling a
number of other schools’ A teams. Had
Will Singleton (R U6) more than a few
training runs under his belt, it seems
probable he would have been in the
mix for the win; his 4th place was a
remarkable effort given his minimal
preparation. Kristian Tung’s 6th place
was no less impressive, whilst Harry
Parker McLain (I 5) managed a highly
commendable 18th. A couple of names
for the future, Johnnie Thurstan (Ch
4) and Zac Wasteney (Rb 4), deserve
mention for their 22nd and 32nd place
finishes, respectively. Both have three
more opportunities to race the Knole.
The much-anticipated King Henry
VIII Relays at Coventry proved a real
highlight of the season. It was pleasing
to finally have a full-strength squad
and everyone, boys and girls, ran out
of their skins to try and emulate last
season’s impressive showing. The girls’
team came home in a highly creditable
10th place, with Iris Downes’ 12m57s
leg good enough for 7th fastest on the
day, and 15th fastest all-time (in the
race’s 23rd year). The girls’ B team
managed a very respectable 22nd place
overall, whilst the boys’ B came home
in 19th overall, second B team to The
Judd School, and 20 seconds or so clear
of Abingdon.
Within the boys’ A team, there
had been a real sense of hope that
Shrewsbury could go one better than
last year and secure a silver team
medal. Will Singleton took over in
3rd, 10 seconds or so down from
Abingdon, with spectators relishing
the duel ahead. Will’s blistering pace
soon extinguished any threat Abingdon
might have posed. In what must be
one of the most impressive runs the
RSSH has ever seen, Will tore round to
finish comfortably in 2nd, with a time
of 10m55s. This was not only the fastest
of the day, but the 6th fastest of the
51-year history of the race. Will’s time
ranks him above the likes of Sebastian
Coe, Richard Nerurkar and the
Brownlee brothers. It was a privilege to
watch, made all the more remarkable
by the considerable battles Will has
had with illness over the last year. It
is worth adding that the boys’ A team
managed to run 2 minutes quicker than
last year’s 3rd placed Hunt team. At
70m50s, their time was, we think, the
8th fastest on record. The fastest ever
time now belongs to The Judd School,
who came home in an extraordinary
69m05s to claim a record that had
stood for 40 years.
Following considerable team success
at the Shropshire Schools’ County
Championships – a clean sweep of
Junior, Intermediate and Senior team
titles for the boys, and a Senior girls’
title, to boot – the Hunt saw nearly 20
of its runners compete for Shropshire at
the English School’s Cross-Country
Championships at Nottingham. To have
so many compete at such a high level is
an outstanding achievement; it is difficult
to imagine any other single school in the
country having so many representatives
at this blue riband event.
Just prior to the English Schools, the
RSSH hosted the Spring Relays at
Attingham Park. It was wonderful
to see a number of new attendees
travelling up for a relaxed yet