The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

87 only Year 8 manged to win overall. Spencer Bate- man also managed to come first in the Year 8 race with a time of 11.40. The combined Year 7 and Year 8 results secured a win in the Junior section but our run as reigning champions, sadly, came end this year. Let’s try to get back that winning feeling next year but a massive thank you to all the runners who gave a committed performance in this race. The Spring term also saw the Seniors taking part in a slightly revamped Inter House Public Speaking competition. Oliver Lee gave thought invoking speech on ‘Politi- cal Correctness’ which saw him being awarded the Best Speaker but the new combined team format re- sulted in good performances being slightly hindered by a lack of rehearsal. Better communication will be needed next year if we are to be more organised with arranging practice times. Football also appears to be our Achille’s heel at the moment. Although compet- ing fiercely in the many of the matches, results in the Inter House competition did not always go our way. A massive thanks to all the Grevillites that took part in the Public Speaking and football teams. In the Summer term, with the sun arriving, Lunchtime Inter house cricket got under way and the spectators on the Vibe patio were treated to a feast of competitive limited over matches. A huge thank you to the boys who gave up the time to represent Greville in these games and to the staff that umpired those matches. In the Seniors, Greville came joint first and Year 9 also won their age group. On the Tuesday before activities week, The Juniors had their Public Speaking competition. It never fails to amaze me how easily, with just a little encour- agement, how members of the House such as Ryan Wheeler, Yousif Alsaeedi and Finley Broekhui- zen willingly agreed to give up their time to plan a speech. All three speeches were of a good standard and they were well supported by their Chairmen and Vote of Thanks. Oliver Hume was commended for his performance as the Year 7 Chairman. Hopeful- ly, more focused practice will see Greville improve from second place next year and seal a well overdue victory in this competition. A huge thank you to all those who that took part in the Public Speaking and Cricket teams. A new plush Kingston venue only helped to enhance the competitive spirit of Sport Day. On a gloriously sunny day, once I finally managed to fight my way through the Wimbledon traffic on the A3, it was good to see everyone so keen and enthusiastic to participate. A lack of absences and everyone manag- ing to ensure that they were at their events meant that the day ran smoothly. In the hurdles, the day seemed to be getting off to a good start with Sam Clifton (U14A), Brandon Paul (U14B) and James Clarke (U15A) all winning their races. During the 200m and 800m events, except for Spencer Bateman (U13 800m), James Clarke (U15B 200m) and Cameron Hampstead (U15A 200m), these first places dried up and Greville found itself languishing in last place. Slowly but surely throughout the day, Greville man- aged to claw its way back into contention as wins on the track and field began to mount up - James Breach (U12 100m A), Oscar McLeish (U12 Disc), Lucas Dallon (U13A 400m), Jack Pearce (U13B 400m, Disc), Anthony Robins-Kent (U13 LJ), Jacob Fuller (U14C 100m), Brandon Paul (U14B 100m), Sam Clifton (U14A 100m, HJ, LJ), James Clarke (U15B 100m, HJ TJ). Spencer Bateman breaking the U13 1500m, set in 1984, by 4 seconds and the U14 clean sweep in the 100m relay were amongst many other good performances and I apologise for not having enough space to mention them all in this report. The day finished with a mixture of pride, watching James Clarke, Jack Walsh, Sam Clifton and Spencer Bate- man collect their silverware and sadness, as Greville were beaten into second place. Your contributions, to team Greville, on the day were sincerely appreci- ated but I return to that question. No, let’s not jinx ourselves but return, next year, even more thirsty for victory. Finally, it just remains for me thank you all for your hard work this year whether it has been collecting merits or participating in the numerous competitions. I hope that you all have a restful break and I look forward to more Inter House success next Year.