Tuesday 13th - Unlucky for Some!
Date: Wednesday 14 May 2008
For the last several years, since the introduction of A-level Theatre Studies, the summer term has been enhanced by the public performances of the AS and A2 'practicals', when both groups have the chance to perform prepared pieces in front of an external moderator, and a School-based audience. Yesterday evening the AS group presented a self-written and directed piece called 'Wannabes', in which the four young women - Clara Gibson, Laura Symons, Becky-Ann Gladwin, and Benitta White - acted out their fantasies, as, for example children's TV presenter, actress, receptionist, et al. Clara Gibson was outstanding, charismatic and compelling, - and lifting the others with her. I didn't realise that a gardening programme could ever incorporate such a wide range of innuendo!
The A2 group revived the famous 1970s drama, 'Zigger Zagger', which was once directed here, in full, by Messrs Narburgh and Horrex in the same era. The truncated version gave the six candidates - Josh Magill, Hugh Saffrey, Sandy Wardrop, Oliver Jones, Charlotte Hawken, and Marissa Fuller - every chance to shine in a range of cameo roles, Brecht-style. This proved to be a superb finale to their acting careers at St Edmund's, as they brought to life the contrast between the humdrum daily lifestyle of working class Stoke and the real excitement of the 'City End' on a Saturday afternoon. As a Coventry kid of the '60s, I could empathise fully with that contrast.
Prior to the curtain going up, School sport, as ever, took place on a Tuesday. The junior girls tennis squads travelled to Sutton Valence, and won both the Under 14 and the Under 15 matches by 4 - 0. Mrs Wilkinson's report reads: 'Despite the very strong wind gusting around the Sutton Valence courts, we outclassed them with some fine tennis from all four couples - most sets following the 6 - 0 win to St Edmund's pattern'.
The best result of the day was in the Kent County Under 15 Cricket Cup, where we hosted a team from Dane Court G.S. in Broadstairs. They were bowled out for 73, after a fiery opening spell from Robert Penn (5 - 3 - 9 - 4) knocked over their top order. Rafi Stone mopped up the tail with 3 - 16. In reply, SES lost two wickets in chasing down the 74 for victory, George Smith (27*) and Ben Kemp (24*) secured the win in the twelfth over (of 25).
After these successes, the only 'unlucky' side, in the context of the article's title, was the Under 14 cricket team who went down the hill to King's. There are no real batsmen in this squad, so a run chase is always going to be difficult. So it proved as King's ran up 200 - 4 in their 30 overs. Naseem took 2 - 32, and Barrett 2 - 45 in an attempt to stem the flow. Our reply reached 83 all out, largely as a result of some lower order hitting by Naseem and Sekiguchi (29), who added 28 for the 9th wicket. The next chance to bounce back will be at Cranbrook on Saturday.
