Schools' Challenge - November 6th 2008

Date: Friday 7 November 2008

St Edmund's entered two teams into this season's Schools' Challenge competition for the South-East region, but, sadly neither managed to progress to next term's final stages.

The 'A' team.consisting of Michael Hawkes, Fred White, Tom Lowen and Stewart Wright, lost their two matches to St Lawrence College (440 - 580) and to Simon Langton Boys (520 - 860). Against St Lawrence they kept within 50 points for the first 20 minutes of the tie, but SLC pulled away in the final few minutes. Then the SES boys kept within 50 to 100 points of the Langton team for most of the match, but then the Langton, who had earlier been beaten by King's Canterbury, scored six bonuses in the last five minutes, and had been quicker than us on starter questions throughout. All four members of the SES team performed well, and contributed many correct answers.

The 'B' team, of Andrew Fellows, Tom Vafidis, Jacob Austen and late replacement Ben Clark (Jr), beat Ashford School (350 - 290) in match one, only to lose second time up to Dover College (210 - 500). The team took an early lead over Ashford, and maintained it , winning by just 60 points. Then, in the match against DC, they came up against SES Old Boy Simon Ferrar, who was on top form. It took the SES team 15 minutes to move from 50 to 90 points, but a sudden surge to 210 points was too little, too late! Again all four members played well, but were just not quick enough on the buzzers.

King's Canterbury won both of their matches; Kent College, the other participant, lost to Dover, but beat Ashford. Presumably King's and Dover College go through to the next stage as semi-finallists.