News 2014

London Dinner 6th November 2014

We were very fortunate to hold our Annual London Dinner at the Eyre Brothers restaurant in Shoreditch this year by kind permission of Old Blundellian James Goff (M 1975-79). We enjoyed a Welcome Drinks Reception courtesy of James, followed by a delicious three course meal which included a selection of Tapas dishes, Acorn-fed Iberico pig, Patatas Pobres, in addition to Tarta de Santiago.

London Dinner 2014 London Dinner 2014

While enjoying a glass of port we were delighted to hear from James Bullock (P 1981-86 and Current Governor) about the recent achievements of many of our pupils and the health of the School in general. Notably, that Blundell’s has Devon representation at every sport at every level, including the captain of the Devon U15 girls’ cricket team, a very popular and growing sport at school amongst the girls. Moreover, that a group of our pupils are current National English Speaking Union public speaking champions. We also heard about the fantastic refurbishments, which took place over the summer in Gorton House and North Close.

London Dinner 2014 London Dinner 2014

We thank James for his informative, entertaining and humorous speech and are grateful to him for taking the time to speak to us.

Thank you to everyone that was able to attend and we look forward to the next London Dinner.

1970s & 1980s Gaudy Reception 6th September 2014

Blundell’s School hosted its 1970s & 1980s Gaudy Reception on Saturday 6th September. The day started off with a Guest Morning for prospective Old Blundellian Families. The Families were greeted by The Head, Nicola Huggett who spoke about the many important changes that have taken place at Blundell’s since the 70s, albeit whilst ensuring the founding ethos of the School has remained untouched.

70's and 80's gaudy, September 2014 70's and 80's gaudy, September 2014

The Lunch Reception commenced with a drinks reception in Big School with over 80 Old Blundellians & Former Masters, including their partners and children. We were treated to an wonderful buffet lunch by our new Chef, many of you delighted to see that ‘baked beans’ were not on the menu as they may well have been back in the 70s & 80s!

Nick Swarbrick (Master 64-97, Housemaster of Westlake 68-80, Second Master 76-97 & Governor 00-06) was a delightful Guest Speaker and recanted stories of his time at Blundell’s over the past 42 years. It was clear from his speech that although many things have changed since his time as Master, Blundell’s has continued to remain one of the strongest Schools in the South West. Mike Sampson the School Archivist also laid out an impressive exhibition from the 70s & 80s allowing Old Blundellians to show their families photographs from their time at School.

70's and 80's gaudy, September 2014 70's and 80's gaudy, September 2014

We were delighted to have Former Master Charles Noon provide an exclusive tour of Blundell’s. He provided comedic insights into the antics of former pupils, emphasising the importance of gunpowder and penknives into the daily routine!

The day concluded with an Afternoon Tea in the Beale Centre; offering the opportunity for Old Blundellians to further recall their time spent at the School, before saying their goodbyes to one another. We do hope that many of you have made promises to remain in touch.

70's and 80's gaudy, September 2014 70's and 80's gaudy, September 2014

Thank you to all of those that were able to attend and please click here to view a selection of photos from the day or visit our Facebook page for the full selection.

Celebrity Cricket Match in aid of RNCF 15th June 2014

Blundell’s School was delighted to host an inaugural Celebrity Cricket Match in aid of the Royal National Children’s Foundation. The RNCF helps to fund boarding school education for vulnerable children and young people throughout the UK.

OB Day 2014 OB Day 2014

The RNCF entered a team including Henry Olonga, former Zimbabwean test cricketer who made his international debut in 1995, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe and Steffan Jones, formally representing Derbyshire, Somerset, Northamptonshire, Kent and Dorset Cricket Clubs. Blundell’s School team consisted of Rob Turner (Captain), Former cricketer at Somerset CCC (1991 - 2005) & Teacher of Mathematics/Head of Cricket at Blundell's since 2006, Nick Folland, Former cricketer with Devon CCC & Somerset CCC & Former Headmaster of Blundell's Prep School and now Headmaster at St John's on the Hill. Along with Andy Caddick, Former England & Somerset CCC cricketer and a selection of Staff & Old Blundellian players.

OB Day 2014 OB Day 2014

Game Summary: Blundell's 199 for the loss of 3 wickets from 30 overs. Dominic Bess 58, Joe Smith 102 not out. Charity XI 143 all out. Steffan Jones scoring 75. Andy Caddick took 3 wickets for 5 runs and Jack Menheneott took 3 wickets for 12 runs. Andy Sims took the wicket of Henry Olonga, taking a brilliant caught & bowled. Blundell's won by 56 runs.

You can see a few more photos of the event in this flyer.

OB Sports Weekend 21st/22nd March 2014

Action kicked off on Friday evening with OB Fives against the school. An excellent evening of competition resulted in a narrow 144–141 win for the school.

Fives matches during the OB Sports Weekend 2014     Fives matches during the OB Sports Weekend 2014

Fives matches during the OB Sports Weekend 2014     Fives matches during the OB Sports Weekend 2014

The inaugural school versus OB girls Hockey game was played on an astro concurrently with the boys match. The OB girls lost 2–0 to a strong school side, but the boys produced a great come back to draw with school 2–0. An eclectic group of OBs, current pupils and a parent or two came back to the Beale Centre for chilli and drinks.

Saturday featured the first OB netball game. The match was played in the Sports Hall and the OBs kept going well but were ultimately comprehensively beaten by the school. Meanwhile OB soccer players were performing prodigious deeds in the hail and rain on Amory. A very strong side managed a 5–1 victory over the school.

Refreshments for all in the Beale Centre was followed seamlessly by a black tie Sportsperson’s (probably unnecessarily gender-sensitive) Dinner in the Dining Hall. A turn out of over 200, of whom half were OBs, enjoyed an excellent meal and entertainment.