JUSTICE DONE TO JUST WILLIAM
A dozen captured moments in the life of young William Brown came gloriously to life through the voices of this year’s parade of form winners as they vied for the title of Ayres Cup champion and Reading Aloud winner (not something I can imagine William himself undertaking with anything other than a destructive gleam in his eye). The Year 7s started us off as two of our own Williams (in name not deed, of course), Nina and Millie told their story of accidents and adventures; the Year 8s Kira, Lily and Annabel carried the baton of comedy into the realm of the absurd; the Year 9s Guy, Oliver, Martha and James made absurdity blush; and Toby finished us, William, his father, and most of the attendant family, off in the finest style. Brilliant, ridiculous, gloriously entertaining and…. crucially… fantastically well read by everyone concerned: enunciation, characterisation, enthusiasm, innocence and a certain lack of it, the odd accent, and a bit of adult ranting from time to time. Many congratulations one and all, and, as is ever thus on the Reading Aloud evening, just a soupçon more to the three year group champions: William Cook in Year 7, Guy Seagers in Year 9, and Lily Craig the Year 8 and overall Ayres Cup champion. Our thanks to Rosie, Rhiannon and Mr Edwards for their adjudication, to Audrey and Mrs Gardner’s daughter Rosie for their introductions, to Dr Renshaw for the inspiration, and to Miss Edwards and her team for the hospitality of the Seckford Theatre.
