Mertens & Hilton Basketball, BBQ and Music

Mertens, Hilton and Aberdeen boarders shrugged off the cold, fired up the BBQ's and organised a fantastic afternoon of basketball, burgers and sausages in the Mertens/Hilton carpark. Teams of 3 played heats with a total of 12 games played. With nearly 2 hours of play in total, the winning team of Wilson, Rahim and Patrick deserve our praise! Worthy runners up were Leo, Natalie and Simona. Manman Wong and Timmy Chan as umpires ensured we kept within the rules (and within the carpark!). With music supplied by aspiring DJ's, Kim Mansfield & Assad Rashid; BBQ's cooked by Oscar Baker, Alex Donvig and Leo Ko; support given from the touchline from fellow boarders and even a staff team to admire, there was something for everyone.

Check out the photos below...

Alex and Leo fire up the barbies...

being a spectator was chilly work...



Ardingly boarders watching the basketball action...



The spectators..

and the runners up...

the fast paced play of the final...

Leo takes the ball on the run...

Winners and runners up

the professional looking tournament format!!

Mertens House Wins House Singing for 2011...

All the hard work and seemingly endless rehearsals have finally paid off for the boys of Mertens House as they were rightly awarded the Entertainment Award for the 2011 House Singing Competition. They stole the show with their harmonious, action-packed performance of Stevie Wonder's classic 70's hit, 'Superstition', holding off perennial favourites Rhodes and Crosse. Hilton were unlucky not to be considered for the Singing Award for their brilliant performance of 'Lean On Me'.

The House was superbly led by House Prefects and entertainment gurus; Marcus Large and Sam Castle who managed to keep the crowd enthralled for the entire performance with the brilliantly choreographed act. Tosin Afolabi provided light entertainment with a small interlude as Stevie Wonder whilst the band performed very well under pressure; especially as the drums had been set up incorrectly for Zakir Ramani. The other members; Max Schutte, Timmy Chan, Marcus Lau and Mr Nick Tester all provided the perfect accompaniment.

Credit must also go to all the Mertens boys who turned up to every rehearsal, sang loud, listened and bought into the whole concept!! Well done.The Cup Is Ours!!

Ardingly College Basketball Team with Timmy Chan, Shaun Lam, Leo Ko and Manman Wong; the Captain.

Basketball Report

It was an intense match against Lancing College last week. We lost 42 – 41. However, our team spirit was excellent and we had increasingly good discipline as the match progress. Although we did not quite perform as well as in previous matches, top scorer was Timmy Chan and Player of the game was Jordan Dudas. Jordan played extremely well, taking many of the rebounds. After half time, Patrick Rudat scored three three-pointers (amazing) in a row which immediately added 9 to the score! Overall, everybody played well and today (Wednesday 2 Feb) we will be playing Michael Hall. 

We played Michael Hall on Wednesday 2 February. The first two quarters were slightly disappointing - the opponent got 11 points ahead! However, after half time, it seemed like everybody in the Ardingly team had switched on. We defended well and became more likely to take the rebounds, rather than letting the opponent score another basket. Hence, all worked hard, and created opportunities for our top scorer, Timmy Chan, to make his layups.  He was player of the game, scoring 19 points.

Fourth quarter was where the most exciting bit began. We were losing 43 -41 when there was only 49 seconds left. Timmy Chan, again, received 2 free throws. Everybody was so focusing on the shots as it would draw the game. Our manager, Mr. Davies, meanwhile, watched on, feeling intense. Kate Burgess was punching her legs to relieve herself from being so excited about the shots. Timmy Chan took his first free throw and it was a swish. As he was preparing for the next final shot (which could earn us an extra five minutes play) Manman Wong stood up and shouted “BOX OUT”. Timmy Chan lifted his arm to shoot, and it went in, a swish! However, the opponent scored a 2 pointer in the very last seconds.

Overall, this is the best performance this season, although we lost by 2 points. The result is not the most important – it’s how well we perform in the game.

The next match will be on Thursday (10^th Feb) against Michael Hall at home. Please come down to watch and support us as it is probably the last match until next year’s league.

MVP – Timmy Chan

Top 3 scorer – Timmy Chan, Leo Ko, Manman Wong

Written by Manman Wong

Basketball vs Lancing, Match Report...Mertens Boys lead the way...

Basketball Vs Lancing (Away)

It was an intense match against Lancing College last week. We lost 42 – 41. However, our team spirit was excellent and we had increasingly good discipline as the match progress. Although we did not quite perform as well as in previous matches, top scorer was Timmy Chan and Player of the game was Jordan Dudas. Jordan played extremely well, taking many of the rebounds. After half time, Patrick Rudat scored three three-pointers (amazing) in a row which immediately added 9 to the score! Overall, everybody played well and today (Wednesday 2 Feb) we will be playing Michael Hall. 

Manman Wong

Mertens House Poker Night

Last Friday evening, Alex Donvig and William Salt coordinated a thoroughly enjoyable and competitive Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament. Mertens House Common Room was transformed (well sort of...) into a very sophisticated Casino. Dark sunglasses, black shirts and long black coats were the fashion of the evening as each participant looked to intimidate his rivals. As a croupier myself, I donned the black and whites and even Mr Tester turned up in his finest attire.

The beginning of the evening saw everyone split amongst 4 tables and an hour in which to outdo rivals and accumulate the most chips. The winners of each table then progressed to the second part of the evening and onto the high rollers table where eventually Dan Frank (Remove) blew away stubborn opposition in Marcus Hunter and Cedric Surmann.

A fantastic evening was had by all and pleasing to note that the £2 entry fee goes to a charity yet to be decided. Well done to Alex and William for organising what is sure to become a pivotal event in the Mertens calendar!

PreTournament Briefing!

Assad looks every part the dealer...

Will Spence winning big...

No chips, No smiles from Seb Spence!!

Cedric looks the part...Nico is gracious in defeat!

Leo Ko...winners are grinners.

Daniel Frank...Mertens House Poker Champion 2011

Rugby 1st XV: Ardingly 12 lost to Lancing 22

Last Tuesday 18th, a few Mertens boys were involved in the first rugby fixture of the Lent term; a match against local rivals Lancing. With a limited preparation and a team short in experience we were up against it but the boys did well. They put together some promising passages of play and with a little focus at training and improved match fitness, a promising season awaits. The final score, 12-22, flattered our opposition as they scored a late try to put the result beyond doubt but Ardingly fought hard until the end and should be very pleased with their effort. Mertens was represented by a strong contingent including Marcus Large, Sam Castle, Alex Maynard, Assad Rashid, Tosin Afolabi, Chris Pernet and Latif Mammadaliev.

The next fixture is Box Hill away on Saturday 29th and the boys have been training themselves into the ground in an effort to be ready!!


Pre-match practice



Sam Castle jumping at the front and Alex Maynard lifting at 4.



Alex Maynard



The first hit of the game...



(L to R) Alex Maynard, Tom Heath, Josh Barber, Owour Odonde, Oli Grace

Sam Castle scores.

Josh Williams lines up the conversion



Maynard bursts through a gap.



Marcus Large, Alex Maynard and Euan Hargreaves-Smith in the front row.