Concord’s Inter-House Trophy was narrowly won by Mandela House last week, following the eagerly anticipated annual Sports Day. With the Inter-House competitions being so highly contested again this year, students claimed it was ‘all to play for’ prior to the event – and the day did not disappoint! Despite the wind and showers of rain over the course of the day, large crowds of students and staff gathered on Hall Meadow, cheering on fellow teammates and competitors – the first time Sports Day has taken place in front of the college. Students from Concord’s four ‘houses’ (Teresa, Gandhi, Mandela and Pankhurst) competed in a range of track and field events, trying to gain valuable points towards winning the House Shield, as well as the prestigious House Trophy. Congratulations to the individual champions, with prizes awarded for outstanding sporting performances. In the Lower School, Carissa, Myrtle and Jeremy each recorded two wins and two school records. In the Upper School, Isabelle achieved two wins and Alistair also recorded two wins and a new record. For track events, Pankhurst lead with 117 points, followed by Gandhi (150), Mandela (151) and Teresa (157). For field events, Teresa were top with 97 points, then Mandela (100), Pankhurst (102) and Gandhi (120). This left the final Sports Day standings as followed (points ranked in order of lowest to highest): 1^st – Pankhurst (219) 2^nd – Mandela (251) 3^rd – Teresa (254) 4^th – Gandhi (270) Upon the announcements of the results, students anxiously tried to tally up the points total contributing to the overall Inter-House Trophy. Unfortunately, there could only be one winner, and just four points separated the top two houses… Congratulations to Mandela who were crowned 2019 champions! Reflecting on the event, Concord’s Mr Matt Rawlinson, Head of Mandela said: “The fact that the whole year came down to the last few races of the day, is testament to just how competitive the four houses are. “This year Mandela House can feel extremely proud. Whilst it is always nice to win, the most pleasing aspect of the year has been the way that our dynamic prefect team, led by Dora, Chris and Chatchai have forged a massively cohesive team. “In fact, the vibrant atmosphere, the feeling of togetherness – across all houses, and the unchecked creativity, represent all that is good about Concord. A fantastic year, well done to all.” A huge thank you to all staff and students involved in the planning, execution and participation in this year’s Inter-House Trophy competitions. Final House standings are as follows: 1^st – Mandela (141) 2^nd – Pankhurst (137) 3^rd – Teresa (106) 4^th – Gandhi (89) Click here to view the Sports Day 2019 photo gallery.