We did not have to travel far this year as Winchester College hosted the event. Boys had decided a couple of weeks ago whether to read a short story or to perform a dialogue as a group, and met a few times to prepare. The boys listened carefully to advice, and brought their drama skills to some of the performances, which were all thoroughly enjoyable. They were also treated to a brief visit to an exhibition in Musa, before joining the other schools taking part in the Reading: KES, PGS and Winchester College. 

The dialogue venalicious, in which a man disregards his wife’s instruction - with consequences – was read by two groups from Pilgrims’, and one group each from KES and PGS. One Pilgrims’ group (Balthasar J, John G, William N and Deepak S) was adjudicated the first place, with a mention of Balthasar’s skilled impersonation of the young girl Melissa and Deepak's ‘bossy’ wife. The other group (Barnaby D, James P, Orlando S and George S) also earned very positive comments. 

A short story about a mouse and a mountain was read by Rafael C, Jacob H and George M. Each one of them was praised by the adjudicator respectively for their fluency and diction, character impersonation and beautiful storytelling skills, and Rafael was awarded first place. 

Finally, three groups performed a dialogue between a poorly man and an unscrupulous astrologer alongside teams from KES. James P and George S; Balthasar J and Alfie; and John G and George M performed with precision and were all praised, with James P and George S earning the first place. 

The delicious refreshments and a tour of Treasury with the opportunity to handle ancient Greek vases and cups, plus the pleasure of meeting other young Classics students, were all very much enjoyed. Well done to all the boys; they were great ambassadors for Pilgrims’, and thank you to Mr Cuyler for accompanying us. This was the first Competition held since the pandemic, and it was wonderful to attend with such a great group of keen Latinists. We look forward to next year! 
Mrs Brill
Head of Classics