Four Sixth Formers recently competed in the national final of the UK Mathematics Trust Senior Team Maths Challenge at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London. Team member Peter Massey has written the following report:
An illustrious occasion, a grand setting and a new temporary team manager in the form of Head of Mathematics Miss Bracken might have heralded some pre-match nerves among the Pocklington School team, but the day started calmly… almost too calmly.
The journey down was a relaxed affair, the peaceful dawn interrupted only by Bruce Springsteen strumming through Miss Bracken’s car speakers, and the sleepy atmosphere of the morning train disturbed only by the rustle of scrap paper as the team worked through practice questions. A Facetime call with team coach Mrs Shand, who offered words of advice and support, was much appreciated.
Soon the team – Alfie Hall, Nick Wang, Tom Bean and Peter Massey – were in place and ready to go. But the group round, that had been so easy in the regional final, here caught the team out. Heads were still on the train as the questions were distributed and while a valiant solo effort from Tom claimed 18 points, it still wasn't enough for a competitive score, the team achieving only 24 out of the 60 possible marks.
There was a Himalayan-sized mountain to climb now, as the cross number round came next. After a brief lunch break, the team, reinvigorated, stormed through the questions scoring a tremendous 59 out of 60.
Heads were in gear now as the team moved onto the shuttle round, a round which had proved a stern test in the regionals. The first two questions were answered by all with both speed and accuracy, enabling the team to bag the elusive bonus points. However, fatigue was gradually creeping over the team and slip-ups towards the end of the round meant valuable points dropped.
By the time the final relay around arrived, blood sugar was running low and while the team soldiered on, Nick rattling through sums at breakneck speed and Alfie sprinting across the hall as fast as his suit trousers would let him, the final score was not enough to elicit a podium finish.
While Pocklington has achieved higher placed finishes, the day was still a fantastic achievement by the 1st IV, finishing 76th out of 1300 teams who started the competition, coming in the top 6% of the country. The day also held extra significance for Tom and Peter, with a combined total of seven national finals between the pair, as this was their last competition.
Many thanks to Miss Bracken who accompanied the team down for the day and to Mrs Shand who has coached the team all year.