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The 2020 House Drill Competition began in earnest on a cold Tuesday afternoon in early January when the entire CCF Contingent lined up on the South Astro ready to receive a full demonstration of the drill movements by the Upper Sixth Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs).

Cadets were then released to practice the sequence in their houses for their competition performance later in the Lent term. During one of the wettest months of February on record since 1990 practice was difficult, but house pride and Hurst spirit were evident as the teams braved the deluge to prepare for the upcoming competition.

As the performance date drew closer, it was clear that the Covid-19 pandemic would have an effect as squad numbers slowly dropped due to some students going into isolation. This did not stop the competition taking place and special mention should go to Wolf’s squad of three Remove cadets – Hallet, Noon and Miller – who put in a great performance and took fifth place overall, which was testament to their accuracy and determination in the face of adversity. Cadet Miller took on the role of right marker (to call the drill), one usually taken by a Lower Sixth NCO.

The overall winners were Shield, who narrowly beat Fleur in second and Pelican in third. The Shield girls – Maddy L, Anna J, Caitlin B, Francesca S and Alice S – were slick throughout the sequence and showed a great level of cohesion as a squad, demonstrating their brilliant teamwork skills. Emma C, Felicity C, Gigi S and Imy D were also part of the team, but due to isolation/illness were unable to compete.