The Senior House Debating Competition First Round Report
The Senior House Debating
Competition began today with St Aidan’s, St Cuthbert’s, St Dunstan’s, and St
John’s victorious against St Hugh’s, St Bede’s,
St Oswald’s, and St Dunstan’s, respectively. Frankie Bugg (B) was quick
to identify the main point at issue, and Madeline Page (B) was persuasive, but
Bilegt Tumur and Massimo Bacelliere Blanco (C: won by 183 to 163) were adept at
rebuttal. Legard was conspicuously good for John’s (who won by 192 to 174),
while St Oswald’s (the double-act of Dillon Wiener and Edmund Irvine-Fortescue)
gave a very dignified performance against a well-prepared St Dunstan’s (the
poles-apart Giorgio Berti and Francis Kirk, whose flair and panache secured a
win by 163 to 120).
Greg Obi and Timmy Beaudouin (H) were rather stuck to a
script for much of the debate, Jess Barrow and Saskia Fullerton-Smith (A)
showing more obvious empathy with their audience, but Greg Obi’s speech made
notable initial impact, without ever drawing quite fully enough on the
modulation and movement we know from, his acting. Jess and Saskia excelled in
sharp, clear, pacy rebuttal and restatement of their case (St Aidan’s winning
by 197 to 173). Teams go through if and once they have won again in a second
round on 8th February.