country, athletics, handball, and basketball. The school has won various district and county competitions. In the 1999/2000 season, the 1st XI football team reached the final of the ESFA U18 Cup, narrowly losing to The Kingsway School In the 2004/05 season, the U15 rugby team won the Schools Vase, having won the Kent Schools Cup earlier in the season, beating Oakham School 33-7. Combined Cadet Force (CCF) The school has a Combined Cadet Force, with Navy, Army and RAF sections accepting students on a voluntary basis when they reach year nine. The Combined Cadet Force, in particular the Army section, has roots in the Royal Engineers. The Navy section is affiliated with HMS Collingwood and, a land establishment in Portsmouth, and also has an affiliated ship (HMS Kent (F78)). The RAF section regularly enters teams into both regional and national competitions and have won a total of nine Air Squadron Trophies In 2001 two senior students plead guilty to a series of violent and racially aggravated charges relating to abuse of junior CCF cadets. Staff were accused of turning a blind eye or, according to the prosecutor, involved in some of the incidents. School song In 1908, Rev C. G. Duffield (the headmaster from 1898 to 1913), wrote Latin lyrics to the music of music-master Dr H. F. Henniker for Gaudeamus, the school song. The words, based on verses in Virgil’s Aeneid, are still sung on special occasions such as upper and lower school speech days. Notable events In May 2016, former Maidstone Grammar School teacher Steve Restarick was found guilty of fraud charges, involving embezzling £6,258 of the school's resources over several years. In December 2020, Maidstone Grammar School was widely reported in the news for choosing to delay the reopening of the school over concerns of the impact of Brexit on its students and staff being able to access the school. Notable alumni (Old Maidstonians) Former pupils of the school are called "Old Maidstonians" and include: Art, Music & Literature Dan Abnett, comic book writer William Alexander (painter)† Richard Beeching, Chairman of British Railways Edmund Blunden†, writer & poet Daniel Blythe, writer James Butler (artist) MBE, sculptor Philip Langridge† CBE, tenor Philip Moore, Organist of York Minster from 1983 to 2008, Organist of Guildford Cathedral from 1974 to 1983 Christopher Smart†, poet Yeborobo, musical group (members thereof) Business & Commerce Richard (Dick) Beeching, Baron Beeching†, physicist, British Railways