THE
VIGORNIAN
JULY 1948
CRICKET XI 1948. C. M. Wood, J. W. T. Davies, T. J. Richardson, H. E. Howell, J. H. Whitehead, T. H. Burgess, A. Rambling (Capt.), R. E. Godsall, A. K. Mannion, J. A. Blain, M. J. Morton.
ROWING IV 1948. J. A. W. Ager-Harris, J. B. Walls, B. T. C. Smith fCapt.), S. D. Strong, Esq., P. W. Prestage, P. J. Hopkins (Cox).
SPEECH DAY GROUP. Headmaster, Mrs. Lyon, P. H. B. Lyon, M.C., Mrs. Kittermaster, Mrs. Davies, The Dean.
THE VIGORNIAN THE WORCESTER CATHEDRAL KING'S SCHOOL CHRONICLE TA MEN AIAAKTA MAN9ANO, TA A'ETPETA ZHTO, TA A'BTKTA IIAPA OBON HITHSAMHN.
Vol. XIII.
JULY, 1948. CONTENTS.
Editorial School Officers School Notes Births, Marriages and Deaths O.V. News Oxford Letter Cambridge Letter Speech Day O.V. Day The School Play House Notes Cricket Rowing Rugger—Prospects and Fixtures Boxing Athletic Sports Cross-Country ... ... ... Swimming Sports P.T. Competition Shooting Fives J.T.C Red Cross ' Scouts Art Circle Dramatic Society Musk Society Chess Club Vlth Form Club Valete Contemporaries Contributions Correspondence Commentator ... ... ...
... ...
...
No. 174.
EDITORIAL. Page 468 Two quite remarkable terms have passed by since 469 you last scanned our pages, and we propose to remark 469 upon them. 470 470 We had thought of following in the wake of our 470 editorial brothers of twenty odd years ago by slipping 471 in this column a little idle chit-chat about the weather 471 and the floods and so forth interspersed with a few 472 irreverently appropriate gems from the classics, but 472 this sort of thing, albeit entertaining, seemed just a 473 trifle incongruous as a preface to the distinguished 476 events you will find recorded in this issue. 480 Talk about the weather when two scholarships have :.. 483 484 been won ! Talk about the weather when we have won 484 more cricket matches and rowing races this season than ... 485 any of us can remember in the past I Dear me, no; ... 486 what a waste that would be. Scholarships are not won 486 every day. Neither are cricket matches. 486 True, you will find both these events, and many more 487 487 of the same calibre, amply recorded in these pages. 488 But publicity, we felt, is what they deserve—publicity, 488 and yet more publicity. Accordingly we tender our 488 heartfelt congratulations to all those responsible for 488 raising the School to such a high level, both scholastically 488 and athletically, and let us hope that the furtive whispers 489 slipped into our ears by the ' cognoscents ' re future 489 prospects of the same ilk will not prove false. 489 So there you are. Your curiosity has doubtless been 489 489 irresistibly aroused to discover further details for 492 yourself of these and other achievements, so we beg ... 492 you politely to—read on !
469
THE VIGORNIAN.
SCHOOL OFFICERS. A. Hambling. Head of the School A. Hambling. Captain of Cricket J. H. Whitehead. Secretary of Cricket T. H. Burgess. Vice-Captain of Cricket T. H. Burgess. Captain of Football B. T. C. Smith. Secretary of Football B. T. C. Smith. Captain of Boats P. W. Prestage. Secretary of Boats - W. M. P. Hamilton-Child. Captain of Boxing - J. W. Ager-Harris. Secretary of Athletics A. N. Nisbet. Captain of Shooting - T. N. H. Gwynn-Jones. Secretary of Shooting Heads of Houses :— A. Hambling. School House - J. W. Ager-Harris. Castle House J. A. Blain. The Hostel A. K. Mannion. Chappel's House H. J. Watson. Creighton's House School Monitors—A. Hambling, J. W. Ager-Harris, A. K. Mannion, H. J. Watson, J. A. Blain, J. C. Rose, R. J. Rayson, B. T. C. Smith. Librarians—R. J. Rayson, M. S. Lewis, H. Barrs. Editors of The Vigonrian—A. K. Mannion, R. J. Rayson, A. Hambling.
SCHOOL NOTES. When we returned to School after the Christmas holidays it was with the knowledge that intellectual struggle and toil had reaped its reward. The Meeke Scholarship had at last been won by a member of this School, R. A. Williams, the previous Head Boy. This success was duly celebrated by a half holiday on March 2nd, at the request of Williams. On March 16th news of a further success was received. It was that A. Hambling our present Head of the School, had been awarded a Choral Scholarship at St. John's College, Cambridge. Let us now take the opportunity of wishing both Williams and Hambling continued success.
We offer our congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. W. Thomas on the birth of a son—an event which was marked by a half holiday on May 17th. We enjoyed two half-holidays on January 26th and May 25th, granted by the Headmaster at the request of their Lordships, Mr. Justice Groom-Johnson and Mr. Justice Singleton, who had previously been greeted in the customary manner by three senior members of the School. * * * After looking desolate and barren for weeks, College Green is in process of being restored to its rightful position as one of the most beautiful spots of Worcester. A fresh and healthy looking crop of grass has risen very quickly in a few weeks and should look really well by the time the Three Choirs' Festival begins.
July, 1948
We were given a very interesting illustrated talk on Rail Transport by Mr. H. G. Davis on February 10th. Now an official of the Southern Region of British Railways, Mr. Davis recalled his previous visit to the School. His talk covered many aspects for it included descriptions of famous locomotives, the maintenance of track, some outstanding railway bridges, the boat-train service and the importance of railways and docks. The lecturer's obvious technical knowledge and astuteness of delivery won the close attention of his audience. On March 9th, Mr. Guy Butler, who enjoyed considerable success in the Olympic Games, lectured on Athletics. With the aid of his own photography, he was able to show us films of many modem athletes, Sydney Wooderson, Donald Finlay, Jesse Owens, C. B. Holmes and Hans Andersson, to name only a few. By far the most amusing afternoon for some time was spent on March 16th when the School was entertained by Mr. Vernon Lee. Mr. Lee explained at the beginning that he was setting put to prove that there is definitely an art in entertaining—and well did he prove it. For he showed himself to be a magician (with the assistance of some members of the audience), pianist, singer, impressionist and comic. Anyhow he met with a great reception that afternoon and had most of the audience rolling in their seats with laughter. There have been two film shows in the summer term, that on May 7th about commercial geography and science and that on June 3rd about cricket. The first was very difficult to understand and trying to the eyes. The second, on how to play the game, was received with great attention, as it was well demonstrated by three England players, W. J. Edrich, T. G. Evans and J. Sims. There have been two lectures in the summer term. The first was given on May 20th by Mr. J. Kearton, who is an authority on ornithology and has written many books about the subject. In this particular talk he considered bird-life in Britain, aided by slides. On May 31st Capt. Lawson Smith gave a talk about deepsea diving. The fact that he arrived in diving kit added considerably to the interest aroused by the speaker. Before half-term a score of keen anglers attended a fly-tying lecture given by Mrs. Messena of Leamington. Dr. Cavenagh and Mr. McTurk were present. Our thanks to the latter who kindly made the arrangements. Mrs. Messena based her lecture on questions put to her; for over an hour she held everyone's attention— touching on almost every aspect of the art. Notes were freely taken, and fly-boxes were produced at the conclusion of the talk. Mrs. Messena admired many of the home-made flies and remarked that some would pass the most discerning eye in any tackle shop. So ended a very pleasant afternoon, and it is to be hoped that talks of this nature will take place in the future to cater for the substantial number of anglers in the School.
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
BIRTHS. COLES.—On llth November, 1947, to the wife of J. H. Coles (Castle House, 1937-41) a son, Nicholas John. * * * NICHOLS.—On 24th February, 1948, to Jean (nee Sharpe) wife of J. H. Nichols (Day Boy, 1925-33) a daughter. * * v SMITH.—On llth May, 1948, to Elizabeth, wife of James Smith (Day Boy, 1929-33) a son, James. * * * PETTIGREW.—On 15th January, 1948, to Audrey, wife of A. W. R. Pettigrew (Day Boy, 1929-37) a son. ENGAGEMENTS. J. C. PHILLIPS (Day Boy, 1935-37) to Muriel Gwenneth Higgins of Kings Heath, Birmingham. MARRIAGES. FLAY—FANE BROWN. On June 2nd, 1948, at Chester, Allan Leonard Flay (Day Boy, 1922-30) to Kathleen Fane Brown. • * * HAYES—STARKEY. On 12th January, 1948, Barry D. Hayes (Day Boy, 1934-37) to Nancy Pamela Starkey at Worcester. • * * RANFORD—HIRONS. On 20th December, 1947, John G. Ranford (Day Boy, 1935-39) to Mildred May Hirons at Kempsey. DEATHS. HUGH HENRY QUILTER (1880-1890) on March 4th, 1948. Cremated at Wilsford Hall, Nottingham on March 8th, 1948.. * * * MAURICE WEBB (1883-1887). Mr. Webb was intimately connected for the greater part of his life with the Worcester Education Committee especially, and with Worcester administration generally. He was a Representative Governor (Worcester City Council) of the King's School from 1931-1944. REVD. CANON W. S. H. LITTLEBURY (Choir 1879-1881, King's 1883-1888). Canon Littlebury was a lecturer at Watford from 1900-1905, and Vicar of St. Michael's, Watford from 1905 to 1942. From 1942 until June, 1948 he was Rector of Sacombe, Hertfordshire. He was appointed an Honorary Canon of St. Alban's Cathedral in 1930. O.V. NEWS. J. H. Coles (Castle House, 1937-1941) -has been granted a 2nd class Hons. B.A. in Law, Tripos II, in June, 1947. * * *
470
W. T. Andrews (Day Boy, 1941-1943) is now in residence -at Trinity College, Cambridge. B. St. J. Howells (1917-1920) has now retired from the Army and taken up a dual appointment of AssistantMaster and Lay-Vicar (Alto) at Salisbury Cathedral School. * * * R. Irving (Chappel House, 1940-1945) has been ' posted' to R.A.E.C., London District Educational Corps. * * * T. B. Kennan (Chappel House, 1905-1907) C.B.E., M.C., Government Secretary and Deputy Resident Commissioner in Basutoland, is retiring on April 24th, 1948. * * * C. M. Lavender (School House, 1930-1939) has taken up an appointment as Micro-Analyst to the British Drug Houses Ltd. at Poole, Dorset. H. P. E. Pereira (School House, 1921-1924) is taking post, in July, as Curator of the Scottish National Naval, Military and Air Force Museum, in Edinburgh Castle. Any O.V. in Scotland will receive a warm welcome. C. H. Grist (School House, 1923-1929) is now development engineer in Wolverhampton. He says—" If any Birmingham O.V. is interested, we are running a very strong line at Storey Lane Drill Hall, 268 (S.M.) Field Regiment, R.A. (T.A.), and we would welcome any ex-gunners." OXFORD LETTER. To the Editors of The Vigorman. DEAR SIRS, Slowly but surely the number of O.V.s .in the " city of dreaming spires " is going up ! Jim Cocke (Chappel 1942-44) was demobbed from the army soon after last Christmas and came up to Wadham College in time for the Hilary Term. We gather that the War Office allowed him three days between demobilization and the commencement of term. He is reading Modern History and is fast becoming a staunch liberal. How sound his politics may be it is hard to say, but he has had a regular place in the University Liberal Club Cricket XI. He is also the Wadham Secretary of the Club. This term completes David Thawley's second year. He has distinguished himself by rowing in the St. Edmund's Hall 1st VIII. During Eights Week they made two bumps, acquitting themselves well enough to be considered worth entering for Henley Regatta. His theology keeps him so busy that he admits that he hardly knows the other O.V.s. Tom Sutton (School House, 1938-41) has done little work this term, but assures us that this will be remedied when he lives out of Hall next term. He has been Chairman of the St. Peter's Hall Dance Committee and SubEditor of the Hall Magazine. He ran in the Oxfordshire County Championship, coming second in the 220 yards. We gather that there are other O.V.s up again, but we have been unsuccessful in tracking them down. Consequently we should like to take this opportunity
471
THE VIGORNIAN.
of telling those who are up, and those about to come up, that we do exist and that we should be delighted to see them. A small supper party was arranged in the seventh week of term, Tom taking us to an Indian Restaurant, • which he assured us he could recommend. We were very glad to see R. A. Irving (Trinity, Cambridge) during one week-end and we look forward to any other future visits by O.V.s. Rumour has it that the School has at last won the Meeke Scholarship at Hertford College once again. We hope that we shall not be disappointed. Hoping that you have all had a most successful term and wishing you enjoyable holidays. Yours Very Sincerely, OXON. CAMBRIDGE LETTER. To the Editors of The Vigornian. DEAR SIRS, While we admit with all shame that we omitted to write to you for your last edition, may we remind your correspondent from ' the other place ' that vie are very much still alive ! We hope that this healthy condition will continue under the care of Lloyd Rankin who will remain here with his medical studies. We were delighted to see that a Scholarship to St. John's had been won by a King's School boy and we hope there will be others coming here with him. The remainder of us are going down. Brian Clarke is taking his degree and, complete with beard, may take up teaching. John Coles, now the proud father of sevenmonths-old Nicholas Joe, has taken his post-graduate LL.B. but will remain in Cambridge to continue with his Articles to a local solicitor. Peter Oades has taken his post-graduate Education course and goes to teach at Spalding Grammar School next September. Some of us saw John Folley on a brief visit last term. At an excellent sherry-party given by Brian Clarke we met his eldest brother, who told us that he was an O.V. ' of considerable vintage." Continuing the metaphor— we also discovered in our cellar another O.V. educationalist labelled R. G. Meers of unknown but, we gather, ancient vintage. With this brief news of ourselves may we send the School our best wishes for all its activities, both at school and during the holidays. Yours Ever, CANTAB. SPEECH DAY. Speech Day was held this year on Friday, June 25th, with Mr. P. H. B. Lyon, Headmaster of Rugby, as the chief speaker. The Dean of Worcester (Dr. Arthur Davies) who presided, said that the last time that Mr. Lyon and he were at the same Speech Day was when Mr. Lyon was a headmaster, and he was a mere parent. He had not been able to understand how Mr. Kittermaster had succeeded in persuading Mr. Lyon in his last term as Headmaster of Rugby to break away from the difficulties of winding up to come to Worcester. The Dean recalled that when Mr. Kittermaster was appointed Headmaster six years ago, the School was
July, 1948
gravely suffering from a year of exile at Criccieth. The governors, he said, realised how thoroughly Mr. Kittermaster had overcome the difficulties which confronted him when he came to Worcester. The Headmaster, reviewing the past year, said that the health of the School had been extremely good. Games had been improving in standard. With better coaching, cricket was showing steady improvement. He had been told that the School possessed one of the best rowing crews for many years. The School, he remarked, had increased very much in size and not proportionately in buildings. The governing body were doing everything they could. They had decided to build all sorts of things which were just awaiting licenses. So far they had added a dining hall and new workshops and the old block had been converted into science laboratories. They were grateful to the O.V. Club for financial assistance. In the School, he observed, they were trying to provide the boys with a sense of values—to make them never satisfied with the second best in anything. Finally, the Headmaster stated that he was happier about the School than at any time during the past six years. After Mrs. Lyon had distributed the prizes, Mr. Lyon said how really glad he was to enjoy a short holiday at our Speech Day. He stressed the importance of distinguishing between the things one knew and the things one had read of, or had been told. What, he asked the boys, should they be trying to extract from their schooldays ? They should be looking for knowledge, not merely opinion. There was a vast difference between the two. They should be learning to look for and love beauty. In the lovely countryside, in the city and in the buildings around them, they had not far to look for beauty. The time was sure to come when no longer would they enjoy the things that pleased them now. If they had learned to love beauty they would never be without enjoyment, pleasure and happiness in life. A. Hambling, Head of the School, called for cheers for Mr. and Mrs. Lyon, the Headmaster and Mrs. Kittermaster. After the speeches, tea was taken in the Cloisters, by kind permission of the Dean. PRIZE WINNERS. Sixth Form: K. W. Laflin (Latin); B. L. Nicholas (French); D. A. Holmes (German); A. Hambling (English); H. J. Watson (History); J. A. Blain (Mathematics); J. C. Rose (Science); J. D. Williams and J. W. Ager-Harris (Art); J. C. Rose (Reading) and A. Hambling (Reading). Fifth Forms: D. T. Fudge (History, Geography, Latin, Mathematics); L. F. M. Fifield (French); K. Salberg (German); P. J. Whitmore (English); R. R. Jones (General Progress); R. G. L, Griffiths (Reading); J. B. Walls (Reading); A. N. H. Marks and R. P. Powell (Art). Removes: J. K. Grieves (French and History); E. R. Vines (Latin, German, Geography); D. L. Cummings (English); W. Yates (English); J. W. M. Lettice (Mathematics); J. S. Rippier (Reading); J. LI. Williams and N. P. Meadows (Reading); A. N. Leahy and G. H. Monger (Art). Fourth Forms: D. A. Raderecht (Latin and French); A. M. Edwards (English and Reading); V. G. Evans (Mathematics); G. D. Bailey (Art); P. M. Lloyd (Reading).
Lower School: Form III, M. A. Caughey; Form II, B. Rigg; Form I, R. J. Seabright; Art, J. H. A. Bennett; Reading (1) T. J. Mumford, (2) M. B. Clarke. Mrs. Henry Wood Prises: Upper School: J. C. Rose and J. D. L. Griffiths. Middle and Lower School: (1) W. Yates, (2) D. L. Cummings, A. N. Leahy and D. Parry. Yates Prize: A. W. S. Hargrave. Music Prizes: H. M. P. Davies, E. B. James, J. S. Rippier, E. Rippier, I. F. Hastie, A. J. Armstrong. Goodman Essay Prize: J. A. Blain. O.V. DAY.
The annual cricket match was played on the Saturday of O.V. weekend and the School gained their first victory over the Old Boys for four years. B. J. Mallett captained the Old Boys and lost the toss when play began at 11.30 a.m. The School batted first and the opening pair soon settled down, playing slow but confident cricket. Just fifteen minutes before lunch Mannion was out l.b.w. followed soon after by Wood, his partner. Whitehead was joined by Hambling and together they remained until lunch. It was obvious that if the O.V.s were to establish an initiative they had to claim two more quick wickets after lunch and this they failed to do. It was not until 20 runs were added that Whitehead was bowled by James and then a little later Howell was sent back to the pavilion, bowled round his legs. Some brighter cricket by Godsall, Blain and Burgess brought up our total to 142 and for once we presented the O.V.s with a reasonable total to obtain. The innings of the O.V.s began doubtfully when Nicholls was l.b.w. to Davis and Bryer caught off Blain. Mallett and Hall improved the tone of the game slightly but James was the only support that was offered them. 88 runs was not a very good answer to 142. Mannion Wood Whitehead Hambling Howell.. Godsall Blain Burgess Jackson Morton Davis Extras
W.C.K.S.
Ibw. O'Neill b. Hall b. James b. Mallett b. James b. Nicholls b. Wilson c. Flay, b. James Ibw. James b. James not out
7 4 9 25 S 17 29 26 8 2 0 10
Total
142
Ibw. Davis c. Hambling, b. Blain b. Blain c. Mannion, b. Burgess b. Morton Ibw. Morton Ibw. Morton c. Godsall, b. Morton c. Jackson, b. Morton
4 0 28 29 1 0 4 1 14
James 5-37. O.V.s. M. E. Nicholls C. F. Pryer B. J. Mallett J. L. Hall G. O'Neill J. W. T. Wilson G. S. Clinch K. S. Flay B. J. L. James
472
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1948
H. C. Coldicott B.J. Sellicks Extras
not out Ibw. Morton Total
4 0 3 88
Morton 6-24. The 2nd XI match also began before lunch, the first time since 2nd XI matches with the O.V.s began. The Old Boys were all out by lunch for 38 runs and the School won decisively by 9 wickets. OLD VIGORNIAN GENERAL MEETING AND ANNUAL DINNER. On Saturday, 10th July, at the GENERAL MEETING, held in the Vlth Form Room before the Dinner, Mr. G. S. Clinch (1926-31) was elected to serve on the Committee, to fill the vacancy of Mr. J. E. B. Littlebury (retiring). Apart from the usual business, the success of the formation of an O.V. Cricket Club by Mr. Bailey was announced, and Mr. H. H. Holmes expressed the hope that an O.V.s Golf Club will be formed shortly, as soon as the " fuel situation " becomes less acute. It was proposed by Mr. R. Smith that there should be an attempt at running an Old Vigomian Ball during this next winter. This proposition received considerable support and a sub-committee was formed to endeavour to bring this about. THE DINNER. Over 115 Old Vigornians dined in the College Hall in the evening. Mr. J. B. Cavenagh, in his first year as President of the Club took the chair, and the ViceChairman was Wing-Commander J. R. A. Enabling, D.S.O. (1926-1931). The guests were Mr. Erskine Simes, K.C., President of the Old Elizabethans' Club, and the Mayor of Worcester, Mr. J. B. Edwards, O.V. (1918-1927). On Sunday morning at Cathedral Matins the Rt. Rev. Philip Strong, Bishop of New Guinea, O.V. (1909-1917) preached the School Commemoration Sermon. The Dedication of the War Memorial Tablet in College Hall after Cathedral Matins did not take place owing to the contractors meeting with unforeseen difficulties and being unable to get it finished in time. " 1066 AND ALL THAT." On Thursday, July 1st (two performances), and Friday, July 2nd, in College Hall, members of the School and of other local schools, parents and friends .were given a rare treat—16 Historical and Pseudo-historical scenes. Authors, producer and players alike seem to have taken for their motto Quince's well-worn pronouncement: " Our true intent is all for your delight"; and well and nobly was the task performed. The audience could certainly vouch for the fact that the object was indeed achieved. There is ample variety and scope here; and although it might very easily have degenerated into a series of disjointed episodes, the whole was admirably cemented together by D. N. Puddepha as " The Famous Headmaster." There is much fun and wit in this part, and it was almost inevitable that a few of the " gems " should be drowned in the hearty laughter and applause.
473
THE VIGORNIAN.
One of the outstanding features of the whole performance was the enthusiasm and gusto with which every member of the cast, from the greatest to the least, entered into the spirit of the piece; they obviously enjoyed every moment of k as much as did the members of the audience. To pick out isolated scenes and players in a performance of such uniform excellence is a very difficult and unenviable task; but I am quite sure that no-one would deny that R. J. Rayson as the Common Parent gave a superb performance. His role was a long and difficult one, but he made light of all difficulties. Apart from his natural histrionic ability, his diction was splendid; every syllable told and penetrated to the farthest corner of the Hall. His singing voice too revealed very pleasing (and hitherto unsuspected) qualities. J. C. Rose, another born actor, in such widely different parts as William The Conqueror, Henry V., Oliver Cromwell, and the rather more unorthodox Colonel Bygadsby, showed the astounding versatility of which we know him capable. His last-named part in particular was very much appreciated and applauded. A. W. S. Hargraye, H. M. P. Davies and A. Hambling disguised as " Saints" (Patrick, Pancras and Ives respectively) in Scene III ; as Essex, Drake and Raleigh in Scene 9 (" The Elizabethan C.3 Dogs"), and as Wellington, Napoleon and Nelson in Scene 14 (" The Same Old Hat"), proved themselves an excellent trio both from the acting and singing point of view, and received well-merited applause and an encore for a firstrate performance. In Scene 12, too, " The four Georges " (J. D. L. Griffiths, Laflin, Arthurs and D. F. Jones) proved an admirable quartet, attaining a high musical level. Of the other scenes, " The Tutors " with its touch of " slapstick " was a great success, and J. B. Walls a very adequate and realistic Henry VIII, amusingly henpecked by Katherine Parr (R. G. L. Griffiths); while Salberg as a light-hearted, punning Judge in two separate scenes, and Lorenz as a gum-chewing Columbus with a marked G.I. accent were much appreciated. The female parts everywhere were well portrayed and gave ample evidence of careful tuition in the difficult art of deportment. The costumes throughout left nothing to be desired. The final scene, " The Middle Classes," representing just those types one encounters on the 8.30, made a very fitting climax. As on all such occasions, much strenuous work went on behind the scenes; and Miss Campbell, Mr. Wilson and others who helped with the make-up were sincerely thanked after the last performance. Likewise J. Carroll who so successfully and at short notice controlled the lighting arrangements. Rayson's impromptu speech of thanks at the end was a work of art. Mrs. Kittermaster deserves the highest praise for her excellent work at the piano during performances, and the still more difficult and arduous task of training, supervising and organizing the singing throughout, which attained such a high standard and which was such a delightful adjunct, helping greatly to the enormous success of the whole. The production was a masterpiece, and the Headmaster; as Producer and Part-author is to be sincerely
July, 1948
congratulated on the result. The interpolated scenes blended admirably with the rest, in language, tone and spirit. It was undoubtedly a stupendous undertaking; but I am sure that the producer and all the participants would feel amply repaid if they knew the great pleasure they afforded us.
HOUSE NOTES. SCHOOL HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : A. Hambling, J. C. Rose, R. J. Rayson, J. B. Walls, H. M. P. Davies. There were few alterations inside the House at the end of last Easter term but the loss of A. R. Wiseman and J. G. Lyon was keenly felt. The former's career as Captain of Rugger was energetic both on and off the field, and he capably fulfilled his duties as Secretary of Boats. These, and his other achievements, including promotion to C.S.M. will be remembered. After Lyon's departure to be coached for Sandhurst, we realised that somebody strongly imbued with " House Spirit" had gone. He has since, however, been in frequent communication with members of the House, and we hope he has done well in the Sandhurst examinations he took in June. In their stead we welcome R. G.Wrigley, J. B. W. Robins, and K. Hitchcock (from Castle House), and, at the beginning of the Summer term, M. Foott. The House continues to be very active in many directions and is well represented in most School activities; one of the many is that of fishing and, more especially, fly-tying. Dr. Cavanagh, now President of the O.V. Club, was enthusiastically welcomed to give lectures on the subject, and his loan of surgical instruments, questionably applied to that end, was much appreciated in many quarters. At boxing also, the House has been very active. H. Child has been very efficient as Captain of Boxing and has led a large proportion of the junior members of the House to train hard for this, though it is a pity there are such a few of the more senior members of the House actively interested. However, Cope-Lewis, by capable boxing, won the Cup very creditably, and he deserves hearty congratulations for this. In the J.T.C., members of the House have been active in gaining Parts I and II of Certificate " A " and these, with Rose and Nisbet, who have been promoted to Sergeants, H.-Child who is now a Corporal and Whitehead and Rayson, recently made L/Cpls., must be congratulated for their energy in this sphere. Some really excellent work was done at Fives this year. The House Four, A. Hambling, J. H. Whitehead, D. F. Jones and M. J. Morton, systematically won thenway to the Cup, playing the semi-finals and finals on the same day—a strenuous effort, enthusiastically completed. We have also, as the fruit of diligent, if not universally desired, early morning practice, been enabled to add the P.T. Cup to the mantelpiece. In the Sports, we did not do very well in the Senior and Intermediate events, but a signal success was scored by the Juniors, who won the Shield with a comfortable margin of points in hand. Ager-Harris did well to win all four events he entered for, as also Hitchcock who won two and tied first in a third. A photograph afterwards showed he was the winner. J. H. Whitehead was the first of the four members of the House to take
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
the places in the Shot Put. Also in the Cross-country, H. M. P. Davies won the Senior, but we did not win the Collective Cup. Davies must also be congratulated on becoming a House Monitor. A. N. Nisbet now Captain of Shooting, with others of the House, J. D. Potts and R. E. Ager-Harris must be commended for upholding our name in the School's shooting activities. The House continues to be well represented in the Sunday evening societies, especially the Music and Literary Society, of which we form a large proportion, Hambling being Secretary of both. For the future—we look forward with high hopes. We should at least tie for the Cricket Cup, and shall strive for the Rowing. Many members of the House are anticipating examinations at the end of this term. We hope they will acquit themselves creditably. So, let us wish all those due for this ordeal, and also those who are leaving, the very best of luck now, and in the future. CASTLE HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : J. W. Ager-Harris, B. T. C. Smith, M. G. H. Leeke, E. R. Griffin. We should like to start these notes by congratulating B. T. C. Smith on being made a School Monitor and E. R. Griffin a House Monitor. The Easter term was somewhat eventful for the House as regards sport. In the rugger, Ager-Harris must be congratulated on being awarded his 1st XV Cap. We also have R. R. Jones joining the ranks of our 1st XV players and hope he will repeat the performance next season. The Juniors also did very well in winning the House " Belows " Cup. In this they beat Chappel 9-8 and School 15-3. For this very creditable performance we feel that they must be heartily congratulated. Another very good effort in this term was the winning of the Senior and Middle House Team Cups in the Sports. This was largely due to the efforts of AgerHarris, Smith, Burley I. and Burgoyne in the Senior and Jones, Dew, Beard and Ford in the Middle. The Juniors, however, were not so successful but we wish them luck for future years. The House was also very successful in the Crosscountry. In the Senior, Smith, after a great struggle with H. M. P. Davies, was forced into second place. This, however, did not stop the House winning the Team Cup with Ager-Harris gaining 3rd place, Burley I. 9th, Burgoyne llth, and Griffin 16th. The Middle Cross-country was also a success, Jones gaining 1st place and Dew 3rd. We now come to the Summer term which is looked upon by the majority as being the best of the year, although the longest. And everyone settled down again very quickly. As regards cricket, the House unfortunately has no regular member of the 1st XI, although Richardson rose from the 2nd XI to the 1st for their match against Shrewsbury and we hope he will stay there, wishing him the best of luck. Together with Richardson we have also Leeke and Dew in the 2nd XI. Of these three Leeke and Richardson must be congratulated on gaining their 2nd XI Colours. This lack of outstanding players rather lessened our chances in the House matches. However what team there is has done as well as can be expected of it by beating Chappel by 9 wickets and losing to School and Creighton by 8 wickets and 10 runs respectively.
474
The Rowing IV, however, has a much brighter outlook, possessing Smith, who must be congratulated on being made Captain of Boats, and Ager-Harris in the 1st IV and Jones in the 2nd IV. The latter two. must be congratulated on obtaining their 1st and 2nd IV Colours respectively. We hope that with a cox and another rower that these three will retain the House Rowing Cup for us later on this term. We shall be very sorry to lose Ager-Harris, Griffin, Burgoyne, Burley I., Dew, Mill, and Croft at the end of term, but wish them every success in their future careers. We should also like to wish all those taking School Certificate in this House this term, the very best of luck. Finally, all that remains is for us to thank Matron very much for keeping the House in such good health this term, and in successfully repressing the attack of mumps last term.
THE HOSTEL. After permanently losing R. A. Williams and R. S. MartindaJe, and sending Bluck and Howell to Treddenyke in whose place we welcome Mills, Parry and D. Canin, we settled down to a rather eventful Spring term. We learned early in the term that R. A. Williams had obtained the Meeke Scholarship in History to Hertford College, Oxford, and Blain had won his Rugger Cap. Puddepha, who now, together with Minton, had been made House Monitors, ran away with the 100 yards in the School Sports, at the same time equalling the School record. The Cross-country produced no results except some of our members were left behind gasping for breath on the sides of roads, unable to continue the struggle. The least said about the Belows perhaps is best, since we were soundly beaten in the 1st round by Chappel's. Our cricket team has fared equally badly this term, having not won any of the 3 matches we have played. Banfield replaced Morris who was unable to return this term. In the School play we played as always, a small but important part, supplying a " famous headmaster " who spent most of his time compering from the wings while the rest were effecting rapid changes of dress to represent a Roman Soldier, a Baron, King John, Guy Fawkes, two of Henry VIII's wives, a Judge, Hampden, a Court President, together with two members of those " unassuming cusses," the middle classes. Last, but also very important, the electrician who, did much good work. We have just heard that our House Captain, J. A. Blain, has passed his written examination for the ' Special Entry ' to the Navy, and we wish him every success in his interview. At the end of this term we lose Blain, Perkins, Carroll and Salberg, and together with those who are taking School and Higher Certificate Examinations we wish them success. It was with much regret that we learned of the sudden death of Mr. Pedder, brother of our Housemaster, to whom we extend our deepest sympathy in his bereavement. Finally, we thank Matron for keeping the House, as usual, in an excellent state of health.
475
THE VIGORNIAN.
CHAPPEL'S HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : A. K. Mannion, H. Barrs, J. W. Harley, D. A. Holmes, B. L. Nicholas, A. N. H. Marks. The House soon settled down after the division into Senior and Junior at the beginning of the year, and has experienced two fairly prosperous terms, under Mannion's captaincy. As regards sport, the Belows Rugger team inflicted a crushing defeat on Hostel and were extremely unfortunate to lose in the last minute of the final against Castle. Lack of practice told against us in the Athletics, though Wilkes and Hartley did quite well in the Cross-country and George was outstanding in the Sports. Turning to Cricket, we still seem to lack confidence rather than ability in batting and rely too much on Mannion. George has proved a very successful opening bowler but a slow bowler of real merit would be very welcome. However we are still a young team and there is every reason for hopefulness about next season. The House P.T. team was handicapped by the fact that it was never possible to hold a complete practice. However the team put up a very reasonable performance and were by no means disgraced. We must congratulate Marks on passing his entrance examination to Durham University, Arthurs on his performance in the School Play and others too numerous to name, on acquiring Cert. " A," Parts I & II. We are confident, incidentally, of another success in the House Section Shield under Marks's stentorian leadership. Finally, we wish success to all members of the House taking School and Higher Certificate, and thank Mr. Dilks for his continued sympathy and interest in the House's affairs. CREIGHTON'S HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : H. J. Watson, R. F. Godsall, K. W. Laflin, T. H. Burgess, A. I. Taverner, J. M. Bullock. Now that the House has been split into Senior and Junior Departments, we should benefit from the fact that the majority of the new boys who come into the House will not be new to the School. Our numbers now stand at 54. We have won two of our cricket matches, and tied with School House; we have yet to play Chappel's House. We are very fortunate in having six members of the 1st & 2nd XI's in the House—Burgess, Godsall, Davis, Wood, Hollister-Short and Burns. In the Athletic Sports last term, we finished 2nd in the Senior, 4th in the Intermediate, and 5th in the Junior. Among individual performances, mention must be made of Blackford, who won the 220 yards Senior, and was 2nd in the 100 yards. We held the 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the Senior High Jump, and were 2nd in all three House Relays. We do not, however, contribute many people to the School Rowing Fours; our only representative is Blackford, who is captain of the 2nd IV. In the Certificate " A " exam, this term and last, Wood, Blackford, Taverner, Burns and Lycett passed in Part II. and Attwood, Callan, Cartwright, Wiley and Hutchinson in Part I.
July, 1948
Last, but by no consideration least, we wish good luck to all our exam, candidates this term, of whom nearly all are taking the Higher Certificate, and very few the School Certificate. To conclude, may we offer our sincere thanks to Mr. Sheppard for all the interest he has taken in the House during the past two terms. TREDENNYKE HOUSE. HOUSE MONITORS : J. D. Williams, P. W. Prestage, J. L. Bradley. 1948 saw the birth of a new boarding-house in the School, academically, but not, we fear, geographically. Tredennyke Preparatory School, Barbourne Terrace was converted into Tredennyke House, W.C.K.S. The original seven members were chosen from the three different houses—two from School House, three from Castle House and two from The Hostel. These seven pioneers were to be welded together to form the nucleus of the new house under the watchful eye of Mr. L. M. Bailey. The various sporting activities of the School are well supported by our small numbers. However, until the younger Prep School boys can be replaced by King's School boys we are unable to field any sports teams, but are still eligible to turn out for our old houses. Last term, J. D. Williams led the 1st XV forwards and P. W. Prestage played in the front row of the scrum. The latter did well to finish fifth in the Senior Cross-country; Williams also did well to finish 1 During the summer term, H. E. Howell has been a prominent all-rounder in the 1st Cricket XI; J. L. Bradley is a 2nd XI left-arm spin bowler, while T. A. Brown shows promise as a fast bowler in the 3rd XI. Prestage is our representative on the river as Secretary of Boats. For the less energetic we have our own swimming-pool, which, however, keeps us occupied periodically when it needs to be emptied and scrubbed ! We are well equipped with indoor games such as table-tennis and billiards, and we are grateful to Mr. Bailey for the use of the billiard-table. However, in spite of such distracting recreations, the industry of the House is not lacking. While three new members this term—Bradley II (from School House), Ford (Castle House) and Mawbey (new boy)—increased our numbers to ten, six of these are Sixth Formers. Although we feel we are bordering on the conventional, nevertheless we would like to extend our congratulations to Prestage and Howell in being awarded respectively rowing and cricket colours. In the J.T.C. we have C.S.M. Williams and Cpls. Bradley and Prestage amongst our ranks. P. M. Bluck is the one and only scout. The best of luck to Bradley II and Ford in the forthcoming School Certificate and also to Williams, who, despite severe criticism and impolite remarks seems bent upon attempting his Higher Certificate and then bidding us a discreet departure. We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Bailey, who has made us all feel at home in our new, and perhaps, more pleasant surroundings. In conclusion, having set forth on its journey, we wish this new house, and all concerned, the best of luck.
THE VIGORNIAN;
July, 1948
476
CRICKET. FIXTURES AND RESULTS. Isr XL Result For Ground Date Opponents 93 Home Won Sat., May 15th L. M. Bailey's XI Lost (9 wkts.) 40 Home Wed., May 19th Worcester C.C. & Ground 129 Lost (8 wkts.) Sat., May 22nd Away Solihull School CANCELLED. Sat., May 29th Away Norton Barracks 66 Lost Sat., June 5th Home Hereford C.S 121 Lost (4 wkts.) Wed., June 9th M.C.S. (Oxford) Home 135-8 decl. Won Tues., June 15th St. Edward's (Oxford) Home 106 Drawn Sat., June 19th Shrewsbury School 2nd XI Home 81-8 Drawn Wed., June 30th Bromsgrove School " A " XI Home 93 Won Sat., July 3rd Home Dean Close School ... 83 Lost Wed., July 7th Bloxham School Away 142 Won Sat., July 10th Old Vigornians Home " A " XI. Home
Against 80 110 131-2 124 124-6 51 97-6 94-9 decl. 66 158-7 (dec.) 88
Won
123
80
Home Away Home Home Away Home
Won Lost Won Won CANCELLED. Won
77 38 80-8 decl. 60
74 57 36 55
122
39 & 38
3RD XI—(COLTS). Home K.E.S., Birmingham... Malvem College " B " XI ... Home
Lost Lost (3 wkts.)
78 36
80-4 37-7
UNDER 15 COLTS. Sat., May 22nd Solihull School Home Wed., June 2nd K. Edward's, Birmingham Home Wed., June 22nd Bloxham School Away Wed., June 30th Bromsgrove Home Wed., July 14th W.R.G.S Home
Won Drawn Lost Won Drawn
68 26 42 42 90-3
41 26-6 (dec). 42-3 34 120-4 (dec.)
UNDER 14 COLTS. Sat., May 22nd . Hillstone School ... ... ... Away Wed., June 2nd K. Edward's, Birmingham... ... Away Wed., June 9th Bromsgrove ... ... ... ... Home Sat., June 19th ... ... ... Away Down's School Sat., June 26th Bromsgrove Away Wed., July 14th Down's School ... Away
Won ABANDONED. Won Won Lost Won
98
49
73 75 52 96
71 45 94 58
Sat., June 26th
Sebright School " A " XI ...
Sat., May 22nd Sat., June 5th Sat., June 19th Wed., June 23rd Sat., June 26th Sat., July 10th
Solihull School Hereford C.S. M.C.C. " A " XI Bloxham School Sebright School Old Vigornians
Wed., June 2nd Sat., June 19th
2ND XI.
...
This has been a particularly successful term for cricket, both in results and in the form of the teams. The weather throughout the term has been most unkind but we had to cancel only two matches and abandon one. Mr. S. Duller, the senior coach to the County Club, combined with the abilities of Mr. Bailey improved the standard of the batting of the 1st XI and the higher scores registered in matches signify the importance that should be attached to procuring a professional coach. The XI, although they have not yet obtained more wins than losses, have acquitted themselves creditably and may look forward to more successes next year. The 2nd XI have improved considerably, losing only one in four matches. Their standard of batting is not very high but the keenness shown on the field is admirable. The 3rd XI have not won any of their matches but it has heightened the competitive spirit in the School considerably and has improved the standard and spirit of the lower games. The two Colts teams, the
future XI's of the School have lived up to their reputations and we can breathe a sigh of relief when we think that the cricket in the School rests on them. Mr. Cash, Mr. Logan and Mr. Mitchell have all worked very hard with their teams and raised them to a standard seldom seen in the Colts before. We can safely rely on our junior teams to continue to bring our cricket to a standard that we once enjoyed. A.H. W.C.K.S. v. L. M. BAILEY'S XL W.C.K.S. won by 13 runs. The School won the toss and chose to bat first. The performance of the opening pair was extremely reliable and confident but an inability to play slow-spin bowlers produced a score of 18-3 wkts. Some sound batting by Whitehead and Burgess, with Godsall produced a score of 93, a creditable total for our first game. The opposing opening pair were soon despatched when Mr. Sheppard
returned a catch to the bowler and Mr. Cash fell a victim to Davis. Mr. Hall and the Headmaster, with Mr. Home and Mr. Bailey gave an enterprising display and when Mr. Bailey left the score was 77-5, a very comfortable position. The ' tail-enders ' however were unable to deal with Burgess and could only add three more runs to the total.
Mannion Blain Whitehead Hambling Godsall Burgess Howell Perkins Jones Hollister-Short Davis, J. W. T Extras
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
477
W.C.K.S. st. Cash, b. Home b. Wilson Ibw. McTurk st. Cash, b. Home st. Cash, b. Kittermaster c. Logan, b. Bailey Ibw. Howe c. McTurk, b. Sheppard b. Sheppard not out c. Sheppard, b. Wilson Total
13 4 37 0 8 15 2 1 7 5 0 1 93
Wilson 2-12; Howe 3-26; Bailey 1-6; Kittermaster 1-21; McTurk 1-10; Sheppard 2-3.
Mannion Blain Whitehead Hambling Godsall Burgess Howell Perkins Jones Hollister-Short Davis Extras
W.C.K.S.
b. Blunt b. Blunt c. wkt., b. Blunt c. Genders, b. Reed b. Blunt b. Blunt c. Jones, b. Reed c. & b. Reed b. Blunt b. Blunt not out
Blunt 7-21; Reed 3-18. Cooper, F Blunt Baker Shakespeare Genders .Painter Reynolds Lygon Davis Reed Jones Extras
Total
CLUB AND GROUND.
Ibw. Davis not out st. Hambling, b. Hollister-Short c. & b. Burgess b. Blain run out c. Hollister-Short, b. Blain c. Hambling, b. Blain .....Ibw. Hollister-Short c. Jones, b. Hollister-Short Ibw. Hollister-Short Total
L. M. BAILEY'S XI. Mr. Sheppard c. & b. Whitehead Mr. Hall b. Davis Mr. Cash Ibw. Davis Mr. Kittermaster b. Davis Mr. Home c. Godsall, b. Burgess Mr. Bailey st. Hambling, b. Burgess Mr. Wilson c. Mannion, b. Blain Mr. McTurk b. Burgess Mr. Logan st. Hambling, b. Burgess Mr. Leeke not out Extras Total
0 32 2 17 10 15 2 0 0 0 2 80
W.C.K.S. t>. WORCESTERSHIRE CLUB AND GROUND. Lost by 9 wickets. The School again won the toss and batted first but against the devastating bowling of L. Blunt and A. Reed we were soon in trouble. Mannion and Blain were not parted until 16 runs were in the book but then the rout began. Mannion and Whitehead fell to consecutive balls from the County bowler, but the hat-trick was averted. Godsall and Burgess fell to consecutive balls from Blunt and again the hat-trick was averted but the School were in trouble—40 all out. F. Cooper and Baker opened the innings for the Club and Ground and together they saw 21 runs on the board when Cooper was l.b.w. to Davis. Shakespeare remained in long enough to see the School total passed before he returned a catch to Burgess. Wickets then began to fall fast and furious, 4 wickets for 14 runs and the Club and Ground mustered only 110.
6 10 0 4 4 0 7 4 4 0 0 1 40
5 17 36 7 7 16 1 6 8 0 0 7 110
Whitehead 0-18; Davis 1-19; Howell 0-16; HollisterShort 4-18 (hat-trick); Burgess 1-21; Blain 3-11. W,C.K.S. v. SOLIHULL. Lost by 8 wickets. The School won the toss and batted first, losing their first wicket with only 8 runs on the board. Blain and Whitehead both batted confidently until Blain was bowled with the score at 20. Hambling joined Whitehead and together they took the score to 60 when Hambling was caught on the boundary. Perkins was the only other batsman to offer any resistance and with Whitehead still batting extremely well the score was closed at 129. Whitehead's undefeated 77 was a grand knock and our first total of over 100 was entirely due to him. The School bowlers could not cope with the batting of Balls and Bannister who added 103 for the second wicket and assured their side of a possibility of winning. Some bright batting in the last 15 minutes brought the score to 130 and victory to Solihull. W.C.K.S. Mannion Ibw. Balls 6 Blain b. Sperry 8 Whitehead not out 77 Hambling c. Bannister, b. Shreeves 10 Godsall b. Piggins 4 Burgess c. Bannister, b. Shreeves 4 Howell Ibw. Piggins 5 Perkins c. Bannister, b. Balls 12 Jones b. Balls 0 Hollister-Short '.. b. Shreeves 0 Davis b. Shreeves 0 Extras 3 Total Balls 3-25; Piggins 2-26; Shreeves 4-38.
129 —
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN. SOLIHULL.
Bannister Shreeves Balls Clercely Extras
b. Hollister-Short b. Whitehead not out not out
48 11 56 8 9
132-2 Whitehead 1-33; Hollister-Short 1-21. W.C.K.S. e. HEREFORD. Lost by 58 runs. Hereford batted first and lost their first wicket for a total of 2 runs. This early success was continued but Richardson and later Warley by sound and aggressive innings brought their total to 124. The School batting never settled down, Hambling scoring 11 in a very aggressive but very short innings and Morton 15 not out, who in a last wicket stand with Davis (10) took the score from the 40s to 66. The all-round performance of Morton was the high-light of the School's performance. Mannion Blain Whitehead Hambling Godsall Howell Burgess Perkins Morton Hollister-Short Davis Extras
W.C.K.S. c. Procter, b. Davies st. Warley, J., b. Davies b. Warley, C. b. Warley, C. Ibw. Warley, C. st. Warley, J., b. Davies b. Warley, C. Ibw. Veale not out b. Porter b. Warley, C. Total
1 0 1 11 0 3 8 5 15 4 10 8 66.
Warley, C. 5-6; Davis 3-26; Porter 1-1; Veale 1-10. Richardson Clarke Nicholls Gray Porter Thomas Warley, J Veale Davies Procter Warley, C Extras
HEREFORD. c. Hambling, b. Howell b. Morton c. Hambling, b. Morton b. Hollister-Short st. Hambling, b. Morton c. Burgess, b. Morton c. Perkins, b. Morton st. Hambling, b. Morton c. Whitehead, b. Morton run out notout Total
36 0 7 2 11 10 32 9 4 9 0 4 124
Morton 7-62; Howell 1-16; Hollister-Short 1-22. W.C.K.S. v. MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL. Lost by 4 wickets. The School won the toss and batted first in a match beginning at 11.30 a.m. The opening pair were very confident and looked as if they would be at the wicket for the whole of the morning's play. Unfortunately Wood was caught and soon afterwards Mannion came out l.b.w. Hambling and Whitehead remained together
478
until lunch. When the innings continued Whitehead was soon out—run out, but Howell and Hambling played slow and comfortable innings and the score was closed at 121. Magdalen had to struggle with the clock more than our bowlers, who seldom gave them any trouble and they managed to win with the extra time. W.C.K.S. Mannion , Ibw. Gertner 19 Wood c. Gayton, b. Hopkins 9 Whitehead run out 16 Hambling b. Reyell 27 Blain Ibw. Hopkins 0 Howell b. Hopkins 26 Burgess c. Green, b. Revell 9 Perkins b. Parry 5 Morton b. Hopkins 6 Davis not out 0 Hollister-Short b. Hopkins 0 Extras : 4
121
Total
Hopkins 5-37; Gertner 1-22; Revell 2-16. Green Jones Leith Muniford Hopkins Gayton Walters Gertner Extras
MAGDALEN COLLEGE SCHOOL. Ibw. Morton st. Hambling, b. Morton c. Hambling, b. Morton st. Hambling, b. Morton not out Ibw. Blain c. Mannion, b. Blain not out Total
56 7 0 15 21 0 5 16 4 124-6
Morton 4-60; Blain 2-33. W.C.K.S. v. ST. EDWARD'S, OXFORD, 2ND XI. Won by 84 runs. The School batted first and Mannion was out l.b.w. first ball of the match. The disaster was soon overcome as Wood and Whitehead remained together until the board was at 22 and Whitehead with Hambling saw 44 on the board. A painstaking innings by Howell and an aggressive innings by Godsall enabled the School to register their highest innings on the home ground for over four years. The St. Edward's batsmen never settled down and our bowlers were soon able to dispose of them. W.C.K.S. Mannion Ibw. Clark-Jones Wood Ibw. Russell-Smith Whitehead c. Ferrar-O'Brien, b. Wright Hambling Ibw. Russell-Smith Howell not out Godsall c. Moss, b. MacDonald Burgess c. Jackson, b. Russell-Smith Perkins st. Ferrar-O'Brien, b. Russell-Smith Morton It. wkts., b. Moss Blain not out Davis did not bat. Extras Total Russell-Smith 4-52; MacDonald 1-6.
0 9 29 12 44 27 0 1 1 8 4
135-8 dec.
479 Jackson Fischman Hewittson Russell-Smith Neville Moss , Ferrar-O'Brien Wright Clark-Jones MacDonald Ablit Extras
THE VIGORNIAN. ST. EDWARD'S. c. Mannion, b. Blain b. Blain ht. wkt., b. Davis ..c. Mannion, b. Davis run out not out Ibw. Burgess b. Burgess st. Rambling, b. Morton b. Morton run out
0 8 1 0 6 23 1 0 2 5 0 5
Total
51
Blain 2-18; Davis 2-4; Morton 2-13; Burgess 2-11.
July, 1948
disposed of the first five batsmen for 35 runs but at the end of extra time the game still remained ' anyone's ' game with the opponent's total at 97-8. W.C.K.S. Mannion Wood Whitehead Hambling Howell Richardson Godsall Burgess Blain Morton Davis Extras
b. Mitchell Ibw. Whittone b. Whittone Ibw. Roberts b. Ainscow c. Ainscow, b. Whittone b. Ainscow not out Ibw. Whittone b. Maclnness run out Total
W.C.K.S. v. MALVERN COLLEGE " A " XI. Lost by 5 wickets. The School batted first and the first four batsmen played with great confidence. After these four were out, however, only Burgess, the temporary captain, was able to make any resistance and the score went from 3-86 to 116 all out. The Malvern batsmen were not long in gaining mastery of our bowlers and were able to knock up the required runs with comparative ease. Mannion Wood Whitehead Howell Godsall Blain Perkins Burgess Morton Davis Hollister-Short Extras
W.C.K.S.
Ibw. Herold b. Fletcher c. Harrison, b. Gregory b. Gregory b. Gregory c. Summers, b- Gregory b. Gregory c. Gregory, b. Nash not out b. Gregory b. Gregory
18 5 36 20 0 1 0 20 2 1 0 12
Total
116
Gregory 7-29. Gregory Smith Dowdeswell Nash Brough Barrie-Adshead Harrison Extras
MALVERN.
run out run out c. Davis, b. Blain run out c. Godsall, b. Burgess not out not out Total
22 10 4 60 10 9 3 7 125-5
Blain 1-19; Burgess 1-31. W.C.K.S. v. SHREWSBURY 2ND XI. Drawn. The batting of Burgess and Godsall was the mainstay of our innings for our first two wickets were lost with a total of only three runs. Slow batting by Hambling and Howell helped to pave the way for some aggression in the tail and the score was taken from 31 to 107. Shrewsbury were soon in difficulties when Burgess and Davis
1 2 7 9 4 7 18 36 2 3 0 18 107
Whittone 4-36; Ainscow 2-15. Strickland Ritchie Jackson Tilbury Ainscow Parry Maclnness Mitchell Roberts Good Extras
SHREWSBURY.
Ibw. Burgess Ibw. Davis c. Howell, b. Davis not out c. Wood, b. Burgess Ibw. Davis b. Morton run out run out not out Total
16 0 8 36 3 1 13 5 13 0 2
97-8
Davis 3-17; Burgess 2-23; Morton 1-24. W.C.K.S. v. BROMSGROVE " A." Drawn. Bromsgrove batted first and lost their first wicket after scoring 3 runs. A stand of 43 between Jones and Taylor rectified their first disaster and with the help of Tudor the score was 94-8 at tea when Bromsgrove declared. The School opening bats established themselves well and wefe not parted until 28 runs were in the book. The next few batsmen, however, were out cheaply trying to force the pace but a stand for the eighth wicket procured 21 runs, only fourteen short of victory and a draw. Mannion Wood Whitehead Hambling Burgess Howell Godsall Richardson Morton Blain Extras
W.C.K.S. c. Tudor, b. Link st. Taylor, b. Link c. Jones, b. Fellows Ibw. Link c. Colata, b. Link Ibw. Fellows c. Large, b. Fellows Ibw. Link not out not out Total
Link 5-33; Fellows 3-24.
16 9 8 0 5 0 13 0 5 15 10 81-8
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1948 BROMSGROVE.
480
A. K. MANNION. Has developed into a stylish opening bat, but he must learn to strike harder at the loose ball. Much improved in the field. H. E. HOWELL. A useful all-rounder. A very careful batsman who latterly has been relaible. He must learn to make the bat strike the ball. J. W. T. DAVIES. A medium pace left hand bowler. He keeps a good length and has been very successful. Slow in the field. J. A. BLAIN. Has not come up to expectations with the bat, but has developed into a useful swing bowler— will be good when he learns to have greater control over length. Improved in the field. Total 94-8 dec. M. J. MORTON. Slow paced left hand bowler. Keeps an accurate length and varies his leg break with an occasional wrong one. Has often batted with determDavis 5-20 (hat-trick); Howell 3-11. ination and patience when his side was in difficulties. Rather slow in the field. C. M. WOOD. Although he has not made any big scores AVERAGES. his batting has been steady and slow. He is rapidly Inns. N.O. Total H.Score Av. improving and should make a reliable opening bat. Whitehead 12 1 221 77* 20.09 T. T. RICHARDSON. With greater experience and 1 44« 13.73 Howell 12 151 coaching he should develop into a sound batsman. 11 0 141 28 12.73 Godsall 1 Very slow in the field. 12 36» 11.82 Burgess 130 10.55 11 0 116 27 Hambling 8.90 29 Blain 12 2 89 8.58 19 Mannion 12 0 103 7.17 Morton 9 3 43 15» ROWING. 8 0 9 6.25 Wood 50 7 12 0 4.00 Perkins 28 This season has shown a very considerable decrease 11 2.33 5 14 10 Davis in the number of rowers, for there are, in all, only 30 Also batted : Jackson Av. 8; Richardson Av. 4.67; rowers. There have been only eight newcomers to the Jones Av. 3.67; H.-Short 1.80. ranks of the rowers this term, which is not a very reassuring sign. • Not Out. When the term began we came back to a boat-house Over. Wide* Mdns Runs Wkts. Av. full of much improved equipment, the light IV.s and 99.1 9.25 Davis 27 222 24 one whiff as well as all the oars and sculls having been 95 16 259 23 11.26 to Eton to be repaired and reconditioned. The 1st and Morton 29.4 H.-Short 9 79 6 13.17 2nd IV boats were fitted with sliding seats as the Public 51.2 17J 13 13.31 9 Burgess School fours at Marlow has been altered to an event 81 Blain 16 216 12 18,00 for sliding-seat, not fixed-seat boats. Whitehead 26 87 5 3 29.00 The absence of a coach to ground the first year and 42 8 137 4 34.25 Howell other junior oarsmen in the fundamentals of rowing has also been felt. It is impossible for one rowing coach WHO HELD THE CATCHES : to train the 1st and 2nd IV's and also the juniors successHambling 7 Whitehead 2 fully. Consequently the juniors have had to suffer. Mannion 6 Howell 1 They would have been even worse off if it had not been Godsall 3 Morton 1 for G. C. Bradley who has done his utmost to enable Burgess 2 Perkins 1 them to grasp the essentials of rowing. We feel that he Davis 2 Wood 1 has done this thankless task very creditably. We look Behind the stumps Hambling has claimed 16 wickets, forward to next year when a new rowing coach will be 7 caught and 9 stumped. here and thus with two rowing coaches both 1st and 2nd IV's and junior rowers will be able to receive their FIRST XI CHARACTERS. coaching. H. HAMBLING. A keen and enthusiastic captain; he The Senior House Rowing Cup will be competed for has set an excellent example in every way. Kept later this term, the result of which will be printed in the wicket with success, often brilliantly, and varied his December issue of The Vigornian as will the result of attack intelligently. the O.V. race. As School and Castle supply seven of the T. H. BURGESS. On the whole has had a disappointing 1st and 2nd IVs the result of the House race will be season, but latterly has learnt to bowl leg breaks with between those two Houses. There will also be the races some success. Good in the field. for the Whiffing Cup later this term. J. H. WHITEHEAD. His batting has improved, but he is inclined to force the pace before he is set. Safe in the field. 1ST AND 2ND IVS. R. F. GODSALL. Found his form late in the season, This season has been a very successful one for both he will, however, do still better when he has mastered a tendency to play slightly across a straight ball. 1st and 2nd IVs. The 1st IV who were last year's Marlow or " B " IV comprised of one old 1st IV Colour Very alert and safe in the field. Jones Colata Taylor Griffiths Roberts Boardman Tudor Link Fellows Large Extras
b. Howell b. Davis b. Howell b. Davis c. Hambling, b. Howell b. Davis not out Ibw. Davis not out b. Davis
29 1 13 6 4 7 24 0 6 0 4
481
THE VIGORNIAN.
July, 1948
and three old 2nd IV Colours who together made a very P. W. Prestage, as Vice-Captain and Secretary, has powerful combination and had ample racing experience. made himself settle down to a change of sides at ' bow ' As soon as the term began, the crew began intensive very successfully, after stroking the 2nd crew last year. practice, going out for a practice paddle or row every J. B. Walls at " 2 " has the advantage of a fine rowing day; for the first race, in Evesham Regatta, took place physique, and has managed to put that to every advantage only three weeks from the beginning of term. To begin in getting in some hard effective work. with the crew met with an unusually large share of illJ. W. Ager-Harris, at " 3 " has good staying power, luck, for in their first race 3's stretcher broke loose on in spite of some difficulties with regard to timing and one side and in their second race they sank owing to finishing. exceptionally large waves. In both of these races they P. J. Hopkins has coxed his races with calmness, and were leading until misfortune overtook them. with perhaps a little more reasonable aggressiveness in However, after the first stages of bad luck, they met steering a race should develop into a first-class cox. with great success, winning the next five races and only The crew as a whole are at their best when they are losing in the semi-final of the Public School Fours to timing correctly, and keeping their wrist work keen and an extremely polished and experienced King's School, neat at the finish of the stroke. Canterbury crew. This crew went on to win the event without once being extended. The crew are indebted 2nd IV. to Mr. Strong and also to Dr. Cavenagh who has spent Some of the things that have been said of the 1st some of his valuable time during evenings coaching crew apply also to the 2nd IV, especially with regard to them. their getting down to hard strenuous training which The prospects for the 2nd IV were not at all bright, resulted in very rapid progress. for except for their stroke they were all inexperienced They have all worked hard and perhaps special mention and rather unpolished oarsmen. They were also an should be made of J. E. Blackford, the stroke and unusually light crew having an average weight of under who has done a lot towards their successful races. ten stone. However, immediately they began racing captain They lost two races by only a narrow margin, and it is they confounded and gratified all those interested. After only very occasionally that we can expect to beat the narrowly losing their first two races, in both of which 2nd IVs of Clifton and Cheltenham owing to our very they put up a great fight, they proceeded to beat two much smaller rowing numbers anyhow at present. much heavier crews in one race at Tewkesbury. They are to be most heartily congratulated on winAt least three of the 2nd IV will be here next year ning both these races this year. and so it should prove to be another good crew. They is to be hoped that the successes of this year's also gained valuable knowledge and experience by going 1stItand 2nd IVs will result in considerably increasing to Marlow and watching the racing there. The 1st IV began the season with T. P. R. Walker the numbers on the rowing side of the School. S.D.S. as cox, but as his weight was too much to carry over a » * » long course P. J. Hopkins became the 1st IV cox after Evesham Regatta and proved to be very competent SCHOOL RACES. and cool-headed. * * * IST IV c K.E.S., STRATFORD IST IV. Rowed at Evesham Regatta—Lost by i length. The following have been awarded their 1st IV colours : The IV entered for the School Fours event in Evesham P. W. Prestage; J. B. Walls; J. W. Ager-Harris; P. J. Regatta, which was held on Whit-Monday, and were Hopkins (cox). The following have been awarded their 2nd IV drawn against K.E.S. Stratford. The School lost the colours :—J. E. Blackford; R. R. Jones; T. Hughes- toss and had the outside of a very considerable bend. On the start the School gained about half a length and Williams; H. M. P. Davies. in the first thirty strokes increased this lead -to about one length. It was at this stage of the race that 3's stretcher broke loose on one side and this caused bow side to be pulled round. To counteract this the cox Rawing Characters—1st IV. to apply his rudder. Despite this great handicap The coach hesitates before stating any special had Stratford only took the lead by about one length and characteristics of a crew that has worked and trained at the end the School managed to diminish this lead to so hard to form itself into one strong combination half a length. without any weak link. The successes that the School crew of this year have IST IV ». MONMOUTM IST IV. met with are only the result of very strenuous team Rowed at Monmouth—Race declared void. training every day from the beginning of the season, The current of the Wye was flowing extremely fast and the first thing to do is to commend them most highly for this. They have been well rewarded, for and there was a very strong head wind piling up the they have won more victories this'year than any crew water against the current in large waves. The School won the toss and chose the town-side. at the School has ever done in the past. The stretch of water at the start was comparatively Of the individuals, mention should first be made of calm and after getting away to a good start the School B. T. C. Smith, the Captain. After his experience of stroking a School boat to went up two lengths in thirty strokes. At this stage of victory through 3 heats to the semi-final at Worcester the race there was a bend and around this bend there Regatta last year, he has now developed a most promis- were very large waves. As soon as the School crew hit ing rhythm, can certainly bring the best out of a School these waves the boat began to fill up and within twenty crew, and is doing a grand job of work for the School strokes the boat sank. Monmouth were still a good length behind even when the boat actually sank. All rowing as Captain of Boats.
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
the crew reached the side safely and ran about a mile to the boathouse and the race was declared void. Monmouth were later beaten by Hereford who were beaten comfortably by the School and so the 1st IV can claim at least a moral victory in this race. 2ND IV v. MONMOUTH 2ND IV. Rowed at Monmouth—Lost by If lengths. The same weather conditions prevailed for this race as for the 1st IV race. Monmouth won the toss and chose the town side. On the start the School lost about a quarter of a length and then lost another half length in the first thirty strokes. The 2nd IV held Monmouth at this distance for the remainder of the race until Monmouth ' took their boat home,' when the School lost a further length and finished the race one and three-quarter lengths behind. This was a very encouraging start to their racing careers as the weather conditions were against our very light crew. IST IV v. HEREFORD IST IV. Rowed at Worcester—Won by 2J lengths. This race was rowed in very fine weather, and in accordance to the usual custom of the visiting crew choosing the side, Hereford chose the boathouse side. The School drew ahead half a length with a good start and then increased the lead to about three-quarters of a length. The School cox steered an excellent course and took Hereford's water. The two crews rowed stern to bow as far as the boathouse when the School began to draw steadily ahead. By the railway bridge the School were about a length and a half ahead and with a powerful finish increased the distance to two and a half lengths. 2ND IV v. HEREFORD 2ND IV. Rowed at Worcester—Lost by 1 length. Hereford chose the boathouse side and at the start the School went up three-quarters of a length. They held this lead until Worcester R.C. boathouse when Hereford drew level. The School cox then took the crew around the bend and instead of aiming for the right hand arch of the railway bridge he went to the left and did not change his course until the last few yards when he ruddered sharply and Hereford finished a length ahead. This very bad course definitely lost the 2nd IV the race although they thoroughly deserved to win. IST IV v. CLIFTON AND CHELTENHAM. Rowed at Tewkesbury—Won by 3 lengths from Clifton and 6 lengths from Cheltenham. This race was rowed during half-term on June 12th, which was a very fine day. As the Severn is very wide at Tewkesbury it was possible to row three boats together. The School drew the outside position; as there was a bend the School crew was given a start of half a length over Clifton in the centre who had a quarter length over Cheltenham on the inside. The School had a bad start, but did not lose at all on it and almost immediately regained their stroke. The School began to go ahead and after thirty strokes dropped down the stroke considerably, but were still going ahead. Clifton were ahead of Cheltenham throughout the race. About two-thirds of the way down the course the School were almost paddling but still going steadily up. Cheltenham made a desperate effort to catch Clifton but they were already ragged and they did not succeed in making any ground.
482
The School quietened the stroke at the end and finished three lengths ahead of Clifton who were three lengths ahead of Cheltenham. 2ND IV v. CLIFTON AND CHELTENHAM. Rowed at Tewkesbury—Won by 1J lengths from Clifton and 2 lengths from Cheltenham. The positions of the crews were exactly the same as for the 1st IV race, the School having drawn the outside position. On the start the School gained half a length and so were one length ahead of Clifton and a little more ahead of Cheltenham. This was gradually increased to a length and a half until the bend when the other two crews came up about half a length—Cheltenham then spurted and went up slightly further but soon exhausted themselves by this effort. The School then quickened their stroke and increased their lead once more until at the finish they led Clifton by one and a half lengths and Cheltenham by two lengths. MARLOW REGATTA. 1st Heat. IST IV. v. HAILEYBURY AND IMPERIAL SERVICE COLLEGE AND EASTBOURNE. Won by 2i lengths from Haileybury and Imperial Service College and 9J lengths from Eastbourne. This race was rowed on June 19th and although the weather was unsettled no rain fell during the race. The boats were centre-seated and very much wider than those which the IV are used to. The boat was, however, easy to sit and the change of seating position did not affect the crew. The School had the Bucks, side and the start was given before the crew were really ready. Haileybury went away with an excellent start and were soon a length ahead. Eastbourne were never really in the race and soon dropped away completely. Haileybury kept up a high rate of striking but the School dropping down to a slower, long stroke soon began to go up. By keeping a good length the School overtook Haileybury and then with a ' ten ' went a length up. From that stage of the race the School slowly went up and finished two and a half lengths ahead of Haileybury and nine and a half ahead of Eastbourne. Time : S mins. 4 sees. SEMI-FINAL v. KING'S SCHOOL, CANTERBURY. Canterbury had easily disposed of Monmouth and Clifton in their first heat in 5 mins. 5 sees. They were, except for one oarsman, the same crew who were runnersup last year. In this race the School had the Berks, side and had a bad start. Canterbury drew ahead with a very fast start and were soon two lengths ahead. The School cox, in order to avoid their backwater followed around a large bay into dead water, and despite the great efforts of the School IV. Canterbury finished four lengths ahead. Time : 5 mins. 9 sees. One consolation the IV. had was to have returned the fastest time of 5 mins. 4 sees, in their event and could claim to have been the second best crew in their class. IST IV v. K.S.E., STRATFORD. Rowed at Stratford—Won by J length. The race was rowed on an unsettled day on July 7th. The course was very short, less than three minutes, and as there was a large bend the finish was staggered. The boats were rather short for the crew and the work
483
THE VIGORNIAN.
was rather high. The School won the toss and chose the inside of the bend. The boats went away level at the start and then the School crew slowly began to draw ahead, half way down the course the IV were about three-quarters of a length ahead. Stratford then gave a ' ten ' and gained half a length, the School replied with a spurt. At this point the School cox took the boat into a bay instead of cutting straight across to the finish, and took the boat to the point where the stagger was most pronounced. This bad course probably lost the crew about one and a half lengths but even so they gained the verdict by a quarter of a length and reversed their unlucky defeat at the beginning of the term. The School crews for all races were :— 1st IV. Bow: P. W. Prestage, 11 st. 4 Ibs. 2: J. B. Walls, 12 st. 5 Ibs. 3: J. W. Ager-Harris, 12 st. 0 Ibs. Stroke : B. T. C. Smith (Capt.), 12 st. 0 Ibs. Cox : P. J. Hopkins, 7 st. 6 Ibs. 2nd IV. Bow : H. M. P. Davies, 9 st. 0 Ibs. 2: R. R. Jones, 10 st. 7 Ibs. 3: T. Hughes-Williams, 10 st. 6 Ibs. Stroke : J. E. Blackford (Capt.), 9 st. 0 Ibs. Cox : D. D. O'Brien, 6 st. 5 Ibs. The Hereford crews were :— 1st IV. Bow : M. P. Moreton, 11 st. 8 Ibs. 2: K. S. Hope, 11 st. 2 Ibs. 3: J. B. Jacob (Capt.), 11 st. 12 Ibs. Stroke : G. O. L. B. Laggett, 11 st, 9 Ibs. Cox : H. J. R. Hammonds, 7 st. 0 Ibs.
Bow: 2: 3: Stroke Cox:
2nd IV. C. T. Brooke, 11 st. 2 Ibs. E. M. Geddes, 11 st. 6 Ibs. G. I. E. Price, 11 st. 3 Ibs. J. S. Vaughen, 11 st. 0 Ibs. D. Simpson, 6 st. 7 Ibs.
RUGGER PROSPECTS-REASON 1948-9. If this magazine were to run an " agony column " this article could be abbreviated, broadly speaking, into the following insertion :— " WANTED : two centre threequarters, with safe hands, stout hearts; must be capable of keeping touch with a very fast stand-off half, and feeding at least one thrustful wing threequarter. Applicants must present themselves fully trained, New Road Ground, 21st September." If these applicants do succeed in satisfying the requirements of the advertiser, then there is no doubt that the season 1948-9 should be a good one. Apart from the availability of proved players to the first XV, there is a great deal more knowledge of and enthusiasm for the game throughout the School, and this will send a great many confident players to a large number of matches. To the first XV there will return at least five experienced forwards, two good half-backs, a strong wingthree-quarter and a most competent full-back and captain. The second XV will have many of last season's good ' Colts' XV, while the ' Colts ' will be fed from last
July, 1948
season's ' Under 14 XV'—one of the more promising sides in the School. May we plead for as much O.V. touch-line support as possible for sides that are sure to play very hard games ? Oct. 6th 16th 23rd 30th Nov. 6th 13th 17th 18th 27th Dec. 8th „ llth
IST XV FIXTURES, 1948-49. Belmont Abbey ... Magdalen College School Dean Close School Cheltenham College 2ND XV Hereford Cathedral School Bloxham School Bromsgrove 2nd XV St. Edward's, Oxford, 2nd XV W.R.G.S Solihull School Old Vigornians
Away Home Away ... Home ... Away Home Home ... Away Home Home ... Home
"O.V.s wishing to play in the O.V. match are requested to write to the Secretary, King's School, R.F.C." SCHOOL v. WORCESTER TRAINING COLLEGE IST XV. Lost 13-3. Played at Perdiswell. Immediately upon the kick-off, the W.T.C. XV pressed strongly, and for some time play was confined to the School '25.' Pressure was relieved by the School forwards; but the W.T.C. were soon on the attack again and a try resulted from a clever threequarter movement. The kick failed. The W.T.C. further increased thenlead when one of their centre-threequarters broke through. After their try had been successfully converted J. W. Ager-Harris intercepted a pass and touched down after a long solo run. In the second half one more try was scored by the W.T.C., a burly Training College forward thrusting himself over the line, the extra points being added. The School forwards were at a great disadvantage on account of their inferior weight and consequently the threequarters were never in an attacking position, seeing little of the ball. The main feature of the game was the brilliant defence by the School threequarters against fast and heavier opponents. SCHOOL v. ST. PETER'S HALL IST XV. Drawn 3-3. Played at Perdiswell. The game produced certainly the most attractive football of the season. Both packs were extremely generous and their backs and threequarters made good use of the ball, and gave a great variety of tactics; amongst these were the "" dummies," cross-kicks, and the continual attempts to make the ' man-over." The School had the advantage of the first half and the School defence was very fast up to their opponents. The back play was extremely fast, while the School forwards although inferior in weight gained the advantage for the backs by their superior speed. The two tries, both came in the second half, St. Peter's by a cut through and a well judged ' dummy' at the critical moment, and the School's through a pick up by Hambling and a fast run to the corner flag beating the opposing defence. The try was unconverted. Both full-backs played extremely well, and the result was entirely justified. SCHOOL v. SHREWSBURY IST XV. Lost 6-3. Played at Shrewsbury. Playing in a mud-bath at Shrewsbury the School found itself at a double disadvantage; firstly, advantage
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
was given to the far heavier Shrewsbury pack by the conditions, which also reduced the School's undoubted superiority outside the scrum. Shrewsbury attacked from the kick-off and scored their first try from the loose. Shortly after this the opposition scored again; a kick down the field was trapped in true association style, picked up and by sheer determination and speed was touched down. The School threequarters and halves had some very pretty runs, Puddepha and Blain on several occasions penetrating far down the middle of the field, but passes went astray, and it was only on the final whistle that Carroll scored. The try was not converted.
BOXING NOTES. This Easter term has been a pleasant one for those of us who take an interest in boxing within the School. As the term went by, the numbers, which at the beginning had been better than we have seen for some time, gradually increased; even so the House Competition included many who were not regular members of the School Boxing Club and there were more entries than there have been for some years. The House Boxing Cup, which is awarded to the best individual boxer, was won by R. Cope-Lewis who fought a clever and thoughtful contest. Considering the short time for which most of the competitors had been boxing, everybody fought extremely well and particularly good were the junior contests. Characteristic of the competition was the pluck with which, in every bout, winner won and loser lost. Later in the term the School fought against the Royal Grammar School, losing the match by four bouts to two. R. Cope-Lewis and P. Lowes were the two winners, the first easily outboxing his opponent by calm fighting and making good use of the ring and Lowes taking the initiative from the first, won his fight on well applied speed and aggression. We are grateful to Mr. F. B. Thomas, Mr. F. Logan and Sergeant Barrett for judging the House Competition and their interest in the School boxing, and to the School House Matron who supplied towels and jugs for the House Competition. ATHLETIC SPORTS. Last term an attempt was made to create a little more enthusiasm for athletics. I can safely say that the attempt was extremely successful. The success was almost entirely due to Mr. J. M. Cash's admirable organisation. Thanks to Mr. Cash's efforts we were able to introduce two new events, namely the shot-put and low hurdles. This year there was no competition for the ' Standards Shield.' Standards were obtained by running in the heats for the various races and reaching the required standard. This was necessary as there were far too many entries for the sports to enable everyone who obtained a ' standard ' to run in the finals. No boy was allowed to enter for more than four events. The points awarded were : 5 points for first place, 3 points for second, 2 points for third and 1 point for fourth place. For the House Relay races the points were : 30,12, 8, 4 for the first four places respectively.
484
After the heats for the School sports had been run we had a triangular Athletics' fixture at Gloucester on March 20th, against Worcester Royal Grammar School and The Crypt School. In this match W.R.G.S. were easy winners with 76 points. Crypt 2nd with 43 points and King's 3rd with 39 points. The conditions were not very favourable as the track was rather uneven and of irregular shape. But for a misunderstanding at the finish of the Junior 440 yards we might just have beaten Crypt for 2nd place by one point. It must be pointed out however that The Crypt School had great difficulty in having the fixture for but a few weeks before their newly acquired sports field had been an allotment patch. The outstanding performance for King's was B. T. C. Smith's fine double win in the Open Long Jump and 440 yards, K. J. Beard won the Junior Shot Put. In the 4 by 220 yards Relay races we were 3rd in the Junior and 2nd in the Senior. We all enjoyed the meeting and we hope to make it an annual fixture. The School Sports were held on the following Monday and Tuesday, March 22nd and 23rd. We had two very fine days and a track in good condition; two very important factors at any athletics meeting. By far the best performance was D. N. Puddepha's 100 yards in which he equalled the School record with a time of 10.4 sees. Other good performances were those of R. E. AgerHarris who won all four events for which he entered in the Middle division. R. R. Jones did well to win three and gain second place in the fourth event. In the Senior division B. T. C. Smith won three events. In the Senior division Castle House won the Cup with 105 points, followed by The Hostel with 66 points. In the Middle, Castle House were first with 108 points, School House being second with 65£ points. This year the Standards Shield was given to the winning Junior team. It was won by School House by the very convincing margin of 74 points. We all offer our sincere thanks to Mr. Cash and to all the other members of the staff who helped to make the School Athletics Meeting one that is generally considered to be the most successful meeting ever held at the School. We must also thank Mrs. Kittermaster who very kindly presented the Cups after the Sports. J.W.A.-H.
ATHLETIC SPORTS, 1948. (INDIVIDUAL RESULTS). Senior. 100 yards.—Puddepha 1; Blackford 2; Smith, B. T. C. 3; Burley, J. D. 4. 10 2-Sth sees. (Record). 220 yards.—Blackford 1; Burley, J. D. 2; Watson 3; Ager-Harris, J. W. 4. 25 4-5th sees. 440 yards.—Smith, B. T. C. 1; Hartley 2; Burgess, T. H. 3; Burns 4. 59 sees. 880 yards.—Ager-Harris, J. W. 1; Lewis, M. S. 2; Davies, H. P. 3; Burgoyne, D. J. 4. 2 min. 15 4-5th sees. Mile.—Smith, B. T. C. 1; Davies, H. P. 2; Burgoyne, D. J. 3; Lewis, M. S. 4. 5 min. 23 sees. Shot Put (12 lb.).—Whitehead, J. H. 1; Walls, 2; Williams, J. D. 3; Hamilton-Child 4. 26 ft. ?i ins. 120 yards Hurdles (3 ft.).—Puddepha 1; Hartley 2; Watson 3; Hambling 4. 18 4-5th sees. High Jump.—Ager-Harris, J. W. 1; Watson 2;
485
THE VIGORNIAN.
Burgess, T. H. 3; Blackford 4. 4ft. lOJins. Long Jump.—Smith, B. T. C. 1; Rambling 2; Williams, J. D. 3; Burgess, T. H. 4. 18 ft. 2 ins. Relay.—Castle 1; Creighton, Senior 2; Hostel 3; School 4. 1 min. 46 sees. Middle. 100 yards.—Ager-Harris, R. E. 1; Ford 2; Jackson, Collins 3. 11 4-Sth sees. 220 yards.—Ager-Harris, R. E. 1; Ford 2; Davies, J. N. 3; Attwood, D. G. 4. 26 l-5th sees. 440 yards.—Jones, R. R. 1; Attwood, D. G. 2; Dew 3; Wilkes, B. 4. 61 sees. 880 yards.—Jones, R. R. 1; Beard 2; Wilkes, B. 3; Ward-Booth 4. 2 min. 24 sees. Mile.—Jones, R. R. 1; Attwood, D. G. 2; Dew 3; Beard 4. 5 mins. 19 sees. Shot Put (12 lb.).—Ager-Harris, R. E. 1; Richardson 2; Davies, J. N. 3; Beard 4. 27 ft. o ins. 120 yards Hurdles (3 ft.).—George, A. 1; Jones, R. R. 2; Ford 3; Hughes-Williams 4. 20 sees. High Jump.—Ford 1; Collins 2; George, A. 3; Kennedy 4. 4 ft. 2 ins. Long Jump.—Ager-Harris, R. E. 1; Davies, J. N. 2; Hughes-Williams 3; Clegg 4. IS ft. 6J ins. Relay.—Castle 1; Creighton, Senior 2; Chappel, Senior 3; Hostel 4. 1 min. 54 sees. Junior. 100 yards.—Brushfield-Hitchcock 1; Evans 3; Sexstone 4. 13J sees. 220 yards.—Hitchcock 1; Evans, V. G. 2; Mumford 3; Birbeck 4. 29 3-5th sees. 44Q yards.—Bolton, W. E. 1; Cox, J. B. D. 2; Birbeck 3; Cooper, M. H. 4. 68 2-5th sees. 880 yards.—Cox, J. B. D. 1; Bolton, N. E. 2; Griffiths, R. G. 3; Lettice, J. W. 4. 2 min. 38 sees. Shot Put (8 lb.).—Cooper, M. H. 1; Wrigley 2; Brushfield 3; Vines 4. 25ft. 10 ins. High Jump.—Lowes 1; Thomas 2; Brushfield 3; Bloom, B. L. 4. 3 ft. 11 ins. Long Jump.—Hitchcock 1; Brushfield 2; Evans, V. G. 3; Smith, K. 4. 14 ft. 2 ins. Relay.—School 1; Creighton, Senior 2; Chappel, Junior 3; Creighton, Junior 4. 2 min. 4 2-5th sees.
July, 1948
of 20 minutes. Langford obtained 2nd place, Hitchcock 3rd, and Willis 4th place, all finishing within a few seconds of the winner. School House won the team event. In the Senior event the ten leading runners were all within a few yards of one another for the first half of the race but from the halfway mark H. M. P. Davies, who had lost one of his shoes, established a lead which he continued to increase. About half mile from the finish Davies had a lead of about one hundred and fifty yards, but B. T. C. Smith, who at one time had dropped back to eighth place made a great effort and caught him up. Davies held off Smith's challenge and went on to win a fine race in the very fast time of 30 minutes, 56 seconds. B. T. C. Smith was 2nd, J. W. Ager-Harris 3rd, and J. H. Blackford 4th. Castle House won the Team race, Creighton—Senior was 2nd and School House 3rd. There were four points only separating the first and the third House. The Middle race was run over the same course as the Senior race. In this race the runners spread out rather more than in the Senior race, although R. R. Jones, G. A. Wiley, M. J. Dew, and H. J. Davies were together for most of the distance. A. N. Nisbet was one of the leaders until at the top of Crookbarrow Hill he had the misfortune to sprain his ankle. The race was eventually won by R. R. Jones from G. A. Wiley by a few yards. M. L. Dew was 3rd, and H. J. Davies was 4th. Jones's time was 31 minutes, 45 seconds—a very creditable performance indeed . • We had a very fine day for the races and also the course was in very good condition. To judge by the fast times, even allowing for the ideal conditions, and by the fact that none of the four winners had run-away victories it appears that the standard of Cross-country running in the School has improved considerably. At the finish there was some very welcome refreshment in the form of oranges, which helped to revive even the most exhausted competitors in a very short space of time. Our thanks are due to all the members of the staff who acted as starters, time-keepers and judges, etc. Especially must we thank Mr. J. M. Cash who did so much to make the event a success. TEAM RESULTS. Senior. 1st place : Castle House, 196 points; 2nd, 3rd, 9th, llth and 16th. 2nd place: Creighton—Senior, 194 points; 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th. 3rd place : School House, 192 points; 1st, 5th, 6th, 17th and 19th. 4th place : The Hostel, 103 points; 13th, 21st, 30th, 33rd and 35th. 5th place : Chappel—Senior, 90 points; 14th, 18th, 34th, 39th and 40th.
CROSS-COUNTRY. There was a large entry for the four divisions of the Cross-country. The races were held on Saturday, March 13th, over a course which was slightly altered to avoid running along the railway track. The first five runners to finish from each House formed the team for their House. Each scored a number of points equal to the number of starters, minus his own finishing number. In addition to this each runner who finished within fifteen minutes of the winner's time was awarded one point. To allow for the disparity of Middle. numbers in each House a handicap was granted to the 1st place : Castle House, 282 points; 1st, 3rd, 6th, Houses with only a few runners. 7th and 17th. The " Under 12s " race which started at 2.45 p.m. 2nd place : Creighton—Senior, 268 points; 2nd, 5th, was run over a section of the Junior course. This race 9th, 13th and 14th. was won by Hill (Choir House Boarders) with a time of 3rd place : Chappel—Senior, 237 points; 8th, 10th, 17 minutes. The team event was won by Choir House llth, 18th and 23rd. Boarders from Choir House Day Boys by the narrow 4th place: School House, 211 points;* 4th, 22nd, 24th, 25th and 27th. margin of one point. In the Junior race N. E. Bolton repeated his success 5th place : The Hostel, 135 points; 12th, 20th, 43rd of two years ago to be first man home with a time and 44th.
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
Junior.
1st place: School House, 209 points; 3rd, 5th, llth, 12th and 15th. 2nd place: Creighton—Junior, 203 points; 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 20th. 3rd place : Creighton—Senior, 135 points; 1st, 9th, 14th and 42nd. 4th place: Castle House, 132 points; 8th, 23rd, 30th, 31st and 32nd. 5th place : The Hostel, 127 points; 13th, 17th, 26th, 34th and 36th. 6th place : Chappel—Juniors, 116 points; 10th, 19th, 22nd and 25th. 7th place: Chappel—Seniors, 45 points; 29th, 40th and 43rd. Under 12s. 1st place : Choir Boarders, 109 points; 1st, 6th, 7th, 9th and 12th. 2nd place : Choir Day Boys, 108 points; 2nd, 4th, 5th, 10th and 16th. 3rd place: Creighton—Junior, 61 points; 3rd, llth, 14th and 23rd. 4th place : Chappel—Juniors, 20 points; 8th. 5th place : Castle House, 12 points; 25th. J.W.A.-H. SWIMMING SPORTS. The Sports are to be held on Thursday, 22nd July, go accounts and results will appear in our next edition. A.H. P.T. COMPETITION. Ideal weather and conditions, together with a good audience, greeted the House P.T. Competition which was held in the School Gardens on June 21st. It was, indeed, good to find that competitive spirit was to be found even on this day in those concerned, and credit must be given to the House Captains for the smart turn-out of their teams. The ability of leadership proved the undoing of one or two captains and it was most surprising how teams lost points through'lack of control while performing the exercises, a factor which is most essential in Physical Training. School House must be congratulated on their being returned winners and The Hostel for fighting back hard to gain second place, losing by the narrow margin of three points. The following points were awarded by Inspector Carstairs of the City Police, who kindly acted as judge. 1. School House 55 2. The Hostel 52 3. Castle House 49 4. Chappel's House 44 5. Creighton's House ... ... 38 J.R.B. SHOOTING. In the Easter term although its activities were hindered by an outbreak of mumps the VIII did very well in the few matches they fired. As well as the ordinary " Country Life " matches we had to complete theremainingfixtures in the Worcester Rifle League. This was rather a nuisance because we had to be up to form for the actual " Country Life" Public Schools' Competition which
486
we fired on the 15th March. In this competition we did extremely well except for the landscape section. An unforeseen disaster in this brought us down rather heavily. However we finished in 5th place as opposed to 6th last year. J. F. Clayton and T. J. Richardson who had replaced P. C. Underwood and D. A. Webb proved their worth in this match. The results of the matches in the term were as follows : KING'S SCHOOL, WORCESTER v.:— Result For Against Dover College Won 616 582 Framlingham College ... Won 626 602 King's College, Taunton Won 632 608 WORCESTER RIFLE LEAGUE. KING'S SCHOOL, WORCESTER v.:—G.W.R., R.C Won 1327 1222 Old Elizabethans 1386 Lost 1466 " COUNTRY LIFE " PUBLIC SCHOOLS' COMPETITION. LandGroup Rapid Sn scape Total A. N. H. Marks 10 50 25" 18 188 T. N. H. Gwynn-Jones 10 50 25 J. N. Bulman 10 40 206 A. N. Nisbet 10 J. A. Bodin 10 42 210 J. D. Potts ... 10 J. F. Clayton 10 40 205 T. J. Richardson 10
80
389
200
140
809
The Summer term has been almost entirely devoted to the reclassification of the whole corps, under the able supervision of Mr. Sheppard and Mr. McTurk. I will say here how grateful we are for the help which Mr. Sheppard has always given us when any difficulty has arisen. The VIII this year did not go to the Ashburton Trials on the Kingsbury Ranges but entered for the Chichester Cup. As this is a .303 competition we had to go to Hampton Lovett range near Droitwich whenever we wanted practice. This was very trying as it took so much time getting there and getting back. However at long last the day came. It was the Thursday in half-term and we all went off to Tyddesley Wood Range near Evesham. It was not a very clear day but became warmer as time went on. As soon as firing began we felt the inferiority of our rifles. We had no special sights and some of the rifles never fired in the same place twice in succession. This was borne out by the fact that we and the Grammar School came last and next-to-last respectively. We were the only two schools who had not adjustable sights fitted to our rifles. After this it became clear that we could not hope for success with the rifles as they were. So they are at the moment in the process of being sent away to have adjustable sights fined. Let us hope they will bring us some luck, next year. A.N.N.
487
THE VIGORNIAN.
" FIVES." Last term a definite attempt at a revival of Fives in the School was made by teaching those junior members of the School who were sufficiently interested, the rules and main principles of the game. Meanwhile, thanks to some recovered balls supplied by Mr. McTurk, the more advanced players were able to put in some useful practice, which resulted in the 1st House Fives Competition, and the first School Fives match for four years. In the House Competition, two pairs from each House took part, and the 1st round took place on Thursday, March 4th. School House had a bye and the Hostel and Creighton House easily graduated to the semi-finals despite a very plucky game the Chappel House first pair, gave Creighton House. The semi-finals and finals were both played on the following Saturday afternoon, when School House beat first Creighton House, 3 games to nil, and then The Hostel, 3 games to nil. Final places and scores :— 1. School House, 6 games, 90 points. 2. Creighton House, 3 games, 74 points. 3. The Hostel, 3 games, 62 points. 4. Castle House, 0 games, 27 points. 5. Chappel House, 0 games, 8 points. On the following Wednesday, the School played a match at Hereford against the Cathedral School and proved that King's School Fives is not a thing of the past. The School's Four, consisting of Jones, Whitehead, Godsall and Puddepha won the match by 5 games to nil. The first pair, Jones and Whitehead won 3 games with little trouble, scores being 15-5, 15-6, 15-5. Meanwhile the second pair, Godsall and Puddepha were playing two games, obviously harder and more tiring. Scores, 15-5, 15-7. It is hoped that this success will encourage more members of the School to take an interest in this excellent game, although a shortage of Fives balls handicaps much practice. J.H.W. J.T.C. NOTES. During the Easter term our activities were confined within the School grounds except on the occasion of the termly Field-day, which was held on a farm near Crown East. Transport was not provided and the company marched there and back. In the morning the company split up into platoons for lessons in fieldcraft. At 1.0 p.m. it was time for lunch—or rather haversack rations. At 1.30 p.m. a W.V.S. van arrived to provide tea before we set off for exercises. Nos. 1 & 2b platoons were put in defence of a fruit orchard, which was said to be a tank-park, under the command of C.S.M. Williams. A small section was placed on a hill behind the farm buildings, to guard against a flank attack. At 2.30 p.m. the battle started. Rifle fire first broke out down in the orchard. Then a platoon was sighted in the vicinity of the farm house, but it was soon dealt with by the section in possession of the hill. The defences' H.Q. was captured, but the defence commander, who was hidden in a tree, was nowhere to be found. The result was definitely in favour of the defence although many will disagree on this point. On March 12th the whole crops paraded to be photographed for a new School prospectus. After being shuffled
July, 1948
.about for one half-hour we were eventually photographed. We then found out that we had to go to the Green to be photographed for a second time, this time on the march. Promotions during the Easter term were as follows :— Drum-Major A. W. S. Hargrave to be Sgt. Cpls. Carroll and Bullock to be Sgts. L./Cpls. Rose and Nisbet to be Sgts. L./Cpls. Smith, B. A. C., Marks, Hamilton-Child and Pugh, to be Cpls. Cert " A " results—Easter. Part II : J. W. AgerHarris, H. Barrs, G. C. Bradley, J. E. Blackford, J. D. Burley, F. D. Burns, J. D. L. Griffiths, H. E. Howell, D. F. Jones, G. D. Lycett, G. C. Mallett, M. J. Morton, A. I. Taverner, J. B. Walls. Part I : R. E. Ager-Harris, R. H. Phillipson, J. D. Potts, P. S. Raderecht. Cert " A " results—Summer. Part II : Cdts. J. D. Potts, Franklin, C. Wood, H. M. P. Davies, Ford, M. Knighton, H. M. P. Lorenz, M. A. Pocock. Part I : Cdts. D. Attwood, T. A. Brown, Callan, Cartwright, Jackson, R. R. Jones, Leonard, M. Thome, Walker. This term we are taking a much larger company to camp than in previous years. The camp will be held at Eaton Hall, but the site will be on the airfield, which we remember from last year as the place where we picked up most of our blisters. Training will be divided into two sections. Those with Cert " A " will be doing advanced training while the remainder will be doing elementary training. The company this time will be sleeping in huts, and not under canvas as previously. A.W.S.H. J.T.C. BAND NOTES. Band practices have been continued during the last two terms as before. This term, however, we have been lucky enough to get an instructor from Norton Barracks in the person of Drummer Doharty. Our thanks are due to him for the excellent work which he has put in during the odd half-hours on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Last.term the Band had but one full parade, and that was on the occasion of the Corps' photograph, already mentioned in the J.T.C. Notes. After the photograph had been taken the Band had a practice on the river bank. On Empire Youth Sunday this year we turned out again in full force. The route of march was the same as in previous years. The Mayor took the salute at the Guildhall. We are now practising for the Annual Inspection, on July 6th. Already we have had a full rehearsal on the School field. It was hoped to take the Band to camp but unfortunately the proposal was turned down as the authorities already have five Regimental Bands at their disposal. 1st Class Drummers. Drummer-Sgt. A. N. Nisbet; Drummers Lorenz, Brown, Holmes; Bass Drummer Cpl. Leeke; Tenor Drummer J. D. L. Griffiths. 2nd Class Drummers. Drummers J. D. Potts, J. N. Bulman, J. F. Clayton; Tenor Drummer Skinner; Triangle W. F. Williams; Cymbals P. Sadler. 1st Class Buglers. Bugler T. J. G. Cooper, J. B. Phillips, E. G. Bird.
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
2nd Class Buglers. Bugler B. Davis, M. Knighton, Patterson. E. C. Luscombe, O.V., of the Colonial Police presented two Chinese engraved tankards for competition among drummers and buglers of the Band for this year. A.W.S.H. RED CROSS. The past two terms have shown an increase in numbers. Unfortunately, however, many of our senior members will-be leaving at the end of the summer term and so younger members will be needed. Several lectures have been given by Mr. Cook to an attentive class. These are in preparation for examinations which should be taken next term. A.K.M. SCOUTS. There is little to report about the Troop's activities during the last two terms. Our numbers are now in the region of fifty, which is really too cumbersome as a single troop, but which is unavoidable, placed as we are. Last term Mr. Sheppy, of Elmley Castle, let us go out to his farm on " Field Day " and we spent an enjoyable day there, in spite of the fog. This term we went on the Malvern Hills near Wyche Cutting. . This also proved a pleasant day. We hope to camp again this year up at Finsthwaite, where we shall again enjoy Mr. Roland Pedder's hospitality. Seventeen boys will be going, we hope. It is a pity that more boys don't come to camp as that is the really valuable part of scouting. But for his own peace of mind, the S.M. is thankful that he only has seventeen boys, as he has no other adult help. H.L.W., S.M. ART CIRCLE. For the first meeting of the Easter term, which was held in the Headmaster's house on Sunday, January 25th, Mr. Goodbom came from Birmingham to give us a talk on Pottery and Clay Modelling. This followed up a talk that we had had on the same subject during the previous term. On Tuesday, February 10th, Mr. H. G. Davies gave us a very interesting illustrated talk on the subject of ' Mediaeval Architecture in Britain.' Mr. Wyatt was our third speaker of the term. On Sunday, February 22nd he spoke to us about Furniture. Mr. Wyatt spoke mostly about the traditional types of furniture rather than on the modern ' streamlined ' furniture and its production. We all found the talk very interesting and extremely enjoyable. The last lecture of the term was given by Mr. Dudenay, a well-known London sculptor. We were shown several examples of his own work. He also explained the fundamental principles of sculptoring and although it is a branch of Art that we cannot very easily practice we nevertheless found Mr. Dudenay's talk very interesting. We had one expedition last term when we were fortunate in being able to visit Birmingham Art Gallery to see the ' Van Gogh' Exhibition. This term we were very fortunate in having a lecture by such an eminent artist as Mr. William Coldstream.
488
Mr. Coldstream gave a lantern lecture on painting. He did not try to sum up the painting of all periods and types in the brief time of his disposal, but he picked out three or four qualities which all great pictures must possess and gave us several examples to illustrate these qualities. Mr. Coldstream's fame drew a large audience to his lecture and I am certain that his talk proved to be extremely interesting and very instructing to us all. We have had no other lectures this term, neither have we had any expeditions but in the not too distant future we hope to be able to pay a visit to the Worcester Porcelain Works which have been closed to the public since the beginning of the war. I should like to thank the Headmaster and Mrs. Kittermaster for allowing us the use of their diningroom in which to hold our meetings. I should also like to thank Miss Campbell for arranging so many excellent lectures for our benefit. J.W.A-H. DRAMATIC SOCIETY. The Society flourished during the Easter term with an excellent attendance at every meeting. The plays read were a particularly interesting choice—widely divergent in theme but each supreme in its own sphere. ' The Sleeping Clergyman," by James Bridie, was perhaps the most difficult to read, owing to the pronounced Scottish dialect needed in most characters, and also the most difficult to appreciate, owing to the symbolical nature of the plot and the occasional abstruseness of the dialogue. ' The School for' Scandal,' however, was read next, and proving easier on both the former counts was most enjoyable both to those who were already1 acquainted with the play and to the majority of us who were not. ' The Housemaster,' Ian Hay's masterpiece, was an admirable contrast to both the previous plays, and its topical flavour was much appreciated by everyone. At the end of the Christmas term a trilogy of One-Act plays was performed with success : ' Wurzel-flummery," by A. A. Mime, was acted solely from members of the staff, and the other two—' Affinities' and Eden Phillpotts' ' Purple Bedroom,' by members of the Society as a whole. A criticism of the Society's most recent production, ' 1066 And All That,' will be found elsewhere. R.J.R.
MUSIC SOCIETY. The Society has flourished throughout the year and we can boast of a further increase in attendance. Many of our members have generously lent their records for our use and on one occasion we managed to arrange our own concert in which many of our members excelled themselves. The programmes we have heard are too numerous to enumerate here but we have tried to keep up our intention of pleasing all our members with a varied assortment of works, including works by relatively unknown composers. There has only been one meeting of the Society this summer because other activities have occupied the time taken by the societies on Sunday evenings, but we look forward next term to resuming our usual sessions with many new members.
489
THE VIGORNIAN.
CHESS CLUB. Activities were limited to the Spring term when Mr. Bonham very kindly came down on Tuesday evenings to give us some insight on the more commonly used ' openings.' These meetings were always looked forward to with great eagerness. Two matches which were arranged against the W.B.C. and H.C.S. unfortunately did not materialize, owing to quarantine at the W.B.C. and to the fact that the Sports at H.C.S. coincided with the date of the match, a great pity indeed, but unavoidable. Next term we hope to flourish as before but under new management. Who is to take over the task of secretary is as yet unknown but there are many capable of fulfilling that post well, so that there should be no lapse in activities. J.A.B.
July, 1948 VALETE. WINTER TERM, 1947.
Castle House Bloom, D. J. Bourne, G. C. Day Boy Day Boy Boyer, M. W. Lightwood, G. A. Day Boy School House Lyon, J. G. Martindale, R. S. Hostel Phillips, A. J. Day Boy Sadler, B. H. Day Boy Scales, P. L. Day Boy Sheppey, C. J. Castle House Underwood, P. C. Day Boy Webb, D. A. Day Boy Wiseman, A. R. School House Williams, R. A. Hostel Patterson, J. E. Morris, M. C. Band, J. H.
Came. Spring term, 1944 Winter term, 1945 Summer term, 1943 Winter term, 1946 Winter term, 1944 Spring term, 1944 Winter term, 1941 Winter term, 1941 Summer term, 194S Spring term, 1942 Winter term, 1946 Winter term, 1944 Spring term, 1944 Spring term, 1944
SPRING TERM, 1948. Day Boy Winter term, 1946 Hostel Winter term, 1945 Day Boy Winter term, 1947
SIXTH FORM CLUB. A survey of the past two terms of Sixth Form Club activity must include reference to the election of J. Osborne of the Royal Grammar School to the presidency, CONTEMPORARIES. in place of R. J. Rayson who resigned at the beginning of the Easter term. We acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the followLittle change in numbers has taken place, and it falls ing contemporaries : The Pavilion, The Shenstonian, to the committee member of next term to write upon the The Bloxhamist, St. Michael's Chronicle, The Herereshuffling which inevitably occurs in the Club when fordian, The, Monktonian, The Tonbridgian, The School Certificate reinforces the depleted ranks of the King Edward's School Chronicle, The Lily, The Monmothian, The Periodical and the Toe H Journal. Sixth. The fare which the Easter term provided was varied and instructive. We were treated to lectures on ' Industrial Psychology ' by Mr. Hynes, M.Sc., ' Divorce * by Father Lythe, and ' Conservatism in its relation to OLYMPIC THOUGHTS. politics ' by the City Member, the Hon. G. R. Ward, ' A blazing torch to fame, M.P. It draweth nigh to Thee. An echo from 1947 was re-awakened when in response May God be gracious to perfect to many requests Mr. E. Billingham once again presented What virtue wishes fain would be.' a very pleasant evening's entertainment when he read Thus spake Pindar in his ' Olympian Odes.' Almost extracts from his plays and poems in College Hall, on March 12th, a meeting which proved very successful. three thousand years later the modern man questions the significance of such divine perfection and the Orphic The Social was held at the Alice Ottley School, the meaning of those wishes of the Olympionikes. He puts music this time being provided by R. V. Banks's band, the question on the very eve of Olympic Games. The "and, if money receipts are anything by which to judge, initiated obtains perhaps his answer from another ode it may safely be regarded as a creditable transaction. of Pindar where he sings : ' Now the virtue that cometh of the Games Prospects for the Summer term augured well when we Is ever sovereign unto every man : heard that we had procured the services of the celebrated Prudence and physical grace Worcestershire and England cricketer, the Hon. C. J. And the sweeter glory of song.' Lyttelton, for our first meeting. His talk on cricket was both instructive and enjoyable, and was extremely well Here the innermost quintessence of Greek Olympia delivered. is hidden : the trinity of myth, cult and fame. The This high standard was maintained by the Annual Games were a sacred contest, not a cause for neurotic Youth Magazine, and the subsequent meeting at the Alice record-hunting. For this very reason the consecration Ottley School, when two talks were given in one evening, of the ancient Games was a matter for devout acolytes. Not only did physical perfection and sensuous performthe subjects being ' Germany," and ' Drama.' ance matter but even more moral integrity and a spiritual Is it too much to hope that these meetings will set the inspiration of the agonist. A consequence of this attitude criterion for those yet to come, not only in this, but in was the Treuga Dei rendering the duration of the Games succeeding terms ? For it is abundantly clear that the sacrosanct and causing the arms to rest. Another implicaSixth Form Club has need for encouragement of these tion, of an eminently political aspect, showed distinctly dimensions if it is to prosper in the future. anti-barbaric character, for it is Pindar himself who J.C.R. speaks of ' whatever men Zeus loveth not, fly frightened from the voice of the Pierides.'
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
One might be inclined to interpret this ' voice of the Pierides ' only being audible to those who have benefited from a maximum of a general education of body and soul. This most delicate synthesis of human formation was known to the ancient as ' kalokagathia.' It meant selfdiscipline in freedom, freedom in self-discipline : the duality of body and soul. It was synonymous with Plato's idea of education, so often misinterpreted nowadays by educationists without having understood its contents and meaning. The personification of' kalokagathia ' through physical grandeur and moral example lent its justification to the Olympic contest. It was held under the auspices of Eros, the spiritual, emotional and aesthetic trinity of the soul. The pilgrims to Olympia did not presume to master Eros through Phallos or to measure him by his fleshly incarnation. The fear of the Gods lived in their perfect bodies, but little inclination to realize their values in a commercial way. Pindar, in yet another ode, utters a warning which ought to serve the London Games as motto : ' The Games . . . clearly perceptible to the wise; for the hoi polloi still require much expounding." More than fifty years have passed since Baron de Coubertin attempted to revive the Olympic Games. In 1892 he wrote : ' Before all things it is necessary that we should preserve in sport those characteristics of nobility and chivalry which have distinguished it in the past, so that it may continue, to play the same part in the education of the peoples of today as it played so admirably in the days of ancient Greece. Imperfect humanity has ever tended to transform the Olympic athlete into the paid gladiator. But the two things are incompatible. We must choose between one formula and the other.' It was de Coubertin's intention to turn the revived Games into a festival of peace in which the youth of all nations should participate, in order perhaps to demonstrate the immortality of ' kalolagathia.' Has this great, humane plan been realized ? If ancient Hellas would have known a modern patent roll, this ' war with peaceful weapons ' would have never earned the epithet' Olympic.' For have not the modern Games meanwhile become a profanation of the classical original ? Have the arms come to rest in 1916, in 1940, in 1944 when the sacred year had come round once more ? Does God's truce prevail on earth in 1948 ? Have the Games not become an occasion for aggravating differences among the nations ? Is the youth of the world really physically immaculate ? Is it an ideal impulse which brings the young athletes to the stadium ? What does, moreover, the classical, infatuating performance of a modern agonist consist in when he, like the greyhound after the electric hare, runs after his medals, his face distorted, his style cramped ? Ought one talk of moral integrity when ' shamamateurism ' triumphs without blushing, when those responsible modern Hellanodikai have chosen the double-faced Janus for their protecting deity ? Ought one mention moral integrity when the commercial utilisation of individual abilities means social rise or descent, when the attitude of the spectators does not know how to separate an Olympic stadium from a Roman circus ? , What is really meant by that misleading symbolism of Olympic Chimes, of Torch-relay and Sacred Flame, of Olympic Chorus and Pigeon-release ? For has not their true symbolic value become completely unimportant
490
and its spectacular .production too important ? Does not the mass of over-bred bodies smother every element of uplift in the atmosphere of artificial stimulation ? Admittedly, many a competitor may perceive the moral greatness of his performance for a second or so. It is present because it has been immortal. But soon afterwards that fleeting adventure is dogged by the Erinyes of the clicking camera, of the microphone and of the typewriter or will be suffocated by the Gorgones of the underwear and toothpaste industry. What, so I ask, has become of the poetic element which created the sacred mood in Olympia through the medium of dance and song ? Today there is no time left for any hallowed hours at Olympic Games because modern sport has become business and has nothing whatsoever to dp with any inner vocation. In such an atmosphere of' panis et circenses ' Eros does not thrive, only Phallos. It is no fertile soil for the postulate of ' kalokagathia,' for the maddening hunt after records does not know self-discipline nor the modern gladiator any inner freedom. And the voice of the Pierides is drowned in the cacophony of passions running amuck on the grand stands. There is still much expounding required by the hoi polloi and the sensible people have lost much of their wisdom. The political division of the world is bound to terminate the so-called Olympic Games. May be they will be revived once more, perhaps only a thorough reform will really bring them to modern life. Then record-hunting should be eliminated, the grossly inflated programme should be reduced to an enjoyable minimum. That overweening specialist, all brawn and no brain, should be stamped out by compelling all future competitors to compete in all events which should also include some artistic contests. And first of all, that maniac of the modern arena, the statistician, should be ruthlessly expelled for he has caused untold harm by his valuation and consequent depreciation of national and racial ' superiority.' One should not allow oneself to be misled by those deafening head-lines of our sport pages. The modern Olympic Games are not the Song of Songs of humanity at its best. They have bred too much hatred, malice, envy and false values. Aiid yet it is almost impossible to think what a predominant part a universal festival of youth could play in our stormy times. It could become the guarantor of a new Treuga Dei. For does not the germ of immortal ' kalokagathia' lie dormant in every human being ? But where breathes the God who stirs this eternal ideal to fresh life ? ALEX NATAN. ' HAMLET ' AT STRATFORD. On Monday evening, June 21st, the Sixth Form went to Stratford to see Robert Helpmann in Michael Benthall's production of ' Hamlet.' The production was from first to last enthralling. So much can be said without any reservation. The action never flagged even for an instant, and Mr. BenthalPs originality was such that his constant display of completely unexpected modes of interpretation held the attention like a vice. The main adverse criticism, in fact, lies in this phenomenal ingenuity: the production was too original, too startling altogether. Mr. Benthall seemed to be going out of his way all the time to add a fresh embellishment of his own ro every stage
491
THE VIGORNIAN.
direction he could find, and at many points the results of this policy, although admirable as ostentatious melodrama, were not so admirable if the rather absurd plot is reckoned of secondary importance to the more philosophic and perennial aspects of the play. Thus the producer seemed to defeat his own ends : he tried to strike the perennial note by introducing Victorian costume, and ' unstruck' it again, so to speak, by concentrating so excessively upon the externals of the plot rather than the inner enigma. The standard of acting was on the whole extremely high. Robert Helpmann's ' Hamlet' was a masterpiece of technique, though his interpretation would have offended the majority of orthodox Shakespearians : nervous and highly-strung, his ' Hamlet' had none of the dashing qualities more conventional actors bestow upon the part. Weak, nerve-tortured, pitiable—such was the impression conveyed. Ophelia is a part in which one can only triumph or fail—there can be no halfmeasures. Claire Bloom triumphed. Her performance was, indeed, brilliant for so young and inexperienced an actress. Diana Wynyard must be congratulated on making her Queen so unobtrusive : an obtrusive Gertrude can so often be merely offensive and ridiculous. Anthony Quayle as Claudius unfortunately spoke too quickly and contrived to look like a prosperous Victorian butcher, but otherwise his performance was adequate. The minor parts were all extremely well taken. Everyone who went voted the play one of the most interesting Shakespearian productions he had seen, and we should like to record our thanks to Mr. Dilks for organizing the expedition. R. J. RAYSON. The dawn is fair; Wisps of white clouds float over the hill. Nature is still. The morning is rare . . . Here, where we stand beneath the trees, The air is cool; Calm the pool, There is no breeze. This is our summer morning, Now that you are beside me here. Look ! Where that pure glowing sphere Greets the day's dawning. So in our lives we find Feelings of happiness All our young years of bliss And peace of mind. Though the world may be still Pregnant with strife and hate, The sun never rises late Over the hill. Therefore this worldly fear Is but a passing phase, Out from life's hellish maze Peace will appear. D.N.P. FENLAND. A bare and lonely place it is, Unloved of God or men; Yet am I glad that I walk here, Across this desolate fen.
July, 1948
My boots sink into gripping mud And salt drops tang my eyes; But I am not afraid to hear The fenland's saddening sighs. Amid the moaning of the sea And wind through grasses sweeping, I can tramp lightheartedly Through the sounds of weeping. By the thinning skeleton Of the ruptured, rotting barque The sounds come ever clearer, clearer— Hark, hark, hark ! Here no more shall I return, But whatsoe'er befall, These desolate voices in my heart Will call, call, call. D.N.P. » * * COLLEGE HALL. O majesty 1 O College Hall I Thy fame Is known, O stately building, far and near. What records hold thy lofty walls • so dear ? The men who at the call of duty came To fight for land and liberty, whose name Liveth for evermore; thy walls do bear The names of scholars who for many a year Did worship daily 'neath thy spacious frame. The old cathedral, towering to heaven, Her mantle of protection wide doth cast O'er all the Faithful City and o'er thee. Below thee, gliding 'twixt its banks, the Severn, Shimmering and glittering in the sun, flows past, Bearing thy glory onwards to the sea. H.M.P.L. SEA KNELL. The stout barque sped along the foam, Silent as light she flew; Her toiling crew spoke never a word; The north wind round them blew. Huge breakers crashed against the rocks : They sounded very near. The brave crew heard, and many a man Paused at his task in fear. The captain hung upon the poop With dripping, haggard face, But courage held him at his post To meet the sea's embrace. There came a dreadful splitting sound, A sudden pounding crash; The good ship's side was rent in twain, A fearful open gash. The passengers poured from below, Women and children too, And all around, blast upon blast, The north wind howled and blew. Above all sounded crashing waves; Men shouted, women screamed. The noisy clamour of a bell To them their death knell seemed. Her boards were torn off one by one; The thunder roared o'erhead. A sudden crash, a lurch, a plunge : The barque went down like lead. I.P.
July, 1948
THE VIGORNIAN.
CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editors of The Vigornian. THE CLIFF, WORLIE,
Dear Sirs, BOMBAY. I was very interested to read A. J. Wilson's letter in the July Vigornian. My experience has been very different from his in that I have been surprised how many O.V.s I have met in India. I have been here 18 months and have so far met five and I saw someone wearing an O.V. tie on the Strathmore when she berthed here today. I have seen quite a lot of G. B. Torrens (Castle House, 1929-32) who is a Lt.-Commander, R.I.N. He is at present in Worcestershire but no doubt he will turn up again here before long. I was surprised to find myself living in the same block of flats as L. C. Dickens (Castle House, 1926-30) in Bombay. He is in Calcutta at present but will be returning to Bombay very soon. I am afraid I must also disagree with Wilson as regards the Vigornian. I will agree the Contributions are different—were they ever anything else ?—but the magazine is much bigger and better than it was in my time. I think the July 1947 edition with the Edgar Tower on the front and photographs is an excellent effort. My very best wishes to the School and yourselves. Yours sincerely, A. P. SHRIMPTON (Day Boy and Castle House 1926-32). Eds.—Thank you very much for this encouraging letter. We are glad you thought last Summer's edition an improvement and hope our other readers are of the same opinion.
THE " COMMENTATOR." Now over a year old this paper is still going as strong as ever in spite of an almost complete relapse last Autumn term, after R. S. Martindale and R. A. Williams were unable to continue their duties as the mainstay of the Editors. A restart in the Spring term, however, with two chief Editors, D. N. Puddepha and J. A. Blain, proved very successful dnd has been increasing the standard of work and efficiency ever since, although many members of the School have failed to produce any of the contributions for which they were frequently requested. The younger members of the School are to be praised very highly for their contributions, which have been of a very good standard. Some competitions have been held, the most successful of which was a photographic competition, successful because of the good prizes offered which attracted a good few entries, all of which were very good; Mr. Wilson kindly consented to judge the competition, and it was only after a great deal of consideration that first and second prizes were awarded to M. A. Pocock and W. N. Wheeler respectively. An Exhibition was held, as last year, on Speech Day and was a great success, the reading-room hardly ever becoming empty; all the tables in that room were occupied by the back issues and those comments made by visitors were very favourable.
492
As to the staff, Laflin our printer, has faithfully stuck by us although in the Summer term his typewriter was out of action with the result that the Armoury typewriter, very kindly lent by Mr. Sheppard has had double its normal work to do. M. S. Lewis in charge of the Political column has also taken on himself the bulk of the typing. There have been a great many changes in the staff of the ' Commentator' since it was restarted many of our editors having to leave for fear of the loss of time for school work. A new artist, A. N. Leahy, joined us at the end of the Spring term and has produced some very promising strip serials for the benefit of those members of the School who enjoy reading 2d. ' dreadfuls.' A. J. R, Perkins and D. Pritchard have produced some excellent sport columns since their entry into the staff, and what is more, their work has been very consistent. A. W. S. Hargrave and D. F. Jones have struggled manfully with the contributions. There remains the Review and Spotlight columns. In the former, J. C. Rose, F. Burns and D. K. Salberg have done a magnificent job turning out excellent reviews of the week's theatre and cinema productions. B. P. Croft has now taken over the Spotlight and is doing some very promising work. With one of the Chief Editors leaving and the other retiring to do some hard school work we can only conclude by saying that we hope that the ' Commentator ' continues to flourish. D.N.P/J.A.B.
KING'S SCHOOL FOURTH CENTENARY AND WAR MEMORIAL FUND. The following donations have been received since the last issue of The Vigornian (December 1947) and are gratefully acknowledged :—
£
s. d.
Already Acknowledged 3290 IS 1 Chappel House (further donation) ... 6 0 0 W. R. Goss, O.V. 3 3 0 E. C. Hogden, O V. ... 1 1 0 J. D. Reynolds, O.V 5 0 0 C . Harvard, O . V 3 3 0 Col. J. P. B. Angwin, O.V 5 0 0 E. H. Ingram-Halford, O.V 1 1 0 L. M. Dobson, O.V 2 0 0 A. Macdonald, O.V. (further donation)... 6 15 0 A. C. Townsend, O.V 1 1 0 S . Rankin, O . V 3 3 0 A. G. T. Field, O.V 1 1 0 L. A. Wilding (late Headmaster) ... 10 0 0 In memory of the late Capt. R. H. Bough 2 0 0 £3341 3 0 This Fund remains open, and it is still hoped that it will be possible to reach the original target of £5000. Many Old Vigornians and past and present parents have already supported this Fund liberally. It is hoped that many more will come forward to help achieve the target. All donations should be forwarded to the Hon. Treasurer, Centenary and War Memorial Fund, King's School, Worcester.