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SECONDS OUT… BOXING AT RGS IN THE 50S CHRIS FRASER OBE
from ONA 106
SECONDS OUT… BOXING AT RGS IN THE 50S
BY CHRIS FRASER OBE (51-58)
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Boxing at RGS in the late 50s was a voluntary sport, unlike rugby, while training and fights took place in the school gym under the eagle eye of Donald ‘Spitty’ Meaken (24-65), the Geography Teacher who doubled as Head Coach, assisted by Bill Cuthbertson (28-35) and another teacher.
The boxing team had an excellent interschools reputation and had matches with other schools all over England. As a Light Middle Weight (11 stone/70kg) I recall visiting Ampleforth in Yorkshire, Welbeck College, the then school for army candidates in Nottinghamshire and St Pauls in London. I think it was at Welbeck where we were served grapefruit for lunch after the fights, much to the discomfort of those boxers who had cut lips! Strange what sticks in the mind rather than the result of the fight!
In those days we did not wear head guards and during training in the ring in the gym, ‘Spitty’ would limit punishment being dished out between opponents while sparring with his famous cry of, “Stop!”, followed in due course by “Box on!”
The late John H Nixon (47-57) was Captain of the RGS boxing team in my day and John was an outstanding boxer with a string of
victories to his name. Sadly at least two other members of that team have passed on but I know that one of them described my boxing style some time ago as ‘a counterpuncher’. Obviously though, a counterpunch at a match at St Pauls was successful in that I knocked out my opponent who approached me afterwards claiming that it was a lucky punch without which he would have won the fight!
According to the media, boxing has not been taught in most schools as part of the PE regime since 1962 but there are now some calls to reintroduce the sport.
I continued my boxing ‘career’ during National Service in Malta when I boxed for 40 Commando against 45 Commando and also after joining the Hong Kong Police Force in 61-62. Boxing for the then colony of Hong Kong against a Malayan army opponent, brought an end to my ambitions when I was knocked out in the first round by my opponent and received a trophy for my efforts labelled ‘Hong Kong versus Malayan Armed Services. Runner-up”. A bit like the TV programme Bargain Hunt where there are no losers, only runners-up!
