House Notes

THE GROVE

Under N. M. Hodd, our new Head of House, and with a new House Monitor, J. Whittaker, the House ended a most successful year by winning the Oxford Cup outright for the first time. This crowned a year of outstanding achievement in all House activities.

Turning first to work, we must congratulate P. J. Blincoe on passing the exam. for entry into Sandhurst. In the Work Cup competition we held a comfortable lead until the end of the term, but our lack of many exam, successes prevented us from retaining the cup, and we finally finished fourth. Also, in the first week of term many members of the House contributed in the preparation of the Science Exhibition and later in explaining the "wonders of science" to large numbers of mystified spectators.

Returning to games, we can be proud of the complete success gained by both the junior and senior House cricket teams. Our junior side, after beating an inexperienced Manor team in the semi-final, gained their revenge over School House for last year's defeat. The senior team beat Temple in the semi-final, whilst in the final the School House batting unexpectedly collapsed, leaving us with very few runs to score for victory, which were obtained without very great difficulty.

Thanks largely to the excellent play of our first string pair, N. M. Hodd and M. J. Wood, who did not lose a set in any of their matches, we managed to win the Tennis Cup for the second year in succession by beating Rise and School House, although both matches were very close.

In contrast to these successes we did not do as well as usual in the shooting and fencing. We lost the House aggregate Shooting Cup to Temple and the Fencing Cup to School House. We also lost the cup for the best recruit squad, but we were more than compensated for this by the winning of the Fernie Cup. In this competition we must thank H. Murray, P. J. Blincoe, and H. H. Hunter for their fine leadership, and the whole squad for their hard work.

We once again entered for the swimming sports without much hope of winning, and in this our fears proved well founded, for, despite some good individual performances, most of our competitors were left floundering in the wakes of the Manor and School House "cracks".

In the House Music Competition we occupied the unprecedented high position of second, and we would like to congratulate our singers on their efforts, although Temple's fine performance left us without much hope of victory.

We were again well represented in the School teams. N. M. Hodd captained the XI and won the Fielding Cup, G. B. Pullan headed the 25

batting averages and gained a well-earned Cap, whilst D. I. Fletcher also won his 1st XI Colours. M. J. Wood captained the Colts and T. Wilkinson gained his Colts Colours. Wood, Wilkinson, and M. J. F. Everitt were awarded their House Colours. On the river T. A. Foy coxed the 1st IV whilst J. Whittaker and H. Murray were awarded their 2nd IV Colours. Murray was also a member of the 1st VIII.

Finally, as is usual at the end of a school year, we have to say goodbye to several members of the House, including our Head of House and two other Monitors. We thank our leavers for all they have done for the House and wish them every success in their future careers.

THE MANOR

Apart from the general School activities, in which the House has taken a full share during the term—for example, You11's distinguished season in the XI, and the winning of several important prizes (Youll, classics; Paiframan, history; J. M. Booth, chemistry; and Marsh, junior reading) the Summer Term sees a variety of inter-House events. As a result of these the Kazerooni Cup for swimming stays on our shelves, the Shooting Cup leaves us for Temple, the Recruit Shooting Cup (won by Davey, E.) and League Cricket Cup (for one term only) arrive. This is not, perhaps, a very brilliant record, but the term has had its Manor high-lights, and such is human nature that as we look at the term in retrospect it is these, rather than the disappointments, that stand out in the memory. In particu!ar many of us will long remember the cricket match against the Rise, with a stand of 155 for the third wicket and scores of 100 and 72 respectively by Raylor and Booth, V. M. Then in the swimming sports the Intermediate Relay Team broke its own record, and Thompson again set up a record in the plunge. In the Fernie Cup we found in ourselves an unexpected flair for hoisting a flag in quick time with an assortment of improvised materials. Cobham's entry for the Hobbies Cup, a wireless transmitter, deserves mention, too. Probably the most exciting inter-House event for us was the swimming sports, when School House made a very strong challenge, and we won only by the narrowest of margins. We are somewhat weaker now in the junior events, and this is bound to tell in time. For his worthy contribution to House swimming, De Little was awarded his House Colours. .

In domestic matters the House carries on much as usual, and, much as usual, that peculiar Manor occupation, Yard Cricket, flourished and blossomed as it does every summer. Its devotees were keener and more numerous than ever this year, and they were greatly aided by the encouragement and advice vouchsafed from the windows surrounding the senior yard. The rules, which are traditional, and a closely guarded secret, are incomprehensible to outsiders, but simple and effective in practice.

The Embellishment Fund Committee decided to allocate the term's funds to a couple of armchairs, and these were bought after a good 26

deal of ferreting in the Gillygate warren by two senior members. This will permit a re-allocation of common-room and study furniture next term.

One of the House's handicaps during the year has been the departure of several seniors, but this has now had another effect in that only three members of the House are leaving this term—J. M. Booth, Cobham, and Cawood. All three have been staunch supporters of the House, and, according to their respective interests, have done much for us. They leave with our thanks and our best wishes for their happiness and success, at the Universities, down on the farm, and in the Services.

THE RISE

The Summer Term began with the Science Exhibition, and Risites, as usual, played a prominent part. The opening ceremony took the form of a large panel of representative exhibits of the various branches of science, and in this connection we must congratulate our Housemaster, Mr. Crews, who constructed the tableau.

In games we were once again thwarted by the Grove in our struggle for the Oxford Cup. In both senior and junior cricket we were beaten by the Manor. The senior match was marked by D. H. Beachell's century, and as a result he was awarded his House Colours.

Our younger swimmers showed plenty of promise in the swimming sports, and we must congratulate Isherwood on breaking two School records. As a result of a special effort we managed to rise to third place on sports day ! !

Once again the Rise was well represented in School teams. Goodburn, the Captain of Boats, and Hawkins, were in the 1st IV, and Lochore and Roe were awarded their 2nd IV Colours.

James and Beachell had a particularly successful season and were awarded 1st XI Caps. Annequin and Gunning were awarded their 1st XI Colours. Reid-Smith was awarded his 2nd XI Colours; Simpson and Powell played in the team. Gudgeon, as Vice-Captain of the Colts XI, was awarded his Colours.

J. N. Roe is to be congratulated on the award of hiS •House Colours.

R. J. Kelsey was awarded the Hobbies Cup.

We very much appreciated the gesture of R. H. 'Dean in sending the House a parcel of plants for the garden; these are now well established.

The Rise House photograph collection is now very nearly complete. We now put out a final appeal to old Risites for the remaining four groups : 1929, 1931, 1933, 1940.

Goodburn, our Head of House, who goes this term, will leave a gap that will be hard to fill, but the memory of his enthusiasm for the Rise and his inspiring leadership will long be remembered. 27

It is most fitting that the new "Goodburn" Cup, presented for the winner of the cross-country, should stand on the Rise shelf in its first year.

We wish him, and all the others who have left us, the best of luck in the future.

SCHOOL HOUSE

To most, summer implies long drowsy days in the sun, either lazing in the leafy shade, or, for the more energetic, applying the willow to elusive leather.. It is a far cry from "England's green and pleasant land" to the irksome task of composing House Notes. However, the burden of your scribe is considerably eased by the wealth of encouraging material which lies before him; indeed, the House is well represented in each of the many and diverse activities of the School, sharing responsibility and renown.

Turning to sport, we may well begin with cricket, since we provided four members of the 1st XI, and on occasions, more than a third of the 2nd and Colts XIs. Fairweather (Vice-Captain), King, Driver, and Jackson were our representatives in the 1st XI, for which Webster, P. H., also played; McDougle, Nelson, Webster, P. H., and Roberts appeared for the 2nd XI; and Firth, Mitchinson, MacPherson, French, Varley, and Ridley all played for the Colts teams. In the House competitions we had to swallow the bitter pill of reaching both senior and junior finals, and winning neither. We failed, perhaps, to take our opportunities, and Grove were our conquerors on each occasion. As a result of the House matches, Mitchinson and Wilistrop were awarded their Junior House Colours.

Smithson, Rhead, and Hilton all received 2nd IV Colours; the first two were in the "eight" at Tyne Regatta, where Hilton rowed in "X crew". Webster, R. W., was in the 4th IV, and there was a good sprinkling of Housites amongst the winning crews in the Domestic Regatta.

We were by no means inconspicuous in what may be termed minor sports. Roberts, Hilton, and Webster, P. H., won us the Fencing Trophy, a result not entirely unexpected, since all three fenced for the School team, Roberts holding the captaincy. The tennis team, after defeating Manor and Temple, came up against the Grove in the final, and once again we could not hold that House's challenge. We made a gallant effort in the shooting competition, but we only had one man, Lumley, who had shot for the School. One of our greatest hardships this term was our defeat in the Kazerooni Cup, by the Manor, their winning margin being only half a point in eighty. Poole and his swimming team are to be congratulated on a magnificent effort.

As predicted in these notes last term, our chess team went on to win the cup, checkmating Temple in the play-off. With all these activities to occupy us, a few still found time to enjoy the benefits of

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the Hobbies Room, and Leach and Chapman provided the House's two best exhibits to go forward to the final of the Hobbies Cup. That they failed to win should be no discouragement either to them or others, for the standard this year was extremely high.

Finally we have to bid farewell to a dozen of our number. We thank them for all they have done for their House; and since we hope to see them again in the future we will just say "Adieu" to Smith, A. N. C., Smithson, Poole, Jackson, R. H. (who was appointed a House Monitor this term), Fairweather, Rhead, McDougle, King, Webster, R. W., Webster, P. H., Collins, and Hodgson.

TEMPLE

We feel we can look back with some satisfaction on what has been a not unsuccessful Summer Term. It is no secret that we are not at our best on cricket field or in swimming bath, but amongst the junior members of the House, at least, commendable enthusiasm was shown in both spheres. On our return to work we found that Ankers had raised the tone of the House somewhat, by becoming Chapel Monitor. We congratulate him on his appointment.

Our first achievement was a narrow failure to make the Grove bat twice in the semi-final of the senior cricket, and Fawcett, who played a very dour knock, White, and Crowe deserve special mention for their efforts. In the junior cricket, however, in spite of the Johnson-Crowe winter coaching scheme, we were well beaten by School House. At tennis we again lost in the semi-final, though our inexperienced team put up a commendable show. Of the swimming we will say nothing beyond a passing note that more frequent immersion during the term might have added prowess to the unquestioned pluck of some of our senior entrants in the sports. But, undoubtedly, the scene of our greatest triumphs has been the shooting range. Findlay, as befits the Captain of School Shooting, carried off the cup for the best individual shot after a tie in which Dwyer, too, was concerned, and Findlay, Danton and the brothers Bird won us the team shooting. But the most encouraging achievement of all was the winning, with the help of Findlay's maths., of the cup for the best House aggregate. We enjoyed further success in the music competition, though it was not gained without hard work and cheerfully-borne inconvenience, and in the league cricket competition. This last-named trophy we shared with Manor and School House. A number of Templars have represented the School this term with varying degrees of distinction, and Marshall and White are to be congratulated on the award of their 1st IV and 2nd XI Colours respectively.

In the classroom we have been even more successful, and amongst a number of good examination results those of Kershaw, who was awarded a State Scholarship, and Senior, who won a county award, 29