Churcher's Rugby 1924 to 2024

Churcher’s Rugby 1924 to 2024

Introduction

In 2024, Churcher’s College celebrates the 100 th year of its affiliation with the Hampshire Rugby Football Union (RFU) – the longest of any school in the county. This centenary year has offered a reason to look back through the archive, to see how rugby union (referred to as ‘rugby’ – and sometimes ‘rugger’) at the school has developed over the years, and to research the lives of some of those who have been involved, along with some important moments in time.

Notes

Unless otherwise stated, or clear from the context, all quotations are taken from past publications of the Churcherian or from interviews undertaken as part of the research for this publication.

There is a convention in the earlier Churcherian publications to refer to siblings as such: Jones (i), Jones (ii) etc.

The name ‘Colts’ usually refers to the U15s, and ‘Junior Colts’ to U14s, although unhelpfully this way of naming age group sides isn’t consistent. In the 1960s, for example, the Burton Cup was contested by the Junior Colts, which contained boys from the First and Second Years.

Before settling into the modern way of doing things, where pupils play in their age group, teams could be quite mixed in terms of the ages of the boys, with boys frequently ‘playing up’; a slightly more ‘laissez faire’ approach to pupil safety reflective of the time.

A note on the evolution of points scoring

In 1891, a rugby union try scored one point, a conversion two. For the next two years, tries scored two points and conversions three. In 1893, the modern pattern of tries scoring more than conversions began, with three points awarded for a try, two for a kick; it is these points that were on offer as rugby at Churcher’s began. The number of points from a try increased to four in 1971 and five in 1992. Penalties have been worth three points since 1891 (they previously had been worth two points). The value of the drop goal was four points between 1891 and 1948 and three points thereafter.

Thank

you

To Bill Baker for his enthusiasm, energy and rigour to create this history of rugby at Churcher’s.

To all Old Churcherians, former staff and other members of the Churcher’s community, past and present, who have volunteered their time, stories and insight into piecing together this historical account.

An undertaking of this nature could be without end, so it is hoped that readers will accept missing details and occasional inaccuracies. Please let the Development Office know of any information which you feel has been incorrectly recorded or noticeable by its omission and deserves inclusion in a history of rugby at Churcher’s.

1920s

Rugby at Churcher’s was formally introduced for the junior boys in 1920 under the Headship of Rev. Herbert Tower, in the same year that the House system was adopted. Its introduction precipitated the demise of ‘soccer’.

David Chapman, who was both a student and a teacher at the school from the 1960s onwards, remembers honours boards in ‘A’, the Assembly Hall, which listed Captains of Rugby from the 1870s onwards. With a small school meaning few students to choose from, as well as not many opponents, it is likely that rugby in those days was not organised, formal or competitive, and thus goes without much record.

It was in 1924, the year our affiliation with the Hampshire RFU began, that rugby became the main winter game in place of soccer. “Ernest Cottle, although a hockey player at university, undertook the training of the original teams... His reports of teams and players in the ‘Churcherian’ reveal a zest for open rugby and the team ethic.” It is this affiliation with the Hampshire RFU which has long been taken as the official start date of rugby at the school, hence this centenary year.

The move from soccer to rugby as the main sport may have been due in part to Rev. Tower wanting to create a different image for a small county grammar school, albeit he had actually departed for another Headship a year earlier. It appears that the wheels were in motion before he left though, and this may have been due to a letter sent to all schools in Hampshire following the July 1922 AGM of the Hampshire RFU, a letter recorded in the Hampshire RFU County History & Centenary Year Programme 19831984. It reads:

Sir,

When you have under your consideration your Winter Sport Programme, will you kindly give Rugby a trial?

In recent years, several public schools, which had not previously played the game, have taken it up and become enthusiastic devotees, because they realise that in no other game is there a more rigid adherence to the spirit of real sportsmanship, the spirit which the Preparatory and Public Schools of this country so splendidly inculcate.

Rugby, moreover, is played in our Universities and, generally, by the class of young manhood

into which your boys will pass in a few years, so that by playing the game now they will be able to take their places in the senior teams, obtaining enjoyment and exercise, sustaining the high traditions of their old School, and becoming an excellent example to those who will succeed them.

There is to be a General Meeting of the above (Hampshire) Union on Friday, July 21st at 5:15pm at the Trojans Club, 1 Cumberland Place, Southampton to which you are asked to attend or send your views. Your so-doing will not compromise you in any way, but will afford an opportunity of discussing the matter in a general way.

The following schools in Hampshire are already playing the game:

Clayesmore School, Winchester Churcher’s College, Petersfield Osborne House School, Romsey Furzey Close, New Milton

The circular met with an encouraging response. There was a burgeoning of rugby in the county around this time in which rugby at Churcher’s played its part. Alton & District Rugby Football Club (RFC) was founded in 1924, when the first games were also played by New Milton & District RFC. King Edward VI School, Southampton (KES) became affiliated to the Hampshire RFU in 1925, a year after Churcher’s College, and Romsey RFC was founded in 1930. Although there is no record, it is possible that in its early days, rugby was played by OC and actor Arthur Brough, who found fame as the bumbling senior menswear salesman Ernest Grainger on the BBC TV sitcom, Are You Being Served?’.

The Churcherian records the first tentative steps of rugby at the school: “…progress has, on the whole, been satisfactory. The game at present is only compulsory for boys under 14, though a considerable number of those over that age have also taken it up: while the Senior boys still keep to the Soccer game they have grown accustomed to. Our first Rugby fixture – limited to boys under 14 – was at the end of October, and this meant hard work to build up a team from the very beginning of the term. Practices amounted to four days a week: and after some time, we had got together the nucleus of a team. But all too quickly that fateful day arrived – October 3Oth, on which we were to try our strength against Christ’s Hospital (under 14). After a very pleasant trip, we lost by the very encouraging score of 44 points to nil. Considering that this was the very first occasion

on which most of our boys had ever seen a game of Rugger, they played very well, and visibly improved as the game went on.”

There was a rather more chastening 76-0 defeat to Cranleigh in the following game, against “a strong team, who gave a good exhibition of Rugger”, but nevertheless the boys were commended for “the plucky way in which they played up right to the end.” The results did not dishearten the boys, and on the whole it was felt that the game had “caught on amongst the juniors, and faults are being remedied as quickly as possible.” No doubt the progress was helped by “those boys over 14 who so loyally consented to form opposition teams to the ‘Colours’ in the preliminary practices and training…”

In the early 1920s, a boy called Charlie Blackman attended the school and was awarded his school colours for rugby, soccer and cricket. He’d be mentioned in the March 1954 Churcherian , which quoted an article written about him in the Police News a year earlier. This said that as well as being a fine constable, he also acted as secretary for a number of Metropolitan Police sports clubs and was worth his weight in gold. Of his rugby career in the Met it says:

In 1925 he joined the Metropolitan Police and gave up other games to concentrate on rugby. He played for the Met for five seasons on the wing before a damaged knee put him out of the game. He received his colours in 1929, and the same year visited Paris with the Met XV. His rugby days over, he took up bowls and regularly represents H Division, No.3 District, and the Met.

The Churcherian notes of 1924 tell us that OC “T [Tommy] Rose DFC was playing rugby for Somerset, Bath and the R.A.F. On September 20th he led the Somerset pack finely in their close match with the New Zealanders.” The game was played at the Recreation Ground, Weston-Super-Mare, in front of a crowd of 12,000. Of the 32 games that the New Zealand ‘Invincibles’ played on that long tour, which ran from 13 September 1924 to 18 Feb 1925, only Llanelli and Cambridge University lost by a smaller margin than Somerset’s 6-0 loss.

Indeed, this was the same score line as New Zealand’s game against Ireland at Lansdowne Road on 1 November. By this time, Tommy had already distinguished himself as a flying ace in World War I, credited with 11 victories, and a further two shared with other pilots. The citation for Tommy’s DFC, which he was awarded after his ninth victory, was published in The London Gazette on 2 November 1918 and read: “The officer has accounted for nine enemy machines during recent operations. Possessing in a marked degree the real offensive spirit, he sets a notable example to the other pilots of his squadron by his utter disregard of personal danger”. He also won the King’s Cup Air Race in 1935, flying the prototype Miles M.3 Falcon G-ADLC. The following year, in the same aircraft, Tommy gained the UK to Cape Town passage record, at 3 days, 17 hours and 38 minutes.

Although he would have left the school shortly before the First World War, with a little indulgence we might be permitted to claim that the sporting skills and athleticism, not to mention the character, that he will have developed on the playing fields of Churcher’s would have stood him in good stead for the challenge of both his rugby and his RAF career. Indeed, if rugby of some kind was being played at the school from the 1870s onwards, it may well be that he played the game informally. Tommy took up rugby properly at King’s School, Wimbledon after leaving Churcher’s, but whilst with us he “excelled at the sports that were offered to the pupils, football, cricket, tennis and swimming in the Rother.” ( Flight Lieutenant Thomas ‘Tommy’ Rose DFC by Sarah Chambers). Tommy’s debut for Bath was against Gloucester on 15 November 1923. He played a total of 30 games for Bath, with his final game on 3 January 1925, against Richmond, a team he joined for the 1926/27 season before he took up competitive air racing and his rugby career finished.

Tommy Rose D.F.C.

The Churcherian reports that in the 1924/25 season: “the United Services visited the College on November 8th and a fast and interesting game resulted. Though it was a dry day our scrum, who have improved out of all recognition, were able to dictate the character of the game and by keeping the ball tight prevented the fast Services’ threes from taking much part in the play except on rare occasions. The tackling was keen on both sides… half-time came with the College leading 3-0. The game restarted at a great pace; play being practically confined to the forwards. Both sides pressed and Graziani after a fine individual rush just failed to score. The footwork of our forwards was admirable and it would be invidious to mention individuals when all were so good. At last, the Services drew level after determined pressure and followed this success up with a try under the posts, a very fast three-quarter smartly intercepting a weak pass and swerving skilfully. This try being converted the Services led 8-3. The College forwards immediately forced their way right to the Services line and Ball (ii) scored wide out. Robinson (i) only just failed to convert. A few moments later the whistle blew for No Side leaving the Services victorious by 8 points to 6. If play had lasted much longer, we might have snatched a victory, as our scrum were well on top of their opponents towards the end.”

It is a long time since the United Services team were on the Churcher’s fixture list, but a much more familiar opponent was faced, away and then at home, on 19 and 26 November. Playing away at KES Southampton, against a team who were “easily a stone a man heavier” the Churcher’s side won 11-9. The Churcher’s final try “was the best bit of work seen this season. The ball was got away from the scrum cleanly and quickly and was passed with perfect speed and judgment all down the line for James to touch down (11-6), This was a fitting finale to a sound display by our three-quarters.” In the return fixture “very heavy rain fell throughout the game and made accurate play impossible though our threes played astonishingly well and were prominent for several good bouts of passing.” Churcher’s won 10-3.

The game against the Casuals on 10 December “was a sorry affair. We were unable to field our strongest team and our discomfiture was further increased by having to wait for well over an hour on a cold field while a ball was procured to replace a punctured one.” The school lost 15-9 after the defence went “absolutely to pieces.”

Later that term against the E.R.A.s, “it was unfortunate that among our opponents were some rough and clumsy fellows whose ignorance of the game led to accidents to two of our best players. Both Smith (ii) and Robinson

(ii) had to leave the field, and the thirteen who were left could not hold their own…”

As well as another game against the Old Churcherians, there were two ‘day pupil’ vs ‘boarders’ games that season, with honours even. While there was much to celebrate during the season, there was also sadness. The May 1925 Churcherian records: “with the deepest regret… the death at the College of William Morris Hunter, aged 15 years and 7 months. He succumbed on the morning of Tuesday March 10th, to double pneumonia and pleurisy, although he made a brave fight for life and received all the possible help that doctors and nurses and his mother could give. The greatest sympathy was felt by all at the College for his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter of Wimbledon, late of St. Andrews, Fifeshire, whose bereavement is made all the more sad by the fact that he was their only son. During the two years that he was a boarder at the College he became a great favourite with all, both masters and boys. He was affectionately known as ‘Uncle’, and there are many who will long remember his gentle and rather wistful smile. He was a boy of keen enthusiasms. In School he worked with a will and on the Rugger field he distinguished himself in many a forward rush. He gained his XV cap for Rugger and was a skilful forward, being particularly good at hooking. His love for the game knew no bounds.” A record of this sad occasion is also found in the Governors’ minutes.

The Churcherian in May 1925 also contains a poem entitled ‘Thoughts on the Touch Line’...

Three cheers for the mud! Heigh-ho for the blood!

The tramp of the Churcher’s fifteen!

The groans of the scrum, the three-quarters’ run Has ever there been such a team?

They are pressing us hard, and now yard by yard They beat us right back to our line.

Oh Kane, hot and gory, is covered with glory— He breaks through the enemies’ line.

And now it’s our touch, we haven’t gained much, In fact, just a bare yard or more,

But that little counts in this game that amounts

To a sort of a sportsmanlike war.

Take it with you”’s the call, and we’ve got the ball, We push and we struggle and fight—

Now back to your threes—to Smith—that’s the wheeze.

He’s got it, and now we’re all right.

William Morr

For the rest of the game, again and again

They seek to get over our line,

But tho’ we’re hard pressed, and given no rest

Our Churcher’s defence is just fine.

We’ve won at the last, though the game was so fast

That our men all are weary and worn. They come home with joy, and never a boy

In the whole of the school is forlorn.

Then heigh-ho for the team, our Churcher’s fifteen,

That has fought so noble a fight. Drink a health to them all, and a joyful toast call, To their pluck and their grit and their might

In the same year that this poem appeared in the Churcherian , so too did the first mention of the Burton Cup: “Mr. Norman Burton of Petersfield having most kindly presented a cup with a view to increasing the keenness in Rugger among the smaller boys, we have been able to start a novel form of competition which has roused much enthusiasm and which will undoubtedly help to improve the standard of play among those who are beginning to learn the game. The weakest teams therefore of each House now compete with one another as well as the strongest teams. In the Winter Term the competition ended in a tie, each House winning one match. We should like to express the thanks of the whole School to Mr. Burton for his happy thought and for his generous gift.”

The 1925/26 season was reflected on with “feelings of tempered satisfaction. That our general standard of play has improved let our record of 7 victories out of 11 testify. The uneasy feature of the season has been our defence. On those occasions on which we were beaten it was generally by about 20 points. True, there was less of that feeling of helplessness in evidence than would have graced the circumstances a couple of seasons ago. The will to win has spread into our XV, and this has turned the scale in our favour. We are no longer a beaten side when faced with a deficit of 3 points at half time, or a side which is manifestly heavier.”

In the 1926/27 season it was more a case of standing still rather than of progression, and the criticism is one that would sound familiar to a many a modern schoolboy rugby coach; of a certain dislocation between the backs and the forwards, and some sideways running. The report says: “tactically we have not improved as we should have done. Our pack has become lighter but more selfish. A light pack should use the men behind it: not merely once in each half, but frequently. Ten yards gained by the threequarters is done with greater conservation of effort than if done by sheer pushing by the pack. On many occasions the ten yards has been

gained by the pack when the ball should have gone back to the three-quarters and an open movement commenced. The forwards have stood the strain magnificently, but it would have been energy used to more effect if our attack had been more diversified. Our forwards have most of them acquired the ‘match’ sense, but the threes are at sea in matches when by some miscalculation the ball comes to them: they take their passes standing still; they run across the field; they do all those things a good three-quarter should never do and more. This is mainly because they are never given real chances. It is not reasonable to expect a three-quarter line to defend valiantly match after match and seldom be given a chance to attack. The reason for our faulty three-quarter line is not lack of skill – but lack of consistent opportunity. We have played twelve matches of which we have lost six, drawn one and won five. Many of our matches have been cancelled.”

Petersfield Rugby Club was formed in 1927, at the instigation of Frank Guy, a former pupil and later Chair of Governors of the school. At this time the club was at Bell Hill, but when it became affiliated to the RFU in 1948, it moved to Love Lane. A further move came in 1979 when the club moved to Penns Place. OC and staff member David Chapman ran the appeal to raise money for the clubhouse and OC Eric Bray was President.

Looking back at the match reports from the 1920s, there is a great deal of pleasure to be had, in which the language of the game is quite different from today. There is talk of ‘rugger’, ‘rushing’, ‘swerving’, ‘forwards dribbling’ (the ball!), ‘keenness’, ‘pluck’, ‘threes’, ‘halves’ and ‘wing forwards’. ‘Drop goals’ feature more, too.

Another feature of early end of season reports is ‘criticisms’. These criticisms are short written accounts of the strengths and weakness of the players, and they do not hold back, which makes for an interesting read. A.E. Whitcomb, who was the vice-captain, is described as “a fast wing three and a good tackler. Is handicapped by his eyesight. Cannot kick.”

The 1928 1st XV. Teacher, seated right, is E.F.J. Cottle, who was Deputy Head and taught mathematics at Churcher’s for 40 years.

1930s

The criticisms in the Churcherian from the 1930s describe players lacking initiative, but applying their weight well and passing with neither accuracy nor timing. There are also boys who needed to control a strong tendency to run backwards with the ball, and whose defence was decidedly weak. In 1936, the delightfully named T.W. Twigge-Molecy needed to time his passes better, and give them more frequently. Southcote’s defence was mediocre and he needed to use his hand-off more, and F.A. Briant would have done well to use his speed and swerve more. Hilton (i) was unreliable in the middle of the season, and K. Hedges’ manifest qualities were significantly reduced because he ran across, a fault which stood in the way of him becoming a good three-quarter.

In the 1988 Churcherian, J. Lucas reflects in the notes:

For some years I have been the Hon. Grounds Chairman of Reading RFC – any rugger enthusiasts moving into this area are very welcome. I was the College Rugby Captain 1931/32, and T.G.K. Bishop who played for Berkshire and Harlequins had the same honour 1932/33.

On 2 March 1932, the school played a game away against the Gosport School of Electric Lighting (R.E.s). “The first half was in favour of the R.E.s. whose forwards were always up with the ball. Churcher’s were bustled considerably and the R.E.s obtained their first try as the result of a forward rush. Shortly after this Churcher’s were awarded a free kick from which New kicked a goal. After this Plumb made a good run and kicked across, enabling Lucas to run up and touch down. Right at the beginning of the second half Bishop broke away and passed to Plumb who scored between the posts. The R.E. forwards then took charge of the game until a good three-quarter movement enabled Taylor to score another try for Churcher’s. Play continued fairly even until the R.E.s forced their way over for a second try which they converted. New converted the three tries for Churcher’s.”

In the 1930s, the Houses were still competing for the Burton Cup, with the May 1932 Churcherian saying that

The Burton Cup is now played for by the Third XV of each House. Previously each House produced its weakest XV.

Nelsonian J. Lucas was 1st XV Captain in 1932. “As a Captain his attributes have been dogged persistence and unflagging energy. His speed and sense of position have improved. As a Captain he possesses the gift of getting the best out of the team, whether by praise or criticism. His keenness was an example to all.” In his side was A. Gould, “a plodding forward, whose weight and height have been useful in scrums and lineouts”, R.J. Green, “a hardworking forward who should find out more about the game” and A.A. Dodd whose “lineout work is good but he needs more dash.” It was a successful season, with 10 of 16 games won and only one lost.

In the same year, there was also an OC game in London against the London Polytechnic, which was lost 11-5. The OC club were the first to score, but had conceded twice before half time. In the second half, with the wind in their favour, the OCs did most of the attacking, but were unable to score.

Grenville won the Burton Cup in 1933, and on 29 October of the same year the school played against Trojans in Southampton, which ended in a rare, albeit less rare in those days, 0-0 draw. Right from the kick-off “the Churcher’s threequarters pressed heavily. Taylor and Bishop almost scored on several occasions. Then came a drenching rain and the match turned into a duel between the forwards. The Churcher’s pack played an extraordinarily keen game and held their heavier opponents in a manner which reflects great credit on them. Tapping, Barnes, and Dorey (i) were conspicuous by their good play. Several three-quarter movements were started but came to nothing; the ground was slippery and the ball very difficult to handle. In the second half, Churcher’s were awarded a penalty kick, but the kick was from a difficult angle and they failed to score.”

In the Burton cup of 1934, Grenville beat Drake by a whopping 97 points to 3.

Fixture card (front & inside) - 1938/39.

The Drake try was scored by Oldham. The Grenville scorers were Laker (7), Thorn (7), Watson (iii) (6), Wren (ii) (2), and Parsons. Watson (iii) converted 13 tries and Thorn converted one try.

Of the 1933/34 season it was said: “The season just ended will not rank as a good one. Of the 17 matches played we won 6. Although such a bald statement of fact would appear to suggest that our team was only comparable to those of seven or more years ago, yet in reality this is not so, for in those days we used not to be merely beaten but rather swamped. We played a few remarkably good matches, notably those against Guy’s Hospital, but on the whole we were never really together. To a great extent this may have been due to the extraordinary number of gaps we had to fill from time to time. The forwards were sound rather than brilliant and were luckily spared the gruelling test of successive matches on Gammon’s at its worst. The outside three-quarters were very good at times. Our

weakness outside the scrum lay in the fact that we had no really great constructive player. In defence, Pittam was a remarkably consistent performer, while Dorey (ii)’s touch-kicking was often devastating in its accuracy.”

The reference to ‘Gammon’s’ in the write up was slightly puzzling, as there is no record of it elsewhere in the school archives which is either easily located, or which sheds light. However, at a former staff gathering in May 2024, David Chapman, who was at the school as a pupil (1960-67) and then later as a teacher (1974-1987), remembered that ‘Gammon’s’ was the name of a pitch which we used to lease, which now forms part of the Love Lane fields. ‘Gammon’s’ belonged to the local authority but was used by Petersfield RFC; the shared use strengthened the links between the school and the club.

In 1935/36, when Grenville won the Burton Cup, 1st XV captain, D.P. Bell was described as “an excellent defender with a sure tackle and a fine kick. In attack he possessed a good handoff but his swerving could be improved. His weakness lay in slowness in dropping back to recover a pass that had gone astray and in a lack

of originality in attack. He possessed the power to inspire his side by scoring at the crucial moment.” His vice-captain A.J. Smith was “a snappy scrum-half who often made an opening for his insides. His tackling and dribbling was good, but he lacked speed.” It was a frustrating season though, as six games were ‘scratched’ which deprived the squad of some much-needed practice. Although the Colts had no games in the spring term of 1936, the practices they had were promising, and there were congratulations for Baxter for appearing in the 1st XV at the end of the season and “for winning a tackling bar as a result of his promising displays.” It’s not clear what this tackling bar was, but perhaps it was an award that was pinned on the blazer.

After losing the first three games of the 1936/37 season, the 1st XV went on to win the rest, bar one draw. The biggest win was a 30-3 win over Peter Symonds College in Winchester, who “lacked experience and finish.” Nelson won the Burton Cup.

J.W. Le Grice had become the key coach after E.F.J. Cottle stepped down. J.W. Le Grice took teams up to and through the war. He became head of the prep school, which was in Heath Harrison House and which is now the Headmaster’s residence. Under the voluntary aided scheme, it was not possible to have an

independent prep school, or so the governors thought, and J.W. Le Grice became the Headmaster of the Prep School as it severed ties with the Senior School and moved to Broadlands, on the other side of Ramshill.

In 1939, J.W. Le Grice authored the following words: “I do not believe in destructive criticism, and constructive criticism is best given by word of mouth from the coach. Here, I prefer to congratulate the best Rugger XV Churcher’s has fielded for some years and, while much of the credit for their success must go to Mr. Rigby for his expert coaching last season, one must remember that the boys deserve their share of praise, for, without the backing of the whole team, the best coaching is of little avail. The 2nd XV has had a disappointing season, and I cannot help feeling that a team so light and young has nothing to gain from playing heavy club sides.”

With this comment about criticism in mind, this section about the 1930s will conclude with a rare, entirely positive ‘criticism’ for Jones:

An excellent hooker. A hard worker, a good tackler – in fact, a really good forward.

XV - J.W. Le Grice is top right.

Letter to invite OCs to the annual rugger match - 1939.

1940s

OC Ken Webb, who was interviewed as part of the school’s 2018 WWI celebration, left Churcher’s in July 1943. He enlisted that August along with Richard ‘Dick’ Kelsey, Michael Charles and Robert Knight. Robert died during an air drop in southern France around D-Day. Dick and Robert appear on the 1942 1st XV photograph, with Dick as captain.

It’s possible that Dick Kelsey was the older brother of E.H. Kelsey; at the very least we are fairly sure they are from the same family. Edward Kelsey is better known as Joe Grundy from the radio show The Archers, but to children of the 1980s, he is better known as the man behind the voice of rasping villain Baron Greenback and the blimpish Colonel K in the original series of Danger Mouse . Appearing top left in the photo is Hiscutt, who maybe the same Hiscutt that helped found Havant RFC, but this is speculation (even though the dates seem to tie in).

The 1942, the Churcherian records a game at home against the Municipal College in Portsmouth, which we won 80-0. McMichael scored seven tries, Frisby scored six, Curtis two and Hinxman, Walker, Clarke, Greaves and Mitchell one apiece; a full 20 tries in total. McMichael’s seven tries replicated the feat of Laker and Thorn in the 1934 Burton Cup game –a school record, perhaps.

The April 1944 Churcherian has this end of season write up, comparing the 1943/44 team with the previous record holders: “Last term wound up the most successful Rugger season we have ever had, a season which will be remembered in the history of the School. Future generations will discuss it and add interesting details and embellishments, and the 1930/31 XV will probably be used as a basis of comparison on which to point out to future teams the futility and inadequacy of their efforts.” In the same issue, E.F.J. Cottle wrote the following: “The stalwarts of our Rugger XV reached the pinnacle of success in the past season. Fourteen matches were won out of twenty-one, and we finished the season with a balance of 151 points more than our opponents. Well – records are made to be broken, and although it has taken us thirteen years to do it, we have at last set up a new record. This season we have won 14 games out of 19, and scored 392 points to our opponents’ 121! The critics like to tell us that our opposition was not as strong this season, but I feel the criticism is somewhat unjust. Our forwards (a lighter pack than usual) have had some gruelling tussles with Services sides and have stood up to their tasks well. The threequarters, fed by a useful pair of halves, have always looked dangerous, and in most cases their defence has been sound. For some time we have been striving for team-work rather than brilliant individualism, and progress in this direction has been the chief factor in our success this season. Congratulations, 1st XV.”

The wartime rugby reports are unusual for recording multiple games each season against

Emanuel School from London. There were fourteen games in total against Emanuel School in 1943/44, all at home. In 1944/45 it was twelve home games; the Junior Colts played them four times. There were multiple games earlier in the war too. The reason for this unusual occurrence is that for six long years through the war, Churcher’s College had played host to Emanuel

School from London, which had been evacuated. On one occasion when Emanuel School were on CCF parade on the Headmaster’s Field, a German bomber dropped a bomb on the workhouse just south of Ramshill House, destroying it and killing a number of people.

The 1947/48 season was a disappointing one for the 1st XV, with only six of sixteen games won, usually against heavier opponents. In this season there was also a “re-organisation of the general games this season. Under the new arrangement, a senior boy, who must be both a prefect and a member of the first game, is in charge of each of these games or ‘divisions’. He picks up sides beforehand, and himself referees the first half of the game, coaching the boys in his charge. At half-time, a master takes over, and the prefect plays in the first game. The scheme has worked well. At the beginning of the season, the prefects concerned attended a referees’ class, and they are to be heartily congratulated on the keenness they have shown in teaching the boys under them. As a result of their efforts, the standard of rugger throughout the School has improved considerably. It is gratifying to see a number of Juniors with Tackling Bars.”

1942 1st XV.

Jim Hetherington, middle row on the left. The teacher is Lt. Commander Cooke, a Northern Irishman. He spent the war in submarines. One day he rode his motorbike past the front gates of the school and turned in to see if there was a job; he ended up teaching English and Games at Churcher’s until his retirement.

The 1988 Churcherian contains the following recollections from D.B. Gilbert who left the school in 1947, not long after the return of the pupils of Emanuel School to London.

Our visit to British Columbia was to see my brother Clive, who has made his home there. He has three children. Although not a paid-up member of the OCC, he was at Churcher’s after me, and there should be some who will remember him. He is a teacher (Head of Dept) in Kelowha and was very involved in starting Rugby in Canada.

James ‘Jim’ Hetherington (born 3 March 1932) spent his formative years as a pupil at the school, where he was a house prefect, Churcherian editor and keen sportsman, going on to captain the 1st XV. His criticisms for the 1947/48 season read: “He was a latecomer to the team who soon proved his worth as full back. He fell on the ball brilliantly and tackled well. His touch kicking was reliable.” The following season the criticisms read:

A reliable full back. His kicking and falling were good and his handling was excellent. His tackling needed more determination.

A talented attacking full back, Jim made his international debut on 1 February 1958, against Australia at Twickenham in front of 60,000 spectators. His final cap came on 21 March 1959, against Scotland, also at Twickenham in front of 70,000 spectators. All six of Jim’s caps were starts, with five coming in the Five Nations Championship. He scored a total of 9 international points. An interview with Jim in the Autumn 2017 Hilltop Magazine , for the Chiltern Hilltop Villages of Buckland Common, Cholesbury, Hawridge and St Leonards, reveals some more details.

“Throughout his early sporting career, Jim found it difficult to decide whether to concentrate on soccer or rugby as he was much attracted to each. Soccer was ‘in the genes’ as his father had played football league matches for Everton, one of the most famous clubs. Jim learned his school rugby at Churcher’s College in Hampshire where he eventually captained the first XV. Then, in 1950, he enlisted for National Service and found himself captaining his

regiment’s soccer team in Germany – much to the chagrin of his rugby loving Colonel!

In 1952, Jim went on to Cambridge where he enjoyed playing soccer and rugby for his college, Peterhouse. Two years on, a fellow undergraduate told him about an end-ofseason charity rugby match being played at Northampton. He said they were short of a full back and invited Jim to join them. He accepted – it was a defining moment. After the match, the Northampton captain, Don White, invited him to go for trials the following season. Jim replied that he might, instead, be aiming for a Cambridge soccer ‘blue’- and received an unprintable response! Later that evening, after several pints of best bitter and a dodgy rugby song or two he decided that rugby had a certain ‘edge’ over soccer: he should give rugby a go. He did – and the rest is history, as they say. So, in 1954, Jim joined a very strong Northampton ‘Saints’ team which numbered several established internationals such as Jeeps, Hosen, Sykes and Butterfield.

The Saints rarely lost a club match and, “so as to keep warm and busy”, Jim developed the role of attacking full back. His experience with Northampton also served to assure his selection for a Cambridge ‘blue’ in 1955 and a wonderful tour of South America with an

Oxford/Cambridge side which defeated Chile and Argentina. For the next couple of seasons, Jim received regular invitations to England trials and received a string of reserve cards for internationals – but no cap! A Coventry full back called Fenwick Allison was playing well and keeping him out of the national side. Jim has the Welsh team of 1958 to thank for giving Fenwick a torrid time in the England v Wales match – leading, at last, to Jim’s first ‘cap’ and invitation to play against Australia. That was an extremely exciting and well-remembered match with England’s win coming in the closing minutes when winger Peter Jackson touched down in the corner to the acclaim of a huge Twickenham crowd. “It is generally one’s first cap that is best remembered and this was certainly no exception”, recalls Jim. The next day, the Manchester Guardian was to write: “Hats and cushions were in the air, the cheers were deafening. Hetherington will never play a finer game. His positioning and fielding were faultless and he kicked huge, flawless lengths for touch repeatedly. He made the one crucial tackle without which victory would not have been and, at the last, he was even entering the line in attack. Without him indeed, England’s conquering effort forward, the versatility and wonderful handling of Butterfield and Robbins and the final overpowering speed of Phillips, Thompson and Jackson might easily have accounted for nothing”

The England side went on to beat Ireland that season to win the championship. Jim went on to play all four Five-Nations international

matches the following season to give him a total of six ‘caps’ before he decided to retire. He was only 28 but had received head injuries that could, he was advised, affect his future health and business career. “For once, common sense prevailed, enough was enough and I hung up my rugby boots – and moved on to club cricket and tennis instead!” Rugby Union being a wholly amateur game up until the 1980s, Jim earned no money from playing for England (what a contrast to today!) Jim graduated in economics at Cambridge and spent some years in industrial marketing before becoming a management consultant. He went on to build a career as a head-hunter with Boyden International.”

During one of Jim Hetherington’s England games, the commentator Peter West mistakenly claimed that Jim had never played rugby at school. G.T. Schofield, the Headmaster, sent a letter to The Times newspaper putting matters right; the letter was published.

Of the 1947/48 Colts’ season the Churcherian notes that “the main point of interest in the 1947/48 season was the expansion of the fixture list to include matches against most of the schools played by the 1st XV. Unfortunately, a certain amount of confusion arose owing to the different age limits for Colts in the various schools, and team building to conform with three different age groups proved no simple matter. We apologise to any of our opponents who may have met the wrong side in consequence. It is hoped to avoid such confusion in future seasons.”

1948 team photo.

1950s

The first Churcherian of the 1950s contains this write up of the season, and one can discern the frustration of its author, Lt Commander W.J.S. Cooke: “Team-building was more difficult than ever this year; indeed, the side never achieved a final form. Of the two divisions, the forwards presented fewer problems, if only because there wasn’t a single really good player available. But they did learn to play as a pack, and sometimes remembered to do so in a match. It is to their credit that they were usually at their best against the stiffer opposition; but when they eased off they were capable of a deadness, both physical and mental, that was most disheartening to watch. Welch alone was consistently energetic: he has done well in the short time he had been playing, and with experience he should become good. The threequarters never even looked like becoming a line. No doubt they tried hard, but every one of them was liable to commit almost incredible stupidities at the most inopportune moments. And their defence was never sound. Veitch was steady at full-back, and R. C. Martin made a very gallant and not unsuccessful effort to turn himself into a scrum-half.”

The criticism for Jim Hetherington, captain in his final season for the school, reads:

It is a pity that, for the good of the side, he had to relinquish the opportunity of fulfilling the promise he had shown at fullback. As a centre he worked hard, and both on the field and off, did his job as a captain with competence.

His teammate D. Kemp was “erratic, and played very mixed rugby.”

In the 1950/51 season, there was a degree of keenness from the players, but that’s about as far as it went, the write-up stating: “To a man, the XV lacked some of the essentials of good football. Passing was feeble, backing-up inconsistent, and line-out work pathetic.” There were some familiar opponents on the fixture list during this period, such as Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS), Ryde, Seaford College, Bishop Wordsworth’s and KES Southampton.

Less familiar opponents were Whitgift and St George’s Weybridge.

In the 1951/52 season, the Colts XV rescued a miserable season right at the end with a final victory against Seaford College by nine points to eight. Up to that point, they had lost to RGS Guildford, PGS, Reading School, KES Southampton, Whitgift, Bishop Wordsworth’s, St George’s Weybridge and PGS again. A better performance against PGS the second time round suggested some improvement, but until the final win the team had conceded 230 points and scored a paltry 24. It was also in 1951 that Havant RFC was founded by OCs, including founder member Robbie Hiscutt.

In the 1953/54 season, rugby at the school had hit a low point: “To all those people who have taken an interest in the rugger played at the College, it is all too obvious that the standard of the game played here, has fallen to a deplorable level. In fact, the past three seasons have each been at least as bad, and probably worse than any other in the history of the College. To say the very least, something is wrong in the state of Churcher’s rugger. The problem is though, what is wrong? What has changed in the make-up of the College during the last three or four years? Suggestions have been made, some of them tried, none of them with much success. What is it then that has brought about this state of affairs, and what can be done to remedy it? The latest theory on the subject appears to show a more likely cause than any other tried or suggested so far. This places a lot of blame on a lack of interest in the game. Not as might be thought, most members of the schools’ representative teams, and the 1st XV in particular certainly do not suffer from lack of interest and keenness. This year’s 1st XV have been a grand team to lead and play with, despite the batterings they have taken. No, the lack of interest applies to the majority of the school, not the few, the all too few, who realise that it is a duty as well as a pleasure to play for a school team. Rugby football is a really grand winter game, anybody who has played in a few good games will know this for himself, too many people at Churcher’s have not even thought about finding out. I know it means a lot of work and time practising, nobody can get in the 1st XV and gain his full colours without it. Many people in the school however, try to get honour and position without doing anything to earn it. These lazy species of humanity have no wish to use their energy to play rugger, they would sooner sit back and let the school’s name fall. Even such a state as this would be bearable if it were just this, but laziness is a disease and spreads, affecting the few people that do try.

Not only this, but the new boys coming into the school are affected as well. The quicker these idle specimens work their way through the school, the better, for they are poisoning its rugger, and will eventually affect its other games as well. The few specimens that are at the root of the trouble, must be ignored until they leave, and the sooner the better, keenness does not hurt anybody, laziness does. I have no doubt that if the right spirit is put into the game, this spell will be passed, but it needs plenty of work. Come on Churcherians, present and future, throw out the bad, and put Churcher’s Rugger back on the top where it belongs.”

This passage about a low point in rugby seems to reflect a frustration with the voluntary aided scheme. After the war, boys came to school on the No6 bus from Bordon or the train from Hayling Island via Havant. The train line to Hayling Island, the Buffing Billy, was closed by the Beeching Reforms in the 1960s so pupils were driven to Havant station thereafter to catch the train. Sometimes these pupils had to leave school early to catch their bus or train home and it was therefore hard to get them to stay behind after school and train.

The 1st XV write-up mentions: “a most depressing term’s rugger. Adequate, sometimes good, work by the scrum was nullified by inept back-play, with a few exceptions. Tackling was non-existent; pace and determination lacking; and the will to win seldom apparent. Injuries did disrupt the side badly, but this is no excuse for lack of fight. The prime essential for any rugger player is courage and until the older boys in the school tackle hard and low at all times, depressing scores “against” will continue.”

In that season, the 1st XV won no games, conceding 277 points and scoring only 25. The 2nd XV fared little better, winning just one of their nine games. Lower down the school, however, things were looking a little brighter with the Colts winning two thirds of their games and the Junior Colts winning all but one. No doubt it was regretted that their solitary reversal was against local rivals, PGS.

Results-wise the 1954/55 season only slightly improved; the promise of a visit to Twickenham to watch a game spurring the team on to their single win of the season against KES Southampton. But, despite many more losses,

1954/55 1st XV.

there was a feeling that something had clicked for the 1st XV, particularly in the forwards, although the absence of a decent fly half hampered the team. The season began “with dismal prospect”, but ended as one that could be “looked back upon with satisfaction.”

By 1956/57 things were on the up. Of the 11 matches played, seven were won, two drawn and two lost. Despite the lineout play being ragged, the tackling was good, the three-quarters ran and kicked well and the team spirit was high. It was the “best season for at least nine years, and we are now no longer the ‘easy meat’ on our opponents’ fixture list.” The 2nd XV did not do quite as well, but the Colts that year won five of their eight games.

One of the players in the 1957/58 season was Ian Morris Whincup, who was in Drake, although he sustained a broken arm which ruled him out for some of the season. The previous year as a member of the Lower Sixth he had earned his half-colours and played sevens for the school. Sadly, the Churcherian of the following year contained his obituary. His death “cast a shadow over the school. He was one of the crew of twelve in a cutter from H.M.S. Fisgard, the Royal Naval Artificers’ Training Establishment at Torpoint, Cornwall. A strong gust of wind caused the cutter to capsize off Jupiter Point. A safety boat was close by, and the eleven other youths were rescued, but Whincup’s body was not recovered for some weeks. Eventually his funeral took place at Petersfield Parish Church, and was attended by his old form-mates, by a party from the C.C.F., and by some of the

masters. He was buried with Naval honours. Whincup entered Churcher’s in 1954 and was with us until July 1958. He was a member of the Rugby XV’, ‘the Cricket XI, and of the Hockey 2nd XI. He was an excellent lad and everyone liked him. To his parents and kin, we extend our sincere sympathy.”

The 1958/59 season saw the best ever seven-aside team to represent the College, following their participation in tournaments at Oxford and Roehampton. “At Oxford the team satisfactorily defeated Solihull, who were to have such a good run in the Public Schools’ Competition, and followed this by beating the powerful Seven of Lord Wandsworth’s College before succumbing to Oundle. In the Public Schools’ contest, held this year at Roehampton, we vanquished Hurstpierpoint, and so the team became the first to advance beyond the first round of the competition, but after the second round hopes of any further progress were dashed by the strength of Blundells’ team.”

It was in the 1950s that Churcher’s provided the first opposition for a Bedales rugby team; it is a game remembered by Gerald Hackemer. The Churcher’s side was mainly a 2nd XV and the game took place on a lovely sunny day. They were met by

A howling mob of girls surrounding the pitch, three or four deep.

1956/57 1st XV.

who had come to support the Bedalian team in their first outing. For students at an all-boys school this was indeed a memorable occasion, although equally memorable was the “very generous up-market tea”, which helped to celebrate the Churcher’s victory.

Jim Hetherington’s England debut was covered in the 1958 edition of the Churcherian. “It was a matter of especial satisfaction to all Churcherians and those who know Churcher’s Rugger, that James Hetherington, our first Blue, was selected to play for England against the Australians on February 1st, 1958. No greater justification for granting the School a holiday to watch a match has ever been forthcoming. The Twickenham authorities were helpful in recognising our interest in this match, and we were allowed several seats at a very late hour, but I want to express the thanks of us all to a boy’s father (Mr. Thomas), a Governor (Maj.Gen. Tollemache) and a friend of the College (Col. Glover) who sent us their personal tickets so that a larger number of boys could see Hetherington play. It was a terrific match, with Hetherington in fine form. We remember that disappointing moment, about ten minutes from the start, when, in taking his first penalty kick, the ball hit the crossbar. Later Hetherington was to put England level by scoring from another penalty, and eventually England won the game. At the end of the match, he was clearly suffering from concussion sustained in a hard tackle. A week later he was chosen again to be full back for England against Ireland. In this second match he unfortunately

received further injury which put him out of the game for the rest of the season. Hetherington wrote to say that he would play for the Old Boys on December 6th in the annual match against the present XV, unless he was chosen for an English trial on that day. Much as we look forward to seeing him here, there is a possibility that he will be selected for the trial, and everyone, especially every member of the 1st XV, hopes that he will be needed, that he will be in the England XV and in it on many a future occasion.”

From the 50s onwards, there are a number of staff members whose contributions to Churcher’s rugby deserve a mention. Malcolm Thomas, Mike Boardman, R.A. ‘Bob’ Pullen (who played for Petersfield RFC after he left Churcher’s College to manage Queen Elizabeth Country Park, and who was a great part of the rebuilding of the club), D.L. ‘Jim’ Scoular (an allround athlete and Petersfield RFC player) and Tony Hill (an excellent coach and latterly Head of Rugby at Trinity College, Glenalmond).

1957/58 1st XV.

Drawing from the 1959 Churcherian.

1960s

The 1961 Churcherian bemoans the team’s lack of size, something that coaches would still be talking about 60 years later. This was evident in the write ups – although given the opposition, it perhaps not surprising that Churcher’s was the smaller team.

“October 15th, VICTORY COLLEGE, SANDHURST – lost 9-6. Memories of last year’s fixture and injuries to our scrum-half and winger made us look upon this game as a grim battle to keep the score down to double figures. How wrong we were, and how right the Headmaster [G.T. Schofield] was when he said that the game would produce some fine rugby. I can now add, from both sides. The entire XV fought as they had seldom done before. They tackled hard and low. The backs gave and took beautifully, and on many occasions the ball passed right along the line when the movement was completed by a fine run by wingers Attrill and Blosse. The pack gave very little away in the tight, however it was in the loose where they really excelled. The back row continually harassed the halves, the front row were always prominent in the rushes, whilst the locks gave a fine display against their larger opponents in the line-outs. The scoring started when Brydon (now proving himself to be a fine prop) touched down after the backs had linked up with the forwards in a good handling movement. Sandhurst levelled the score with a try which must have involved their entire team. Churcher’s soon went ahead with a good penalty by Gammon (son of Keith Gammon, Chair of Governors), and thus at half-time we were in the lead. The second-half produced the same fast open rugger as had been seen in the first-half. Unfortunately, it was the turn of Victory College to do the scoring. A change of direction on their own line turned defence into attack and the score was levelled with another fine try. Could Churcher’s hold the draw, now urged on by the throng of noisy supporters? They did everything they knew to keep the lively Sandhurst pack out. The greater strength of those fit men began to tell and ten minutes from no time, they at last broke through when the full-back made the ‘extra man’. The battle continued but the fine play of full-back Flood kept the soldiers at bay. We had been defeated but not disgraced, for we had made a large contribution to a game that was enjoyed by all.”

Two weeks later and more size differences:

“October 29th, UNITED SERVICES SARACENS – lost 27-0. When the smaller members of the team beheld the massive frames of their opponents, they became demoralized and took the field in this frame of mind. It is therefore little wonder that we were so heavily defeated. The service side soon opened their scoring when some poor tackling in the middle allowed the centre to run through as he pleased. After that with their very heavy pack winning possession from the tight the Saracens gave the ball plenty of flight which produced good results. When a break was made it took two Churcherians to successfully tackle the criminal who made the break. The second-half produced some improvement but our small team were unable to make any headway against a fast and fit side…”

Criticisms from 1961 describe G.K.E. Collins’ hooking as “adequate if never brilliant”, D.F.K. Finlay’s “fiery temperament made him a very suitable person to complete the front row” and C.M. Langford’s play was “competent but he was rather slow”

The 1st XV season opened with a pleasing 13-3 victory against KES Southampton, despite the play being “scrappy”, although a “scissor movement (was) particularly noteworthy”

The Churcherian write up of the 1962 game against Petersfield RFC shows that at this time substitutions were not allowed, and if someone was injured the team carried on with fewer players:

PETERSFIELD R.F.C. (home) –lost 25-6. The match was spoiled somewhat by an injury to Finlay after five minutes. He took no further part in the game, but the seven-man scrum gave a magnificent display and even held the heavier Petersfield pack until the last twenty minutes.

Petersfield soon scored a penalty but then Hunt kicked a good 35yard penalty to even the scores.

Despite the loss, players from this team were being picked to represent Hampshire County; in 1962, R.B. Copsey and R.I. Matlock had the honour.

The issue of having no substitutions is echoed by David Crozier, who was part of a Sevens team that won the Hampshire County Colts Sevens tournament held at Havant RFC in around 1964. In those days, as now, Sevens was only played as a back up to hockey; alongside the Hampshire tournament the only other competition attended was at Rosslyn Park. After winning the Colts tournament in the morning the side played in the County Senior Tournament the same afternoon, coming a very creditable second place after a close-run semi-final, but David was unfortunate to play not part in it. He recalls:

I can claim no credit for the notable afternoon performance having picked the wrong member of the opposition in the Colts Final with whom to disagree. Rather than join a polite debate he promptly reshaped my nose.

Four years after leaving school, David was the focus of a Southern Television Programme called Facing South, of which he said: “It was a half hour documentary programme on Southern Television and focussed on Petersfield RFC, a well-established local rugby club with its home on the other side of Love Lane to Churcher’s and its club room at the back of The Red Lion. The programme also carried a less than inspired title of Roll me over in the Clover. The storyline was mainly how two players with differing educational and occupational backgrounds could find their way into what was then a significant level of representative rugby (which in those days was ostensibly amateur). I do recall that the Churcher’s Sports Master, Bob

Pullen, also represented the County as well as Eastern Counties. An amusing side note to the programme was that much of the rugby action was ‘staged’ as I was in the very early stages of recovery from surgery for appendicitis.”

The programme, which David found after a rummage through the family archives in his attic, was accompanied by a write up in the weekly edition of the TV Times:

“The portrait of Petersfield Rugby Club, where old school tie types rub ears with plumbers and bricklayers in the scrum.

It is the changing attitude of players and public to a game that for years was the preserve of the public schools that will be examined in the first Facing South documentary. This new democracy stands out at Petersfield, on an exposed pitch rented from the local council.

Every Saturday in the season, at the end of the ironically named Love Lane, 156 strong men in red and white striped shirts and socks run out from small council owned changing rooms to dig studs into rich, green turf. They are there to do battle, to prove that they are fitter, stronger and more skilful that the visitors. Thirty men rush through 80 minutes of flying mud and bruised shins. And not many leave the field in the state of health they stared with.

In the steamy atmosphere of the changing rooms, I probed the rugby revolution that has shown the game to the English masses. “Rugby is no longer exclusively public school”, said wing three-quarter David Crozier, who went to Churcher’s College – Petersfield’s public school – a few yards from the ground. “I think it has become more popular due to increasing television coverage over the past few years”, said David, who has been playing for 11 of his 22 years. “There may well be a lot of snobbery left off the field, but when we get out there and start playing it disappears. Social class is forgotten.”

David, who started work as a clerk with a law firm, but has moved to a bank, speaks with a public-school accent. But above the complaining shouts and recriminations of a changing room post mortem examination of bitter tackles and dropped passes he told me: “I don’t think about my background when I am playing rugby. To me it’s a game that I play with 14 other human beings.”

Fair, short-cropped hair matted with mud and traces of blood, Ivan Ridley is 25, and soon to be married. He is a plumber who went to a secondary modern school. He was not brought up to eat, talk and breathe rugby – he played soccer at school. It was only when a friend

The victorious Hampshire Colts County Sevens side c.1964. David Crozier is in the back row, second from the left.

suggested his 16 stone and 6ft 4in frame might be better in the second row of a scrum that he thought about rugby.

“I gave it a try and found it was right for me” he said. “I don’t feel inferior to anybody. If snobbery and that sort of thing was taken on to the rugby field at local club level the game would break down. The team wouldn’t function.”

Ivan, like David, has played for Hampshire. Off the field, the Petersfield Players return to their club room and the Red Lion pub to relax before going home.”

The show was produced by Anthony Howard, who was himself a talented scrum half who played with Ivan and David.

A 1963 criticism for P.B. Lance, full back, reads:

Lance’s play was unorthodox but when used sensibly his ability to turn attack into defence was an asset to the team. Unfortunately, during the season this unorthodoxy turned into inconsistency and the standard of his play dropped. His kicking, fielding, and judgement suffered. However, one very commendable quality which Lance maintained throughout the season was his courageous tackling and falling on the ball while under pressure.

The Burton Cup was still contested in the 1960s, although at this time it seems to have been for the Colts players, not the weakest senior players.

David Rivett recalls that “at least until 1965, rugby was the only ball game allowed at Churcher’s during the winter. Soccer was banned; in fact it was an offence to play with a round ball on the school fields. We had to post look outs to watch for teachers or prefects when we played. The games were usually on the field near the swimming pool which was out of sight of the main school building.”

The 1965 Drake House report says: “Complacency is a deadly sin, and Drakes seem to suffer from it. In the Autumn term, Drakes set out with high hopes of winning the Rugby Cups. Unfortunately, our Rugby Captain, Copsey, and also Bade, who was our threequarter hope, were both prevented from playing

in two of the matches. Despite this set-back we still had a chance of holding the 1sts cup, but because of over-confidence and consequent failure to play as a team, it slipped from our grasp. However, we triumphed in the 2nds and Burton’s competitions, taking both cups, each time after an exciting and hard-fought final with Rodneys. Besley always had the 2nds Cup in his sights as he captained a team whose spirit was indomitable. Both Newell and Carr showed consistency in their game which helped the team to its final victory, which was obtained by the following margins: v. Nelsons 8-6; v. Grenvilles 38-0; v. Rodneys11-3. (We should also like to congratulate D. W. Carr on his newlyestablished ‘ton-up’ prune record).

Like our 2nds, the Burtons went on to welldeserved victory. Holliday led a team that was to carry off the cup after hard-fought matches. Nelsons were easily overcome 34-0. Grenville however, taxed our scrum, but it held firm beneath the leadership of Hill. A. to win 18-0. Rodneys afforded the most testing match of all, but we still won 24-6. These results are particularly pleasing when it is remembered that most of the team will still be of ‘Burton Age’ next season. Once again Besley took captaincy of a Rugby team, this time in the ‘A’ team of the newly formed league system.

However, neither the ‘A’ nor the ‘B’ teams could follow the example set by the House 2nds and Burtons, and we could only manage a total of three wins.”

Although it wasn’t a fantastic season in terms of results, the 1964/65 season saw the first victory against Lord Wandsworth in 16 years, a nailbiting 5-3 win. The report of the 30-8 loss at home to KES Southampton says:

Though we were hopelessly outmatched – the new rules being no help to either side – there were one or two good individual movements.

It is not entirely clear what these new rules were, although research has unearthed a rule change for the 1968/69 season, where the replacement of injured players was added (law 12: up to two players per team). Mike Gibson replaced Barry John in the Lion’s first test against South Africa in 1968 and this was the first official replacement in a Test match (although replacements happened unofficially in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia before that). Tactical substitutions were introduced in 1996 (three replacements).

1964/65 was a season to forget for the Junior Colts who “maintained a 100% record last term, failing to win or draw any of their games. Their main failings were lack of power and speed particularly in the back division.” The following season was marginally better for the team, with two wins against Bedales and Reed’s.

The 1967/68 Churcher’s 1st XV had a player called Barry Russell at fly half, of whom it was reported that “his early season play was rather poor and gave ground for much anxiety, he seemed either to overrun the pass from scrum half or to knock-on. Only after a lot of running on to the ball in practice did he begin to develop the partnership with Baldwin that was to prove so useful in the second half of the term. He now stands out as one of the brightest prospects for next season, his play against Petersfield showed him to be superior to his opposite number, a feature of the game which he exploited to the full.” Unfortunately, Russell broke his wrist in the sixth game of the following season, against Chichester High School, which limited the team’s success.

Barry went on to play for United Hospitals, which in those days was First Class rugby, playing against teams like the Army, RAF, RN and the Met Police. He became a GP in Portsmouth and captained Portsmouth

A 1960s lineout; 1st XV vs OCs, which explains the presence of adults towering over their school boy opponents.

RFC, and did great work with youth rugby in Portsmouth, organising Portsmouth Sevens tournaments.

It was the 2nd XV who took the plaudits with a record of won seven, lost three. This compared to the 1st XV’s record of won eight, lost six and the Colt’s record of one win, one draw and eight losses.

The following season for the senior squad was one of “a continuous run of injuries… Against

a formidable Old Boys XV the College showed what it could do at almost full strength by winning 12-6. Even so Knowles was still missing with a broken nose, neither Robinson nor Quinn were recovered from broken arms and scrum half Elwood was out with a damaged ankle.” For the Colts XV that year “mention must be made of strong man ‘Tank’ Turner and the back row of Hopkins, Sprackling and Newell in the forwards…The best matches? Reed’s, King Edward VI and Totton spring to mind, but

The 1969 match against Petersfield RFC.

I shall also remember eight forwards pushing a slightly larger Midhurst pack four yards to gain a push-over try. One word of advice to the Colts – GROW – and we shall see many of you in successful 1st XVs of the future.”

The Junior Colts’ end of season report reflects that “rugby requires determination, judgement and courage. The Junior Colts displayed these qualities as individuals, but they rarely combined them all at the same time to play as a team. Team work means moving and thinking together, being aware of the people around you, and seeing your part in the game as something larger than your own narrow function as a player in a particular position. Often good, systematic play from a scrum or line-out would die as soon as the pattern was broken by a mistake or a successful tackle. It looked as though the players could not think beyond their detailed instructions as three quarters, forwards or half backs. The point of the game is, after all, to score tries. Forwards were too slow to go into loose scrums, too inclined to stand off-side and wait for play to reach them, and too often they held back from situations in which they were needed. Backs were content to take the ball standing still which lost them so much momentum, and they would not line up in defence which gave their opponents far too much room in which to manoeuvre. Tackling throughout the side was weak. Unless your opponent is effectively taken out of the game, your effort is wasted. A neck tackle leaves him free to pass, and, if he is strong, to carry on running. When the individuals learn to work together, we shall be on edge to see what happens. They gave many a thrill this season that they’ve every right to be proud of, and they hold a great deal of promise for next year.”

The 1969 Churcherian notes something that will be familiar to all B team coaches, the poaching of players for the A team, often at the last minute.

A Churcher’s 2nd XV is often the Cinderella side, where players are removed at the last moment to fill gaps which arise in the senior team and although this was again the case this year, a healthy spirit existed in the 2nd XV. Probably this was a combination of several of last year’s successful Colts team playing hard to gain promotion and a number of Veterans’ working equally hard not to be outdone.

The 1969/70 season was a good one for the Junior Colts, who won five of their seven games including a whopping 60-0 defeat of Seaford College.

As reported in the Churcherian of the following year, 16 November 1969 saw the death through illness of Jonathan Frank Cox (b. 6 Jan 1955), of whom it was said:

His immense determination had already been revealed through his performances on the playing fields. A powerful, muscular boy he quickly established himself, in his first term, as the outstanding Rugby forward of his year.

1970s

The 1970s started with a degree of optimism, with the 1st XV enjoying their most successful season for a number of years. Of particular note were the win over PGS and draws with KES Southampton and Reed’s. The forwards often outpushed their larger opponents and, although weakened by injury, the backs outplayed most of their opponents, too. There was “a tremendous spirit and will to win in the team, and many games produced exciting, open rugby of a high quality.” The 2nd XV, despite having players poached by the 1st XV, “responded by always playing with spirit and, when there was a full team, with quite a high degree of skill.”

The 1970/71 season flattered to decieve, however, as the following one was described as disappointitng. The 2nd XV did fare a little better than the 1st XV, and there is even mention of a 3rd XV, although they lost their four games. The season report for the 3rd XV says, “this great side, captained by Steven Todd, played Guildford, Seaford, Reid’s Cobham [sic] and Lord Wandsworth’s; the excellence of the play was only matched by the enthusiasm of the sides. In a sense it is somewhat unfair to call this side a ‘XV’ for on one occasion we had difficulty making double figures, on another we borrowed three men from the other side and twice we played with a man short. Our worst defeat was at home where a shreiking, hostile crowd made us lose morale. Nevertheless, despite the general feebleness of this side I think the players probably enjoyed themselves more than any other team.” The House Cup was won by Drake who scored over 100 points and conceded none.

A scrum from the early 70s, when the ball may have been put in straight.

A dive pass, a rare sight in rugby these days.

The 1975 Churcherian has a poem titled ‘Lament for the Under Twelves’, by A. Evans:

There’s a rugby match I remember still

When we lost to Westbury, 48–0!

(The official score was 0–44,

But no-one has ever been sure.)

The Westbury team were aged twelve and thirteen

With none under five feet four.

Churcher’s, however, though cunning and clever,

Could come nowhere near Westbury’s might.

And this terrible score, with bruises galore

Was all we could show for our fight.

We arrived in the coach with a cheerful tune, Which, worst luck for us, changed all too soon,

As we had no idea we would have to face

The massacre about to take place.

As we grovelled in the mud,

The resounding thud! thud! thud!

And the rising Westbury cheers

Confirmed our every fears.

This is no exaggeration we could only turn and face ‘em,

Use our imagination, and pray.

The pitch was an atrocity,

Muddy boots were stamped on me

And bravely fought our scrum-half, Tyrrwhitt D.,

And when an hour had passed, They scrapped us up at last,

The remains of what had been a rugby team.

But the Westbury team were “sports”, They took us to their hearts, Shoved us in the showers and made us clean.

Then they played the hosts, — I think we ate the most —

But then we need to grow,

Next year we’ll be thirteen!

Poetry off the pitch and, if we are to believe David Walwyn’s light-hearted write up of the 2nd XV’s season, poetry on the pitch too. “The true British tradition of amateur sport has continued to flourish in the 2nd XV where amateurish play excelled last season – the one-handed ‘chuck-pass’ and the free-for-all ruck were a notable part of our unconventional attack. We managed, however, to overcome all opposition (including Mr. Chapman, our vociferous crowd-controller), and literally strolled home with victories such as 56-0 v. Pierrepont, 46-0 v. Ryde, 9-0 v. King Edward’s Southampton and 44-0 v. Queen Mary’s Basingstoke. In the latter match an unremarkable contribution was made by

Junior Rugby Pitch, 1973.

Lineout in a senior house rugby match on memorial field between Rodney and Grenville, from the 1975 Churcherian. Players in white are David Walwyn and Mick Ball (jumping). Michael Himbury and Ian Wigg are on the right at the tail.

Nigel Harris (the honorary 1st XV captain). Nick Sample was pack leader – even if he did follow them – part-time captain and occasional try-scorer, without whose effort Nick Arnold wouldn’t have been able to sit back so much. David Walwyn, who in occasionally captaining the team tried to introduce some 1st XV professional touches, such as being heavily defeated, was thwarted in his attempt and ended up scoring... well, quite a few tries, kicks and penalties… The team – especially Paul Marvin, Nick Arnold and Paul Clarke would like to thank Mr. Chapman, without whom our results would have been even more impressive.”

Nigel ‘Chopper’ Harris, mentioned in this write up, is the older brother of Janine Hawkes who was one of the first girls to enter the school in 1988.

The 1977/78 season saw an U16 (Senior Colts) team introduced, meaning that no Fifth Year boy played up in the senior teams. However, the team did play against senior teams from other schools that were often much larger, because the U16s had taken on many of the 2nd XV fixtures.

In 1977, Peter Sutton, who had joined the staff in 1972, was sitting in the Blue Anchor pub on Ramshill (now a private property called Anchor House) having a couple of beers before heading over to watch the annual OC rugby game. Peter

was roped in to play by fellow teacher David Chapman, and was put out of position on the wing. Graciously, Peter gave the scoring pass to Jim Hetherington, who went over for the Old Churcherians’ only try.

The 1978/79 season, the Churcherian claims, would be remembered for arguably the best 1st XV Churcher’s had produced in its fiftyyear rugby history, even though the “hard, entertaining rugby” only managed to attract a “small body of hardy supporters”. Peter Coomb (Havant RFC and Hampshire), had a points tally for the 1st XV season that was in excess of 200. “This year rugby at Churcher’s took a giant stride forward. Realising that as from 1979 we shall be competing as an independent school and many eyes will be looking at the records, the teams certainly gave many similar schools food for thought. The 1st XV were fortunate when three of the previous year’s side returned to sit Oxbridge examinations. With ten wins from 12 games, it was gratifying to see enthusiasm and support grow as the season progressed. The 1st XV’s tour in Paris was also a great success. The return of the Oxbridge candidates consequently strengthened the 2nd XV. The ‘seconds’ had a full fixture list after a year’s lay off whilst the team structure was reorganised. The junior sides played well and it is encouraging to watch their progress.

1977/78 team photo.

Under 12 rugby has been particularly strong again. This side was last defeated on 12th November 1976. The most improved side must be the present Under 16’s who in 1977 won only two games from 11 fixtures but in this year their record was six wins from nine fixtures and two of the losses were by single figure margins. What of the future? There needs to be consolidation of the work already learnt and new methods and ideas introduced to keep sides abreast of modern trends. Specialist training equipment will be required in the future so that training methods will be less time consuming and more efficient. The fixture list for 1979 is already full and a tour to Amsterdam is proposed. Therefore, next season should prove to be another exciting challenge.”

Some of the staff in this era were asked to coach and referee games without any experience of the game whatsoever, and certainly no qualifications. Things did improve, and when Mark Adams joined the staff in 1997, he recalls being quickly sent on a refereeing course, a sign of the increasing professionalism of the set-up.

During the 1978 Christmas holidays, the school undertook its first overseas tour to France. There is as much in the write up about the ‘cultural’ aspects of the tour as the rugby itself, such as:

Tuesday 19th: Visited the Palace of Versailles in the afternoon then proceeded to Racing Club Versailles. The cinder pitch was extremely hard – some felt dangerously so – and the everobliging Tim Riches justified their anxieties by giving Lawrence Fiddler a literal hospital pass. We then left for the local cafe (having first thrashed the Froggies 22—18 in a typical display of hard, open schoolboy rugby) where we sampled the local poison, a mixture of sherry and beer, under the influence of which certain ‘O’ Level French rejects discovered a previously dormant linguistic ability.

David Chapman reflects on this period in the 1970s as an interesting turning point in rugby history at Churcher’s. “These boys inherited a tradition of 50 years of serious rugby at the college and they laid foundations for the next 50. Many of them came from the council estates around what is now The Petersfield School (TPS), from Bordon and Leigh Park in Havant. They came free under the voluntary aided principle and the school changed their lives; for good or ill. Most of them went away to university and played their rugby all over the world; unlike their fee-paying pre-war predecessors of the previous 50 years, they did not stay around in local business and professions and found rugby clubs.”

In 1979, the school moved from being a voluntary aided school to an independent school, as did King Edward’s, Southampton, the only other school in Hampshire to do so.

Overseas tours continued, with the second rugby tour, to Amsterdam, receiving the following write-up:

“Tour began in fine form with David Weddell giving us an instrumental send-off and our coach driver, Joe, entertaining us with many jokes about – driving. There was no delay at Dover this year and the boat trip was uneventful except for the appearance of a strange ‘bloke’ called Englebert. Our arrival at 6 a.m. in Amsterdam was marked by driving rain and a rugby practice, for those who were awake, in a cobbled car park beside a canal. When we eventually got to our ‘hotel’ (having had to move cars to get there), it turned out to be a student hostel of dubious quality.

Owing to rain and a Dutch obsession with floods, our fixture list soon suffered from cancellations. However, against all the odds and due to the kindness of our hosts, we did manage to play against Amstelveer. The game was played in excellent spirit despite cold, driving rain and the need to avoid assorted bits of bike on the pitch. We drew, 8- 8, with Dave Porter and Tim Riches getting excellent tries (and John Fordyce giving away the only penalty try of the season). This turned out to be the only game we played on grass but most of us played on a beach for over an hour one evening. This form of rugby proved to be extremely tiring but, in a small way, made up for the lack of rugby – I’m afraid that, on the whole, the weather defeated us.

Most of the days were spent travelling to other parts of Holland (Rotterdam, Utrecht and the Zuider Zee) and getting to know Amsterdam. Evenings were spent goading the proprietors into conversation and looking for red street lamps which, the locals assured us, were unique to our area of the city. On one memorable occasion, Mr. Forest-Jones, Mr. Bowden [Dr]

and Mr. Spight dragged us along to see a film at the local cinema. This evening was enjoyed by all although the rest of the audience seemed inclined to leave early, only to return some time later.

Other activities included finding vent for frustration at the lack of rugby: for R. Oliver – a rubber plant, for P. Hawes and J. Holt –Yocha, for L. Fiddlerand G. Melrose – doors. We returned to Petersfield via Bruges and Brussels. On the whole, the tour was enjoyed by all and its success was marred only by the terrible weather and consequent lack of rugby.

Acknowledgements – Mr. Bowden: whose organisation and work meant that the tour went ahead, and whose cigars drooped in the rain — Mr. Forest-Jones: whose sarcasm kept us on our toes and who was the inspiration behind what rugby we played. All the boys of the school and their parents who helped raise the money needed and gave so much good will and encouragement.”

Cup and Shield, 1978-79.

1st XV v OCs 1982.

Tim Rodber joined the school in 1980, in Nelson House, as part of the first fee-paying year. Along with his younger brother Ben and (in later years) nephew Zach, the family contributed much to Churcher’s sport during their time at the school. Tim was not big, but he was fast and he played in the centre. He was an enthusiast of all sports, with hockey his favourite – a love for which was developed by inspiring sports master Marc Eaton, who was a Welsh hockey international in his early 20s, and who led by example. Tim’s time in the CCF was also influential, teaching him the basics of teamwork and leadership. With boys from all walks of life in the years above him, there was an edge in the school and boys had to learn to look after themselves; British Bulldog was played on the fields and the privileged fee-paying pupils were a target, although it never amounted to bullying. At a recent 50th birthday celebration, a number of students from those days met up; sparring partners at school, but it was like brothers in arms at the party. It was a reminder of those important things instilled in the schoolboys of that era, by the likes of Marc Eaton, Kevin Donovan, Peter Sutton and Tim Dilks; of flying the flag for the school, having determination and resilience – things that would prepare Tim well for his rugby and military career.

In Tim’s 1982 write-up, as captain, of the U14 side, he writes of the rivalry with PGS:

Traditionally our main rivals are Portsmouth Grammar School and after beating them last year we wanted to maintain our good record against this school. An excellent, close match resulted, full of incident. The game ended 4-4 which fairly reflects the closeness of the match.

Tim did not go on a rugby tour whilst at Churcher’s, although he did once he had left. Overseas tours continued to be eventful – on a hockey tour to Barbados the squad played cricket with hockey equipment on the outfield of the Kensington Oval, and Marc Eaton hit a ball over the stand with his hockey stick.

While he was in the Fifth Year, Tim was selected to play rugby for Hampshire, Sussex, Dorset and Wiltshire, collectively known as Area 8. In a game against the South West Area, he came up against players that looked like grown men; no doubt West Country farming stock.

In the summer between the Fifth Year and the Sixth Form, Tim grew quickly and his mum had a difficult job finding him a jacket because he had grown so much. One of Tim’s team mates at Churcher’s was Matt Allchurch, who at a young age was already like a grown man. At half-time during a game, one of the opponents’ mothers grabbed the referee and said she’d like to complain because she thought Churcher’s had a master playing – she pointed at Matt. It’s a story that Tim’s father still enjoys telling.

On leaving Churcher’s, Tim had a place at the University of Durham, but opted instead to study at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes). Tim was an army scholar at Churcher’s and was sponsored by the Army through his degree, becoming a Captain in the Green Howards. Rugby was amateur in England until 1995 so Tim’s rugby and army career ran side by side.

Choosing Oxford Polytechnic was a fortuitous decision as it was whilst playing for them, in a heavy 47-0 defeat to the Polytechnic of Wales, that Tim got a tap on the shoulder from Barrie Corless, one of the architects of the revival of Northampton Saints’ fortunes in the 1980s. As it transpired, Churcher’s teacher Bob Broadhead knew someone called John Ebsworth at Northampton; Bob had said to him that Tim was a good player and it was because of this recommendation that Barrie Corless was there that day, which led to Tim signing for Northampton. Bob knew quite a few Saints players as he had taught with them at Northampton Grammar School (where, by coincidence, Peter Sutton had been educated).

The game between Oxford and Wales Polytechnics also gives an interesting insight into the period of transition from amateur to professional rugby. The Welsh RFU were finding that many of their players were moving

1987 - Tim Rodber in action.

to professional Rugby League clubs in the north of England, so they put their best rugby players into the Polytechnic of Wales to try and keep them. The team Tim played against featured a number of players who went on to be capped by Wales. Tim’s rise to international rugby was rapid, and he made his debut in the 1992 Five Nations in a team captained by Will Carling. Tim had left university and was going to Sandhurst for his first day, although that weekend he had been training with England and was picked to play against Scotland a fortnight later. On arrival at Sandhurst, along with other cadets he was introduced to his Colour Sergeant, a Scotsman from the Black Watch, who gave him short shrift when Tim’s forthcoming appearance for the Auld Enemy was mentioned. The RFU phoned the Army and Tim was given leave to join up with the England squad on the Wednesday before the Saturday International. Tim toured South Africa with England in 1994 where he met Nelson Mandela twice and went to his house, shortly after Mandela’s release from prison. The South African team were being paid, and it was not long before players in England were too. In May 1995, England Captain Will Carling described the Rugby Football Union general committee as “57 old farts”. He was sacked by the RFU, but was reinstated just two days later; a clear sign that the sands were shifting.

1997. He was also a member of the victorious 1993 England World Cup Sevens team that claimed the Melrose trophy with a 21-17 win over Australia. The England squad had three international caps between them (Tim had two and Andy Harriman had one) whereas the hot favourites Australia had some well-known players such as David Campese, Matt Burke, Willie Offahengaue and Michael Lynagh. Tim scored the winning try from well inside his own half, a feat he modestly describes as his “only claim to fame”. The commentator described the moment as “a great run by the big man, there’s nearly 17 stone of him and he can sprint like that.” He also won the Heineken Cup with Northampton in 2000 with a win against Munster.

In 1983, the Churcher’s team left for a tour to Brussels. It was pleasing to finally get on tour after the cancellation of the previous one due to snow. In the first game against A.U.S.B. three team members were quite badly injured and took no further part in the game. “Questions were…raised about the state of the pitch, which appeared to be concrete covered only by an inch or so of mud.” Due to the injuries, the team for the second game, against the British School of Brussels, only had 14 men (three of whom were not fully fit) but managed to win despite this. With two wins from two, the final game was against Avia Rugby Club, an air force cadet team, which they had strengthened with the inclusion of some U21 players. However, the hard-fought 17-10 win was well deserved; a pleasing whitewash on Belgian soil.

The “old farts” comment is what is remembered today, but it was his additional comments that were particularly pertinent and which paved the way for change.

Everyone seems to do well out of rugby except the players. It has become more than a fun game; what gets me, and a lot of players, is the hypocrisy of the situation. Why not just be honest and say there is a lot of money in the game? It is becoming a professional game.

A one-club man, Tim went on to play 235 times for Northampton, was capped 44 times by England, and twice for the British Lions in their memorable series win in South Africa in

Mark Mills-Goodlet joined the school and went on to be the 1st XV Captain in 1986. He remembers waiting in the Assembly Hall with all the other new students waiting to be told where to go.

“I spotted a chap called Lawrence Wells who I had just competed against at the national prep school’s athletics meeting a couple of weeks before. We introduced ourselves to each other and started chatting.

At that point we were gathered up and I was paired with Lawrence and we were escorted up to the old physics lab where our new class was situated. Lawrence and I were, it is fair to say, somewhat larger than the normal 13 year-old school boy, me being about 6’2’’ tall and about 17 stone and Lawrence being about 6’4’’ and about 15 stone.

We walked into the class room and the teacher Jim Searle looked up and said: “Please tell me that you two play rugby?” Jim Searle was the coach of the U13 rugby team.

We had an unbelievable team which was unbeaten for three seasons, only really tested by Lord Wandsworth College and Portsmouth Grammar School. I remember playing away to Ryde School on the Isle of Wight and the referee stopped the game about ten minutes into the second half because the score had reached 1040 to us. Our team was huge and fast and, on many occasions, you could tell by the faces of our opponents prior to kickoff that they already knew their fate.

Moving on a few years, Kev Donovan who was first team coach arranged a rugby tour to Belgium, which we were all very excited about. Any schoolboy who attended Churcher’s in the 1970’s and 80’s will remember the strictest

teacher in the school, Mr. Bowden, a name that ran fear through everyone and we were told that he was to accompany us on the tour to Belgium – a not good!

The first game took place in the evening against a team that had five Belgium internationals playing. I remember the atmosphere on the coach on the way to the game and Mr. Donovan commented that we were obviously fired up due to the silence, but nobody had the heart to tell him that we were still hung over from the night before.

Five minutes into the game my face met Lawrence Well’s foot which gave me a split nose requiring six stitches. Standing on the sideline covered in blood and bandages the masters were debating how to get me to hospital: “I’ll take him” said Mr. Bowden – oh no I thought.

So, there we are, waiting in a foreign A&E and having just been told that due to the location of the injury I would require pain killing injections into each eye socket I was a little nervous, when Mr. Bowden looked at me and said: “Never, ever tell anyone I did this” and then pulled out his hip flask of brandy and handed it to me. “That will settle the nerves”. Not all teachers are as bad as they seem.

The 1984/85 Senior Sevens side which won the Portsmouth Sevens Competition, with Mr. Donovan (left) and Mr. Chapman.

Lawrence and I were lucky enough to play rugby for Hampshire schools at various age groups and in 1984 we toured New Zealand and Fiji with an England schools’ team. It is fair to say that rugby out there is on another level of ferocity. A week after returning we had our first game of the season for the school and at the first ruck I remember being seriously told off with Lawrence by the referee. “I know where you have been playing for the last six weeks, but you don’t play rugby like that on my field” were his exact words – I remember them as if they were spoken to me yesterday.

I was extremely proud and honored to captain the 1st XV in 1986 and to this day when I visit the school, I always visit the hall to see if my name is still up there. Rugby at Churcher’s was special; I played for Hampshire, Petersfield, Alton, Winchester and England schools, but playing for the school was the rugby which brought a smile to my face.

I made a huge number of friends; Lawrence Wells is now an Osteopath in New Zealand, Mike Dance now lives in Portugal, Dave McCoy in Singapore, Keith Staddon in Tampa Bay, Florida so I’m always ok for a holiday and a rugby catch up with my old Churcher’s College team mates.”

The 1984 season was an unbeaten one against school opposition for the 1st XV, their only reversal an 18-13 loss against Havant RFC. The

all. The following term saw the start of the Sevens season so a squad of ten was chosen and practices began once more in earnest after the winter break. Three tournaments were attended — the Portsmouth R.F.C. Sevens, the Midhurst Sevens, and the National London Irish Sevens. Eventually, all the hard work paid off with two pieces of silverwork to our credit.”

In the mid-80s, a new English teacher assured his rugby colleagues that he was a qualified referee, and was thus invited to officiate at the first U12 match. From the first kick-off, which didn’t go the mandatory ten metres, it was clear he had no idea. Simon Hance, who was new to the game but would go on to play for London Welsh, scored several tries, but American Football style, without putting the ball down. The tries were awarded, and it was most embarrassing.

Also in the mid-1980s, new RFU bi-laws dictated that school boys could no longer

John Hewitt for Ireland against Fiji 1985.

1984 team photo.

play against adults, which they had in Old Churcherian and Retiring Captains games, and against Petersfield RFC teams, for many years. It is this that explains the absence of men in the school rugby picture archive from the mid-80s onwards.

In 1988, an U15 side toured Plymouth, and the 1st XV season was reflected on by captain P. Brodie:

The 1st XV was a team of individualists and strong personalities with an uncommon sense of self-righteousness. They could display collective gloom in the face of defeat as at P.G.S. or collective confidence as seen against the Old Boys. At other times, a malaise affected the side and induced sluggish performances. It is fair to summarise this season with a capacity for work when willing, but one which lacked the control to turn its full potential to its best use.

For the U13s, the 1989 season, which was to develop into a most successful one, had a disappointing beginning on a warm September afternoon at King Edward’s, Southampton. “Here, although we did not know it at the time, we were to meet one of our strongest opponents, and we lost 14-18, in spite of being considerably the better team on the day. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, the referee, who showed a commendable grasp of the laws of the game,

seemed unable to summon up the breath to blow his whistle unless Churcher’s were going forward, and had the dreadful misfortune to collect a lump of mud in each eye at exactly the same moment when KES committed an infringement, prior to scoring (poor man, this happened twice!). The other factor was the crass stupidity of the Churcher’s coach, Mr. P.W. Sutton [author of the write-up] , who acceded to the referee’s request that the home side’s star player, who had gone off with an injury and been substituted, should be allowed back on the field. This young man then showed his lack of breeding by scoring the winning try. But after this early setback the team, inspired by some outstanding performances by their Captain, Simon Hance, went from strength to strength, defeating all comers by large margins. There was the minor setback of the 18-18 draw at St. Bartholomew’s, which was largely due to the fact that the Churcher’s side chose this day to demonstrate its new style of tackling. This consisted of flinging two arms around an opponent’s neck as if he were a long-lost brother, with the dual result of leaving him upright still holding the ball and incurring the wrath of the referee and the home supporters. The coach pretended to take an interest in another game. The only other defeat was at Chichester where at 8-12 down and a minute to go Simon sat down for a well-earned rest just 2 yards short of the opposing goal-line. A midseason crisis off the field was precipitated by a mole who hinted that the Captain’s father was paying him 50p a try and that he was on £1 a try against P.G.S. Rigorous investigation revealed this to be true but an accommodation was reached with the player’s sponsor whereby the money was to be held in trust until Christmas, thus preserving his amateur status. Still, we hope Twickenham does not get wind of it. The climax of the season was an unforgettable 12-10 victory against Portsmouth G.S. on their own ground. Having quickly taken a 12-0 lead the whole team threw everything into repelling the second half onslaught of their opponents. A shining victory. Although the team contained some outstanding individual players it was gratifying to see them fuse together over the course of the season. Next year they will be a force to be reckoned with, especially if we can continue to count on the disgracefully partisan support of their parents.”

There was also an U15 tour in 1989 in a season where the team won the Hampshire Cup and got to the last eight of the NatWest Cup Competition.

1986 team photo with Captain Tim Rodber.

1990s

The 1992 Churcherian mentions how “the success of another past pupil created great interest, particularly amongst the rugby fraternity, with the selection of Tim Rodber into the England team. We are all delighted with his success and wish Tim many more caps in the future. It was particularly pleasing that Tim was able to attend the Old Churcherian London dinner.”

There is also a report of a 1991 Churcher’s College rugby tour to Spain…

“The tour party assembled at College on a very cold morning in December. Saturday the 14th spelled disaster for Jigme as he had the first accident of the tour, crashing his car into the front of school and causing great damage (to his car). … We arrived safely in Benidorm and settled into our lovely hotel. The first night was an early one on orders because of the first match on the Sunday afternoon. We were collected from our hotel by a coach and taken to a town called Murcia. As the match was to be played on the University ground it was somewhat worrying that we would be playing a university side, but even more worrying when we discovered we were playing a club side of HUGE 20-25 year-olds.

The match got underway and we thought that we would have an advantage as it was raining (apparently the Spanish team was scared to leave the changing room). Churcher’s made a slightly shaky start which was understandable as some were playing people ten years their elder and twice their size. Murcia soon put 15 points on the board. Churcher’s gained confidence and the team began to battle back, playing some running rugby which eventually ended in a Chris Knight try, ignoring the overlap and scoring 4 points. He failed to convert the try (15-4). At halftime the team were given stern words from coach Donovan, who was angry at the terrible refereeing.

In the second half Churcher’s held Murcia well, despite horrendous Spanish refereeing and Woodward’s line judging. Murcia then scored again as Simon Hudson left the field after an unlawful punch was thrown (19-4). Churcher’s fought back and at no point did we give the game up and nearing the end we scored a wellworked try; Simon Hance was held up near the line and the weight of the forwards drove him over for a try (19-10). The game ended with high spirits among both teams and the Spaniards laid on superb post-match hospitality which everyone in the team enjoyed.

Monday was the first day free to ourselves and the first day to explore the lovely coastal resort of Benidorm. Some decided to make use of the beach and practice their rugby. In the evening we explored the town of Benidorm and its many interesting attractions. Some of the party,

Newspaper clipping - Toulouse tour.

namely Hudson, Harper, Maggs, Bull, Avery and Brown, ended up at a local Karaoke and WON the competition.

Tuesday was the first training day on the beach. We were up at an unearthly hour for a run and some skills training. After that we had the rest of the day free. Some hired out motorbikes, Peter Longland displaying his natural talent at riding the machine. Others treated the day as a rest day and slept in their rooms.

Wednesday arrived and it was the day of our second match. Some of the elderly people staying in our hotel showed great interest in the tour and commented on our smart appearance and also showed a great interest in the games we were to play. This was encouraging in that we had some support. The coach picked us up in late afternoon and we travelled a rather long journey to Valencia. By the time we arrived it was dark and so we played by floodlight. The pitch was very muddy and in poor condition, but Churcher’s got stuck in well. Unfortunately, the Spaniards, with home advantage, were first to score a penalty and then followed up with a further two tries and conversions (15-0). Knight then kicked a penalty and Churcher’s regained some confidence (15-3) leading to a superb try finished off by Richard Avery (15-7). Unfortunately, Churcher’s let off and Valencia scored again. Then in a spell of superb running rugby, Hance broke away and scored a fine try (19-11). Valencia then ran away with the game, scoring twice which was understandable as we discovered afterwards they were National Champions, despite their being the same age group. The final score: 32-11. Rather dejected, we were transferred back to our hotel with our final match to prepare for and look forward to.

Thursday and Friday were again free days with various pursuits taking place. After some leisurely days we arose on Saturday morning all packed and ready to play our final game. Villajoyosa were a nearby side who, though

large, were unskilled. We took some time to score due to a strong wind, but when we did, our confidence grew and we came away with a (35-0) win. Chris Knight scored his 100th point of the season with a try and penalties. Matthew Winter, the never-tiring Captain, scored tries, Andrew Lang and Simon Hance emerged as leading try scorers and Neil Woodward as an extremely bad catcher of the ball. The match was enjoyable and it was pleasant to end the tour with a win.”

In the write up of the 1993 season, the high point was

A knife-edged cliff-hanger of a heart-stopping, gut-wrenching finish vs City of London Freeman’s School, in which Churcher’s triumphed just nanoseconds before the final whistle.

At this time First Year rugby was played in the spring term. The autumn term was left for coaching basic skills before the competitive matches of the spring term. Peter Sutton wrote about the season: “The day of the first match arrived and Portsmouth Grammar School, the cads, moved the goalposts. Not literally, you understand, but in idle discussion before the game their coach happened to mention to our coach that he wasn’t very keen on this new 12-men rugby. Suitably set up, our men replied “what do you mean?”. At which point it transpired that a ruling had descended from the Olympus of Twickenham to the mortals of the school games field that those under 12 should not play in teams with a back row.

The uninitiated amongst the readership of this magazine, and there must be blessedly few, will

1991 team photo.

The U14 team defending their lines.

be wondering what the big deal is about playing without a back row, or indeed what a back row is, if not an argument about a displaced spinal disc. Well, for the uninitiated (you blessed few) the big deal is that the back row (the back three members of the scrum) is the part of the team, along with the half-backs, around which a strategy is built. If you’re told 10 minutes before a game that you haven’t got a back row, then you haven’t got a strategy. We lost that one 24-0.

…Armed with a new back-row-less strategy, we marched on to play Lord Wandsworth, away to boot. We told them what Portsmouth had said. They smiled knowingly and said: “yes, they’d tried that one on them-but we play 15 a-side here!”. We lost 5-0 in a very close and exciting game but, nevertheless, confound all strategy! We moved on, with prior agreement as to the number of players we might expect to field or oppose and where we might find them on the field, to St John’s. As usual their front row seemed to have been dieting in the canteen of the Southsea Sumo Wrestlers’ Club and their three-quarters could have given 20 yards to Linford Christie. But did our boys complain? Well, yes, actually they did when the St John’s boys tackled ours and tickled them with their beards. Most unpleasant! We lost 32-0. We played three and lost three but not, at this level, by large margins. It must not be forgotten that our three opponents, individually and in a team, have been playing rugby for, usually, considerably longer than we have. I see great hope for the future in the talent and spirit of this squad and advise our three initial opponents to take care in the seasons to come.”

In 1994, sports teacher, Marc Eaton, wrote that he hoped to offer girls’ rugby in addition to the other recreational activities on offer. It was in this year too that “Jonathan Attley, playing the Prince of Verona in the school’s performance of Romeo and Juliet, has been injured in a rugby match, and has been rushed from QA to play his part on crutches.”

In 1995, “the Churcher’s College 1st XV rugby season was not a huge success. At the beginning of the season, it was obvious that we were to have trouble turning our pressure into points, and unfortunately, this continued throughout the season. However, the team can be happy that we produced some wonderful running rugby and we never dropped our heads.

The highlight of the season was no doubt the rugby tour to Toulouse in Southern France which is the home of French rugby. Here, despite fierce opposition, we produced our best rugby. Playing against older, larger, and more experienced teams, we held our own and performed in a manner that even the French national team might have been proud of. Off the pitch, the French hospitality was wonderful, with excellent food and wine. Churcher’s College also managed to provide live entertainment at an Irish pub in the centre of Toulouse, much to the delight of the local inhabitants. After the tour, we returned confident that we could exploit our new skills, however, it was not to be.”

The 2nd XV were unbeaten that year, and the U15 team won 11 of their 13 matches. The U14s had a dismal season, although it ended well with their single win in a tense finale against Reed’s who scored a try right at the end.

We could only watch and pray as their kicker lined up for the conversion right between the posts. He struck it badly. It spun dangerously towards the posts and... dropped short. We come away from the season on an unbeaten run of one game. I hope we can build on it. Many thanks to Mr. Scott and Mr. Page.

The team is clapped off the field during the 1995 tour to Toulouse.

Mr. Sutton’s unbeaten 2nd XV (1995 Churcherian).

Around this time, rugby coaching at the Junior School was helped by the enthusiasm of Petersfield RFC coaches, who gave up their time to offer sessions in the spring term, to give the Junior students a “taste of the game”; the sessions were a “tremendous success”

However, it was a disappointing season for the U12s in 1996, losing all four of their matches, conceding 115 points and scoring none. Despite this, team spirit and self-belief remained high.

The 1997 1st XV tour was to Brussels and Paris…

“Our first floodlit French fixture… was against Vitry Rugby Club in the south of Paris. By this stage, the temperature had plummeted and we arrived at the ground to find it resembling a frozen ploughed field. To keep out the cold, we covered ourselves in Deep Heat and Vaseline, which was more enjoyable for some than others. In the meantime, however, Mr. Donovan had quite rightly decided that we couldn’t play on such a pitch. Our French hosts were not deterred, however, and insisted that we go down the road to look at their other ground. This was of a better quality, and it was agreed that we could play on it. By this time, many of us were not in the best of moods, especially after being accused of chickening out by the French. From that moment on, we didn’t need much encouragement and we all went out very fired up. This took the French, who were expecting a walkover, by surprise, and after a tough match, we lost 7-10. I’m still sure half the team were married with three children and a mortgage.”

The 1998 Churcherian has a photo of the U14 team defending their lines which, the caption reads, “sums up their season quite well.”

1996 team photo.

A 1st XV lineout (1997 Churcherian).

2000s

Organised by Edwin Doran, 2000 saw the first long-haul tour – five games in South Africa, finishing with some rest and relaxation at Sun City. The boys were well hosted, although experiences were mixed; one evening the staff entered a bar and everyone there stopped to look at them – no-one had any teeth; there was a trip to a shoe factory, where the soles were made from used tyres; on a visit to Table Mountain, the boys were told to watch out for the dassies (small mammals also known as rock hyrax).

At one point on the tour the boys got off the bus and some of them started walking up a hill. The bus driver calmly said to the staff

They shouldn’t be going up there. There’s a cave where a leopard lives, but don’t worry, it’s winter so it is probably hibernating.

The boys were quickly called back to the bus and counted.

As this was the first long-haul tour, there was no knowledge about the quality of opposition. In the game against Graafwater, Mr. Sutton was required to referee, which he did on a pitch covered in stones. At another fixture in the Langa township, there was no toilet paper, which one of the boys needed. Having been given directions to the local shop, Mr. Sutton and Mr. Adams made a slightly unnerving trip along the narrow alleyways between the corrugated iron dwellings to the ‘shop’, which consisted of an iron grille over a window. The game itself was against a ‘Development 15’, from which a number of payers had played for South Africa age group rugby. Mr. Sutton had a job to keep up.

After the game, some of the players were attacked by a madman. However, shortly after, some local heavies came and took him away, his presence being detrimental to the much-needed tourist visits to the township.

On another occasion, on the way to Stellenbosch, the tour party visited a monastery, the occupants of which were expecting, on account of the school’s name, a church party rather than a rugby team. Nevertheless, they were good hosts.

Jonathan Roberts, who was a player on this tour, remembers that John Inverdale said a few words at the end of tour dinner. He was in Sun City presenting the World’s Strongest Man competition and some of the players bumped into him by the pool, told him they were on a rugby tour, and he offered to come and speak.

In 2003, the year that England won the World Cup in Australia, the tour was to South America. Flying via Madrid to Buenos Aires, the team played two games in the Argentinian capital, including against Belgrano Day School, before one in Mara del Plata. On the first night, the team went to a restaurant and paid the bill thinking the price was in dollars. In fact, it was in pesos, and as the restaurateur said nothing, the team spent about five times as much as they should have, albeit that they still considered it reasonable value. The host staff took the Churcher’s staff to a restaurant called ‘Sigue la Vaca’ (Follow the Cow). The staff had never seen so much meat, with all parts of the cow available to eat; the Argentinians did not touch vegetables.

Some of the team went to an adventurous activities centre. One boy got cold feet on the zip wire and the nickname, ‘Dangerous’, stuck. There was also a memorable visit to the Iguazu falls between Argentina and Brazil.

There then followed two games in Santiago, the capital of Chile. The squad drove up to La Serena on the southern edge of the Atacama Desert. Here they played a game where the clubhouse, if it could be called that, was a wooden shack. Once again, Mr. Sutton stepped in to referee and one of his touch judges was ‘el Presidente’ of the club, who kept waving his flag to get Mr. Sutton’s attention. Mr. Sutton finally went over to see what he wanted and he said that the Churcher’s boys were constantly offside, although he did not seem to be aware of his own side’s regular infringements. Churcher’s lost the game 6-3, and after the game the postmatch meal was eaten in the clubhouse, as nightfall came. At one point Mr. Sutton went outside for some fresh air and was seized by some of the opposition forwards, taken onto

2005 Coaches - Peter Sutton, John Hewitt, Kevin Donovan.

1st XV practice.

1st XV practice.

2007 South Africa tour.

2007 South Africa tour.

Coach Dan Cox.

the pitch and tied to a post. Fortunately, some of the Churcher’s boys saw that something was going on and went out to confront the situation. The matter dissolved, and Mr. Sutton’s abiding memory as he was untied from the post, is of el Presidente’s toothy grin. Mr. Donovan, who had organised the trip, asked Mr. Sutton to be his interpreter, even though his languages were French and German. Mr. Donovan would ask Mr. Sutton to take up the same role of interpreter in 2006 during a tour to Italy, even though his main languages were still French and German.

There are some comments about the start of the millennium in Gill Clarke and Donald Brooks’

The History of Churcher’s College…

“The 1st XV had one of its best seasons in 2000, declared the coach, while in 2001 the 1st XV played with ‘passion and commitment’ (as always one believes) and deserved its decisive wins. It was a relief that the 2nd XV did equally well despite the printed anguish

(totally ignored) from Mr. Sutton at the ruthless pruning of his team by his superior; the U15 XV won eight of their matches and reached round five of the Daily Mail Cup in 2003. The South American tour of that year was tough and sometimes frustrating but, writes Mr Donovan [Director of Sport and Head of Rugby], gave a positive aggregate at the end’. There was much to celebrate in 2004, with the 80th anniversary of the beginnings of rugby at Churcher’s. Dinner was held in the College on the Saturday, followed by a match the next day played between an Alton XV and the 1st XV and another between two OC XVs… in 2005 the 1st XV lost to Peter Symonds in the Hampshire Cup semi-final.”

In 2006, when the Senior School roll stood at around 650, the U15 team went on a tour to Italy during October half term. The team stayed in Chioggia, south of Venice, and watched a glassblowing demonstration where a professional glass blower made a rearing horse. On the final morning the hotel staff accused the team of causing damage to the hotel, which was a complete nonsense as the team had been impeccably behaved. The hotel management locked the doors and said they were going to call the police, so Mr. Sutton walked the tour party out of the hotel through the kitchen instead, and nothing more was heard of the matter. On that trip was Joe Atkinson who went on to have a professional rugby career…

“When I was at school, I was in the London Irish academy. Then I went to Loughborough University and obtained my BSc Hons in Geography and played BUCS and National 1 rugby. In my final year I went for a trial down at Cornish Pirates which was a success and I signed my first professional contract to play Championship rugby in the 2013/14 season. I played at Pirates for three years before signing two years for London Scottish. Here I got scouted for Wasps in 2018/19 and got my first Premiership cap in September 2018. After a year at Wasps, I signed for Bedford Blues where

2003 South America tour.

I played for my final 3 seasons of professional rugby. I retired in 2022.

Thankfully my memories of rugby are kept fresh because when I meet up with my old school mates, we spend most of the time reminiscing about rugby games and tours!

I was lucky enough to go on two tours: Venice and Canada. On the Venice tour we were playing against some massive Italians who we were pretty sure could legally drive. We got henna tattoos from street artists. On the Canada tour we were billeted with three separate teams which was an amazing experience. Each team put on a party after the game; a cowboy themed one and a frat party one held on Calgary University campus. We beat teams in Calgary and Kamloops and lost to a Vancouver team.

The rival teams that stayed a pretty constant throughout my time at Churcher’s were Lord Wandsworth, and a close second was PGS. This was probably because there was a large contingent of players who played for their clubs on Sundays against Petersfield RFC, who I played for, so we would come up against them a few times a year.

The London schools always seemed to have big, skilful teams that were a level above but we definitely got the better of a few of them!

Another great memory was winning the Hampshire schools cup in 2009 (I think) with an all-round performance against St John’s, Southsea at Winchester rugby club.”

The 2006 Churcherian mentions “two stars of the future! Both on the England books, both have developed their rugby with Petersfield Rugby Club and both are in the Sixth Form at Churcher’s College. Matthew Humphries recently played for the England Academies side against France U19, and has just been given a full professional contract with Guinness Premiership club London Irish for next season. Matthew’s achievements have only been eclipsed by school-mate Fiona Pocock, who recently toured Canada with the England Ladies U19 Team and really made her mark on the international scene, scoring a hat-trick of tries in her international debut. The pair both train together at the Churcher’s College, where they also both study A Level PE. Matthew said: ‘You certainly have to respect all that Fiona has achieved, and the fact that despite my size and experience Fiona has no difficulty bringing me down!”

Fiona sheds some light on this… “One muddy afternoon, trying to complete my GCSE PE coursework where my main sport was rugby, the only candidate available for me to ‘showcase my tackling ability’ was Matthew Humphries, who was in the year above me. It probably broke

Joe Atkinson.

Fiona Pocock.

all sorts of rules in hindsight but there wasn’t anything more satisfying than tackling him to the ground! I think a photo of this moment still exists in the school corridor walls somewhere. The support from the school was fantastic. Despite my increasing rugby commitments, the unbreakable willpower of Mrs. Godeseth helped me to pass German. Incredibly, I pulled it off but I fear Mrs. Godeseth’s patience was tested beyond measure or repair. Truly I am grateful, Vielen Dank!”

Fiona played for Harlequins and was capped 32 times by England, representing her country at the 2010 World Cup, where an injury in the semi-final against Australia deprived her of an appearance in the final. Gary Street was Fiona’s England coach, and in more recent times he has appeared on the Churcher’s touchline when coaching teams at Gordon’s school. On one occasion, watching apologetically as his U15 team got trounced by a visiting Churcher’s side, he said that at the time of the 2010 World Cup he considered Fiona the best player in the world.

A year later, in 2007, the U15 team toured France and Holland, taking in the Brussels Expo building and the Manneken Pis on the way. In France, as is tradition, the opposition arrived for this U15 game on their motorbikes or in cars, and had forgotten to shave.

That year the Senior tour was to South Africa, and all the games were around Cape Town, although the end of tour ‘R&R’ was in Sun City. The tour was not as eventful as the previous long-haul tour, although there was torrential rain and after one of the games, the Headmaster of a host school ran over a porcupine.

The 2008 U15 tour to Belgium saw games against Ottignies Rugby Club, and Melle College in East Flanders, opposition that the U15s would play against on a number of successive tours. Both opposition teams gave the Churcher’s touring squad a wonderful welcome and great hospitality. The games were usually won, which gave a timely morale boost to sides who had found the first part of the

Fiona Pocock tackles Matt Humphries (2006). Churcherian).

season tough. At this time the season opener was usually against Bishop Wordsworth’s College in Salisbury, followed by a string of tough fixtures, so the half-term tour came as welcome respite, and usually led to an improved second half of the season. The squad stayed in the Hotel t’Putje in Bruges where the ‘steak and chips’ was something to behold, and may have been more of a reason for Mr. Donovan to organise successive tours than the rugby. Between games the tourists enjoyed the chocolate factory, brewery tour, a boat trip and ascending the 83-metre-high Belfry on the central square.

The 2009 Senior tour to was to Canada and the squad arrived in Calgary at the time of the ‘Calgary Stampede’, which despite its grand name was little more than a glorified fair. The two games in Calgary were both won easily. At Banff the team stayed at the YMCA. At a brief pit stop on the journey there Mr. Sutton had asked the coach driver why all the bins were padlocked, and was told it was to deter bears. The following morning, without thinking, Mr. Sutton got up at 7am to go for a run and about ten minutes in, remembered the bins, and the bears; thinking better of the morning exercise he decided to turn back. On his way back to the hotel he passed Mr. Hewitt who had also decided to go for a run, and who was quickly persuaded to turn back himself. John Hewitt had joined the school as Deputy Headmaster in 2005, and took over running the 1st XV. He was well placed to, having been capped by Ireland in the early 1980s. From Banff, the squad drove across the Rockies to Vancouver and their final games.

The first games to be played on the two pitches at Penns Place, near the Taro Leisure centre and the East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) buildings, occurred in 2009. Headmaster, Simon Williams, recalls the saga, much of which unfolded even before his arrival at the school in 2004. The school was desperate to find another venue for the Junior School, having grown out of Moreton House on The Spain in Petersfield. The Governors looked for an alternative site in Petersfield including on the Senior School site, but at this time the possibility of purchasing land at Penns Place from Trinity College, Cambridge came up. However, EHDC wouldn’t give planning permission, so the school went ahead buying the failed, proprietary owned prep school called Littlefields, in Liphook. Despite this, there was still an option on the land at Penns Place. The governing body was split, and Simon Williams was asked his opinion in June 2004 before he started as Headmaster in September. His opinion was that if you have enough money to buy land you do, as it won’t depreciate. The school had a portfolio of stocks and shares valued at £170,000 that was doing little, so funds were redirected; at least one Governor resigned in protest. Ten acres of land was purchased in July 2006. At the time, Peter Caines was farming the land mainly for a maize crop so the school had to seek planning permission for change of use from agricultural to playing field. In spring 2008, the field was ploughed and prepared for seeding; they are the best pitches the school has.

2007 South Africa Tour.

2010s

In contrast to the wonderful pitches at Penns Place, it was always said of the pitch on Nicholson’s field that, whichever direction you were running in, it felt like you were running uphill. This all changed in 2010 when the opportunity was taken to level the field, although the pitch is still not flat, with balls inclined to roll down the slope towards Love Lane.

In 2011 there was a tour to South Africa, followed by a tour in 2013 to the USA and Canada, where the itinerary took in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Sarnia, Toronto and the Niagara Falls. Poor scheduling meant the squad was on the plane taxiing on the runway just as the decisive third Lions Test against Australia got underway. After hearing that Alex Corbisiero had scored an early try, all phones had to be turned off. However, the steward, sensing the tour party’s need to know, gave the squad a positive score update, which lifted the tension.

In the airport before departure the boys were also delighted to meet the magician Dynamo and get his autograph, although their delay arriving at the gate led to the first tour fine. It was not to universal acclaim that Mr. Seaton had introduced the tour party to the ‘obvious game’, which saw the accomplished Michael Gray standing under the sign at the Detroit Lions stadium saying ‘press room’ and asking: “where do the journalists go?”.

At Chicago, the team did lineout practice on the beach, looking out over Lake Michigan. Happily for the hookers, the windy city did not live up

to its name, though there were some quizzical looks from onlookers who had clearly not encountered rugby before. The best hosting was at Sarnia where the students were billeted after a 41-5 win, and in whose clubhouse Mr. Seal found a shield that his Cranleigh school tour party had left when they toured in the 1980s. The hosts ensured that the Lions game that had largely been missed on the way over was on in the clubhouse. The staff were also introduced to a game that can only be described as table-top curling, at which they improved as the night wore on.

The following day, the team had been invited to spend the day at a house on the edge of Lake Huron. It was difficult for the tourists to get their head around the fact that what looked like a sea stretching to the horizon was actually fresh water. Such was the relentless schedule, Willie Nelson’s ‘On the Road Again’ would have been a suitable tour song.

After the 2013 tour, there was not a long-haul tour again for ten years. Efforts were made to launch them, but due to competition with World Challenge trips which took place on alternate years, and then Covid, they were difficult to get off the ground. A number of short-haul tours took place, mostly to Lisbon just prior to the start of the new season.

Pitch-side first aid support, which up to then had been provided by St John’s ambulance, was replaced with physios from a local company, who were much better suited to dealing with sports injuries, and tended to be much quicker to injured players.

The U15 sides of this era had some successful campaigns, reaching the last eight of the National Cup before being beaten by lager schools such as RGS High Wycombe, Whitgift and Wellington College.

The NatWest School’s Rugby U18 Vase Final winners - Churcher’s College.

In 2014/15, there was a run to Twickenham in the NatWest Vase competition. Here, we present a selection of memories from players and staff members involved in the greatest day in Churcher’s rugby history…

St John’s College (Home w/o)

The 1st XV had beaten St John’s College, Southsea quite convincingly earlier in the season, and with no appetite for another drubbing the opposition pulled out, and the team was given a home walkover. Little did the boys know that as the news of the cancelled game filtered through to Ramshill, it would be the first step on a journey that would take them all the way to Twickenham.

Chesham Grammar School, Buckinghamshire (away: won 29-0)

The game against Chesham Grammar School was the first of four consecutive away games.

The side was mixed up a bit and we were able to give some players a game because of injury. We didn’t really know what to expect as it was our first game in the vase.

Ben Seal (Head Coach)

The Windsor Boys’ School, Berkshire (away: won 47-0)

I think the pitch was on a flood plain. Even though the scoreline was better than the previous game, they were a better team than Chesham.

Ioe Farrell (player)

“We started doing a lot of extra sessions and looking into the opposition and taking things a lot more seriously. I remember saying to Harry Trowsdale on the bus home; only four more games until Twickenham.”

Stefan Younghusband (player)

Chosen Hill School, Gloucestershire (away: won 28-16)

“It’s never good to arrive and see the ref organising the opposition’s lineout and calling he players by their first name. We had injuries during the game and ground out the win with solid defence, but it was good to see an improving attacking shape beginning to form.”

Ben Seal (Head Coach)

I got concussed and had to go to Gloucester Royal Hospital. I don’t remember much except the £180 taxi ride home with Mr Seal.

Seb Head (Vice-Captain)

Yeovil College (away: won 25-6)

The boys were doing really well considering getting the extra sessions in wasn’t easy with all the extra things going on outside the rugby term.

Tim Herman (Forwards Coach)

They were big but not very fit. Injuries meant people were playing out of position and I’m not sure that we’d had our strongest team out at that point. There weren’t many games to go and I thought we had a good shot at getting to the final.

Seb Herold (Captain)

QUARTER-FINAL vs. Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire (home: won 25-21)

This game saw the emergence of the Love Lane Ultras, a Sixth Form supporters’ band, whose drumming, singing and chanting, often rip-offs of well-known football songs, accompanied the team in the final three games. Whilst they would reach the pinnacle of their influence at Twickenham, they also helped to carry the team to a close-fought victory in this game, along with a legion of supporters who came out that dreary February afternoon to watch the drama unfold. Skipper Seb Herold had an impeccable kicking record that day, taking the points on offer as the opportunities came along. Churcher’s were outscored by three tries to one; it would have been a long journey home to Cheshire.

“They live streamed the draw for this round. Rob Andrew and Ben Morgan took part. We all huddled round a TV in one of the Economics classrooms; we were desperate for a home draw and the room erupted when we got one. If we’d played away from home, we’d have lost.”

Ioe Farrell (player)

The squad felt the support of the whole school from this game onwards.

Dan Cox (Director of Rugby)

“Seb Herold’s fantastic kicking on the day really was outstanding, not just from the tee, but from hand he gave us a lot of territory when as number eight he found himself sweeping up at the back.” Tim Herman (Forwards Coach)

As the competition entered its final stages, NatWest ran a competition for the schools that were still involved; the best supported would receive a visit from England International Joe Launchbury ahead of the semi-final, and a complimentary supporters coach to the final. In each round of the competition, the school mobilised its army of supporters; staff, students, parents and the OC network, and both competitions were won. The visit of Joe Launchbury, who spent much of his professional career at Wasps, where coaches Ben Seal and Jon Seaton had also played, was a great boost to the squad. Incidentally, Joe Launchbury had been a pupil at Christ’s Hospital, against whom the school played its first competitive fixture in 1920. In the 1991/92 season, before joining Wasps, Jon Seaton was capped at England U18s against France. The game was in Paris and he received his cap at Charles de Gaulle airport before a motorcade took the squad across Paris to the mayoral reception, with Jacques Chirac. England won the Grand Slam that day.

SEMI-FINAL vs. King Edward VI School, Aston at the Allianz Stadium (won 23-10)

“We stayed at a hotel the night before, and all the teams, including Stockport Grammar and SEEVIC who were in the other semi-final, were there too. There were lots of players, it was quite intimidating. One of the SEEVIC boys had three plates of food. They had a 16 year-old prop who weighted 125kgs. It was the first time we’d run out onto the pitch through a tunnel.”

Seb Head (Vice-Captain)

This was the best rugby we played in the whole campaign, although the boys were disappointed with the changing room at the Allianz Stadium, which was little more than a cowshed under a stand.

Dan Cox (Director of Rugby)

“Stefan Younghusband was announced over the tannoy as ‘Man of the Match’ and immediately threw a ball into the lineout that wasn’t straight. There was a noticeable improvement in the refereeing from the semi-final onwards. We got the refs onside because we were polite.” Ioe Farrell (player)

“After the match Seb Herold and I went out to watch the cup competition game that was on after ours. Tom and Ben Curry were playing for Oundle and one of them lifted the other to receive the kick off; you don’t see that very often in schoolboy rugby.” Stefan Younghusband (player)

FINAL vs. SEEVIC (South-East Essex VI Form College) at Twickenham Stadium (won 13-5)

In 1958, the Headmaster G.T. Schofield had granted a school holiday in order that the boys could watch Jim Hetherington’s England debut, with some lucky enough to watch at Twickenham while others watched on TV.

Headmaster Simon Williams went one better and decided that the whole school, Junior and Senior, would make the trip to Twickenham to watch the final. And so it was that on the morning of 25 March, nineteen coaches set off from Hampshire – within them, over 1,000 Churcher’s students and staff. The cavalcade of coaches that arrived was supplemented by an extraordinary turnout of parents, relatives and Old Churcherians who were keen to share the excitement.

Just like those O-Level languages rejects who found some long-lost vocabulary on the 1978 tour, Dan Cox also found some French vocabulary to motivate the squad during the pre-match team talk in the changing room. A social media post from someone associated with the opponents that day, spotted by eagle-eyed staff member Ian Crossman, also played into the coaches’ hands. By all accounts the Churcher’s team would not be able to deal with the SEEVIC physicality, but as we know, Churcher’s has had decades of practice playing against larger opposition.

Second row Dom Williams had suffered a broken leg a month before the final in the game against Cheadle Hulme, but he underwent a miraculous recovery which enabled him to take part in the final.

“Simon Williams’ decision that the whole school would travel up did so much for the players. To see the support there, including the Junior School in their brown duffle coats, was fabulous. Fortunately, I had read the rules and knew that we could make unlimited front row subs for safety purposes. We were giving away so much weight, that frequent changes of front row personnel meant we were able to keep our

energy up and stay in the fight.” Tim Herman (Forwards coach)

“It was a win for the rugby pathway at the school and validated all the hard work done by the coaches at every age group. The two fifth year students who played up, Zach Housden and Matt Vawdrey, who were part of the victorious Hampshire Cup side as Under 15s, were outstanding.” Dan Cox (Director of Rugby)

The group grew together and stuck together. We were supported by the whole school which made allowances for the team; hockey didn’t complain when their best players got injured; music and drama rehearsals went on without some key performers.

Ben Seal (Head Coach)

“We had a meeting in the morning and we knew that if we went out and played like we knew we could, we’d win. Dan Cox spoke really well about what SEEVIC had written about us. On the day we probably didn’t play our best although there was never a time when we were worried. They were putting in cheap shots, but we didn’t react. Our scramble defence was fantastic, and any time we put width on it we got advantage. In their forward pack, only their No. 7 was under 100 kgs. All the extras we did; fitness, set-pieces, classroom work – it all paid off. It was sheer relief when the final whistle blew; we had all gelled so well, playing with each other for years and going on the Canada tour together. When Ben Youngs handed over the trophy, he said we were deserved winners. We took the trophy to the Junior School the following day to thank the girls and boys for their support. I think one or two of us were feeling a bit the worse for wear that morning.”

Seb Herold (Captain)

“The pitch felt so much bigger than it looked. On the far side you felt so far away from the crowd. The more the game went on, the more the SEEVIC players started making individual decisions rather than working as a team, whereas we kept working together.” Seb Head (Vice-Captain)

Before the game Seb Herold gave a rousing speech which included the words, ‘I’ll die for you boys.’. There were so many supportive comments through Facebook. Squad members who had left the year before got in touch, and lots of OCs left work early to come to Twickenham.

Stefan Younghusband

“It was an emotional time. It was our final game for the school and good luck messages from OCs were read out. We weren’t allowed out on the pitch to practice beforehand so we practised in a car park, and we could hear noise from inside the stadium. We all kept in mind what Mr Seal had said: ‘KISS’ – ‘keep it simple stupid’. Mr Cox had got us some new stash, but the sizes came out wrong and our shirts were huge. We were all a bit subdued on the way home on the bus and I know Mr Cox was surprised, but we were all exhausted, physically and emotionally.”

Ioe Farrell (player)

“Rugby at Churcher’s was always something that I looked forward to, and a highlight was being picked for the 1st XV while still in Fifth

Year in our run towards Twickenham. Getting to play in Saracen’s stadium and at Twickenham in front of the school is something that I’ll never forget and was an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere. The hype in the changing room before playing at Twickenham is still something that I vividly remember; I think we all felt like we could have run through a brick wall.” Zach Housden (player)

High up in the shadows of the west stand, resplendent in a red and blue striped blazer, the Head of Sixth Form kept a close eye on the Love Lane Ultras, in case their enthusiasm should bubble over. Never mind the excitement of what would unfold on the pitch, the Ultras were already on a high after successfully persuading the Twickenham stewards to let their drums in. “Bloody hell, Churcher’s have brought their own band”, exclaimed someone on Twitter, as an increasing level of noise emanated from the darkness.

On the day, the Churcher’s team won the psychological battle, and won it well. They had bought into the defensive system that Ben Seal had instilled in them, and the repulsion of wave after wave of SEEVIC attacks started to weigh heavily on the Essex side, which increasingly began to look ragged and lose composure. With a solid defence in place, one described in a match report as an “irrepressible Churcher’s wall of defence”, the plan was then to attack the larger opponents out wide when the chance came, a plan that saw its fulfilment with a magnificent try for Fifth Year, Zach Housden, in the right-hand corner early in the second half.

Some of the spectators who watched the final waited for friends and relatives prior to the game at the iconic 27-foot-high bronze sculpture

Seb Herold in action.

of a rugby line-out, which since 2010 has stood outside the South Stand Development; it is one of the most well-known landmarks at Twickenham. The statue was designed by the Scottish artist Gerald Laing, who is the grandfather of Ethan Ogilvie, a Churcher’s student who was watching the game in the stands, and who would go on to play for the 1st XI and for Petersfield RFC 1st XV. The statue was erected by Ethan’s father, Sam, and his uncle, who cast the bronze in his foundry, Black Isle Bronze, in Nairn. Rumours that there is a Scotland rugby shirt within the ball are true!

Seb Herold’s parents, Richard and Vanessa, recall the great togetherness of the side, a key component in the team’s journey to Twickenham, and in their ultimate victory. A jeweller by trade, Richard made small cups for the squad and tankards for the coaches, to mark the occasion. He also gave to the school a replacement cup, as the official one had to be returned the following year. The Herold Cup is presented at the end of each autumn term to the best side, though this is not necessarily the side that has won the most games, or contains the best individual players. It has been won in the past by teams exhibiting determination and effort, or having a great team spirit.

For the family of Harry Rawlings, who played in the second row, receiving the trophy and medals from Ben Youngs had particular meaning. Harry’s maternal grandfather, who watched the game, was ex-President of Norfolk Rugby and a close friend of the Youngs family.

Rugby continued after this impressive triumph. Zach Rodber, nephew of Tim, left the school in 2019 after playing rugby throughout his time at the school. Through his mother he qualified for Mauritius, whose national coach, former French international Jean-Baptiste Gobelet, saw Zach playing in the UR7s Academy. This led to Zach being selected for Mauritius and playing in the Africa Cup in Tunisia. To date he has played in five other Sevens’ tournaments including Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and RWC Qualifiers, as well as gaining one full 15-a-side cap. Of his time at school, he particularly recalls a memorable 3-0 victory over PGS, having lost heavily to them in all the preceding years.

In the 2019/20 season, the U15s won 14 of their 16 games, losing by three points to Reading Blue Coat School, and 28-13 to Wellington College in the area final of the National Plate competition. The biggest win was 63-12 against Lord Wandsworth. The final game of the regular season on 7 December was against Shiplake College, who arrived confident that they would prevail, and register an unbeaten season, but the Churcher’s team denied them their unbeaten season, registering a very pleasing, and well deserved, 20-17 victory in front of a decent crowd on the First team pitch. The two Shiplake coaches had incurred the ire of the referee by assuring him that their front row replacements were experienced in those positions, but it turned out they were not.

Seb Herold lifting the trophy.

2020s

After a season with James Bailey, former England Sevens player and Premiership player (chiefly with Bristol and Gloucester), as Head of Rugby, it was a baptism of fire for new Head of Rugby, Ben Skirving, as Covid came along in 2020. Fortunately, Ben had a wealth of experience following his professional rugby career as a Number Eight and Flanker at Saracens (129 caps), Bath (100 caps) and Bristol (33 caps). Ben was also capped by England, England Saxons and the England Sevens team. Under his calm leadership during those two strange Covid-affected seasons, the players became masters of touch rugby and its many variations, like Fiji, superman, super powers, New Zealand or grab touch.

Ben has also organised courses to take place at the school, such as ‘Scrum Factory’ and ‘Rugby Ready’, for the benefit of school coaches and others from the local community. Under his leadership, the school has continued to develop links with Petersfield RFC, and at the end of each autumn term school teams play under floodlights against Petersfield RFC teams, with the 1st XV/U18s competing for the Frank Guy Trophy. Although numbers are small, and across years, there is also rugby training for girls in the summer term, and the hope is that this will continue to grow.

The summer 2023 tour, which was combined with a netball tour, was once again to South Africa, with the school taking two teams for each sport. Of the three 1st XV games, two were lost and one was won. One of the losses was fairly close, but the other was a very one-sided affair against Durbanville in the final fixture. The tough challenge came as no surprise as the team was able to find out about Durbanville from their previous opponents. In light of this intelligence, Durbanville were asked to weaken their side, but the tour party was met with a categorical refusal, because ‘the boys need a run out’. The second development side involved a number of Fifth Year boys who would be embarking on senior rugby in the autumn term. The games were all around Cape Town, and Dr. Glasspool bumped into South African World Cup winner Stephen Kitsoff, a.k.a. the ‘spicy plum’ in the V&A Waterfront. The squad enjoyed a trip up Table Mountain, a boat trip to Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, a Cape Canopy zip line tour in the Hottentots Holland mountains, a visit to the Kayamandi township with an African drumming lesson, and a final couple of days ‘R&R’ at the Aquila Nature reserve. During the safari, one of the lions didn’t take too kindly to a toy lion being waggled in front of it, and stood up quickly as if to pounce on the bus.

In the 2023/34 season, the Senior squad had in excess of 70 players, and a 3rd XV was fielded. The 1st XV had a very successful season, winning

Ben Skirving beats Bob Skinstad in a lineout during the 2nd Test match against South Africa at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, 2007.

82% of their games, quite a lot better than their best in recent years Overall, 345 students participated in rugby at the school, in 17 teams. 57% of boys in the school played a competitive match, and the U12A, U12B and U13B had unbeaten seasons. 2509 points were scored, with 1681 against, and Miss Dart won the Squire Cup for the best performing Coach. Fourth Year student Alice Pendlebury was selected for Sussex, and Sixth Form student Phoebe Dallyn played for Pulborough RFC and Sussex.

Rugby has always formed a strong part of the sporting ethos at the Junior School as well as the Senior School. Despite the more recent challenges faced, with the decision between contact and non-contact rugby, the school has continued this tradition and maintained strong performances across both formats. Although girls’ rugby has been played for many years, it has become more formalised in the last five years with every child taking part from Years 1 to 4. This has seen a stronger uptake in girls’ rugby over the last few years. The school has had significant success, with a number of unbeaten seasons and clean sweeps on the local tournament circuit. One of the most notable players is Charley Williams, who was a dominant force at the Junior School and has gone on to achieve further success in girls’ rugby outside of school; she plays for Havant RFC and Hampshire and has trained with the Welsh Exiles U16s.

Also a product of the Junior School were the Bloomer boys, who were a key presence in Churcher’s rugby for many years. Sam, member of the team that won the NatWest Vase Competition, toured Argentina with England Lambs, played for South of England Universities and Twickenham St Mary’s University Rugby League team before injury forced him to stop. He’s now Head of Performance Analysis at London Broncos Rugby League team, and plays for the Broncos reserves when time and his knee allow. Tom played for Hampshire, captaining them from U14 to U20, and is now a player at Rosslyn Park; he was also capped three times against Ireland for England Counties and played for Loughborough 1st XV for three years. Meanwhile, Matt played for Hampshire and London Irish Academy and is working his way up the teams at Loughborough University.

In 2023, the Development Office was pleased to work with the family of Roy F. Dorey (Class of 1946) to support the purchase of a new rugby scoreboard, jointly with the Parents’ Association. A generous legacy gift was made by Roy’s wife, to whom he was married for 64 years, to commemorate his love of rugby.

Some OCs might know Memorial Field, where the scoreboard can be found, as Headmaster’s Field – a parcel of land which was gifted to the school from Old Churcherians at the end of the First World War, to commemorate those who lost their lives.

Roy’s family also kindly gifted a collection of scrapbooks, photos, and memorabilia for the school’s archive. A newspaper article in 1945 described Dorey as ‘outstanding’ in leading the Churcher’s rugby pack to victory.

Gary Glasspool and Stephen Kitsoff.

Lions at the Aquila nature reserve, moments prior to the toy lion incident.

2024 – 100 years of Churcher’s rugby

Early in the autumn of 2024, the rugby centenary celebrations began with a small touch rugby tournament on Memorial Field.

A team of staff, with not one pressed man amongst them, competed against a team of recent leavers, another OC team from across the decades and a team from the charity, Maddy’s Mark, established in memory of former student Maddy Lawrence (Class of 2020) by her family to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in young women through rugby.

In November, Old Churcherians, former and current staff came together for the Churcher’s Rugby Centenary Lunch on 9 November 2024, following the 1st XV game against John Fisher School, sharing stories of Churcher’s rugby over the years, many included in this publication.

So much rugby has been played at the school over the last 100 years, and a write-up would not be complete without offering thanks to the generations of grounds and catering staff who have made it all possible and who, week after week, have supported the rugby programme. Another feature of rugby at the school is the impeccably behaved touchline. It’s been the experience of many a Churcher’s coach to experience poor language and behaviour from opposition parents, shouting at the players and calling into question decisions made. By contrast, the Churcher’s touchline is always unfailingly positive and supportive, both of the players and the coaches, and to them thanks are also due.

Junior School Rugby.

It seems fitting to leave the final words to Peter Sutton, who coached rugby at the school for three decades. His piece for the 2010 Churcherian echoes what many of us involved in rugby at the school think:

“I have been involved with rugby at the College for over 30 years and, as the magazine goes to print, will be halfway through my last season. I have stood on more wet touchlines on dark November Saturday afternoons than you could shake a stick at. In contrast, I’ve watched Churcher’s train in the shadow of Table Mountain in Cape Town and play against a backdrop of the high Andes in Santiago. I’ve refereed their games in a South African township and the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. These have been wonderful experiences, culminating in this year’s tour of Canada, of which more elsewhere.

They have been, in part, I suppose, compensation for those wet Saturdays. Not that I needed compensation because I have enjoyed it all and that’s why I carried on. Why have I enjoyed it? Churcher’s doesn’t have huge numbers to call on but we put out (or do when the opposition does) 12 sides on a Saturday. And ‘huge’ is rarely a word that has been used to describe the physical stature of our players.

We don’t produce many stars. There was Mark Rawcliffe, who represented England at U18 in the 1970s, then, of course, Tim Rodber of England and the Lions in the 1990s and, more recently, Matt Humphries, Fiona Pocock and Joe Atkinson. We don’t have the sports

scholarships which allow other schools the luxury of importing half a dozen stars into their 6th Form, stars who may well not have a GCSE between them, much less the eight or nine high grades achieved by the average Churcher’s rugby-playing 6th Former.

So why are we a good rugby school? Well, we’re not as good as some. We lose – and heavily – to the sort of school mentioned in the previous paragraph. But, by and large, a Churcher’s side steps onto the rugby field expecting to win and, importantly, expecting to enjoy itself in the process. It may sound hackneyed. It does sound hackneyed, but a Churcherian wants to do it for his mates and for the College. And a word here too about my colleagues, the coaches, not just those at the College now, but down the years. We do not bring in superstar coaches and then find them a nominal job for them to do in between training sessions. Our coaches teach and run clubs and sing in the choir and always have.

But we are part of this Churcher’s rugby thing...

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