Football, 1936

The highest individual score was made by R. S. Dixon, who scored 78, and was presented with a cup for such competent shooting.

A competition was also held for the new recruits. They shot at the " 200," " 500 " and " snap " targets, using rests. The total thus being 55.

Prizes were won by the following:- 1st---J. M. Inglis ... 51 2nd—K. E. Marriott ... 46 3rd—R. W. Wright ... 39 4th—R. Earle ... 39

Captain—K. LOCKWOOD. Vice-Captain—A. W. 1st XV. DOUGLAS

Date. Sat., Oct. 10. Wed., Oct. 14. Sat., Oct. 17. Sat., Oct. 24. Sat., Oct. 31. Sat., Nov. 7. Wed., Nov. 11. Sat., Nov. 14. Sat., Nov. 21. Sat., Nov. 28. Sat., Dec. 5. Wed., Dec. 9. Sat., Dec. 12. Thur., Dec. 17.

Opponents. North Ribblesdale York Nomads ... Queen's Own Cameron

Highlanders Durham School Leeds Grammar School Giggleswick School ... Denstone College York .. Mount St. Mary's College Worksop College Headingley "A" Yorkshire Wanderers Ampleforth College ... Old Peterites

Ground. Result. ... Home Lost 3-33 ... Home Scratched

Home Away Home Home Leeds Home Home Away Home Home Away Home Draw 6-6 Lost 5-11 Lost 8-11 Won 12-7 Lost 0-16 Lost 0-12 Lost 6-12 Lost 3-11 Lost 3-8 Scratched Scratched Lost 3-8

football 'Retrospect.

Judged by results the past season was the most unsuccessful the School has experienced for a very long time; it coincided with the youngest team the School has put on the field for many years, the former fact being the direct consequence of the latter.

During recent years it has been part of the policy adopted not to play a Colt in the first team even when he was considered to be the best player for the position Many a promising player in all branches of sport has been spoilt by being pushed forward before he was ready. Circum-

stances last term, however, necessitated no fewer than four Colts being played in the 1st XV pack. We had, therefore, an exceptionally light set of forwards, and our backs saw extremely little of the ball. It was doubly unfortunate for us that some of the other School sides such as Worksop and Leeds Grammar School should field their heaviest pack for many seasons, and it is greatly to the credit of these young forwards that we had a very close game with both these schools; our performance at Worksop being the best we have put up on their ground for several seasons.

Although only one match was won, they were all, with two exceptions, very close affairs, and the highest credit must go to the whole team for their fighting spirit and unfailing enthusiasm, to the backs for their splendid defence, to the forwards for manfully sticking to their task when all the odds were against them.

The back division, with Lockwood, Douglas, Graham and Marwood forming a dangerous quartette, was the liveliest we have had since the very good team of four seasons ago, and it was extremely unfortunate that they got little opportunity to exercise their skill in attack. Lockwood was a tower of strength at full-back, and he materially added to the strength of the attack by coming into the threequarter line whenever it was safe to do so. Graham, too, got through a tremendous amount of hard work, and his play was an object lesson in showing what could be done by getting in amongst the opposing backs as quickly as possible and taking advantage of a dropped pass or any other mistake on their part.

The forwards, although usually beaten in the tight, improved in the loose as the season went on, particularly in the close rushes, but they never developed the art of wheeling to quite the same extent as some of our packs have done in previous years. Toulson and Hall showed up well in the loose, and Ping had a very successful and promising first season. There was a tendency throughout the season for some of the forwards to hang about outside the loose scrums instead of getting into them. No pack, least of all a light one, can afford to have more than one forward standing outside the scrummage.

One pleasing feature of the past season was the fact that we have at last appeared to have got rid of our old fault of being slow starters. We made bad starts against Durham and Leeds, both of which probably cost us the match, but the tendency was less in evidence in comparison with recent teams.

To turn to the 2nd XV, their dismal record and the high number of points scored against them speak for themselves. With the first team being so young it followed that several members of the reserve team were absurdly immature for senior football, while others showed very little conception of the game, and were only there for lack of better material. Even with regard to these facts and the quality of the opposition, such teams as Drax Grammar School and York " A," both of which were exceptionally strong, the tackling of the second team, or more often the absence of it, and the lack of spirit shown were deplorable. Nevertheless, there were members of it, notably the halfbacks, A. T. H. Wright and Milburn, who showed that they were natural Rugger players, and who should be useful once they have added a few more years and a few more stone.

The complete records of the teams were:— Points. 1st XV P. 11 W. 1 L. 9 D. 1 F. 49 A. 135 2nd XV 8 1 7 0 13 202

1st xv. Characters.

K. LOCKWOOD (Capt.). Full-back. A brilliant fielder and a sound tackler. His kicking was variable ; sometimes it was very good, at others it could have been better if he had come out from the touch-line to get a better angle. He has a first-class football brain, but like many good tacticians his tactics were on occasion inexplicable. A. W. DOUGLAS (Vice-Capt.). Wing three-quarter. A whole-hearted member of the team. A very powerful and fast runner who was very difficult to tackle when he " got going." He still loses many tries by attempting to take his passes with one hand. G. E. L. GRAHAM. Centre three-quarter. A greatly improved three-quarter who got througn a tremendous amount of work. An excellent defensive player and a fine opportunist who was ever ready to take advantage of a mistake on the part of the opposition. H. TOULSON. Forward. As an open-side wing-forward he proved a very useful spoiler and got through a great deal of hard work. A good tackler.

M. B. MARWOOD. Stand-off half. A fly-half with a very safe pair of hands and a good kick. His defence has greatly improved since last season. With his physique and speed might try to cut through a little more. V. L. F. DAVIN. Centre three-quarter. A very much improved player, particularly in his defensive work.

Not yet quite certain of the right moment to pass to his wing, but it should come with experience. J. T. HARDING. Forward. A hard-working and conscientious forward who was most at home in the tight work. Rather slow in the loose.

A. H. MOFFATT. Forward. A very keen, hard-working forward. Very useful in the line-out and a good dribbler.

A. C. W. PING. Forward. An exceptionally promising young forward with a fine physique and speed, who showed astonishing strength at times. A very good tackler.

M. S. HALL. Forward. A very good forward in the loose rushes, but he does not do sufficient hard work in the tight.

E. H. TANKARD. Forward. A useful forward in the tight and a good tackler. Seldom showed up in the loose. J. A. WRIGHT. Scrum-half. With practically no experience of the position, he filled it with great credit, but he is too slow as yet at getting the ball away. Very plucky at going down on the ball, but his tackling was frequently under suspicion. T. F. CAMERON. Wing three-quarter. A very promising young player who is still rather immature for 1st XV football, but he should be good some day, as he has two great assets, weight and speed. H. A. S. HOBSON. Forward. Really too small and young for 1st XV football, he showed great pluck and keenness and was the most successful hooker tried. H. D. F. AMOR. Forward. A young forward who came on tremendously during the second half of the term. Very good in the line-out.

1St XV. SCHOOL v. NORTH RIBBLESDALE. Played at Home on Saturday, October 10th. Result : Lost, 3-33.

The School started ix rather a gloomy style by being well beaten by a heavier North Ribblesdale team. However, it must be said that they were the youngest team the School has produced for many years, and also they were deprived of the services of D. W. Watson and B. J. Eastwood, two old colours.

The game started with disaster for the School, as North Ribblesdale scored a runaway try from an intercepted pass on their own twenty-five line. In the tight scrums it was soon evident that they were much too light, and consequently heeled the ball seldom throughout the game. H. Toulson played a useful and energetic game, backing up well. K. Lockwood gave a display of his usually brilliant kicking, but his position as scrum-half did not seem to suit his play. A. W. Douglas was not given many opportunities to show his abilities, but in one or two spurts looked very dangerous. The three-quarters as a whole made a mistake in not being up in defence as quickly as they should have been. G. E. L. Graham set a good example in tackling, but it did not seem to be followed. R. N. Rimmer played a very creditable game at full-back, this being his first game for the XV.

In the first half play was confined to the home team's half, and Henderson, the former London Scottish player, dropped a beautiful goal; this was followed by various other tries, most of which were unconverted, scored by the visitors. At half-time the score was 18-0.

In the second half the forwards showed definitely more bustle, and although the School could not stop the scoring against them, they scored themselves after a dribbling rush by the forwards ; Moffatt managed to dribble over the line and touch down. J. T. Harding's titanic efforts at leading the forwards were unfortunately not backed up, for the School would have scored more often if they had backed up. The final whistle went with the score 33-3 to North Ribblesdale.

Team :—R. N. Rimmer ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, T. F. Cameron; M. B. Marwood, K. Lockwood ; A. C. Ping, H. Toulson, M. S. Douglas, E. H. Tankard, J. T. Harding, M. S. Hall, A. H. Moffatt, P. Heywood.

236 SCHOOL v. QUEEN'S OWN CAMERON HIGHLANDERS. Played at Home on Saturday, October 17th. Result : Draw, 6-6.

This game was played at a lively pace, the School being at slight disadvantage in the forwards, who were somewhat lighter than their opponents, although they held their own very well.

The Camerons took the play into the School half, but Douglas picked up and ran along the touch line to the Camerons' "25" before being tackled. During the resulting loose scrum a penalty was awarded the School, which was converted by Lockwood. Soon after the kick, Marwood intercepted a pass and cut through to the opposing " 25." The Camerons again made a dribbling rush up the field, and began to look dangerous ; however, Lockwood cleared with a good touch kick.

The Camerons were very lively in the loose, and broke through with their rushes on several occasions, yet on the whole the School forwards dealt with their opponents very well, Hall and Toulson being outstanding in dribbling and falling.

Just before half-time the home territory was invaded, and after a series of short rushes and loose scrums Lieut. Munro went over right in the corner for the Camerons. Play remained in mid-field until Marwood kicked into touch down the left wing. At this stage the ball was not coming from the scrum quite so easily as was necessary. Halftime came with the score at three all.

In the second half Douglas in determined fashion made for the line after a loose scrum in the School half, only to be brought down inches away from it. Bad luck came to Graham, who cut through beautifully, only to have the ball knocked out of his hands under the posts. The School pack played inspired rugger in this period of tension and kept hammering away at the opposite try line; finally they scored a good try after a fast dribbling movement by Toulson and Tankard, Douglas touching down. Lockwood failed to convert.

The Camerons rushed the ball down to the School try line, and their fly-half went through on the blind side, missing a try by running into touch. However, one of their forwards broke through and was tackled in vain by Lynch right on the line, bringing the score equal. By now the superior weight in the visitors' pack was beginning to tell, although heeling in the tight was good by the School.

Lockwood's kicking and tackling were very good ; Douglas and Graham tackled and handled well, being unlucky not to score further; Marwood, at fly-half, played a great game, kicking and handling with confidence.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, C. J. Lynch ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright ; A. C. W. Ping, P. Heywood, J. T. Harding, A. H. Moffatt, E. H. Tankard, H. Toulson, G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall.

SCHOOL v. DURHAM SCHOOL. Played at Durham on Saturday, October 24th. Result : Lost, 5-11.

A report in the " Yorkshire Post " stated that this match was one of the finest between two school sides which the writer had seen for many years. Everything pointed to a fast, open game, for the ground was dry and a cross wind favoured neither side.

Durham had the heavier forwards, but owing to the clever hooking of Heywood, it was not until the closing stages of the game that they gained the upper hand in the set scrums. In the open Durham were faster and more lively, with Parker and Gilbertson doing particularly good work. At half-back, St. Peter's were also at a disadvantage, and their opponents were through once or twice before the visitors realized they had the ball. If it had not been for Lockwood's good tackling, the half-time score would have been much more in Durham's favour. However, in attack, the York three-quarters always looked dangerous, especially Douglas, who was the fastest and most determined runner on the field ; a feature of the game was the magnificent way in which Grant tackled him time after time when a try seemed certain.

Marwood, at fly-half, improved as the game went on, and his work in the second half, when the visitors set up tremendous pressure, deserved greater reward. In the centre, Graham handled beautifully and made several neat openings, while Lockwood linked up with his "threes" most effectively at times.

Durham were better in the first half, and within ten minutes they took the lead. From a scrum inside the York "25" Bucknall cut through for a try, which Buttle converted.

Lockwood's powerful and well-judged kicking repeatedly gave St. Peter's a footing in the Durham half, but woefully slow passing by their three-quarters ruined any chance of

an equalizing try. Half-hearted tackling by the York right centre and wing led to two more tries for the home side, and immediately after the second, half-time came.

The second half was magnificent. Although Durham were getting more of the ball, St. Peter's played with far more confidence and determination than before. The School backs were not afraid to throw the ball about, and time after time Marwood broke through to send Graham and Douglas tearing away on the left wing. But always there was Grant waiting to bring off a crashing tackle, and try as they would, St. Peter's could not break through that wonderful defence.

Then, as a loose scrum broke up in the Durham " 25," Marwood saw his chance, and snapping up a pass he cut through to touch down between the posts. Lockwood converted. With five minutes to go, Durham set up a determined counter-attack, but both packs were battling in mid-field when "no-side" came.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; J. T. Brockbank, V. L. F. Davin, `G. E. L. Graham, A. W. Douglas ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; J. T. Harding, P. Heywood, A. C. W. Ping, H. Tankard, A. H. Moffatt, H. Toulson, G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall.

SCHOOL v. LEEDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL. Played at Home on Saturday, October 31st. Result: Lost, 8-11.

Conditions were favourable for this match, which proved to be very exciting from beginning to end. It is probably true to say that had the School had another stone per man in the scrum we should certainly have won, but as it was, our young and light pack were pushed off the ball time after time, and were run to a standstill by the end of the game. The School "threes" were definitely superior both in attack and defence, marked improvement being shown in the way the Leeds backs were given no space in which to manoeuvre.

Throughout the game the visitors kept the ball amongst the forwards, and by sheer weight wore their opponents down. They scored in the first half after some scrumming on the home try line near the corner, but this was not converted. Play proceeded just inside the visitors' half, when a penalty was awarded against them, Lockwood kicking a fine goal from near the 10 yards line.

Leeds scored again in the same manner as before, pushing the School forwards over the line and touching down ; this was converted by Morley. Thus half-time came with the score at 8-3.

Then began the real struggle, with both sides playing to their utmost; H. Toulson and A. C. W. Ping were noticeable by the way in which they dealt with anybody likely to break through. Toulson harassed the fly-half with much success. J. T. Harding also put in any amount of useful hard work.

The School "threes" always looked dangerous when in possession, and after many attempts, Douglas at last cut through and made a glorious run down the field to score under the posts, this try being converted by Lockwood. After this, Leeds made a most determined counter attack ; they were inches from the School line on many occasions, and only by superb tackling by G. E. L. Graham and K. Lockwood was the situation saved. M. B. Marwood also helped with useful touch-kicking; indeed, he played a very plucky and determined game.

At last, however, the Leeds forwards proved too much for the School, and went over for an unconverted try in the corner, making the score 11-8.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, R. N. Rimmer ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; A. C. W. Ping, P. Heywood, J. T. Harding, A. H. Moffatt, E. H. Tankard, H. Toulson, G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall.

SCHOOL v. GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL. Played at Home on Saturday November 7th. Result : Won, 12-7.

The XV gained their first victory of the season. The score by no means represents the game, for although winning by so close a margin the School was superior in every part of the game to Giggleswick, but was unable to put the finishing touches to many clever movements.

Unfortunately, in the first half, the team, and particularly the forwards, were rather sleepy, and so many opportunities for scoring were lost.

Except towards the end of the game when the School forwards really did exert themselves, they heeled the ball with monstrous regularity both in the tight and in the loose. In the latter on more occasions than one the ball was at their feet, but they allowed themselves to be pushed

off it, thus handicapping the three-quarters, who had to be continually on the defensive. Lockwood here showed his brilliance again by saving many awkward situations with his long kicks to touch.

The Giggleswick forwards started the game with a fast and bustling pace, but the School kept in their opponents' half. Again and again the School worked the ball up into the Giggleswick " 25," only to lose it in the loose. The few three-quarter movements that occurred were carried out with a surety that should have meant more tries than were actually scored. Just before half-time the School passed the ball along the line to Douglas, who was unfortunate in not scoring by being in touch just on the line. From the throwin that followed, after a fierce struggle, A. C. W. Ping dived through to score the first try. Lockwood failed to convert, and at half-time the score stood at 3-0 in the School's favour.

After half-time the School forwards, realizing that such a small score was by no means a sure victory, began to play a fast and bustling game, and gave their three-quarters more of the ball. These, in their turn, showed their superiority over the Giggleswick backs by taking the ball away into the opposing " 25." Douglas on the wing played a very good game, and more than once was brought down inches from the line. From one of these passing movements, Douglas cut through and passed inside to M. S. Hall, who took the ball over the line. Giggleswick retaliated and worked the ball up into the School " 25," where, being awarded a penalty, Davidson, with a magnificent kick, converted it. Soon after the kick-off the forwards for the first time showed a fine display of what they could do, and by good backing up reached the Giggleswick line. From a tight scrum J. A. Wright received the ball, and running round the scrum used an opening in the defence to score under the posts. Again Giggleswick rallied for a final effort, and after a fast passing movement Sansby dropped a goal with a fine kick.

It was now nearly time, but just before the final whistle the School three-quarters produced one of their best movements in running and passing the ball cleanly along the line ; Lockwood came up from full-back and received the ball and gave a well-timed pass to Graham, who was unmarked, as the defence was concentrated on the wing. Graham, who had only a few yards to run, had no difficulty in scoring.

The second-half was an exhibition of what both forwards and three-quarters of the School can do when both have fully worked up and exerted themselves to the utmost. On the defensive the tackling of the "threes" was sure and clean, while the forwards were apt to let a man run through them. However, the forwards played a faster and deadlier game in this half, giving their backs more opportunities of showing their abilities.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, R. N. Rimmer ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; J. T. Harding, P. Heywood, A. C. W. Ping, E. H. Tankard, A. H. Moffatt, H. Toulson, G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall.

SCHOOL v. DENSTONE COLLEGE.

Played at Leeds on Wednesday, November 11th. Result : Lost, 0-16.

Conditions were not good for this game, and the ball was very slippery, making good handling impossible : thus most of the play was confined to the forwards, where Denstone had advantage both in weight and experience. Nevertheless, the School forwards played a plucky and spirited game, defending against heavy odds. The threequarters had an off-day, and lacked their usual power of attack, although their defence was good, and they dribbled intelligently at times ; the School had a fine example in Lockwood, who played brilliantly, fielding, kicking and tackling so well that without him the score would have been much higher against the School.

From the start Denstone pressed, and only hard tackling almost on the line prevented them from scoring ; Marwood showed Innes that this year the latter was up against an entirely different proposition. The Denstone fly-half was less dangerous than had been expected, although he kicked very well. After hard pressure a forward broke through and scored, but the kick failed.

Then followed a period of play in mid-field, when the three-quarters saw rather more of the ball, and at times the Denstone defence was sorely tried ; passing on both sides was bad, however. Play continued fairly even, until after a fast three-quarter movement, the Denstone right wing ran over in the corner: Lockwood made a vain effort to tackle, but received a kick on the head. A very good kick by J. M. Campbell converted the try, bringing the score to 8-0 at half-time.

In the second half play swung to both ends of the field alternately, the School pack working very hard. Near the Denstone line the School were awarded a penalty for offside ; however, the position was far out, and Lockwood's kick failed. The heavy Denstone pack began to tell at last, and time after time they carried the ball right down the field with quick dribbling movements : Lemon and Campbell were prominent among them. But try as they might, the defence of the School sent them back into mid-field once more, and the three-quarters really got moving once, with the result that Douglas was pulled down only a few yards from the line.

Denstone dribbled up the field again, and this time three of their forwards broke through and dived over the line to score an unconverted try ; shortly after this, Innes cut through and scored under the posts, the kick by Campbell bringing the score to 16-0.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, R. N. Rimmer ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; H. Toulson, G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall, A. H. Moffatt, E. H. Tankard, J. T. Harding, P. Heywood, A. C. W. Ping.

SCHOOL v. YORK.

Played at Home on Saturday, November 14th. Result : Lost, 0-12.

Very wet and muddy conditions rather spoiled this game, which resolved itself into a hard fight between the forwards, where the club side had the advantage in weight and experience.

At first the School heeled the ball fairly often, sending the School backs off at once, much credit being due to Marwood for his clever handling of such a sticky ball. On one or two occasions Douglas made good progress on the left wing, but bad luck prevented him and Graham from actually scoring. The School continued to press, and then play swung to the other end of the field after a rush by the York forwards. Then the visitors were awarded a penalty for offside in a fairly easy position, and the kick was successful, so that at half-time the score was 3-0 in their favour.

In the second half York did much more of the attacking, and although Douglas was again and again on the offensive, most of the play remained in the School half.

The School forwards were now definitely getting too little of the ball in both set and loose scrums, so that the York three-quarters were constantly attacking ; the defence of the School backs was good, however, and Graham particularly excelled in the way he constantly brought his. man down and several times other men besides his own.

Eventually York scored after a strong run by several of the backs, but the try was not converted. The game continued as before, the School making ground sometimes through Marwood's kicking. The forwards were tired, however, and before no-side went two more tries had been scored by the energetic York forwards.

Team:—K. Lockwood; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, W. G. Barnby ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall, H. Toulson, R. S. Dixon, E. H. Tankard, J. T. Harding, A. C. W. Ping, A. H. Moffatt.

SCHOOL v. MOUNT ST. MARY'S COLLEGE.

Played at Home on Saturday, November 21st. Result : Lost, 6-12.

The School team was most disappointing during this game. After the first ten minutes they allowed themselves to be beaten by a definitely inferior team. The efforts of the visitors were gradually increased, due to the excellent example set by their captain at fly-half. in the first few minutes of the game the School started splendidly by scoring in the corner through Douglas, Lockwood coming up and combining with his three-quarters.

Thereafter the School seemed to collapse, and instead of heeling the ball and playing their hitherto bustling game, the boot was on the other leg, and the Mount backs improved so much so that a try was scored by their left wing in the first half. The score at half-time was 3-3.

The Mount continued to improve in the second half, and a penalty was awarded near the School goal for off-side, which was successful.

Soon after this Lockwood again combined with the " threes," and leaving a man over, Douglas was able to score in the corner; Lockwood was unfortunately injured in this movement, so that A. C. W. Ping was placed at full-back.

The forwards on both sides were tiring, but the Mount were definitely having things much their own way, and scored a try after a scrum near the School line.

Then came another blow for the School, for Wright lobbed a pass to Marwood, and the Mount stand-off cut in and intercepted, to race along the touch-line and score an unconverted try. So that when the final whistle went the School had lost by a margin of six points and were disappointing after the promise shown before.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, T. F. Cameron ; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; J. T. Harding, H. A. S. Hobson, A. C. W. Ping, E. H. Tankard, A H. Moffatt, M. S. Hall, H. Toulson, G. P. G. Stephenson.

SCHOOL v. WORKSOP COLLEGE.

Played at Worksop on Saturday, November 28th. Result: Lost, 3-11.

The ground, as usual, was very hard after the customary rich turf at York, but this only served to make the game faster and more interesting. Worksop at once attacked, and it was soon evident that their forwards were both heavy and useful ; another feature which was to prevail in striking fashion throughout the game was the tackling of the School backs, especially Graham, who smothered his man every time.

The Worksop forwards were not getting the ball in the scrums as often as they should, and Hobson met with marked success as hooker for the School. Play became exciting near the St. Peter's line, but both Lockwood and Marwood kicked usefully, gaining much ground. After some time there was a score for Worksop after a scrum near the try-line.

The game now developed into a really fine struggle for supremacy: it was a great day for the School side, who put up their best performance this season. Everybody played with such determination that it was a good sight after so many disappointing games. The School three-quarters were definitely on top of their form, whilst the Worksop backs repeatedly fumbled and made many mistakes. Both Lockwood and Davies, the full-backs, kicked and fielded with sound confidence, and both fly-halves, Marwood and Rhodes, were effective in their different methods. Amongst the forwards, Toulson and Amor were good on the School side; Teale, Kingston and Barber being outstanding for Worksop.

Shortly before half-time Graham and Davin dribbled up the field after a dropped pass by a Worksop back, and Graham managed to touch down in the corner after a great

dash for the ball: the kick failed. Worksop attacked once more, but met with no success, the School defence being too strong. Half-time came with the score 3-3, and the School had held their own remarkably well.

In the second half the game continued on much the same lines, and some tense moments followed when Worksop pressed very hard, but were only prevented from scoring by superb tackling. Rhodes, at stand-off for Worksop, repeatedly made much ground when he kicked far into touch from the far side of the field. Then came a penalty awarded to Worksop in the centre of the field, which was successful.

The School refused to be downhearted however, and fought back with spirit, only to be driven back by relentless touch-kicking; the forwards were standing up to the pace very well, and due credit must be paid to them for keeping their opponents comparatively subdued. The Worksop , backs were once again on the move, however, and this time successfully, Baird crossing the line in a position which enabled the try to be converted. Thus the score stood at 11-3 after a really hard-fought match. It was a glorious defeat for the School.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, T. F. Cameron; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright ; H. D. F. Amor, H. A. S. Hobson, J. T. Harding, A. H. Moffatt, H Tankard, G. P. G. Stephenson, M. S. Hall, H. Toulson.

SCHOOL v. HEADINGLEY " A." Played at York on Saturday, December 5th. Result : Lost, 3-8.

This match was one of the most exciting of the season, holding the interest of the spectators from start to finish. The School side played remarkably well ; the forwards were getting a fair share of the ball in both tight and loose scrummages, and also were useful in open play. Douglas was the outstanding three-quarter, running very strongly on the left wing, but all the backs played well, Marwood's kicking being specially good.

After the kick-off the game was very even, neither side gaining very much ground. Two Old Peterites were amongst the visiting forwards, D. McLean and L. Atkinson, who put in a good deal of work. Both sides continued to make little headway, and some really good play was seen. The backs of both sides handled and tackled well, being well fed by their packs.

246

However, first blood came to the School, for Douglas received the ball on the wing and ran along the touch-line, passing man after man, until he was tackled about ten yards from the try-line. He threw the ball clear and Graham, who was following up, dribbled the ball over the line and touched down. Immediately after this came a reverse, for the Headingley fly-half cut through from fairly near the School line and scored under the posts, the try being converted.

The game continued on much the same lines, but Headingley scored again, this time an unconverted try, after a good passing movement by the three-quarters. Thus halftime came with the score 8-3 in the visitors' favour.

The keen play during the second half is emphasized by there being no score. The School as a team played really well, and the forwards put up a very good show, with more life, perhaps, than they had shown hitherto this term. The final whistle sounded as the teams were still fighting hard in the middle of the field.

Team :—K. Lockwood ; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, T. F. Cameron; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; J. T. Harding, A. H. Moffatt, H. Toulson, A. C. W. Ping, H. A. S. Hobson, E. H. Tankard, M. S. Hall, H. D. F. Amor. SCHOOL v. OLD PETERITES.

Played at Home on Thursday, December 17th. Result: Lost, 3-8.

This surely must have been one of the worst Old Boys' matches seen for a very long time. An incomplete O.P. team, a horrible day, and a ground exceptionally heavy underfoot perhaps tended to make poor football, but the first half of this game was indeed abysmal. The School ought easily to have overcome the opposition and scored many points, but they seemed to be sluggish and unable to do anything right. Luckily the second half was better, and one or two good movements were seen, but even these scarcely atoned for the first half. J. W. Stead was always dangerous at fly-half for the Old Boys, and eventually scored one of their tries, whilst Shaftoe and Pexton were prominent amongst the forwards. The final score was Old Peterites 8 points, School 3 points.

Teams :—School : K. Lockwood; A. W. Douglas, G. E. L. Graham, V. L. F. Davin, T. F. Cameron; M. B. Marwood, J. A. Wright; J. T. Harding, A. H. Moffatt, H. Toulson, A. C. W. Ping, H. A. S. Hobson, E. H. Tankard, H. D. F. Amor, R. S. Dixon.

Old Peterites : K. G. Chilman ; D. Lund, R. N. Rimmer, J. D. Davison, C. H. Vasey ; J. W. Stead (Captain), P. C. Campbell; A. A. Shaftoe, R. S. Dickson, T. Corner, M. P. L. Wall, J. Pexton, I. L. Lupton, P. S. Atkinson, R. Brooks.

2nt) xv.

Date. Opponents.

Ground. Result. Sat., Oct. 24. York "B" ... Home Won 8-3 Wed., Oct. 28. Drax Grammar School 1st XV Home Lost 0-42 Sat., Oct. 31. Leeds Grammar School 2nd XV Away Lost 0-21 Wed., Nov. 4. Ripon School 1st XV ... ... Away Lost 5-20 Sat., Nov. 7. Giggleswick School 2nd XV Away Lost 0-15 Sat., Nov. 14. York "A" ... ... Home Lost 0-52 Wed., Nov. 18. Drax Grammar School 1st XV Away Lost 0-38 Sat., Nov. 28. Worksop College 2nd XV ... Home Lost 0-11 Sat., Dec. 12. Ampleforth College 2nd XV ... Home Scratched

2nd XV v. YORK " B."

Played at 'Home on Saturday, October 24th. Result : Won 8-3.

As usual, this being the first match, it turned out to be a very scrappy game made even worse by the unorthodox tactics of the York forwards. The visitors started off with two men short, and the School forwards finding they were early able to heel the ball were rather apt to take things too easily. However, the School remained in the visitors' half, and although several opportunities were missed through poor handling by the centres, Cameron finally touched down near the corner. Just before half-time the School three-quarters again broke through, and Douglas, who was backing up well all the game, scored between the posts, Rimmer converting.

After half-time York, with their full team, became more dangerous, and were pressing most of the time. The School pack seemed unable to take the ball away, and a fly-hack in the School "25" by one of York's forwards gave them an unconverted try. The School never looked dangerous during this half and several movements were spoiled by indecision and bad handling in the three-quarters. In this half the forwards improved, but on the whole they were rather scattered, and did not keep well together. Final score 8-3 to the School.

Team:—R. N. Rimmer; W. G. Barnby, T. F. Cameron, J. V. Reed, R. C. Lynch ; A. T. H. Wright, H. A. Milburn ; R. G. Whitworth, R. S. Dixon, H. D. F. Amor, J. M. Dickenson (Capt.), I. S. McKay, M. S. Douglas, S. P. M. Rylott, R. S. Currie.

248 2nd XV v. DRAX G.S. XV. Played at Home on Wednesday, October 28th. Result: Lost, 0-42.

Although there were several changes in the team for this match, the 2nd XV were completely outplayed by a heavier and very much more experienced team. The School kicked off with the help of a slight wind, and for a short time the home team had quite a lot of the ball, the pack heeling better in the tight than in the loose. The score opened through the opponents obtaining a free kick outside the School "25" ; this was followed by a good "drop kick" by Drax's fast and very skilful fly-half.

Throughout the game he was the most dangerous player, and he continued to run through despite special marking precautions. As the result shows the School were well beaten, and very rarely looked like scoring. The tackling throughout the side, with one or two exceptions, was very poor, and many tries might have been saved by better marking and harder tackling amongst the backs.

Team:—R. N. Rimmer ; W. G. Barnby, T. F. Cameron, C. J. Lynch, J. T. Brockbank ; A. T. H. Wright, H. A. Milburn; J. H. Butler, R. S. Dixon, H. D. F. Amor, J. M. Dickenson (Capt.), R. G. Whitworth, M. S. Douglas, J. V. Reed, R. T. Griffiths.

2nd XV v. LEEDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2nd XV. Played at Leeds on Saturday, October 31st. Result: Lost, 0-21.

At first the School played uphill. The opposing forwards were heavy, effective and unorthodox, doing a lot of kicking ahead. This practice defeated the School's forwards, who played a sound, but losing game against a heavier and faster pack.

In the three-quarters the Leeds team had a definite advantage. They were fast and big, and overawed the School's defence, which was at times most weak. Only Barnby at full-back did himself justice in defence, and as full-back he brought off some excellent tackles. However, the School held them for the first half, the score at half-time being 6-0. But after a short period of attack by the School forwards, the School's defence collapsed, and the opposing "threes" ran through.

Team:—W. G. Barnby; J. T. Brockbank, T. F. Cameron, C. J. Lynch, R. C. Lynch ; A. T. H. Wright, H. A. Milburn ; J. H. Butler, R. S. Dixon, H. D. F. Amor, J. M. Dickenson (Capt.), R. G. Whitworth, M. S. Douglas, J. V. Reed, R. T. Griffiths.

2nd XV v. RIPON GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1st XV.

Played at Ripon on Wednesday, November 4th. Result : Lost, 5-20.

The School side had been strengthened by R. N. Rimmer on the right wing and G. P. G. Stephenson and M. S. Hall in the forwards. The School played a much sounder game than before, and were unlucky to lose by the large margin they did. J. A. Wright had replaced Milburn at scrum-half, and though he gave a slightly slower service he was more sound.

The forwards played a good game, though their opponents were heavy and effective. The backs, however, were still weak in defence, though both Barnby and Rimmer did all they could with some fine tackling. The score at half-time was 11-5, after a cross kick by Reed, from which Rimmer scored and kicked the goal.

After a short burst after half-time the School defence again deteriorated, and the Ripon "threes" ran through, making the final score 20-5 when "no-side" went.

Team :—W. G. Barnby; R. N. Rimmer, T. F. Cameron, J. V. Reed, C. J. Lynch ; A. T. H. Wright, J. A. Wright; M. S. Hall, R. S. Dixon, H. D. F. Amor, J. M. Dickenson (Capt.), R. G. Whitworth, M. S. Douglas, G. P. G. Stephenson, R. T. Griffiths.

2nd XV v. GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL 2nd XV.

Played at Giggleswick on Saturday, November 7th. Result: Lost, 0-15.

This game was somewhat spoiled by the wet condition of the ground and the inclemency of the weather. The School had two tries scored against them before they began to wake up and get into their stride. And for the last part of the first half the School forwards attacked vigorously, and it looked as if we might be able to break through their strong defence. Just before half-time Giggleswick scored again through a mistake in the centre.

Throughout the game the forwards, who were playing against a very much heavier pack, had many good rushes and held their own in the set scrums. However, the defence of the whole side was exceptionally weak, with the notable exception of Barnby at full-back. There seemed to be a complete inability at hard, low tackling and falling on the

250 ball. As a result of these weaknesses in defence, Giggleswick were able to score several tries towards the end of the game, and only once or twice, after good forward rushes, were we able to reach their " 25." With a few exceptions the team was very poor, and it was obvious that some changes would have to be made before the next match.

Team:—W. G. Barnby; C. J. Lynch, J. V. Reed, T. F. Cameron, J. T. Brockbank; A. T. H. Wright, H. A. Milburn ; J. H. Butler, R. S. Dixon, H. D. F. Amor, J. M. Dickenson (Capt.), R. G. Whitworth, M. S. Douglas, S. P. H. Rylatt, R. T. Griffiths.

2nd XV v. YORK " A."

Played at Home on Saturday, November 14th. Result: Lost, 0-52.

From the beginning of the game it was obvious that we were up against a very much heavier, faster and altogether more skilful side. Our forwards, who were approximately the same people as went to Giggleswick, were at times good, but worked under great difficulties against heavy men. The three-quarter line had been slightly altered: Brockbank replaced Barnby, and Atkinson came in the place of Reed, who went back into the pack. This new line showed a marked improvement both in attack and defence, but tackling was still bad in parts. We were twice awarded free kicks; both these were well kicked by Rimmer, who was unlucky in failing to convert either of them.

The whole team stuck to it very well against such an extraordinary strong opposition, and were unlucky to lose by so many.

Team:—R. N. Rimmer; C. J. Lynch, T. F. Cameron, J. C. Atkinson, J. T. Brockbank; A. T. H. Wright, H. A. Milburn; J. H. Butler, H. A. S. Hobson, H. D. F. Amor, J. M. Dickenson (Capt.), R. G. Whitworth, M. S. Douglas, J. V. Reed, R. T. Griffiths.

2nd XV v. DRAX GRAMMAR SCHOOL 1st XV.

Played at Drax on Wednesday, November 18th. Result: Lost, 0-38.

For our return match against Drax the team was slightly different from the one that had played before. They were unfortunate in losing Dickenson, who had pulled a cartilage in the previous practice; in his absence the team was strengthened and captained by Moffatt. The threequarters were changed in that Lynch was, replaced by Barnby.

251

For the first half we played with the wind, but although we had more of the ball from the tight scrums, the threequarters did not kick nearly enough. And despite the plucky tackling of Cameron, Barnby and Rimmer the ball was seldom out of our half. At times there were spasms of brilliance in the forwards, but at other times our defence was weak, and by half-time we had 20 points against us.

For the first part of the second half the School vastly improved, but soon we lagged, the defence still had their spasms of weakness, Rimmer not playing so well as before, owing to a severe kick on the head. By "no-side" our opponents had piled up a score of 38 points, and we had still been unable to penetrate their defence.

Team :—R. N. Rimmer; W. G. Barnby, T. F. Cameron, J. C. Atkinson, J. T. Brockbank; A. T. H. Wright, J. A. Wright ; J. H. Butler, H. A. S. Hobson, H. D. F. Amor, A. H. Moffatt (Capt.), R. G. Whitworth, M. S. Douglas, C. J. Lynch, R. T. Griffiths. 2nd XV v. WORKSOP COLLEGE 2nd XV. Played at York on Saturday, November 28th. Result: Lost, 0-11.

The team was again slightly altered for this match : C. J. Lynch went back to the wing from the forwards, and Brockbank moved to the centre. The forwards were very different: they were without Dickenson, who was still unable to play, and Dent, Couldwell and Currie were tried in the place of Amor, who was playing for the 1st XV, Rylott and Whitworth.

The School started off in excellent form, and it was a long time before there was any score, both teams being good in defence. The forwards, although at times they were apt to be rather slow at following up, played a very sound game. The tackling by the three-quarters had improved a great deal since the last match, and altogether they showed much more confidence. Worksop scored once in the first half through a clever piece of running by their fly-half.

In the second half the School kept up their good form, and only two tries were scored against them, both through the really good attacking powers of Worksop. It was easily the 2nd XV's best match, and the team are to be congratulated on playing so well against a very much heavier and faster side.

Team :—R. N. Rimmer; C. J. Lynch, J. C. Atkinson, J. T. Brockbank, W. G. Barnby; A. T. H. Wright, H. A. Milburn; J. H. Butler, R. S. Dixon (Capt.), J. A. Dent, J. M. Couldwell, R. S. Currie, M. S. Douglas, J. V. Reed, R. T. Griffiths.

Cott liZctrospat,

Played 3. Won 1. Lost 2. v. Giggleswick Colts ... v. Leeds Grammar School Colts

Won 17—G Lost 0-21 v. Worksop Colts ... Lost 0-19

The Colts XV, after a promising start, had rather a disappointing season. The demands of the 1st and 2nd XV's told heavily on them, with the result that it was difficult to get together a representative XV for practice. This led to a rather noticeable failure to combine. Perhaps the greatest handicap was the inability to find any real centre-threequarters ; those who played in that position were really fly-halves or wing-threequarters who found some difficulty in finding their right position in the centre of the field. In general the attack looked more promising than the defence, but a failure to finish off movements meant an inability to score—or in some cases a score to the other side. The defence was variable. In the Leeds match, for instance, it was unreliable in the first half, but very dogged in the second. The forwards did some good work in the loose and in the line-out, but were not enough together and did not bind tightly enough in the set scrums. There is plenty of promising material both among the forwards and the backs, but at present there is a lack of experience and not enough determination either in attack or defence.

At full-back, Barnby tackled excellently throughout, but was apt too often to be caught with the ball. On the wings, Bulmer and Brockbank showed speed and some dash in attack, but were not sound in defence. In the centre, Atkinson saved and tackled pluckily when he was in position, but both Lynch and Sleight were rather " out of their depth." Wright at fly-half was always dangerous and hard-working in attack, but it is essential for him to improve his defence. At scrum-half, Milburn played a useful and courageous game. Of the forwards the best were Amor, Butler and Douglas, although the last must learn to push as well as wing, while Robson did well when he came in to take Hobson's place as hooker. Individually all the forwards played well at times, but they never really combined into a pack.

To sum up, the Giggleswick match looked promising; the forwards got the ball and the backs did something with it. The Leeds match, in spite of the score, 0-21, was not bad, as the score was made up of 3 goals and 2 penalties ; in the second half there was no score except a penalty goal, and there was some determination in the defence. The