Old Peterite Squash

half-time the Scarborians scored again after a quick breakaway. In the second half the Old Peterites had more of the play, but again were weak in the circle. Each side scored once, Warin's goal for the Old Peterites being a reward for a lot of hard work throughout the game. The Scarborians' goals were scored by Brooker (4) and Harris.

Team :—J. Oakley ; J. M. Atkinson, N. W. Smithson ; E. Harrop, R. Ogley, B. W. Jackson ; K. Lockwood, W. Elliott, R. P. Warin, J. Haigh, M. B. Marwood.

OLD PETERITES 2 goals, OLD BOWDONIANS 3 goals.

The weather caused the time for this game to be altered from 4-15 p.m. to 11-15 a.m., and consequently the York contingent were again absent, as also were one or two more. Two forwards were borrowed from the Clodhoppers, and also a goalkeeper. The game was a very close one and either team might have won, but the Old Bowdonians' defence was just a little steadier than the Old Peterites'. The Old Peterites were the first to attack and were the better side in the first half. Bayliss and Elliott formed a dangerous left wing, and their swift raids were always dangerous. Bond, who played in Warin's place until the latter arrived, scored the Old Peterites' first goal, and a clever shot by Elliott resulted in the second. Gilbody scored for the Old Bowdonians, and at half-time the score was 2-1. In the second half the Old Bowdonians gradually improved, and they eventually took the lead with goals by the brothers Gilbody. The Old Peterites attacked desperately towards the end, and Warin, Elliott and Bayliss always looked dangerous, but the Old Bowdonians' defence held out.

Team :—A. Goley ; J. M. Atkinson, N. W. Smithson ; E. Harrop, R. Ogley, B. W. Jackson ; T. Bayliss (sub.), W. Elliott, R. P. Warin, A. N. Other, C. Wellington.

OLD PETERITE SQUASH RACKETS.

(By a Special Correspondent.)

After our triumphant debut in the Londonderry Cup Competition of 1935-6, our ignominious defeat at the hands of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in the second round —the Old Peterites drew a bye in the first round—of this season's event came as an unpleasant anticlimax.

As it was pointed out in " The Peterite '' when commenting on the narrow defeat by Eton in last year's semifinal, St. Peter's—to have any chance of making really good 8

progress in an Old Boys' competition—must be given full and unselfish support by all their players of any real class. The failure of one of our County players to turn out against Eton cost us that particular match ; but this season the situation was much more serious, and we were obliged to take the court against Dartmouth, at the United Services Club on January 29th with a deplorably weak team.

Yardley came up from Cambridge, Pawle from Leeds, and Gray from Manchester, but two of our best players who were living in London declined invitations for most inadequate reasons ; Henry Burrows did not play, and David Burrows, who had given such a brilliant display against C. W. C. Packe in the memorable Eton match, was unable to make the journey from Leicester. So, with Pawle striking an off-day, the " tail " of the team began after Yardley, who gained our only victory at the expense of Lt. G. S. Salt.

Turning to the actual match, one cannot but observe that it seemed distinctly unfair for the Old Peterites to have to play at the United Services Club, where the courts possess several features which favour the home team. Nominally, of course, this was a neutral court, but as Salt, Shaw and Sanderson—the first three Dartmouth strings—all happen to represent the United Services Club in Bath Club Cup matches, they held a big initial advantage.

Yardley gave his usual graceful exhibition of stroke play, and dropped only as many points as he chose after a level first game with Salt. Pawle was never happy, however, and though he led 7-1 in the first game, he was unable to " put the ball away " on the slow court, while he could do nothing right with his " drops." In the ordinary course of events he would be expected to beat Commander Shaw with the greatest ease only a week or two before he had taken more points off D. I. Burnett than anyone but Snell, the winner, in the South of England Championship—but except for an inspired rally in the third game, which he won to love, he was always fighting a losing battle. Shaw, a very fit man, lobbed cleverly, and kept an accurate length in the rallies, while he retrieved with heartbreaking persistence.

Gray was up against formidable opposition in Lt.Commander Sanderson, and he, too, struck an off-day, hitting a tremendous amount of fairly simple returns onto the tin. Sanderson took full advantage of his mistakes, and making some neat drop shots he lost only 13 points in the match. When Dobree led 2-1 against Lt. Fordham it seemed just possible that St. Peter's might pull the match out of the fire, but he suddenly lost his touch, and nothing went right for him in the last two games. If he experi-

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