Shooting

This term the shooting, although not good, was better than we had hoped. Mr. Le Tocq spent the first few weeks of term trying to find a nucleus around which to build a team. In this he was fairly successful, but the time factor for practices handicapped matters. Three matches were arranged under "Country Life" conditions. Of the three, two were won and one was lost.

The results were as follows :— St. Peter's v. Wellington—Won, 549-542. St. Peter's v. Worksop—Lost, 555-578. St. Peter's v. Dean Close—Won, 555-502.

Team : F. J. Chadwick, J. Dook, D. Hardisty, C. K. Hudson, L. D. Edinger, J. A. Hannon, R. Parker, P. C. Knowlson.

FENCING

This term the most recent addition to the long list of School sports has continued to flourish, and great enthusiasm has been shown, particularly by beginners. We have experienced considerable difficulty in finding suitable times for fencing classes, and our thanks are due to R.S.M. Power for turning up at all hours of the day. At the end of the term a match was arranged between the School and York Repertory Company, a much older and more experienced team. We were unlucky in having two of our team unable to take part, but we managed to have the better of the argument. The team and the results are shown below. 1. 2. P. R. Sykes (Captain of Fencing) ... Won 3 bouts, Lost 2 C. K. Hudson Won 3 bouts, Lost 2 3. D. S. Carr ... Won 3 bouts, Lost 2 4. J. C. M. Rayson Won 2 bouts, Lost 3 5. R. F. Wyman • • • • .• • • . Won 2 bouts, Lost 3

Result : St. Peter's School 13 bouts. York Repertory Company 12 bouts.

Following this match, C. K. Hudson and D. S. Carr were awatded their Fencing Colours.

SCOUTING

The beginning of a new school year coincided with the introduction of Senior Scouts as a separate section of the movement. This has unfortunately entailed the number of patrols in the Senior School being reduced to three owing to the lack of a Scouter to run a Senior Scout section. The Hound Patrol has therefore disappeared for the time being.

Training for the 1st Class badge in both parts of the Troop has gone on very satisfactorily by those qualified to tackle it. There has, however, been some lack of enthusiasm among the more recently joined in working for their 2nd Class badge. It is to be hoped that this state of affairs will be remedied before long.

Although activities on the Golf Course have been to some extent curtailed this term, several wide games have been played. The Senior School patrols spent an enjoyable afternoon experimenting with Scout Transporters.

On Saturday, 7th December, the Troop held an enjoyable Camp Fire in the Senior School Scout Room.

A collection of toys, games, books, etc., was made at the end of term and the proceeds taken to St. Stephen's Orphanage as a Christmas gift from the Troop.

The result of the Junior School Inter-Patrol Competition was as follows :-1, Owls ; 2, Curlews ; 3, Peewits ; 4, Hawks ; 5, Wood Pigeons.

SQUASH

At the beginning of the term F. J. Chadwick was appointed Secretary of Squash in order to give Dook, who remains Captain, more time to run the School Rugger. Chadwick's first job was the construction of a School Squash Ladder to consist of four Seniors, four Intermediates, and four Juniors from each House, selected by the House Captains. This ladder proved very successful, and great enthusiasm for the game has been evident throughout the School this term, and the standard of play has improved considerably. Particularly is this noticeable in the Junior section of the squash ladder and also in several members of the Intermediate section. This augurs well for the future, but it is now some time since our standard of squash was put to the real test of an inter-school match.

CHESS

This term chess has been raised to the level of an inter-school game as distinct from an annual contest between the Houses. The School has joined the York Junior Chess League and will play one match against each other member of the League before the end of

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next term. One of these matches has already been played against St. John's College. The team and the results were as follows :- 1. P. Jenkins—Adjudicated win. 2. J. C. Grove-Stephenson—Win. 3. W. S. Samuels—Lost. 4. R. Ham—Lost. 5. P. R. Sykes • (Captain of Chess)—Lost. 6. D. J. Oliver—Lost. 7. K. W. Wilson—Lost.

Although the score of five games to two would seem to indicate a decisive defeat, three of the losses were very close games, and the total result was quite encouraging to an inexperienced team. We were told by our opponents that we should have no difficulty with other members of the league, so we will hope for the best next term.

RUGBY FOOTBALL, 1946

RETROSPECT

The first and more important half of our rugger season is rapidly drawing to a close as we take a breather for the Christmas holidays, and we cannot but reflect upon the varied performances of the past term, which the weather alone has managed to rival.

No one would deny that the season has been lacking in successes, but we had our brighter moments ; as had the weather, which in spite of floods early in the term, provided us with glorious rugger days during October, yet nearly drove us to despair during November, culminating in the most appalling day for our match with Liverpool College, when the only bright spot in the sea of mud was the mounting score in our favour.

The other result with which we were well pleased was our decisive win over Giggleswick School, a tonic of which we were in much need at the time. However, to offset these successes, in fact to nullify them completely, we did suffer three serious set-backs at the hands of Denstone, Worksop and Leeds. All three were really good sides, but three such decisive defeats in one season were too much, and we have no excuses to offer. However, we can, perhaps, quite justifiably attribute the reverses to one very evident reason. Although it seems hardly credible, the average weight of the 1st XV pack was only 10 stone 8 pounds. If statistics were available it would surely prove to be very many years since the School had a lighter scrum. The School pack this year certainly never came up against a lighter eight than themselves, and all too often it was a very different tale. It is even more surprising to note that the 2nd XV pack averaged 10 stone

39

5 pounds, yet there were no giants to be found anywhere in the School. In fact only one boy could tip the scales at 12 stone, and he, unfortunately, was more often sick than not.

What was lacking in weight, one always hopes might be made up for in speed, for without one or other of these attributes it is difficult enough to gain any ascendancy on a rugger field. But here again we were too often outpaced, so that all we could rely upon was individual grit and stamina and sound team work, and it was on this basis that selection for the School XV was made. And well they did their job at times. The results of two or three matches might well have turned in our favour, and then we might have been reasonably satisfied with the term's performance. If we might be allowed to forget the landslide at Leeds, the team showed very much improving form throughout the latter half of the term. No particular department of the game was ever outstanding ; everybody had a lot to learn : but all played hard and did their level best.

The 2nd and "Under 16" Colts teams have little more to report in the way of successes, but wins are not everything, and much good and enjoyable rugger was played, and we noted with satisfaction the very much improved form shown by the Colts in their drawn game (8 all) with Worksop in the latter part of the term. That match alone was a promising omen for the future, for in it we saw the best tackling we have witnessed anywhere this term. May many others follow their admirable example !

The introduction of an "Under 15" colts game and matches should help to re-build the rugger, and the graded games throughout the School, which proved popular, though they were sadly handicapped by the worst of York weather, will also eventually help us to restore a standard of rugger more worthy of our reputation.

We should not end this survey without expressing our congratulations to W. Graham on his selection as a member of the Durham County Public Schools XV for the games against the Yorkshire and the Northumberland Public Schools.

1st XV CHARACTERS *fJ. McD. L. Dook (Captain), 1945-46. He was never sure enough of his own personal ability to be an inspiring leader. Early in the season he showed complete lack of form, but in spite of the anxiety which this caused him and not knowing whereabouts on the field he might best do himself justice, he eventually overcame his troubles and found form well worthy of his position as a second row forward. *tW. Graham (Vice-Captain), 1945-46. A powerfully built and very strong stand-off half, who has relied more upon strength than elusiveneSs to bring him success. His task has been a difficult one, owing to the limitations of the service from the scrum, and

40

it has often been difficult for him to keep clear of the scrum and get his three-quarters on the move. He possesses a fine pair of hands, and all the keenness necessary to enable him to go a long way. He may yet make a very much more dangerous centre. *ff. N. Newdick, 1945-46. Although a bit talkative, he has led the forwards ably and cheerfully. From his position at wing-forward he has always been prominent in the loose, but lacks the extra speed which would make him a real menace amongst the opposition. He has been making quite a study of the game and has shown plenty of enthusiasm.

K. Hudson, 1946. Was the backbone of the three-quarters both in attack and defence, and so played the role of a five-eighths, quite an exacting task which meant playing as the first centre all the time. He was quick to learn and quick off the mark. Could always be relied upon, yet he was never brilliant. fH. L. Dixon, 1946. A good wing-forward in the open and a fine opportunist. If only he had the gift of some more weight he would' e really very good. He needs to pay a little more attention to the job of defence and to be sure of getting his man. f T. M. A. Griffiths, 1946. A keen and very hardworking forward who was always zeady for a scrap. If he stays on for another year he should do very well in his position in the middle of the back row. fj. E. Stuart, X1946. A young forward who has done very well in the second row. His good work in the line-outs was always most marked, and in the open he has the happy knack of being in the right place at the right time. He has had a good season, but before next year he needs to put on a lot more weight without losing his ability. fC. Frank, 1946. Still rather an awkward player and at present a too unbalanced runner for the rugger field, but his tackling has been fearless and beyond comparison. He must try to develop a sense of anticipation and react more quickly to changing circumstances.

He must also always remember that the corner flag is his target unless otherwise cut off. D Hardisty, 1945-46. After early disappointments he found his true form on the wing and played some splendid games towards the end of the term. His tackling has been his strongest point and he proved himself a real trier. f K. W. Wilson, 1945-46. In spite of his light weight, he has stuck to his job as a hooker with determination, and when the two scrums were evenly matched for weight, he could always be relied upon to get a very fair share of the ball. A good forward with the ball at his feet.

tJ. H. Amos, 1946. As a prop he has shown plenty of fight and bustle, and was a hard-working forward at all times without ever being very prominent or noticeable in the loose. tF. J. Chadwick, 1946. Although of rather slender build, he did his job well as the other prop. A good forward in the loose, and particularly in the line-outs he put in a lot of hard work. tR. Dobson, 1946. Lion-hearted and prepared to go down on the ball or mix it with the opposing forwards at any time. He never lacked initiative, but disappointingly his main weakness was his service from the scrum, which he must remember is the key and first essential to a really good scrum-half. At present he needs too much time in which to serve his fly-half, and too often his body movement as he throws out the pass is mistimed.

D Edinger, 1946. Never gave up trying, but unfortunately he lost all confidence in himself. The rhythm of the passing movement never became second nature to him, with the result that it all fell to pieces when under pressure. He was rather slow up in defence and never really got on top of his opposite number. fD. J. Oliver, 1946. Last but not least—the full-back. Possesses a safe pair of hands and a sound kick with either foot when he remembers to balance himself first. Still a bit slow across the field and a little at fault in positioning himself, but never gave cause for any undue alarm to the rest of the side. * Cap. t Colour.

SEASON 1946-47

2nd XV—R. M. McDermid ; *C. Dryden, G. M. 'Dodgson, M. A. J.

Rignall, F. R. Bown ; G. W. Smith, *D. H. Tate ; P. G. Matthews,

J. J. F. Walker, *R. L. Hutchinson, C. C. Clement, T. P. Thomas, *J. M. Ryder, *P. J. Shardlow, *J. Dench (Captain). Colts XV—D. G. Eccles ; J. M. Dodsworth, A. M. Kendell, *P. T.

Baker, M. E. Kershaw ; *F. C. Slegg (Captain), *J. A. Broadley ;

J. C. Varley, *D. Walter (Vice-Captain), J. A. Whitehead, C. D.

Ryder, R. J. Townshend, *A. L. Pavis, T. G. Murray, E. G.

Thompson.

* Colours.

1 st XV

Result F. A. Sat., 5th Oct. Royal Signals O.C.T.U. • . • Won 13 3 Wed., 9th Oct. Durham School ... • • • Lost 3 14 Sat., 12th Oct. Denstone College • • • Lost 5 39 Sat., 19th Oct. Worksop College ..• Lost 0 35 Sat., 26th Oct. York R.U.F.C. • • . Lost 10 13 Wed., 30th Oct. Trent College ... • .. Lost 6 9 Wed., 13th Nov. Giggleswick School .• • Won 7 3 4 Sat., 16th Nov. Bradford G.S. • .. Lost 8 9 Sat., 23rd Nov. Leeds G.S. ..• Lost 3 38 Sat., 30th Nov. Ampleforth College • • • Cancelled Sat., 7th Dec. Liverpool College ..• Won 34 0 Sat., 14th Dec. Old Peterites ..• Won 9 8

A XV

Result F. A. Wed., 23rd Oct. Ripon G.S. ... Lost 10 14

2nd XV

Result F. A. Sat., 19th Oct. Worksop College 2nd XV ... Lost 3 16 Sat., 26th Oct. Durham School 2nd XV ... Lost 3 6 Sat., 9th Nov. Drax G.S. 1st XV ... ... Lost 10 16 Wed., 13th Nov. Giggleswick School 2nd XV ... Won 10 8 Sat., 16th Nov. Bradford G.S. 2nd XV ... Cancelled Sat., 23rd Nov. Leeds G.S. 2nd XV ... ... Lost 3 27 Wed., 27th Nov. Drax G.S. 1st XV ... ... Lost 6 9 Sat, 30th Nov. Ampleforth College 2nd XV ... Cancelled

Colts XV

Result F. A. Sat., 12th Oct. Giggleswick School Colts Lost 9 17 Wed., 30th Oct. Ampleforth College Colts Lost 5 6 Sat., 9th Nov. Denstone College Colts Lost 0 37 Wed., 4th Dec. Worksop College Colts Drawn 8 8

Under 15's

Result F. A. Wed., 23rd Oct. Newburgh Priory School Cancelled Wed., 13th Nov. Newburgh Priory School Won 27 3 Wed., 4th Dec. Worksop College ... Won 21 3

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Senior. Semi-finals : School House 6 points, Manor 0. Rise 3 points, Temple 0 (after replay). Final : Rise 3 points, School House 0.

Junior

Semi-finals : School House 3 points, Rise 0. Temple 27 points, • Manor 0. Final : School House 3 points, Temple 0. ST. PETER'S v. DURHAM SCHOOL Played at Home, 9th October Result : St. Peter's 3 points, Durham 14 points

For the first inter-school match the weather was fine and the pitch dry.

At the start of the match it appeared that either side might win, and there was no score for 30 minutes until Dook scored with a penalty kick, awarded for an off-side. Two minutes later, however, Durham hit back and scored between the posts. They failed to convert and the score was three-all at half-time.

During the second half the School backs were severely tested, and although their defence was good, they were not able to prevent Durham scoring another three tries, leaving them winners by 14 points

to 3

Hudson and Graham played an excellent game and were unfortunate to see some movements spoiled by careless handling in the backs. This was true of both sides, especially in the first half. ST. PETER'S v. DENSTONE COLLEGE Played at Home, 12th October Result : St. Peter's 5 points, Denstone 39 points

The score shows clearly that the School were beaten, as last year, by a very much better side, but we were unlucky in having two men who were unable to play.

Throughout it was a defensive game for the School, and time and again Denstone had a man over on their wing, through which they scored.

Only once did the School get in a good forward rush, and from this they scored, leaving the score at half-time 17 points to 5.

The second half brought no relief, and only once were the School ever near their opponent's line. Although they held Denstone off for a long time, they began to tire and no-side left Denstone easy victors.

ST. PETER'S v. WORKSOP COLLEGE Played at Worksop, 19th October Result : Worksop 35 points, St. Peter's 0

This, the XV's first away match, was played on a very hard pitch and they never became really accustomed to it.

The School scrum were pushed off the ball in almost every set scrum by a heavier pack, and consequently the Worksop backs did most of the attacking. The tackling was poor, and this, together with the accurate passing of the opposing backs, caused the School's heavy defeat. The Worksop three-quarters took advantage of many mistakes and kept their opposite men very busy.

The School XV gave the impression that they could not settle down, especially in the matters of marking and tackling.

ST. PETER'S v. TRENT COLLEGE Played at Trent, 30th October Result : St. Peter's 6 points, Trent 9 points

Although the result of this match was better than the previous ones, the School might well have done better, and the result very different if it had been played at home.

Soon after the start, Trent scored from a penalty kick, although this was soon equalled by a brilliant kick by Dook.

Trent scored their first try from a kick-ahead, just before halftime, and their second soon after the re-start of play.

The School side played hard during the last. half and scored their only try during it. Had the team started at the beginning to play as hard as they did during the second half, they might easily have scored then.

The backs learnt from this match the necessity of keeping well up on the ball and tackling hard.

ST. PETER'S v. GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL Played at Home, 13th November Result : St. Peter's 23 points, Giggleswick 4 points

The whole team played well in this match and pressed hard from the beginning.

In the first few minutes Graham broke through and passed to Newdick, who touched down. Another fine individual effort gave Graham a try under the posts soon afterwards. He converted both these tries.

The next try was scored through a kick-ahead by Hardisty, leaving the score at half-time as 13 points to nil.

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During the second half the ball kept mainly in the forwards and no try was scored for twenty minutes until Dixon, dribbling the ball, broke through, and after gathering it up scored between the posts. Dook converted another try by the forwards with a very brilliant kick. Giggleswick ended the scoring with a good drop-kick in front of the goal .

A special word must be said for Graham and Hudson and also Newdick in leading the forwards so well.

ST. PETER'S v. BRADFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL Played at Bradford, 16th November Result : Bradford 9 points, St. Peter's 8 points

The game, played on a wet pitch, was lost, certainly not through lack of spirit or hard playing.

A penalty kick, awarded to Bradford in the first two minutes, was rather a set-back, but within the next three minutes, hard playing was rewarded with a try by Hardisty and a convert 'by Dook. Another penalty kick and a try by Bradford left the score at half-time as 9 points to 5 in their favour.

The only score during the second half was a good penalty kick by Dook. The three-quarters had no chance to get going and the ball kept amongst the forwards all the time.

It was bad luck that the School side could not push over the Bradford line, and a great deal must be said for the Bradford forwards. The game, however, taught us much, to pass quickly and to play up on a weak full-back.

Dixon, Griffiths and Stuart must have a word of praise for their invaluable support to the pack.

ST. PETER'S v. LEEDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL Played at Leeds, 23rd November Result : Leeds G.S. 38 points, St. Peter's 3 points

On a ground which was covered with water and in rain which continued throughout the game, this was obviously a forwards' game. With nine of their previous year's colours, Leeds were an excellent team and quite outclassed the School side, and a special word must be said for them in the way they handled the ball.

The School forwards played very well, and brought off some excellent rushes, although they were heavily outweighted. Only once did the School backs seem near to scoring, but this chance soon went as the result of an accidental trip.

By half-time the score was 14 points to nil. During the second half, Dook scored from a beautiful penalty kick from near the touch line. For the first 25 minutes the School held Leeds very well and 46