Rugby Football, 1951

RETROSPECT

It was no more easy to select the School XV of the year than it is now to assess its true worth. The winning of five and losing of three school matches would suggest a good average season, which is perhaps the fairest assessment that can be made; yet one inevitably comes to the conclusion that in our own team and our opponents alike, whether victors or vanquished, there has been a dearth of talent this year, and all teams attained only a mediocre standard. Apart from our Captain, we possessed no noteworthy stars, nor, on the other hand, were we sorely troubled by the stars (if any) of our opponents.

The success or otherwise of the 1st XV depended more than ever on the spirit which pervaded them during the match. The School set off to a splendid start and raised our hopes immensely by defeating Durham by 21 points to 3 at Durham, a margin which has never previously been attained. It was, indeed, only the third victory ever achieved at Durham, a fixture which has existed almost continuously since 1882. On the other hand, without detracting from the credit due to our opponents, lack of team spirit was unquestionably the cause of our defeats at Bradford and 'Giggleswick, and no individual brilliance this year was ever likely to carry the School through to a one-man victory. Nor would we wish it so—team work is essentially our mode of play ! Great credit, however, is due to A. N. WyattGunning for fostering this much-needed spirit on so many occasions.

The School pack, of about average weight (11.4), was ably led by H. W. J. Rigg, but never reached the standard that could be expected of a scrum which contained six old Colours. The back division, however, was singularly lacking in experience, for only D. I. Fletcher remained, and the absence of such stalwarts as M. E. Kershaw, M. G. Goodburn and P. J. Blincoe, was much felt. But as time went on they acquitted themselves very creditably. In defence we were very conscious of our weakness and it is very much to our credit that only two teams registered double figures against us; whilst in attack fresh life was brought to the line as soon as W. G. A. Maxwell was introduced at fly-half.

In the process of team-building and experimenting, no less than 24 boys played for the 1st XV, and will no doubt have derived much benefit from the experience. The pace and vigour of a 1st XV match never ceases to take the wind out of the sails of the uninitiated. For all this, the 2nd XV were below the standard of recent years. The incessant priority calls of the 1st XV were largely to blame for this state of affairs, but they finished in a blaze of glory by defeating convincingly a previously undefeated Worksop 2nd XV.

The Colts team started off successfully enough, but late season form showed how much in earlier matches the remainder of the team had been resting on their laurels and relying upon the brilliance of one or two of their stars.

The Junior Colts team had a very successful season, many of the players still being eligible for this same team next year, and there is obviously plenty of useful talent in this part of the School to work on.

The remainder of the School suffered cruelly in this, one of the wettest seasons in living memory. From as early as the first days in November, owing to extensive flooding of the riverside fields and others besides, the School were restricted to the use of two matchplaying pitches and one other. Not unnaturally these few pitches were severely strained, but very few matches were cancelled. The cancellation of the O.P. match was very much regretted—an early decision, and, as it turned out, a very wrong one.

In the nick of time, the House matches were brought to a successful' conclusion, successful at any rate from the Rise point of view in the Senior competition and Temple in the Junior. Holiday rugger will now prove whether we possess any other stars besides our redoubtable Captain, A. N. Wyatt-Gunning.

1st XV CHARACTERS

*tA. N. WYATT-GUNNING (Captain), 1950-51. Open-side wing-forward.. His qualities as a Captain have been quite outstanding, and his own play has been unaffected by the responsibilities of office. His enthusiasm for the success of his team has been equalled only by his interest in the

School rugger in general. His dribbling has become very effective, and his full-blooded tackles have often turned defence into attack. *tE. ROBINSON (Vice-Captain), 1949-50-51. Lock forward. His physique, 13 stone and over 6ft. 2 ins., has been a serious handicap to him in the mud-larking conditions of the latter half of term. He was prominent both in attack and defence when conditions were dry, but he has not improved greatly since two years ago. *tH. W. Rion, 1950-51. 2nd row forward. A very useful leader and capable of playing a very good game himself when "in the mood". He should develop into a very good forward provided he lets himself go. *fro. I. FLETCHER, 1950-51. Centre three-quarter. Provided he goes low, he is primarily a very good defensive player who is just beginning to develop an eye for an opening and aggressiveness when in possession. He has been the mainstay of the three-quarter line and has put in a great deal of work covering. A very adequate place-kicker. -U. T. ANKERS, 1950-51. Prop. Solid and stocky, just the type to make a good front-row forward, but he lacked just that much speed and spirit which would have made his movements effective.

D. G. HILTON, 1950-51. Blind-side wing-forward. He was quick to adapt himself to yet another change of position, and the extra weight and strength which he has acquired since last year has been used to good purpose.

He is still a bit slow to check any blind-side movement of an opposing fly-half.

1M. T. GREENWOOD, 1951. Scrum-half. A sound little player when conditions are dry and fast, but his diminutive physique is a serious handicap to him when conditions become heavy. He has the heart of a lion, but needs to have a very well-drilled pack in front of him in heavy going if he is not to be caught in possession. t1• M. RAYLOR, 1951. Right-wing threequarter. Has shown quite a lot of dash and has developed a very useful inward "jink", well-timed and effective enough to throw all but the best of full-backs off balance before swerving outwards. His defensive play is hesitant and weak, and he is easily evaded.

G. TAYLOR, 1951. Hooker. A very promising young player who will have derived much benefit from his experiences this season. He keeps well up on the ball in the loose and is generally reliable. t P. D. F. JAMES, 1951. Full-back. Undoubtedly he has shown his best rugger qualities in this position, and he gave his team more and more confidence with every match that was played. Provided he is not too ambitious, his kicking for touch with either foot is good, and his positioning and speed across field have improved immeasurably. f M. C. M. LOCHORE, 1950-51. 2nd row forward. A good packer, but he still lacks weight for his position. Although other more important roles may suffer, he often has the happy knack of turning up at the right place at the right time. His line-out work is improving but too often his energies are mis-applied. f W. G. A. MAXWELL, 1951. Fly-half. With a low centre of gravity he is not unlike an India-rubber ball—the harder he is knocked down the quicker he bounces up again. The more polished and technical movements of a first-class player have still to be mastered, but he has all the natural attributes to become a very elusive stand-off half of great promise. -M. N. COATES, 1951. Prop. A solid player who should develop well. His heart and soul are in the game, but his movements are still rather slow and lacking in confidence. f G. B. PULLAN, 1951. Centre three-quarter. He has much rugger sense, but his play has shown some hestation this year. He is slow to come up in defence, but yet in attack we have seen glimpses of speed and elusiveness. fE. A. M. REM-SMITH, 1951. Left-wing three-quarter. Not a natural position for him, but yet his presence in some position in the three-quarter line has been invaluable. As he is a reserve scrum-half, a useful asset for any side.

If need be, he ought to develop into a useful three-quarter, after mastering the art of giving and taking of passes. * Cap. t Colours.

SEASON 1951-52 2nd XV.—S. J. White (Capt.),* A. W. Driver,* P. R. L. Wetherell,* J. E. B.

Annequin,* D. Coverdale,* M. J. F. Everitt,* J. S. Megginson,* R. J.

De Little,* G. B. Hudson,* D. H. Gudgeon, J. B. Weightman, C. W.

Thompson, J. J. Youll, J. E. Fawcett, B. Meredith. Colts XV.—C. M. C. Burdass (Capt.),* R. G. Bough,* D. A. Macpherson,* 0. C. Wetherell,* M. J. Kent, C. H. Lewis, A. T. Booth, A. E. Simpson,

N. W. M. Carr, M. W. Bolton, J. R. Moore, M. J. Firth, P. L. Bardgett,

R. B. Atkinson, H. C. Bulmer.

* Colours.

Junior Colts XV.—J. R. Shirtcliffe; D. J. Nesham, A. C. Stubbs, P. B. Clayton,

D. Pfluger; E. A. Jackson, P. S. Roe; T. G. Stephenson, R. B. Wilson,

N. J. Bell, T. A. W. Kettlewell (Capt.), R. M. Kirkus, F. J. Pacey, R. D.

Beckitt, M. Willstrop. SUMMARY OF RESULTS

1st XV

Result F. A.

Sat., 6th Oct. Headingley "A" Wed., 10th Oct. Durham School • • • Home Lost 3 8 . •• • Away Won 21 3

Sat., 13th Oct. York R.U.F.C. Sat., 20th Oct. Bradford G.S. ... •• • Home Lost 9 33 • • • Away Lost 6 15

Wed., 24th Oct. Trent College ...

• • . Home Won 26 5 Sat., 27th Oct. Denstone College ... ... Away Lost 3 6 Sat., 3rd Nov. Harrogate R.F.C. Colts ... Home Won 22 0 Sat., 10th Nov. Leeds G.S. ... ... Home Won 6 3 Sat., 17th Nov. Giggleswick School ... Away Lost 8 9 Sat., 24th Nov. Ampleforth College • • • Home Won 9 0 Wed., 28th Nov. Worksop College ... Home Won 6 3 Sat., 15th Dec. Old Peterites ... • • • Home Cancelled "A" XV Wed., 7th Nov. Ripon G.S. ... ... ... Away Lost 3 9' 2nd XV Wed., 10th Oct. Durham School ... • • • Home Lost 0 20 Wed., 17th Oct. Drax G.S. 1st XV ... • •• Home Lost 0 24 Sat., 20th Oct. Bradford G.S. ... ... • •• Away Drawn 3 3. Sat., 27th Oct. Giggleswick School ... • • • Home Won 32 3 Sat., 3rd Nov. Rishworth School 1st XV ••• Away Won 5 & Sat., 10th Nov. Leeds G.S. ... ... ••. Home Cancelled Sat., 24th Nov. Ampleforth College ... • • • Away Lost 0 41 Wed., 28th Nov. Worksop College .. • • • Home Won 11 3 COLTS XV Sat., 13th Oct. Durham School ... Away Won 28 6 Sat., 27th Oct. Giggleswick School ... Home Won 30 9 Sat., 3rd Nov. Harrogate R.F.C. Colts "A" Home Won 19 14 Wed., 14th Nov. Ampleforth College ... ... Home Lost 8 15 Sat., 17th Nov. Army Apprentices, Harrogate Away Cancelled Wed.. 28th Nov. Worksop College ... ... Away Lost 5 32 JUNIOR COLTS XV Sat., 6th Oct. Pocklington School Home Won 13 0 Wed., 17th Oct. Sat., 3rd Nov. Drax G.S. ... Rishworth School Home Away Lost Won 0 9 8 0 Sat., 17th Nov. Fyling Hall ... Home Won 16 3 Wed., 28th Nov. Worksop College Away Won 14 6 SENIOR HOUSE MATCHES 1st Round. Grove drew with Manor, 3-3. Replay. Grove beat Manor by 8 points to 3. Semi-finals. Rise beat School House by 8 points to 0. Grove beat Temple by 15 points to 0. Final. Rise beat Grove by 14 points to 0. JUNIOR HOUSE MATCHES 1st Round. Rise beat Manor by 17 points to 3. Semi-finals. School House beat Grove by 5 points to 3. Temple beat Rise by 12 points to 8. Final. Temple beat School House by 11 points to 0. 51

SCHOOL MATCHES

SCHOOL v. DURHAM SCHOOL WED., 10TH OCT.

Played at Durham and won by 21 points to 3. Conditions were ideal for fast open rugby in this, the first inter-school match of the season.

From the kick-off the Durham forwards took play into the School "25", where a School forward was penalised for off-side. From this infringement Durham gained a momentarily 3 point lead. The School quickly retaliated, and after some scrappy mid-field play, Coverdale scored near the corner flag and Driver's splendid conversion proved the turning point in a so far evenly contested game.

In the second half we scored two quick tries—Raylor being the -scorer on both occasions. Driver improved the first try, and shortly afterwards converted a fine solo try scored by Gunning. The scoring came to a close when Driver kicked a penalty goal for an infringement in the Durham "25". Although Durham did make the occasional breakaway towards the end, our defence was never severely tested.

This was a most encouraging display which gave the team a .confident start to the season.

Result : Won, School 21 pts., Durham School 3 pts.

SCHOOL v. BRADFORD G.S. SAT., 20TH OCT.

Played at Bradford and lost by 15 points to 6. Conditions were again very favourable for open football.

Bradford nearly scored from the kick-off through the ball being mishandled by the School forwards, who were showing complete lack of life, and this lethargic state was typical of our play throughout the game. Taking full advantage, Bradford scored two quick tries, from which we never really recovered. Faulty tackling by the School backs enabled the Bradford full-back to score two further tries, by making the extra man. The School retaliated towards half-time and scored through penalties by Fletcher and Driver respectively.

The second half was typical of the first, with the School playing far below form. The only score in this half was an unconverted try, again Scored by the Bradford full-back, and was due to thoroughly bad marking by the School backs.

The form shown by the team was too bad to be true. In front we were lifeless, with Gunning receiving little support in the loose; and outside Bradford were more impressive but were flattered by the poor play of their opponents.

Result : Lost, School 6 pts., Bradford G.S. 15 pts. 52

SCHOOL v. TRENT COLLEGE WED., 24TH OCT.

Played at home and won by 26 points to 5. Rigg returned to the second row for this match, played under ideal conditions.

From the kick-off the School were pressing on the Trent line, and from a quick heel the ball was passed to Raylor, who ran strongly to score in the corner. Shortly afterwards Gunning, receiving the ball in the Trent "25", scored another try which Fletcher converted. This was a marked improvement on the Bradford match with some very promising combined movements between forwards and backs.

Shortly after half-time Trent had a quick heel on the School "25", and their inside centre cut inside for a good try, which was converted. The School pack, in which Rigg, Robinson, and Gunning were outstanding, had the measure of their opponents in both the tight and loose, and from a good movement by the forwards, Lochore scored near the posts—Fletcher • converting. Greenwood, who had been playing a good game at scrum-half, broke away and passed the ball out to Everitt for the latter to score near the corner. Gunning, picking a loose ball up near the Trent line, scored a further try, which Fletcher converted. The score was brought to a close when, from a further School breakaway, Fletcher cut in to score between the posts— Ire also converted the try. Shortly afterwards the final whistle went.

Result : Won, School 26 pts., Trent College 5 pts.

SCHOOL v. DENSTONE COLLEGE SAT., 27TH OCT.

Played away and lost by 6 points to 3. Conditions were again ideal. In the opening minutes the Denstone forwards took play into the School "25", and after continual pressure were awarded a penalty for off-side—the kick failed. Some scrappy mid-field play followed, and then Denstone were awarded a further penalty which was this time kicked. The School forwards were proving themselves a lively set in the loose, and had hard luck on several occasions not to get over the Denstone line.

In the second half the School attacked in the 'Denstone half and Raylor went near to scoring from a quick heel on the Denstone "25". Denstone relieved pressure with a kick-ahead over the School backs, and for a considerable time we were on the defensive. A forward rush led by Ankers, Robinson and Gunning did eventually take play back into the Denstone half and from the ensuing line-out Lochore scored an unconverted try in the corner. The score was then 3-3. Some good open play followed and from a loose scrum the Denstone scrum-half worked a good blind-side movement to let the left-winger score an unconverted try in the corner. Denstone were on top in the final stages, but thanks to sound defensive work were unable to cross your line.

Summing up, the School forwards, with Rigg and Gunning outstanding, did their best work in the loose—and the backs, although not getting their share of the ball, put in some sound defensive work.

Result : Lost, School 3 pts., Denstone College 6 pts.

SCHOOL v. LEEDS G.S. SAT., 10TH Nov.

Played at home and won by 6 points to 3. Conditions were heavy but entertaining rugby was played by both sides.

From the kick-off the School took play into the Leeds "25", and after some scrappy forward play Gunning scored an unconverted try near the corner. 'Soon afterwards the School scored again, this time through Raylor from a clever kick ahead by Fletcher. Leeds then took play into •the School half through a fine forward rush, and from an ensuing loose 'heel, the Leeds Captain scored a good try, which was too far out to be converted.

In the second half both sides came near to scoring on several occasions, and the rushes of the Leeds forwards caused us many anxious moments. There was, however, no further score in this half. The School backs showed up very promisingly, their handling being particularly sound. Just before no-side Leeds were pressing heavily on our line, but a good forward rush relieved the situation and so saved the day.

It was an evenly contested game in which both sides overcame the heavy conditions extremely well.

Result : Won, School 6 pts., Leeds G.S. 3 pts.

SCHOOL v. GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL SAT., 17TH Nov.

Played at Giggleswick and lost by 9 points to 8. Playing with a strong downfield wind, the School were soon attacking in the Giggleswick "25", but after a promising blind-side movement had been checked play was taken back into mid-field. From a quick heel in our half, the Giggleswick left-winger, Wish, scored a good try in the corner which 'Horne failed to convert. The School then attacked strongly on the Giggleswick "25", and after continued pressure Gunning scored near the posts for Fletcher to convert.

At the beginning of the second half, numerous School attacks were repelled, but after continual pressure Gunning scored a further try which was unconverted. Giggleswick, getting most of the possession in both the tight and loose, then pressed heavily in our half, and Wish, receiving the ball on the "25" line, scored again in the corner. Shortly afterwards the School lost Maxwell and were defending desperately with a reorganised three-quarter line. Almost on time the School were penalised, and Horne, the Giggleswick full-back, kicked a fine penalty goal to give his side a narrow but well-deserved victory. .

Result : Lost, School 8 pts., Giggleswick School 9 pts. 54

SCHOOL v. AMPLEFORTH COLLEGE SAT., 24TH Nov.

Played at home and won by 9 points to 3. The ground was heavy and the ball greasy, but the weather was fine.

Ampleforth started well and took play into our "25", where they continued to press for most of the first half. During this period, however, Ampleforth were unfortunate to lose their pack leader with concussion. Eventually we relieved pressure through a fine forward rush led by Rigg, Gunning, and Lochore—and from this rush Everitt scored an unconverted try. We were definitely on top now, and shortly after the start of the second half Driver scored a further try in the corner. With the School forwards getting possession from both the tight and loose scrums, the backs were able to attack far more than their opponents. From a good passing movement Driver scored again. He failed with both conversions. Apart from the occasional Ampleforth breakaway, we were attacking continuously, but no-side came without any further score.

The School definitely had the better of the game territorially and finished the stronger side, but Ampleforth were unlucky to lose their leader so early in the game.

Result : Won, School 9pts., Ampleforth 3 pts.

SCHOOL v. WORKSOP COLLEGE WED., 28TH Nov.

Played at home under very heavy conditions. Won by 6 points to 3.

The School pressed at the start, and with the backs handling confidently, the Worksop line was severely tested on numerous occasions. Worksop were evidently taking some time to adapt themselves to the muddy conditions, and, after about 20 minutes play, Maxwell broke through to send Driver over for an unconverted try in the corner. This was quickly followed up by a further try to the School—this time Taylor seized on a loose ball from a line-out near the Worksop line, and scored in the corner.

In the second half Worksop began to settle down and play became very even with both sides being unable to penetrate tight defences. Worksop, however, had the misfortune to lose their full-back, who was hurt in a tackle; but in spite of this they attacked strongly in our "25". They did eventually score an unconverted try, which was due to a faulty clearance by one of the School's backs. For the last few minutes Worksop were pressing continually on our line, and no-side came after a series of forward incidents in which Worksop were unable to get that vital quick heel.

Result : Won, School 6 pts., Worksop College 3 pts. 55