Athletics and Cross-Country

SCHOOL v. WORKSOP COLLEGE Played at Worksop, 5th March. Lost 1-3.

Playing on a firm and fast ground which should have been to their liking, the School disappointed by their refusal to play the fast incisive hockey of which they had shown themselves capable under less favourable conditions earlier in the season. The forwards hung on to the ball too long, the defence dallied, and the whole side could be faulted for not hitting the ball hard enough. A goal, and a good one, by Raylor early in the second half produced some improvement : but after Worksop had been presented with an equaliser, the School faded out of the picture. On the day's play the better side won. Mention must be made of Reid-Smith, who gave a courageous display in goal, and could not be blamed for any of the shots which beat him.

Athletics during the last three weeks of the Easter Term is always rather a gamble with the weather, and thoughts of last year were still very vivid in our minds when we launched out on another intensive athletic programme this term.

Rivalry between Houses in the Standards Competition was keener than ever, especially so because the destiny of the Athletics Shield seemed unpredictable. The weather, too, was kind; the process of getting fit was done in almost Spring-like conditions, and only in the last week did the climate become comparable with that of 1951. Although alibis were plentiful, and sometimes plausible, the ranks of the abstainers were few in number this year, and even the "nonathletics" seemed for the most part to be getting a "kick" out of the intense competition and deriving enormous benefit from their personal exertions. The track was invariably in good condition, and the gentle breezes (sometimes not so gentle) usually favoured the sprinters. In spite of the fact that all contestants were mercilessly down-graded a standard on one occasion, the next endeavour brought a plentiful crop of high standards.

Once again, the Rise gained a very commanding lead, achieving an average of 12.92 per boy, only a minute fraction less than their average of 12.96 in 1950. J. M. Raylor established himself as the best all-round athlete in the School, being the only boy in Set A to gain maximum points, and the Juniors throughout the School, particularly in School House, showed exceptional promise. Individuals who excelled by gaining maximum points were :—in Set A : J. M. Raylor (M.); in Set B : J. C. Dent (G.); in Set D : N. J. Bell (S.H.), W. B. Crosskill (S.H.), E. A. Jackson (S.H.), D. J. Nesham (S.H.) and E. W. Peat (S.H.); and in Set E : G. R. H. Clemons (S.H.) and D. Pfluger (G.). No less than 13 more boys were within an ace of the maximum possible. 57

The Rise gained a lead of 23 points on Standards alone over their nearest rivals, the Grove, but such was the success of Temple in the Senior and Intermediate Mile Races, held on the 26th of March, that speculation became rife once again as to the ultimate destination of the Athletics Shield. Temple gained 17 points on these two events alone, and so started on Sports Day only 11 points behind the Rise. Gradually and relentlessly, as the Sports Day Meeting progressed, this lead was reduced, until Temple took the lead, for the first time, after the 10th event on the programme Twice this lead was lost, only to be regained, until 11 points only separated the two Houses before the final event, the Senior Relay. Here Temple possessed the strongest string to their bow, and the Rise were only able to take 3rd place.

If only the weather had obliged, the meeting would have been an outstanding success. As it was, it was a bitterly cold and cheerless day. J. M. Raylor quickly disposed of any doubts there may have been in our minds as to who was the School's fastest runner, by winning the 100 yards by a clear two yards. Events throughout the afternoon were keenly and closely contested, and W. G. A. Maxwell and F. J. Pacey are to be congratulated on their respective School records. Finally Mrs. Raylor kindly presented the Athletics Shield to J. T. Ankers, Captain of Temple, and the concourse quickly dispersed to more congenial climatic surroundings.

INTER-HOUSE ATHLETICS, Saturday, 29th March, 1952

Standards : Rise 200; Grove 177; School House 176; Temple 172; Manor 161. Senior Mile: 1. Ankers (T.); 2. Meredith (T.); 3. Robinson (T.); 4. Rigg (M.). Time : 5 min. 0.8 secs. Inter Mile : 1. R. B. Atkinson (T.); 2. Wick (G.), 3. Heap (T.); 4. P. Smith (G.) Time : 5 min. 12.5 secs. Senior 100 Yards : 1. Raylor (M.); 2. C. K. Smith (S.H.); 3. Everitt (G.); 4. Coverdale (R.). Time : 11.1 secs. Junior 100 Yards : 1. Crosskill (S.H.); 2. Pfluger (G.); 3. Wilding (R.); 4. R. Atkinson (T.). Time : 11.4 secs. Inter 100 Yards : I. Equal, Johnson (T), Booth (M.); 3. Maxwell (G.); 4. Burdass (G.). Time : 11.2 secs. Senior High Jump : 1. Fletcher (G.); 2. Wyatt-Gunning (R); 3. Raylor (G.); 4. Nelson (S.H.). Height : 5 ft. 01 in. Junior Long Jump : 1. Nesham (S.H.); 2. Stubbs (R.); 3. Jordan (M.); 4. Unwin (G.). Distance : 15 ft. 11i in. Inter Half Mile : 1. R. B. Atkinson (T.); 2. Firth (S.H.); 3. Heap (T.); 4. Bolton (R.). Time : 2 min. 25.2 secs. Senior Half Mile : 1. Ankers (T.); 2. Meredith (T.); 3. Rigg (M.); 4. Greenwood (M.). Time : 2 min. 19.6 secs. Senior 220 Yards : 1. Driver (S.H.); 2. Raylor (M.); 3. James (R); 4. Everitt (G.). Time : 25.4 secs. Inter 220 Yards : 1. Johnson (T.); 2. Lewis i(R.); 3. Macpherson (S.H.); 4. Burdass (G.). Time : 26.8 secs Junior 220 Yards : 1. Pfluger (G); 2. Crosskill (S.H.); 3. R. Atkinson (T.); 4. Equal, Jordan (M.), Wilding (R.). Time : 27.0 secs. Senior Long Jump : 1. Wyatt-Gunning (R.); 2. Fletcher (G.); 3. Coverdale (R.); 4. Driver (S.H.). Distance : 18 ft. 10 in. Inter High Jump : 1. Maxwell (G.); 2. Firth (S.H.); 3. Jesper (T.); 4. Barton (T.). Height : 5 ft. 11 in. (Record.) 58

Junior Cricket Ball : 1. Pacey (S.H.); 2. R. Atkinson (T.); 3. Stubbs (G.); 4. Isherwood (R.). Distance : 76 yds. 5 in. ' (Record.) Inter 440 Yards : 1. R. B. Atkinson (T.); 2. Booth (M.); 3. P. Smith (G.); 4. Lewis (R.). Time : 59.8 secs. Junior 440 Yards : 1. Beckitt '(T.); 2. Birch (G.); 3. Equal, Portlock (R.), Bell (S.H.). Time : 64.0 secs. Senior 440 Yards : 1. James (R.); 2. C. K. Smith (S.H.); 3. Spencer (M.); 4. Driver (S.H.). Time: 58.3 secs. Inter Long Jump : 1. Johnson (T.); 2. Booth (M); 3. Bulmer (M.); 4. Ibberson (R). Distance : 18 ft. 21 in. Junior High Jump : 1. Pfluger (G.); 2. Dobson (T.); 3. Portlock (R); 4. Equal, Kirkus i(R.), Stark (M.). Height : 4 ft. 41 in. Junior Relay : 1. Rise; 2. Manor; 3. Grove; 4. Temple. Time : No recording. School House disqualified from 1st place. Inter Relay : 1. Temple; 2. Rise; 3. Grove; 4. Manor. Time : 1 min. 54.8 secs. Senior Relay : 1. Temple; 2. Manor; 3. Rise; 4. School House. Time : No recording.

House Placing: 1. Temple 262 points. 2. Rise 2541 points. 3. Grove 230 points. 4. School House 2191 points. 5. Manor 206 points.

CROSS-COUNTRY, 28th February, 1952

Although conditions were severe during the early part of training, by the time the event was held the worst of the Winter had passed and ground conditions were good.

By way of a change, the event was a very open race. There was no Goodburn in the field, and there were many fancies amongst the speculators. The Goodburn Cup, however, was to be awarded for the first time, and it also looked very much as if the Cross-country Plate might find a new home.

The stampede from the starting point quickly disappeared into the chilly and foggy atmosphere, and from then on for 20 minutes or so we relied upon news of their progress from our wireless enthusiasts. Finally out of the fog emerged B. Meredith a clear winner in the very creditable time of 23 minutes 264 seconds, followed by Raylor and Ankers. Of the younger generation, R. B. Atkinson (4th) and C. S. Elston (14th) ran with distinction. Unfortunately for Temple S. J. White dropped out when running prominently, and this misfortune may well have lost them the Plate, but the Manor put up a splendid performance by getting 6 runners into the first 14 places, and so won the Inter-House Competition.

House Placings :-

Grove. Manor. Rise. School House. Temple. 5 2 6 18 1 10 7 12 21 3 13 8 20 30 4 161 9 27 31 15 161 11 28 32 22 24 14 33 35 23 - -

_•■•1 ■MI Total 85 51 126 167 68