May 1961

Page 42

ised soon afterwards and it looked as if their better stickwork was going to prevail, but defensive lapses allowed the School to score twice, before the Old Boys reduced the arrears by means of a penalty bully. Team : Unchanged. Lost 0-5 v. STYX H.C. Home, 8th March. This game followed the pattern of the York match, with the School putting up a very good show against a strong side of County and good Club players. Again they owed a lot to Gildener, who was almost continually in action, but the defence as a whole acquitted themselves well, whilst the forwards moved the ball about well without being able to apply the essential finishing touch. The quick, controlled passing of the Styx players and their use of the open spaces should have been an object lesson to their younger opponents. Team : Unchanged.

THE BOAT CLUB This year has seen the introduction of Head of the River Races and of School rowing in the Easter term. The House Races will in future be rowed in July. It has long been felt that the month of May is too short to select and train School crews for the Regatta season. Moreover, House boating does not make the task of selection of a future School crew easy, for a coach wants to shuffle and re-shuffle equal oarsmen, making them row with and against each other. Also it is inevitable that short races tend to foster high ratings at the expense of technique. What was needed was a longer period for selection, and races not rowed abreast but timed over a longer distance. It is hoped that the Head of the River Races on a School basis, which also permit a master to coach a greater number of boys, will raise the standard of boating throughout the club. House boating, moreover, will benefit from the change, principally because everybody will have had an extra season's boating. Thus the races will be rowed in VIIIs, and first year boaters will be able to row for their House in the Junior IVs. Selection for the following year's crews will be easier, as after twelve weeks' training boys will be rowing at their best. Finally the races will be fairer with the river at Summer level. So much for the reasons for the change : now to the events of the term. During the whole term, only one day's boating was lost, though on two other occasions the river was too fast for first year boaters. Blessed with this perfect weather, which brought with it less absenteeism, we were able to use the boats to a maximum.

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