and Chris Hirst (Temple) placed 5th overall, qualifying for the national finals in London. Paul Green (Queen's) and David Shepherd (Queen's) competed with former team-mate Dave Spencer in the team event. Their team was placed 2nd to a team from Newcastle thanks to Dave's indi-
vidual 1st place. Chris Hirst then teamed up with Spencer and Green for the National Championships and David Shepherd competed as an individual. (The team were competing in Open competition as a club, not a school.) These Championships were held at the National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace, under ideal conditions. There was a very large entry and David Spencer managed to gain a creditable first place by the narrowest of margins, 3 points in 2,285.
Chris Hirst placed 20th with 2,090 points and Paul Green was 30th with 1,932 points. David Shepherd's total of 1,769 points gained him 45th place.
The team were comfortable winners with a total of 6,307 points to Millfield's (2nd) 6,011. The Newcastle team, Rutherford, were 5th with 5,749. T.T.
RUGGER, 1974-75 FIRST XV Four victories and eight defeats in School matches is hardly a record to enthuse over. However, at least three narrow defeats might have gone the other way had it not been for an unprecedented sequence of illness and injury. At one stage we had five missing, while the Captain, Tim Ward, who has shown such promise, missed most of the season with glandular fever. The team's qualities were seen in a close and hardfought O.P. match—the best for many a year. The strength of the forwards was in the mauls, while outside there was speed and elusiveness: when forwards and backs hit form together there was a pleasing pattern of play, as vs Barnard Castle. Sadly, this
was the exception, and many chances were missed, mostly from lost concentration: dropped passes, positional lapses, selfishness. Some, thank heavens, tried like mad—David Phillips, acting Captain for most games, was an inspiration in adversity. There was talent: Beaulah was a man amongst boys in defence at Leeds. Spencer was hard to stop near the line. Pulleyn showed his great potential during the holidays, winning through to the final Yorkshire trial. Thomas, who played in the final Durham trial, could be an outstanding fly half if he disciplined his game. -
COLOURS: Potter, Spencer*, Day, Hughes, Pulleyn, Thomas, Phillips*, Harrison, Hudson, Withers, Barnett, Sherratt, Ward* (Capt.), Beaulah*, Neale. * caps.
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