Memory Corner

Brodie Booth (LH 33) remembers the fact that his uncle J Chapman (WB 1893) still holds the world record for the highest stand for the 9th wicket in first class cricket in 1910 – nearly 100 years ago. The previous holders only held it for 7 years.

Alec Nesbitt (WD 34) has memories of being in WD at the same time as Donald Campbell (WD 34) and belonging to a group of OUs who spent Sunday afternoon in Wardley or Stockerston woods messing about. Alec considered Donald to be foolhardy but maybe mistook this for courage. He remembers being taken up the Leicester mile by Malcolm Campbell (WD 1899) at an alarming speed in one of his open-top Bluebirds.

Trevor Pickford (C 41) has memories of the Routh when he was at Uppingham. There were are two points that made it unique. It was a relatively short cross country course but the fact that it was uphill all the way effectively lengthened it. The runners were taken down to Stockerston and chose their own way to the finish on the Leicester. For the 1945 Routh Trevor walked the course with a friend on several Sundays before the race and researched an alternative route –steeper to start with, climbing more towards the line of the road but finishing with a nice level run in. He was tempted to spring a surprise with the individual route but ironically as his form was rather good at the time, he opted for the ‘normal’ route and finished runner-up’! He is still wondering to this day if he would have done better (or worse!) following his initial inclination.

Tony Greenwood (C 45) remembers playing golf one wet summer day at Grange over Sands where he was introduced to a very small boy – who didn’t hit the ball very far, but always down the middle – who was to be his opponent/partner in the weekly medal competition. Tony held his own for four holes then made a minor slip from which time the game seemed to drift in his opponent’s direction. The latter was Michael Lunt (WB 48) who went on to become the Captain of the R & A, and Tony struggles to break 100! (Sadly Michael Lunt died suddenly on 21/05/2007) men’s drinking club in Leeds, if not in the north of England. When the separate district of Chapeltown was swallowed by the Borough of Leeds in or about 1972, some wags founded a men’s drinking club called ‘Chapeltown Corporation’ which has been going ever since. It is a club for 25 members, all elected strictly by invitation only, having been proposed and seconded by the existing members and approved at an Ordinary General Meeting. The Corporation’s few senior members are called Aldermen and the remaining fifteen are Councillors.

The members elect a Mayor and Deputy Mayor annually (the latter usually taking the Mayoralty from the previous Manor) and also a Borough Treasurer and Town Clerk (the Secretary).

There are three meetings a year, the Mayor’s cocktail party about a fortnight before Easter, which also doubles as the Ordinary general meeting, the Mayor’s outing, by charabanc, to watering holes of the current Mayor’s choice, including a roast been lunch – in June – and the Annual general Meeting and Annual Dinner in Mid November. The June outing used to be held on Derby Day but since the Epsom ‘Powers that be’ saw fit to move that historic event from the first Wednesday in June to a Saturday in June, without consulting us, the June outing is now held on the Thursday of Royal Ascot, to co-incide with the Gold Cup, which we watch on television after lunch.

The objects of the Corporation are entirely vague and hedonistic, in as much banter and wit can be provided by the members. I had the privilege of being elected a member in 1988 and for my sins am now Town Clerk (since 1994). Anthony Cumming (WD 55) was elected in 1989 and was Mayor in 1999. Tim Hare (WB 62) was elected in 2000, Nicholas Brown (B 61) in 2003 and my youngest brother Peter Whittington (WB 69) in 2005. OUs therefore currently constitute 20% of the Corporation and to the best of my knowledge no one has complained about it.

Dick wonders whether any major cities have similar men’s drinking clubs.

Robert Lee (WB 57) remembered that when he was at Uppingham there was a tradition of trying to walk round the county of Rutland in one’s last year. He and a colleague set out to do this, but (probably due to too much training time spent in pubs!) they failed to make it. This has always bugged me, so 45 years later, he set out to rectify this omission. He was pleased that, despite having to walk through the dreadful storms that caused so much flooding, he made the 64 mile walk in 33 hours. Has any other OU been mad enough to do this while being qualified for a bus pass?

Constables Reunion

Mrs Candy Constable is pictured with her mother, Mrs Isobel Constable at the plaque erected in memory of her great-uncle Walter John Constable who was Housemaster from 1888-1916.

Dick (R C) Whittington (WB 55) wrote to Richard Boston, the OU Secretary ‘ I am not sure whether any OUs are interested in men’s drinking clubs, but in case so perhaps I could inform you of how well the School is represented in what I think is the finest

OU Sport Societies & Clubs

OU Golfing Society HALFORD HEWITT 2007

The 2007 Halford Hewitt side reached semi finals which made this year the most successful year since 1969 (when the team reached the final). This year our team won through four rounds to win a place in the semi-final, beating great teams including Winchester, Rugby and Malvern, who were last year’s winners. The team were narrowly beaten by their old adversaries Watson’s College in the semi final who then went on to win the Final convincingly 4? to ? from Epsom.

The Halford Hewitt Team

Back row (L-R): Sam Debenham (C 90), Charles E.B. Bowman (WD 75), Edward Allingham (H 81), Damian Pitts (Hf 91), Tim G.Dickson (SH 67). Front row (L-R): Derek Bunting (B 45), Mark Proffitt (H 76), Chris J.Gotla (H 68), Ewen Wilson (M 85), Nick F.Freeman (L 70), Stuart N.Lloyd (WD 74), Eric D.Auckland (C 53).

Our team were as usual giving us the benefit of their prized holiday entitlements to play for us and had practised in their pairs at Rye in a match on Wednesday v Oundle and had won this convincingly. So they went confidently into the first round in the usual Halford Hewitt conditions of a strong cold wind with rain squalls to beat Winchester 3? to 1?. We then went on to beat Canford 4? to ? and followed this with a convincing win against Rugby 4 to 1. and 2006. In this really tough match we were to win 3 to 2. Allingham and Debenham won 3 & 2 . Bowman and Dickson won 1 up. Wilson and Pitts won 3 & 2 . Proffitt and Freeman won 4 & 3. Gotla and Lloyd lost 2 & 1. This was a huge win for the team and set us in good stead for the semi final.

Although the records will show we lost to Watson’s in the semi-final 3? to 1? it was a much closer match than this. With a small band of loyal supporters, including our over 90 year olds, Brian and Betty Pope, both braving the icy winds and rain, we were expecting a win as this close match reached its final stages .

We were up in three of the five matches as the teams left the shelter and warming refreshments of the hut at the 13th.

Edward Allingham (H 81) and Sam Debenham (C 90) were 1 up and went on to win at the 19th .

Charles Bowman (WD 75) and Tim Dickson (SH 67) were always in trouble and lost 4 & 3 .

Ewen Wilson (M 85), our Captain, (M 85) and Damian Pitts (Hf 91) in a close match were 2 down and lost 3&2 .

Mark Proffitt (H 76) and Nick Freeman (L 70) were 2 up and were still one up at the 15th. They were finally pulled back to square at the 18th and sadly went on to lose at the 19th .

Chris Gotla (H 68) and Stuart Lloyd (WD 74) were 1 up and went on to halve their match at the 19th by which time we had lost three of the previous matches and therefore lost the overall match.

We came so close to winning and had we won this match we might then perhaps have gone on to win the famous Cup. This was a fantastic performance by the team throughout the week, underpinned by a great team spirit which was reflected in our good result.

Uppinghan Veterans Rifle Club

The Uppingham Veterans have had another successful year, continuing Uppingham’s strong tradition in the shooting world. On the 1st and 2nd September, three OUs Nick Hinchliffe (Fgh 71), James Watson (L 88) and Gareth Morris (L 89) were part of the Great Britain Rifle Team who won the World Long Range Rifle Championships being held in Ottawa, Canada. This team competition takes place every four years and Uppinghamians are no stranger to taking part. This time, Nick Hinchliffe (Fgh 71) was the main wind coach, guiding four target coaches as to what effect the wind was having and James Watson was one of the sixteen shooters. Gareth Morris (L 89) was also included in the twenty-six strong team as the first reserve.

The Palma Trophy

The Palma trophy has a long history and Great Britain has dominated it in the last few decades, winning it in 1992 at Raton (USA), 1995 at Trentham (New Zealand), 2003 at Bisley (GB) and coming second in South Africa in 1998. Old Uppinghamians have been included in all of the teams - Simon Belither (L 71) was the Captain in 2003 with Nick Hinchliffe (Fgh 71), Antony Ringer (L 88) and John Webster (C 70) also taking part.

Henry Ives, last year’s captain of school was also out in Canada shooting for the UK Cadet team – he was selected as their captain and included in the Under 21 World Championship team.

England Team

year. The Headmaster attended drinks beforehand and Nick Hinchliffe (Fgh 71) made a speech after an excellent dinner. Our thanks go to Barbara Wright for taking on the majority of the organisation for this event. We intend to hold a similar dinner next March – anyone interested in attending should contact the OU office or the Club Secretary directly.

With the school team suffering from a lack of adult shooting staff, Freya Hinson (F 02) and other members of the club were as usual on hand to help out with coaching the school team at the Imperial Meeting held at Bisley in July. A large proportion of the school stayed on to shoot the individual meeting picking up advice and coaching from OUs. The club did not perform to quite the usual standard in the Veterans matches but

there was a good showing in the prize lists and good representation in the National and International Matches. Gareth Morris (L 89) and Chris Watson (M 92) represented Wales, Simon Pattinson (WB 52) was Captain of the England team in the National Match with James Watson (L 88) as his Adjutant and Nick Hinchliffe (Fgh 71) the main coach, Simon Belither (L 71) was a coach and Alex Williams (Fgh 93) was a reserve. In the long range match, the Mackinnon, Nick Hinchliffe (Fgh 71) was again the Main Coach for England and James Watson (L 88) and Antony Ringer (B 79) shot. England won both matches, for the 100th occasion in the case of the National. Looking forward to next year, Simon Belither (L 71) has been selected as Captain for England’s Mackinnon team next year.

Any OU who is interested in being involved with the club should contact the Club Secretary, Chris Kelsey (WB 91), through the OU office.

England team which shot in the National Match at Bisley. Out of the 33 people involved, there were 8 Uppinghamians as follows:- Simon Pattinson (WB 52) (Captain) James Watson (L 88) (Adjutant) Nick Hinchcliffe (Fgh 71) (Chief Wind Coach) Anthony Ringer (B 79) (Wind Coach) Simon Belither (L 71) (Wind Coach) Ben Bullard (WB 96) Rob Clarke (F 94) Alex Williams (Fgh 92)

A Golf Plea ….

Richard Venables (H 60) would like to hear from OUs aged 55 or over with a handicap of 13 or below for the Bernard Darwin at Woking annually in early July. This is a foursomes knock out among 16 public schools. If you qualify, please contact richard.venables@lane.co.uk

Uppingham Rovers 1000 Not Out

The Uppingham Rovers celebrating its 1000th match

Top row: Ben Barnett (B 01), Duncan Kennedy (B 79), Andrew Lewin (F 80), Nick Pont (SH 96), Chris Bennett-Baggs (WB 02), Stuart Peters (WB 00), Fred Taylor (M 00), Ed Fowler (SH 85), Richard Bernhard (B 64), David Stewart (Hf 68)

Middle: Hedley Stroud (L 68), Ben Aspell (WB 89), Anthony Howeson (L 61), Matt Bird (WB 88), Sam Debenham (C 90), David Ashworth (L 58), Charlie Paxton (B 01), Tom Higgs (C 00), Simon Smith (WB 61), Terry Everatt (WB 51), Robin Hargreaves (F 72)

Front Row: Wives and girlfriends including Debbie Lewin (nee Worrall) (Fd 85) and Katie Kennedy (nee Hilton) (Fd 85)

The Uppingham Rovers Cricket Club celebrated its 1000th match this Summer with a victory against the Old Malvernians. Founded in 1863, the Rovers is one of the oldest ‘wandering’ cricket clubs and is still flourishing 144 years on. Sam Debenham (C 90) (sdebenham@oasisdentalcare.com), Honorary Match Secretary, or Duncan Kennedy, (B 79) (djk@glenstoneproperty.co.uk) would love to hear from keen OU cricketers who might be interested in playing for the Club

UPPINGHAM ROVERS 2007 Played 7, Won 4, Lost 2, Drawn 1

CRICKETER CUP 1ST ROUND

v Felsted Robins at Uppingham Uppingham 177 all out Felsted 178 for 9 Felsted won by 1 wicket

THE TOUR

v Charterhouse Friars Charterhouse 207 for 8 dec Uppingham 208 for 4 Uppingham won by 6 wickets

v Charterhouse Friars Uppingham 177 all out Charterhouse 178 for 7 Charterhouse won by 3 wickets

v Lancing Rovers Uppingham 254 for 8 dec Lancing 66 all out Uppingham won by 186 runs

v Old Eastbournians Eastbourne 210 all out Uppingham 201 for 9 Match Drawn

v Old Eastbournians Uppingham 256 for 6 Eastbourne 116 all out Uppingham won by 140 runs

v Old Malvernians Uppingham 200 for 9 Malvern 176 for 9 Uppingham won by 24 runs

N.Pont 48, D Kennedy 32,M Worrall 31* D. Wood 3-25

W Hodson 4-33 M Costin 69,C Bennett-Baggs 51

D Kennedy 58, J Beaumont 43 I Simpkin 4-33

A Lewin 132,C Bennett-Baggs 38 T Higgs 3-20, F Taylor 3-12

M Bird 4-41 A Lewin 56

35 over match E Fowler 67, C Bennett Baggs 58, B Aspell 50* S Debenham 4-24, C Timm 3-24

45 over match E Fowler 52* W Hodson 3-28

Part of the OU team with the fleet behind – from the left: Richard Gabbertas, Guy Thornton, Mark Gabbertas, Henry Arnold & Ben Fry

OU Sailing Association The Arrow Trophy Report 2007 by Ben Fry (F 96)

For 20 years Uppingham has been competing in the Arrow Trophy and this year was no exception – 8 OUs made the trip down south to compete against 18 other schools from around the country. Organised by the Royal Thames Yacht Club and held out of The Royal Corinthian in Cowes this is always a great opportunity for OUs young and old to get together and have a fantastic weekend of racing.

Once again we had a fabulous crew on board the boat, Henry Arnold (F 01) at the helm, Tim Hancock (F 72) on the main, Mark Gabbertas (Hf 75), Richard Gabbertas (Hf 72) and Ben Fry (F 96) on Pit and Trim, Guy Thornton (Fgh 81) telling us where to go on navigation and John Alderson (SH 87) and Tom Grieve (SH 87) on bow.

Dogged by bad traffic and road closures the team slowly made their way down to Port Solent on Friday afternoon – taking the opportunity to skive off work early – to pick up the Sunsail boat and make the journey across the Solent to Cowes. John Alderson took up the mantle of team chef and prepared a delicious supper of pesto pasta followed by flake corners which were wolfed down before mooring up the boat and turning in for an early night to prepare for the following days racing. Up at the crack of dawn for briefings we were all distressed to find no milk on board just a disgusting powder replica for coffees – not a great start! Eventually milked and bacon sandwiched up we left Cowes Marina under brilliant sunshine and a gentle 10 knots of breeze.

The Arrow Trophy is split into two days of racing – fleet racing on the first day with the top 4 finishes for the series going through to a match racing final on day 2 with the remaining boats competing in a best of the rest fleet racing competition.

Unlike other years, we were blessed with great weather, enabling us to sail in shorts and T-shirts – unheard of at this time of year! As the day’s racing progressed so did Uppingham’s general standings and we turned a 12 place finish in the first race into a 2nd in the 3rd. Concentration wavered slightly in the 4th and 5th races when we discovered the onboard radio and that they were broadcasting the England v Australia game…Despite this we finished a very respectable 6th in the fleet leaving us in firm competition for the Charterhouse Bowl. present behaved impeccably and not one piece of bread was thrown at Oooundle (so called now following a mischievous mispronunciation of their name by the Harrovian race committee over the fleet radio on the first day!). David Gavins (LH 73) joined the OU boat for dinner as he was sailing on the Radley boat due to so many people wanting to sail this year. On this note we are hoping to enter two boats next year, as we have in previous years, so please do get in touch with the association if you are interested in doing some sailing in next year’s event.

Sadly the racing on Sunday had to be abandoned as the only wind was coming from John Alderson...So we tootled back to Port Solent under motor and dropped off the boat.

A super weekend with a very satisfactory result of 6th and the association would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ou Association for all their support and also to thank Mark Gabbertas and Guy Thornton for organising the Uppingham entry.

We hope to see some new faces at next year’s event!

For more information on the OU Sailing Association or if you are interested in sailing with them then please contact Mark Gabbertas mark@gabbertas.com or Guy Thornton Gatenergyemail@aol.com