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THE CLAVIAN MAGAZINE OF THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BURY SPRING - 1963 VOLUME IX NUMBER 1

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Page 1: THE CLAVIAN - bgsarchive.co.uk good job a of tediou s but extremely necessary piece ... Old Boys' Cup fo Spoker n English : ... Hamer Cup fo Frencr h Declamation : Kay. Percy Howarth

T H E C L A V I A N

MAGAZINE OF THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BURY

SPRING - 1963

VOLUME IX NUMBER 1

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EDITORIAL.

Editors : D. T. GRUBB, N. A. SUMMERSALL.

THIS term sees the start of an experiment in the form of the Clavian. The most important change is that there are to be two editions each year, not three. Thus this first edition has been collected together at the very end of term and is to be printed over Christmas and distributed at the beginning of next term. The second edition will be completed by about half-way through the Summer term. Other changes made have been an increase in type size, and the inclusion of photographs, either on their own artistic merit, or as illustrations of an article.

No doubt some critics will take the fact that this edition is little larger than the last as proof that the reduction in number of editions is solely due to cupidity on the part of the editors, who have not the nerve to put up the price. However, the correct reason is that in the two editions, facilities for a better presented, and more important section of original contributions, and it can readily be seen that the Autumn edition should not reach full size until next year. It now remains to be seen whether or not the experiment will succeed, that is, whether members of the school will respond with more and better articles, or with apathy and unthinking grumbles.

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WE are pleased to welcome to the school this year the follow-ing new members of the Common Room :—

M. Blackwell, B.Sc., Hull University. H. Hilton, A.T.C., F.R.S.A., Wigan School of Art (Liverpool

University). C. P. Mears, M.Sc., Hull University. M. C. Pittam, B.A., Emmanuel College, Cambridge N. B. Wilkes, B.A., Manchester University.

Since Christmas they have been joined by : N. O. Bonnell, B.A. University of Sydney, Australia.

To N. A. Summersall, of the Language Sixth, we extend hearty congratulations on his award of a Hulme Schools' Scholar-ship in Modern Languages at Brasenose College, Oxford.

We were pleased to see the Mayor and Mayoress of Bury, Councillor and Mrs. W. Alker, twice during the term. On Novem-ber 20th they inspected the two schools, particularly the new and improved buildings, on the occasion of our open evening, which attracted a large and appreciative crowd of parents and friends. On December 1st they attended the fifth Annual Christmas Fair organised by Parents in aid of the Building Fund. To all these parents, the school owes its thanks. The Fair was again highly successful; it was opened by the High Sheriff of Lancashire, Col. G. G. H. Bolton, C.B.E., M.C., D.L., a Governor of the School, and raised more than £1,500.

The Annual Swimming Sports were held on the evening of November 13th, and attracted many parents and friends. The prizes and certificates were presented by Mr. C. Meek, Physical Education Organiser for the County Borough of Rochdale.

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The School Choir and Orchestra gave a concert in the School Hall on the evening of Friday, December 14th.

Early in December the School entertained a number of Her Majesty's Inspectors who gave the school its first Fuil Inspection since 1948. We trust that they were satisfied with what they found.

SPEECH DAY. THE School Speech Day was held at the School on Thursday,

October 25th. The prizes were presented by Professor David Daiches, Dean of the School of American and English Studies at the New University of Sussex. The Chairman of the Governors, Mr. Cecil Heap, presided.

Giving his annual report, he said that a record number of 33 boys had gone to university this year. Four more had qualified but returned to try for better things. Three others went to training college.

At advance level, G.C.E. successes included 13 distinctions, the first time the school had reached double figures. At ordinary level, for the first time, three streams sat, one of them being the first of the four-year " R " stream.

After the four year course, every boy had at least five passes, 17 had eight or nine, and the form average was seven and a half passes. They did not, however, outshine the normal five year course, for one form had 17 boys with eight or nine subjects and a similar average of seven and a half passes.

"It is interesting to note two things : first, that the number of subjects taken by boys at "O" level this year had been reduced in order to give them what we considered a fair load ; second, that the amount of time devoted to specialist studies at "A" level was also reduced, in order to give time for more general education. It is far too early to make judgments, but so far at least the changes seem to have had only beneficial results", said the Headmaster.

The school could offer more than academic learning, which must have pride of place. They must offer other activities which by widening interests and encouraging confidence had an indirect part to play even in academic success.

The Headmaster said : "In each and everything that we do, whether in school teams, clubs, societies, excursions, trips abroad or inter-house competitions, I see the opportunities for boys to

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discover that they can achieve something better than they thought possible, the opportunity to kindle some hidden talent or awaken a wider interest. The opportunities are there for the taking, and it is those who take them who make the best use of their years at Bury Grammar School".

The great contribution of parents during the last year was their reaction to the launching of the Parents' Endowment Fund. More than three-quarters of them had banded together and prom-ised annual sums.

That parents should be willing to underwrite the plans for development to the extent of more than £2,000 a year had been most heartening and encouraging.

The money would be spent on the new buildings most urgently required. Their own children would have some of the use of them but in the main they were building for the future.

Returning to school events Mr. Hansford said that last year they fielded six football teams, five cricket teams, a rugger XV, three cross-country teams, two tennis VI, an athletics team, a swimming team covering all age groups, a badminton team, a basketball team, and three chess teams.

The Combined Cadet Force had a most successful year. Its Shooting VIII had its best season ever, and for the first time more than 100 cadets passed their proficiency test. As a result of an aside of his last year, at Speech Day, an appeal was organised for new band instruments which now stands at about £200.

"Do it yourself" became part of the school routine when the prefects papered and decorated their own room—and did it sufficiently well to get invited to tender for several jobs in parental homes. It had continued just recently when all boys doing games had spent sone of their time collecting stones off the newly-constructed extensions at Buckley Wells. That was something that had so far defied mechanisation, and the boys had made a thoroughly good job of a tedious but extremely necessary piece of work, that would pay handsome dividends in a few years time.

Continued the Headmaster : "I have tried to indicate that much goes on at Bury Grammar School, and that it goes on because we know that only an education which is concerned with the whole of the personality is adequate or complete. Because we know that each personality is different and indeed unique, we try to think of boys as individuals and not in the mass, and to give each one the opportunity to develop himself to best advantage".

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Anyone could make boys behave a certain way but it was not everyone who could make them want to act a certain way, he went on.

It was this further objective that they must set themselves.

Even if they often failed their aim must always be to "make boys make themselves". For the compulsions in life that really matter were the ones that came from within a person, not the ones that were imposed from outside. He did not pretend that they could do without the external compulsions in the process of growing up, but he was sure that unless they lead on to something deeper, then by any ultimate standards they had failed.

"It is all too easy for each one of us to go through life moti-vated successively by fear of punishment, of failing G.C.E., of failing to get into university, of failing to get a good job, of being unable to support a family, of what the neighbours will think, and so on," he said.

All those fears may indeed spur people on to an outwardly successful career, but they could never produce an integrated and truly happy person under the surface polish.

He continued : "If we are to make sense of life, and find it worthwhile, we need to graduate from being spurred on by fear to being inspired by love, whether it be love of learning, love of our fellowmen or the love of God as seen in Jesus Christ. We need to graduate, and the time to make this graduation is while we are still at school".

Speaking of changes since the completion of the new buildings Mr. Hansford said that they had reorganised the science block heating system, redesigned the bottom corridor of the boys' school and abolished its easternmost annexe. They had many plans for making the school surroundings attractive and he thanked the architects for the rose trees they had presented. He said the school always welcomed gifts of that nature.

He paid tribute to the work of the teaching staff, and the canteen, clerical and domestic staff of the school.

Professor Daiches spoke of the new outlook on University Studies that the younger Universities were taking, and in par-ticular of the attempts at Sussex to combine specialisation with a wide outlook on life. He said they were attempting to "re-draw the map of knowledge", and to integrate the individual faculty into the scheme of studies, as a whole so that students

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would not acquire the habit of regarding their own subject as a self-contained and unrelated course. He was anxious to stress that this was not a sacrifice of intense study; nor the adding of an arbitrary selection of interests, but a relating of one course to another, "building of bridges between studies". It was an attempt to turn out a more completely qualified man.

SCHOOL TROPHIES. Old Boys' Cup for Spoken English : Howlett. Hamer Cup for French Declamation : Kay. Percy Howarth Music Cup : Hulme. Wyke Football Cup : Hulme. Canon Blackburne Cricket Cup : Kay. Hutchinson Swimming Cup : Kay. Henry Whitehead Sports Cup : Kay. Calrow Junior Sports Cup : Kay. Relay Cup : Kay. Douglas Cross-Country Cup : Derby. Cullins Junior Cross-Country Cup : Derby. School Work Cup : Derby.

HONOURS. Somerset Thornhill Exhibition in History, at Brasenose College,

Oxford : R. Mitchell. State Scholarship : D. T. Grubb. Army Scholarship (R.M.A., Sandhurst) : J. Ingham.

SCHOOL AWARDS. Captain of the School : G. R. Lee. Mary Forrester Prize : G. A. Smith. Old Clavians' Reading Prize : B. Lighthill. W. R. Douglas Prize for Classics : J. W. Davies. Bishop Hill Prize for Greek : J. A. Rigby. Walton Prize for Ancient History : J. R. Holland. Richard Byrom Prize for Mathematics : I. C. Binns. Henry Webb Memorial Prize for Physics : D. T. Grubb. Dr. C. J. T. Cronshaw Prize for Chemistry : M. J. Holzinger. William French Prizes for Chemistry : (a) Upper Vth : R. H. Lye.

(b) Vth : J. G. Fitton.

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H. T. Farrar Prize for Biology : R. I. Birtwell. Headmaster's Prize for English : J. Ward. J. L. Norton Prize for French : I. R. Southern. Headmaster's Prize for German : I. R. Southern. Sir John Wrigley Prize for History : G. A. Shindler. Rector's Prize for Religious Knowledge : P. R. Worsley. Peacock Memorial Essay Prize : S. Buckley. H. H. Openshaw Memorial Verse Speaking Prizes : Vlth Form :

G. R. Lee ; Upper Vth Form : B. Lighthill; Vth Form : G. W. Robertson ; Upper IVth Form : M. A. Nathan ; Lower IVth Form : L. C. Harris ; Upper Illrd Form : J. T. Eaton.

Dr. Young Memorial Prizes for Geography : Vlth Form : P.J. Comfort ; Upper Vth Form : H. R. James ;

Handicraft Prize : R. W. Forshaw. Art Prizes : Senior : C. Warden ; Junior : M. R. Barton. Percy Howarth Music Prizes : Vocal (Broken Voices) : D. A.

Trippier ; (Unbroken Voices) : C. D. Taylor ; Instrumental : (Senior) : A. G. Neely ; (Junior) : M. D. H. Kay.

Headmaster's General Studies Prizes : Upper Vlth : G. A. Shindler; Lower Vlth : P. A. L. Greenhalgh.

Maxwell Barlow Prize for the C.C.F. : D. S. Greenwood.

LOWER Vlth SUBJECT PRIZES. English : S. W. Cohen ; History : S. W. Cohen ; Geography :

G. R. Lord ; Mathematics : M. G. Wilson ; Physics : M. G. Wilson ; Classics : P. A. L. Greenhalgh; French : N. A. Summersall; German : N. A. Summersall; Chemistry : P. R. J. Sinnott; Biology : P. A. Saul ; Geology : M. A. Stott.

FORM PRIZES. Upper VR : R. Jay, S. Buckley, R. H. Buckley. Upper V Alpha : G. McC. Haworth, J. M. Senior, M. Kenyon. Upper VA : P. F. Worsley, P. Taylor, D. A. Openshaw. Upper VB : R. J. W. Gardiner, G. M. Thorpe, R. W. Forshaw. VR : P. B. Ratcliffe, J. D. Waddington, G. S. Senior. V Alpha : I. F. Shepherd, C. C. Slater, D. A. Haigh. VA : A. Vasa, J. G. Fitton, D. J. Crabtree. Upper IVR : N. J. Brookes, G. M. Thompson, R. H. Wilkinson. Upper IV Alpha : R. Clarke, D. Z. Lopian, D. H. Taubman.

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Upper IVA : A. V. Garner, J. S. Birtwell, A. Stott. LIV Alpha : A. Rogers, P. J. Barlow, G. Rogers. LIVA : D. I. S. Green, G. J. Band, A. Fowler. Upper IIIR : J. P. Whitworth, D. P. Walker, R. Forrest. Upper III Alpha : E. J. Hill, M. D. H. Kay, A. H. Lenten. Upper IIIA : M. S. Birtles, M. Finlay, H. I. Croft. Transitus : R. T. Dewhurst, T. P. Taylor, N. R. Berish. Lower III : P. J. Simpson, A. E. Schofield, W. J. Hutchinson.

OPENSHAW VERSE SPEAKING. House Result

1. Hulme 2. Howlett 3. Kay 4. Derby

Individual Winners U3 R. C. Higgins (Kay) L4 A. B. Zatman (Howlett) U4 L. C. Harris (Kay) L5 S. Newman (Hulme) U5 C. H. Schofield (Hulme)

6 M. S. Booth (Hulme) The competition was held in two sections, a Junior and

Senior, which showed a quite remarkable difference in quality. Perhaps the new Hall does not suit unbroken voices so well as the Roger Kay Hall; perhaps the Juniors were just inferior in quality. Whatever the reason, the judges had great difficulty in selecting the prize winners on both days — on the first wondering if they should award prizes at all in view of the low standard of audibility ; at the second regretting that some excellent verse speaking could be rewarded only by praise. Outstandingly good were the four Upper 5th finalists, but the three best of the Sixth form finalists were of a very high standard too.

DERBY HOUSE. House Captain : GRAVES, P. Vice-Captain : MAWSON, J. T.

H o n . Sec. : SMITH, P.

THE first House-Assembly was held on Tuesday, 18th September. We welcomed to the House Mr. Pittam.

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Mr. Kershaw announced the House appointments of Graves, P. to House-Captain and Mawson, J. T. to Vice-Captain.

Owing to a spare fixture of the school football teams, it was decided to hold a House Six-a-Side competition. Two teams were to represent each House. Derby's first team consisted of no less than five established 1st XI players, and was hot favourite to win. However, on the day itself it proved to be a team of individuals, packed with potential but lacking in method. Thus Derby were beaten by Hulme in the second round of the com-petition. Congratulations must go to Howlett on winning the competition.

However, a few weeks later Derby had something to cheer about. Ably lead by our Swimming Captain, M. Spencer, we carried off the Swimming Cup. This is the first Major competi-tion of the School year and so it was most gratifying when Derby finished victorious. All through the evening our hearts were in our mouths as the team held on to its narrow lead. We expected to be overtaken every moment, but somehow our swimmers kept their noses in front and finished first. One of the most cheering aspects of the competition was that it was a team effort reflecting the strong spirit present in the House.

The House football competition is now well under way. The team again is a strong one, holding much promise for the future. It is obvious to all that the skill is there and yet the finishing power is always weak and punchless, but we managed to beat Howlett, our strongest rivals, and so there is much hope for us to win the Football Cup.

Finally, it must be mentioned that we are once again in front in the House Work Cup competition. Next term the House Music competition takes place. This is a cup which Derby never seems to be able to make their own. This elusiveness makes it even more prized and makes us even more determined to win it.

HOWLETT HOUSE. House Captain : P. J. COMFORT

House Vice-Captain : A. D. PARKINSON House Secretary : D. T. GRUBB

"You must stir it and stump it. And blow your own trumpet, Or, trust me, you haven't a chance !"

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USING these words of W. S. Gilbert as an excuse for con-tinuing in the now traditional style of House notes, we will start by noting that Comfort, Smail, Claff, Davies, Grubb, Parkinson, Skelton and Ward form over a third of the Prefectorial Body. Other Howlett House members who hold School offices include T. M. Hardman, Captain of Cross Country Running ; D. S. Hughes, Captain of U12XI ; D. A. Openshaw, Captain of Badminton ; and A. D. Parkinson, Captain of Rugby, and following in the footsteps of G. R. Lee, Senior Cadet. Following even more closely in the footsteps of G. L. Lee is D. T. Grubb, who earns our congratulations on being awarded the School's only State Scholarship, and a place at Brasenose College, Oxford, to study Physics. Also worthy of our congratulations for academic achievement is J. W. Davies, who, after getting 3 " A " levels and a distinction in his 1st year in the Sixth, has been awarded a place at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge.

Already this year one House tournament was won by the House, that for the new Six -a-Side football competition. Howlett did not win either of the other competitions held, but the en-thusiastic effort of both swimmers and speakers competing for Howlett was praiseworthy enough by itself.

A very successful and enjoyable house party was held near the end of term, and many thanks are due to the organisers, in particular P. J. Comfort, who made it possible.

We were most distressed to hear of Mr. Duncan's illness, and take this opportunity of wishing him, from all the House, a speedy and complete recovery.

This term we welcome Mr. Mears and Mr. Wilkes to Howlett House, and we hope that they have a long and happy association with us.

HULME HOUSE. House Captain : P. R. WORSLEY

House Vice-Captain : I. R. SOUTHERN

LAST term we said farewell to Mr. Perham as our House-master. This term we welcome Mr. Bennett as his successor and wish him every success and a long and happy stay with us. We will certainly do our best to show him that he has a House to be proud of. As an additional assistant housemaster this year, we are also pleased to welcome Mr. Hilton.

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We are happy to report that eight boys from Hulme House entered University last term, in addition to which P. R. Worsley and I. R. Southern stayed on as School Captain and Vice-captain respectively. Also Lord, Catanach, Gill, Heap, and Pickup were appointed as prefects at the beginning of the year.

The School Swimming competition was held in November and the House gave of its best once again. A high standard was set throughout and we congratulate Derby House on their victory; Heap, the House Swimming Captain for his efforts and splendid exhibition of diving; and Wallace for beating the existing U16 60 yards backstroke record.

Swimming has by no means been the only activity within the House this year. The Six-a-Side football competition proved a great success and Hulme distinguished themselves by defeating the strong Derby team, only to be beaten by Howlett in the last minute of extra time in the final. It is indeed pleasing to see the enthusiasm and efforts of the younger element of Hulme. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, but half the fun is in the preparation. Not everybody can win but it can always be said that Hulme House will have done its very best. Satisfaction is gained not only from victory but from one's pride that one has given, and will continue to give 100% effort at all times.

If the last few lines have appeared to be a well thought up excuse for any "failure" that may seem to occur in the future, then they have not succeeded in achieving what they set out to do. With such a fine House spirit, Hulme just cannot fail to do well in the coming year. At present we hold both the Football and Music Cups but with everybody working hard, both individ-ually and collectively, we confidently expect to hold a good deal more in the very near future, in fact just as these notes were completed a splendid effort carried off the Openshaw Verse Speaking competition by a handsome margin.

Achievements since the last House Report include :

Swimming : M. J. Heap is now in his third year as School Swimming Captain.

Tennis : P. R. Worsley has been appointed the School Tennis Captain for 1963, and together with D. T. Lord won the School's Senior Doubles Championship at the end of last year. D. T. Lord was also the losing Singles finalist.

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Football : the Senior House team until last term had been undefeated for four years and the spirit and enthusiasm shown by them has been an inspiration. J. D. Clarke and H. I. Croft captained the School U14 XI and U13 XI respectively.

Chess : P. R. Worsley is now in his third year as School Captain of Chess, and S. Forster has been appointed this year's Intermediate Chess Captain.

KAY HOUSE. Captain : R. C. CHALLINOR

Vice-Captain : P. A. L. GREENHALGH

THE Christmas term has been one far from unsuccessful for the House, and the Speech Day was our crowning glory. When the time came for the school trophies to be awarded, the stage was almost monopolized by green, for the House took six of the twelve trophies—a credit to the past and surely a stimulus for the future. Kay swimmers kept up the usual high standard of performance, and it was only by a quirk of fate that victory was snatched from our grasp. Our most sincere thanks and praises must be given to the House Swimming Captain, D. Stott, who not only spared no effort in organizing and encouraging his team, but by his own personal superb performance did much to bring us within two points of victory. He equalled the Free-Style Open Record, and swam like a Trojan in the relay : indeed had the House not just missed second place in this event, we would have tied with the winners, Derby.

In the Football competition the House set out on the right foot when we routed Hulme four goals to one in the Senior Match. Although forwards fought vigorously and G. R. Lord scored, their defenders could not withstand the relentless attcks of Kay House whose Hamer, Kempster and Challinor piled up the score. Our victory is also due in no small part to our strong defence led by the stalwart P. W. Kenyon.

Our Junior constentants in the Openshaw Verse Speaking competition dominated the first round which closed with Kay leading Hulme 126.5 points to 118.9. Yet the lead could not be maintained by the Seniors with the result that the House sank to third place in the final positions.

N. A. Summersall has brought great honour to the House by his splendid effort in gaining a Hulme Scholarship to Brasenose College, Oxford. Last year two of the three Oxbridge entrants

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from this school were from Kay House — R. Mitchell who won an exhibition to Brasenose, and G. A. Shindler who is now at Caius, Cambridge.

Kay House is now looking forward to next term with energy and vitality. We have no mean reputation to maintain and, if all Kay members pull their weight, this year should be as successful as last, if not more so. It is true we are lagging behind in the race for the Work Cup, but the year is young and with effort, the gap between us and the leaders can be bridged. Our musicians who played so well last year in the Music Competition are now even more experienced, and, if we look well ahead to the Summer term, the prospect for the House in the realms of athletics is bright indeed.

P. A. L. GREENHALGH (Vice-Captain.)

CRICKET. THE performances of the 1st XI and the U12 XI in going

through the season without defeat are most commendable. Both teams played cricket properly and their success is therefore all the more satisfying.

Individual performances in various matches were noteworthy, but both sides showed the strength of team work and team spirit. Therefore no one is being singled out for special mention for bat or ball performances. Nevertheless, the opportunity of paying tribute to one of the outstanding cricketers the School has had must not be lost. G. A. Shindler was given the Special Colours Award for Cricket. He was an outstanding Captain. His knowledge of the game was profound, the handling of his team excellent and his own skill an inspiration. He may well go far in the game, but he will look back for many years to the last cricket season in School, to the joy of the game well played, to the thrill of being part of an excellent team, to the pleasure of success and the satisfaction of a job well done.

CRICKET RESULTS Not included in the last issue of "The Clavian".

30th June. 1st XI v. Parents XII, won by 7 wickets, home.

Parents 76 School 79 for 3

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2nd XI v. Burnage G.S., lost by 5 wickets, home. Burnage 101 for 5 School 100

U12 XI v. Burnage G.S., drew, home. Burnage 76 for 5 (dec.) School 66 for 9

7th July. 1st XI v. Altrincham, won by 2 wickets, away.

Altrincham 78 School 79 for 8

2nd XI v. Altrincham, drew, home. Altrincham 84 School 75 for 9

U14 1st XI v. Altrincham, lost by 4 wickets, away. Altrincham 62 for 6 School 54

U14 2nd XI v. Altrincham, won by 1 wicket, home. Altrincham 68 School 69 for 9

U12 XI v. Altrincham, drew, away. Altrincham 99 for 6 (dec.) School 54 for 3

14th July. 1st XI v. Xaverian College, won by 74 runs, away.

Xaverian 63 School 137 for 5 (dec.)

2nd XI v. Xaverian College, won by 1 wicket, home. Xaverian 71 School 77 for 9

U14 1st XI v. Xaverian College, tied, home. Xaverian 72 School 72

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U14 2nd XI v. Xaverian College, lost by 1 wicket, away. Xaverian 63 for 9 School 61 for 8 (dec.)

U12 XI v. Xaverian College, won by 1 run, home. Xaverian 32 School 33

18th and 19th July. 1st XI v. Old Clavians, drew, home.

Old Clavians 75 for 5 School 82

20th July. 1st XI v. The Staff, drew.

The Staff 87 for 7 School 146 for 8 (dec.)

Analysis of Performances. P W L D %

lst XI 9 6 0 3 83.3 2nd XI 6 3 2 . 1 58.3 U14 lst XI 6 1 3 2 33.3 U14 2nd XI 6 1 4 1 25 U12 XI 7 5 0 2 85.7

THE HOUSE CRICKET COMPETITION. THE Competition was run at three levels, Senior, Inter-

mediates, Juniors, on a knock-out basis. There was perhaps an over emphasis on "playing for a draw",

and it may be necessary to over-weight the points for a win next season. There was a close fight between Kay and Derby, but Kay emerged victorious in the end.

The table of results and points is given below : House Cricket Competition Results and Points.

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THE STAFF MATCH. THE annual "affair" at the end of the Summer term proved

once again to be most enjoyable, for those who took part on and off the field as players or spectators.

Following tradition, the Staff side took the field at 11-30 a.m. and the School XI began its innings. A good opening stand was most sportingly broken when Bailey gave himself out caught behind the wicket by Mr. Ferley. Yates batted well and Lord, G. R. produced some forcing strokes to move the score along rapidly. He was finally caught in the deep, having 33 runs to his credit — the top score.

Then followed something of a collapse and with the score at 82 for 6, the Staff had visions of a low score to go for. At 108 for 8 there was still such a possibility, but with Pye batting beautifully, and Hilton effectively, the score mounted. The innings was closed at 146 for 8 at 2-40 p.m. after 2\ hours batting. The Staff were left with 1 hour 40 minutes to score the runs — or the School 1 hour 40 minutes to get the side out. Both proved impossible.

So long as Mr. Greenhalgh was at the wicket the School felt that the runs might come. However, Aston, promoted from the U14 XI, produced a fine ball to bowl the "Master". Now the School saw victory as a real possibility. But Mr. Nunwick and Mr. Bisson were batting well. Mr. Bisson in fine form, hitting fours with the abandon of a Casuals Match. Mr. Nunwick was

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unfortunately run out and then Mr. Hyde came to stay. When Mr. Bisson was finally trapped by Shindler, again School thought it had a chance, but there was much batting to follow in spite of many well flighted and cunning "tweekers" bowled by Shindler and Ince. When stumps were drawn, the Staff had scored 87 for 7 and the match ended, with justice done, as a draw.

Much good cricket was played and much entertainment given. It was good to see Mr. Asquith bowling as well as ever and for many overs, Mr. Greenhalgh pegging away for 20 overs, but not getting much response from the excellent wicket he had prepared. Mr. Booth nipping smartly round the boundary and stopping the ball with some part of his anatomy, Mr. Rawlinson pacing the boundary as only he can. Both sides are most pleased that the Headmaster takes such an active part in the proceedings.

Long may these games continue in the best tradition of the School and the game.

FOOTBALL. lst XI : Captain : J. T. MAWSON.

THE lst XI have had a disappointing season so far but by no means a disastrous one. Of the games lost, all except one were lost by the odd goal, and in many of these more steadiness in front of goal, more determination and a general sense of urgency in the whole team could have changed defeats into at least draws if not wins. There is plenty of good football in the side although a number of players have not developed as much as was hoped and certain changes have been necessary. The main criticism against the team is that of individualism and attempts to do what is difficult, when what is simple and obvious is so often the most effective. Continued success will not be achieved until everyone is quite clear that some of the most important work on the football field is done "off the ball" when not in possession. Two recent wins should restore some of the lost confidence and if everyone puts as much effort into his play as he did in these two matches then we can look forward to a much better record at the end of the season. The team has conceded 22 goals and has scored 21 of which Pye has scored 6, Harwood 4, Lord 3, Yates, Smith and Alexander 2 each.

2nd X I : Captain : P. W. KENYON. WITH few established senior players the 2nd XI have made

a very promising start to the season and except for the disaster against Chorlton have registered fine wins against bigger and

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stronger opposition. They learnt very quickly that the way to beat a heavier side is to part with the ball quickly and not be caught in possession. The 2nd XI has few individual stars and the players combine well and play as a team. Fortunately the calls from the lst XI have not been many and it has been possible to rely on some fourteen or fifteen regular players of whom Hil-ditch as a newcomer to senior football and a very young member of the side has been most impressive. The outstanding per-formance was undoubtedly the victory at Clitheroe, when the 2nd XI lost the lead shortly before half time against very strong opposition and in very heavy conditions persevered and fought back to win 4—2.

The team has conceded 24 goals and has scored 23, of which Patterson has got 7, Fenton 5, Alexander 3, Shelton and Harwood 2 each and Kenyon, P. W., Hamer, Mellor and Evans 1 each.

3rd X I : Captain : G. F. B. COLLINS. THE 3rd XI started the season as if they were going to be

the School's best side for years. In practices they were most impressive and in selection the difficulty was not whom to put in but whom to leave out. Then began the decline ! Calls from the other two elevens have meant an unsettled team, loss of form and injuries to key players have been an added drawback and in consequence the team has lost its early confidence. As so often happens in a losing team, when the defence holds the opposition to no more than two goals the attack fails to score and when the attack does score goals the defence chooses that match for an off day.

With an all-out effort from all players and an injury free period after Christmas the 3rd XI can still show that their early season form was the standard of which they are capable and not just a team playing above itself.

The 3rd XI have had 28 goals scored against them and have scored 16, of which Watkins has got 9, Kempster, Diggle and Willis 2 each and Collins 1.

U14 XI Captain : J. D. CLARK. APART from a bad patch in the middle of the term the team

has played convincingly. Indeed, at the time of writing, the 4—0 defeat by Baines G.S. is the only match lost by a margin of more than one goal and the only one in which the side has failed to score. Winning the first three matches of the season was a fillip and provided much needed confidence.

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The defence has, without exception, played consistently well and Price has been quick to take scoring chances. Rowley has been a strong centre-half and with Clark as the third member, the middle line had been extremely competent. Ackers at left back has shown some skilful touches.

The attack however, has often found it difficult to penetrate opposing defences. Swinnerton excepted — and he has shown his best form only spasmodically — all the forwards who have played have been hampered by their lack of inches. Hutton has tried hard as the schemer, but has been often rendered ineffective because the other inside forwards have not taken advantage of his promptings.

The main weakness of the team is that the forwards fail to shoot sufficiently quickly and accurately so that good approach work comes to nothing.

Scorers : Swinnerton 7, Price 5, Allison 3, Partington 2, Hutton 1, Mackenzie 1, Shepherd 1, Booth 1.

U13 XI Captain : R. COLAM AFTER a pleasing start to the season the U13's have found

the going hard and have suffered several heavy defeats. They have had the misfortune to be without three of last year's regular forwards, two being laid up through illness, while the other is still notching goals for the Under Twelves. This setback has led to a major reshuffle of the available talent, and it has been under such trying circumstances that the team has done battle with some singularly good opposition.

Croft has been an inspiration to the team as captain, while Singleton in the forward line has been a tireless worker and Strickland in goal has saved the side from sometimes greater defeats.

With the team back to full strength next term we can look forward, like last year, to a much more successful end of the season. But all-round confidence, inspired by early victories, will be the important and perhaps crucial factor.

Scorers : Skinner 9, Singleton 8, Clayton 3, McDonald 2, Croft 2, Davenport 1, Berry 1.

U12 XI Captain : D. S. HUGHES. THE team has made a good start to their school football

career. In the four matches played at hone they have scored 30 goals — a most creditable performance.

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Only 14 players have been drawn upon and consequently they play well as a team. It would be wrong to single out in-dividual players, but credit must be given to Hughes for his captaincy.

Scorers : Kay 13, Hughes and Rimmer 6 each, Howley 4, Bennion and Sharpies 3 each, Taylor, P. 2, Dewhurst 1.

FOOTBALL RESULTS.

First XI Sept. 22-—v. Hayward School Lost 1-- 2 Home Oct. 6-—v. Derby School Lost 2-- 3 Home

13-—v. Oldham Hulme G.S. Won 3-- 1 Away 20-—V. Xaverian College Won 2-- 0 Home 27-—'V. Trojans A.F.C. Won 2-- 0 Home

Nov. 10-—v. Burnage G.S. Lost 1-- 2 Away 17-—v. Baines G.S. Lost 3-- 4 Away 24-—v. Clitheroe R.G.S. Lost 1-- 2 Home

Dec. 1-—V. Chorlton G.S. Lost 0-- 5 Away 8-—V. Haslingden G.S. Lost 1-- 2 Home

12-—V. An Old Boys' XI Won 1 - 0 Home 15-—V. Chadderton G.S. Won 4-- 1 Home

Analysis : Played 12 ; Won 5 ; Drawn 0 ; Lost 7. Goals for 21. Goals against 22.

Second XI. Sept. 22 —v. Hayward School Drew 2-- 2 Away Oct. 6-—V. Derby School Won 2 --1 Away

13-—V. Oldham Hulme G.S. Lost 0 --2 Home 20-—'V. Xaverian College Lost 1 --4 Away

Nov. 10-—V. Burnage G.S. Won 3 --2 Home 17-—V. Baines G.S. Won 3 --2 Home 24-—V. Clitheroe R.G.S. Won 4 --2 Away

Dec. 1-—V. Chorlton G.S. Lost 0 --6 Home 8-—V. Haslingden G.S. Won 5 --0 Away

12-—V. An Old Boys' XI Drew 3-- 3 Home Analysis : Played 10 ; Won 5 ; Drawn 2 ; Lost 3. Goals for 23. Goals against 24.

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Third XI Sept. 22-—V. Hayward School Won 4—2 Home Oct. 6-—V. Derby School Won 4—1 Home

13-—V. Oldham Hulme G.S. Lost 0—6 Away 20-—V. Xaverian College Won 3—2 Home

Nov. 10-—V. Burnage G.S. Lost 0—4 Away 17-—V. Baines G.S. Lost 0—2 Away 24-—V. Clitheroe R.G.S. Lost 3—7 Away

Dec. 1-—V. Chorlton G.S. Lost 2—4 Away 8-—V. Smithills Abandoned

after 10 mins. Home

Analysis : Played 8 ; Won 3 ; Drawn 0 ; Lost 5. Goals for 16. Goals against 28.

Under 14 XI Sept. 22-—v. Hayward School Won 3-- 0 Away Oct. 6-—V. Derby School Won 2-- 1 Away

13-—V. Oldham Hulme G.S. Won 3-- 1 Home 20-—V. Xaverian College Lost 2-- 3 Away

Nov. 10-—V. Burnage G.S. Won 4-- 2 Home 17-—V. Baines G.S. Lost 0-- 4 Home 24-—V. Clitheroe R.G.S. Lost 1-- 2 Home

Dec. 1-—V. Chorlton G.S. Won 3-- 1 Home 8-—'V. Haslingden G.S. Won 3-- 1 Home

Analysis : Played 9 ; Won 6 ; Drawn 0 ; Lost 3. Goals for 21. Goals against 15.

Under 13 XI Sept. 22—v. Hayward School Won 3-- 0 Home Oct. 6—v. Derby School Lost 2-- 3 Home

13—v. Oldham Hulme G.S. Won 7-- 0 Away 20—v. Xaverian College Lost 4-- 5 Home

Nov. 10—v. Burnage G.S. Lost 4-- 5 Away 17—v. Baines G.S. Lost 4-- 9 Away 24—v. Clitheroe R.G.S. Lost 2--13 Away

Dec. 1—v. Chorlton G.S. Lost 1-- 7 Away Analysis : Played 8 ; Won 2 ; Drawn 0 ; Lost 6. Goals for 27. Goals against 42.

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Under 12 XI Sept. 22-—v. Hayward School Lost 3—-5 Away Oct. 6-—V. Derby School Won 5—3 Away

13-—V. Oldham Hulme G.S. Won 8—1 Home 20-—V. Xaverian College Lost 1—2 Away

Nov. 10-—V. Burnage G.S. Won 6—2 Home 17-—V. Baines G.S. Won 8—4 Home

Dec. 1-—V. Chorlton G.S. Won 8—0 Home 8-—V. Smithills 2—0 Abandoned

after 10 mins. Home

Analysis : Played 7 ; Won 5 ; Drawn 0 ; Lost 2.

Goals for 39. Goals against 17.

CROSS COUNTRY. Captain : T. M. HARDMAN

Secretary : R. H. LYE

THE first half of this Cross Country season has seen all three teams with a full programme of matches. The results of the first two were un-encouraging but the tables turned after this, and have given the teams one of their most successful half-seasons for several years.

The results of the First Year Team have been rather dis-appointing, they have scored only three victories in eleven matches. However, the enthusiasm shown by these younger members of-the School, will, it is hoped pay off next term. Individually, Crawford has run well, coming first out of the school team in all his runs. In latter races he has been well supported by Haigh and Childs.

The Junior Team have run very well this term, winning over half their matches. Knowles has shown what persistent training can do and has generally been placed first. Maden, Barnfield and Brooks have supported him well, together with a general high standard from the rest of the team.

The Senior Team too has a relatively high average, thanks to the training that they have been able to put in on a Wednesday afternoon.

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It is hoped that the standard so far shown, will be maintained throughout the season.

Matches Won Lost Percentage First Year 11 3 8 28 Junior 12 7 5 58 Senior 12 5 7 42

SWIMMING SPORTS. Captain : M. J. HEAP

Hon. Secretary : D. STOTT

THE chief guest at this year's swimming sports was Mr. C. Meek, the Physical Education Organiser for the County Borough of Rochdale. It was a great pleasure to welcome him and his wife along with the parents and friends of the school. Once again the sports proved very exciting and many good performances were seen during the course of the evening. Indeed the outcome was not decided until the last event and proved to be the most closely held sports since 1960 when only four points separated the various houses.

Derby House the eventual winners are to be congratulated on their first success for nine years. This was achieved by a wonderful spirit and spontaneity within the house and by con-centrating on second and third placings where the house lacked individual talent.

Due to the high standard of previous sports few records were broken in many of the closely contested events. Riley of Derby was successful in the Under 11 Front Crawl with a time of 14.6 sees. Wallace of Hulme showed a flash of his former brilliance when he achieved a time of 44.1 sees, in the Under 16 Back Crawl. Stott of Kay House raised everyones hopes when he equalled the previous record for the 3L Front Crawl. The best result of this year's sports was perhaps that of M. J. Graves of Derby House, when he broke the Junior and Senior Plunge record with a distance of 50ft. 4|ins. All being well we hope to see him plunging the length of the pool before he leaves school.

The diving was much better than in previous years. For the first time there was an Under 13 event and this augers well for the future. The wide range of dives prove very entertaining and especially the dives of the seniors in Lees and Heap. Lees did a running forward somersault in a piked position which was only bettered by Heap who did an excellent reverse dive in a straight position.

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The relays proved to be the climax of the evening and the parents and friends saw some very fine individual performances in the various house teams. In the Seniof Relay even Stott's superb swim, to pull back some twelve yards, was not quite enough to secure the extra points which Kay House required.

The final results were Derby House 118 points, Kay House 116 points, Howlett House 106 points and Hulme House 86 points. Finally our thanks to Mr. C. Meek for awarding the House Trophy and the various certificates and for his words of encouragement to all concerned.

RUGBY FOOTBALL. 1962-63 Season

Captain : A. D. PARKINSON Vice-Captain : P. S. GRAVES Secretary : N. G. CATANACH

THE "Clavians", now officially recognized as a school team, entered their fourth season of Rugby in September, with an almost complete fixture list and a vastly changed team from the previous season.

There were fears last season that the loss of ten leading players would result in a decline of Rugby in the School. It is, therefore, very pleasing to report that, not only have these doubts been proved unfounded, but the morale, individual ability and teamwork are higher than ever.

In previous years the pack has been the strongest feature of the team but whilst they have again put in some hard and often unrewarding work, the backs have this season caught the eye. The important position of stand-off has been filled by Bird, T., a converted full-back, whose skill, sure handling and kicking, coupled with a deceptive turn of speed, have produced a firm foundation for the threequarters line. They in turn have not been slow to respond, for with Greenhalgh, Kenyon and Challinor playing with close understanding, the threequarters line has moved swiftly, powerfully and with a definite purpose. The strongest limelight, however, falls on speed man Challinor, for with the fine support of his colleagues he has consistently en-tertained with many swerving, tricky runs. The "discovery" of the season is undoubtedly Bell. Since his first introduction as a second reserve he has held a regular place and shown great promise. One wonders, therefore, where he has been hiding all

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these years, for he has set an example to the backs with his en-thusiastic tackling, handling and movement. The full-back position is one of the most onerous in any team, and all credit must be given to Wilson, A. A., on the way he has faced his responsibilities. Although, understandably, a little nervous at the beginning of the season, he is now finding his feet in senior rugby and is playing a steady and important part in the games.

Now to the powerhouse of the team — the scrum. Despite being badly weakened by recent departures the scrum can at the time of writing be reasonable satisfied with its performance. It is especially pleasing to welcome the return of M. J. Heap, as hooker. His skilful and determined hooking, allied with his fierce tackling has made his mark (physically and metaphorically) on many teams this season. Of course, success in the scrums has depended largely upon the efficient props, Banner, R., following in his brother's footsteps, and McCabe. The latter at times reminds one of an escapee from an animal act, ferocious, colourful and difficult, and dangerous to stop in full flight. Some solid effort in the second row has been provided by Parkinson, Thomas, Jennings and also by Wood, until his recent injury. The back row three this year, is probably the strongest yet to represent the school. Bird, H., now permanently positioned in the forwards, is continually in the thick of the fray, and often demonstrates with kicking and tackling, why he was also a successful full-back. Catanach "a Jimmy Greaves" of our Rugby, is a rare opportunist, ever ready to take advantage of the odd mistake. The third member of the trio, Taylor, has the responsible task of keeping the scrum steady, but in the loose often contributes with fine individual efforts. The last member of the team to be men-tioned is Vice-Captain Graves, now in his third season. His experience and fine tactical kicking have saved the Clavians on many occasions.

One disappointing feature, has been the place kicking, for although the total stands at seven, this number could have been doubled and in this department we look forward to some improve-ment.

Reserve players such as Smail, English and Newton are gaining in experience from the Wednesday trial games and they will soon be able to command first team places.

Our thanks must go to the Games Committee and particularly the Games Master, who have worked for several years to establish Rugby as a school sport, thus entitling it to school colours ; to the officers of the Bury Sports Club for their hospitality and excellent

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facilities provided ; to Mr. Ferley for his leadership, inspiration and excellent refereeing ; to Mr. Rawlinson for his support and refereeing ; to Mr. Blackwell for his interest and to the supporters for their loyal and enthusiastic encouragement.

Thank you everyone, for contributing to what has so far proved to be an enjoyable and successful season.

THE "CLAVIANS" R.U.F.C THE fixtures for the first half of the season were as follows :

(1) v. Cheadle Hulme School, 3rd XV, Away. Lost 0 3. This was a very close game and the as yet inexperienced side

did quite well. The inexperience showed in the covering of the backs and the lack of combination in the forwards, but all in all this was quite a commendable performance.

(2) v. Bacup and Rawtenstall G.S., lst XV, Away. Won 17—0. In this match consolation was gained for the narrow defeat

in the previous match. Against a weak side, four tries were scored by Bird, H., McCabs, Taylor and Parkinson and Parkinson also converted a try and a penalty. Newton and Greenwood, S. J., played prominently for the opposition.

(3) v. Stockport School, lst XV, Away. Lost 0—14. The previous form against a weak Bacup XV was shown to

be very misleading against this fast moving Stockport side. The backs still showed their inexperience in covering and the forwards tended to lack spirit. However, this was a good clean and en-joyable game, no small thanks being due to the excellent referee.

(4) v. The Dirby School, lst XV, Home. Won 6—5. This local derby match was again a very hard fought one.

Although the School backs were slightly outclassed the forwards in turn maintained a very slight superiority throughout the match and this was the deciding factor. Graves and Taylor were the scorers for the Clavians in a rather fortunate win. Ballantyne's try for the opposition being the outstanding feature of the gime.

(5) v. Salford G.S., lst XV, Home. Lost 0—8. The most promising sign for the Clavians in this match was

that after a small reshuffle, the backs seemed at last to click and move much more fluently. The Clavians being slightly unlucky to loose this match.

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(6) v. King's School (Macclesfield), 3rd XV, Away. Lost 3—6. The Clavians were again unlucky in this match. Although

they played as well as the Macclesfield team and were at one stage winning after a try by Bonner, reminiscent of his brother, they were in the end defeated by an easy give-away penalty goal. Heap's hooking was highly commended by the master in charge at King's who was amazed at the standard of the whole team after such a short period of playing and in spite of the small numbers available.

(7) v. Rochdale G.S., lst XV, Home. Lost 0—18. Rochdale are no mean side but the main reason for such a

heavy defeat was some quite lethargic play amongst the forwards. The ball never seemed to leave the scrum cleanly, even though Heap was hooking well, and the backs did not see very much of the ball.

(8) v. Rossall School, 3rd XV, Away. Lost 0—13. Once again we were warmly welcomed at Rossall and even

though the scoreline does not suggest it this was a vast improve-ment on the previous Saturday's play. There was a half gale blowing diagonally across the pitch and Rossall put this to better advantage than the Clavians did. Otherwise the two teams were quite evenly matched. The forwards were playing with more spirit and the backs especially Challinor showed some good touches. The first half ended with a Rossall score and against the gale the Clavians lasted out until the last ten minutes when the experience and fitness of Rossall began to tell. This game is always an enjoyable one and Rossall are looking forward to visiting Bury in the future.

(9) v. North Manchester G.S., lst XV, Away. Lost 0—41. This match seemed best forgotten. The Clavians at first

were playing well and then opposition tries from unfortunate refereeing decisions completely demoralised them. From then on they could do nothing correctly and left the field dejected losers.

(10) v. Hayward Schools lst XV, Away. Won 17—0. The drubbing of the previous week seemed to have a beneficial

effect on the Clavians. The backs played enterprisingly with good open rugby and the forwards combined well together. Challinor, Kenyon and Bell amongst the backs and McCabe and Parkinson in the forwards scored tries and there was one con-version.

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(11) v. Burnage G.S., 2nd XV, Home. Won 15—0.

Five tries were also scored in this match in which the Clavians continued their good form. After the ball travelled the whole of the back line, Challinor scored with a 50 yards run and he scored his second after Greenhalgh had executed a delightful scissors move with him. In the second half. Graves, Catanach and Bird, H., also scored. Mention must be made of the hard, unselfish work of all the team in this match.

(12) v. Stonyhurst College, 3rd XV, Home. Won 18—0.

From the start of this game the Clavians attacked strongly forcing Stonyhurst to make mistakes, and one of these in the seventh minute allowed Catanach to drop on a loose ball for a try which Parkinson converted. The second try was excellently engineered by Bird, T., who kicked intelligently ahead and raced in to score. From his interception on his own 25, Catanach scored the third try and a 60 yard burst by Challinor, beating six men, constituted the fourth, both of which Parkinson converted.

(13) v. Bolton School, 2nd XV, Home. Won 18—0.

Although the sides were evenly matched in the first half, the only score being a try by Taylor in a push-over scrum, and a penalty by Parkinson, the Clavians gradually got on top in the second half against the smaller and younger Bolton side. Challinor picked up a weak Bolton clearance and with a strong burst in the corner, and soon after when Taylor was brought down just short of the line after a 25 yard break, Bonner picked up the loose ball and crossed the line strongly. Challinor scored his second try when he evaded many tackles in a strong run and Kenyon finished the scoring when he dived on a loose ball.

(14) v. Bolton Technical College, lst XV, Home. Won 22—0.

The Clavians, in atrocious conditions, proved themselves completely superior to this inexperienced Bolton side. Bird, H. opened the scoring from a long lob from Catanach, after Heap had broken through a line-out. Catanach scored next when he raced onto a kick ahead by Parkinson. Kenyon ran wall to score when he picked up a weak Bolton clearance and Catanach scored his second when the Bolton stand-off "passed" him the ball. In the second half Taylor scored from a push-ovar scrum and Bird, H. scored his second after a break from a line-out.

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THE BADMINTON CLUB. Captain : D. A. OPENSHAW

Hon. Secretary : J. N. BOSTOCK.

AT the start of this new School year there were only two members of last year's team available — Openshaw and Bostock. However, there were some new enthusiastic members, and from them a team has been built up. So far, four matches have been played, one being won, one drawn, and two lost. This is not a bad record for a team which is just beginning to link together as couples. Considering each couple, Openshaw and Holland have shown themselves prominent in each match, having lost only five out of 24 games played. Bostock and Wilson have played quite well but they do not attack enough, and one gains the impression that if they did, their results would be more fruitful. Beckett and Wolstenholme have improved considerably and they are now a strong partnership.

On summing up, therefore, the badminton team should have more successes in the future, if they continue to play in their usual enthusiastic manner.

Results up to date of press :— Oct. 12th v. Bolton G.S., Home, Lost 13—5. Nov. 9th v. The Derby School. Away. Won 12—6. Dec. 3rd. v. Stand G.S. Away. "Lost 13—5. Dec. 14th. v. Stand G.S. Home. Drew 9—9.

BASKET BALL. Captain : P. M. J. SMITH.

THREE matches have been held this term ; two against Stand Grammar School and one against Heywood Grammar School. The School beat Stand in one match and lost the other one, and against Heywood Grammar School we were beaten convincingly.

Throughout the term the accent has been on the "zone defence" system, by which the opposing side are allowed to have command of the middle of the court. However, the defending side retreats together, back to its own basket and forms a solid wall around it. The object of the system is two-fold ; namely, to make your opponents shoot from long range and secondly to cause them to bring more men into their attack, thus weakening their defence.

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Thanks must go to Mr. Price who has given up much time in training the team and inspiring us with his unflagging enthusiasm. The team has high-hopes for success in the forth coming matches next term.

TENNIS.

EVEN at this early stage the 1963 Tennis season promises to be one of the most interesting in the school's history. The enthusiasm and support for the Tennis teams will be greater than ever and at the time of writing (early January) fixture arranging is well under way as a result of the enthusiasm of the Tennis Secretary.

It will be noticed that a number of fixtures have been arranged for the Junior team, which has now come into being in an official capacity. The age limit for this team will be Under-15 on lst September, 1962, and eventually it is expected that at least eight fixtures will have been arranged. Any boys who are interested in playing Junior Tennis should contact either Mr. Booth or Skelton for further details. As usual the school in-dividual tournament will be held in singles and doubles at both Senior and Junior levels. In addition a HOUSE TENNIS COMPETITION has been arranged and full details will be posted at a later date. Trials for School teams will be held as soon as possible after the start of the Summer term.

This season it is hoped to have a match against the Old Boys' but the highlight of the season will undoubtedly be the Masters' match. Two appointments, not announced in the Calendar, have been made :—

Captain of Tennis : WORSLEY, P. R. Secretary of Tennis : SKELTON, E. R.

There are a number of results from season 1962 which did not appear in the last edition of the Clavian, these are :—

l s t TEAM 2nd TEAM

sets sets sets sets V. Stand G.S. H won 11½ 6½ A lost 7 11 V. Accrington A draw 9 9 H won 14 4 V. Burnage G.S. H won 9½ 8½ A draw 6 6

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Results of the School Individual Tournament. Senior Singles—K. M. Dickinson beat D. T. Lord in the final. Senior Doubles—D. T. Lord and P. R. Worsley beat E. R. Skelton

and I. M. Holland in the final. Junior Singles—M. D. Alexander beat J. Patterson in the final. Junior Doubles—R. C. Stout and W. W. Booth beat C. J. Swinner-

ton and C. J. Dilworth in the final.

TENNIS FIXTURES, 1963.

Date MAY

4 — S . 11—S. 15—W. 1 8 — S . 2 2 — W . 25—S. JUNE 12—W. 15—S. 19—W. 2 2 — S . 2 6 — W . 29—S.

JULY 3—W. 6 — S .

10—W. 13—S.

lst Team

Leigh G.S. (A) William Hulme (H) Accrington G.S. (H) Stand G.S. (A) Bolton School (H) Thornleigh College (A)

Bacup & Rawtenstall (H) Leigh G.S. (H)

2nd Team

Leigh G.S. (H) William Hulme (A) Accrington G.S. (A) Stand G.S. (H) Bolton School (A) Thornleigh College (H)

Leigh G.S. (A)

Blackpool G.S. (A) Blackpool G.S. (H)

MASTERS' MATCH (lst Team only)

Accrington G.S. (A) Thornleigh College (H) Bacup & Rawtenstall (A) Burnage G.S. (H)

Accrington G.S. (H) Thornleigh College (A)

Burnage G.S. (A)

JUNIORS.

MAY 4—S. Leigh G.S. (H) 18—S. Stand G.S. (H)

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JUNE 15—S. Le igh G.S. (H) 22—S. Stand G.S. (A)

Additions are likely to be made to this list and will be posted on the main School Notice Board as soon as possible. Copies of this list may be obtained from Worslev or Skelton.

CHESS CLUB. Captain : P. R. WORSLEY. Secretary : P. M. J. SMITH.

THERE is little doubt that Chess has been increasing in popularity in local schools throughout the last few years. The standard has never been as high as at present and every match is a potential struggle. The fact that Bury G.S. always seems to do well is now even more commendable than it was two or three years ago. This is in part due to the all-time record of over 275 Chess Club members, and particularly to those who are selected to represent the School. It is a pity that more boys cannot play on the teams, and unfortunate for the reserves that one must have constant match practice if one is to improve. However, we must continue to raise our team standards even higher and hope that everyone is given a fair chance to make the grade.

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Team Analysis.

P W D L Seniors .... 7 5 0 2 Intermediates .... .... 8 3 3 2 Juniors 11 9 1 1

26 17 4 5

After six years active service, Mr. King has resigned as Chess Master. It is with much gratitude also, when we thank him for all he has done for us during this time. Many of us have found to our cost that he is a fine chess player, and everybody has witnessed his enthusiasm for the teams and Club as a whole. Where Mr. King has left off, Mr. Mears has taken over and we wish him enjoyment, success and a long stay with us.

Bury G.S. has been a feared name in Chess circles for some time now, and we have at last been able to purchase four Chess Clocks to enhance our reputation. They are by no means cheap and we are indeed grateful to the Headmaster for finding the money to pay for one of them.

The Senior team, in spite of its good record, has not lived up to early expectations. The form of individual players has varied greatly and this has been responsible for the two league defeats. However, if the high standard of which the team is capable, is shown in the second half of the season, then a long list of victories is inevitable.

The Intermediate team is doing very well and has not yet lost a league match. The full strength side is very difficult to beat and with strong reserves to call on, it should do very well indeed. Unfortunately, the Sinclair Cup has again eluded us when the Intermediates lost to North Manchester G.S. in the second replay.

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The Juniors are again riding on the crest of a wave, although some of their victories have been very close. It is hard to explain why the team lost their first league match for over 18 months, against Chadderton G.S., but it was probably caused by over-confidence. Nevertheless the scene is now set for an eventful climax to the season in a bid to retain the League Championship.

Two Junior Reserve matches were played against Bolton County G.S., both of which we lost, but invaluable match practice was given to potential future players.

Four boys, Byrom, Alexander, Howley and Hope, represented the school in the Bury Junior Championship. In school matches Rowley has yet to lose in 11 games, while Bunting and Trafford are the "finds" of the season, in addition to which many other boys are doing exceptionally well.

This is a most successful report for the first part of the season and a sustained effort will once more see results which Bury G.S. can be justly proud of.

C.C.F NOTES. C/Sgt. A. D. PARKINSON.

THE past term has been one of steady training and progress in the C.C.F.

Results of the Basic and Army Proficiency Tests taken in July were most satisfactory, and for those who were then unable to take the examinations, there was a second series of tests taken in December. The results were very encouraging, with almost 100% successes.

Although it is expected that the Shooting team will not have the same proficiency as in the previous year, owing to its most experienced members having left, it is hoped that our marksmen, under their captain, L/Cpl. Gill, will maintain the schools' ex-cellent record in the Country Life Competition. Firing on the range this term has been restricted to the Empire Tests, in which results were well up to average.

A feature of the training programme for the senior cadets has been the regular visits to Heywood for lectures and demon-strations on the rifle, Bren and other weapons for platoon support. The strength of the Signals Section, now numbering over 20, has been increased during the past few months and its activities are being extended under the direction of L/Cpl. Heap who intends to participate in the Commando Course, organised by the Royal Marines, at R.M. Lympstone during the Easter holidays.

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The popularity of the C.C.F. is evident by the continued influx of recruits, who are showing good promise in their initial drill and training. Now that they have been completely kitted with new uniforms they are displaying increased interest and enthusiasm which augers well for the Corps.

During the term the stores have been re-organised, and R.S.M. Davidson is to be complimented upon his efficient ad-ministration.

Under the supervision of Cpl. Claff, the band is actively engaged in rehearsals — and in extending its repertoire — in preparation for Founder's Day, and for a possible special parade to mark the presentation of new instruments. The need for new instruments has long been felt and it is extremely gratifying, that the appeal early this year by the then Lt./Col. Walton, has met with such a generous response. Incidentally, we must offer our congratulations to Col. Walton upon his promotion. A former C.S.M. in our own Corps, he has always taken a keen interest in our activities, as well as in the Territorial Army and his recent elevation has been richly deserved.

Efforts to provide "Minnie", our veteran transport, with a garage worthy of her importance, are well advanced. Prepara-tions are almost complete for the laying of a concrete base, ad-jacent to the rifle range, and it is hoped that the new garage will be completed early in January.

Encouraged by the success of the Easter activities last year, the officers are planning a comprehensive programme for Easter, 1963.

It is hoped that a party of approximately 15 will visit B.A.O.R. at Osnabruck, West Germany. It is interesting to note that this will be the first visit of its type undertaken by the school since 1954, and even more interesting to realise that Major Bennett, who will lead the party, had the honour, as 2nd Lieutenant Bennett, then on National Service with B.A.O.R., of welcoming the party in Germany eight years ago. Our congratulations are also due to Major Bennett, on his recent promotion, which is well merited, and a tribute to his inspiring leadership.

For those keenly interested in sailing, Lt./Commander Booth has again arranged an Easter expedition on his sloop, "Taka Maru". In preparation he hopes to brief his crew in preliminary instruction at Hollingworth Lake, during a weekend next term.

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CAMP AT BOWLEY, July, 1962.

C/Sgt. A. D. PARKINSON.

ONCE again the Summer Camp proved to be the highlight of C.C.F. activities, when for the second year in succession mem-bers were privileged to enjoy the hospitality of Southern Com-mand.

As in 1961, the venue was Bowley, near Aldershot, and a contingent of 50 cadets took part in a full programme of field training and demonstrations, arranged by the host regiment, The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (D.E.R.R.).

Most impressive was the Church Parade at which the salute was taken by G.O.C. Aldershot Garrison, and the Bury boys again earned commendation, for their smartness and bearing.

For the first time invitations were issued to various schools attending the camp, to nominate representatives to view the passing out parade at Sandhurst. Seven members of our school had the unique experience of seeing the traditional ceremonial associated with the Army's university for potential officers. As might be expected the parade was of the highest order and it was unfortunate that restrictions of accommodation prevented all Corps members witnessing such an inspiring spectacle of discipline and training.

Another outstanding event of the Camp was the display presented by the Army's leading gymnasts, which was staged as an end-of-term feature of their course.

The Bury C.C.F. enjoyed thoroughly every aspect of the Camp, although somewhat surprised by the exacting demands of the Paratroop assault course. However, enthusiasm offset any lack of skill and attainment, when compared with that demonstrated by the wearers of the red beret.

Finally the school must record its gratitude and appreciation to our officers who supervised their charges with loving care (! !), and to the resident staff at Bowley for their effort to make the Camp so successful and enjoyable.

There should certainly be no lack of support for the 1963 Camp, which is scheduled to be held at Pirbright, near Guildford. This will be the first occasion since the Second World War on which Eastern Command will have the duties of hosts.

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LIBRARY, '63.

THIS article, the first, we hope, of a long line in "Clavians" to come, is part of a campaign currently being waged to bring the people to the Library, as it were, by bringing the Library to the people. The general reader is our aim. The departure last year of those perennial patriarchs, N. B. Harte and G. A. Smith, marked in many ways the end of an era, though let that not in any way detract from the tribute we are proud to pay to their loyal services, through which alone our present task is made possible. Many a nostalgic tear will be shed, and shed with some justice, as we despatch some of our most treasured tomes to their respective specialist libraries, yet those who raise the sneering cry of "Secularisation" misunderstand both our purpose and its execution.

"Doctos esse alios voluit doctissimus ijsse" — "Most learned himself, he wished others to be so". Thus reads our proud motto ; we shall never desert it ; we are not doing so now. The books which are being removed in the reorganisation process are those whose appeal is too strictly limited sectors; all standard works, all whose merit is such that their inclusion is desirable according to the canons of education and good taste, are being retained or duplicated. It would be a rash man indeed who claimed he had exhausted all the sources of "doctrina" to be found upon our shelves.

Enough of this apologia. What cares our vast, potential clientele for the desperate howls of a few reactionaries ? Our chief concern is to render the use of the facilities we offer more widespread and more popular, and it is to this end that the developments to be described below have invariably been aimed, though never, we will state again, at the price of lowered standards.

We have worked on the assumption that reading, like all good habits, is best started young. Hence a large proportion of our massive intake, no less than one hundred and seventy-eight volumes in the past term, has found its way into the shelves of our Middle School Section. These books have the widest possible range of appeal. Sports of all natures are represented, pastimes for everyone from the sedentary chess addict to the most energetic sailing enthusiast. Popular fiction too has its place here. Those for whom our Literature Sections provide too ethereal a fare will find their less pretentious tastes well cared for. Nor, in spite of its label, is this the exclusive precinct of any particular age-group.

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At least one member of the Third year Sixth figures among its most avid adherents. In short, the aim of this section is to furnish what the average reader wants to read, provided that this is not too incompatible with what he ought.

Meanwhile we are by no means neglecting the requirements of the more serious-minded among us. For them we have the newly-instituted Current Affairs Section. Intended for use in conjunction with Sixth Form C.A. periods, it contains a rapidly expanding collection of works by distinguished commentators on the political world around us. Lest anyone should feel it futile to devote our resources to so fickle and ephemeral a subject, we would point out that not a small proportion of this section consists of works dealing with our constitutional and local government systems, structures whose inherent resistance to change has driven many a good radical to despair. In this case again titles are in some respects misleading. Though the association of this section with the C.A. groups is both inevitable and intentional, its use is neither in theory nor in practice limited to these.

Changes, though not so spectacular, are also afoot in the traditional classifications of our shelves. The History Section in particular has benefitted from the donation of nine volumes of "The War Illustrated" and the purchase of Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People", the former of which especially has enjoyed enormous popularity. Indeed, perhaps it is a testi-mony to the insight and acumen of the Librarian and his devoted staff that most of the new books displayed in our Recent Addition Section have tended to disappear with at times disconcerting rapidity. This we welcome, but would the borrowers of new books, realising how great is the demand for them, please see to it that they are returned as soon as they are finished, so that others may profit from them too ?

There have been two other prominent features of Library life during recent terms. Several exhibitions have been held, the Skiing Exhibition, a display of photographs and maps giving illuminating insights into the annual Swiss Tours, together with the presentation of some splendid views of Moscow by I. R. Southern. They seem to have met with deserved success.

A less happy fate, we must admit, befell our Library Book Review Competition. Only one enterprising critic was lured by the prize, one pound for the best Sixth Form and ten shillings for the best Middle School entries. No award was made. The scheme will be continued for another term, its future thereafter being dependent on the support it then receives.

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The ability to criticize coherently is surely the truest measure of the profit we are gaining from our reading. And the rewards are far greater than any monetary emoluments which we, the Librarians, may offer. Broadly based reading, numerous and eminent authorities have affirmed, is the surest guarantee of ac-ademic success. But the true prize goes even beyond this. Those juniors who timidly accost us and ask us if they may join the Library — an unnecessary process ; all members of the School are automatically entitled to use our facilities, and all that is required is for a book to be selected and presented to a Librarian so that its withdrawal may be noted — those juniors are knocking on a door which gives easy access to a vast treasure house. Any-one who enters through our humble portals has at his fingertips the wisdom, humanity and experience of the greatest men who have walked the earth since the very dawn of our civilisation. This priceless opportunity is yours — use it.

N.A.S. L62

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP.

H o n . Sec : I. R. SOUTHERN.

THE Fellowship has held ten meetings this term, all of which have been well attended. The Committee decided that the society should be addressed by a speaker once every fort-night, with special Bible study courses to occupy the alternate weeks, but owing to various reasons, the plans for a Bible Study did not materialize. It is hoped, however, that by next term proper arrangements for Bible Study groups will have been successfully completed.

Our speakers this term have ranged from local clergymen and professional men to a missionary worker from London and the chaplain of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. A variety of interesting topics had been suggested to these speakers by the Committee and it was very interesting to observe the manner in which these topics, all of which were concerned more or less with the basic elements of the Christian faith, were presented and treated by the respective speakers. All the subjects were fully dealt with, however, and any remaining problems were discussed and argued after the address had come to an end.

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More by good luck than good management there were only two Thursday nights remaining for which no special activity had been planned, and for one of those evenings the Committee decided that a special Junior Fellowship meeting should be arranged, and for the other, that a debate should be held. Both these meetings proved to be extremely popular and it is hoped that future meetings of this nature will be included in next term's programme.

To conclude, I would like to thank Mr. Bisson for his hard work and guidance, without which the Fellowship would surely be at a loss. As membership still continues to increase, the Fellowship can look forward to a happy future and one hopes that past success and experience will guide the Fellowship into an even closer unity of faith, brotherhood and prosperity in the school and in the world around us.

LITERARY AND DEBATING SOCIETY.

H o n . Sec : D. T. GRUBB.

THIS term the society welcomed a new Chairman, Mr. Ackroyd, whom we must thank for devoting his time and energy to the society.

Four meetings have been held this term. The first was held on October 2nd, and was a debate on the motion that "The Decision to Joint the Common Market should be put to the Country". The Secretary, proposing, sud that the Government ceased to represent the people when its policy was changed after election time, and therefore to preserve Democracy, a General Election should be held before a decision was taken.

H. R. James opposed the motion, pointing out that a refer-endum would be useless, for the public could not know enough about this complicated question, and the alternative method of going to the country, a General Election, would be completely disastrous, for the Conservative vote would be split, and Labour would gain power. Seconders were S. K. Toft and S. Forster. After many speeches from the floor (notably those of D. S. Green-wood, who at one point assured the house that it was "all an aristocratic plot") the House divided, and the motion was lost by 21 to 16, with 6 abstentions.

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The term's second activity was an "Any Questions?" session held on 16th of October. The questions, about a dozen of them, were asked of a panel, consisting of R. Mortimer, S. Greenwood, G. Robertson and D. R. Libman. The questions, as is usual, varied from the sublime to the ridiculous, and the panel and members of the house, replied to them with the appropriate passion and humour respectively.

The third debate was on the motion that the "Monarchy should be abolished". The proposer, G. Robertson, said that the Monarchy was an outdated, ineffectual, and expensive institution Britain could well do without. R. Mortimer opposed, clad in somewhat exaggeratedly Royalist attire, and was of the opinion that as the European countries which retained the Monarchy were the most stable ; nd free, Britain should not uspet her system of Government. S. W. Cohen and G. A. Heron seconded the two sides, and the motion was defeated, 18 votes to 6, with 8 abstentions.

The last meeting was in the form of a series of one-minute impromptu speeches given by a large panel consisting of G. Claff, S. M. Bell, G. M. Weisgard, S. K. Toft, the Secretary, A. J. Lizar, N. A. Summersall, S. Greenwood, R. Mortimer and H. R. James. The topics for the many speeches were generally facetious, pro-voking wit and quick thinking from the panel, and providing entertainment for all.

An innovation this term has been the taking of the names of all people who attend. The purpose of this is to provide the society with an ever changing list of accredited members, who have attended a specific number of meetings in a period before the publication of the list. This measure is expressly designed to prevent non-attenders from saying (in particular, on University application forms) that they are members of ths Debating Society.

THE MUSIC SOCIETY.

H o n . Sec : . P. S. GRAVES.

AFTER several years of inactivity, the Music Society has re-open:d its activities with Mr. James again as President. It is hoped to deal with as many aspects of serious music as possbile in the meetings, of which three were held in the last term. The subjects covered were a Romantic Symphony, Comic Opera, and Ballet. In the Easter term it is hoped that meetings will include talks on Jazz and Opera.

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At the first meeting, Mr. James gave a talk about Beethoven's 5th Symphony, speaking about the symphony itself, its place among Beethoven's other works, and Beethoven's life. The second meeting was a talk about the Lives and Works of Gilbert and Sullivan, which was given by I. R. Southern, during which he played recordings of different sections of some of the most well-known operas. At the last meeting of the term, a modern composer was introduced. The suite from Stravinsky's Ballet "Petrouchka", one of his earliest works, was the subject of an illustrated talk by P. S. Graves.

THE LITERARY SOCIETY. H o n . Sec. : I. J. PICKUP.

IN this the Literary Society's second year, support has been far more encouraging than before. During this last term we have held three meetings. On the last Thursday in October, Mr. Asquith gave a talk on the "Elizabethan Stage". He discussed the origin and lay-out of the early theatre. He also dealt with various theories about its construction, and reasons for its varied success. On 29th November there was arranged a very enjoyable 18th Century evening of both music and literary readings. Miss Collins kindly consented to play the piano for us, and several members of the Staff gave up their hard-earned leisure time to come and join in the musical entertainment. In addition we were treated to short talks about the early novel, satire, about Dr. Samuel Johnson and a reading of poetry "contemplating nature", from Pope to Wordsworth, by members of the Lower Sixth. Many thanks are due to Mr. Wicks for the success of this new venture. He is also to be heartily congratulated for his continual effort throughout the term.

On Tuesday, 11th December, we were visited for the first time by an outsider, Mr. Vivian S. Daniels, a leading producer for B.B.C. Northern Region Drama, came to talk about drama on television. Mr. Daniels came at the request of Mr. Asquith, after his C.A. group had written a play for the B.B.C. He out-lined the responsibilities and necessary qualities of a producer, when he is presenting a play for television. Later the discussion was turned into a very interesting comparison of television and the live theatre. For this meeting Mr. Asquith kindly stepped in as Chairman in place of Mr. Wicks, who was regrettably absent, and we must thank him sincerely for coming to the rescue so promptly.

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THE PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB. H o n . Sec . : P. TAYLOR.

Hon. Treasurer : J. SENIOR.

FISHING NETS

THE Photography Club has had another successful term. Early in the term a lecture was given by P. Taylor, on developing and printing, for the benefit of the younger members.

A joint competition with the girls school was arranged, and the photographs were displayed at the Christmas Fair. A pro-jection show, with colour transparencies, and a movie-film.

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contributed by H. James, were also given, the proceeds of which were forwarded to the Building Fund. The winner of the com-petition was (monochrome enlargements) Senior, G. S„ Senior, J. M., de Haas (transparencies), Brammall, Ratcliffe, Hughes.

The cine section is thriving well, and hopes to make its first full-length film early next year.

To round off the term's activities, a trip has been arranged to a photographers' evening at Belle Vue Circus, on December 29th, which, though testing our techniques to the utmost, will no doubt, produce a series of very interesting photographs.

RAILWAY CLUB. H o n . Sec . : S. J. GREENWOOD.

AFTER a period of inactivity, the Railway Club has tried this term to bring more life into itself. A committee has been formed with representatives from each year of the school and it is hoped that these will meet together, provide suggestions for future meetings and voice the opinions of the members of the club. Cooksey, B. J. has been appointed to the position of Hon. Treas.

For the trip during the Summer holidays another innovation was tried out. Instead of a journey by rail, a coach was hired and a tour of a number of Yorkshire sheds, which covered a great deal of ground, was made. It is hoped that the Christmas trip will be to the three Crewe sheds and works.

Our thanks must go to Mr. Nunwick_for his unfailing support and hard work in organising these trips.

TABLE TENNIS. Hon. Secretary : E. R. SKELTON.

ONCE again the Table Tennis club has flourished and pro-vided daily enjoyment for many Sixth-formers. Despite being hampered by inadequate facilities, enthusiasm by the members has led to a successful knock-out competition in which the final between Skelton and Holland has yet to be played. A new table is desperately needed and it is hoped that efforts will be made in the near future to secure one and after that it may be possible to form a team and to arrange fixtures.

Next term it is intended that a handicap tournament should be staged in which all Sixth-formers are welcome to take part. Names for both doubles and singles should be handed to Wilson, Skelton, Holland or Smith as soon as possible. Meanwhile it is necessary to mention the spirit and the enthusiasm of the first year sixth, which amply makes up for the limitations in their play.

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THE NATURE STUDY SOCIETY. President : P. W. KENYON.

Chairman : P. A. L. GREENHALGH. Hon. Secretary : R. C. CHALLINOR.

Hon. Treasurer : M. A. STOTT. AT the beginning of the last term a group of second-year

Sixth-form boys got together and decided to form the above-named club. Permission was granted by the Headmaster, and the first official meeting of the club was held early in October. The response was encouraging and its officials were elected. The second meeting, a fortnight later, took the form of a film, filmed and produced by Greenhalgh, P. A. L. It was taken on the Wildfowl Trust in Exmoor, Somerset, Dartmoor, etc. It gave an excellent coverage of the life existing in these parts and con-sidering this was Greenhalgh's first film, he must be congratulated on such a fine effort. There was also a pleasing increase in attendance at this meeting. The third meeting of the society was held in the middle of November, this taking the form of a lecture by Mr. Wicks on "Butterflies". This was a most interesting and enlightening talk and it was obvious that everyone enjoyed the talk. Mr. Wicks must be thanked for the trouble he took to make the lecture a success. Greenhalgh then proposed that there should be a subscription of Is. 6d. a term. (Now increased to 2s. Od. and 2s. 6d. for Sixth-formers). Everyone seemed in agreement. Now it was possible to hire films from the R.S.P.B. and a film named "Reserved for Birds" was obtained for the next meeting, held early in December. Our thanks must go to Mr. Kershaw for helping with the running of the projector. The attendance nearly reached the half-century mark, this was nearly treble the number at the original meeting, showing how the interest for the society has grown. Our main thanks must, of course, go to Greenhalgh for the tremendously hard work he has put into this new society. This term (Lent), we hope to hold various competitions, lectures, films, etc., and all members and new members are cordially invited to these meetings. But it must be realised that a subscription is necessary to cover the costs incurred by the society.

WINNING ENTRY FOR ESSAY PRIZE. "I'm All Right"

MANY years ago an astrologer prophesied that the world would be consumed by flames in the year two thousand. The connection between this prophecy and the "I'm all right" philos-ophy is not so tenuous as it may seem.

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"I'm all right", like many other things is a symbol. Symbols are very difficult things to interpret correctly and this phrase is frequently misinterpreted. A popular quotation, it is a crystalisa-tion of the way of life of the West today. Its abandoned selfish-ness is thought to spring from the complacency of a declining civilisation.

This is only half the truth. The complacency is a facade behind which does lurk a civilisation in decline. Terrible though this may be it is not a unique situation. Egypt, Greece and Rome fell perhaps a greater distance. The reason for the "I 'm all right" philosophy is to be found in this decline. Our civilisation instinctively realises, and the facts bear it out, that disaster, naturally the most terrible in the history of the world may be near and inevitable. However, it is impossible to admit or even believe this in spite of the great urgency. Therefore, like Nero's Rome, the West rides gaily on to the brink, unable to accept the inevitable.

That disaster will come, probably in the form of war, is quite obvious. Most people say and think that they realise what this means, namely their own and the world's annihilation. If this is true the world is remarkably brave or callous, for nothing is done about it. Disarmament conferences mark time between long paces backwards. Disarmers are scoffed at by those who prefer to play with nuclear fire. Politics consists of a string of mere trivialities which obscure the most important issue of all. When this does break through it is taken for granted so widely that it quickly fades out again. Policies of deterrence, advocated by old men who will soon be in their graves in any case, present a paper shield which war would shatter in a moment. History's the witness. All the ingredients of a perfect tradgedy are present.

It seems likely that the not so distant future will bring with it war. We have seen how quickly time really does fly and the future presents itself. It is not so very long ago that it was believed impossible for man to leave the earth. This disbelief passed through several phases and before we knew were we were a man was circling the earth. Nineteen-eighty-four is not far iway. There are already two giant states in existence with a third in embryo, totalitarianism grows in strength and a state of semi-war has been achieved.

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Perhaps the "I'm all right" philosophy is an instinctive preparation for the future. After all it is not far removed from the so called "Law of the jungle". Even if this is so pessimism is still unnecessary, especially if we can escape to the moon in time. Disaster may be imminent, History may be called upon to repeat itself but the future in that instance is infinitely less bleak than Orwell's hellish world. Perhaps the best solution, after all, to all our troubles is to put back the clock some millions of years.

t his is the long-term view however. This maybe optimistic but the short-term which concerns us all is certainly not. If we

are to be destroyed the "I 'm all right" doctrine will be no comfort as it will enhance the feeling of helplessness and isolation. By creating a gulf between individuals it will certainly make our eclipse more terrible.

S. B„ Hist. VI.

THE ROCK CLIMBING CLUB.

H o n . Sec . : M. J. CONNOR.

ENCOURAGED by the success of the rock climbing at Whitsuntide camp a group of boys decided to form a Rock-Climbing Club. The club has only a small membership (not because of deaths of members), but these few have attained a high standard of competence. Most of the climbing has been done on local gritstone crags in Derbyshire and encouraged by successes here an expedition was launched into wild Wales. Having completed one climb the weather turned against us and the weekend ended in disaster. The tent was ripped to shreds, the night was spent under a boulder in a hail storm, the Hon. Sec's, sleeping bag set on fire, and early on Sunday morning we retreated in confusion. Undaunted, more plans are being made for Wales next Summer by the stalwarts who survived the trip.

The club's number of ropes almost outnumbers its members and anyone interested in trying their hand at the most exhilara-ting sport in the world (rock-climbing) should get in touch with the Hon. Sec. in Room F, who can guarantee a reasonable amount of safety and tuition for them.

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THE WILDFOWL TRUST AT SLIMBRIDGE,

GLOUCESTERSHIRE.

A FAMILY of Black-necked swans at the Wildfowl Trust on the River Severn in Gloucestershire. This swan (cynus mel-anocoriphus) is a native of South America, and one of the two swans that live in the Southern Hemisphere, the other being the Australian Black Swan.

There are one hundred and forty-seven full species of ducks, geese and swans known in the world today, and in the grounds of the Wildfowl Trust, whose Hon. Director is ornithologist Peter Scott, there are one hundred and twenty of them represented by living birds. This is by far the most complete living assembly, not only of wildfowl, but of any group of animals in the world. From the tops of high, wooden towers and from hides on the shore the spectacle of hundreds of wild geese, often white-fronts from Russia or pink-feet from Greenland, can be enjoyed.

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The aims of the Trust are threefold : the scientific study of wildfowl in the wild state and in captivity, and related investiga-tions ; the propagation of wildfowl, especially those species which are in danger of extinction such as the Hawaiian Goose; the education of the public by all available means to a greater app-reciation of wildfowl and indeed of nature as a whole. Only a small proportion of the birds are in netting enclosures, and then only because they are very rare, delicate or breeding. Most of them are quite free to fly about at will from pool to pool in the grounds.

In 1951, Peter Scott was sent one male and two female Hawaiian Geese or Ne-nes (Branta Sandvicensis) at a time when this species' total population was in the region of two dozen birds. By 1958, however, the flock in the grounds of the Trust numbered seventy-three, considerably more than the total world population in the wild state. Now the flock is even greater, and not only have breeding pairs been sent to Wildfowl centres all over Europe, but birds are even being returned to their native land, Hawaii, to repopulate some of the remote islands. This species has obviously been saved from sure extinction, and the Slimbridge flock is a living tribute to the dedicated work of Peter Scott and the Wildfowl Trust.

P.A.I.. G„ VI CI.

EXTRACT FROM THE DIARY OF A COUNTRY FARMER 1706-1759.

AUGUST, 1759 : Today did I make my breakfast upon one of my best pullets

that the cows did trample underfoot and slay. When this event was known to me, I did kick the dog into the house, so ill was my temper at such a loss.

Verily, to make good the loss, I did swindle Old Yab, being a customer of long standing, by diluting his milk with water. Also in the dozen of eggs which I did sell to Mrs. Longnose, I did include six of medium eggs and six of pullet eggs ; she having asked for large, at the same price.

Indeed, I must satisfy the wages of my farm-hand with but six eggs of a cracked variety this month ; I cannot afford a wage, being in the black only by forty-five thousands pounds.

Wages paid this month : Labourer : 6 cracked eggs and one penny bonus. Dog : 2 bones.

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SEPTEMBER :

Did today shout and rave at a fellow who did refuse point-blank to stop until I got my poor herd of .but thirty pedigree Friesians across the road. He insulted me in a disgusting manner by his foul voice and the honking of his bubble-car's horn, where-upon I did stick my pitchfork into all four of his tyres and beat the bonnet of his car. This misfortune quietened him, and my herd of cows came across in safety.

My wife has been very troublesome this month, and I did speak sharply to her in the kitchen, causing all the pots to break and shatter and the very walls to shake.

Did also waste a cartridge in shooting a crow, for which misfortune I kicked the dog out of the house into the well.

Total wages : Labourer : died of starvation last month—underfeeding. Dog : | bone. New Labourer : Nothing—not accustomed to light work.

OCTOBER : Today the Income-tax Inspector did visit me while in my

shippen. I did point out the poor milk yield of the cows, the terrible egg production of the hens and the price of mutton upon the market. Whereupon he did agree with me that the tax should be very little, and went. My labourer was then instructed to draw out the one hundred and forty gallons of milk and the one hundred and twenty dozen eggs of a mixed variety from their hiding place under the hay.

So ends the Diary of a country farmer, who died in extreme poverty at the end of this, of cancer fumes from using a candle for warmth instead of a normal coal fire. He left but £40,000 in all.

P. G. N„ UV Alpha.

THE FIRST TRIP ABROAD. MANCHESTER Piccadilly Station is the place where one

books a return ticket to Paradise. England and school ceased to exist when we bundled ourselves into the Folkstone train and it was hard to believe that the guards and porters were not a part of our mountain pilgrimage. Even the night journey in the crowded express held its magic, the roar of the express hurling out its challenge to the miles which separated us from our destination.

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We slept uneasily and woke every time the express stopped, to peer at the blue-smocked figures administering to the wants of our monster engine. Occasionally a ceremonious gnome would march along the train and smite each wheel, an action which we accepted as essential, even if ignorant of its significance.

Eventually came the prelude to the great Alps as we passed through the Jura Foothills and there suddenly as if in a dream we saw them — the Alps. Beyond the placid blue, beyond the vine-girdled hills and beyond the plains, a faint haze appeared encircling the horizon. Pillowed on these mists an array of clouds have formed themselves into the snows of the Oberland. Each year I wait for the sight and each year they burst upon me with the magic of sudden discovery.

All good things must be paid for and one pays in full for one's happiness by the misery of the slums, factories, placards, dingy streets and grimy back yard tenements which herald one's return to London. However, one can be gratified by the hopes that one will return next year and the thought that twenty-four hours previous to the arrival in London we were standing in Interlaken watching the Oberland snows flinging back the sun's lost message. Without doubt the Swiss trip is not a holiday to miss.

M. J. CONNOR, L 6 I .

MISCELLANEOUS COLUMN. LOST — one large fair-haired prefect, last seen heading in

the direction of the Girl's School Will anybody who has seen this prefect or who knows anything concerning his whereabouts, please contact WHITTLEHALL 382438, their local Prefect's Room, or any prefect on duty.

The Debating Society has decided not to hold a Mock Election this term because of the flood of candidates who wish to use the Election as a means of leaving the C.C.F.

It has been noted with interest the increasing regularity with which the two School Captains have been meeting each other on official business. In a statement to the Press, P. R. Worsley said : "We are just good friends".

CAROL SINGING, 1962. IT was on the night of Thursday, December 20th, when the

"official" School Carol Singing Group, popularly known as "The George Worsley Glee Club" (not to be confused with "Parkinson's Paltroons") did the rounds of various Masters' houses. Messrs.

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Worsley, Southern, Comfort, Graves, Lord, Yates, Smail, Grubb and Ward were all in lusty singing voice as they descended upon the Headmaster, and with Joe "Piano" Southern at the keyboard, a most enjoyable time was had. The coffee must have been rather strong, judging by the speed with which "Stirling" Comfort drove his car up Manchester Road, before the group entertained Mr. James and his dog. More carols, more coffee, more mince pies and then off to Mr. Andrew's, surprisingly enough, only half-an-hour late, and this is where the story really began.

Saxon Close was duly found, despite the fact that the road had no nameplate (at least we could not find it) and after much deliberation and guesswork, Mr. Andrew's house was found as well. This was not however, before we had had time to wake all the road with the noise, and greet them with a cheerful wave as they pulled the front room curtains back. It seems that one lady living on her own was delighted with the singing and when she enquired as to where the singers came from she was pleased to hear that they came from B.G.S. It was decided that Mr. Andrew's house must be the one that showed no signs of reaction and indeed it took us three carols before he even let us in. This short, sharp visit was succeeded by one to Mr. Bisson. Un-fortunately Lord's car mysteriously "missed" the turning and it was 15 minutes before we found it again. We were also very pleased to find that the other car load did not consider themselves good enough to sing without us. The ginger wine went down well and the party was then able to show Mr. Bisson how carols should be sung, without a piano.

The final call was to Mr. Ince, and here agian we missed the turning, but this time it was an accident. "God rest you merry, gentlemen" was appropriate and sufficient to gain admittance, and the party then "parked" themselves until early the next morning. The prefects' repertoire was finally exhausted and after preventing all the neighbourhood from any sleep, the party drove off furiously.

Our thanks go to the Masters and their families for having us, and we assure them that even if they did not enjoy our singing, we did. We extend our sympathies for next year when another set of idiots will most probably descend on them in the guise of carol singers, and dare we say that their singing could not possibly be as good as ours ? In any event we had a most enjoyable evening and trust that all concerned recovered in time for Christ-mas Day and more carol singing.

P. R. W„ B63.

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REFLECTIONS ON A UNIVERSITY CITY.

THE train pulled slowly into the brightly lit station, snorted and wheezed, and with a tired groan brought itself to a halt. Voices called out, doors banged, people pushed and struggled vainly to reach the solitary exit into the streets, and, fatigued by their victory over the crush, stood panting on the pavement waiting for some form of transport to come and whisk them away to the college in the city centre. This was Cambridge.

To the student who thus arrives and who, after being jogged along in an uncomfortable bus, suddenly finds himself dumped unceremoniously at the Porter's Lodge of one of the Colleges, the city appears somewhat harsh and unbending. Here he is amidst one of England's most treasured heritages, surrounded by centuries of quaint tradition, and to this atmosphere he must endeavour to adapt himself. The College walls look down upon him scornfully ; their austerity and timelessness is not to be broken by this mere temporal shred of humanity who is vainly trying to seek entry into their hallowed courts, and so the student has to raise himself to their level in order that he and his sur-roundings may be united in pleasant harmony.

This is not an easy task for him to perform. The more sensitive he is, the greater will he find his toil to reach this har-mony, but once attained, he finds it hard then to strike a note out of tune. In walking through the peaceful courtyards he becomes aware of the timelessness which only these Colleges can present. The striking of a distant clock awakens him from his reverie and he realises that even here time marches on re-lentlessly and inexorably, bearing away with it the great sons that this University has, producing and introducing new "greats" to their first taste of College life.

As a city, Cambridge presents a delightful blend of the old and the new. A new shopping centre has been built, new buildings are quickly being erected, but even so, the University still domin-ates the life of the people. Unlike Oxford, Cambridge has no heavy industries within its boundaries nd so there is nothing which can really divert the people's attention away from the University itself, and their interest is likely to remain undiverted for a long time to come. Heavy industry in the city would spell the doom of the atmosphere of unity between the Colleges and the city inhabitants. The arrival of industry would inevitably attract the most attention and one wonders how the University

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would stand up to the shock that this would cause. Oxford has survived the ordeal and has maintained its greatness ; there are doubts, however, as to whether Cambridge could do the same.

This interest in the future of the old city must h ve found roots in the hearts of many a person who has dwelt within the walls of its Colleges. The beauty of their mellow courts, the long sloping backs and the grandeur of their architecture can never be appreciated by a mere cursory glance, but one has to allow oneself to be completely immersed into the flow of an age-old tradition before an abiding love of the city can be truly instilled into one's heart

I. R. S„ 3 Lang. VI.

A LETTER FROM NOTTINGHAM.

ALL Sixth-formers and indeed the parents of all Sixth-formers tend to have preconceived ideas about Universities. Most of them must at one time or another have asked themselves the question : "Do I want to go to University?" or "Do I want my son to go to University ?" What is so sad and unfortunate is that so few parents or Sixth-form students seem to have prefaced their question with the word 'Why'. I have now been at Notting-ham University for ten weeks and whilst I should be the first to admit that any statement I make is open to question, I do sin-cerely hope that what I have to say is at least interesting and at the most stimulating.

In October this year several hundred students arrived at Nottingham for the start of their first degree course. Perhaps fresh from school, perhaps fresh from some other form of existence, they all had at least one thing in common — they had never been undergraduates before. During the pre-Sessional Conference, a sort of mass "Face to Face", they were addressed by both students and lecturers on various topics, the general intention of which was to introduce them to the University and what it means to be a student. Advice was, for that first introductory week, as free, and perhaps only as valuable, as hot air. For some it was like water on a duck's back, for others it made no diffe; ence since as far as they were concerned they knew what they wanted out of the University and for others it only added to the confusion.

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And there was without doubt confusion which in some cases led to loneliness or complete inability to work or even to feel at all settled. There were two cases in my own hall of residence of students who were on the verge of a mental breakdown because, having been removed from their usual routine of school during the day and a life at home during the evening, they were unable to put their work and other activities in any kind of perspective. I do not want to paint a dismal picture of the University as a home for the mentally sick. Of course the number of people affected by the change from life at home, or life at a boarding school, to life at University in any adverse way is very small. Most people seem to settle in fairly quickly. Yet students in fact do experience certain difficulties and many of the problems that arise in the first few weeks could be solved or more easily faced if the question had been, "Why do I want to go? " rather than just, "Do I want to go ?"

For far too many students the process of passing the eleven-plus, passing "O" level, passing "A" level and going to University is purely automatic. In other words too few seem to take the trouble to really think about what a University is. Their situa-tion is not eased of course by constant pressures from school and from home to "pass" along the way to University. These are, to some extent inevitable pressures created partly by the ridicul-ously inadequate number of places available and by the fact that the letters B.A., B.Sc. or whatever it might be are of increasing importance for the person who is being urged or who really wants to "get on in life". Yet they are nonetheless regrettable and the increasing demands, from parents, teachers and students themselves, for much more information about the purpose of, and conditions at, a University are to be very warmly welcomed and actively encouraged. University prospectuses and regulations are all very well as far as they go but they do not provide potential university students with by any means the complete picture.

At the moment there is no source from which sixth-formers, parents and teachers can extract all the relevant details. The booklets issued by the National Union of Teachers are a good start, but the onus for preparing the student as fully as possible must at the moment fall upon the teachers and the sixth-form student himself. The teacher can, as a post-graduate give some helpful information, and the sixth-former can perhaps discover more from friends who are already at the Univer-sity. What must be emphasised here though is that no matter how much any student, or teacher, tries to pretend that the

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transition from school to University is nothing to worry about and that once you are "in" everything will be all right, (plenty of time to do what you like, lectures not complusory, teens of societies to join, etc., etc.), there is beneath any surface impression of being in the swim and having a cheery, beery time a real problem which has to be faced in some way or another. At the last Annual Council of the National Union of Students this problem of preparation for further education (i.e., education at University, Technical Colleges and Teacher Training Colleges) was discussed and as a result a booklet should shortly be issued to try to help sixth-formers think about their post sixth-form career.

The problem of "getting in" is of course a very real one as I and 180,000 other students and many more thousands of sixth-form students are only too well aware. This is no place for an attack on the Government's policy towards further education. (Perhaps having mentioned the words "attack" and "govern-ment policy" in the same sentence I have said sufficient). The point is that many sixth-formers could be spared the ludicrously obnoxious process of trying to get to University if they first of all honestly asked the question,"Why do I want to g o ? " and parents could be of much more help to their offsprings if instead of blindly pushing ahead they sat down and gave some really serious thought to the question,"Why do I want my son to go to University — really?" Of course not all parents are constantly exerting pressure nor are all teachers. If they were, however, a few more who were prepared to face the fact that perhaps University is not the ideal future for many sixth-formers then much unpleasantness and indeed much unhappiness could be avoided.

What I have tried to do is to outline a very real problem. The scarf, the pipe and the pint glass that is so often the impression of the happy student life may well be a disguise for what is in fact unhappiness and dissatisfaction. So far the B.G.S. students here seem, in their various ways, to be finding their feet but they would probably be the first to admit that life could have been much easier particularly in the first year or first term with a greater degree of preparation before "coming up".

G. A. S„

Hugh Stewart Hall,

University of Nottingham.

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