W. H. (Bill) Colbeck (FN 49-55) has sent a photo of the 2nd XV rugby team of 1953/4 and comments: “As I looked at the photo, I thought back to my most wonderful time at St Bees, helped to a great extent by the extremely nice young men with whom I shared my life over the six years that I was at the school. The captain is Robert Wilson, who went on to play for Oxford as hooker! John Mawson - sadly long deceased - is on the extreme left of the back row! It was a remarkably good season for the 2nd XV. We played all the local Grammar Schools’ 1st XVs and therefore usually lost all of our matches! To win half of the games and to have a score of 143 points for and only 147 against us made the team very proud! About half of the side went on to play for the 1st XV in season 1954/55 when we lost to Sedbergh 16-6 (through two interception tries by a wing three quarter who went on to play for Yorkshire and to have trials for England) but won all of our other matches! The names of the players, from left to right are: Back Row – J. Mawson, W.H. Colbeck, E.C. Thompson, E. Collins, G.C. Hayton, D. Cartmel, M. Widdas, S. Parker, H.C. McQuillan. Sitting – J.M.H. Kennedy, P.J.J. Leech, R.M. Wilson, A.W.J. Thompson, M. Thomson. On Ground – J. Blackburn, E.K. Williams.”

2nd XV Rugby 1953/54

 

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St Bees School,    St Bees,    Cumbria,    CA27 0DS.

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