- SPORT REPORTS
Athletic Club Report
President: Mr. T. Higson.
Chairman: Mr. Cox.
Secretary: D. Berryman.
Treasurer: K. Dronsfield.
Committee: A. Smith, A. Dray, M. Russell, D. Cook.
Please note change of title. It was decided that we should be called a club to bring us into line with other organisations.
Membership this year totals about forty, being stronger at opposite ends of the school.
The club is perhaps unique in the school in that it has a cloth badge, specially designed for us, which is sold to boys who have rendered reasonable service to the club.
The club meets each Friday evening in the gym where circuit training is taken on; this strenuous exercise prepares the budding athletes for next season and keeps the cross-country enthusiasts fit for this season. Sprinting and preparation for field events also take up our time on Friday nights.
Last September, the club went by coach to the White City, Manchester, to see a floodlight meeting of Olympic stars, where we saw such crack athletes as Don Bragg, Herb Elliott, Otis Davies and David Jones competing on a night which was surprisingly cold for September.
Last year, it will be remembered, was a successful and eventful year. Russell was selected for Lancashire Cross-Country and Whitworth represented Lancashire in the all-England sports at Shrewsbury. Oldham was represented by Russell, Cook, Dray, Blackshaw and Whitworth, the last two being finalists in the Lancashire Schoolboy Meeting. D. Cook, our pole vaulting expert, represented Manchester & District in the Manchester Highland Games.
Four of our pole vaulters are keeping in trim by visiting White City each Wednesday to train.
Last summer, at the annual dance, the club awarded trophies to athletes whose performances, it was considered, deserved recognition. Mr. Higson awarded plaques specially engraved for the occasion to Whitworth, Blackshaw, Cook, Russell and Haughton. We hope this ceremony will become an annual event.
So, with a good full year behind us (together with the Olympics), we look forward to an equally successful season this year.
1st XI Cricket
The team won 2, drew 2 and lost 3 games. Middleton G.S. defeated the school at Greenhill by 49-47 runs and drew with the school at Middleton in the All-Day Match. Other defeats were sustained against Ashton and Counthill. At Hyde the school gained a draw scoring 156 for 6 dec. to which Hyde replied with 88 for 5. At Glossop the batting improvement continued and in reply to the Derbyshire teams 164 for 2 dec. the school scored 166 for 2 in 90 minutes. This was the second victory of the season, the school having defeated Heywood by 5 wickets earlier in the year.
The season ended on a note of levity with the traditional staff match. However, the atrocious weather conditions caused the early abandonment of the match.
Notable performances during the season were Whitworth 84 v. Hyde, 78 n.o. v. Glossop, Travis 46 and 3-13 v. Heywood, Walton 7-24 v. Counthill and Shaw 36 n.o. v. Glossop.
Whitworth, Shaw and Walton were awarded colours.