Phil Williamson Letter

From: Phil Williamson
To: Webmaster
Sent: 16 January 2023 (containing photographs)
Subject: Recollections

Webmaster

Some recollections attached which may stir memories.

I have further photographs of the Old Boys Rugby team members from
1958-9 and of trips to IOM.

Best regards

Phil Williamson, Collegiate from 1951 to 1958

Rugby

In 1951/52 the school was excelling in most sports and track events with a cohort of excellent athletes. This was a spring back post the ending of the war sadly this pre-eminence was not to last as the next few years performance fell away as seniors left. There had been a focus predominately on this senior group to the detriment of junior years. This caused a high degree of consternation within the staff and a plan was set in motion to correct it, including finding new masters with a sporting interest. One recruit played rugby league for St. Helens and often would appear on a Monday looking somewhat done over, black eyes and split lips were the least of it, the boys were a bit in awe of this with much discussion and reading up of the sport sections covering his matches. It took several years to build up again with results showing in 1957/58 and growing successes in all sports.

My interest lay with rugby but initially it was thwarted as there were height and weight limits for the younger age groups and I was too tall. The first opportunities came finally with the colts although challenging as they were generally older. Mr Woodward instituted both better training and fitness including attack and defence training with after school blackboard sessions. He also set up trips to watch the Calcutta Cup games with a school match for the 1st team in the morning.

1957 the Calcutta game was at Twickenham with our match against Tiffin School, they had a 100% record that year in the Home Counties including winning the 7 a-side tournament. We travelled down by coach a long journey without Motorways then a basic camp bed in a sports hall, we were not at our best physically next morning. When we met the opposition they all seemed to be bigger than us. But the result was not in doubt we won a resounding victory in a hard fought match. That afternoon Mr Woodward gathered us under the Twickenham stand and handed out a celebratory pint of ale. England completed our day with a 16-3 win.

1958 and Mr Woodward was finding great difficulty in setting up a match in Edinburgh as no-one seemed interested in a school from Liverpool. Finally he called on help from the Liverpool Echo sports editor who eventually shamed George Heriot’s School into agreeing to meet us. It was a hard fought game the best game I can remember us playing, a superb team effort gaining us a win with a significant margin. The afternoon match at Murrayfield was a disappointing dour game with a cold West wind hitting the open pitch, no grand stadiums in those days, result a 3-3 draw. The real highlight for us came in the evening when the Edinburgh Evening newspaper came out our match appearing on the front page with the headline ‘the best schoolboy team seen this season’ and three column report. The Calcutta cup game appeared on page three with just two columns and a lament at such a poor game. You can imagine everyone was well made up especially Mr Woodward.

Attached are two photographs of the Rugby first teams for 1957 and 1958. Note the new first team kit another Mr Woodward boost for the team which was well liked.. A number of the team met up in 2009 as they celebrated reaching 70.  Present were Roy May, Geoff Saul, Geoff Bryce, Frank Walmsley, John Tickell together with their respective wives and myself. It was the first time I had seen them since 1958. Back in 1957 Roy, our team captain, had a hamstring problem and was on the touchline giving the team support, at half time he joined the lads on the pitch and a bit of horse-play ensued until Roy’s hamstring went and an ambulance had to be called to collect him. The first time we ever saw an ambulance on the pitch and it was for the only spectator.

Rugby 1^st Team 1958

Back Row from Left  - Woodward, Gordan Brew,Alan Reid, Gerald Haimes, Phil Williamson, ?,Colin Wheeler,F Kilshaw, Bobby Lloyd

Middle Row -

John Williams, Peter Stephenson, Algy Walker, John Tickell, Bobby Edwards, Alan Forshaw

Front Row -

Norman Ball, Eric Walkden

Rugby 1^st Team 1957

Back Row - Woodward, Geoff Bryce, Alan Forshaw, Alan Lloyd, Algy Walker, Phil Williamson, Colin Wheeler, Bobby Lloyd

Middle Row - John Williams, Alan Reid, Godfrey Brew, John Tickell, Geoff Saul, Frank Walmsley, ?, Bobby Edwards

Front Row - Peter Stephenson, Eric Walkden, ?

School play production team circa 1956