Sports & Societies

The 2021/22 season was a record-breaking season for us, where we achieved a total of 50 winners all told (49 jumps and 1 flat winner), and just shy of £500,000 in prize money. A winner at every jumps track in the UK was a personal milestone, which we achieved with Kelso and Newcastle – the final two tracks knocked off the list.

College Oak has had a good season with another winner and some creditable placed efforts. He has now won a total of four races for the Radleian Society and has been placed 11 times from just 19 starts, proving to be a very consistent horse. College Oak won a bumper and a novice hurdle, before winning a competitive handicap at Ascot. He never progressed over a fence last season, but back over hurdles he built on some promising efforts to win at Stratford in July under a lovely ride for Gavin Sheehan. It was just what he deserved having been beaten in a photo finish on his previous start.

It was wonderful to see him get his head back in front again. He jumped brilliantly, he travelled kindly, he quickened up, battled bravely, and stayed strongly. The application of blinkers and riding from the front have really helped him, whilst he coped well with the step up in trip and the tight track didn’t seem to faze him either. It was lovely to have a few Old Radleians there to celebrate.

The new season has started well, albeit from fewer summer runners than normal, and winning the big Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen bodes well for the months ahead. We have a bigger winter team this season, and I hope we might be able to find a Grade 1 horse and another Cheltenham Festival winner in the team.

After a very productive summer where College Oak either won or was placed in four of his six starts over hurdles, he unfortunately picked up an injury in preparation for his final start of the summer jumps season. He pulled up lame at the top of the hill after a routine morning canter, and he was lame on his near hind. Unfortunately, he had sustained a displaced fracture of the left ilial wing of his pelvis. The prognosis is considered reasonable for a return to action, but he will need a bit of time out of action until the spring.

This past year has been an enjoyable resurgence for Radley’s LGBT+ alumni society. We started the year with our annual Christmas drinks in central London. This was a great chance to finally meet up again after the lockdowns, with quite a few new members joining us. It also gave us a great chance to start planning, as it was our turn to help to organise the Joint Pride drinks for the LGBT+ alumni societies from Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Sherbourne and Bedales. We decided to change things up this year and move the venue to The Scarlet Door in Soho, where we booked out the downstairs bar. The drinks were definitely flowing freely, especially with over 80 people from the different schools showing up.

We are looking to organise more events in the coming year, especially casual after work drinks around central London. If you want to find out when and where please sign up to our mailing list at www.radley-wildebloods.com.

The Radley College Beagles were first established in 1940, and have persisted, through better and worse, over the past 82 years. As one of only three remaining schools with a pack, the Radley Beagles are a rare and prized tradition.

Students taking part in Beagling at Radley are involved with all aspects of the sport – from caring for and training the dogs, to shows and parades. In recent years, the pack has gone from strength to strength. One family of ORs, the Tufnells, has a deep connection with the sport.

So much has changed with the RCB since I hunted them in the 1986/87 season. Clearly the hunting ban has changed the activities out in the field considerably, but the boys still manage to have fun, and all of the other changes have been hugely for the better.

In the 80s the hounds were kennelled in the old wooden barn at Church Farm. The place was riddled with skin disease, and we were frequently busy bathing the pack to treat mange and other infestations. The hounds were cared for by a glorious retired Royal Artillery Officer, Peter Coombes. He cared deeply for the hounds and boys alike, clucking around us all with his brilliantly florid language, delivered with a cut glass accent and addressing us all as “Old Boy”. Peter kept every hound that came his way, many of them drafts from other packs, until their dying day and so it was fair to say that we didn’t have the finest hunting pack in the country. Simon Timbrell, Countryside Centre Manager, has gone to great efforts to improve the breeding of the pack, and this has been repaid in spades. The hounds now enjoy considerable success at the shows.

In the days before mobile phones and quad bikes, we enjoyed terrific freedom out hunting. Peter would roar around the roads in a light blue transit van, orange light flashing on top, but rarely ventured more than twenty yards from the van, leaving us to get on with it. Many days ended in the failing light, which could be challenging, as one boy found when he accidentally walked into a slurry pit and sank up to his arm pits! We hosed him down in the yard with much hilarity, but Peter refused to allow us to banish him to

▶ Nat Sherwood (1937, B) was a keen beagler, and kept a hunting diary throughout his time at Radley. It chronicles the earliest runs by the RC Beagles. Many of his detailed entries are supplemented by illustrations, photos, and cuttings from newspapers. Hector Tufnell, current Master, exercising the RCB

The RCB in the 1950s

the hound trailer for the return to College. By the time we got back for Chapel the atmosphere in the back of the van was somewhat fruity!

The pack moved into the new kennel block at Church Farm during my brother Mike’s season, 1988/89. Whilst these were an improvement, they weren’t a patch on the new kennels up beside Cheesers. To bring the pack into the heart of the College and embrace all things countryside under the auspices of The Countryside Centre has been a master stroke, and Simon really does provide a wide variety of rural entertainment at the Centre, including Squeaker, the pet muntjac deer!

There was no master-in-charge back in the 80s and, with Peter’s mild manner, we frequently had to battle to be noticed. As master-in-charge, with Simon and a succession of Masters, Tim Morris has dramatically raised the profile of the beagles in College, and I’m delighted that they enjoy as much support from the Warden now as they did under Dennis Silk.

I’ve continued to be closely associated with the pack as I’ve been lucky enough to be the vet for the RCB for over ten years now. I was therefore hugely proud when Hector became Master and Huntsman on 1st May 2022. We’re looking forward to an excellent season with the pack still flourishing and, so many boys continuing to enjoy all that school beagling has to offer.

In 2018 the College built a new Countryside Centre, positioned just above the golf course, which became the new home for the Beagles. The kennels expanded hugely, and the Beagles are no longer alone up there: the Countryside Centre currently has ferrets, pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl and even two tame muntjac deer.

Boys spend a lot of time at Kennels, especially during the summer term (outside the hunting season). We help with washing down, feeding, and, of course, walking out in order to keep our hounds in the best possible condition: this help us get to know them, and vice versa, so they will work for us during the hunting season. During the hunting season itself, September to March, we have a huge amount of fun even though we are careful to keep within the law. We hunt on Tuesdays and Saturdays up to the end of January, and from February 1st on Thursdays as well – our country has a lot of shoots so we have far more places to go after that date.

This season we hunted a total of 43 days, which is quite an achievement for a school pack; we owe a huge amount of thanks to our Kennel Huntsman Simon Timbrell for organising everything and to Dr Tim Morris for driving everyone all over the countryside to get to the meets. In October last year we had an amazing tour to Dartmoor where we hunted two days, one on Dartmoor and one on Exmoor, and followed the Dartmoor Foxhounds in between who are hunted by Harry Gosling OR, huntsman of the Radley College Beagles 2009-2011.

At the very end of the season, we headed down to Dorset and had the most amazing day’s hunting to celebrate Robbie Henderson OR’s stag do. Robbie hunted the Radley College Beagles in the 20062007 season, although he also had one day in the final season before the law changed in 2005, as a Remove! Trail hunting with the Beagles is still very much unpredictable and we try and make it the closest it can be to the real thing, and we never seem to draw blank! We are very lucky to have so many supporters and lots of amazing farmers, gamekeepers and landowners who let us hunt trails across their land. We are also honoured to be invited to parade at the Royal Windsor Horse Show and had a great day this year, despite the warm weather.

Having a school pack is unusual: there are currently only three school packs left (Radley, Stowe and Eton), although Eton is struggling at the moment. Radley’s is, of course, without a doubt the best. With my grandfather (Wynne Tufnell, 1956, G, whipper-in 1956-59), uncle (Mike Tufnell, 1985, G, Master 1988-89) and father (Chris Tufnell, 1982, G, Master 1986-87) all hunting with Radley, it is great to know that it is still as much fun now as it was then and that not many things have changed. Many of our meets are even the same, which just goes to show how tight and supportive the local community is. Being able to hunt the Radley College Beagles is one of the most amazing things in my life so far, and will be something I treasure my whole life, and I highly recommend to any current or future Radley boys. I can assure you that you will not regret it. You are all very welcome to come and see us in action if you wish to do so: please do get in touch with Simon Timbrell.

In light of the pandemic, the Galleons have been somewhat in a state of hibernation over the last few years. However, 2022 proved a much brighter year for OR Hockey and we were able to dust off our hockey sticks and get back out on the astro.

Despite our best efforts, Cheltenham Old Boys were the only team brave enough to take up our offer of a Winter friendly at Battersea Park. The match reflected just how absent hockey had been in our lives over the last few years with a distinct rustiness to our game. However, the team dug deep and managed to beat Cheltenham 3-1. There were some notable performances from the lads; James Cunningham with some wizardry stick skills at short corners, James Todd rolling back the years with some silky distribution in the middle, and a sturdy defensive performance from Max Labouchere.

12th March saw the return of an eagerly anticipated Galleons Day. With crisp sunny weather, the scene was set for a showdown against the Boys XI on the smart resurfaced Near Astro known as the “sandpit” back in the day. After a much-needed warm-up, the Galleons put in an impressive first-half performance against the Boys and netted two goals in quick succession. Credit to Louis Needham with some clinical finishing up front, and to Rufus Kleinwort with an energetic performance up the right channel. Following a hearty team talk from Mr Hills and some tactical changes, the Boys headed into the second half eager to turn their fortunes around. It would have been wise for us Galleons to adopt a more defensive style of play for the second half, but instead we took the view that offence is the greatest form of defence. This ambitious tactic proved costly. The Boys, with fitness on their side, beat us countlessly on the break and quickly the score was 2-2. With this momentum, the Galleons were unable to keep out a determined Boys team and with ten minutes to go, they scored one final goal to complete a terrific comeback. After a match photo and a few beers in the New Pavillion, the Galleons headed back to London topping off a hugely enjoyable day out. We look forward to Galleons Day 2023 and taking on the Boys again!

2022 also marked the end of Charlie Goodwin’s time as heading up the Galleons. Thank you, Goody, for your years of hard work and dedication in this role – the Galleons is a much stronger unit for it. Looking ahead, we have big plans for the Galleons with an enlarged fixture list in the New Year at Battersea Park and a Galleons Day in which we’re looking to field two OR teams.

We are always on the lookout for new players, so if you are looking for more hockey in your life, do please shoot me an email.

The Galleons and Boys XI teams at Galleons Day 2022

The Radley Serpents have made a resurgent comeback and are back in action! Two fixtures have been held this year: the first vs Marlborough Malones and the second vs Sherborne. Hopefully, there will be a more consistent schedule throughout the year with keen interest for some sevens and touch rugby.

Just like back on 22nd April 1977, when the world used optical fibre for telephone communications for the first time, an equally revolutionary event took place at Chiswick Rugby Club. The long dormant Radley Serpents took on a competitive Marlborough Old Boys’ side.

The appetite to play and attend was strong, and the evening was poised to be a promising affair. Having negotiated the intricacies of Barnes Bridge railway station and the last-minute preparation of buying gumshields in Sports Direct, the Radley side arrived, predictably, past the meet time. After trying to overcomplicate line outs and backs moves, confidence was high and after a few inspirational words from RMCG and the referee (Nick Wood), the men were ready!

In a feat of physical performance normally reserved for the Olympiad, the Serpents started strongly and were unlucky to go behind early doors. A brace of tries from Hugo Eyre brought the sides level and the Serpents had the momentum. Mention must go to Hugo’s second try which he claims he intercepted within his own 22 before going the length. Throughout the night this distance kept getting longer until it became a 100m run in! Industrious performances from Charlie Saunders, Tom Oliver, Alex House, and Jude Wakely were some of the standout contributions.

In the second half cramp predictably started to kick in and, after pulling up with cramp and knowing he would need to sub back on in 10 minutes, Richard West started the recovery process with one of Chiswick’s finest lagers. In the last 5 minutes, the Serpents supersub (who will remain nameless as apparently the Proctor is still looking for him), was tempted out of his claret Schöffel and onto the pitch. He made an immediate impact in the loose with 2 crunching tackles before quickly calling to the bench.

The rugby was fast flowing, well contested and at times very entertaining. In the end Marlborough ran out winners 27-12 but a great time was had by all. After the final whistle, the real game began and unfortunately Radley were again defeated in the boat race. With the generous support of the OR society, food and refreshments were available in the clubhouse and it was great to catch up with old friends.

During a period of reflection around the Commonwealth, Saturday 17th September (Old Radleian Day) proved to be a fantastic celebration. With an absolute belter of a Bigside pitch, and the presence of the late September sun, the only question was whether the champagne rugby would appear.

The Radley Serpents welcomed Sherborne Old Boys to Radley College for the Serpents first fixture on home soil for over a decade.

As the ORs assembled there was an abundance of memories and anticipation. With kick off fast approaching it all appeared to be coming together like a finely tuned orchestra. A rousing team talk delivered by RMCG ensured that we were ready to go.

The Serpents looked great from the off, with some excellent momentum through both the backs and forwards. We raced into the lead with excellent incisions from Alex House (2012, B), Paddy Langdale (2013, A), Milo Daly (2014, G), and Harry Ryan (2010, E). It must be noted that Jamie Farr (2012, H) had an excellent start to the game despite being AWOL for much of the warmup having enjoyed a spot of pre-match hospitality! With Charlie Saunders (2010, H) and George Marshall (2014, G) looking to exit the Serpents in 2022, Max Anderson (2012, J) decided that this was his moment. The ball was delivered to him on the short side and many presumed that he would carry steadfastly and create a platform. Alas, he did not! With an extravagant show and go he presumed to beat not one, but two defenders. Max fast found himself approaching the covering winger on the 50m mark and again through another dummy including a little hip wobble which sent the expectant supporters wild!

With the waiting full back having watched this carnage unfurl, we assumed the pace of Jasper Leadbeater (2010, F) would be utilised, as he had been hovering near Max, but no: ‘well, if it has worked twice, surely it will work a third time.’ Unfortunately, a knock on ended this champagne burst. Sherborne struck back, but George Redmayne (2014, D) instantly provided a powerful burst from the restart, quelling any fears that the Serpents might be about to see their hard work undone. When the halftime whistle came, we were feeling buoyant. Robin Bridge (1997, D) and Angus Murray (1998, E) provided some wise words.

The second half started with Nick King (2017, E) and Ollie Mordaunt (2017, H) both all over the opposition. The Serpents extended their lead through a brace from House and another from Redmayne. Industrious performances across the line-up, and the continuous energy being added from the rotating reserves, saw us pull away to a commanding lead. Hugo Eyre (2012, F) decided this was his moment to shine and tried to lash the ball onto the tennis courts. He was so tired from his short run to collect it, he subbed himself off instantly. Conversely, the astute Charlie Saker (2011, F) had observed this and wasted not an ounce of energy on his attempt. Charlie gracefully clipped it just over the bar with a loud shout of ‘get in the hole’ from the gathering Red Army.

The game ended 36-17 to the Serpents, and this allowed for the real event to get underway. With both sides quickly off the pitch for the 1st XV warmups to begin, we raced through the showers and up to Old Pavilion. After the 1st XV game both the Old Boys and the current teams headed back to the Pavilion to enjoy some excellent Radley hospitality and to share experiences of the day. We then attend the JCR and OR Dinner in Hall, with reports of multiple refreshments enjoyed! A massive thank you must go out to all of those involved in organising the day from both the Radleian Society office and the Sherborne side for coming. A special mention goes to Nick Wood who refereed the fixture, and RMCG for arranging all the practicalities of the day. Finally thank you to all who turned up either as a player or supporter, we look forward to welcoming you to future events.

The Serpents will be looking to use this momentum and continue to grow! Please keep an eye out for future events. We encourage ORs to reach out to us on the details below, as we would always welcome any involvement. Anyone in the OR network that might be able to assist with kit and other resources would be greatly appreciated!

james.cunningham1998@outlook.com

hugoeyre173@outlook.com

The 21/22 season saw the Old Radleians FC, or “the Keys” as they are often being referred to in the modern era, undergo a period of complete transformation with several of the older members of the club increasingly becoming embroiled in weddings, buying dogs, applying for mortgages, injuries, and extended periods of absences abroad (George Mitchard is allegedly still yet to return from his warm winter training). The club could not rely solely on these familiar faces, as they had done in seasons past. No longer could Henry “Tyler” Taylour lead the warmups. Gone were the days of Will Haynes taking freekicks (none yet scored). And, lest we forget, the ever-present post-match sentiments of Rory MacInnes who picked up Clubman three times in as many years, and famously coined the Keys motto: “Snakes on pitch; doves in pub” (2017). So, it was in the summer of 2021 that Cameron Barrie and Alex Kelly went on a voyage of recruitment to bring some fresh faces into the fold.

The first game was a good one. Charterhouse are a top footballing school and, although we were playing their IIs side, they can often be a fierce opponent. We hosted them at our ground (“Fortress Whitton” as it is so often referred to by our opponents in the league) and played some lovely stuff, with veteran George Mitchard scoring both the goals in a deserved victory for the Keys. In his 10th season, Mitch continues to show, week in week out, that he can score a goal about every five games. Also notable was Thor Winkler who showed everyone why he will be a constant in the side for years to come, picking up the Man of the Match award.

Everything seemed to be looking up from this first performance but, due to a series of injuries and significant lack of availability, results started to fall by the wayside as the club lost six league games in a row. The Keys were bottom of Division 2 heading into December with just 3 points. It seemed a near impossible task for the club to remain afloat. But, in the face of adversity, we came together to turn the season entirely on its head. With the introduction of several new players to the squad we were, remarkably, able to win six of the next seven league games. Tom Rutherford, Freddie White and Max Richardson all came into the side and made a huge impact, particularly on our abilities going forward and abetting a push for us to play more attacking and attractive football. We dare not say it too loud, but might the continental brand of the Henry Mills and Ed Hodgson era be returning?

Of these six wins, there are certain ones that will live long in the memory, the first one being the home game against Eton IIs. Having beaten us 9–0 in the away leg, there was a feeling of vengeance amongst the squad. It paid dividends, as we secured a 4–2 win with goals from Wilfred Marriot (x2), Andrew Barrie, and right back for the day Jack Trowbridge. Jack was so impressed with his goal that he even called a meeting after the game to announce that he should now be referred to as the “Camberwell Cafu”. So, if anyone bumps into him can we please ask that you respect his requests (although he did concede that the “Shropshire Cafu” would also be fine).

It could have been the perfect day had we not lost Cam Barrie to a horrific injury sustained from contesting a corner. Following a trip to A&E, and subsequent scans, it was discovered that the skipper had fractured his femur, dislocated his kneecap and, if that wasn’t bad enough, ruptured his MCL as well. This was a huge blow to the team, and Cam was out for the remainder of the season. Alex Kelly took charge for the last eight games.

Of the other victories, the 5–4 win over Harrow IIs was another big one, which helped us build momentum and, crucially, points. Special mention must go to Keys stalwart Gus Lowe who wrote himself into OR folklore, netting four of the five in what must be his best ever game wearing the shirt (with two of these coming from outside the box).

The Radley Keys playing the Old Reptonians team

Andrew Sweerts receiving the first ever Rolt Cup for player of the season. ▶ Clockwise from top left: Tom Nokes, Harry Swift, Cameron Barrie, Andrew Barrie, Alex Kelly, Andrew Sweerts, Os Miller, Archie Hewlett, Freddie White, Tom Rutherford and James Sloan.

Other games of note were the wins over Merchant Taylors (3–1) and Dulwich IIs (1–0). In the Merchant Taylors match we were 1–1 in the 80th minute, and Jamie Heinrich found himself totally out of position in the middle of the park. Looking like a rabbit in headlights, and with the ball bobbling up to him 35 yards out, as Kelly was screaming out for him not shoot, Heiners unleashed a half volley that went rifling into the top left corner. Bedlam at Whitton and the win secured. For his efforts, he picked up goal of the season; time will tell whether he picks up goal of the century.

With five games left of the season, the Keys found themselves in the quite precarious situation of being able to be both promoted and relegated. Following on from a series of tight games (2–1 defeat to Johnians, 1–1 with Sennockians, and marginally losing out to Chigwell IIs 2–1), the season finished with us being just three points off promotion. The Keys were painstakingly close to moving into Division 1, but alas it was not meant to be. However, if the final ten games are anything to go by, the club sees itself in with a great chance of promotion next season.

Jamie Heinrich: Goal of the Season Archie Hewlett: Golden Boot James Sloan: Young Player of the Year Andy Sweerts: Clubman and Player of the Season Our keeps Andy was truly deserving of both accolades and illustrated how valuable a player he is in the Radley machine. For this year’s player of the season award, we were also very pleased to unveil a new inaugural trophy: The Rolt Cup. This was named after our founder Mike Rolt who set up the club in 2005. It was recently announced that Cam Barrie was stepping down as captain after three years at the helm. We would like to thank him hugely for everything he has done; he has lived and breathed the Keys and deserves enormous credit for his unfaltering dedication. In his place, Alex Kelly will take over as captain for the upcoming season.

All games will now be filmed, and a highlights reel will be posted to our Instagram page each week. Please give us a follow at: oldradleiansfc. If any ORs are keen to join the Keys, please reach out to either alexandercikelly@gmail.com or oldradleiansfc@outlook.com.

2022 appears to have been a catch-up year for many Old Radleian Golfers. Golf has taken off – clubs are very busy with visitors. Despite the last two years, the ORGS is in very good heart. Our Spring (April) and Autumn (October) Meetings at The Berkshire and Royal St George’s respectively, are both well supported and most enjoyable days. There is always room for more players.

Life returned to normal in the Halford Hewitt with the team returning to our normal lodgings on the Fox Pitt’s estate at Knowlton. The only change to our young team was Alex Beare (2012, K), who came in for Freddie Horler (2014, B) who was unavailable for the trials. We were narrowly beaten by Tonbridge in the semi-finals.

Our President wrote in his annual report, “It was a most encouraging week with all players producing some very good golf but occasionally some frustrating mistakes being made which prevented us from maintaining the initiative gained in some of the games. In the final, Tonbridge were soundly beaten by Loretto, winning for the second consecutive year, and having never achieved more than one losing final back in 1973. Their enormous investment in their world-renowned Golf Academy is paying dividends and although the game of foursomes is a great leveller, all other schools will have to look to their laurels. Radley needs to start by making better use of their own facilities at College and have meaningful encouragement for our great game from the staff.” Our other representative events, the Grafton Morrish, the Bernard and Senior Darwin were not so successful. We failed to qualify for the Grafton Morrish finals in October. We survived one round of the Senior Darwin but fell in the first round of the Bernard Darwin. We entered two pairs for the veterans Darwin. Michael Kfouri (1952, D) with Christopher Ball (1958, A), (2nd with 27 points) and Richard Palmer (1956, D) and Christopher Clarke (1958, F) (we are not convinced that pairing has a great future!).

Our annual knock out tournament, the Robin Turner continues to be well supported and runs through the year. This is a great opportunity to go and play some of our great courses and be entertained by your opponent. Congratulations to Jeremy Meyer (1983, C) the current holder of the Robin Turner, who beat Toby Denne (1974, A) in the final at Blackwell.

The Society would like to express its thanks to our outgoing Captain Harry Douglass (1992, D). With Hewitt 2020 cancelled, Harry, a Hewitt team member, stayed on a year to captain a Hewitt side very successfully. We welcome Tim Rowntree (1971, B) our new Captain for 2022 and 2023. I would like to add my personal thanks to our match managers and our President, Richard Palmer (1956, D). They are the people who keep the society in such good spirits. I would like to hear from any OR who could help in the administration of the ORGS at any level.

Finally, we have struggled to fill sides for our other society fixtures. OR diaries seem to have been filled up in 2022 with cancelled events from the Covid years. We look forward to 2023 with hope, and a request for more support particularly from the younger members. The ORGS offers generous subsidies to anyone wanting to play in our matches and meetings. No one should be prevented from participating in our matches due to cost.

▶ Tim Rowntree (1971, B) in trouble again!

There are over 250 members of the ORGS. If you would like to join us, please log onto www.orgs.org.uk and register. Go to the fixture list and ‘APPLY’. Everyone is most welcome!

We had a slightly changed team from the normal Senior Darwin stalwarts, many of whom were on other duties. We welcomed Francis Murray and Nick Jenkins to the group, and they serve to enhance the goodwill and spirit of the Radley team.

Our first opponents, Marlborough, kindly handed us a point, by being short of 2 of their players, so we sailed through to the second round thanks to the wisdom and expertise of Christopher Ball and Michael Kfouri. Our next opponents were Uppingham, who went on to win the whole competition, so, suffice it to say we were rather outplayed!

As time moves on, the standard gets higher, and if we are to have a chance of ending up in the winners’ enclosure, our best eligible team needs to be present. As always, it was a friendly and enjoyable reunion of Old Radleians who got to know each other after many years!

The Bernard Darwin is a scratch foursomes knockout competition with 16 public schools, each fielding three pairs of golfers aged over 55. The Radley team included James Male making his debut in an ORGS scratch team. James was paired with Will Bailey in an all-Berkshire affair. Angus Chilvers and Anthony Gammon reprised their 2021 partnership. The final pair was Simon Curtis and John Saville, who also played in 2021. Radley drew Repton in the first round. Chilvers & Gammon started strongly over the first six holes without converting strong striking into a lead. When they lost the tough seventh hole, Chilvers going left off the tee into deep cabbage, this triggered a landslide of lost holes and Radley ended up shaking hands 5&4. The second pair, Curtis & Saville, had a very close encounter up to the 14th, never more than a hole in it. Repton then took the next two holes to win by 3&2. Bailey & Male were all square on the 15th green at this point and, with the rubber dead, agreed a half. In the Plate competition, Radley came second to Charterhouse. In the main event, Repton lost in the second round to the ultimate tournament winners, Malvern.

Radley’s four-man team for the Putting Competition featured Will Ford making his debut appearance for the ORGS, joined by the regular flat stick merchants Andrew Marshall, Simon Curtis and Angus Chilvers. The Radley four assembled at 6pm, each with putter and ball, together with seven other teams – except that Stowe failed to field a side. This meant the threat of coming last and being relegated from the competition for three years was removed. Free of this pressure, Radley putted well, with Will Ford coming solo second on the night, and we ended up in third place on the evening: not quite good enough to secure a top two finish which would have meant progressing to the Finals the following week, but respectable enough.

• ORGS v Old Haileyburians: Lost 5 / 4

• ORGS v Radley College: Won 3 / 0

• ORGS v Old Canfordians: Lost 3 / 0

David Turner Scratch Cup Scratch Trophy Harry Douglass 73 gross Charles Jeffreys Silver Bowl Handicap Trophy Simon Stalder 36 points The Bruce Cup Under 35 handicap Rupert Ashby 38 points J H Mobbs Salver Veterans Robert Finlayson 37 points Paul Cooper Cup Past Captains Christopher Clarke 36 points Foursomes PM Andrew Strong & Michael Kfouri 35 points

• ORGS v Royal Ashdown Forest: Lost 4 / 3

• ORGS v Lancing: Won 5 / 3

There is one shot worth mentioning this year. One of our opponents in the Lancing fixture hit a high shank with a rescue club off the first tee. The ball took a sharp turn to the right through the members sitting on the terrace having coffee, through the clubhouse window and ended up by the bar. OB!

Scratch cup presented by Mrs CNT Jefffreys

Ken Bristow Memorial Trophy

James Rogers Memorial Trophy Scratch Trophy Simon Peck 72 Alex Wright 74 Handicap Trophy Aidan Lisser 43 points William Bailey 42 points Simon Peck 41 points Under 35 handicap Alex Wright 38 points George Burrows 37 points

Veterans

Aidan Lisser 43 points William Bailey 42 points Foursomes PM Peter Eaton & Alex Wright 37 points Tim Rowntree & Aidan Lisser 34 point

Another beautiful day at Radley on a perfect deck with a mixture of Old Timers, Rangers “Youff” and four lads from 6.1 who stepped in to give us some quality and energy in the field. Oundle were invited to bat first and Jonty Robinson (2012, K), opening up from the School End, was soon into his stride with a nagging length and a bit of movement that brought some excitement to a classic “two slips and a gulley” field.

I was delighted that when asking the 6.1 lads what they did, we managed to break through the initial Radley modesty to tease out of Rollo (F Social) that he, in fact, opened both the batting and the bowling for Bigside! A slip of a lad with a big ticker, he came charging in from Secondside and immediately had some very good “batters” in trouble with some extra bounce and a very good line.

Then it happened. A Rangers slip catch. One of those rare cricketing events that will be passed down the generations. Having seen a bit of a nibble outside stump, we moved Luke Perkins (2010, E) to 3rd slip who took a terrific catch, low to his left. Jubilant scenes! Rollo followed up with a clever slower ball to dismiss the other opener and then it happened again … This time an off stump slash was well parried by Will Gubbins (2003, H) at 2nd and, quick as lightning, Luke dived at his feet to snaffle it. Oundle were reeling at 59–3. A run out / stumping would have made it 4 but a close call went against us. Jonty continued to tease and at one point we had 4 slips, deep backward square and a third man which I don’t think I have ever witnessed before on a Rangers field.

Jack (E Social) replaced Rollo and bowled an impressive 9 over spell of off spin, conceding only 30 runs, and was unlucky not to get a caught behind. Mungo Fawcett (2010, B), ragging it sideways, also bowled excellently and, realising that his skipper was half asleep after a long drive from Suffolk, called Luke back into first slip and the very next ball he had his THIRD slip catch of the game! That HAS to be a record?!

Will Gubbins and Jamie “Bunsen Burner” Turner (1987, B) bowled well against some very strong batting as Oundle recovered and posted a more than respectable 268–5 off their 45 overs. To a man, the Rangers were magnificent in the field, taking inspiration from some very sharp work behind the stumps by Rory (F Social) who informed me that despite not having the gloves for Bigside he is in fact the better keeper in the family. I suspect big brother must be on the fringes of England if he can keep Rory out!

Chat over lunch largely revolved around the “Good Old Days” of cheese and port to round off a slap-up feed, but the Waitrose delivery was eventually discovered in the fridge and served its purpose.

Will G and Luke “Buckets” Perkins opened up for us against some very tidy opening bowlers and looked well set to push on before Luke was the first of three to fall in quick succession to some very impressive left arm swing / seam bowling. Will dug in admirably but I am sure the lads won’t mind me saying that the batting didn’t quite live up to expectations after such a great bowling display, perhaps with the exception of Rollo whose “never-say-die”, swashbuckling approach lifted the spirits as he biffed his way to 28. I suspect that had Wags been there he might have been disappointed, but not surprised by another Rangers batting collapse.

Losing to the Cricketer Cup finalists from 2021 is no disgrace. They put out another very strong side having been run close by the Rangers last year. It would be great to put more of our Cricketer Cup players through their paces against them next year as a warmup for the first round, as originally intended for this fixture. Thanks to all those who played, particularly the 6.1 crew who gave up a day’s revision ahead of important exams to step up for the club.

After the success of last year’s fixture, it was not a surprise that the Rangers and Ramblers were back, for what now is progressing into an annual fixture. The Captains’ over ambitious start time of 11 am (to accommodate the FA Cup final) proved a struggle for Radleians and Etonians alike, and it certainly was not a toss to lose. After Ramblers Captain, Nick Harrington, won the toss they rightly elected to bat, on what was promising to be a brilliant day for cricket!

The Rangers (at least those that had arrived on time) proceeded onto the field, this year with the upgrade of sight-screens! Jonty Robinson and skipper Jack Folkestone (2012, E) opened the bowling and Jonty rolled back the years, bounding in and quickly reducing the Ramblers to 35-3. Nick Harrison and Barnaby Harrison combined a gritty partnership to frustrate the Rangers. With Jonty churning the overs on one end, the Rangers looked for a bowler to keep the other end down. George Marshall bowled an excellent spell taking the vital wicket of Finn O’Brian. Ramblers’ skipper Nick Harrington steered a gritty 71 and the Rangers were looking for solutions with Jack chucking the ball to whoever would take it. Rupert Grace (2006, J) bowled a beautiful spell to trouble the Ramblers. However, an inspired George Greville Williams (2012, K) showed the spinners up bamboozling the Ramblers and took a vital 3fer, and the visitors were 168-7 before lunch.

After lunch, the Rangers took to the field pizza slices in hand to finish off the Ramblers innings. Jonty Robinson had a spring in his step off the short run and finished the Ramblers innings in fine fashion with 5 wickets. The Rangers were to chase 200 to win, on what looked like a slow and low wicket. The openers Sam Hoddinott

(2012, B) and Rupert Grace strode in with a big task at hand. The Ramblers held a tight ship with Jamie Pleydell-Bouverie and Ed Fenwich bowling particularly uncomfortable opening spells for the Rangers’ batsmen with the openers gone and an all too familiar batting collapse in sight. George Greville Williams batted well until getting another jaffer, and skipper Jack Folkestone deceived by a slower ball full toss. The Rangers just about made it till tea at 60-7 but after a couple of sandwiches and slices of cake, not even Ollie Martyn-Hemphill (2012, F) or Jonty Robinson could see out the innings. The Rangers all out for 87 and outclassed by a very accomplished Eton side, who very gladly could go and watch their beloved Chelsea lose in the FA Cup Final.

Although hurt by the defeat, the Rangers will roll onto the Longford fixture next year! Another brilliant day out for all involved and the Rangers will be back with a vengeance next season!

After several last-minute changes due to injuries, the Rangers recruited their final player the morning of the match against a strong MCC side.

The MCC won the toss and elected to bat. It looked a bad toss to lose with no cloud cover to assist the bowlers. Jonty Robinson and Angus Oliver (2009, A) bowled well up top. Both openers edging to keeper and first slip, Kit Morland (2011, D) showed his acrobatic skills taking a diving catch. Hugo Eyre (2012, F) and Tom Oliver (2011, A) continued to apply the pressure with Tom taking a wicket with his first ball. The spin twins Jamie Dalrymple (1994, H) and Kit Morland both toiled away for ten overs each. Jamie finished with three wickets for 15. Fresh from Istanbul and on his Rangers debut Freddie Grant (2012, H) took a wicket with his first ball. Jonty and Angus then finished off the tail. The MCC were all out for 184.

There was a quiet confidence from the Rangers over lunch as Harry Purton (2014, H) and Belusconi strode to the crease. Jamie Farr had to come in earlier than planned and hit a couple of nice shots before departing. Jamie Dalrymple and Harry Purton steadied the ship getting us to 83-2 before Jamie was caught at mid-off. MartynHemphill and Purton then battled until drinks with the score 120-3. Purton reaching his first Rangers fifty, including an extravagant reverse sweep over point. Kit Morland came to the crease after Purton was bowled just after drinks and struck some big blows. It looked as though Rangers were in the ascendancy however MartynHemphill was caught at mid-off and Morland was bowled soon after with the scores now 154-6. The game was as exciting as the final day of the premier league. It came down to the final over with the Rangers needing 8 to win 7 wickets down. After some tidy bowling we needed 6 to win off the final 2 balls. Freddie Grant came to the crease for his first ball as a Ranger and sadly that was his only ball. It was now down to Hugo Eyre to hit the winning six … unfortunately he did not manage to connect. The Rangers lost by 5 runs to an experienced MCC side. Hopefully next year we will get over the line.

The Rangers won the toss and elected to bat without a cloud in the sky. The Hurlingham outfield looked particularly fast after the croquet matches on the outfield earlier in the week. Betley and Folkestone made the most of conditions racing to 42 before Folkestone was out lbw. Brooke and Weldon came and went quickly as Betley continued to motor along. Williams then pleased the crowd with three bombs before departing for 35. Robinson came in and accumulated until lunch. Unfortunately, Betley was caught on the boundary on 90 on the stroke of lunch, leaving us 182-5.

Eden came and went briefly after lunch before Greville Williams fell to a Purton Yorker. Martyn-Hemphill joined Robinson with the score 229-7. The partnership developed well with Robinson reaching 50. The boundaries continued to flow with Robinson hitting two big sixes. The Rangers declared on 303-7 from 43 overs with Robinson on 77* and Martyn-Hemphill 33*.

Eden and Ned Greville Williams opened the bowling with great accuracy. The Hurlingham were struggling at 36-4 just after tea. It could have been even better had a slip catch been taken … George Greville Williams came into the attack and produced chances. Unfortunately, the fielders put down two more catches off his bowling before one was snatched at mid-off. The score was now 116-5 and the Rangers were in the box seat. However, their number three took a fancy to Greville Williams hitting four big sixes.

A double dropped catch as the keeper dropped it and MartynHemphill dropped the rebound at slip damaged team morale. The game was beginning to slip away. Robinson took a vital wicket and Fleming threatening at the other end. Sadly, another dropped catch prevented Fleming from being in the wickets column. The Hurlingham were 217-6 with 4 overs to go but only ten batsman due to an injury. Two wickets from low full tosses meant the Rangers had six balls to take the final wicket. Unfortunately, Eden could not find the decisive wicket and the Hurlingham ended 224-8. Eden and Ned Greville Williams both ended up with 3-34 but sadly it wasn’t enough to get the Rangers over the line.

The draw was tough to take after the Hurlingham number 3 who was dropped three times made a match saving 110*. That didn’t stop the celebrations into the night. Hopefully we will secure the win next year and improve our catching!

I would like to convey my huge thanks to Michael Barnett who is hanging up his pen after nearly 30 years of scoring for the Radley Rangers. Michael has always kept the books in immaculate order and has been a wonderful part of the club since well before many current players were even born. We very much hope we will be able to welcome him back to Bigside in the coming years as a spectator.