Eccles Grammar School
Essayan – Spring 1967

 

 

BADMINTON REPORT, 1966-7

Last season the team enjoyed mixed success, the losses being against Urmston and Heywood only. Good wins were against Urmston Boys (Doubles) and Salford Technical High; the rest were won as expected.

The House Badminton took place in March with Stuarts being the eventual winners of a closely contested struggle with Saxons.

This season the team has continued to improve and to date has only lost one match. Our thanks must go to all who stayed behind to help with refreshments and the members of staff who have helped to improve our game.

A.P. and M.P.

 

1st Badminton Team

 

STAFF MATCH

The big question, as the hour of the match drew nigh, was could the experienced, cunning staff team finally beat the School 1st XI which was comparatively inexperienced, and not used to the electric atmosphere of big games?

It was rumoured that the staff had been secretly training, but this was quashed when the team stumbled onto the pitch. The School looked superbly fit, and even took the liberty of putting right-back and skipper, Rowles, into goal, and goalkeeper Finch into the centre-forward posi­tion.

Unfortunately Mr. Barnes was missing from the staff team, having suffered a severe blow on the arm in the last staff match, and had not yet recovered. Mr. MiIler was another notable omission, for he was thought to be quite promising after showing up well on many mountain runs.

The game started, and the school soon took the lead, with Finch laying on a superb opportunity for Crossley, who neatly netted, hitting the ball crisply past the nonplussed custodian Jackson, deputising for Mr. Thomas. The Staff fought back well, but were soon another goal in arrears; this time Hamblett scored with the Staff team thoroughly per­plexed. The School sat back on their early lead, and the Staff came back into the game a little with Mr. Smith working industriously in mid­field, and Mr. Charlton let fly with a fierce shot, which flew narrowly past the corner-flag. The half-time whistle blew, and all the players took their well-earned refreshments of half an orange.

The Staff now looked refreshed, and began the second half back­pedalling keenly. The School had now sensed the Staff's renewed en­thusiasm, and put Finch back in goal and moved Rowles upfield. The School eventually worked themselves right on top, when suddenly a defensive lapse left Mr. Williams with a splendid opportunity to make a name for himself; however, he managed to kick the air, the grass and one of his own players, but unfortunately not the ball, and the Staff had lost their chance to stage a come-back.

In the later stages Wignall managed to miss several excellent chances, superbly schemed by Thornley, but nevertheless, the School coasted to a 2-0 win.

The Staff were defeated, but not downhearted, and fervently hope to reverse the result next time. Well, we'll see!

A. Draper, 6LA

 

THE FIELD WEEK, 1966 (BIOLOGY)

This year's Field Trip took us to Whitby in Yorkshire during the Easter holidays. Maintaining order amongst the biologists were Miss Longworth and Mr. Barnes. Mr. Miller, Mr. Hardman, Mr. B. Thomas exercised their authority over the geographers and geologists.

We all resided in the Abbey House, commanding a delightful view, but rather inconveniently situated on the crest of a hill, a mere one hundred and ninety-nine steps removed from the town below.

Our first trip out was to Westonby Moor, to study the low-lying vegetation of the bogs. Our studies were hindered, much to our frustra­tion, by a mild blizzard. Nevertheless, we were thrilled to find the beau­tiful polytrichum commune — a moss. The rest of the day was spent fossil-hunting on Whitby beach and even the non-geologists tried their hand at this sport and were successful.

On the following day we all went to Flamborough — the biologists to make a survey on quantitative ecology, that is — the percentage fre­quency of different plants. This took place actually on the Head. Freez­ing weather conditions and an R.A.F. rescue operation could not deter us from our absorbing research, and, having thrown our quadrats in­numerable times, we came to the conclusion that Wild Carrot was the commonest plant on that chalky ground, with grass coming second.

The East Yorkshire coast is renowned for its fossils and the Pan­nett Museum in Whitby has an excellent Natural History section, with the emphasis on fossils. Ammonites on show ranged from one inch to six feet in diameter. We spent the morning here trying to answer the questions which Miss Longworth put to us. The afternoon was our own, and for this well-deserved break we were all grateful, for it enabled us to see some of Whitby's fine sights; the ruined Abbey, for example, Captain Cook's abode, the ancient Town Hall and the Amusement Arcade complete with Bingo.

All evenings were spent diligently in the Common Room-the only place of refuge from the cold, but there was always time for relaxation in the town below, before going to bed in the early hours.

Our next trip to was Sandsend, about three miles up the coast. We picked the wild flowers of the wayside and hedgerow, of woodland and river-bank. Back at the Guest House we identified these plants by means of taxonomy — a long and arduous task.

The sun appeared on our last day. The coach took us to Robin Hood's Bay, where we examined the different zones of the beach at low-tide. Specimens vary in these zones. We found in the rock-pools starfish, sponges, sea-anemones, hermit crabs and ragworms. Three large brilliantly-coloured lump sucker fish caught our attention in one pool. The red one, evidently devoid of natural instinct, allowed us to drag it on to dry land, and did not resist even when having its photo­graph taken. Higher up shore were the inevitable fossils.

This was, in my opinion, the most enjoyable trip, because we saw so many things which we had heard about but never before seen.

Christine Lane, 6LA

 

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