One of the problems with going to a grammar school back when I did was the school sports: cricket and rugby. Although football and hockey were introduced later, it was too late for me - I was never going to be a sportsman.
In cricket, I couldn't throw to save my life and I was scared of the ball because it was hard. And I was vindicated. In one session, one of my friends, Vinod Patel (a great rival later in biology) went to catch a shot someone had skied and was vertically under it. The ball eluded his grasp and hit him on the head.
In rugby I was too small and light, and such events as a ghastly head clash with a lad called Neil Alexander where he was knocked out and I got a horrible black eye, or where I got squashed by Charlie Cronin who was twice my size, were no fun at all. And there was a funny story, too. In one game, I stole the ball from Jonathan Whitaker, the school captain, and ran the full length of the pitch with only the full-back between me and scoring a try. He was Martin Hides, regarded by some as a wimp who was more at home playing music. Well, get out the violins...he tackled me, and what should have been a spectacular event, well, wasn't. And there was an intersting corollary to this. Tim Chapman, who excelled at singing (Barbers Shop Quartet) was a slightly built lad, not unlike me, but when he was padded up he was the fearless goalkeeper for the school hockey team.
Next time: Getting to University.
Jack Orchison, 11 January, 2014.
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