JerryPage's History of Rugby at Woolverstone Hall

Now we come to the interesting and subjective bit - which was the greatest team of all? This is, of course, an inevitable question which many OB's will ponder, but what are the parameters? Do we consider individuals as well? Team results? Our hazy but apparently accurate recollections? Judging by some grossly exaggerated scorelines posted on the WHOBA website, this latter one must be discarded!

There are many aspects to consider. Firstly the teams in the earlier years of Woolverstone played teams older than themselves and often, for a number of years, played club sides, something that petered out to a large extent by the late sixties. In addition, the continued success of the school on the rugby field inevitably led, quite rightly, to games being played further afield against better opposition thus enabling our teams to learn, develop and progress to a higher level of achievement with due recognition for hard work enhancing, perhaps, our desire to do even better. How marvelous it is to look back at the results and see just how good we were and , whilst typing this report I can feel myself bursting with pride. I always knew we were good but when you sit down and actually analyze the results over the years it really brings home the precise detail of the various successes. It is only a shame that, at this stage, there are no details for 1977 to 1990 because I understand this was also a successful period in the school's history from a rugby point of view.

There are also the imponderables and relativities e.g. the varying strengths of opposition from the same schools we played locally every year. Wymondham were, traditionally one of the strongest sides we played. St Joseph's and Holbrook occasionally had the measure of us as did Colchester but like ourselves, and any other teams for that matter, each year brought new players and different levels of skill.

It seems to me that, all things considered with due regard to the variables, the most successful team is simply the one which manages to win most of its games during its time at Woolverstone in its age group. On that basis I have ascertained those teams which have been successful at U12, U13, U14, Colts and 1st XV when that age group was in the upper sixth. This acts as an accurate barometer for a sequential period of success for any such age group. There is no such sequence during the 1950's which is hardly surprising as we were finding our rugby feet although it must be said the Colts side of 1955/56 only lost 2 games in its four years and, three years later in the upper sixth only 1 game was lost. This is a tremendous run, especially as the 1st XV in 1958/59 played 15 games, including 6 against club sides, one of which ended in the sole defeat.Looking through the records, the team which commenced such a sequence of wins, and in fact went on to win every game it ever played, including both the Ipswich and the Oxford Sevens, was the intake of 1965 i.e. Dave Waight's year. The sequence is as follows:

There are no details of the scores in the Ipswich Sevens for this team and in the Oxford Sevens Dave's team scored a total of 97 points, conceding only 8.

Interestingly, in season 1970/71 the previous year, the 1st XV also won every game it ever played (other than a drawn non-competitive game) including the only Sevens tournament it entered, the Ipswich Sevens. However this age group did not win all its games at junior levels.

The continued successes in the late sixties/late seventies had very much enhanced Woolverstone's reputation leading to harder games played further afield, as mentioned a little earlier. There is no question that the following team - the intake of 1969 - can stake a claim to being the most successful team. Take a look at these results, bearing in mind this is the team that toured the West Country and played Millfield and Reading:

This team also won the Ipswich Sevens and gave a good account of themselves at both the Rosslyn Sevens and the Oxford Sevens A Section. There can be no doubting the strength of this team especially given the higher level of opposition encountered along the way. The number of points scored is staggering and equally impressive is the small number of points conceded.

Another team with a winning streak within its age group is the intake of 1971 as follows:-

Tantalisingly, 1977/78 is that defining period of change at Woolverstone, as I explained much earlier and from then Janus was not produced so I do not know how successful the 1st XV were that year which corresponds to the intake of 1971 above. Hopefully details can be uncovered in the fullness of time.

There is another good sequential run with a sole blemish, which is the intake of 1974 as follows:

You will recall I mentioned Jim Cottrell's team in 1964/65 amassing 600 points. Even Jim and his colleagues, whilst very successful, were not able to achieve such a sequence of wins. For the record, the results for his year are as follows (it appears there were no U12 games in Jim's first year 1962/63):

The 1968/69 season, Jim's last year, was the year the school's 1st VII won the two sevens tournaments it entered (YMCA and Holbrook) so convincingly. The records show that the two defeats for the U13's in 1963 were by very narrow margins, although the 1st XV defeat in 1968 was a little heavier (and Jim Cottrell and Paul Mattey were injured!!).

There are, therefore, so many instances of extremely successful teams over the years (which I am sure extends into the eighties). Having established ourselves as a fearsome rugby playing school in the 1950's our reputation was strengthened throughout the sixties and seventies, thereby ensuring a tradition of which we can all be proud as Mr Evans had written in the first edition of Janus. Whilst Dave Waight's team can claim to be the most successful team, there are numerous reasons why many other teams should be acclaimed. It may well be that there are significant successes in the years 1977 to 1990 but details are scant, to say the least, but perhaps in the future if information can gradually be weeded out this report could be re-printed to reflect the full story.

I am tempted to venture into the realms of 'who was the greatest player of all' but somehow this would be too difficult and perhaps emotive a subject. Whilst team results, over the years, are easily compiled and comparisons made with other teams reasonably straightforward, I would not wish to incur the wrath of all my OB colleagues by suggesting who may fit this bill. This is especially so if one's time at the school only encompasses seven years and realistically no-one is in a position to have seen all contenders. This would mean joining Woolverstone in 1951 as an eleven year old and leaving in 1990 at retirement age! It would be useful to seek the views of members of staff which is something I may consider if I am eventually able to expand this project, to cover 1951 to 1990.

There are many boys who played for Suffolk, Eastern Counties and went on to have England trials. Bill Coutts was a regular captain of the Eastern Counties Schoolboys and Phil Davies played for the English Schoolboys at U15 XV level in 1965. I will simply leave it that our fine school had an abundance of quality players who graced the game with skill, style and aggression and helped give our school such a widespread reputation. The name Martin Offiah comes to mind as a post 1977 player who went on to become one of this country's finest players (although in the 'wrong' code!). It would be interesting to track his progress whilst at Woolverstone, if at all possible.

It would be quite wrong not to mention the staff for their continued encouragement in the sport, with special thanks to Mr I.G. Evans for his very considerable efforts over many years, and whose inspirational coaching helped the school attain such heights of excellence.

Jeremy Page ( Berners House 1965 to 1972 )

Woolverstone Hall School Rugby - 1951 to 1976 - by Jerry Page