SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



compare favourably with those of any school 

 in the United Kingdom. 



In cricket as well as in football the school 

 possesses three elevens, and also an eleven 

 composed of masters alone. 



Quite four-fifths of the boys play regularly, 

 as cricket is compulsory amongst the boarders 

 throughout the school except in the case of 

 those boys who are prohibited by the doctor 

 from playing. 



The boys are divided up into clubs, eight 

 or ten in number, each club is coached and 

 superintended separately by a master, and the 

 whole is under the control and management 

 of another, Mr. P. A. Fryer. 



The work of the school is so arranged that 

 an hour and a half in the middle of the day 

 and two hours in the evening on all days, 

 except half-holidays, are available for cricket, 

 and net-practice in the middle of the day and 

 sides and trial games in the evenings is the 

 usual routine. By this means the best 

 cricketers are soon discovered, and after 

 about six weeks boys likely to obtain places 

 in the school elevens are brought to notice. 



Considerable trouble is spent on fielding- 

 practice, and the masters find that to bat and 

 hit catches whilst the eleven fields is the best 

 method for improving this branch of the game. 

 The trial games create great keenness and 

 enthusiasm, and it is due to this more than 

 anything else that the cricket has improved 

 so much of late years. 



The three school elevens comprise : 



1. The first eleven, whose chief matches 

 are against Mill Hill School, Bedford Modern 

 School, Bedford County School, the Old 

 Boys, M.C.C. and Ground, and scratch 

 elevens brought by O.W.'s. 



2. The second ele\en, who play the second 

 elevens of the two Bedford schools, Dunstable 

 Grammar School, the Old Boys, and several 

 elevens brought by friends. 



3. The eleven for boys under fourteen 

 years, who play the preparatory schools in 

 the neighbourhood. The institution of these 

 matches for the small boys keeps the keenness 



in the lower clubs at fever pitch, and prepares 



boys for the more arduous task of getting runs 

 and wickets in the upper elevens in future 

 years, as it removes a great deal of the nervous- 

 ness so often exhibited on their promotion. 



The masters' eleven is usually a very good 

 side, and too strong for most of the clubs in 

 Northamptonshire. As it is essential that boys 

 when learning the game should see as good 

 cricket as possible, no pains are spared to 

 induce strong elevens to come down to Wel- 

 lingborough. The chief fixtures of late years 

 have been with Burton upon Trent, Leicester 

 Ivanhoe and Ashby de la Zouch. About 

 twelve or fourteen matches during the 

 summer term are the yearly average, and 

 taking all the four elevens together upwards 

 of forty matches are played in the term. 



No professional is engaged to coach the 

 boys. It is found difficult to get the right 

 sort of man for a school coach. Most of 

 them either bowl too fast or too erratically, 

 or else try to bowl a boy out when he wants 

 encouragement. 



The masters do all the coaching and see 

 to the management of the wickets, with the 

 help of the gardeners to superintend the mow- 

 ing and rolling of the grounds. 



Whilst a match is being played boys not 

 taking part in it are not allowed to play on 

 the other grounds, but all watch the game 

 most intently and consequently soon learn its 

 chief points. The match and practice wickets 

 here are excellent, and are mostly in favour 

 of the batsmen. 



The old boys have played a prominent part 

 after leaving school, especially in club cricket. 

 Amongst those who have played regularly 

 in first-class cricket are C. J. B. Wood, 

 Leicestershire, who scored over 1,765 runs 

 in 1905 ; T. S. Fishwick, Warwickshire, 

 who scored over 1,400 ; and A. E. Fernie, 

 Cambridge University, who played in the 

 team against Oxford in 1897 and 1900. 



An old boys' tour is generally arranged in 

 August, when a very powerful team can be 

 sent into the field. 



FOOTBALL 



ASSOCIATION 



The history of the development of Associa- 

 tion football in Northamptonshire supplies not 

 a few interesting features. From the time the 

 game began to be played under practically its 

 present conditions clubs have existed in the 

 county. But it was not until Wellingborough 

 Grammar School took up the pastime in the 



seventies that the game can be said to have 

 been played with anything approaching the 

 scientific skill of to-day. The Wellingborough 

 G.S.F.C. may fairly claim to have been the 

 pioneer of good class football, not only in 

 Wellingborough but throughout the whole of 

 the east and north of Northamptonshire. 



Some twenty years ago Rugby football held 

 the field in all the large towns. But little by 



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