Soham Grammarian Spring 1963
THE SOCCER SEASON
FIRST ELEVEN RESULTS
Sept 19th School 1st XI v Newmarket Grammar School (A) Won 4-1 Poole 2, Houghton, Docherty
Sept 22nd School 1st XI v March Grammar School (H) Won 6-0 Poole 2, Chapman 2, Houghton, Docherty
Sept 29th School 1st XI v Huntingdon Grammar School (A) Won 2-1 Poole, Sargent
Oct 6th School 1st XI v Thetford Grammar School (H) Lost 2-1 Poole
Oct 13th School 1st XI v Newport Grammar School (A) Won 9-1 Poole 4, Booth 2, Chapman 2, Rosbrook
Oct 20th School 1st XI v Bury Grammar School (H) Won 4-0 Poole 2, Chapman, Houghton
Oct 27th School 1st XI v Huntingdon Grammar School (H) Won 5-2 Poole 3, Chapman, Booth
Oct 31st School 1st XI v Newmarket Grammar School (H) Won 2-0 Poole, Chapman
Nov 10th School 1st XI v Saffron Walden Friends' School (A) Won 5-0 Booth 2, Chapman, Stearn, Taylor
Nov 17th School 1st XI v Bury Grammar School (A) Won 5-3 Booth 2, Stearn 2, Poole
Nov 21st School 1st XI v Newport Grammar School (H) Won 9-1 Poole 3, Chapman 3, Booth 2, Taylor
Nov 28th School 1st XI v Cambridge University Falcons (H) Drew 3-3 Poole, Booth, Stearn
Dec 1st School 1st XI v March Grammar School (A) Won 8-1 Booth 4, Poole 2, Chapman, Docherty
Dec 12th School 1st XI v Thetford Grammar School (A) Won 3-0 Poole, Chapman, Booth
Dec 15th School 1st XI v Old Boys (H) Won 6-3 Docherty 2, Rosbrook 2, Poole, Stearn72 goals for and 18 goals against. Average 4.8. Goal scorers: Poole 25, Booth 15, Chapman 13, Docherty 5, Houghton 5, Stearn 5, Taylor 2, Sargent 1.
OTHER TEAMS
Sept 22nd School 2nd XI v March Grammar School (H) Won 9-0
Sept 22nd School U14 XI v March Grammar School (H) Won 9-2
Sept 29th School U14 XI v Huntingdon School (A) Won 9-0
Oct 6th School 2nd XI v Thetford School (H) Won 10-1
Oct 6th School U14 XI v Thetford School (H) Won 4-0
Oct 13th School U14 XI v. Newport School (A) Won 4-1
Oct 20th School 2nd XI v Bury School (A) Won 4-2
Oct 20th School U15 XI v Bury School (A) Won 4-1
Oct 20th School U14 XI v Bury School (H) Won 7-1
Oct 27th School 2nd XI v Huntingdon School (H) Won 4-0
Oct 27th School U14 XI v Huntingdon School (H) Won 9-0
Nov 10th School 2nd XI v Saffron Walden Friends' School (H) Won 12-3
Nov 10th School U15 XI v Saffron Walden Friends' School (A) Won 5-1
Nov 17th School 2nd XI v Bury School (H) Won 4-1
Nov 17th School U15 XI v Bury School (H) Won 3-0
Nov 17th School U14 XI v Bury School (A) Lost 4-5
Nov 21st School U14 XI v Newport School (H) Won 4-1
Dec 1st School 2nd XI v March School (H) Won 4-3
Dec 1st School U14 XI v March School (A) Drew 5-5
Dec 12th School 2nd XI v Thetford School (A) Won 4-3
Dec 12th School U14 XI v Thetford School (A) Drew 5-5
FIRST XI VERSUS CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY FALCONS
The match fell into two distinct phases. For the whole of the first half and the first quarter of an hour of the second it was all Falcons (the Falcons are the Cambridge University 2nd team, all members of their own school first elevens either last year or in the year before that). The Falcons played beautiful football. All their passes were on the ground and went to their own men.
All the School's were awkwardly breast or head high and went frequently to an opponent. The Falcons were 2-0 in the lead after a quarter of an hour of the second half had gone, and they might have been more. That they were not further in the lead, we had to thank the School defence, which played heroically. Taylor, Cross, Register, Butcher and Cornes toiled on magnificently. They must have wondered what the forwards were playing at, but they gritted their teeth and got on with it.
Then, quite suddenly, the tide turned. Stearn scored a fine goal from quite a long way out, with a fast ground shot into the left hand corner and this galvanised the whole forward line. In ten minutes Poole had sent a swift pass right across goal, but quite a long way out, which Booth met on the volley into the back of the net - a real gem of a goal.
The School were level, the Falcons had been pegged back. They must have been regretting their wasted chances in the first half. The School were blessing their defence for having held out resolutely, when there seemed little hope of saving the game. On a tide of vocal enthusiasm, the School surged on to get a third goal. The Falcons made a slight mistake, Poole was perilously close to offside, but from my position it was clear that Mr Taylor was right in allowing the game to continue. Poole makes no mistake if he is given the ball in the goal area, and he banged it home.
The School were in the lead by 3-2 and I was glad I had taken the decision to let the School watch this match instead of the easy glut of goals against the weaker opposition of Newport.
Then those of the spectators who appreciate class and who are knowledgeable about the finer points of the game saw the class of the Falcons reassert itself. They took a grip on themselves, piled on the pressure coolly but relentlessly and scored a well-deserved third goal to equalise the match. The final result was an honourable 3-3 draw. It was a match which both teams deserved to win - the Falcons for their first half display when they were immeasurably superior, and the School for their thrilling three goals' snatch when 2-0 down. It is, therefore, altogether fitting that the final result was a draw.
HM
FIRST XI VERSUS THE OLD BOYS
Although the Old Boys' XI was perhaps not up to the standard of recent years, any team containing Fordham and Parish cannot be considered weak. Exchanges during the first twenty minutes were even until the Old Boys suddenly assumed dominance and took the lead. They added a further goal before half time. Even then the School were not unduly discouraged and, remembering their recovery against the Falcons, there was still optimism in the School camp.
The second half began with determined efforts from both sides, but it was the Old Boys who moved further ahead, making the score 3-0. This goal could easily have completed the demoralisation of the First XI and could have been the beginning of a rout.
The effect, however, was to rouse the School to a maximum effort. The defence tightened and moved to support the forwards. Inevitably, with 35 minutes to play, the School opened their account through Docherty. New hope reinforced the already present determination to fight to the final whistle. The whole pattern of the match had been transformed, the School were indisputably the masters, and the Old Boys were thrown on the defensive.
Within minutes Stearn scored the second and Poole the third. The match was levelled, and it was obvious that the School were going to take the honours. In the remaining minutes the First XI maintained incessant pressure on the Old Boys and added three more goals. Rosbrook scored with two fine long shots and, finally, Docherty netted his second of the match, and the School's sixth.
Thus the final result was 6-3 to the School, a fine victory. A match that was an example of the determination and fighting qualities of this First XI, recovering from 3-0 down to score six successive goals and to assume complete dominance on the field, a match in which the full potential of the First XI was perhaps, in the final half hour, realised.
Team: Cornes, Rosbrook, Cross, Sharp, Taylor, Aves, Booth, Chapman, Stearn, Docherty, Poole.
CRT
STOP PRESS
The Under 15s won the Cambridge Secondary Schools' Sports Association five-a-side soccer competition at Sawston Village College on Saturday, March 9th.
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The name Rosbrook was spelled as Rosbrooke in the original
last update 2 Dec 2007