Category Archives: 1940s

Representative rugby

Worksop College recently published a new webpage to encourage people to apply for rugby scholarships (wsnl.co.uk/college/rugby). One key thing missing from this page however, is a list of representative players – something that has never been produced. However, I am gradually getting round to documenting this rather long list. Records were kept a lot more diligently in the years before technology and as a result, documenting the early successes in this area was quite straightforward.

A few things to note:

Where a player is listed more than once (i.e. he played representative rugby in more than one season), on his final mention his other representative honours will also be listed (i.e. club, country etc)
The Northern/Midlands/Southern Public Schools XV were pretty much the equivalent to the current schools regional setup
The England/Scotland Public Schools XV was pretty much equivalent to the current England/Scotland schools teams up until the 1950s
Worksop College were pretty good at rugby in the old days!

1921 – 1950

Season	Name	Schoolboy teams	Post-schoolboy teams/other
1928/1929	G.Laing	Northern Public Schools	Blackheath, Army
1929/1930	G.C.V. Knowlson	England Public Schools
1930/1931	W.P. Heath	Northern Public Schools, England Public Schools
	D.R. McLennan	Scotland Public Schools, Northern Public Schools
1932/1933	F. Martin	England Public Schools, Northern Public Schools	Oxford University
	G.H. Stephens	Northern Public Schools
	H.D. Venables	Northern Public Schools
1934/1935	W.R. Andrews	Scottish Public Schools, Northern Public Schools
	K. Hall	Northern Public Schools	Cambridge University
1935/1936	R.S. Stephens	Northern Public Schools
	H.F. Barker	Northern Public Schools
1936/1937	H.F. Barker	England Public Schools, Northern Public Schools
1937/1938	H.F. Barker	England Public Schools, Northern Public Schools
	D. Collinge	Northern Public Schools
	J.S. Pinkney	Northern Public Schools
	P.E.F. Rhodes	Northern Public Schools
	J.B.C Teale	Northern Public Schools
1938/1939	E.D.W. Paul	Northern Public Schools
	J.S. Pinkney	Scotland Public Schools, Northern Public Schools
	A.L. Evans	Northern Public Schools
	P.E.F. Rhodes	Northern Public Schools	Leicester
	A.J.A. Ferguson	Northern Public Schools
1939/1940	A.L. Evans	Northern Public Schools	Cambridge University, The Army, England
	R.W.J. Naismith	Northern Public Schools
1940/1941	G.C. Buchanan	Northern Public Schools
	P.T. Francis	Northern Public Schools
1941/1942	H.D. Jennison	The Rest Vs Home Counties
	T.A.S. Anderson	Northern Public Schools
	P. Carmichael	Northern Public Schools
1942/1943	N.M. Hall	Northern Public Schools (Captain), Midland Public Schools	Army (Captain), St Mary’s Hospital, Richmond, England (Captain)
	C.H. Ewart	Northern Public Schools, Midland Public Schools
	W.G. Briggs	Northern Public Schools
	E.R. Holliday	Northern Public Schools
	J.M. Taylor	Northern Public Schools
	T. Bennett	Northern Public Schools
	D.W. Hardy	Northern Public Schools

Rugby in the early 1940s

Leave a reply

Over the course of the 1941/1942 and 1942/1943 seasons, Worksop College produced two of the best schoolboy rugby teams in the country. How these teams would get on against modern schoolboy rugby teams we will never know – but the below gives an indication of just how good the teams were. Here we look at the 1941/1942 XV which was probably the better of the two XVs.

: 1941-1942 XV

: Nim Hall and that famous boot

: P. Carmichael

: J.M. Taylor

: C.H. Ewart

: H.D. Jennison

: Public Schools Wanderers XV

: Midlands Schools

: Signatures

1941/1942 season report
Comparisons are usually described as odious, and it is perhaps unwise at such times to make them. We can, however, safely say that we have had one of the best XV.s ever in the School this term and easily the most successful season on record, particularly when one considers the opposition encountered. Such an eminent rugger authority as R.F. Oakes of the Yorkshire Union, has stated that “Worksop is the best School XV in the country.” We do not ourselves feel justified in saying that, but we certainly have al very good and well-balanced side. Well-balanced is probably the key-note, for the XV is without official ” stars,” but has many good players who combine superbly. The foundation of success has been a hard-working and lively pack, well led by H.D. ]ennison, a fine forward in every way; outstanding have been T.A.S. Anderson, G.S. Joss and E. Hall, while D.F. Batchelor has improved steadily as hooker. Behind the scrum, J.M. Taylor and N.M. Hall have been a good pair of halves, serving their threequarter line well, while the line itself has always been fast and accurate in its passing, with much thrust from P. Carmichael, J.B. MilIar and E.R. Holliday. Behind this line, W.G. Briggs has been an enterprising and reliable full-back, while N.M. Hall’s place-kicking and other kicking have been invaluable.

Results: played 11, won 11, points for 389, points against 12

C.S. Hardern’s XV	Home	Won	43-0
RAF Swinderby	Home	Won	16-3
RAF Syerston	Home	Won	53-3
RAF Finningly	Home	Won	26-0
Old Worksopians	Home	Won	31-0
Mount Saint Mary’s College	Home	Won	63-0
Saint Peter’s School, York	Away	Won	28-0
Sedbergh School	Home	Won	30-0
Ampleforth College	Away	Won	6-3
Trent College	Home	Won	76-0
Denstone College	Away	Won	17-3

Characters of the XV

H. D. Jennison (captain), forward – a magnificent all-round player, particularly good in the line-outs-an inspiration to the XV and one of the best captains, on and off the field, the School have ever had
T. A. S. Anderson (vice-captain), forward – unlucky in his injury early in the term, he has. been an untiring worker since he returned and is a fine forward, particularly outstanding in the line out
N. M. Hall, stand-off half – has developed more speed and has learnt how to find an opening and sell a dummy. A fine natural player, and a beautiful kicker with either foot – he has been a tower of strength to the side, considering his age, and in another year should be excellent
P. Carmichael, centre – a player of great possibilities-fine natural thrust and pace, good hands and defence, he has found many gaps in the opposition defence and always tries hard
J. B. Millar, centre – a sound and steady player, with a rock-like defence, who
held the line together and was deceptively better than he appeared
G. S. Joss, forward – a fine player; who, with his great pace, was always in everything. A minor fault is a tendency to high tackling-when he cures this, he will be really class
E. Hall, forward – a hard-working scrummager, who has vastly improved in the loose and has always worked hard. I wish he would learn to pass
P. J. Walker, forward – another fine scrummaging forward-always on the ball but I wish he would pass and also learn all the rules
D. F. Batchelor, forward – has hooked well and has improved greatly; he has now discovered that there is more in forward play than hooking and is starting to do it
E. R. Holliday, wing-threequarter – one of the most dangerous attackers on the
side great pace, clever and a fine defence, he shouid be absolutely first class next year.
T. B. Greenwood, forward – a vastly improved player, who has worked hard and has improved his own individual play; a good scrummager
W. G. Briggs, full back – a very sound and intelligent player, who opens up the game well : tackling most reliable, particularly in an emergency-but he must try not to score tries, even when tempted greatly
J. M. Taylor, scrum-half – has toiled hard and has improved every match, so that he is now a good player; his all-round play has been as sound as ever and his passing is now much quicker
J. W. Phillips, forward – always on the ball and excelling in the line-outs, a lively and useful forward in the loose
C. H. Ewart, wing-threequarter – filled E. P. Clark’s place well and could always be relied upon; a little too orthodox and easy to tackle, but will alter this by next year, when he should be a fine player
E. P. Clark, wing-threequarter – in good form until York match, when he left us for the Navy; much faster and steadier on his feet, he was a dangerous attacking wing

What became of the members of the team?

Jennison, Anderson and Millar were killed in Normandy at the Battle of the Falaise Pocket in 1944 where they were all tank captains
N.M. Hall went on to captain England and was the first player to score a 3 point penalty in 1948
Carmichael joined the navy and found fame during the Cold War for downing a jet-engined Russian Mig fighter from a piston-engined Sea Hawker – the only recorded incident of its kind