Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

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Under 17 — - T ,: XT ' 1I?. 1 FRONT ROW: Grimes, Green II, Piatt I, Jackson II, Leggat, Merrill, Moffat, Mr. Stuart. CENTRE ROW: Stuart I, Stacey, Surphlis, Logan II, Hubner, Bateman, Manbert, Bloemen II, McCulloch. BACK ROW: Halliday, Keates II, Stott, Van Tighem II, Marsh. This season ' s U17 team managed to keep up its tradition, by again winning the I.S.A.A. Cham- pionship. It was not an easy task, with the strong and much im- proved opposition that we had to face. The first exhibition game against Ridley was not an easy win. Our forwards were given a taste of what they would have to face up to throughout most of the sesaon. Without their strength and determination, we would surely have lost this first game. Our second exhibition game against T.C.S. boosted our con- fidence greatly. At about ten minutes into the first half, something clicked and from then on, the backs, who were shaky in the previous game, were able to practically walk over the tri-line, as the score 49-0 indicates. This was again repeated in the game against Lakefield which we won

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then). One must also admit that the whole mental attitude of the game is drastically different than that of other physical contests (namely football, hockey, etc.); it is of prime importance that any fifteen men playing as a team do, indeed, play as a team. One can- not expect to see quality rugby played by fifteen individuals, in- terested in only their self- glorification. The responsibility for rucking, mauling, passing, moving the ball downfield, scoring (!), must be shared by all players, be they forwards or backs. For this reason, the game tends to be placed in a spirit of unselfishness and gentlemanly respect for the other guy, team- mate and opponent alike. Though the record of this year ' s open side may not appear as im- pressive as that of the last few seasons, we should indeed be proud that we preserved that special quality of play for which Appleby teams have gained a widespread reputation in southern Ontario. After all, the whole point of playing the game is to enjoy it. To win is even more satisfying, but when you meet high-calibre competition you must not expect the score to tip in your favour every time! For those of you Open players - remember S.A.C.? Brantford Collegiate? Ridley? All were very closely - contested, ex- citing games where we saw some great rugby. To lose to these teams by a few points was, by no means, a disgrace. The ex- perience gained by returning players will, I ' m sure, be put to good use next spring when the team meets these schools again. Good luck! Limitations of space in this year- book can not permit mention of every player who gave of his time and energy this year, but I would like to thank all you for a great season (and the best single game of rugby that I ' ve seen played by any of the last four Ap- pleby open teams. I ' ll never forget that afternoon in Port Hope!). Special recognition should go to two of our numbers, however - Dick Wilson, our fullback who was honoured by being chosen to the All-Ontario First Fifteen, and Geoffrey Gudewill who has, thus far, made it to the final eliminations. He too, may represent the province. A hearty congratulations to both of you, and the best of luck in Winnipeg. Finally, I would like to extend a personal word of thanks to Mr. Jim Washington. His talented and unique methods of coaching have always produced tremen- dous rugby teams, and we are very privileged to have him at Appleby. Over the years, he has taught me not only to play the game with some degree of proficiency, but also to enjoy it greatly - whether we win or lose. A word to future open players - never take good coaching for granted; we are very lucky at this school. My sincere been great. thanks,

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63 - with both the backs and forwards playing at full potential. Our next game was played against S.A.C. Unfortunately, we had lost a number of our players to the Northern Campus. Never- theless, we walked onto a hard field in 80 weather, determined to win. An hour and a half later, we walked off with a 16 - 4 vic- tory. At U.C.C. the weather was just the opposite to that at S.A.C. The high winds and heavy rains did not deter us from winning an easy 33 - defeat over them. Throughout the season, we played three exhibition games against the public schools. We found them particularly strong opposition, especially vs. An- caster, when we lost 10 - 12. We beat Bloor Collegiate 6 - 3 but lost to the bearded giants of Brantford 0-10. Our league game against T.C.S. was played on another hot day. We were leading 25 - at the half but were bottled up in our own end for the second part of the game. We won 28 - 12 in the end. Our last game was against Ridley. It was a crucial game because they were tied for first place with us. The forwards played their best game of the season and were able to hold against the opposition ' s great pressure very well. The final score was 9 - 3 and the League Championship was ours. I feel that this season was a very rewarding one. Thanks to both the effort and great enthusiasm of all the players, a high stan- dard of good rugby was played by all. Many thanks to Rev. Stuart and Dave for their coaching and to all the players who made this season a worthwhile experience. N.J.