Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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early in the second half we had establised a 14-6 lead, representing a tally of three tries to none, the one scored by Fenton in the corner being worth waiting a season to see. The subsequent defeat of 14- 16 was a tragedy for Torrie and his team but fate and the referees whistle were just too much for us and Brentwood were not slow to snap up their chances. A blanket of snow forced postponement of our return fixture with St. Michael ' s University School and by beating Brentwood 9-7 in a closely fought game, they have pres- ented us with one final shot at the championship - a win and all three of us, Brentwood, St. Michael ' s University School are co-champions; a loss or a draw and St. Michael ' s University School are sole champions. By the end of the season the team was really beginning to roll. The forwards were very strong in many phases of play none more so than in pressuring the opposition when they had the ball. Doug Torrie was an indefatigable No. 8 pop- ping up everywhere in both attack and defence. Bob Dras- sinower and Stephen Southerland were a lively pair of flankers, the former alert and intelligent and invariably first to the point of break down and the latter not far behind. The locks, Dave Coalman and Russell Dyson, blended well in set scrum and lineout but still found time to be involved in much play in the loose. They were both good in the lineout, especially Coalman who jumped well and took the ball very cleanly. The front row of Eddie Evans, Redmond Goody and Mark Collver was very strong and solid and we outscrummaged nearly all our opponents. These three could also run and handled well in the open. Thus the pack as a whole were mobile, and, after they had shaken loose from their early season complacency, fit. The backs took a long time to become a unit and it was not until the last two or three matches that the cohesive- ness we worked for started to show. It takes time for half-backs to blend together well as Alberto Girotto and David Hyde-Lay found out; but both these players came on well as they gained in confidence and began to understand the game as a whole rather than within the limited vision of their own positions. Alberto has a quick and accurate ser- vice, tackles well and has a cheeky break from the base of scrum and ruck which he does not use often enough. David Hyde-Lay has plenty of ability; handling, running and kick- ing well and the brittleness of his play is disappearing as his confidence grows. The solo try he scored at Brentwood was a gem. In the centre Stuart Gault and Charles Crossfield were very sound without being spectacular. They both tackled hard and ran well and the timing of their passing was good but in Gault ' s case his pass was often too hard. Their positioning too improved greatly as the season wore on. The wings were both good runners; Page Tucker very strong and direct and hard to bring down. He was also the best tackier on the team and stopped more than one oppo- nent dead in his tracks when it looked as if he might score a try. Paul Fenton on the other hand was much more elusive and ran cleverly. He also kicked ahead intelligently and, with a much improved defence, removed the one remaining question mark about him in our minds. Rob Dawson was a very sound full-back. Absolutely safe under high punts and very difficult to knock down after he had caught the ball, he gave the team the kind of confidence any team needs from its full back. In addition he was a strong runner and danger- ous when joining in with the backs. In retrospect, this team was a strong one once it realised that there is no substitute for hard work, but it took a long time in reaching its present level of play and there is still room for improvement. It will be interesting to see how well it plays in the forthcoming tour to New Zealand and Australia. Unfortunately, it will not quite be at full strength as Russell Dyson and Rob Dawson are unable to go. D.W. Hyde-Lay 17

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THE SECOND XV The complacency that gripped the 1st XV at the start of the term, did not, fortunately, affect the play of the 2nd XV. They always played with great verve and enthusiasm although their efforts were not always crowned with suc- cess. They became a competent side at their own level of play having a strong pack and some useful backs. They suffered as 2nd XV ' s the world over do from having their ranks raided by the 1st XV as occasion demanded but they always managed to pick up the slack somehow and give a good account of themselves. Roger Hope, who played a number of positions in the scrum, was a very spirited captain, and when he was able to call upon his full side his team was a difficult one to handle. The pack was quite large and hard working and the backs moved the ball well. In Independent Schools ' fixtures they were well beaten 23-6 by St. George ' s in their first game of the season but, by the return fixture, had improved to the extent that they were able to win a close game 6-4 to inflict upon St. George ' s their only defeat. The other loss occurred against St. Michael ' s University School by a score of 13-3 in a game we ought to have won, having had a lion ' s share of the game. But an interception by St. Michael ' s University School plus the squandering away of our many chances sealed out fate. Paul McKenzie, who played many more times for the 1st XV than the 2nd XV and who was a very honest, hard working forward, was a mainstay of the pack. His partner in the second row, Joe McLean was much better in the tight than in the open although occasionally the ball would come his way and he would set off rambling towards the enemy line only to be borne to the ground by weight of numbers. Pat Rueben, Chris Wilcock and Justin Smith were a solid front row, while Glenn Boyd, Kelly Manson, Evan Meyer and Andrew Lotto all played well in the back row. The half backs were Ronnie Girotto and Larry Kau- meyer, both competent and both only needing more expe- rience in order to be ready for the 1st XV. Andrew Croft was a regular in the centre. He is very promising and is an incisive and clever runner who scored a number of very good tries. His partner was usually Jeff Keate, who also could play v ery competently at fly-half or full-back. Jeff was the best punter of the ball in the school proving once again that timing not bulk is the secret. Peter Neilson and Gra- ham Meek played on the wings. Peter, fast and a good tackier and Graham, elusive and also a good tackier. At full-back was Bruce Doyle, reliable in defence and eager in attack to round out the team. Also playing as occasion demanded were Paul Gorosh and Cody Walker, the latter ' s promise somewhat blighted through injury. D.W. Hyde-Lay Back Row: (L. to R.) C. Wilcock, G. Boyd, P. Gorosh, A. Lotto, P. Rueben, A. Croft, Mr. D.W. Hyde-Lay {Coach) Middle Row: (L. to R.) B. Doyle, P. Neilson, J. Smith, R. Hope (Captain), E. Meyer, J. McLean, K. Manson Front Row: (L. to R.) R. Girotto, G. Meek 19