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

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of these physical laps es to score two more good tries, Obermarck first, then Edgett getting his second try of the match. The tries sandwiched a good penalty goal by Bellm. After these two promising exhibitions, it was with high hopes that we journeyed over to St. George ' s in Vancouver. However, our hopes were to fade quickly in the slime and slush of a snowy field which severely handicapped the play of our backfield. After playing reason- ably well in the first half, the team faded badly in the second half and were beaten 16-0. It must be admitted, however, that the team was put off stride by the fact that the first two of St. George ' s tries were rather questionable, the referee being unsighted both times and unable to see the infringements which occurred. However, St. George ' s followed these up with two more good tries and deservedly won the game. They proved to be the better side at adapting themselves to the conditions and reaped their reward. For the School, Bellm at stand-off handled the ball in faultless fashion and clearly showed that even the most slippery of balls can be caught if one really watches the ball. Maclnnes I was the hardest working player on the field, securing the ball for us in the majority of the set scrums and performing prodigies of effort both in the lineouts and in the loose. For our return match with University School, we all realized that the only way to win was to play well right from the start for our opponents were fresh from a victory over St. George ' s and were after our scalps for the second time in the season. The fact that we were so narrowly defeated (3-6) would indicate that we were badly off form against St. George ' s, but it would not indicate that we should have beaten University School and neither did we. The best that can be said is that we came close. The game was played on a field wet from a morning ' s rain and cut up from the 2nd XV ' s match which had just ended. This did not suit the three-quarters at all and it proved to be a forwards ' battle to a large extent although there were a number of good three-quarter runs by both sides. Both University School ' s tries came in the first half. Unintelligent positioning by Edgett allowed Calton, the University School stand-off and captain, to slip over on the blind side. Shortly after this, Squires, a burly forward, broke through from a lineout and intercepted a pass back intended for Thee. Elmaleh ' s desperate last-minute tackle just failed to halt him. So, as in the first match, we found our- selves well in arrears and, once again after half time, we stormed back to keep the University School virtually penned inside their own half for the rest of the gam e. But it must be admitted that our opponents ' defence never once faltered although it came very close on several occa- sions to collapsing. In this game, it was our forwards who deserved the praise. Well led by our big three , Tuttle, Maclnnes I and Patrick, they played very well together as a pack and allowed Calton, a very clever player, little room in which to move. We scored our points in the very last minute of the game when Bellm calmly kicked a very slippery ball through the uprights. The winter, being a mild one, enabled us to play rugger right through the Lent Term almost without a break. Thus we were able to arrange some matches for the term. Our first opponents were the Canadian Scottish XV and they paid us the compliment of trotting out virtually their strongest side. The conditions were ideal for a fast, open game and such it proved to be. For the first ten or fifteen minutes, play was very even, swinging up and down the field until, on one of the down swings, Osvold neglected to fall on the ball and consequently had a very fine view of the subsequent try. This aroused the School to greater efforts and, for the rest of the half, we kept our opponents busy on the defensive. Time and again a good scoring opportunity would be lost when a pass was thrown to the four winds or some careless infringement would end a threat abruptly. Bellm evened up the score finally with a good penalty goal. Play continued even until well into the second half when the superior weight and speed of our opponents began to have effect. Upon reshuffling their scrum, they began to dominate the play and scored four tries in the last ten minutes. Two of the tries could have been averted but we were just too tired a team to stop them. The team played very well and stuck to a difficult task nobly, the score 3-17 hardly indicating the run of the play. It was in the match against Victoria High School that the School really rose to the occasion. Trailing 3-12 with but fifteen minutes of the game remaining, things looked black. However, quite suddenly something happened which set the team on its way. We bottled the High School team up in their own twenty-five for the remainder of the game, scoring two tries in the process and kicking a penalty goal to scrape through by a solitary point. As usual, our failure to score tries earlier in the game had been due entirely to our old habit of throwing away anything that faintly resembled a scoring chance. However, in those final fifteen minutes, we more than made up for any miscues. Oak Bay High School were met and disposed of in much the same manner although, here again, the game should have been won by a far larger margin, we getting more of the play than our opponents. Oak Bay, fielding the same team that had just beaten both Victoria Page 10

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RuaLu Ylotes 1950-1951 ' 9°y 9 Wl 9 v V fT- w l rr ' t ik 1st RUGBY XV Back Row: J. A. Clark, P. W. Maclnnes, E. W. Obermarck, A. V. Grauer, P. F. Harrison, G. R. Wilson, P. M. Young, T. M. Osvold. Centre Row: A. S. Patrick, D. C. Maclnnes, C. B. Tuttle, D. Bellm, W. S. Edgett. Front Row: F. L. A. Elmaleh, T. C. Thee. The statistician may appreciate the information that the 1st XV played seven matches, won three of them and had an adverse balance in points of 28. If he were to conclude from this that the calibre of the team was of a doubtful nature, he would be wrong. There can bei no denying that, on the evidence of the matches played, there was a lack of scoring power and, on occasion, the defence was guilty of some glaring lapses. But there is a certain consolation in the excuse that in both cases the blame could be put down to an inexperienced backfield. Indeed it became evident in the later matches that these two faults had been eradicated to a great extent. Unfortunately we went to University School with much practise under our belts but with no experience of having played as a team against stiff opposition. We also arrived at University School with the knowledge that they had a powerful side and this gave our opponents a try advantage before we even left the changing room. In the first fifteen minutes the School played as if they knew something about the game but were ashamed to admit it. During this rather depressing period, University School helped themselves to four very nice tries, and we found ourselves looking at the wrong end of a 16-0 score. However, by this time, Tuttle had had enough of such goings-on and exhorted his team to greater efforts. The response was immediate and for the last ten minutes of the first half, University School were hard put to it to keep us from scoring. When the whistle blew for half time, we were right on their line and a quick heel would surely have resulted in a try. The second half was no sooner under way than we stormed their line again and were finally awarded for our persistence when, after a good three-quarter movement, Obermarck dived over for a try in the corner. The kick was missed and we trailed by 13 points. The rest of the game saw us dominate the play completely. Maclnnes was hooking well and University were not getting the ball at all to their stand-off half, a most dangerous player. Obermarck scored again when he broke through with the ball and, although chased all the way to the tryline by three opponents, managed to get there first to score again in the corner. Again and again it seemed that we must score but University ' s defence held and although Edgett twice and Elmaleh, Tuttle and Patrick all came within an ace of scoring, the score remained 6-16 until the end of the game. Perhaps if the team had started sooner to play well, they might have avoided defeat. That is merely matter for con- jecture. However, what was important was that they had now got over their first-match jitters and had proved to themselves that they were capable of playing well. We met the Old Boys on November 12th and managed to give them a sound beating. This was a good win in that the Old Boys XV contained some illustrious members of past XV ' s and many of them were still in very good condition. However, it was lucky also that some of them were not in such good condition. It was in this game that the 1st XV gave its best display of attacking rugby as carried out by the three-quarters. There were some uncomfortable moments though, particularly when Rochester showed us a very clean pair of heels to score a good try right under the posts. However, both Edgett and Thee scored before half time to put us ahead. Changing ends, it was becoming evident that some of the more venerable of the Old Boys were beginning to feel the pace a bit and the School most unkindly took advantage Page 9

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High School and University School, started off well and, for a few moments, had us well on the defensive but some good running by the three-quarters relieved the pressure. Oak Bay scored first with Johnson, a three-quarter, kicking ahead and outdistancing all pursuit to score near the posts. The kick was missed. The School now emerged from its state of inertia to attack strongly, finally being awarded with a penalty goal. This was all the scoring there was to be in the first half. As usual, on the resumption of play, we went straight to the attack and were unlucky not to score. However, we were not to be denied for long when, in quick succession, Bellm kicked his second penalty goal and Patrick scored a good try. Bellm ' s conversion attempt just grazed the upright before going over on the right side. We were now on the rampage with the forwards joining in successfully on many raids with the three- quarters. Maclnnes 2, in the centre, was enjoying his best game of the season proving himself to be very elusive, so elusive in fact that he lost touch with his teammates with the result that several of his better openings just petered out in midfield. Edgett scored our last and best try, twisting and driving his way over in the corner after Bellm had set him up by taking a pass from Thee off the ground and then beating his man before passing the ball to Edgett. Oak Bay took advantage of our relaxing and scored a good try in the last minute of the game and which they converted to make the final score 14-1 1. So we ended the season on a happier note than we began it. The School was indeed fortunate in possessing such an accomplished hooker in Maclnnes 1. In almost every match he secured the ball for us from the vast majority of the set scrums and it was not only in hooking that he excelled. He usually proved himself to be the best all-round forward on the field, always spearing a loose rush and leaping high in the lineouts to grab the ball. Tuttle and Patrick both gave him noble support and there were times when they were all that forwards should be. Of the other forwards, Wilson always played well and should be a valuable man next year. He has great competitive spirit and his keen tackling upset the plans of more than one stand-off. Harrison, the other wing forward, suffered from l ack of experience but improved with every match. Clark always played hard but his lack of weight proved a handicap. Young, one of our heavies , did not come into the side until late in the season but he proved his worth with his robust play. Grauer, too, surprised with the amount of honest, hard work which he could get through in the course of one game. Of the backs, we were well served at the base of the scrum by Thee and he combined effectively with Bellm at stand-off. Bellm played some very fine games and he appears to have the equipment necessary for his position. If he has a fault, it is that he does not attempt enough on his own. Osvold at full-back, although guilty at times of the most outrageous crimes, showed enough good form to satisfy one at his inclusion in the side. Both Obermarck and Elmaleh on the wings took some watching. Ober- marck must be congratulated upon the way in which he adapted himself to a strange game. Elmaleh, on the other wing, scorned such intricacies of three-quarter play as the swerve or side step, he holding that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and he often proved that his geometrical theory is based on fact. It was in the centre that our trouble lay and where the team, as a scoring machine, broke down. Maclnnes 2, very young, possesses the equipment and will be a good player when he learns how to pass the ball and not to wander too far from his fellow centre. Edgett ' s main fault was his handling which varied from the careless to the absolutely vile. But, on the good side of the ledger, they were both hard runners and at all times commanded respect. The backfield, with the exception of Edgett and Thee, will be back next year, so, as far as that department is concerned at least, the team should be fairly well settled. CHARACTERS OF THE 1st XV. C. B. TUTTLE (Captain) — Forward. A hard-working, conscientious forward and cap- tain. He put his weight to good advantage both in the tight and in the loose scrums. D. BELLM (Vice-Captain) — Stand-Off Half. He handles the ball well and gets his three-quarters moving. He occasionally shuts his eyes to the most obvious openings and then makes one out of nothing. He is developing into a reasonably competent place kicker. D. C. MaclNNES — Forward. His unremitting efforts on the field were eventually re- sponsible for inspiring some life into the pack. He knows and practices the essentials of forward play. A. S. PATRICK — Forward. A very much improved forward. Still rather crude, he was nevertheless one of the few forwards who was consistently lively and vigorous. W. S. EDGETT — Centre. He runs hard and is developing some idea of making an opening but is very lacking in imagination and resource. His tackling is not as good as it should be. Page 11