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

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Cricket Season, 1954 THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME Cricket is, in a sense, warfare in miniature and a cricket match should be fought out by both sides with all the resources of spirit and technique at their command. At the same t ime it should always be a recreation, a game to be played not only according to written laws but in harmony with an unwritten code of chivalry and good temper. A cricket team should feel that they are playing with, as well as against, their opponents. The home side should remember that they are hosts, the visitors that they are guests, and both should realize that the true greatness of the game lies in combat and comradeship combined. Pursued in such a spirit, victory, and nothing short of victory, should be the object of both teams from the first over of the match. The bowlers and fielders of the one, the batsmen of the other, should go on to the field determined to attack and to go on attacking until they are really forced to fall back on defence, and even then to resume the offensive directly the balance of the game permits. In no other game perhaps is the individual and his team so closely integrated. One man can virtually win a match, not necessarily by technical skill, but by intelligence, concentration and character; one man can lose it by a failure in those qualities. Con- versely the morale of each member of an eleven can be largely built up and sustained by the atmosphere of the whole. Unity of purpose and belief in each other is a tremendous asset in cricket, and it is usually possible to sense it by watching a team take the field or listening to them talk as they sit and watch the game from the pavilion. It was not by hazard that one of the most famous of amateur cricket clubs called itself The Band of Brothers. Nor does any other game expose a player to a more varied or exacting trial. It can be a lonely and formidable experience to walk out, perhaps after an agonizing wait, to bat at the crisis of a school match, possibly to face a fast bowler on a fiery pitch, or a spinner on a sticky one; formidable too to stand under a high catch knowing that to miss it may cost the game. Bowler and fielder alike may often towards the end of a hard day have to force their heart and nerve and sinew to serve their turn long after they are gone. There are also the less obvious but more insidious trials of failure and success; the greatest players will have spells when nothing will go right: then comes the test of still keeping cheerful and finding some consolation in the success of others; and if fortune smiles for a time and the game seems easy and all men speak well of him, the true cricketer will remember to keep a modest mind as well as a straight bat. Back Row: Svendsen I , Smith I, Coates, McGavin I, Cuppage, Jones. Front Row: Reid II, Simson, Kaye I (Capt.), Douglas I, Brooks. Page Thirty-One

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Of the five games played, only one was lost and that against University School , 5-0 for them. This was due quite a bit to the fact that we had had no practice due to snow and were missing some men. All in all, however, the team as a whole played well, with several exceptional players — Burgess, whose excellent hooking helped very much; Smith I, who led many forward rushes; Smith II for his tackling; Greenwood played an excellent game as last man; Svendsen I, whose play as scrum half was exceptional; Cuppage ' s excellent running and tackling helped us very much; Vandersluys, for his beautiful place kicking and play as full back; and behind us all the time, a wonderful coach. Altogether it was a very good season. Back Row: Ford, Armstrong II, Angus, Jackson, Young, Mitche ' .l, Mcintosh II, McKenzie. Front Row: Witt, Miilner, Mcintosh I, Janke (Capt.), Mc Alpine, White, McLean. JUNIOR XV NOTES Thanks to the enterprise of rugger enthusiasts in Victoria, a new, under 100 lb. juni or league was started last Lent Term, with teams from Oak Bay, Glen Lyon School, St. Michael ' s School, University School, and Shawnigan competing. The new venture has already proved an outstanding success. It was most heartening to see the enthusiasm with which such young boys took to the great winter game en the soft, springy turf of our Island fields. The Shawnigan Junior XV was ably captained by Peter Janke, with Peter Mcintosh giving fine support as Vice-Captain. Front row forwards were Mcintosh I, McLean and Young, with McLean hooking; Second row, Mcintosh II and Jackson; breaks, MacKenzie and Mitchell, and last man, Angus. The two halves were Ford and Armstrong II: centre three-quarters, Janke and Miilner; wing three-quarters, McAlpine and White, and full- back Witt. Others who played for the team during the season were George I, Yorath, Mercer, Maclaren and Moss. Good wins were recorded against Glen Lyon School and Oak Bay (twice). The match with University School was played in very wet weather, with great spirit being shown by both sides. At half-time the score was 6-0 for University School, but in the second half Shawnigan came back strongly, scoring one try and pressing hard until the final whistle, when University were stoutly defending only a few yards from the try line. The final score was 6 - 3 against us, but it had been a great game. The return match at Shawnigan was unfortunately cancelled because of schedule disruption due to bad weather, and transportation difficulties of the visiting team. Page Thirty

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1st XI NOTES The School 1st XI had a most enjoyable season, if a somewhat unsuccessful one in the matter of winning matches. Considerable enthusiasm was shown right from the start, and there was keen competition throughout the term for places on the team. Wins were recorded against Cowichan C.C. and the Old Boys ' XI, and a clean-cut victory was just missed in the second match against University School, when time was called with one University wicket standing between the School and victory by a large number of runs. Losses were recorded against a Mainland League XI from Vancouver, University School, the Headmaster ' s XI, St. George ' s School and Cowichan C.C. The match against the Mainland XI was particularly enjoyable and interesting as the School was given the opportunity of seeing in action two fast-medium bowlers chosen for the Canadian Team which played this summer in England against first-class county XI ' s and against Pakistan in Canada ' s first Test Match at Lords. The two bowlers, Bob Quintrell and Peter Stead, bowled only a few overs each, but they were quite impressive enough! In this historic year, when Canada was breaking into the exciting world of international cricket and taking her rightful place alongside the other members of the Commonwealth family, the School 1st XI was indeed fortunate to be able to play in a match with two such fine representatives of Canadian Cricket. The two School colours from last year, John Kave and Richard Douglas, were Captain and Vice-Captain respectively. Apart from one or two batting lapses, Kaye had a most successful season, heading the averages for both batting and bowling, and winning the bat presented by the late Mr. Bev Rhodes of Vancouver and the ball presented by the Headmaster. Taking advantage of his long reach, he often drove hard, and in typical left-hander ' s style pulled loose balls on the leg to the boundarv with assurance. However, he needs to overcome a weakness in playing good-length balls on the wicket, either by playing straight down the line ' ' from a straight back-lift and keeping his right shoulder low, or by moving quickly down the pitch to get well on top of the ball. His left-hand bowling proved to be most effective at a slow-medium pace, and towards the end of the season he exploited his well-flighted in-swingers with considerable success. With a surer control of length his bowling should be most effective in the many seasons of cricket which lie ahead of him. In the difficult art of captaincy he made considerable progress during the season, gaining much from experience as he went along. Douglas bowled creditably throughout the season, relying chiefly on good-length, medium-paced balls and the occasional slower one. His action was inclined to be somewhat jerky, however. A smoother run-up with more gradual acceleration and an easier follow-through for several paces beyond the bowling crease will do much to increase his accuracy, and with a greater subtlety in variation of pace, his bowling could be deadly in school cricket next year. He had a most disappointing season with the bat, but he is a keen cricketer, and with patient labour in the nets, a return to form is to be expected next year. Robert Svendsen bowled exceedingly well throughout the season, better, in fact, than his average showed. He has an excellent action and has learned to impart a good leg- spin to his moderately-flighted left-hand deliveries. If he can resist the temptation to bowl fast, shorten his run-up somewhat, and learn to mix with his leg-breaks the ball which goes straight through, he should develop into a really fine bowler. He deservedly won his School colours for his play this year. Robert Simson was another plaver who deservedly won his colours this year. His free stroke play showed many signs of promise. One of the few who has learned to cut, he also drives straight and on the off side with considerable grace and skill. He has learned to hook also, but he has found, with others, that on the treacherous pitches of Vancouver Island it is most difficult to exploit this stroke with safety. His ground fielding and throwing at cover-point were generally excellent, though his catching was somewhat less secure. John Reid showed much promise as a wicket-keeper, revealing a natural talent for one of the most difficult and most rewarding jobs in cricket. He is endowed with a good eye, a quick reaction, and a real cricketing temperament. He tends to take the ball with too much rigidity at present, but greater give will come with practice. His batting also shows promise. His fondness for attacking play is already evident, though as yet his enthusiasm often outruns his discretion. Burke Cuppage showed promise as an all-rounder, but his results were generally disappointing. He is a player who has ample natural ability, but who appears as yet to lack the vital quality of concentration — concentration in practice as well as in the middle. Derek Brooks fielded competently, and with the bat heM his end up usefully on a number of occasions. On one occasion, too, he showed that he could hit, knocking up a very useful 36 against University School. Page Thirty -Two