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Sporting
Reputation...
Throughout
the 1950s and 1960s, inter-school sport played a major role in
the lives of many pupils. As a school of some size (600 boys and
600 girls), the Sir William Nottidge produced some fine teams
and
talented individuals... and gained a significant reputation in a range of
activities. The "royal blue and yellow" strip became a
well known and much respected sight on the sports fields of
North East Kent. Roots
in the House System Of
course, sport didn't just play a part in friendly battles
against neighbouring schools on a Saturday. It was an integral part of life during the week as well - with inter-house
competition a regular feature. Combined with the wide range of
academic, technical and artistic opportunities on the school
curriculum, sport meant that all students found something to
enjoy in school life. A
Full Role.... District Wide In
the case of of many sports, there was a well administered and
much publicised hierarchy of sporting "levels". One
step up from "school" teams was the district team -
originally called "North East Kent" and later "St.Augustines
Schools". Beyond that, there were county, regional and national
teams. Sir William Nottidge provided a stream of players for the
North East Kent side and some progressed beyond that
level However, it wasn't just the pupils that
contributed to district life. Some teachers were heavily
involved in the organisation of inter-school competitions and
team selection for district teams. One in particular comes
to mind.... and, as an Old Langtonian rather than an ex-Sir
William Nottidge pupil, I must apologise for only knowing his
nickname. It was, of course, the famous "Bombhead"
(Murray?) who was heavily involved in the running of the NE Kent
football leagues and the district football team. Football:
District Cup Winners 1958/59 School
success was never greater than on the football pitch. Whilst we
have experienced problems tracking down stories and photographs,
we do have a fair bit of information relating to the team
below...... 
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Back Row (L to R):
Colin Hadlow, Alan Milham, Brian Gambrill, Fred
Warner, Tommy Wood, Ken Phillips, Rodney Coe
Front Row (L to R): Garth
Evans, Ian Turner, Dave Hurdman, Brian Williams,
Dennis Hardy
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The photo was kindly sent to us by Fred Warner and we believe
that shows the victorious Sir William Nottidge side after the NE
Kent Schools Cup Final of 1958/59. The game took place at
Whitstable Town FC's Belmont ground in March of 1959. It
seems to tie in with a newspaper clipping a photo passed on to
us from Australia by John Wraight. The news report gives the
match result as....
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Sir William
Nottidge... 4 Simon Langton...1
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and names the Langton team as....
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B. Swift, A. D
Crosswell, A Biggs, J. Corrigan, H. Ralph, G Allen, S. Johnson, M..
Johnson, J Harebrook, F Savage, C. F. Hudson
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It also suggests that the Nottidge dominated the game and that
the Langton attacked in 'short bursts'. I think that is 1950s terminology for
'counter attacking'! The goals came as follows....
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Evans 'pushed the ball into the net' from
a corner to make it 1-0
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Evans scored again during 'a goalmouth
scramble'
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Allen pulled one back for Langton 'in a crowded
goalmouth'
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'An excellent long range shot by Wood'
brought the Nottidge their third goal'
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The fourth was scored by Turner after he
had neatly evaded a tackle by a defender
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The reporter commended a 'strong' Nottidge defence
in which Rodney Coe was prominent' and ackowledged 'courageous
goalkeeping by Brian Gambrill'. However, he failed to spot the real
reason why the Nottidge defeated my old school on that overcast evening. Take
a look at Fred's team photo again - and focus on Colin Hadlow on the left of
the back row. He's a linesman and he's not even being subtle! He's wearing the
Nottidge badge on his jacket.
Of course, it is now 50 years too late for me to protest and
it's a case of accepting that the Nottidge deserved to lift the trophy. John's
photo shows the presentation - undertaken by Jack Emery of the Kent Football
Federation....
In his presentation speech, Mr Emery said that 'he hoped
that the young players would continue playing football after leaving school'.
Oh boy!... if only he had known! Brian Gambrill went on to play for Millwall.
Denny Hardy played for Whitstable Town FC. Some of the other players formed
the highly successful Whitstable Old Boys FC of the 1960s. Almost 50 years on,
many of the lads met up for a reunion of the Old Boys club in 2006 (see our
Whitstable Old Boys feature by clicking
here) .
In passing, it is worth mentioning the referee
that day. It was none other than Peter Vanderpeer. During the
week, Peter was the PE teacher at Canterbury Tech. However, at
weekends, he starred as one of the most dangerous forwards in the
old Kent League. We discuss some of his career on one of the pages
that make up our 'Whitstable Town FC - The Golden Years'
feature (Click
here to view).
Cricket -
1950s Some
of the school's finest achievements occurred on the cricket
ground. Hopefully, we will eventually uncover some mementoes to
prove it. For the moment, the only photo I have come across is
this one and it is a bit of a mystery...
The lad on the right
is my brother John Taylor in cricket whites and I believe it was
taken on the cricket ground next to the school in the mid-1950s. I
do not know the identity of the other player or why they were
selected for the snap. Netball
1959/60... The
Nottidge girls also became a formidable force in district sporting
competitions. The photo below was kindly sent to us from Thailand
by Cliff Cuttelle and it shows a school netball team from the
1959/60 academic year. With the help of Cliff, Bob Court,
Margarett Emery, Brenda Tilley and Jeanette O'Brien (nee
Saunders), we think that we now have the
names of the seven girls.....
| Back Row (L to R): |
Sally Castle, Annette
Marsh, Jean Cayford,
Angela White |
| Front Row (L to R): |
Sue Collins, Rosemary
Coombes, Jeanette Saunders |
Oxford
v Cambridge... Back
in the 1950s, the University Boat Race was a major sporting event
that gripped the nation and it had quite an impact on youngsters.
The Nottidge joined in by running a series of Oxford v
Cambridge sporting competitions in the week leading up to
the Putney-to-Mortlake event. In fact, Margarett Emery has
suggested that the netball team featured above could be the
Nottidge's 'Oxford' netball side - dressed in dark blue
outfits. Beyond
School Days... In the field of
sport, the enthusiasm of teachers and pupils sometimes continued
beyond school days. Back in 1958, two teachers (Dave Bateson and
Peter Wilkinson) encouraged pupils to join an "Old
Boys" football team. The side is pictured below prior to
their first match... a friendly against Herne United.... 
Dave
Bateson is pictured second form right in the front row. During
the two decades that followed, the club used the school's Church Street
playing fields and became one of the most successful amateur
football teams that Whitstable has ever produced. Over 70 Sir
William Nottidge Old Boys passed through the ranks of the club
and, along the way, they picked up a stream of trophies. The
club held a reunion on 27th August 2006 with players coming
together from around the UK and, indeed the world. The
attendance topped 120 people and the event was covered by
Meridian TV and both local newspapers (the Whitstable Times and
Whitstable Gazette). You can learn
more about the club and the reunion by visiting our "Whitstabel
Old Boys FC"
pages. Lifelong
Impacts... Sport played a
significant part in encouraging teamwork, creating a sense of
belonging and instilling pride in the school. It also forged
friendships that continued long after school days had been
completed.
Drafting
Note: To date, we
have received very little material concerning specific team and
individual achievements. If you have photos medals or
anecdotes, please let us know. |
