Any Astonian reading these pages will have quickly divined that I was no sportsman at school. (This was always a great disappointment to my father, who had so much enjoyed his sport both at Aston and with the 'Old Boys' Rugby Club', as he called it.) So it may come as a surprise to find that I have, at last (May 2006), devoted a page to the subject. This was prompted by a copy of the 'School Record 2004 - 2005' which had just fallen into my possession. (More of this anon!)

Despite the caveat entered by our Headmaster (L G Brandon), as reported by Brian Hill (1946) elsewhere, King Edward's Aston was 'sport mad'. It was all the more surprising therefore that this 'madness' was confined to four areas. In undoubted order of preference these were: rugby; cricket; swimming and athletics.

Though he was rumoured to be a near 'Oxford Blue' in tennis Eric Pedley never displayed his skills in this direction, confining himself instead to chess and (as far as I was concerned) pure mathematics. It took the arrival of another mathematician - G T H Wheatley - to add tennis to the curriculum, but only for the few weeks of summer term and for the two years that he was with us.

Both Rugby and Cricket, which I know, understand and enjoy better, are games that are littered with statistics. These find their way into every copy of the 'School Record' and every edition of the AEA Newsletter. For me there is just one memorable team:

The 'Invincibles' of 1952/3

Back row (L. to R.): A Smith, Mike Coane, Gerry Manders, B L Pagett
Middle row (L. to R.): 'Buggy' Mayers, Cyril Sharp, B Dunnhill, J M Birks, G J Carter, Jim Hullah, P Hicks, Watcyn Thomas, Frank Bentley
Front row (L. to R.): M P Jackson, Maurice Whitehouse, Barry Mordike, L G Brandon, John Murray, B H Hill, J S Bolland

In that 1952/3 season they lost only one game - and that against the AOEs! The white jerseys indicate members of the England Schoolboys XV (Watcyn Thomas was a selector apparently!), so no wonder they were 'invincible'.

Sadly, 'no side' was called for John Murray in September, 2005 but he and the other 'Invincibles' had met annually for dinner and, no doubt, to recall their heyday with justifiable pride.

I can remember once going to the Inter Schools Seven-a-Side competiton at Moseley RFC's ground. Before we went Watcyn Thomas warned us there must be 'no organised cheer leading' because Moseley was a respectable district! To me that just about summed up the snobbery which surrounded Rugby in those days, and which I so much disliked.

One Saturday morning I went to watch the first XV play Saltley GS away. This was for two reasons: it was near my home and several of my Scout friends played for Saltley. When I arrived I joined an angry Watcyn Thomas on the touch line. His words to me 'this referee's b****y tough'! It seemed impolitic to disclose that the focus of his wrath was my maternal uncle, John Shakespeare, the PE master at Saltley!

Cricket had as its annual highlight the Boys v Masters match, which I have described elsewhere.

Every generation of sportsmen at Aston appears in the current 'School Record'. Recently I got sight of that for 2004/5 ....

As a keen, though amateur, photographer I know what is possible these days - but a Rugby XV photographed indoors? How quaint!

School 1st XV 2004-5

Back row (L. to R.): Tom Curry, Adam McCabe, James Cross, Edward McKinnon, Andrew Tovey, Ammandeep Uppal
Middle row (L. to R.): Sam Curry, Liam Gasior, Michael Bennett, Adam Griffin, Stuart Totty, Nythan Smith
Front row (L. to R.): Benjamin Rea, Dean Roberts, Tom Alley, Mark Martin (Captain), Phillip Lydeard (Vice Captain), Robert Chesner, Tom Knapp

And a hockey team photographed in lounge suits? Even quainter!!

School Hockey 1st XI 2004-5

Back row (L. to R.): Jack Greenfield, Chris Perry, Matthew Lancaster
Middle row (L. to R.): Mr B T Putt (Director of Hockey), Daniel Adilypour, Nick Herbert, Jonathan Mulhern, Stephen Williams, Amritpal Salh,
Mr A M Smith (Head Coach)
Front row (L. to R.): Christopher Powell, Ben Brazier, William Murray, Peter Harrison (Captain), James Wadeson, Arun Chauhan, Jason Lee

But, as I said at the outset, I was no sportsman ....!