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A.O.S.A. 2003 ANNUAL REPORT |
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 All out ....... but we scored our century |
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An e-mail from Alan Weighell was our first advice that the Falcons' Cricket Tour was planning Centenary Celebrations. We were of course delighted to participate. I was delighted for obvious
reasons ....reunion, memories, fellowship. Caroline was delighted as,
for the last 30 years the gaudy, multi coloured Falcons’ cap
has moved with us from house to house and country to country .... as
last she would see it in its natural habitat even though in Pavilion
mode rather than pitch mode! In due course we received the
August Bank Holiday Monday! .... traffic jams, tailbacks etc. etc. ....... not at all. We pottered down the minor roads without any problem to Ludlow.
Back to the PROGRAMME: 1300 hrs Pub Lunch at Charlton
Arms (Overlooking Ludlow River bridge) - for anybody who is interested. The Georges were interested. We're there early. Who are we looking for ? Can I remember anyone? Will anyone recognise me 40 years on? We'll never know as we munched our pub lunch unaccosted. 1500 hrs Visit Ludlow Castle. Surely someone will be there. I don The Cap and sit on the stonewall working on the Telegraph Crossword. The Billy Bunter image is not entirely to Caroline's liking so she deserts me and circumnavigates the castle ruins. As she goes she waylays various people on the off chance they are Quaker-type Cricketers. In fact they are part of a Methodist Conference group ..... close! 1930 hrs Dinner at Salwey Arms, Wooferton. We're getting a bit of a complex by this time but we need not have worried as the Salway Arms is well attended - about 80 present. We slipped in a little late (playing hard to get at this stage) I was immediately confronted by David Allan, an ex Bootham boy who was on our team in 1963 .... yes '63 ...we seem to carry on where we left off. At first I didn't recognise David but then Alan found the team photo, evidence we had played on the same team. David now lives in 'Hutton country', Pudsey. After dinner Richard Waller welcomed us. Martyn and I rated special mention in view of our seniority! Richard drew our attention to the truly fascinating archive collection. The Score Books were the most eagerly viewed and of course the photo albums were a joy. Following Richard, half a dozen past and present Falcons entertained us with reminiscences and anecdotes. I would like to share the atmosphere conjured up by these gentlemen but I fear it would take the talents of a Michael Parkinson to do it justice. As he spoke to us Richard posed the question 'What should happen to the memorabilia?' Friends' House in London seemed the rightful home for them but I hated to think of them being locked away without later opportunity for easy reference. I had an idea which seems to be working well. I brought all the material home and 'we' have earmarked all Ayton references and, even as I write, our President is including these on the Old Scholars' website. We will then pass the records to Bootham for them to do the same and so on round all the Friends' schools involved. Only then will the archives go to London for posterity. Our team scored well over 200 runs ..... not a bad innings! Roy H. George 1937-44 |
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Why
Ludlow? Since its inception the Tour which comprised old boys from
the Quaker Schools and which took place in July and August has
been based in this area largely because of the 'Quaker stronghold'
in and around Leominster. I am ashamed to say I am hazy about the details
but I do know that a former Ackworth master who moved to Ludlow was
the originator of the concept. The earliest record of an Ayton participant
was in 1906 and that man was A.L.S. For the uninitiated, Arthur Leonard
Stapleton. He rep-resented Ayton for several years almost up to the
outbreak of the 1914 War. We 'modern' Aytonians were proud to bask
in the reflected glory of having actually known 'Staps'. I hope the
editor manages to find a photo of 'Staps' in his cricket pads ....
the ones with the bones in. I know Martyn and I can remember these
lying around in the 'old pavilion' ...what a memory. I digress.
After
100 years - the final Falcons' Match. It was appropriate that
the 2 opening batsmen were 3rd generation Falcons. The match was excellent,
assisted undoubtedly by the Ludlow Ladies' traditional cricket teas.
No cucumber sandwiches but the ham and egg pie (quiche) was faultless.