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BEDFORD SCHOOL FOOTBALL

1870 – 2024

Adapted from R G G Squibbs’ 1970 Centenary Account

“Whatever their achievements in other pursuits, the chief pride and glory of Bedfordians lies in their football.” This statement in an article in the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News in 1934 might cause some raising of eyebrows among younger Bedfordians, but if they care to read on they will be able to find out what all the fuss was about, and perhaps judge for themselves whether the pride of older generations was justified.

Our first recorded team was that captained by H B Barnes in 1870, although Rugby football of a somewhat primitive nature was actually played at Bedford, as at many schools, long before there was any fixed code of rules. The familiar red jerseys are mentioned as far back as 1881, when it was decreed that all who had played for the team in any ‘foreign’ (away) match would be entitled to a red jersey, with a blue eagle on it for those who had their colours.

Three years later began the twenty-five years reign of the legendary E H Dasent (“The Man”); probably the greatest school Rugby coach of his own or any succeeding generation. It was he who really put Bedford ‘on the map’ as an outstanding rugby school; during his period the School produced ten Internationals and a dozen Blues, not to mention a succession of teams that were the envy and admiration of his rivals.

Our first International was P Christopherson, captain of Oxford University and Blackheath, who was said to have been “such a brilliant dropper of goals that the reduction in the value of a dropped goal from five points to four was due, at least in part, to his excessive skill.” (Fifty Years of Sport.) We are also told that Christopherson, with his father and nine of his brothers, used to form a cricket eleven that played a local Blackheath team.

On two occasions at the turn of the century we had three Old Bedfordians playing in the ‘Varsity match, and in the England v Ireland match of 1906 there were also three Bedfordians, including the renowned Basil Maclear (capped eleven times for Ireland) and C E L (“Curly”) Hammond, who for four successive years was a popular captain of the Harlequins and Middlesex, and later captained England.

Before 1900 the 1^st XV were at one time undefeated by any other school for eight consecutive seasons, and for five football terms running no schoolboy crossed our line. In those days we could take on Leicester (Tigers), whom we beat four times – on one occasion by as wide a margin as 4 goals and 3 tries to 1 try. So impressed were Blackheath by the standard of our football in 1904, when our only two defeats in 22 matches were by formidable teams of our own Old Boys, that they made all the members of the 1^st XV honorary members of the famous club. In the previous season our captain, J G Milton, had played as a forward for England in all three international matches, while he was still at school.

It was a common occurrence then for members of the 1^st XV to be selected for County sides. After one County match in March 1906, a national daily newspaper reported that “the East Midlands, with their backs almost wholly recruited from Bedford School, gave a superb exposition of straight running and accurate passing. The match was a great triumph for the Bedford School boys.”

The climax of the Dasent era was undoubtedly the 1907 season, when the staggering total of 1027 points was amassed by the 1^st XV, including 373 points in their six inter-school matches. The highest match score (89-0 against Mill Hill) was achieved on a wet afternoon, when it rained throughout the game. During the season the left wing three-quarter of that remarkable scoring-machine, R C Wilkinson, himself scored 85 tries and kicked 67 goals.

Nearly sixty years later this period of our rugby history was brought up again by a writer in The Field during his account of our exciting draw with Oundle in 1963. “Bedford’s teams of those days,” he wrote, “were a byword for efficiency, and for many years the sight of those red jerseys as the team ran on to the field was enough to strike terror in their opponents, players and spectators alike.”

Though we may detect some slight exaggeration in the last sentence, it cannot be denied that we turned out some colourful rugby personalities from time to time. Among them was the Cambridge University and England half-back, P G Jacob, who was called “the pocket Hercules” by football reporters of his time. “For his stature”, wrote one, “Jacob is absolutely the most powerful man we ever saw.” An Ousel of 1894 tells us that mention was made at a Bedford Town football meeting in that year of a substantial bill for jerseys supplied in place of those torn off the backs of that sturdy player.

Another of our early half-backs was G C Wheeler, who afterwards won the Victoria Cross in 1917. In the last few minutes of a Dulwich match in 1897, Wheeler broke away and scored the winning try by jumping clean over the full-back. This dangerous feat was also accomplished by W W Vassall in the Merchant Taylors match seven years later.

Then there was the rugged W J Carey, afterwards Bishop of Bloemfontein, whom Dasent described as “a very Dreadnought among forwards”. Carey was a Barbarian who played four years for Oxford University and toured South Africa with a British team in 1896. It was he who gave the Barbarians their famous, though somewhat ‘dated’ motto: “Rugby is a game for gentlemen of all classes, but never for a poor sportsman in any class.”

So much has already been written about those great three-quarters, Basil Maclear and H H Vassall, that we will merely remind our readers of Maclear’s goal-kicking in a match for the Old Bedfordians against the Old Paulines in 1907. The OB score was 12 goals, 1 try. Basil’s brother, Ronald, took the first kick, but failed to convert. Basil himself took the remaining twelve and converted them all, many from difficult angles. Concerning Vassall, we will only add that he was never on the losing side in any inter-school match during his three years in the XV (1903/4/5); nor did Oxford University lose against Cambridge in the three years that Vassall was an Oxford Blue, and of course, England won the only international match in which Vassall played!

Mention must also be made of the fleet-footed F G Brooks, a wing three-quarter who scored the only two tries for the South v the North in an England Trial match while he was still at school, and who even then was considered by Dasent to be the fastest man playing football. In 1906 he scored the only try for England in the drawn match against South Africa at the Crystal Palace.

The incredible S W Harris was of a rather later vintage. He not only played Rugby football for England and the British Lions, but also attained international standard in boxing, tennis and polo. Not content with this, he entered for the world amateur dancing championships and won the waltz section!

Bedford’s football reputation by no means rests upon the Dasent years. His success made the task of those who followed him more difficult, in that it led to imitation of his methods and more expert coaching at other school: but a high standard of coaching was maintained at Bedford and only two inter-school matches were lost under E L Chambers (one of Dasent’s Internationals), and only two were lost when T T Shaw was in charge in the late 1920’s. Many will also remember that H A Henderson’s period of coaching ended with a run of three seasons without defeat by any other school.

The good work was carried on by A I Dunn in the 1930’s. Then in 1939, under N E Browning and O V Bevan, came another great period of four consecutive years, which bears comparison with any similar period of the ‘golden era’. From 1939 to 1942, 24 inter-school matches were played; 23 of these were won and one drawn, although the fixture-list had now been strengthened by the inclusion of matches against such schools as Rugby and Uppingham.

These were the years that produced not only the celebrated half-back partnership of F M Fletcher and R H Haynes, but also the future international centre, L F L Oakley. It is worth recording that the redoubtable Leo Oakley twice scored eight tries in a school match; the first occasion was in the Uppingham match in 1941, and the second was against Stowe when he was captain in the following year. It is hardly surprising that with such a nucleus of talent available we were able to win the Public Schools Seven-a-Side Tournament for two years in succession.

A light-hearted but revealing comment on this period appeared in a letter from an Old Bedfordian in The Ousel in 1943. Writing from Glasgow University, where he was on a short war-time course, he said: “All the Cadets here are from English schools, and when they start talking rugger, the argument is always about which is the second-best rugger school. They never argue about the first; they just take it for granted!”

There can be little doubt that in the past the School used to take its football pretty seriously. Long after his coaching days were over, T T Shaw told the writer that he would never forget the atmosphere of tense expectancy throughout the School on those Saturday mornings when a home match against another school was due to be played in the afternoon.

In the early ‘80’s School rugby enjoyed something of a revival. Under the direction of A M Thorp and P D Briggs sides became renowned for their running rugby and adventurous style of play. In this period players of the calibre of England’s Martin Bayfield, England reserve Ian Peck, England Under 21 Simon Smith and ‘Blues’ Robert Heginbotham and Robin Boyd- Moss were nurtured. In the years 1980 and 1981 The School lost just twice in 18 matches.

In the long history of School, only five sides have managed the extraordinary feat of actually winning every match. Unbeaten seasons had occurred but the odd draw had blemished the perfect record. The 1941 XV were the first to go through a season beating all opposition. Under the captaincy of Murray Fletcher (future President of the OB Club) and with the support of players of the calibre of Leo Oakley and Tich Haynes this side swept all before them. It wasn’t until fifty years after Fletcher’s XV that the feat was equalled when Ben Wyer-Roberts’ 1991 XV went on to win every game. The late ‘80’s and early 90’s were, indeed, another golden era for rugby at the School. From 1989 until 1992 the School lost just 5 from 42 games with the aforementioned 1991 XV winning every game. This period included a run of over two calendar years without defeat.

In 2000 another totally victorious side emerged under the captaincy of Number 8, David Callam. The side included Schoolboy internationals Will Skinner, Nick Jones and Robert Graham of England, Marcus Leach of Wales and Callam of Scotland. Skinner and Callam went on to illustrious professional careers, with Callam playing for Scotland on 11 occasions and in addition was member of their 2007 World Cup squad. Skinner captained Harlequins for several seasons and played for England Saxons and an England XV. Both this side and the 1991 side were coached by G M K Fletcher who had himself played for the School in the early 70’s and went on to play for the English Public Schools, Bedford and the East Midlands. A key player of this era was scrum half Andy Gomarsall, who went on to gain 35 caps for England and played in the 2007 World Cup Final against South Africa, as well as for Bedford, Gloucester, Harlequins and the Barbarians. Gomarsall was one of the very first of the full-time professional players.

The 2008 season saw another vintage Bedford School side. Under the captaincy of James Ingle (an England schoolboy international who had played a huge part in the Under 15 Daily Mail Cup victory in 2006) the XV won all but one match. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons the School XV were defeated just once and in 2009, under the captaincy of Sam Farmer and coached by Barry Burgess and Ed Swanwick, the School repeated the feat of winning every match. This side played with flare and ambition at a time when turgid forward supremacy tended to provide the panacea for success in the schoolboy and professional game. A key member of this side was utility back Jamie Elliott (son of former 1^st XV player Rex) who became contracted to Northampton Saints whilst still at school and who represented England at Under 16, 18 and 20 Level. The school’s most recent full England international, George Furbank (son of OB Tim Furbank – 1^st XV in 1986-87), played for the XV under the captaincies of outstanding schoolboy players: Oliver Lyons (2013) and Paddy McDuell (2014). He was also an integral part of the squad that won the National Schools’ Sevens in 2014.

The 2015 season was arguably the greatest in school history. The XV became only the fifth team to win every game and also won the Champions Trophy (National Cup) with outstanding victories against Sedbergh (26-24) in the semi-final and Epsom (28-21) in the final at Allianz Park on 25^th November. The squad also reached the final of the National Schools’ Sevens, as well as winning several other tournaments. Three of this crop: George Cave, Fraser Dingwall and Fraser Strachan, played international at schoolboy level, with the two Fraser’s signing professional contracts with Northampton Saints, on leaving school. Fraser Dingwall played for England against France in the 2018, U20 World Cup Final a year young and captained the team in the same competition the following year. Boasting mixed heritage, he also played for Scotland at U18 and U16 as Captain. Dingwall has also been selected on numerous occasions for the full England squad, including the successful 2022 summer tour to Australia without gaining a cap (at the time of writing). Fraser Strachan played for England U18 and Scotland at U18 and U20 level. He is currently playing for Ampthill, in the English Championship.

In 2016, former Bedford Blues winger and Director of Rugby James Hinkins began his reign with the XV. Under Hinkins’ guidance and the superb captaincy of Dingwall, the team made the Champions Trophy final once again, only to lose out to a strong Tonbridge XV. This squad also made the semi-final of the National Sevens, after a hugely impressive run through the tournament. The last couple of seasons have been more of a challenge and the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the whole of the 2020 season, as well as the 2021 sevens campaign. In March 2023, the Under 15 squad won the prestigious John Pieroni tournament at Wimbledon College – a first for the school.

Overseas tours have become a regular part of the programme since the mid 1980’s, with large touring groups heading off to the far reaches of the world. The most adventurous of these trips was invariably the month long, 2000 tour to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. In 2007 the XV ventured to Chile and Argentina, for the first visit of the school to South America and most recently, Canada and the USA (2016) and Australia (2019 and 2023) have been the venue for these tours.

It was the comparatively lean years, however, which produced perhaps our greatest player, the incomparable D P (Budge) Rogers, OBE – holder of the England record of 34 caps, British Lion and Barbarian many times over, captain of England on several occasions and the first English player to be honoured by the Queen for his services to football. Budge went on too to be an England selector and then President of OB Club and President of the Rugby Football Union.

We have not space to do justice to “this quiet man of Bedford”, as he has been called, who has contributed so much to English international prestige. His rugby achievements are so well known that we will content ourselves with quoting Lord Wakefield’s tribute to the modes Budge: “There could not be a better guardian of our traditions on the field of play, nor a better exponent of the spirit and manner in which our game should be played.”

The Old Bedfordians Rugby Club ‘The Lizards’ R.U.F.C. was first formed in 1926 by the late W. W. S. Robertson, C.B.E. (15-25), N. R. Ramsay (14-25) and D. V. Bevan (14-25); and the first match played was against a Town XV on 29th December 1926. As there existed at the time the expression 'lounge lizards', these young O.B.s (who met at the Victory Tea Rooms run then in Lime Street by a Miss Willaume) decided to call the Club 'The Lizards'. Owen Bevan who played with his three brothers for the Club in 1927 remains to this day somewhat unhappy about the choice of name. The tie's blues, yellow and green represented the colours of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London, and the colour of the lizard. Horace Tebbs (13-24) designed the Lizard badge. In the pre-War years, the Lizards played against Bedford, Bedford Athletic, Rosslyn Park, Old Oundelians, Old Uppinghamians, Old Brightoni-ans, Woolwich Garrison, and there was also an Easter tour with matches against Long Buckby and Olney, the former started by the School R.S.M., Joe Blincow, who helped to keep the Club going for many years after the War. In more recent times there has been a continuation of annual match at Olney, as well as participation at the U21 ‘Cronk Cunis’ rugby tournament at Richmond Athletic Ground.

Altogether, the School has turned out 19 Internationals, 4 Lions, 32 Barbarians and 29 Blues. This list of Internationals would no doubt have been a longer one had not many of our best players, as Dasent pointed out long ago, gone abroad so soon after leaving school; but although only three Bedfordians since 1927 have found favour in the frosty eye of the Rugby Union Selection Committee, many have come close to international honours.

Among those who played in England Trial matches, many will remember R C Brumwell, W A Sime, O V Bevan and R H Hayens. In Irish Trials in the 1930’s we had T D Thevenard, E H Walshe and G O’B Power. Other notable players who will come readily to the minds of their own generations were F H X Gwynne and J C Seager, both Barbarians and captains of Blackheath; P J Lawless, captain of Richmond and a well-known Rugby correspondent of his day; J S Moll, who toured the Argentine with a British team in 1936; and outstanding schoolboy players such as R A V Berthed and Nigel Read of the 1920’s.

Browsing through old volumes of The Ousel, one is struck by the numerous sets of brothers who have played for the 1^st XV. The most famous of these were obviously C H & J G Milton, who both won caps for England; but the family record must surely be the five Cary Elwes brothers, for in the nineteenth century there was a Cary Elwes – sometimes two of them – in the team for eight successive years.

This account would be incomplete without some reference to three of our oldest school opponents, Dulwich, Haileybury and Oundle. We used to play Dulwich twice a year for many years and have now played over a hundred matches against them. We found them a difficult side to beat in the early days and again in recent years. For a long period Haileybury were our toughest foes; on no fewer than seven occasions between 1912 and 1934 they alone prevented us from achieving an unbeaten season as far as inter-school matches were concerned. At one time the school would take over 200 supporters to the fixture on the train. The Oundle match did not become a regular fixture until the First World War, although we played two matches against them in 1881. They were particularly formidable opponents under the inspired coaching of Frank Spragg during the 1950’s, for they appeared to have found the answer of problems created by ubiquitous wing-forwards at that time. In the case of all these three schools, it is satisfactory to note that we have been the victors more often than the vanquished. The statistically minded may be interested in the following summary of all matches played against other schools since the first match recorded in The Ousel in 1876:

Played 1096 Won 661 Lost 368 Drawn 67

Since 1881 there have been 32 seasons in which we have not lost an inter-school match.

This is not a bad record over such a long period and over the years the records show the cyclical nature of success and failure. In the last twenty or so seasons under Guy Fletcher with Barry Burgess (former Northampton Saints and British Universities fly-half) and then Barry Burgess and Chris Godwin the XV have had two spells where they have actually went unbeaten for 21 matches and for two calendar years. As stated in the Ousel of 25^th October 1911: “Our esteemed contemporary, The Bedfordshire Times, has filled a column, headed ‘They were Giants in those days’, with the achievements of our XV’s from 1904 to 1906. Certainly, Atkinson, Vassall, Carter, Gouldsbury and the rest brought fame to the School football. But these things move in cycles, and we feel sure that the old days will return.”

It is reassuring to see that most probably they have.

R G G Squibbs (OB, 16-22), G M K Fletcher (OB, 57-70), B J Burgess (95-**)

BEDFORD SCHOOL RUGBY FOOTBALL INTERNATIONALS

England

P Christopherson *C E L Hammond E L Chambers J G Cook

P G Jacob C H Milton H H Vassall L F L Oakley

J G Milton F G Brooks S W Harris *D P Rogers

M Bayfield A C T Gomarsall G A Furbank

Ireland

B A T McFarland *B Maclear

Wales

R Jones

Scotland

D A Callam

South Africa

George Fiennes Twistleton Crampton

*Sometime Captain