Dominic Weston and Philip Vale.

FIRST XI CRICKET

RESULTS

Played 7; Won 0; Lost 5 ; Drawn 2

A great season cannot be expected from such a young team as this was, particularly when practices and matches were so sharply curtailed by the weather. Too much of a burden fell on three bowlers: Cope, Jewison and Jones, and the batting lacked stability and depth. If no individual major innings was forthcoming, such as Ononye's at the Mount, a satisfactory total was impossible to achieve. It is very much to Cope's credit, and he must surely be the most youthful captain ever of a First team, that he maintained a good and cheerful spirit and contributed so keenly himself with bat and ball. Jewison is another all-rounder of considerable potential and a fine striker who, with a little more patience, could score a great many runs. It was a rare luxury to have more than one possible wicket-keeper in the team, but this was the case with Bermingham, who was anxious to break into the `bowler's union', and Elwood. The accurate slow left-arm of Jones was something we have not seen for a long time and, with a little more experience, he could be a highly capable bowler.

Full Colours were awarded to Bermingham and Jewison; Half Colours to Shibli. In Shibli and Cripps it looks as though there is a good contrasting opening pair for the future. Thanks are due to Corrigan as scorer and to the pavilion staff who in the event were not very busy in this somewhat reduced season.

Footnote:

During the course of Fr Pargeter's visitation of the parish, an elderly gentleman handed him an article on cricket which appeared in `The Staffordshire Weekly Sentinel' on 14th June, 1947.

It was written by `R W B' in true Cardus style and the writer had been watching cricket at Oakamoor for over fifty years. He wrote `Always in our ears was the ground bass of the Churnet's waters rumbling over the weir. Other sounds were there too: the trembling groan of water wheel and rollers, the hiss of steam and the clang of great tubes dropped upon iron floors in Bolton's copper works'.

He then went on to the cricketers themselves: `The magic names of polished players from Cotton College, priests and masters, are graven on the marble floor of memory. We urchins imagined they muttered Latin as they took guard, but their play was a living language. There were the Emerys dark and fair; Father McCarthy of the flaming hair; and the devastating Father De Capitain who once lofted a ball over field and river high on to the hanging hill beyond. A stone should have been set up to mark where the meteor came to earth. Cricketers all!'

JUDO

I should like to start by dealing with the merits of Judo. It is an ideal activity for just about everyone. It is not only a fighting sport, which therefore instils initiative and selfconfidence, but is also a first-class exercise for fitness. It comes as a surprise to many people that there are very few injuries compared to those of an average football team. In fact the word `Judo' means `The Gentle Way'.

One of the first skills learned is the breakfall (ukemi)
where we learn to fall without being hurt. The founder of