Rhubarb 2020

ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

MARTYRS – LADIES SPORT & TRIATHLONS WELCOME TO THE MARTYRS By Simon Talbot-Williams, (A, 1974-1979) President

M A R T Y R S

The Martyrs is the sporting heart of St Edward’s School Society (OSE). All sports teams representing St Edward’s alumni are known as Martyrs. Founded in 1926, Martyrs occasions, fixtures and events are opportunities for all OSE to rekindle the Corinthian spirit and fun which they first experienced when playing sport at St Edward’s. ‘Reps’ organise these matches and events for a wide range of sports throughout the year. Many are held at Teddies or at venues in London, though we do travel further afield; travelling to the UAE to participate in the Dubai Rugby 7s in 2011, whilst the wheels are in motion for a Cricket tour to East Sussex in May/June 2021. We have an enormous pool to serve but this is never an issue as OSE are welcome to participate at any stage in their lives. Either talent, enthusiasm or both are prerequisites to represent the Martyrs so please do get in touch if you wish to get involved or are keen to set up a new sport section. The Society supports the Martyrs both with subsidies and playing kit, to make it as easy as possible for OSE to turn up and participate, whilst also providing post- match refreshments in the Martyrs Pavilion for events held at Teddies. Over the next few pages you can read about the different sports available – do go to Alumnet (get.alumnet.social/stedwardsoxford ) to find out more and get in touch with the Reps or myself.

Committee: President: Simon Talbot-Williams Vice-President: Peter Swainson Honorary Secretary: Hugo McNeile Honorary Treasurer: Simon Smith

St Edward’s Martyrs in the Cricketer Cup 1969-2019

by Julian Lawton Smith (E, 1967-1971) To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Martyrs participation in the Cricketer Cup in 2019, I have produced a book which records each of their 82 matches. As well as including a scorecard of each match, I have attempted to capture the spirit of the competition through recollections and anecdotes from those who played. To that end I am very grateful to those who trawled their memories to provide stories

standard of cricket while also enjoying friendships made in this team environment. A total of 130 players have represented the Martyrs in the Cup although many of these made but a few appearances. Families are well represented as there are three who have provided a father and son(s) and a further six yielding combinations of brothers who have played, including three Suttons. The book also contains a records section that lists such items as highest run scorers (Simon Smith), leading wicket-takers (Hugh Rogers), and

to complement the match reports. Readers may therefore find anecdotes such as that related by one who now signs himself as ‘VVK’, and who dropped out of a match on the morning of the game as he was in a police cell! The Cricketer Cup has always held a certain aura for me. This prestige competition for public school old boy teams started in 1967 with 16 teams and St Edward’s joined in the next and final tranche of schools in 1969 taking the total to 32. I was fortunate to be selected to play for the Martyrs the year after I left school, in 1972. My second match was against the Old Tonbridgians on Upper 1 and their side included the legendary England Test cricketer Colin Cowdrey. While he remains our most illustrious opponent, we have played against several other former Test and first-class cricketers in the following decades. The competition has therefore provided the opportunity for Martyrs to play a high

the best and worst team performances. Despite turning out some strong Martyrs sides, sadly we have never progressed past the Quarter-Finals of the competition. The loss on the toss of a coin against the Old Wellingtonians in 1980 has been the most frustrating. Thanks to the efforts of Simon Talbot-Williams and Peter Swainson, Martyrs cricket continues to thrive and we enter the Cup each year with eager anticipation. Due to the Coronavirus the competition has been cancelled for 2020 but should resume in 2021. We have a young and talented squad, several of whom are contracted to first-class counties, and we remain optimistic about progressing further in the competition in the years to come. Copies of the book can be obtained from the OSE Office for £10 + £1.50 p&p.

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