Douai Crest


DOUAI Rugby 1940 to 1949

1940-1941

P 13 W 5 D 0 L 8 F 141 A 257
The 1940 team was disappointing after the success of the previous three seasons. There were only three regular members of the previous team, with the result that the team was young and inexperienced, and there was unfortunately little back up, as the reserves came to the fore.
The forwards did their best, with H Richardson and P Cunningham, but they were regularly pushed off the ball, so D Scratton, at scrum half, had mostly bad ball to deal with.
B H Richardson, Capt., did his best, and, in fact, the last five games were won, and the last one lost by a point, and this was much to his credit. His sound play and inspiring leadership were largely responsible for some very creditable performances.
Colours were awarded to D Scratton, H Richardson and P Cunningham.

There are no details about the match with the Old Dowegians, or even if one took place. Most of the young men were fighting for their country by this time, so one presumes it was cancelled.

School: Le Bozec; G Allport, J Coombes, E Howard, M Gregory; B Richardson, Capt., D Scratton; H Richardson, P Cunningham, I McClement, A Coulthard, A Polimeni, P Gregory, J Kendal, M Blackmon.

Unfortunately the team photograph got lost on the way to the printers, so there is nothing to record this team.

1941-1942
P W D L F A
1941 season was a very poor one, the School meeting with no success. Youth and inexperience were the given reasons, but there was only one person who had been a regular in a previous team. However, the side never gave up, and every player fought to the death, but it was not easy when you are continually over-powered. M A Gregory, Capt. carried out his task to the best of his ability, and 1941 gave us the rare opportunity of showing we could be good losers - a useful and salutary experience.
As a result of the economy of paper, the usual matches and results are omitted.

School: L Bozec; J Shaw, P Hall, A Wemaere, A Cartledge; N Doherty, B Bland; H Ivens, J McPherson, G Howe, D Peacock, J Kendal, J Carreras, G Smith

1942-1943

P 10 W 3 D 2 L 5 F 57 A 117
The 1942-43 season can hardly be called a successful one, as a glance at the results will show. With more than half of last year's team still available, there seemed every good reason for an expectance of great things, but hopes were not fulfilled. There were signs of a fault quite new to a Douai team - a lack of stamina. In the last few moments of the Beaumont match, they put on twenty five points! One of the difficulties was in not being able to find a scrum half!
J F Shaw, Capt., had a most difficult task - he led his team well, and he was a tower of strength on and off the field. His defensive play was magnificent, although an injury to his ankle made life extremely difficult.
Fr Vincent Deane took over the coaching of the team, but without the seconds pressing from behind, as they were all youngsters, the coach is expected to put the work in for the following season.

School team: G Taylor; A Cooper, J Cartledge, J Mills, M Le Bozec; J F Shaw,Capt., A Wemaere; J Carreras, G Ivens, J Branson, J Kendal, B Tudgay, E Fielding, P Healy, R Berry.

1943-1944



P 15 W 5 D 1 L 9 F 166 A 185
In spite of the difficulties of travel in war-time, the 1st XV had a fairly full fixture list. It was pleasant to recall the resumption of matches with Clayesmore, Magdalen College School, Eton College, and Oratory, and the welcome fixture with Eastbourne took one back some years. Whilst these results cannot be regarded as satisfactory, the XV also felt they should have done better. There was no lack of keenness, and the team are to be congratulated on the spirit that carried them through a succession of failures to ultimate success.
The forwards, thanks to B Tudgays' hooking, always gained a fair share of the ball. But their work in the loose was too slow, which made it hard work for the stand-in scrum half, P G Taylor. M Burke-Gaffney was dangerous near the line, and also in defence. P Healy showed much promise, while D J McPherson was a solid scrummager, and did some useful work in the lineouts.
The backs, however, did not assist themselves. J F Shaw defended well, and A Cartledge was at times devastating, but there were more lapses in defence than is usual for a Douai side. C M Vis acquitted himself well, and was helped on occasion by J Mills, who also kicked the goals.

Colours were awarded to J F Shaw, Capt., B Tudgay, D J McPherson, A B Cartledge, and P G Taylor.

School team: J A Waller; F Connolly, J F Shaw, Capt., A B Cartledge, C M Vis; J Mills, P G Taylor; J W Davis, J F Murphy, M A Burke-Gaffney, P M Healy, D N Inkson, D J McPherson, B A Tudgay, N C Lowenstein, P E Hoogewerf. The following also played - T E O'Donoghue, J A Cuddon, P M Epstein, M C Wall, J F Waller, J Elliott.


1944-1945

P 18 W 12 D 0 L 6 F 264 A 158
By normal standards, this would be a good team. The results are good, and several Schools were beaten. There was an upbeat mood at the School, both as the war was over, and the fact that the XV were winning matches.
Your Spectator makes a big plea to the 'rugger dodgers' to get off their back sides and join the fun!
Matches against St Paul's, Newbury Grammar, Oratory, Pangbourne, Magdalene College School, Wimbledon College, Reading, and several men's teams were all won, to make up the 12 wins. Losing matches were against Leighton Park, Eastbourne, Reading (away), St Edmund's Ware and Emmanuel College.
The benefit of teamwork was in the pack, where J F Waller's hooking was excellent, and the art of wheeling was good to behold. It was always the probability that M Burke-Gaffney would get the touch down, but inevitably the ref was unsighted! Roll on a slow motion camera!

The backs were not so lucky, led by F Connolly, and it was your spectator's view that more points could have been put on the board with a bit more care. And possibly J A Waller's kicks could have gone over, - even though he did many good things. With F Connolly, C M Vis and J A Waller's talents they would have been first class, but the problem was always the scrum half, both candidates of whom were young and inexperienced. The full back position became B T Livesey's, (later the famous Fr Wulstan), when he was finally given a run.

In the forwards there was solidity, with N Lowenstein propping J F Waller, P G Hoogewerf in the second row, and P M Healy. Capt., in the No 8 position. These players were outstanding, and their binding ensured a tight and extremely well knit scrum.

Colours were awarded to P M Healy, F Connolly, P E Hoogewerf, J A Waller and N C Lowenstein.

School team: B T Livesey; M Stokes, F Connolly, C M Vis, P M Epstein; J A Waller, H Gordon or J D Fitzgerald; M A Burke-Gaffney, P M Healy Capt., J A Cuddon, P E Hoogewerf, T E O'Donoghue, N C Lowenstein, J F Waller, P M de Souza.


1945-1946

P 12 W 7 D 0 L 5 F 219 A 116
The 45-46 team was classed as 'fairly good', and carried us a considerable step from the trough of a few seasons ago. The team spirit was good and improved, and the empathy between forwards and backs developed markedly. P Hoogewerf, Capt., was indefatigable, and found J Cuddon a staunch ally. He, Cuddon, rose well to responsibility, and with John Waller hooking consistently well, bending inches lower than his opposite number, these three were the lynchpins of a good scrum. J Priest was also always in the mix, but M Burke-Gaffney, also in his third year, seemed to rest on his laurels.
The half backs were the problem. H Gordon and D J Fitzgerald tried hard, but neither were able to get the most out of Jas A Waller, also in his third season. He was the spearhead, and with C M Vis, (another in his third year), gave of his best to the last ounce in every match. J Elliott at full back, showed occasional flashes of real rugger sense, although his positioning was often faulty.
Colours were awarded to J A Cuddon and C M Vis.
The match against the Old Dowegians was revived this year, and it was great to see a player like R M Cooper take the fly half role. The School lost the match 3 - 11, against a strong team.
Old Dowegians: G Allport; R Venn, M F Coombes, C A Nicoll, M Petrocelli; R M Cooper, Br Brendan Doherty; N Lowenstein, J Kyndt, P Hall, M Gregory, P A Cunningham, P Healy, J Carreras, Fr Paulinus Cunningham.

School: J Elliott; J Nolan, J A Waller, C M Vis, J Nowak; D Fitzgerald, H Gordon; P Hoogewerf, J F Waller, P de Souza, J Cuddon, R Butler, M Burke-Gaffney, M Stokes.


1946-1947

Standing; J. Nolan, M. Blower, J. Wall, P. Berry, J. Bystram, J. Kavanagh, J. Murray, J. Nowak.
Seated; J. Priest, M. Stokes, J.A. Cuddon (capt), J..F. Waller, J. Elliott.
Front; J. Cloherty, R. Gunn.


P W D L F A

This season suggested that the team had reverted back to the war-time days. Defeats easily outnumbered wins, but the interest in the game had not gone away, and the efforts of the team were always positive. Nevertheless, -'bad tackling', -'faulty handling' and -'wild passing' were the order of the day, and although they can be exaggerated, they could have turned the scales against us. J A Cuddon was a somewhat morose Captain, but well up in the league of Douai Captains.
Our forwards were good at getting the ball back, by dint of J F Wallers efforts, but once it was there, usually slowly, our opponents swept down on us and it was the full back who received the most attention. The slowness of the backs could not be remedied and we expected to suffer from it.

The Old Dowegians turned up in force, even able to field two teams on this occasion, and their size and strength were too strong for the School, and the result was 6 - 30.
Old Dowegian: W H Devitt; Rev A Stickland, F J Williams, J A Waller, P Epstein; C A Nicoll, D A Blake; J Rowley, P A Cunningham, W Morris, D A Wynter, Rev P Cunningham, Rev N Bill, M Polimeni, L Gunter.

School: J Elliott; J Nolan, M Stokes, R Gunn, J Nowak; M Blower, J Cloherty; J Wall, P Berry, K Bystram, J Kavanagh, J Murray, J Priest, , J A Cuddon, Capt., J F Waller.
There is no breakdown of the team, by position, (or of their record), so the correspondent has endeavoured to memorise the positions - probably inaccurately!


1947-1948

P 16 W 3 D 0 L 13 F 98 A 321
P Berry's team had the worst record of any Douai team since the School started Rugby. But there were many beatings by men, rather than boys. They did lose most of their matches against Schools, just, but against RAF teams of varying ability, and a very strong Old Boys team, it seemed unfair to blame them. P Berry was a solid skipper who endeavoured to rally his troops, on all occasions, so all was not lost. In the appalling winter of that era, several games had to be played on the Monastery pitches, and that did nothing to make things easier.
However, there were glimpses of Rugby yet to come.
Colours were awarded to P Berry, Capt., and K Bystram.

The game against the Old Dowegians turned into a rout, the School losing 3 - 53. It was a strong side to put out against the School, with J F Waller taking most of the put-ins, and depriving the School of any line-out ball.
Old Dowegians: M Le Bozec; P Brett, J A Waller, M Coombes, J F Shaw; F Williams, D Blake; J Priest, P Moyes, J F Waller, M Polimeni, P Hoogewerf, Rev P Cunningham, D Wynter, M Gregory.

School (in no particular order): P Berry, Capt., P Spence, K Bystram, R Gunn, P Murray, P Kavanagh, J Fripp, M McHugh, C Swinhoe, C Smith, P Bagnall, H Hawkes, M O'Connor, J Cautley, P Pryer, K Guminski, J Burke-Gaffney, M O'Connell, and S Page.


1948-1949

P 15 W 4 D 0 L 11 F 89 A 151
As the results show, this team did not enjoy a successful season. The extreme youth, and inexperience of the side, as well as the numbers of boys available, always meant a severe disadvantage against bigger Schools. They played, however, with admirable spirit, under C E Swinhoe's leadership, and showed signs for the future.
J Burke-Gaffney, and D Ruane were to be commended for the way they improved, R S Evans has natural ability, and P Halligan, at fly half, has a great pair of hands. His scrum half, K Murphy-O'Connor, gave a good service, and he was extremely plucky.
In the forwards, M Flint, E Horgan and W Duckney gained a lot of ball, whilst D Ely and T Price in the second row gave steady service. B Wall and S O'Connell got through a lot of covering work.
Colours were awarded to C E Swinhoe, Capt. and B Wall.

In the Public Schools Sevens series at Richmond, the side, after much sifting and shifting, was picked, and after beating St Dunstans, went down in the next round to Haileybury & ISC.
The team was - Wall, Horgan, Duckney, O'Brien, Evans, Burke-Gaffney and Ruane.

School team: C E Swinhoe; R S Evans, P Halligan, M J Burke-Gaffney, D Ruane; B J McKiernan, K J Murphy-O'Connor; M Flint, E Horgan, W Duckney, T Price, D Ely, M A Kelly, S O'Connell, B I P Wall.


1949-1950


P 17 W 11 D 2 L 4 F 225 A 100

The 1949-50 XV finished with a creditable balance of victories. Even so, the figures are slightly flattering, as the results against other schools were a bit more even. We played 12 matches against Schools, winning six, two were drawn and four were lost, but overall, the results were gratifying, and show that we are well out of the doldrums of recent years.
Fr Vincent continued in charge, and his nack of getting better coaching for the Juniors was now paying off. Ditcham was also having its effect on the team, as there was a greater choice available to the master in charge.
W P Duckney was described as an efficient Captain, who led more by example than by word of mouth. He, with E Horgan and M Flint were a solid front line, and, with the remaining forwards, achieved more than their fair share of ball.
K O'Connor was an excellent scrum half, throwing out a long ball to his fly half, P Halligan, who caught everything, high and low, in front or behind, until O'Connor had an injury to his hand, when it all came to a halt.
The other prolific scorer was D Ruane, who combined well with R S Evans, with C Thorne in the centre between them. M Randle tackled in deadly style, and ran hard, - when he caught it! At full back, D Barter, was plucky in spite of many hard knocks. However, there was a need for a kicker, and points continued to be lost because of the lack of the man with the boot!
Colours were awarded to W P Duckney, Capt., E Horgan, M Flint, A Simpson, M Kelly, D Ruane and P Halligan.

The game against the Old Boys was won, for the first time in twelve years, by 9 - 8, against a strong team. The account of the match was lost, but the result remained.

School: D Barter; D Ruane, C Thorne, M D O'Brien, R S Evans; P Halligan, K O'Connor; W P Duckney, Capt., E Horgan, M Flint, A Simpson, A de Groot, T J McCarthy, B I Wall, M Kelly.