Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe - Rugby 2nd XV, 1961/62
Back row (left to right): SW (Bill) Bunce, MPA (Sol) Solomon), Ian Sifton, RHE ("Bone") Ham, Chris Brown, CG ("Rer") Rogers, John Arthur Davies, JL Newman.
Middle row (left to right): Simon Fone, DR (Dan) Ferguson?, Martin Malec, RM ("Eggy") Layton, Robert ("Gaffer") Fountain, JM ("Taff") Davies, AN (Nick) Brandes.
Front row (left to right): Ian Whitwham, David "Tich" Orchard.
Can you help to identify members of the 1962 RGS rugby 2nd XV, pictured above? If you think you can, please email me. If you click here, you should be able to see reference numbers magically appear against each person in the photo (click here to switch it off again). Then all you have to do is tell me the boy's reference number and whom you think they are. Email
Nicholas Brandes very kindly sent this photo in. He wrote nicknames on the back of the photo many years ago but after the passage of time cannot remember all the real names of the boys. Here are the nicknames:
Back row l to r: Bill, Sol (Michael Solomon), Ian (Ian Sifton), Bone, Chris, Rer, John Arthur, Newman
Front row l to r: Si (Simon Fone), Dan, Malec, Eggy, Gaffer, Taff, Nick (Nicholas Brandes)
Sitting l to r: Wham (Ian Whitwham), Titch (David Orchard)
Using their formal names, and adding others subsequently identified, we now have
Back row l to r: SW Bunce? (6C2) , MPA Solomon (5UA), IA Sifton (6S1), RHE Ham (6S1), CP (Chris) Brown (6M2), CG (Chris) Rogers? (6T1), JA Davies? (6T1), JL Newman (5US)
Front row l to r: S Fone (6T1), (I think this is Dan Ferguson?), MJ Malec (5UY), RM Layton (6M2), R Fountain (6S1), JM Davies (6S2), AN Brandes (6S1)
On ground l to r: IRW Whitwham (6M2), DG Orchard (6S1)
From The Wycombiensian, May 1962, p296
2nd XV: Played 19, Won 10, Drawn 1, Lost 8, Points for 208, against 154
The 2nd XV this year had a highly successful season. Apart from a bad period in October, when the team was disorganised by changes in the 1st XV, it maintained an almost consistent winning sequence.
Though in most cases the side was smaller than its opponents, it relied for its success on the teamwork of a very powerful scrum which was usually master of the tight and energetic in the loose. The front row, in particular, of C. G. Rogers, S. W. Bunce and J. A. Davies, was outstanding. Nevertheless, the backbone of the forward unit lay in the unceasingly hard-working second row of R. T. Summerton, who had several good games for the 1st XV, and R. H. E. Ham. The marked improvement of the latter should make him a future candidate for the 1st XV. The back row of C. P. Brown, who seems to have found his best position at wing-forward, R. Fountain and J. M. Davies, was very efficient in covering and annulling enemy attacks.
In spite of the harassing reorganisation in October the back division played consistently as a unit. The experienced I. R. W. Whitwham and the deceptive M. P. A. Solomon, who had an incredible eye for openings, at half-back, combined with two hard-running centres in M. J. Malec and A. N. Brandes, provided a penetrating attack. Consequently the speedy wingers, R. M. Layton, the captain of the side, and D. R. Ferguson, were given frequent scoring opportunities which they endeavoured to take. Finally, D. G. Orchard developed into a most reliable full-back. Of the others who played, I. A. Sifton proved an excellent place kicker.
Although the team recorded notable victories over Windsor G.S., City of Oxford and Abingdon School, perhaps the final victory over Northampton G.S. and the hard-earned draw with Hitchin Grammar School were the most satisfying.
The following were regular members of the team :-
Old Colours: Brown C.P., Fone S., Layton R. M., Rogers C. G., and Whitwham I. R. W.
New Colours: Brandes A. N., Bunce S. W., Davies J. A., Davies J. M., Fountain R., Ham R. H. E., Malec M. J., Orchard D. G., Solomon M. P. A., and Summerton R. T.
Others who played: Ferguson, Jarvis, Newman and Sifton.
Nick Brandes tells me he was from Chalfont St Peter, was at the RGS from 56 to 63, then went to University College London and now lives in Washington DC.