1964

If the number of school records broken is any indication, the school undoubtedly had a successful season, although in inter-school competition, it was, perhaps, not up to the very high standard of last year. These continued successes were, in part, the direct results of much hard work during the previous winter, especially in respect of cross-country. Indeed, the sooner the school realises that athletes are made during the winter (and that there is far more to athletics than a pleasant summer recreation) the quicker will rise the general standard of athletics within the school. In reply to anguished cries of protest from sprinters, I would merely ask how many of them can last a quarter-mile, or even a 220 without coasting at some stages. For field-events men, this is the time to build up strength, not during the season, at the expense of speed.
With both the Campbell Trophy and the Russell Cup competitions hotly pursuing the Easter holidays, a triangular match with Buckhurst Hill and Hackney Downs was arranged as a warm up. Winning both the senior and junior competitions and coming second in the intermediate age-group, the school won convincingly overall.
The benefit of this match was realised in the later competitions: in the Campbell Trophy, the school finished equal second, a long way behind Leyton, while in the Russell Cup we came third, again to Leyton, with Beal second. The stars of the former competition were the winning senior mile medley (i.e. 220, 220, 440, 880) team in which A.I.Miller took over in the lead and managed to hold off Essex Schools' Champion, M. Green (Chingford), over the last half-mile. The "Russell" served to illustrate not so much the few outstanding competitors, but rather, the great depth of athletic ability in the school.
As we have come to expect, the school did well in the final Walthamstow Schools' Sports, the intermediates being placed second behind William Morris, while the juniors carried off two cups, which augurs well for the future. Nineteen athletes from the school represented Walthamstow in the Essex Schools' Championships. Worthy of mention in respect of this competition are two pole-vaulters, Clark and Glyde, the former winning the junior competition and the latter raising the external school record to 10' 3"; Murphy excelled in the junior mile in which he came third with a time of 4 minutes 59.9 seconds.
This year, the school had a much fuller athletics programme which included several late-season matches; a pentathlon with Ilford and Buckhurst Hill resulted in our taking third place, R.Jolly claiming the individual honours in second position; the Wadham Trophy, a great test of a school's depth, returned to Monoux on this occasion defying the attempts of both Leyton and William Morris; a junior triangular match against William Morris and George Mitchell confirmed the result of the Walthamstow Schools' competition with a win for the school.
The Bickersteth Cup competition, rather later in the season than usual, again found Glyde in excellent form. He won the pole-vault competition with a vault of 10' 6", three inches higher than his previous school record, and helped the school to finish in fourth place, out of nine schools.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking, on behalf of the team, all masters who officiated at home matches, especially Mr. Crispin and Mr. Lord, who so generously gave of their spare time organise the school's athletics meetings.
Full Colours have been awarded to: Bryson, Clyde, Jackson , and R.N.Johnson, and re-awarded to A.I.Miller.
R. N. Johnson, 6A Sci.