by C. R. Ponter (HCS 1941-48)
I was interested in the contribution made by Dennis Orme on the Cross Country Club and its history as I was part of the great run of success the school team enjoyed between 1947/ 48. At that time the home course was run around the boundary of the old golf course at Northwick Park (before the Hospital was built there ) - starting opposite ' The Ducker' on the old Sheepcote Road - and heading towards the far boundary with the Met .railway line. Twice round seemed a long three and a half miles! For those of us not burly enough to get into the form/school rugby sides, this outlet gave us the opportunity to represent the School with some success.
To fill out some of the names involved in cross country in 1946/47/48 . the winning teams were
Dec.1946
N.W.Middx Grammar Schools Champs @ Harrow Weald -- H.C.S.
First out of 23 teams
( A.Wise 1st : N.Pedel 6th :
R.Coffin 7th : C. Ponter 9th )
Mar 1947
Highgate Harriers Cup @ Parliament Hill Fields, Hampstead
- H.C.S. First out of 21 teams
( A.Wise 3rd
: N. Pedel 14th ; R.Coffin 15th : C. Ponter 16th )
Mar 1947
Middx. Grammar Schools Champs. @ Michenden School - H.C.S.
First out of 23 teams
( A. Wise 3rd : N. Pedel 10th : C.Ponter 12th :
R. Coffin 13th ; K. Sindall 22nd : R. Beishon 48th )
Dec.1947
Middx Youths Champs. @ Whetstone - H.C.S 5th out
of 13 clubs and schools
( A.Wise 6th : R. Hurd 19th : Larcombe 27th
)
Feb. 1948
N.W.Middx Grammar Schools Champs. @ Northwick Park - H.C.S.
First out of 9 teams
( B. Southwell 3rd : C.Ponter 4th : R. Newman 5th
; D. Hurd 11th : D. Lawson 17th : E.A.Heslop 23rd )
Feb. 1948
Ranelagh Trophy @ Petersham, Richmond -- H.C.S. First
out of 14 teams
( B. Southwell 10th : C. Ponter
11th : D. Hurd 22nd : D. Lawson 23rd )
Mar 1948 Highgate
Harriers Cup @ Hampstead -- H.C.S. First out of 14
teams
( B. Southwell 1st : D. Hurd 7th : C. Ponter
12th : R. Beishon 15th )
Mar 1948
Middx. Grammar Schools Champs. @ Northwick Park
H.C.S. First out of 27 teams
( C. Ponter 9th : E.A. Heslop 17th : B.Southwell 23rd :
D. Hurd 25th : R.Newman 33rd : D.Lawson 34th )
During the summer of 1948 this winning team disbanded, but we had put the School on the map !
Christopher R. Ponter ( 1941/48 )