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The Malcolm Cup
Back Row: Paul Roche, John Thomas, Michael Daniels, David Bray, Colin Fairbrother (P.E.master),
Richard Williams, Alan Smith, Melvin Stonnard.
Middle Row: Bob Tipping , Stuart Wilkes, John Ellis, Peter Silvester, Douglas Allsopp, David Cadden, Peter Bray.
Front Row: Phil Saunders, Alan Thompson, John Grimes.
THE REUNION - 50 YEARS ON.
On the 13th April 2012 at Barker Butts Rugby Club nine former members of the team and three other school pupils and Mr. Fairbrother gathered to commemorate Copthorne's finest sporting achievement.
Alan Smith came from Canada, Melvin Stonard from Eastbourne, Rich Williams from Northampton.
Mr. Fairbrother now lives in Banbury. The rest still live in Warwickshire
Back row: John Thomas, Colin Faibrother, Richard Williams, Alan Smith, Melvin Stonard, Doug Allsopp
Middle row: Paul Sanders, Paul Freemantle, Pete Silvester, Dave Cadden, Chris Lamb
Front row: Mick Nind, Al Thompson
The Reunion's commemorative card featuring a photograph
taken of Mr. Fairbrother a few weeks earlier by Les Smithers.
Les has written the following about the card's production and his attendance at the reuninon:-
I was invited to attend, as a good friend of the winning team, I wanted to contribute towards the evening. So I tracked down Colin Fairbrother, whom I hadn't met for 48 years, with the excuse of taking his portrait for the evenings program. I instructed Colin not to shave prior to the shoot and to wear an old rugger shirt. I had already got in mind the copy that would be included in the shot, so I wanted that look of him casting his mind back to the 61/62 season. On getting the right shot, I designed an A2 poster complete with the retouched team shot and 'white space' where the attending team members could sign their autograph in respect for their old sports-master. Needless to say when I presented him with the poster, he was completely overwhelmed. As for me, forgetting all the 'celebs' that I've photographed during my career, I was so nervous of taking his portrait. For a start, I found it most strange to address him by his christian name, after knowing him as 'Sir' or 'Mr Fairbrother'. And secondly, I thought that if I cock this up then 'detention' would be looming again!
For the evening, I also designed an A4 card again with the team photograph on plus Colin's report of the game originally printed in the school magazine. This too had 'white space' where the lads could sign one-another's card as a memento of the reunion.
After winning the cup it was just a matter of the team being invited onto the school stage during morning assembly, and Mr. Hall proudly announced the victory — we clapped — they walked off and it was back to the normality of the day's lessons! So, it was only when listening to Mr Fairbrother's talk at the reunion that I learned how much work had gone in to achieving their victory - how he and the team had planned and prepared for each match. Each and every move that might have been met with on the pitch had been greatly rehearsed and choreographed, enabling the team to handle each situation they faced. Of course, on the day it wasn't that straightforward, but the team stayed cool and 'lifted the cup'. I must add that John(Tom) Thomas went on to represent his County as a hooker. Mr. Fairbrother has described him as being a "Prince amongst Hookers" the finest schoolboy hooker never to be honoured with an International Cap.
The overall feeling of the evening's event was that it was over far too quickly. We all enjoyed the reunion immensely.
(After leaving Copthorne Les went on to become an accomplished photographer.
His website - lessmithersphotography.com - is well worth a visit.)
Mr Fairbrother at the reunion talking to Doug Allsop
Mr Fairbrother has added these memories of his time at Copthorne and winning the cup:-
In July 1961 I approached the Coventry Education Committee in the guise of a Mr Stokehill who was the City’s Director of Physical Education to enquire if there was a P.E. Teaching vacancy in the City. After a short interval he responded that as luck would have it the P.E. Teacher at a small Secondary School called Copthorne, namely Des Lamb ( much later I discovered he was known to all and sundry as Daddy Lamb,and when I say later I mean 50 years later !!) had finally decide to ‘hang up his track suit’ and retreat to the classroom and teach geography for the remainder of his career. Would I like to take his place in the Copthorne gym? Naturally I jumped at the offer and on arrival on the first day of the Autumn Term discovered that ‘The Gym’ was in fact doubling up with the school hall but was blessed with an outstanding set of pitches amidst the most wonderful surroundings. On arrival Des requested that he be allowed to continue to coach the U-15’s rugby team and would I like to take over the coaching of the U-13’s squad who were in his words ‘a promising bunch of lads’,
The story of how that promising bunch of lads influenced the rest of my life in general and my teaching career in particular is well documented elsewhere, suffice it to say that the next eight months of working,training and bonding together which culminated in Peter Silvester climbing the victor’s steps at the iconic rugby stadium Coundon Road, Coventry, to receive ‘The Malcolm Cup’ having triumphed against some of the largest schools in the City was a life changing experience for me because it illustrated in bold relief that if a group of men can gather together with a belief and trust in one another and decide that they have a common goal, then nothing is impossible and anything is achievable.
But ,of course, my time at Copthorne was not just about rugby football. One of my first actions was to form an ‘Outdoor Activities Club’, camping gear was acquired and a small group ( including Christine my unsuspecting wife of a few months) ventured out to our first camping expedition to Corley Moor. This was followed at a later date to an extended camping trip to Lowsonford on the banks of the Oxford Canal, I recall that our camp was honoured by a visit by Mr and Mrs Hall who came down for Sunday Tea (of a sorts). The Outdoor Activities Club was also responsible for a coachload of Copthornians travelling to West Wales to scale the towering heights of Mt Snowdon with C.F. supposedly in charge but ably assisted by Charlie Evans and Jan Edwards. I hesitate to think what today’s ‘health and safety’ would have thought of that little venture!!
My time at Copthorne was also remarkable for the one and only time in my life that I organized a boxing tournament in the school hall. In came a full sized ring acquired by Mr Hall from one of his many contacts as he loved ‘The Noble Art’. It is with some guilt that I recall it was promoted as an Inter House competition, remarkable for the fact that no-one volunteered and every participant that climbed through the ropes was press ganged there by myself. I hang my head in shame.
In order to swell school funds, it is with much fondness, that I recall the Inter House lunch time competitions for headball and handball, one old penny entrance fee and screams of encouragement that I’m sure could have been heard in Broadgate. Happy days, happy memories, how grateful I am that my time at Copthorne from September 1961 to April 1963 was such rewarding one in so many ways. April 1963 saw me move from the City of my infant birth and nurture to take up a post as P.E. Master at Banbury Grammer School in the County of Oxfordshire, where I taught until 1971 at which time I left teaching to explore other avenues in life.
I would conclude by saying that Copthorne was very special to me as a school and perhaps more importantly it was special because of the people that made up the school, I’m sure that my feelings are shared by many as was evidenced by the wonderful turn out by members of that wonderful U-13 XV who turned out in force just recently to commemorate and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their historic victory against overwhelming odds to secure The Malcolm Cup for Copthorne School.
Les Smithers has also provided the following postscript
After that 'victorious victory' of the Malcolm Cup Tournament, several members of the Copthorne team continued with their love of the game. During the 1963/64 season, a few of the guys took part in the selection trial's for the Coventry Schoolboy's Team, held at the Radford Airdrome Sports-field complex. It was during these trials that John (Tom) Thomas was the only Copthorne player to be successful.
John continued with this success and represented his City, County and Region in being selected to play for Coventry, Warwickshire and the Midland's Team as their chosen Hooker. He also took part in the England Schoolboy Trials, where he played in all three games - one at the Citys' Coundon Road Stadium, one at the Glasshouse Lane ground in Kenilworth and the third, on a Sunday morning in Staffordshire. John did extremely well in all three trials and in fact was the only player to be mentioned by name in the Coventry Evening Telegraphs' Pink Edition. However, those times being a little 'stuffy' on appearance's - it was 1964 after all!, he was criticised for his 'Beatle type' hair style. For goodness sake, it must have been all but touching his shirt collar in length! But he was advised to 'Get Your Hair Cut Thomas!' by the selection team. Now John being 'John' as well as being in the throws of 'teenage hood' rebelled against this advice. Although beating all his opposing' hookers' during those trials and indeed scoring a try in the Coundon Road game, he was passed over. Who knows whatever the reasoning behind this decision was, it shouldn't take away the great achievement's that John had reached with his passion for the game of rugby football.
On being asked if he had any memento's of that era for this article, John explained to me that he had been given 'Ties and Blazer Badges' of all three teams that he'd represented, but unfortunately they had been mislaid or even thrown away over the years - 'nice one John!!'
Leslie Smithers. June 2012.
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