1935-1936 ANECDOTES

1935-1936 ANECDOTES

HOME GROWN PRODUCE
24/8/1935 Announcement that Combination Chairman, Mr. W T Davis had retired after 15 years service. At the same meeting he was elected to Life Membership in recognition of his services.
Dr. Scott Reid spoke of the desirability of recruiting Bath Club players from the Combination and preferably Bath born players
Among the talent on view was K J Foss, of Clifton and Gloucester County, and Frankcom, a full back, who used to be with Bath Extras, but subsequently took up soccer with Southstoke.
Retirements included: – Bill Barber and Dr. J G Mackay (now on Committee), Jack Williams and Charlie Gough.
Provisional Trial Teams were: – S Archard, L Matthews, J Windridge (South African), R James, W Hancock, C Gough, G Parfitt, A R Smith (Chippenham), A Ash, L Phillips, L Moore, T Wilkins, F Samborne (Sandhurst), A Francis, L Wiggins (Keynsham and Cotham Park).
C Frankcom, D Whiting, A Merrett, R P Royle, D C Royle (Melksham), K Turner, J Bowen, D Wilson, H Oak, A Weeks, R Foss (Clifton), D Campbell, W Parfitt, E Holmes and H Davis.
Also R Weiss, J C Catesby, E Hughes, N Thomas, G Foster and W Hollingdale.

12/9/35 v Swansea, Home. Lost 0-9. Team R W James, L D Wardle, A E Merrett, R A Gerrard, L G Matthews, K O Turner, H Davis, D Wilson, H Oak, A Weeks, K G Foss, L W Moore, P Moon, L Wiggins and A Francis.

TANNER AND DAVIES v BATH
Swansea included the brilliant young half-back combination of Haydn Tanner and W T H Davies, both destined to serve Wales so well. The whole of the Swansea play was centred around these two elusive youngsters. By comparison, the Bath halves had an indifferent game, but to be fair, they were given little chance behind a pack, which was out-weighted and out-manoeuvred. It was hard to imagine a more difficult game with which to open the season. “Beaten in front, beaten in mid-field, what chance did the home three-quarters have?”
“The try Swansea did score through Davies, the youthful stand-off half, would have puzzled any defence to prevent. His ‘will-0′-the wisp’ course from a close-in scrum took him swerving and feinting past one obstacle and then another, and defenders were pawing in the air, without so much as a finger being put on him.
This was at the end of 22 minutes of the first half, and, as the try was right behind the posts, Harris had no difficulty in converting.
It was as it should be that the other half, Tanner, who is as wily as he is young, should supply the other score five minutes from the end. A quick service, a pretence to pass, a sudden change of direction, a drop at goal, and the ball was travelling over the bar.
It was all part of the quick-wittedness, which the pair displayed throughout. They did the unexpected, and were the real and effective pivot of the side. They have the skill of veterans and the speedy mind of youth.
A brilliant combination, and a crowd of three thousand, enjoyed their exhibition, even if it were at the expense of their own players, and gave them a full mead of vocal praise for their mastery of the finer art of the game.”
For Bath, Kenneth Foss was: “a tremendous worker in tight and loose, and he and Weeks never spared themselves for a single ‘breather.” James put in a competent performance at full-back. Peter Moon was the pick of the back row.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – ABSENCE OF TEAMWORK
There was continued criticism in the local Press, and one writer insisted that the main problem was lack of teamwork. He highlighted the problem of the: “No play away disease,” in that certain players continually made themselves unavailable for ‘out trips.’
It was felt that the policy should be ‘Bath Rugby for Bath players.’ The writer was fed up with the pre-season anticipation of new players from outside sources: “Bath are going to have one or two first-rate players this season, so they say. There is So-in-So from the Air Force, someone else from the depot of some regiment in the wilds, and so on. The season starts, and occasionally, when available, these gentlemen are introduced, only to upset ‘team work”

MANCOM 30/9/1935
Congratulations to R A Gerrard on his engagement to Miss Molly J Taylor, daughter of A J Taylor (Committeeman and prominent Bath Architect)
Weston-s-Mare denied renewal of fixtures.

HEADLINE- BIG CROWD WITNESS GRIM STRUGGLE – A selection of match comments:
“The game was fast, keen, hard determined, and Bath battled grimly.” “Gough was playing well and nursed the team with strategic kicks……”
“It was, of course, a battle between the forwards, and Bath stood up splendidly to Bristol’s solid and workmanlike lot.” “It was a stern encounter, if with little outside play, and 8000 people got their thrills out of it.” “Bath, by the way, have not marked better, nor tackled with finer determination, this season.
Bristol tried to come through twice with their feet, but Bath were in fighting form and more than held their own. The battle was sterner than ever, and Bristol supporters were getting anxious at the state of the score sheet.”
“Excitement was higher than ever as both sides fought for victory; but neither could do it.”

GOSSIP
After the match, the Referee came to the dressing room, carrying a blood-stained handkerchief.
“Who gave me this tooth on the field? ” he asked.
One player, who shall be nameless, had obviously saved on his dentist’s bill!

28/12/ 1935

WHERE WAS THE MASCOT?
THE DOLL COULD NOT BE FOUND
THAT WELSH WIN
“This week I shall begin by talking about canned beer, and not rugby football. Canned beer is news- general news; but there is a rugger angle.
The Bath Football Club have a can in their possession, but it is only an exhibition specimen, so teetotallers need not write that this is a boost for the ‘national beverage.’
The can was presented to Bath on their visit to Llanelly last Saturday-Welsh beer in Welsh tinplate! It is to be kept as a souvenir of their visit like the mascot that was presented to Eddie Simpkins years ago now.
The canning of beer may revolutionise an industry. The can is home produced by Llanelly, and so are the contents. It looks like a tin of metal polish-about the same shape and size. So it must not be left anywhere in reach of a maid servant, lest she try it on the brasses.
At Llanelly we missed the mascot- the doll draped in the colours of the club. Years ago it was presented to the Bath Club in the Salutation Inn, the headquarters of the Llanelly Rugby Club, and at each game ever since has it been hung to the cross-bar at the annual encounters between the clubs.
Llanelly won it last season by 42 points-a monumental score brought it to Bath this season and carried it back by means of another good reckoning of points. It should have been produced at Saturday’s game at Stradey, but though Stan Jones, the secretary, searched everywhere for it he could not trace it; and if Bath had won they would have been obliged to come away minus the mascot!” (Bath Chronicle 4th January 1936)

7/2/1936 – News that Flight Lieut. Tommy Rose, the former Bath and Somerset forward, had made a forced landing south of Haifa. He had been trying to beat Amy Mollison’s record for her flight from England to Cape Town.
“NEVERTHELESS HE ARRIVED AT KHARTOOM AT NOON AND LEFT AGAIN ON THE NEXT STAGE, TO KISMU, TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, ACCORDING TO A REUTER MESSAGE. HIS ‘PLANE CAN FLY FOR 1,000 MILES AT 160 MILES AN HOUR”
(His plane was a Miles Falcon, which had won the King’s Cup the previous year.)

START – STOP REHEARSALS
“Movietone” film crew were in attendance, and some of the play would be shown in the Odeon Cinema the following week: “Bath were first out, led by Norman Matthews, who was wearing a heavy bandage on one knee, but the team only appeared for the purpose of being filmed, and they returned to the dressing room while Bristol looking immaculate in white, also posed to be ‘shot
All these preliminaries were not even then concluded, because the referee and captains were then brought out for filming while the toss took place. There was a touch of comedy. Apparently they did not shake hands and toss in the proper Hollywood manner, and to the amusement of the crowd, they had to ‘do that there’ again.”

GOSSIP
Two 1st team players planned to get married in the close season. At that time, only Norman Matthews had tied the knot.
There was another initiation on the way back from Torquay – One of the Bath players smoked a cigarette for the first time! (Eventful times indeed!)

“A reminder to players that they have to be on the ground next Friday evening to have their photographs taken. These groups are real mementos of one’s Rugby. The Committee Room at the Rec is full of them. A glance revives all sorts of old friendships and memories.”
After photographs, Supper was to be provided at the Red House, followed by an evening at the Palace Theatre.