In 1969 the Old Brightonians were invited to take part in the Public Schools knockout competition run by the Cricketer and sponsored by Mercier Champagne. Nobody expected very much from us. We had a good side but not a great one, but we did have self belief and enthusiasm. The first match was against the favourites, the Old Tonbridgians. This was the closest game we played. With the scores equal we won through to the next round, having lost fewer wickets.

Thereafter things got much easier, the team went from strength to strength and we sailed through to the final, at Burton Court , near the Chelsea Baracks, against the Stowe Templars where we won in a canter. The reward was a lovely weekend in Epernay courtesy of the Mercier family. It was our equivalent of winning the Ashes. No OB side has reached the final since then, and the OB`s are currently twelth in the order of merit. The winning team was Tony Lush, captain, Brian Parsons, Richard Smyth, Derek Pickering, Ian and David Lock, Warwick Sabey, Peter Lush, Sandy Farrar. Adrian Harland and Mike Rowland.

In August 1939 I had already got my uniform to go to King's College, Wimbledon, when my parents decided that war was imminent and that I should become a boarder at a school not close to London.

I arrived at Chichester House, Brighton College, a very few days after war was declared. Apart from drawing thick 'black out' curtains at dusk things were pretty much normal. I had to 'fag' for a couple of senior boys who had a study called 'hell', just inside the door from the quad. This entailed lighting their fire, running messages, dubbing their football boots, blancoing and cleaning the brass on their OTC uniforms. Prefects could beat with a slipper for minor offences.