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Moderately Musical Meister Omers Chris Battersby (MO 1971-75) writes in response to an article in last May’s Offcuts: “Reading Mark Gutteridge’s report of MO and the inter-house music competition in 1974/5 brought back happy memories of 20 boys shouting out the chorus of Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi and actually winning against stiff competition from musicians. However, I would disagree that MO was completely devoid of musical talent at the time – there was just a shortage of people in the King’s tradition of Choir School/Music Scholar/Oxbridge/impoverished freelance tenor. Both Richard Paine (MO 1971-75) and myself shared a study with Mark and set off on rather different musical tangents after school. After learning a set of jigs and reels we obtained two of the first-ever Covent Garden busking licenses, presumably making us the first OKS to qualify as licensed beggars, and hit the Big City. On the intelligence that the French prefer the Scots to the English, we then hired a couple of Macbeth costumes and headed for Paris, which proved fun and lucrative but draughty. Richard then returned to university to take a PhD on the Catalan composer Federico Mompou, and is now Rights and Media Director of Faber Music. My lack of musical talent and looks forced me into a career in management consultancy. However, in 1987 I took up the Euterpian cudgel again and formed the skiffle band Macavity’s Cat (thanks to Mr Woodley for the name), the “Best Cider and Curry Band in the Country” according to NME. We went on to become the house band at the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden, appear three times in a row at the Reading Festival, headline the Melkweg in Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve, and still hold down our day jobs. I’m now playing in a jazz quintet and still enjoy making a noise. I would like to say this is down to King’s, but my memory of the school in the ‘70s is that music was very “them and us”, and about skill rather than entertainment, graft rather than fun. I do hope it has changed as everyone (with the possible exception of X Factor finalists) benefits from having a tune inside them. Which brings me back to Carmina Burana, and the recollection that if MO could walk away with the House music cup, anything was possible. “ The latest remarkable work to be printed (only 10 copies, so far) at the School Press is The King’s School, Canterbury Register 1750-1859. This, the joint work of Robert Scott and Peter Henderson, is based on the King’s School Entry Book, which was started by Headmaster Osmund Beauvoir in 1750, supplemented by other school records. The Register ends in 1859 because that is the starting date of the Register published in 1932. It is hoped to provide more details and an appraisal at a later date Unknown OKS 4: John Burnby (1747-1805): Cricket and the Cathedral John Burnby was born in 1747, the son of a Canterbury tailor. He was briefly at the King’s School from 1756 to 1758 and later became an attorney and something of a writer. His two most notable works were published while he was in his twenties. An Historical Description of the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ, Canterbury came out in 1772. The book sold well, but did not bring the author recognition. Gostling’s Walk in and about the City of Canterbury appeared two years later and rapidly established itself as the best guide to the city’s buildings. Worse, Burnby’s book appeared anonymously, and as later editions were published “together with an elegy written by the Rev. John Duncombe”, the Vicar of St Andrews and St Mary Bredman, the work is often said to have been by Duncombe. The Kentish Cricketers appeared in 1773. This was a poem written in response to Surry Triumphant by John Duncombe (again). Duncombe’s parody of the ballad of Chevy Chase had provided a full account of Kent’s defeat in a match at Bishopsbourne; Burnby focused on the county’s victory in the return fixture at Sevenoaks Vine. These two pieces are thus among the earliest and rarest of cricket books. Burnby’s verse is not of the greatest literary merit, though the description of the Duke of Dorset (Kent’s top scorer in the first match) is lively and effective: And far unlike the modern Way Of blocking every Ball at Play, He firmly stands with Bat upright, And strikes with his athletic Might, Sends forth the Ball across the Mead, And scores six Notches for the Deed. His occasional verse, containing much of personal interest, was collected in Summer Amusement (1782), including a revised version of The Kentish Cricketers. His combative character is evident in a readiness to enter into the controversies of the day, writing to the Kentish Gazette and publishing pamphlets on such matters as the sale of corn, the poor rates and freedom of election. His later years were unhappy. He was separated from his wife and she died in 1786, and his son Thomas, a Lieutenant in the Navy, was lost when HMS Invincible sank off the Norfolk coast in 1801. He died in Dover Street in 1805, and received a surprisingly full notice in the Gentleman’s Magazine, where he was described as “a man of very eccentric character, imprudent, intemperate, and, of late years, in distressed circumstances.” Today his poetry brings him a measure of fame. A copy of The Kentish Cricketers, bound with Duncombe’s verse and another work, recently sold at Christie’s for £30,000. Yet even here, bad luck followed him: the catalogue described him as a clergyman. OKS Offcuts • Jan 2011 • Issue 31 16 The OKS Association • www.oks.org.uk
The OKS Association Hugh Robertson MP, Minister for Sport & Olympics is delighted to invite you to the The OKS Association Dinner & AGM on behalf of The President and the OKS Committee Tickets: £75 (£45*) Dress: Lounge Suits www.oks.org.uk (The full report appears in For the Record) The OKS Golfing Society had narrowly gained a place from Knole Park as the highest scoring non-automatic qualifier for the 2010 Grafton Morrish at Hunstanton and Brancaster. Normally a squad of seven or eight players are chosen for this demanding Autumn event, with a raft of OKS golfers hoping to be selected. This year there were a number of withdrawals, and at the last minute we were grateful to be able to call on the ever-reliable Hamish Fleming (GL 1966-70), Seniors Champion of Cambridgeshire. Moreover, we had straightaway to meet Malvern, twice winners in the last seven years and winners also of the Halford Hewitt in that time. So our strategy had to be to pick a sacrifice pair (Toby The House of Commons Thursday 31 March 2011 19:00 to 22:30hrs Reception & AGM: 19:00hrs Dinner: 20:00hrs GOLF: GRAFTON MORRISH Pentecost, GR 1998-2003, and Lyons) to draw out their top pair playing second. A defeat like Sticker and Woods’ it turned out to be, despite brave birdies at the 8th and 10th. Our first and third pairs, respectively Fleming and Matthew Wells (MR 2002- 07) and Jonny Hudsmith (MT 1985-90) and Nick Bragg (GL 1973-78), had the daunting task of both winning. The match between the first pairs was tight throughout, went up to the 18th all square, and that hole was halved for a very honourable half-point. So everything hung on the bottom game. After a nervy start, Hudsmith and Bragg hauled themselves back and took a one hole lead after 13 holes but lost it. The 15th, 16th and 17th were halved, but Bragg holed a putt downhill to level the match, and set up a play-off by the top pairs, with Wells and Fleming facing a Frenchman and a German-Italian who had never expected the OKS to take them to the wire. The 19th and 20th were halved: so down to the 21st (the 1st hole again) and this time Malvern had us. It was a performance to be proud of. Malvern had close to their strongest team, while three of our top choices were missing. This is something for Felix Bottomley (GL 1997-2002) to build on when he takes over as captain of the Grafton Morrish next year. Nicholas Lyons (LN 1972-77) OKS Offcuts • Jan 2011 • Issue 31 17 The OKS Association • www.oks.org.uk
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Page 11 and 12: To Trust and To Love: Sermons and A
Page 13 and 14: Gavrilo Princip: The Assassin who S
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Page 19 and 20: Rowing from Westbere Lake to West L

January 2011 offcuts_Jan Offcuts 2010.qxd.qxd - The OKS Association

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