Latest News

Missing cricketers: 1949 – 1950s

A member of the OBA committee has passed me a copy of a recent Daily Mail article featuring an Old Boy of the school from the early 1950s.  Dennis Fowle is trying to contact team mates from his former cricket team.  Are you one of those featured?  Do you know any of their whereabouts?  The article is reproduced below.

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1965 Borden Grammar School Football First XI

This photo was taken in winter 1966 and shows the undefeated 1965 Borden Grammar School football First XI with coach and maths teacher David Walters and Headmaster George Hardy.

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Football Report – 19th June 2009.

Having re-read the last football report (presented to the OBA committee and included in the minutes of the meeting of 6 March 2009 – to be found in ‘The Boring Bits’ section of this site) which was uncharacteristically optimistic and ventured to suggest that we had the very real prospect of finishing 3^rd of the Sittingbourne 5-a-side League (Div 2) I have to report, and this will come as no surprise to the many avid readers of past football reports, that in fact we finished 6^th or to the more unfeeling, last.

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1,000+ Years of Old Bordenian Veteran Footballers!

Old Boys Veterans FC (1st XI) in Action Again!

Another day, another year, yes, it is another Old Boys Veterans football match.  On Sunday 27th April 2008 we played against a Faversham veterans team and managed a 2-2 draw.

Team photo (left to right): Peter Thompson, Paul Bedelle, Paul Fletcher, Andy Bushell, Neil Redmond, Keith Shea, Rob Kemsley, Mark Spree, Alan Snelling, Mick Pack, Jamie Henley, and Cliff Cork.  Alan Abery appeared at half-time.

According to various historical records, the average age of this team is 53.

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Veterans Football report to 1 May 08

The current five a side season finished for the Old Bordenians Veterans on 1st May. We believe that we finished 6th out of 8 teams in division 2 which is not bad for a team consisting of players largely over the age of 50. More accurately, it’s not bad for a team consisting of large players over the age of 50. Having spent most of the season at the bottom of the table we had a good run towards the end of the season and picked up quite a few points and I think 6th place is about right.

The reason that we cannot be certain of our final position is that the League is still in turmoil following the mid season resignation of the one man who ran the whole thing. One of his roles was to update the website tables but those who stepped in to administer the League until the end of the season haven’t got around to doing that yet; nor have they provided a league table since February. So we’re all in the dark but all will become clear at the AGM in a couple of weeks time. We can then post the final Division 1 and 2 leagues onto this website.

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Down Memory Lane: The Story of Under-14 Hockey – 1970 to 1978

Played 54 –Won 38 –Drawn 7 – Lost 9 – For 204 – Against 70

I completed a three year part-time degree in the summer of 1969 and so, by the Spring Term of 1970, I had time on my hands.  Someone was needed to coach the under-14 XI hockey and I volunteered.  I did not have a great pedigree, considering myself as just an average sportsman.  I had not played serious hockey for some years and in fact, apart from a few games for the Old Bordenians in 1963, my only regular hockey was in 1959 for the School 2nd XI.  Of course I was a regular player in House matches throughout my time at Borden but, although they were regarded as serious competition, the standard of hockey could at best be described as approaching something that appeared to adhere to a few basic principles of the game – a bit like a Staff versus Prefects match really.  I was nearly beheaded by David Rigden in one match, and that was in the days when sticks were not allowed above shoulder level.

Thus with more experience in playing football and no coaching experience in any sport save lifesaving, I embarked on a career as coach in the hope that sooner or later a staff member would come along who knew a bit about the game and who could provide a more professional approach.  In the meantime it was up to me, and I set about training in games periods and after school using the methods of the footballer.  Needless to say this meant the use of brute force and a more physical approach rather than artistic stick play.  Nevertheless this did remove most of the fear of the hard ball and helped to cope with the unnerving sight of opposing teams with large players who were supposed to be under 14 yet had healthy stubble growth on their chins.

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