June 12, 2024

Rector’s eNews 19: 12 June 2024

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During the course of this week, as senior boys come to the end of their exam sessions and as excitement mounts with the prospect of playing Hilton here at home over the weekend, I am reminded again of the privilege we have of healthy competition in the most beautiful surroundings with a rival school, of the culture that embraces the cut and thrust of games played in a good spirit and of the character in boys that inevitably develops as a result of their giving of their best and, win or lose, shaking hands respectfully with an opponent at the end of a match.

I have been browsing through a book by a friend, Tony Little, Head Master of Eton from 2002-2015, called An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Education. He speaks, inter alia, of the importance of ambition, of striving to be the best, but also of how young people who deal appropriately with failure as well as success develop character. There is no silver bullet, he says, to the formation of character but there are a host of small ways in an environment where everyone is involved, teachers and pupils, and are valued that lead to character development. Success and failure are both significant as has been articulated often before in the creation of a balanced person because the development of certain qualities, such as a sense of humour, often result from situations which have not gone so well and where one needs to stand back and gain perspective on oneself. To be able to laugh at oneself, rather than at others, is the key to having a sense of humour and, in the context of the weekend ahead, is important for our families and boys to remember.

Our boys will certainly give of their best as they have done throughout the term, but the excitement of the weekend lies in the fact that matches against Hilton always hang in the balance. Some detail here may be of interest: it is mainly supplied by the inimitable Murray Witherspoon, our Director of Admissions and Marketing, and refers to the rivalry in rugby as opposed to other sports between the schools: Michaelhouse and Hilton first met on the rugby “field” on a dusty square in Pietermaritzburg in 1904. We lost that encounter but won the next twelve matches to take an early stranglehold on the tally of wins and losses.

On Saturday, Meadows will be the backdrop of the 67th match between our schools since the 1st XV fixture moved from Bailey’s in 1952. Hilton’s 42-12 win in 2013 remains their biggest recorded margin of victory. Michaelhouse have notched up 2498 points, while Hilton have responded with 2430 over 207 matches between the schools. While war, epidemics and pandemics have, at various times, over the past 120 years reduced the rivalry to just a single match in a year, there have only been three years where no contests have taken place: those years are 1920, 2020 and 2021. Michaelhouse have claimed the rugby double on 31 occasions, most recently during the 2015 season, Hilton have managed this feat 29 times, but enjoy the distinction of being the only school to have done the double over 3 years in a row twice! So I return to where I started this message: it is a privilege for our boys from both Michaelhouse and Hilton to be playing in beautiful surrounds with strong support from families and Old Boys and we have every expectation that all the boys will give of their utmost and play with respect for their opposition.

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