This Is Guernsey

Bob du Feu had warmed up for the island school sports by winning six events, four in new records, at the last Vauvert Secondary Modern School sports day at Cambridge Park. (0581637)

TODAY’S schoolchildren don’t know what they are missing.

The modern day island school sports may remain a thrill to all bussed down to the Garenne Stand to compete within the covered comforts of a proper stadium with tartan track, but for those not selected for the jaunt to Foote’s Lane they may never get to sample the thrill of the action and – these things have always been important to students – time off from school, in the fresh air and away from those boring books.

Back in 1968, the island sports were still centred on the Corbet Field and whether athletic or not, if you were of school age you were required to go to watch and cheer.

The 46th senior sports were particularly special because they were the last for two schools. One was the Catholic St Joseph’s, the other the renowned town school which was to clean up and win all four major trophies that June day – Vauvert.

Its star athlete was Bob du Feu, one-time flying winger on the football fields – he won Schoolboy and Junior Muratti honours – top cyclist, motor-racing driver and, nowadays, tenpin bowling star.

Du Feu claimed the only track record to fall on Thursday 13 June 1968, his 100-yard dash of 11.2sec. being four-tenths inside the old mark. Grammar’s Sandy Elder was second and Beaucamps’ Peter Blaise third.

Du Feu, who also took the under-15 boys’ long jump record with a leap of 17ft 8in., fondly remembers the old school and, in particular, his sports master – both there and, when they moved that September out of town to Les Ozouets – Robbie Burns.

‘I loved doing sport with him. I had a lot of admiration for him,’ he said this week.

Du Feu is not alone there, Burns being the type of old-school PE teacher who boys at opposing schools, like myself at the Grammar, wished we had had to drive us on. He was an inspiration to hundreds of boys.

Others competing that day who went on to shine on the sports field, included the likes of Colin Fallaize, third in the under-13 boys’ high jump and 440 yards, Steve Turvey, first in the 15/16 years’ long jump, and Andy Creed, a double winner in the under-13 100 yards and hurdles.

With the morning event over it was the turn of the under-11s to sprawl over the Vale Rec field for their own annual competition and battles for the big trophies on offer, among them the Manchester relay.

The list of schools looks remarkably different from that of today.

While Vale, Castel, Amherst, St Martin’s and Hautes Capelles fought out the large school honours, a string of small-scale Catholic establishments contested the little schools trophies along with St Saviour’s, St Peter’s and St Andrew’s.

Ker Maria, Notre Dame, La Chaumiere and Delancey, have all since closed their doors but on this occasion little Notre Dame  accounted for a meeting record, a certain M. Wall winning the girls’ 75 yards for seven-year-olds in a new best.