Football   Close

Football at the Vaughan

Football has always been taken seriously at the Vaughan and many players have gone on to achieve success at club and national level. Here are just a few Old Vaughanian's who have made a name for themselves in football:

Bernard Joy

29 October 1911 – 18 July 1984

An English footballer, journalist and Old Vaughanian, in 1936 Bernard Joy was the last amateur to ever play for England’s national football team after a successful career with clubs including Southend United, Fulham and Arsenal. After joining The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in September 1923, Bernard completed his studies at the University of London and dabbled in teaching before his career as a footballer took off.

The Vaughan’s 1937 Michaelmas Magazine (Volume II, No. 3) first displays Bernard’s talents in both sport and literacy with a three page article, written by Bernard, about the year’s Australasian Tour:

“All schoolboys have ambitions, and most of them I think would include these two on their lists; to represent their country at some sport or other, and to make a tour of the world. My readers, therefore, may be left to picture for themselves the delight of all of the eighteen footballers chosen to represent England in the Tour of New Zealand and Australia. And as we went out via the Panama Canal and returned via the Suez, we actually did go round the world.”

In May 1935 Bernard Joy signed for Arsenal, largely playing as a reserve before making his debut on 1 April 1936 against Bolton Wanderers. That season Arsenal won the FA Cup and soon after, on 9 May 1936, Bernard gained national recognition as he represented England in their 3-2 loss to Belgium. Still registered as a Casuals player at the time, the match made Bernard the last amateur to ever play for the national team.

Bernard continued to play for Arsenal even with the advent of World War II when he signed up to join the Royal Air Force and took the role of an RAF P.E Instructor. Taking part in over 200 wartime matches, Bernard Joy won an unofficial wartime England cap for his efforts and made guest appearances playing for Southampton and West Ham United.

In total, Bernard played 92 non-wartime league and cup games for Arsenal before, at the age of 35, deciding his football days were largely over. He retired in December 1946, although continued to play for Casuals until 1948.

As a retired footballer and former teacher, Bernard’s move into sports journalism was well-suited and after starting out at The Star, soon began working as a football and lawn tennis correspondent for the Evening Standard and Sunday Express. Colleagues remembered him “slowly and patiently handwrite his copy, as if marking homework in his schoolmaster days”. He also wrote of his “vivid” memories of the Vaughan’s first Headmaster, the late Canon Driscoll, and his effective, “more fruitful” approach to discipline:

“He told us that ‘discipline’ was derived from ‘disciple’, and the followers of Christ willingly abandoned their previous way of life, and even their livelihood, to accept His teaching. There was no compulsion.

That was the ideal we students had to strive for as teachers—to induce from our pupils voluntary acceptance of the subject we taught, instead of forcing their noses to the grindstone by fear of punishment.”

Bernard also combined his experience as a sportsman and writer in producing a selection of football books and the widely regarded annual of Arsenal’s history, Forward, Arsenal! He died on 18 July 1984, aged 72, and remains to be remembered as one of football’s greatest legends.

Maurice Edelston

27 April 1918 – 30 January 1976

A successful footballer and sports commentator, Maurice Edelston was just eighteen when he played for Great Britain in the Berlin Olympics and went on to become the BBC’s senior commentator, broadcasting on three FIFA World Cups including England’s victory in 1966.

Born in Hull, Maurice was the son of professional Hull City footballer, Joe Edelston, and attended Cardinal Vaughan from 1929 to 1936. In 1935, the School Magazine reported:

Another Amateur International?

It would seem that Maurice Edelston, while still at school, has quite a chance of being considered as an amateur Soccer International. Several of the papers have referred to him as the ‘find of the season’ and there is much praise for his skill and swiftness of judgment. It would be delightful if a third International were to be added to the existing two. We want to keep up the supply and the succession. (P44)

Chosen for Britain’s Olympic football team while sitting for his public examinations in the Sixth Form, in 1936 Maurice wrote of his impressions of the Berlin Games.

“Both on and off the field the Germans intended every visitor to leave with unforgettable impressions and with a friendly feeling towards the New Germany. In this they were following out the true tradition of the Olympic Games, to further a feeling of comradeship, and to promote international unity and good-will among nations. Friendly rivalry produces modest victors, good losers; it ties firmly the bond of friendship between peoples of the earth.” P17, 1936 magazine

Maurice’s three page article in the School’s 1936 magazine also, incidentally, refers to Bernard Joy, another Old Vaughanian and Olympic footballer:

“Many papers credited Bernard Joy with putting through his own goal. They were in error. It was while leading a great rally in a last minute effort to save the game that he scored a grand goal for Great Britain.”

In this same year, 1936, Maurice was awarded a Classical Drapers Scholarship of £80 a year at London University.

“The Headmaster tells us that, during the Autumn Term, he was assailed by the Captains of famous teams like the Casuals and Corinthians, to know if Edelston might be allowed to play for them. It was not easy, and indeed it was not possible for him always to refuse; but work for the Classical Scholarship at London at which we had set our cap for him, was never allowed to disappear into the background.”

Aged just 18 years old, Maurice was asked to represent Great Britain in the Berlin Olympics and went on to play for England’s professional football team in unofficial matches throughout World War II, despite his amateur status as a footballer. After playing League football with Fulham and Brentford, in 1939 Maurice joined Reading where he played, with his father as Manager, as inside-forward until 1952. His final season as a footballer was spent at Northampton Town before he retired in 1953 to pursue a career as a sports commentator and journalist.

With his flowing commentary, described as “mellifluous” by The Guardian’s sports writer Michael Henderson (1), Maurice Edelston was the BBC’s senior commentator and became a regular voice in sport throughout the late 1950s and 60s. He broadcast on three FIFA World Cups, including England’s victory in 1966, as well as a number of European finals and League title deciders. As well as football, Maurice Edelston was a successful tennis correspondent and also co-wrote Masters of Soccer and Wickets, Tries and Goals.

On 30 January 1976, aged 57, Maurice died suddenly of a heart attack in Reading. His dedication in the Glasgow Herald marks out this former Vaughanian as the “distinguished footballer” and talented sports journalist we all fondly remember him as.

Kevin Gallen

21 September 1975 -

Kevin Gallen, a Vaughanian from 1987 to 1992, is a former England Under-21 striker and professional footballer at clubs Queens Park Rangers, Huddersfield, Barnsley and Aylesbury United.

In 1988, the Vaughan magazine reports of the Under 12 football team and marks out Kevin Gallen as, “an inspiration to the side, a very capable player an excellent captain and the scorer of numerous goals.”

Throughout this season, Kevin played for West London and went on to become an emerging talent, breaking Jimmy Greaves’ longstanding youth goal scoring record in 1993. On his 17^th birthday he was quickly signed to Queens Park Rangers and made his league debut in the Premier League at Old Trafford on the opening day of the 1994–95 season.

In 2000, Kevin briefly moved to play for Huddersfield Town before a change of managers saw him signing for Barnsley in 2001. This contract was, again, short-lived and on 19 November 2001 Kevin returned to Queens Park Rangers. This move proved to be a good decision and over the ensuing five seasons he quickly netted 55 goals, bringing the club back to the second tier of English football.

Released by QPR in 2007, in total Kevin scored 97 goals for the club, making him the sixth highest scorer in QPR’s history. He went on to play for various lower League teams such as Milton Keynes Dons and Luton Town with non-League success scoring for Grays Athletic, Barnet, Braintree Town, Leverstock Green and Aylesbury United.

Eddie Newton

13 December 1971 -

Edward (Eddie) John Newton made over 200 appearances as a professional footballer for Chelsea, later becoming assistant first team coach at the club.

A pupil at the Vaughan from 1983-1988, Edward Newton is noted “as the most accomplished player the school has ever had” by Mr P. Cross in the School’s 1988 Magazine.

Not only captain of his school team but that of West London as well, Eddie’s obvious talent saw him through Chelsea’s youth system and by the end of 1992, the young midfielder had scored six goals for the Chelsea first team.

In 1994 Eddie’s foul against Ryan Giggs in the FA Cup Final led to a penalty goal, scored by Eric Cantona, with Chelsea losing the match 4-0. However, that same year Eddie was part of the team that took Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1970s – reaching the semi-finals in both the 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 competition.

In 1997 Eddie scored in the FA Cup final win over Middlesbrough, a famous 2-0 win which was followed by the Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup a year later.

At the age of 29 Eddie sustained a knee injury and sadly retired. He soon became Head Coach for the football team at Mount Carmel Primary School in Ealing before being appointed assistant manager to Roberto Di Matteo at Milton Keynes Dons on 2 July 2008. In 2012, Di Matteo became an interim Head Coach at Chelsea, following the departure of Andre Villas Boas, with Eddie Newton alongside him as assistant coach. The pair went on to win Chelsea the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup titles with Eddie continuing his role in the Chelsea backroom team as the technical coach for the youth development programme at Stamford Bridge.

Have we missed someone? Please let us know by emailing staffh@cvms.co.uk with 'Sport History' in the subject line.

Rowing   Close

Rowing

For an inner city school, the Vaughan's rowing team has been consistently strong. The School recently obtained five new rowing machines through London Youth Rowing and in January 2015 will be able to join an indoor rowing club.

There have been two noteable figures in the Vaughan's rowing history: Martin Cross and Garry Herbert.

Martin Cross

19 July 1957 -

A pupil at the Vaughan from 1968 to 1975, Martin Cross is a British oarsman and Olympic Champion, having won the gold medal in the coxed four at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with Steve Redgrave, Richard Budgett, Andy Holmes, and Adrian Ellison.

Martin first started rowing aged thirteen and, after leaving the Vaughan, went on to study at Queen Mary, University of London where he rowed for the college boat club. In 1975, Martin won silver in the coxless fours at the World Junior Championships and bronze medals in the coxless fours at the World Championships in 1978 and 1979. A year later Martin won a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and a gold medal in the coxed fours at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. In 1991, Martin Cross was awarded a total of eight bronze medals at the World Championships.

After Steve Redgrave, Martin has represented Britain more time than any other rower and was even asked to feature in 2004’s blockbuster, The Notebook, in which he taught Ryan Gosling to row in his cameo-role as, predictably, the ‘Rower’.

For the past twenty years, Martin has worked as a writer and broadcaster on the sport and currently writes about rowing for The Guardian. His lively blog, The Blogging Oarsman, is regularly updated with news and videos from the world of rowing.

Garry Herbert

Garry Herbert was a pupil at the Vaughan from 1981 – 1989 and went on to become the School’s second Olympic gold medal winning rower after Martin Cross.

Indeed, in Cross’s autobiography he mentions how “Garry and I had both been taught at the Cardinal Vaughan School. As a young boy, he’d felt inspired by the photograph of my crew racing in the 1984 Olympics, that had hung in the school lobby.”

In an article for The Independent, Dominic Holland, a journalist and fellow Old Vaughanian, writes how Garry first came to become an Olympic Champion:

“Our PE teacher was a certain Martin Cross. Ring any bells? No, probably not but Martin won an Olympic gold medal in the 1984 LA games in the coxed fours with some bloke called Steven Redgrave. He brought his medal in to school and we all got to stroke it and under Martin’s stewardship, our school started to offer rowing as an option. This was good news for all but particularly for the very tall boys who could not play football. I say this because the very good sportsmen who happened to be tall were not about to give up football or cricket for rowing and as such, rowing became a sport for the lanky dispossessed.

And as we all know, a rowing boat needs more than just tall oarsmen. It needs a cox – a small kid to steer the boat and this is where I come in – which I expect many of you have already gathered. In plain English, I was asked if I would like to become the school cox and I was mortally offended. Me? A cox? How dare they ask such a thing? I was a football player, albeit B team (Captain) and I was far too proud to just sit in a boat and steer. My response was a resounding no and that was the end of the matter.

There was no one else suitable (small enough) in my year and so the rowers looked to the year below and managed to snare the services of a boy called Gary Herbert – who is now the voice of BBC rowing, commentating brilliantly I might add. When we all urged Redgrave over the line in Beijing, there wasn’t a dry British eye watching and much of this was down to Gary’s impassioned commentary.

But I couldn’t have known at the time that a career as a BBC commentator lay ahead and so I carried on marshalling my B team football side whilst Gary enjoyed considerably more success in the school rowing boat. But so what? Who wants to be a bloody cox, I thought?

Gary did, obviously and he ended up being the cox for the Searle brothers, names you might be familiar with. Jonny and Greg to be exact, the brothers who grabbed gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with Gary as their cox. The first I knew about this was watching it unfold on television. A tiny head at the end of the boat, Gary wasn’t recognisable until I heard his name mentioned and I began to wonder. Could this be the same Gary Herbert I had been at school with? It had to be, surely? It wasn’t such a common name and what is the likelihood of two Gary Herbert’s becoming coxs?

At the end of a heat, Gary emerged from the boat in celebration and I recognised him instantly. Bloody hell, Gary was an Olympian and it could so easily have been me?”

(Dominic Holland, ‘Who wants to be a cox?’ The Independent, 30 July 2012)

Garry’s success, and tearful celebration, in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics became “one of the images of Barcelona” (1):

"If I'm upset, I tell people. If I'm happy, people know I will express my feelings. People do come up to me and say, 'You were the one who cried' or whatever. That's OK. It brought a bit of recognition to the sport. Since Barcelona, the profile of the whole sport has just gone up." (1)

That year Garry won the 1992 BBC Sports Team of the Year, and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours List.

The following year, Garry and the Searle Brothers achieved a second victory at the 1993 World Rowing Championships.

After leaving the Vaughan, Garry went on to train as barrister at the University of Reading and since retiring from international competition he has gone on to add ‘highly successful lawyer’ to his string of accomplishments. The principle commentator for BBC Sport at the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000, Garry is regarded as the BBC’s chief rowing correspondent and was chosen to cox the boat carrying Steve Redgrave and the Olympic Torch during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Today Garry continues his passion for rowing through his Honorary Life membership at the Leander Club, Henley on Thames and Molesey Boat Club, Hampton, whilst inspiring many others through his other career as a motivational keynote speaker.

(1) http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/herbert-out-to-add-to-his-crying-gains-1330105.html