WELL-KNOWN SPORTS PLAYERS ATTENDED BRIGG SCHOOL

These pictures demonstrate that Brigg Grammar School provided many players for the town's hockey club for many seasons.
Denis Laycock, who kindly supplied the images, was among them.
He was prompted to get in touch by a recent Brigg Blog post about hockey in decades gone by which featured a Brigg Grammar team from 1957 (courtesy of Mike Spencer). View details here...
Having enjoyed the article, Denis has emailed two from his album which show the school team a couple of years later... "with some well-known names and faces of players who went on to play with some distinction for Brigg Hockey Club, and which may be of interest."
The 1959-1960 team is seen above.
Back row, from left to right: Vincent McGrath, Stuart ‘Sid’ Illingworth, Denis Laycock, John Haresign, David Howson, Stephen Jarvis (son of Geoff Jarvis, the geography master).
Front row: John ‘Mouse’ Price, Richard Dunham, John Holland, Val Jeffrey and Jeremy Henthorn (history master Dr Frank Henthorn’s son). Jeremy was a fine right half and a regular in Brigg’s first team during his final year at school. He emigrated to Australia in his early twenties.
"John and Val need no introduction to your readers," Denis rightly points out.
Seen below is the 1960-1961 team.

 

Back row, left to right: Peter Thompson, Christopher McGrath (Vincent’s younger brother), Rex Corney, Richard Taylor, Stephen Jarvis, Stuart Illingworth.
Front row: Malcolm Robertson, Jeremy Henthorn (captain), Denis Laycock, and John Haresign.
Denis adds: "It’s worth noting that as well as playing regularly in both teams, except when we played against other schools, Raymond Barker (French and German teacher) provided all the team transport.
"Richard Taylor played regularly with the Brigg 1st XI until he went to University; Peter Thompson needs no introduction.
"For my part, I played until I was 60, with a number of clubs in Derbyshire, but mostly with Hathersage near Sheffield."
 

Our previous post mentioned Brigg Hockey Club stalwart Peter Bell (pictured above). Denis says he has fond memories of playing club hockey with Peter.
"He was such a natural sportsman," Denis recalls. "He could play very well in any position."
Denis adds that one of his fondest memories of being with Brigg Hockey Club was a journey to Leeds in Richard Coulthurst’s car, along with Peter Bell and Frank Vear. "I don’t think we ever stopped laughing all the way there and all the way back!" he recalls.
Brigg Grammar School (founded in 1669) was discontinued in 1976 due to changes made by the local education authority -  the "selective" 11-plus exam having been phased out. BGS was replaced by the Sir John Nelthorpe comprehensive, together with Brigg Girls' High School.