The boys of ‘74

From the moment I started the ‘We Did Our Homework On The Bus’ project I obsessed about getting as many rugby photos as I could. What started as a trickle, became a flood and I ended up gathering in the region of 50 or so different team pictures.

Yet a team photograph from one intake always eluded me…..until now. I couldn’t lay my hands on a team picture of lads who started at St Mary’s in September 1974. Step forward John Price (St Mary’s 1974 to 1981). John, who later became a dentist, dug this gem out and has kindly shared it.

There’s some good sportsmen shown here. The skipper is Swanley’s Paul Bensley - already a hefty lad even at 12/13 - who would go on to captain the first fifteen and Sidcup rugby club where he made several hundred appearances.

There’s also Gerard ‘Jinky’ Tomlinson, from Orpington, who played in the 1980/81 first fifteen under Roy White as did two excellent prop forwards, Welling’s John Mellett and Tony ‘Soggy’ Lee, from Bexley.

Finally there’s the mercurial Enda Moran, another Swanley lad, a truly brilliant sportsmen with a wand like left foot who was a superb footballer and talented rugby player.

The picture brings sadness too as it shows the much-missed Tim Hawes, from Sidcup, who was an excellent, hard-working flanker. Rest in peace Tim.

Thanks to John for sharing this great picture.

The full names are:

Back row, left to right, John Mellett, Patrick Farren, James Waddell, Tim Hawes, Thomas Bryson, Paul Lovell, Enda Moran, Andrew Crawford, Tony Docherty, Tony Lee

Front row, John Price, Damien Tuite, Gerard Tomlinson, Paul Bensley, Steve Primarolo, Mick Pope, Stuart Wilson.

Now, are there any more team photos lurking out there?