No . 135 MAY 2023
Our Game
The Editor revels , like a Trusty Servant in mud , in the rich archival and literary references to Win Co Fo :
John le Carré , old Sherbornian , had the cheek to write a novel entitled Our Game . The action , which follows a rather weak plot about two contrasting Wykehamical characters , includes a scene which purports to present a victory dinner after VIs . It goes as follows :
‘ It is the night after Sixes Match , the annual festival of Winchester football , a game so arcane that even experienced players may not know all the rules . The House has won … Now the victorious Six are feasting themselves in House Library while the New Boys stand on the table and regale them with songs and entertainment . Some New Boys sing badly , and must have books buzzed at them to improve their voices . Others sing too well and must be cut down to size with jibes and flying bread .’
This brings a sneer to the lips of any real Wykehamist . House ? What House ? Does he mean College ? Boys ? Men ! What is this gratuitous use of ‘ Match ’? Even the House Library looks suspect ; as also , it turns out , is the malicious delineation of Sen Order , which in fact traditionally took the form of the exhortation , ‘ Don ’ t be coy !’
… revels , like a Trusty Servant in mud …
This is clearly le Carré ’ s attempt to describe the ancient ritual known sometimes as ‘ eggflip ’, or as ‘ Commoner Singing ’ – even , after a rare victory , ‘ College Singing ’( see below ) - where the winning team celebrates in copious gastronomic and musical refreshment . And while his Notions are poor , his description of the singing itself doesn ’ t go far wrong . The Commoner Song Book was a cherished document , originally written out by hand by each New Man , later published by P & G Wells . F . C . Mallet ’ s copy has been used as if it were a family Bible of Winchester
Football , commemorating on the flyleaves front and back the results of significant wins , as his loyalties move from College ( 15-21 , College Tutor , 33- 54 ) to Houses ( Ho Do , B , 45-62 ).
Further back , the ‘ Notions ’ book of H . E . Campbell , which he created in 1866 as a Jun Man , describes the occasion with intense relish – and an indication of the repertoire :
‘… after “ Twenty-Two ”
Was fought , Commoner singing tune and noise
Was held , and canticles both old and new
Were sung with cheers galore and ‘ don ’ t be coys ’.
Poacher , Red Twenty Two , the Carrion Crow ,
The last emphatic at the naughty words , 1
And Billy Taylor , there ’ s no want of go ,
With five score schoolboys piping up like birds .’
And presumably Houses too , after the division of the Commoners in 1867 , had their own ‘ Houses
1 Campbell records that at Ridding ’ s arrival as HM in 1867 he tried to ban the song for blasphemous content ; a compromise was reached which turned ‘ Damn ’ into ‘ button ’ and ‘ Ham ’ into ‘ mutton ’!
1