Playing for Ireland while still at school! Newry memories from Bob Poots

We caught up with Bob last month to ask him what his memories were of those exciting times, but first let’s give you some more background to his achievements.

As well as playing for Ulster and Ireland schools and the senior provincial team, Bob gained four senior caps for Ireland.  His first was against Scotland in Inverness on Saturday 23 March 1957, followed by a match against England in Dublin on 13 April.  He subsequently played in a tournament in Amsterdam, with games against the host nation Holland and South Africa.

‘Rambler’ interview

Bob’s success was big news in the local area and in wider hockey circles at the time. He was interviewed by ‘Rambler’ in the Newry Reporter on 27^th March 1957 after his debut against Scotland, reproduced here by kind permission of the Newry Reporter ……

‘Rambler’ Meets

A SCHOOLBOY INTERNATIONAL

He made history for Newry Grammar School

Robert Burgess Poots, 6’ 1½“ tall son of District Inspector R. H. Poots and Mrs Poots, Armagh Road, Newry, is the current hero of N. Ireland schoolboy hockey. At eighteen years old he has played his first senior International and has already represented the Province in Inter-provincial games.

Robert, a pupil of Newry Grammar School likes his hockey, and the gates of the future are wide open to him, despite his humble opinion of his own contribution in Saturday’s International against Scotland at Inverness. “I had a shocking bad game,” he says, but I would remind him that that is something that comes the way of all sportsmen. They have their ‘on’ days and ‘off’ days and anyone with an interest in the game will tell you that it wasn’t the luck of ‘on’ days that led Bob to be selected for his country.

In any event, the selectors consider him worthy of a second outing in the International against England on April 13^th.

He is a consistently conscientious player with no notions about himself and he isn’t afraid of work.  He began his game as a right-half, graduated to the centre half position and with the local Olympic side plays inside right. “I don’t much mind where I play,” he told me. “I think it’s a good thing to be shifted around. You get to know that way, but I like the forward positions. There’s always plenty of work to do,” he says.

He started his hockey career playing at right-half for the ‘B’ class team, at Newry Grammar. That was in 1952. The following year he was selected for the ‘15s’ and played the same position. Three years ago saw him picked for the School second string in the centre-half position and in the next season he had played his way into the first eleven, and last year was Captain. Last season he was selected to play for the Ulster Schools against Leinster Schools and later played for the Irish Schools against Scotland.

On Saturday his meteoric rise to fame brought him to the top flight of every schoolboy hockey player’s dreamland, a place among the giants, a position on his country’s team in International conflict.

What did he think of the game? “A good game, but I played shocking bad.”  And then he summed up in the words of one sports writer’s comment – “It was a half and half game. We had all the first half and Scotland had all the second half.”

The inclusion of a schoolboy on the national team is a wonderful and unique honour, equalled only once before it is believed by the popular sports personality Jack Boden Belfast, who also played his first International as a schoolboy. And what does the future hold for young Robert? Certainly not all hockey. “I want to go to Queen’s. Then I’ll sort things out,” he says.

Whatever he does he’s sure to make a good job of it and into his future, scholastic and sports. I wish him lots of luck.

Honoured by the club…

On the morning of the match against England in Dublin, the Newry Olympic 1^st XI played a friendly against Dalkey at Templeogue and the players then went en-mass to support their colleague Bob play for Ireland in the afternoon at Londonbridge Road.

To mark his achievement and express their admiration for the young player, the club presented Bob with a new hockey stick as a small token of their esteem and made him an Honorary Life Member of the club at the AGM in June 1957. The school headmaster Mr Greenlees, also gave all the pupils an extra day's holiday to mark the occasion.

What happened next?

After leaving school, Bob studied Geography at Queen’s in Belfast and was captain of the university hockey team.

On completing his degree, Bob moved to Bradford in Yorkshire to work for ICI.  He joined Ben Rhydding hockey club but initially kept his past hockey experience to himself. However, after playing his first game for the 2^nd XI Bob’s talent shown through, as the next week he was promoted to the firsts.  Bob moved to Manchester with work and finished his playing days all too early in 1963.

Bob is currently enjoying retirement with his wife Valerie in West Sussex in the south of England and has two grown up daughters Karen and Clair.

Newry memories

Bob was delighted when we caught up with him last month and told him that he’s not only an honorary life member of the club but the oldest one at that.  He showed he still had his competitive spirit when he said, “it’s my intention to retain that title for as long as I can!”

We asked Bob what his memories were from his time in Newry and of playing for Ireland 64 years ago.

Bob recollected, “I moved to Newry, with some regret, following my father’s transfer there. It meant I would have to give up rugby and take up that ‘cissy’ game of hockey. Thirty minutes into my first game, and two sore shins later, I revised my opinion and hockey became the focus of my sporting activity.”

“It’s difficult to separate memories of Newry Grammar School and Newry Olympic Hockey Club. They are intimately entwined.” he reminisced. 

School….

However, after giving it some thought, Bob continued, “School brings back memories of teachers and of sport. We had a red-haired Latin teacher, who’s name I sadly can’t recall.  He was the goalkeeper with the Newry Town football club. Many of his Latin class would be behind his goal on a Saturday cheering on the opposition in the sure and certain knowledge that retribution would follow the next week. It inevitably did. Sadly, my Latin didn’t improve!”

“The hockey pitch at Newry Grammar was affectionately known as the ‘hen run’,” Bob recalled. “The ball was as likely to go over your shoulder as come to your stick, but what quick reactions it engendered!  Jimmy Greenlees (the Headmaster’s son) and I spent many summer days hitting a hockey ball, with full force and at every height, from one end of a concrete tennis court to the other, but when the learning was critically required, sadly it was found wanting. More on that later.” he said.

“I left Newry Grammar with warm memories. The School’s view might have been more ambivalent. Their insurance costs probably reduced as a consequence of my off target attempts at goal and the resulting broken windows and car damage.” he pondered.

We shared some of the old school photographs with Bob.

“The names from long ago come back vividly” he said. “Ivan Toombs and I shared a two-seater desk and competed furiously at Maths and other subjects to our mutual benefit. It was horrifying to hear of his killing many years later.  David Kay was another school colleague, hockey player and close neighbour. His family was the first in our area to have a TV. We watched that wonderful Blackpool Vs Bolton Wanderers Cup Final. Fond memories particularly as I was a Blackpool and Stanley Matthews supporter!”

Newry Olympic….

On recollections of the club, Bob recalled some of the character building experiences in the game in Ulster. “An abiding memory of hockey with Newry Olympic, and in the province in general, was of the enthusiastic and partisan support of local hockey clubs, none more so than ‘Old Bleach’ in Randalstown. You did well to get out of there with a draw!” he said laughing.

International hockey….

Turning his thoughts to his Ireland experiences Bob continued, “I retain two clear memories of my few Irish games.” 

“The first was playing against Holland in Amsterdam. It was the first time the team had played outside Ireland and mainland UK. The selectors had not resolved which national anthem to play. A hurried conference before the game started, resulted in a compromise; we stood to attention in front of 4,000 Dutch people to, ‘If you ever go across the sea to Ireland’. It’s true. Honestly!”

“The second was being presented with a waist high ball inside the circle in a match against England and putting it past the left-hand post. Aghhh! All that wasted tennis court practice at school in Newry! It still bothers me after all these years,” Bob lamented.

Life after Ireland…..

We asked Bob how his game progressed after that ‘high’ for Ireland at such an early age?

“When I left Queen’s and moved to England, I deeply missed the vigour of the game and the absence of that enthusiastic local support. Frequent moves around England (and ultimately to Brussels), and the arrival of two daughters, put paid to my hockey career,” he mused. “But the pleasurable memories of Newry Grammar, Newry Olympic and hockey in Ulster will long remain with me.” he added.

Bob was delighted to read about the achievements of the club and how it has progressed in the intervening years. He concluded by wishing everyone in the club well, “I wish our successors as much joy and delight as I have experienced. And may the club successes be regularly repeated. My very best wishes to one and all.”

We also wish Bob well and that he has a very long and happy retirement!!

Footnote for those too young to remember…..

The original Newry Grammar School building is now the teachers’ resource centre on Downshire Road. The ‘Hen Run’ grass hockey pitch was beside Church Avenue and is where Windsor Hill Primary School now stands.

Addendum:

RB (Ronald) Wilson who played in the same Ireland team as Bob, was another former Newry Grammar School pupil from Warrenpoint. Ronald was capped 16 times, was captain on 4 occasions and scored twice.

Acknowledgments:

• ‘Rambler meets’ article courtesy of the Newry Reporter
• Irish international photographs courtesy of the 'Irish Hockey Archive'
• Newry Grammar School photographs courtesy of Stephen Shellard and the ‘Irish Hockey Archive’

Standing: B.L. Thonson (Umpire), G. McElroy, G. McCaw, N. O'Dwyer, R. Satchwell, R.B. Poots, R. Wilson, A.T. Cutter (Umpire).
Seated: H.D. Judge, A. Allister, S. Johnson, D. Hennessy, A.D. Rose.

Back: J Gray, R McConnell, G Robb, FG Shellard, W Kilpatrick, K Brady, G Martin, J Greenlees.

Seated: J Marsh, C McKnight, J Gabbey, R Poots, J Begg, I Toombs, D Kay

Back: D Kay, Lorimer, R Poots, FG Shellard, Gamble, Kilpatrick, I Toombs

Seated: G Compston, Cousins, Rowney, Paul, Glass.