1922 August

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Gentle Cup Honours Board from the Merchant Taylors School

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Sir William Gentle

Gentle Challenge Cup

At the Merchant Taylors School the annual race for the Gentle Challenge Cup was won by Harold Waldock, with Charles Harradine 2nd, Russell White 3rd and Fred Albone 4th. The names of the winners were inscribed on an Honours Board that hung in the Merchant Taylors School until it was donated to the museum. William Gentle was born in the Bushel and Strike and after school in Ashwell he served in South Africa and returned to join the Metropolitan Police in 1887. After which he become Chief Constable of Brighton then he retired to Thetford where he became Major and High Sherriff of Norfolk. In 1930 he paid for the renovation of the old building in Swan Street that became the Museum. He inaugurated the Gentle Challenge Cup at the school before he was knighted but we have no details of the race that determined the winner or why it was not contested after 1924.

There was another very busy month on the Cricket, I think the correspondent was the only one sending in reports from Ashwell though there were at least 3 teams representing the Village
The Ashwell Thursday XI beat Biggleswade by 50 runs. The 1sr XI played Hitchin Athletic 1st XI at home and won by 75 runs. While the 2nd XI played their 2nd XI at Hitchin and won by 16 runs.
The 1st XI also beat Arlesey Mental Hospital and Kneesworth St CC, Royston. The inly disappointments of the month were caused by the weather. The game against Weston was rained off and the 2nd XI match against Holwell was declared a draw after rain interrupted play.

The only other reports were of the Women’s Institute special Wednesday outing to Clacton and details of the funeral of Mr King Fordham, the well-known actor whose sudden death was mentioned last month.