Old Grammarians enjoy another successful reunion night at Melton

The event has been organised for many years by former trainer Pip Warne and this year by ex OGs goalkeeper and wicketkeeper Dick West.

It seemed poignant that the new Melton Town FC ground is built on one of the OGs old pitches that was based in the middle of the school's running track.

Reformed in 1956/57 and with an enormous enthusiasm from the likes of well known characters Dick Bagshaw, Keith Glover and George Nelson the Ogs, as they were known locally were initially represented in the early years by old scholars and could boast along with the football club a badminton club, cricket club and hockey club.

Forty players and their wives who had represented the football club some 60 plus years ago plus several that had performed for OGs badminton, hockey and cricket teams gathered together to chat about their many happy memories and meet up with some players that they had not seen for many years with, of course, the goals they scored gaining yards by the years and the goalkeepers saves becoming more spectacular.

The football club was reformed in 1956/57 and played in the Melton League which they duly won that year along with the League Cup and League Knockout Cup.

Season 57/58 saw them collect the Knockout Cup again plus the Melton Charity Cup while 58/59 saw them Melton League champions again, League Cup winners, Knockout Cup winners plus the Melton Charity Cup.

Season 58/59 saw them collect the League Cup, Knockout Cup, Melton Charity Cup as well as runners-up in the Junior Cup North Competition.

1959/60 saw the club take a huge step into the Leicestershire Senior League Division Two with a reserve side in the District League.

Then 62/63 saw the club finish runners-up in the Knockout Cup and 64/65 saw the reserves top the District League.

Season 1965/66 saw them win the Melton Charity Cup while 68/69 saw the team finish up as runners-up in the Leicester Senior Cup, narrowly losing out to Newfoundpool by a 2-1 scoreline with Ray Smith notching OGs' goal.

Several of the team that turned out for that final over 50 years ago attended the reunion in Ray Smith, Ray Livesley, Graham Fuller, David Gildove, Peter Lane and Peter Jaggard.

The remainder of the team that day was J. Sampson, R. Clay, L. Gallagher, E. Howard, T. Pears and R. Griffin.

The club played their last season in 1972/73 when it was decided at a meeting at their then club room based at the Crown Inn, Burton Street, to amalgamate with Woodworkers FC, who were based on Egerton Park.

In 1973/74 the two clubs joined and reformed under the Melton Town FC banner with the late Bill Caithness as manager.

Among the reunion guests were Nicky White, who was a prominent Ogs and Leicestershire county badminton player in the 60s, along with his wife who was formerly Marjorie Macintosh and they are delighted that the OGs Badminton Club is still going strong after all these years.

Also attending was Martin Brewster, son of the former Grammar School headmaster and keen OGs hockey player.

The OGs hockey club initially played on Egerton Park with mixed teams but moved up to the Grammar School facilities and formed Melton Hockey club with men's and ladies' teams.

Dick thanked everyone for attending and was already looking forward to next year's meet-up and Ray Smith thanked Dick and Pip on behalf of everyone attending for his super efforts in keeping the reunion going.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​