These six photographs show the first photographed cricket and rugby sides fielded by Clifton during the years 1945 to 1947.
Fifteen of these boys had been among the founding pupils in 1942, when the school had a complement of about 73 ranging in age from five to 13. By the end of 1945, numbers had dropped to about 60 owing to the repatriation of boys to their home countries after the end of the war in Europe.
The first two men to play cricket for South Africa are also here. There are Christopher George de Villiers Burger and Michael Kelsey (Kim) Elgie. Both middle order batsmen in their Springbok lineups, Chris played two tests in 1958 against the visiting Australians and Kim played three against John Reid's New Zealanders here in1961-62. Mr Elgie also represented Scotland, in the words of Wisden, 'at Rugby Union football'.
But cricket at Clifton had to start somewhere: the following summarises that in Mr Elgie's words.
'The first cricket match was against King’s who went up to JC (or Standard 8) and they were giants. I was put in the First XI to make up the numbers and my claim to fame was that I scored the first run ever for Clifton. This is no big deal – somebody had to score it – but what is interesting is that I was batting at eight. We were bowled out for seven, five of which were byes. I got one and the number nine got one – ours was the big stand of the innings!'
