Thanks be we have beaten Ashburnham by the narrow margin of one goal (1-0) after a good game. Went ‘up’ fields with Sargeaunt as I remarked to Low ‘our feelings were too sharply divided’ for us to speak to each other today. The weather was fearful; drizzling and bitterly cold but by dint of two coats, two pairs of gloves and lust shouting I managed to keep it out. We didn’t get our goal ‘til after half time. We are one step nearer the shield and now I have no hesitation in longing for it. The surprise of the afternoon was Home Boarders beating Rigaud’s, the favourites, by 3-0!…Father wanted to suggest to those who had had ‘flu’ that they should take a rug up fields and wear it, but Hobson and myself squashed it as effeminate! Eventually they wore ‘sweaters’ underneath their overcoats!
After the match I went and had tea in college with Benvenisti and Wood. the only other invited guest was Low [an Ashburnhamite]!! He remarked bitterly ‘I didn’t expect to find you here!!’ but the topic of the match was avoided and we had a very pleasant little tea.
Barrington-Ward at the instigation of Wootton has started a crusade against ‘capping’ the Masters every time you meet them up-fields. You can’t go on taking off your hat, it becomes a nuisance both to them and to yourself. Ward wanted me to put up a notice about it as he was going to, but on thinking it over I came to the conclusion that it was hardly a thing to put up a notice about so I solved the difficulty by telling people as I went round Dormitories. I think that it was better so; of course in College it is more difficult as you don’t get people together there so much.
I feel quite cheered by this victory tonight. I wish I could say the same over my Exam next Thursday. I am horribly frightened there at [Scholarship examination for admission to Cambridge].