16 Dec 2021
Written By Matthew Eastley

Dick, Buck and Terry Call my Bluff

Dick, Buck and Terry – what a great trio of names which rolls off the tongue to form a single – ‘dickbucknterry’ – which sounds like the kind of word you might have heard the bow-tied, Ramsgate-born Frank Muir enunciating on Call My Bluff circa 1972.

These three august gentlemen – Dick Henderson, John ‘Buck’ Hennessy and Terry Ryall – all rose to the challenge when this photograph was posted recently with an appeal to help fill in some missing gaps.

All three were fine rugby players with Terry possibly playing more first fifteen games in the sixties than anybody else.

With their help I think we can definitively name all but two members of this team with a little bit of colour added too and thanks also to Mick O’Hara and Phil Mackie chipping in as well.

Back row, left to right:

Peter Meechan: played centre and went on to become a doctor

David (not Charlie) Outred: An utterly fearless wing forward (flanker) who came from Gravesend where his father was a GP

Unknown: Though Dick says his name is on the tip of his tongue.

Paddy Squires: Played prop or second row: “I think he was brighter than most of us,” says Dick

Lech Dziewulski: Second row. Was a very accomplished place-kicker

Peter Firth: Back row/second row. Younger brother of Tony Firth who was universally known as ‘Yeti’ so Peter was known as ‘Little Yeti’ though this was a complete misnomer as he wasn’t little.

Mick Roche: Dick: “Mick was a particular friend of mine but we lost contact when we left school.”

Middle row, left to right:

Ken Lee: Winger or full-back. “He played for Park House rugby club for many years and I think he captained them,” says Dick.

Dick Henderson: Scrum-half. Dick was one of the pioneers of rugby union at St Mary’s and went on to be a Biology master at Dartford Grammar School

John Parker: It was John who supplied this photograph. He was captain of the team and played at fly-half. John now lives in Melbourne.

Patrick Demwell: Prop. “Patrick was exceptionally durable and, as I recall, one of our ‘enforcers.’ Looking back he was older than his years,” says Dick

Possibly Andrew Parker: Dick thinks he may have been a full back or winger but his identity cannot be confirmed

Front row, left to right:

Jacques Hopkins: Played hooker and, says Dick, was very mobile in an era when hookers were usually just there to hook.

Wilf Davis: Centre. Wilf would captain the first fifteen a couple of years later

Unknown

John Keenan: Winger. Dick says: “He was a very good footballer who took a bit of persuasion to play rugby as I recall. However, he embraced the game and became an absolute points machine as far as tries were concerned. He went to Loughborough and I recall became a PE teacher.”

Dick added: “As I recall, this was a successful team. John McKeown had picked up a lot of good fixtures and we won far more games than we lost although we played quite a limited game. There was an element of ‘it it’s a tight game, boot it over the fence onto the A20 and use up some time.’

“As to the badges on the shirt, the only explanation I can think of is that if you were awarded colours then you could have the school badge sewn onto your shirt. I think it was optional as I had got my colours at the same time as Mick Roche and I’m pretty certain that Dave Outred also had them.”

Buck offers a different possibility: “I believe Johnny Parker as captain and Mick Roche as vice-captain would have had the school badges on their shirts to denote their captain and vice-captain status.”

“What an excellent photograph and shows off the old original beloved purple hoops. Brings back a lot of happy memories for me.”

I wonder if there’s a word which means ‘brings back a lot of happy memories’ that Frank Muir or Patrick Campbell might have described in Call My Bluff? Again, where’s Adrian Jarvis or Dermot McMahon when you need them??