Did you know that the School’s first sport was Quidditch? Wait, what? Yes, you guessed it – it is time for our annual April Fool’s Day post!
The School’s first sport was actually cricket. And Ms. Parsi has a story to tell about a strange cricket artifact that is housed in the archives. She writes:
“In December 2021, the SPS Facilities crew was tasked with emptying the Red Barn in preparation for an upcoming renovation. Much of the Red Barn’s contents were destined for the Tonka Barn, a former cow barn turned Facilities storage building, further up Dunbarton Road. The Tonka Barn, however, was already full of School history and artifacts, so I was asked to help appraise, and in many cases, preserve, what had been stored in this barn.
This project led me to one of the strangest artifacts we have in the archives – a wooden case containing fourteen gilded cricket balls (to be fair, the balls DO look like they could be Quaffles), engraved plates, and a photograph of one of the early SPS cricket teams. Although there was no information about the case – who made it, when it was made, where it was located – I decided that it was too compelling to leave behind, so I brought it back to the archives. But it took me almost five years to answer my questions about it!
As is often the way, I found the answer when I was looking for something else. From the April 30, 1887 issue of the Horae Scholasticae:
Mr. F. H. Potter has presented the School with a case, in which the Balls won by the School XI are to be placed. The case is intended to hold twenty balls, but at present we have but twelve. The balls are to be gilded, and fastened on a background of red velvet, and under each is to be a silver plate with the date of the match, and the club from which it was won, together with the scores. Something of this kind should have been done before, for very few people see the balls in the library, and but few of those who do see them know what they are. Many thanks are due to Mr. Potter for his kindness and trouble.
Mystery solved! Next time you are at the library, swing by the archives to see this one-of-a-kind SPS treasure for yourself!”
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