The Gold Bat

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"Outside!" "Don't be an idiot, man. I bagged it first." "My dear chap, I've been waiting here a month." "When you fellows have quite finished rotting about in front of that bath, don't let me detain you." "Anybody seen that sponge?" "Well, look here--let's toss for it." "All right. Odd man out." These exchanges marked the end of the first match of the Easter term, as day boys debated who would use the first bath. The Field Sports Committee at Wrykyn, the school nearby, was not generous with changing facilities at the pavilion. Letters frequently appeared in the Wrykinian, some short, others lengthy, from both current students and alumni, voicing complaints about the state of the dressing rooms. "Indignant" would point out, in a half-page letter, that the second room lacked a hairbrush and had only half a comb. "Disgusted O.W." would recount an incident where the water supply mysteriously failed during a match, leaving his team in a state of "primeval grime," criticizing the school for its inadequate facilities despite the irrelevant mention of the student population. The editor would express regret in brackets, and the issues persisted unchanged.