Hawks' Club
Encyclopedia
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. It was founded in 1872.
Eligibility criteria
Application for membership is open to any man who is either a member of any college at the University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
or who has been admitted ad eundem
Ad eundem degree
An ad eundem degree is a courtesy degree awarded by one university or college to an alumnus of another. The recipient of the ad eundem degree is often a faculty member at the institution where he or she is receiving the honor....
to the University. He must have spent at least one term in residence, and must have earned a Full Blue
University Sporting Blue
A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
, Half Blue or Second Team Colours (in a full blue sport) by representing the University against Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in a Varsity match
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
.
Election process
Prospective members are elected in the style of a traditional English gentlemen's club. Two "noBlackball (blacklist)
Blackballing is a rejection in a traditional form of secret ballot, where a white ball or ballot constitutes a vote in support and a black ball signifies opposition. This system is typically used where a club's rules provide that, rather than a majority of the votes, one or two objections are...
" votes will reject an applicant, and he may not be proposed again at a later date.
Members are admitted for life. The number of Hawks-in-residence at the University is limited to 230, not including MAs; there are several thousand members worldwide.
Honorary Hawks
Occasionally, individuals are admitted as an Honorary Hawk without fulfilling the above criteria (for example HRH The Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, who did not study at Cambridge).
Dining Rights Club
Since 1993 individuals have also been elected to the Hawks Dining Rights Club. Members may use the clubhouse but do not become Hawks. Neither the Cambridge-only nor the men-only restrictions apply in this case, and the majority of members of this type are local business people and professionals. There are slightly fewer dining rightsDining rights
Dining rights, in the United Kingdom, are the right to use the dining facilities offered to the members of certain organisations such as universities, clubs, colleges and bodies such as the House of Lords, and the Hawks' Club.They are typically offered to ex-members of such institutions, alumni,...
members than Hawks-in-residence, and the number peaked at 160 in 1998.
Regalia
The Club colours are maroon and gold; members may wear the Club tie. Honorary members and Dining rights members wear a plain tie with a gold Hawk.Committee
The Club's Committee consists of a President, Honorary Secretary and eight ordinary members, and is elected each academic year by the Hawks-in-residence. The members of the 2010-2011 Committee are: President, Ian Ralby (St. John's, CULC); Hon. Secretary, Stuart Jackson (Girton, CUHC); Fred Burdon (St. John's, CURUFC); Hardy Cubasch (St. Edmund's, CUBC); Henry Day (St. Catharine's, CURA); Charlie Dewhurst (St. John's, CUGC); Jamie Gilbert (St. Edmund's, CURUFC, CUSC); Stuart Lee (Darwin, CUBbC); Nick Parkes (Jesus, CUHC); Humphrey Waddington (St. Catharine's, CUAC). A Management Committee exists of the Trustees, the President and the Secretary of the Club, the Stewards, the Administrator and the DRC President who guide the Club's development.History
The Hawks' Club was formed in 1872 when a proposal to allow members of other colleges into the St John's College Eagles club was rejected. This led to the Hawks' being set up as an equivalent club university-wide. In its early history it was primarily a cricket club but by the turn of the century other sports were well-represented.As is common with student-run organisations, records are patchy in places and old lists of presidents and members have long been lost. The record is better for the period 1889-1963, as during this time a picture of each year's president was added to a display in the clubhouse, and these have survived to the present day. During the 1950s a number of subsequently notable sportsmen were presidents, and several are listed below.
It is not known whether a Blue was originally a prerequisite for membership; some early presidents do not appear to have competed against Oxford in any sport. However, the personal 'suitability' of candidates for membership does not appear to have changed since the Club was founded. The Club website states that "Candidates have to be clubbable" (i.e. "clubbable" in the sense of a traditional gentlemen's club) and "the Hawks' Club remains unashamedly elite", claiming to include only "the top one per cent" of University sportsmen.
Clubhouse
Trinity Street, Cambridge
Trinity Street is a historical street in central Cambridge, England. The street continues north as St John's Street and south as King's Parade and then Trumpington Street....
, but by the 1890s it had moved to a St John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
property in All Saints' Passage. It remained there until 1966 when financial troubles meant the property had to be sold, despite surviving through both world wars, during which the Club was closed. After this it briefly occupied the same premises as the Pitt Club
Pitt Club
The University Pitt Club, popularly referred to as the Pitt Club, is a club, only open to male students at the University of Cambridge. In the past, most of its membership attended certain private schools, and whilst this is no longer a criterion for membership it is still largely true...
, until conflicts of interest regarding the differing objectives of the two clubs made this no longer possible.
There was no clubhouse until 1986, when a four-storey building at 18 Portugal Place became available. This property was bought by a group of members, who restored it from its previous existence as a dilapidated hotel staff hostel. The restored clubhouse was opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in October 1992. It consists of a bar, members' lounge, dining room space for some 25-30 people, and the Club steward's flat on the top floor.
Hawks' Charitable Trust
The Club actively supports students who have financial difficulties keeping up their sport. Each year the Club awards a number of bursaries to members of the University under the auspices of the Hawks' Charitable Trust. These awards are equally available to both men and women, and total several thousand pounds each year.Events
The Club promotes Rumboogie and Resurrection, events each Wednesday and Sunday evening at the Cambridge nightclubs Ballare and The Place (more commonly known as Cindies and Life to the student population). At the end of each Michaelmas term it hosts a dinner in London for its members, usually at one of the large hotels, the night before the Varsity Rugby Match. It also hosts an event each June during May WeekMay Week
May Week is the name used within the University of Cambridge to refer to a period of time at the end of the academic year. Originally May Week took place in the week during May before year-end exams began. Today, May Week takes place in June. The end of exams is a cause for heavy celebration...
in the style of a Cambridge May Ball
May Ball
A May Ball is a ball at the end of the academic year that happens at any one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. They are formal affairs, requiring evening dress, with ticket prices of around £65 to £200 , with some colleges selling tickets only in pairs...
- "the Hawks' Event", at Fenner's Cricket Ground, which is organised and run by the Committee. In recent years, a "Hawks' Charity Dinner" has been held in Lent term, supporting various local charities.
Club Awards
In 2004 two Club awards were introduced: Hawk of the year and Team of the year:In 2010, the International Honours Book was created to record and detail the representative achievements of its members. There are currently full internationals in residence in fencing, squash, rifles, rowing and rugby union.
The Club is currently researching its members who lost their lives in times of war.
The Hawk magazine
An old boys magazine called The Hawk is published aperiodically. The most recent issue is No. 9, published in October 2005. The magazine includes, among other things, news of current University teams and results, obituaries of notable members, and Club notices.The Hawks' Talks Speaker Series
On 17 November 2010, the Hawks' Club launched the Hawks' Talks Speaker Series in conjunction with the Cambridge Union Society. Designed to bring distinguished members of the Club and other notable sportsmen to Cambridge, the Series seeks to host one major sporting-related speaker at the Union each term.List of Speakers in the Hawks' Talks Series:
17 Nov. 2010: Gavin Hastings, OBE (CURUFC, Scotland & Lions);
18 Feb. 2011: Mike Brearley, OBE (CUCC, MCC & England)
Reciprocal clubs
Members have various reciprocal rights with a number of similar clubs around the world.- Cardiff and County Club, Cardiff, UK
- City University Club, London, UK
- Durban Club, Durban, South Africa
- Embassy Club, Iowa, USA
- The Graduate Club, New Haven, USA
- Leander ClubLeander ClubLeander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. It is based in Remenham in the English county of Berkshire, adjoining Henley-on-Thames...
, Henley-on-ThamesHenley-on-ThamesHenley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
, UK - Melbourne Savage Club, Melbourne, Australia
- Nottingham Club, Nottingham, UK
- Oxford and Cambridge ClubOxford and Cambridge ClubThe Oxford and Cambridge Club is at 71 Pall Mall, London, England. The clubhouse was designed for the membership by architect Sir Robert Smirke and completed towards the end of 1837. It was founded for members of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
, London, UK - Pretoria Country Club, Waterkloof, South Africa
- The Princeton Club, New York, USA
- Rand Club, Johannesburg, South Africa
- University Club of Rochester, New York, USA
- University Club of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Vincent’s Club, Oxford, UK
Notable members
- Rob AndrewRob AndrewChristopher Robert "Rob" Andrew MBE , nicknamed "Squeaky", is a former English rugby union footballer and currently Director of Operations at the RFU. He was formerly the Director of Rugby of Newcastle Falcons. As a player, Andrew was assured in his kicking and defensive skills off both feet...
- England rugby player 1985-1997 - Mike Atherton OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- England cricket captain 1993-1998 - Trevor BaileyTrevor BaileyTrevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
- England cricketer 1949-1959 - Lord BilimoriaKaran Bilimoria, Baron BilimoriaKaran Faridoon Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria CBE is an entrepreneur and a life peer. He is best known as one of the two founders and chairman of Cobra Beer.-Early life:Bilimoria was born in Hyderabad, India of Parsi Zoroastrian descent....
- Founder of Cobra Beer Ltd. - Henry BlofeldHenry BlofeldHenry Calthorpe Blofeld is a sports journalist. He is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.Blofeld had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer, cut short by injury...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- Cricket commentator - Chris BrasherChris BrasherChristopher William "Chris" Brasher CBE was a British athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon.-History:...
CBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- Olympic 3000m SteeplechaseSteeplechase (athletics)The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...
Gold 1956 - Sir Ralph Kilner BrownRalph Kilner BrownSir Ralph Kilner Brown, OBE, TD, DL . Born in Calcutta, he was educated at Kingswood School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps in 1939, served on Field Marshal Montgomery's staff planning the Normandy landings and later became a High Court judge...
- High Court judge; WWII brigadierBrigadierBrigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
; athletics blue - John Butterfield, Baron ButterfieldJohn Butterfield, Baron ButterfieldWilliam John Hughes Butterfield, Baron Butterfield, OBE, FRCP was a leading British medical researcher, clinician and administrator....
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRCPRoyal College of PhysiciansThe Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
- Vice-Chancellor of the University of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamThe University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
(1971-1975) and CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
(1983-1985) Universities; Master of Downing CollegeDowning College, CambridgeDowning College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
1978-1987 - Sir Adrian CadburyAdrian CadburySir George Adrian Hayhurst Cadbury is a former British Olympic rower and Chairman of Cadbury and Cadbury Schweppes for 24 years. He has been a pioneer in raising the awareness and stimulating the debate on corporate governance and produced the Cadbury Report, a code of best practice which served...
- Businessman - HRH Charles, Prince of Wales - Elected 1968 (polo)
- Ted DexterTed DexterEdward Ralph Dexter CBE is a former English cricketer...
- England cricket captain 1961/2-1963 & 1964, former President of the MCCMarylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of... - HM King George VI of the United KingdomGeorge VI of the United KingdomGeorge VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
- Elected 1920 (lawn tennis) - R. K. von GoldsteinR. K. von GoldsteinMajor R. K. von Goldstein MBE was an Indian educationist.He studied in the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla where he was the house captain for Ibbetson House in 1927. After school he went on to study at Cambridge University. There also he was elected into the Hawks Club.He was a Major in the...
- Headmaster of the Bishop Cotton SchoolBishop Cotton SchoolBishop Cotton School, Shimla, is one of the oldest boarding school in Asia, having been founded on 28 July, 1859, by Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton. The alumni of Bishop Cotton are known as Old Cottonians...
in India. - Gavin HastingsGavin HastingsAndrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- Scotland rugby player 1986-1995 - Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 1900-1974Prince Henry, Duke of GloucesterThe Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....
- Elected 1920 (polo) - Steve JamesSteve James (cricketer)Stephen Peter James is a former English cricketer who played two Tests for England in 1998, making 71 runs in four innings. He was captain of Glamorgan for three seasons before retiring in 2003 after 17 seasons with the club, aged 35...
- England cricketer 1998 - Hugh LaurieHugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- Actor; Blue boat 1980 - John LeckyJohn LeckyJohn MacMillan Stirling Lecky was a Canadian rower, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He won a silver medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics.-Early life:...
- Chairman of Canada 3000Canada 3000Canada 3000 Inc. was a Canadian discount charter airline offering domestic and international flights. It was the largest charter airline in the world at the time of its operation, with over 90 destinations worldwide, although it changed to scheduled service in 2000 after the Canadian Airlines and...
airline; former Hawks' Club President; Olympic rowing silver medallist 1960; rowing and rugby blues - Tony LewisTony LewisAnthony Robert Lewis CBE is a former Welsh cricketer, who went on to become the face of BBC Television cricket coverage in the 1990s, and become president of the MCC. Lewis attended Christ's College, Cambridge and played for Cambridge University. He also played county cricket for Glamorgan, and...
CBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- England cricket captain 1972/3 - George Mann DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
- England cricket captain 1948/9-1949 - Christopher Martin-JenkinsChristopher Martin-JenkinsChristopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins MBE, also known as CMJ , is a cricket journalist and Past President of the MCC. He is also a commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio....
- Cricket commentator - Peter May CBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- England cricket captain 1955-1959/60 & 1961 - David Miller - The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
chief sports correspondent; athletics & football blues - Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
- Elected 1920 - HRH Prince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
- Honorary member since 1950 - The Rt Rev. Lord Sheppard of LiverpoolDavid SheppardDavid Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was the high-profile Bishop of Liverpool in the Church of England who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth...
- Bishop of Liverpool; England cricket captain 1954 - Ed SmithEd Smith (cricketer)Edward Thomas Smith is an English author and journalist, and former professional cricketer.-Background:He is the son of the novelist Jonathan Smith...
- England cricketer 2003 - Lord Snowdon GCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
FRSARoyal Society of ArtsThe Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
- Former husband of HRH The Princess Margaret; Blue boat 1950 - Sir Peter StuddPeter Malden StuddSir Peter Malden Studd GBE KCVO MA DSc DL - was an English cricketer and the 643rd Lord Mayor of London.-Biography:...
KCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
GBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 643rd Lord Mayor of LondonLord Mayor of LondonThe Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
; cricket blue (and captaincy) - Tony UnderwoodTony UnderwoodTony Underwood is a former English rugby union footballer who played as a wing three-quarter back. He is of Chinese-English parentage....
- England rugby player 1992-1998 - Kieran WestKieran WestKieran Martin West, MBE is a British rower and Olympic champion.-Education:Born in Kingston upon Thames, West was educated at Dulwich College, in south-east London, before going to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1995, to study for a BA in Economics and Land Economy, followed by a PGCE in...
MBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- GB Olympic Rowing Gold 2000; Blue Boat 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007
Richard Dodds OBE - Captained GB hockey team which won Gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
See also
- Gentlemen's club (traditional)
- University Sporting BlueUniversity Sporting BlueA Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
- Varsity matchVarsity matchA varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
- Vincent’s Club, the equivalent club at Oxford University
External links
- Hawks' Club website
- Ospreys website — an equivalent (although unconnected) club for sportswomen of the University