May - Old Scarborians

22and Blackpool.In those days there was little incentive foroutstanding amateurs to turn professional fora maximum wage of £15 a week. SaundersʹsWembley prominence earned him his onlycap a month later, in a 3-2 victory over the fullFinland national side. Two years later, Saundersled Pegasus to a record 6-0 victory overHarwich. By then he had become a geographymaster at Malvern, where he also took chargeof football training. His influence was immediate.The school went unbeaten in four seasons,and, between 1956 and 1978, the OldMalvernian side won the Arthur Dunn Cupnine times.The winning team of 1957 included Ian (laterLord) MacLaurin who, in his memoirs, recalledplaying as a schoolboy against OxfordCentaurs; following a goal, MacLaurin hadrun to embrace the scorer, only to receiveSaundersʹs sotto voce rebuke: ʺDonʹt ever dothat again, or Iʹll cut your hand off. Youʹrethere to score goals, not to make an exhibitionof yourself.ʺMacLaurin observed that, while he wouldnever have been much of an academic, ʺI didlearn a lot from sport. If anything helped toshape my future, it was two masters at Malvern,George Chesterton (a cricketer forWorcestershire) and Denis Saunders.ʺSuch was Saundersʹs reputation that, in 1984,he was invited by the Football Association tobe academic headmaster at their new schoolof excellence at Lilleshall, Shropshire, in partnershipwith Dave Sexton, the director ofcoaching. His proteges there included AndyCole.In his history of Pegasus, Ken Shearwoodwrote that he never knew a player with acalmer disposition than Saunders: ʺHeseemed to have all the time in the world tocollect and do what he wanted with the ball.ʺFor many years Saunders contributed schoolsʹfootball match reports to The Daily Telegraph.Denis Saunders, who died on February 16,was predeceased by his wife Eileen. He issurvived by a son and daughter.(Editor: In the accompanying 1943 SBHS 1stXI photo Denis Saunders appears 3rd fromleft, front row, next to HW Marsden)