Hawks' Club

The Hawks' Club is a members-only social club for sportsmen at the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1872.

Membership

Eligibility criteria

Application for membership is open to any man who is either a member of any college at the University of Cambridge or who has been admitted "ad eundem" to the University. He must have spent at least one term in residence, and must have earned a Full Blue, Half Blue or Second Team Colours (in a full blue sport) by representing the University against Oxford in a Varsity match.

Election process

Prospective members are elected in the style of a traditional English gentlemen's club. Two "no" 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 Edinburgh, 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 rights 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 slightly different tie.

Committee

The committee consists of a President, Hon. Secretary and eight ordinary members, and is elected each academic year by the Hawks-in-residence.

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

The clubhouse was originally in Trinity Street, but by the 1890s it had moved to a St John's College 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, 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.

Miscellaneous

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. [ [http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/bursaries/ Bursaries & Sponsorship] ]

Events

The Club sponsors "Rumboogie", an event each Wednesday evening at the Cambridge nightclub "Ballare" (more commonly known as "Cindy's" 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. It also hosts an event each June during May Week in the style of a Cambridge May Ball.

Club Awards

In 2004 two Club awards were introduced: "Hawk of the year" and "Team of the year":

"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.

Reciprocal clubs

Members have various reciprocal rights with a number of similar clubs around the world.

*Melbourne Savage Club, Melbourne, Australia
*University Club of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
*Oxford and Cambridge Club, London, UK
*Cardiff and County Club, Cardiff, UK
*City University Club, London, UK
*Leander Club, Henley-on-Thames, UK
*Nottingham Club, Nottingham, UK
*London, UK
*Vincent's Club, Oxford, UK
*Durban Club, Durban, South Africa
*Waterkloof, South Africa
*Rand Club, Johannesburg, South Africa
*Embassy Club, Iowa, USA
*The Graduate Club, New Haven, USA
*The Princeton Club, New York, USA
*University Club of Rochester, New York, USA
*The B.R.B.S Gentlemans Club, Leeds, UK

Notable members

* Rob Andrew - England rugby player 1985-1997
* Mike Atherton OBE - England cricket captain 1993-1998
* Trevor Bailey - England cricketer 1949-1959
* Lord Bilimoria - Founder of Cobra Beer Ltd.
* Henry Blofeld OBE - Cricket commentator
* Chris Brasher CBE - Olympic 3000m Steeplechase Gold 1956
* Sir Ralph Kilner Brown - High Court judge; WWII brigadier; athletics blue
* John Butterfield, Baron Butterfield OBE FRCP - Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham (1971-1975) and Cambridge (1983-1985) Universities; Master of Downing College 1978-1987
* Sir Adrian Cadbury - Businessman
* HRH Charles, Prince of Wales - Elected 1968 (polo)
* Ted Dexter - England cricket captain 1961/2-1963 & 1964, former President of the MCC
* HM King George VI of the United Kingdom - Elected 1920 (lawn tennis)
* R. K. von Goldstein - Headmaster of the Bishop Cotton School in India.
* Gavin Hastings OBE - Scotland rugby player 1986-1995
* Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 1900-1974 - Elected 1920 (polo)
* Steve James - England cricketer 1998
* Hugh Laurie - Actor; Blues boat 1980
* John Lecky - Chairman of "Canada 3000" airline; former Hawks' Club President; Olympic rowing silver medallist 1960; rowing and rugby blues
* Tony Lewis CBE - England cricket captain 1972/3
* George Mann DSO - England cricket captain 1948/9-1949
* Christopher Martin-Jenkins - Cricket commentator
* Peter May CBE - England cricket captain 1955-1959/60 & 1961
* David Miller - The Times chief sports correspondent; athletics & football blues
* Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma - Elected 1920
* HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - Honorary member since 1950
* The Rt Rev. Lord Sheppard of Liverpool - Bishop of Liverpool; England cricket captain 1954
* Ed Smith - England cricketer 2003
* Lord Snowdon GCVO FRSA - Former husband of HRH The Princess Margaret; Blues boat 1950
* Sir Peter Studd KCVO GBE - 643rd Lord Mayor of London; cricket blue (and captaincy)
* Tony Underwood - England rugby player 1992-1998
* Kieran West MBE - GB Olympic Rowing Gold 2000; Blue Boat 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007

ee also

* Gentlemen's club (traditional)
* University Sporting Blue
* Varsity match

External links

* [http://www.hawksclub.co.uk/hawkstart.htm Hawks' Club website]
* [http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/ospreys/ Ospreys website] An equivalent - although unconnected - club for sportswomen of the University.

Bibliography

* The Hawk, editors Kolbert, C. and Hyde, A., No. 9 (October 2005), published by The Hawks Club.
* Rules of the Hawks' Club (May 2003)

References