The Hawks' Club, founded in 1872, is a members-only social club for the leading sportsmen at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Membership is by election only, and the usual criterion is that the candidate should have his

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

. Many notable individuals have been, or are, members, including

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

Rob Andrew Christopher Robert Andrew (born 18 February 1963) is a former English rugby union player who as a fly-half played 71 Tests for England between 1985 and 1997. Since his retirement from playing he has held administration roles in both rugby and ...

, Mike Atherton,

Chris Brasher Christopher William Brasher CBE (21 August 1928 – 28 February 2003) was a British track and field athlete, Olympic champion, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon. Early life and education Born in Georgetown, British Gui ...

Gavin Hastings Andrew Gavin Hastings, (born 3 January 1962) is a Scottish former rugby union player. A fullback, he is widely regarded to be one of the best ever Scottish rugby players and was one of the outstanding players of his generation, winning 61 c ...

and Hugh Laurie.

History

The Hawks' Club was formed in 1872 when a proposal to allow members of other

colleges A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...

into the St John's College Eagles sporting club was rejected. This led to the Hawks' being established as an equivalent club for the whole university. In its early history, it was primarily a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

club but, by the turn of the century, other sports had become 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 participation in a Varsity Match was originally a prerequisite for membership; some early presidents do not appear to have competed against

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in any sport. However, the personal 'suitability' of candidates for membership does not appear to have changed since the Club was founded. Candidates must have excelled at their sport on behalf of the University and also be ''clubbable''. Dr Whitehorn, Treasurer of the Club from 1941 to 1960, remarked that beside the many Olympians, internationals and sporting greats who are members, ‘the stout fellows who don’t get Blues, but have been and are the making of the University’s fellowship in sport and life – those are the Hawks too. Long may they flourish’. The club plays host not only to the Members in residence, but also to visiting

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

, Springboks,

Samoans Samoans or Samoan people () are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in Polynesia, who speak the Samoan language. The group's home islands are politically and geographically divided between the Independent S ...

– whose height and bulk test the dimensions of the bar – oarsmen, Vincent’s members and also to judges, doctors, parsons, accountants, schoolmasters, knights and lords, captains of industry, farmers, MPs and Heads of Houses who return for ‘auld lang syne’.

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 should have earned a Full

, Half Blue or Second Team Colours (in a full blue sport) by representing the University against

in a Varsity Match.

Election process

A prospective applicant must be proposed, seconded, and have six further members sign their application form. The proposer is normally the team captain for the relevant sport and the seconder must be a member of the Hawks' Committee. The application is then reviewed by the committee: two " no" votes will reject an applicant, and he may not be proposed again at a later date. Members are admitted for life and may wear the club colours of maroon and gold. The number of ''Hawks-in-residence'' at the University is limited to 250, not including MAs; there are several thousand members worldwide. Occasionally, individuals are admitted as an ''Honorary Hawk'' without fulfilling the above criteria (for example

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

, 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 Dining Rights members are local business people and professionals who contribute to the costs of running the Club, and to ''The Hawks’ Trust'' which is a charity supporting all sportsmen and women at the University. There are slightly fewer dining rights members than Hawks-in-residence, and the number peaked at 160 in 1998.

Committee

The Club's Committee consists of a President, Honorary Secretary, Junior Treasurer and seven ordinary members, and is elected each academic year by the Hawks-in-residence. The Committee are responsible for the Club, the election of new members and host an event each June during May Week in the style of a Cambridge May Ball, known as "The Hawks' Event", at Fenner's Cricket Ground. There is a Management Committee of the Trustees, the President and the Secretary of the Club, the Steward and the DRC President, who guide the Club's development. The London Dinner Committee, made up of former Presidents and notable old Hawks, organise the London Dinner at the end of Michaelmas Term. This is hosted at the Savoy Hotel and is the major event in the calendar for Hawks once they have gone down. The Hawks' Charitable Trust 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 around £40,000 each year.

Clubhouse

The clubhouse was originally on 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 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. Resident Hawks voted in advisory votes in 2017 (85% in favour) and January 2019 (89% in favour) on the question of allowing resident ''Ospreys'' (Cambridge women's sports club) to pay for access arrangements to the Hawks’ clubhouse. 1,400 non-resident Hawks (out of 4,480 members) voted 89% in favour of the proposal in an online ballot run by Electoral Reform Services in February and March 2019.

Notable members

Monarchs: *

, CULTC *

, CUPC Members of the Royal Family: *

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was a member of the British royal family. He was the third son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Queen Mary, and was a younger brother of kings E ...

, CUPC *

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was ...

, CUPC *

Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017) was a British photographer. He is best known internationally for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in '' Vogue'', '' Vanity Fa ...

- Former husband of Princess Margaret, CUBC Academic: * Matthew Bullock - Master of St Edmund's College, CUAC * John Butterfield, Baron Butterfield - Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

(1971-1975) and University of Cambridge (1983-1985), Master of

Downing College Downing College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, ...

1978-1987, CURUFC, CUCC, CULTC, CURTC, CUHC * R. K. von Goldstein - Headmaster of the Bishop Cotton School, India * Dennis Silk - First Class cricketer, former MCC President and Warden of Radley College, CUCC, CURUFC Politics & Law: * Sir Ralph Kilner Brown - High Court Judge, WWII

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

, CUAC * James Crowden - Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Vice-President of the

British Olympic Association The British Olympic Association (BOA; ) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It represents the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), but also incorporate represen ...

and Steward of

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

, CUBC * Sir Peter Studd - 643rd

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

; CUCC, CURUFC * William Whitelaw -

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP,

Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom is an honorific title given to a minister of the Crown and a member of the British Cabinet, normally to signify a very senior minister, the deputy leader of the governing party, or a key political ...

, 1983–88; CUGC Business: * Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria - Founder of Cobra Beer Ltd, CUPC * Sir Adrian Cadbury - Businessman, CUBC, CUSSC Arts: * Hugh Laurie - Actor, CUBC Sportsmen: *

- England rugby international 1985-1997, CURUFC, CUCC * Mike Atherton - England Cricket Captain 1993-1998, CUCC * Bunny Austin - Davis Cup Winner and

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, Roland-Garros Finalist, CULTC * Mark Bailey - England rugby international and High Master of St Paul's School, CURUFC * Trevor Bailey - England cricketer 1949-1959, CUCC * Mike Biggar - Scotland Rugby Captain, CURUFC * Henry Blofeld - Cricket commentator, CUCC *

- Olympic Gold 1956, CUAC * Mike Brearley - England Cricket Captain, CUCC * Godfrey Brown - Olympic Gold 1936, CUAC * Eddie Butler - Welsh rugby international, journalist and broadcaster, CURUFC * Bernie Cotton - GB hockey international and Olympic Gold winning coach, CUHC * Mark Cox - Davis Cup finalist,

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

and US Open quarter-finalist, CULTC * James Cracknell - Olympic Gold 2000 & 2004, CUBC * John Crawley - England cricketer, CUCC * Freddie Davidson - World and European Rowing Champion, CUBC * Ted Dexter - England Cricket Captain 1961/2-1963 & 1964, former MCC President, CUCC * Richard Dodds - Olympic Gold 1988, GB Hockey Captain, CUHC * Toby Flood - England rugby international, CURUFC * Tom George - Olympic Bronze 2020, CUBC * Mike Gibson - Irish rugby international, CURUFC *

- Scotland Rugby Captain, CURUFC * Alastair Hignell - England rugby international and First Class cricketer, CURUFC. CUCC * James Horwill - Australian Rugby Captain, CURUFC * Tom James - Olympic Gold 2008 & 2012, CUBC * John Lecky - Chairman of '' Canada 3000'' airline, Olympic Silver 1960, CUBC, CURUFC * Tony Lewis - England Cricket Captain 1972/3, Presenter BBC Cricket 1980 - 1999, CUCC, CURUFC * Douglas Lowe - Olympic Gold 1924 & 1928 - CUAC * Laddie Lucas - Distinguished wartime RAF pilot, MP, International golfer, CUGC * George Mann - England Cricket Captain 1948/9-1949, CUCC * Christopher Martin-Jenkins - Cricket commentator, CUCC, CURFC * Peter May - England Cricket captain 1955-1959/60 & 1961, CUCC * Richard Meade - Triple Olympic Gold 1968 & 1972, CURC * George Nash - Olympic Gold 2016, Bronze 2012, CUBC *

Derek Pringle Derek Raymond Pringle (born 18 September 1958) is a Kenyan-born English former Test and One Day International cricketer for England, and is now a cricket journalist. He was a part of the English squads which finished as runners-up at the 198 ...

- England cricketer and journalist, CUCC * John Pritchard - Olympic Silver 1980, CUBC * Tom Ransley - Olympic Gold 2016, Bronze 2012, CUBC * Jamie Roberts - Welsh rugby international, CURUFC *

David Sheppard David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool (6 March 1929 – 5 March 2005) was a Church of England bishop who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth, before serving as Bishop of Liverpool from 1975 to 1997. Sheppard remains ...

- Bishop of Liverpool, England Cricket captain 1954, CUCC * Ken Scotland - Scotland rugby player, CURUFC * Tom Stallard - Olympic Silver medallist 2008 and motorsport engineer, CUBC * Ed Smith - England cricketer and journalist, CUCC * Adie Spencer - First man to win Rugby Union and League Blues, banned by the RFU for playing League at a professional level, CURLFC, CURUFC * Bob Tisdall - Irish Olympic Gold medallist 1932, CUAC * Bruce Tulloh - Olympian and European Champion, CUAC * Tony Underwood - England rugby international 1992-1998, CURUFC, CUAC * Flip van der Merwe - South African rugby international, CURUFC * Josh West - Olympic Silver medallist 2008, CUBC * Kieran West - Olympic Gold medallist 2000, CUBC *

Max Woosnam Maxwell Woosnam (6 September 1892 – 14 July 1965) was a British sportsman who is sometimes referred to as the 'Greatest British sportsman' in recognition of his achievements. Among his achievements were winning an Olympic gold and sil ...

- Britain's Greatest Sportsman, Olympic Gold and Silver medallist 1920, Wimbledon Champion, Davis Cup captain,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Assoc ...

captain, CUAFC, CUCC, CULTC, CURTC, CUGC * Oliver Wynne-Griffith - Olympic Bronze 2020, CUBC

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

External links

Hawks' Club websiteOspreys website
— an equivalent club for the sportswomen of the University {{University of Cambridge Organizations established in 1872 Clubs and societies of the University of Cambridge Gentlemen's clubs in England St John's College, Cambridge 1872 establishments in England