When the cardinal cheered for the Protestant underdog

The new cardinal, formerly known as Archbishop, Vincent Nichols and I were at school together at St Mary's College, Crosby, for some six years. Although we started a year apart we coincided in the Sixth Form, where the photo above was taken. This was a rare bringing together between the arts and the sciences. I former and Vincent latter. We were largely educated apart in different areas of the school and didn't socialise much. Vincent was a happier soul at school than me. Although serious about his work, he had a sunny side and a fine sense of humour. He clearly enjoyed school, which I very largely didn't. I tended rather to share the view of John Birt, the former Director General of the BBC who was also at St Mary’s, that in the 1950s and early 1960s there was an atmosphere of violence, often gratuitous. We were punished for unbelievably trivial matters on occasion. I remembered being beaten once for accidentally brushing a mathematical compass off my desk when the teacher had called for silence.

I agree with Vincent however that the school was a powerful force in promoting upward mobility for working class and lower middle class boys. The work ethic was strong and we were encouraged to set the highest standards for academic achievement. Sport was the main area of school activity that I enjoyed. I played a lot of rugby – football wasn't played officially – and in the summer athletics. I didn't see much of Vincent on the playing field as his sporting interests lay elsewhere.

One sporting interest which we shared was a rare passion for Liverpool FC at school at a time when they were playing second fiddle to Everton. It's hard to believe now that Liverpool were in the old second division while Everton were in the first. It was also usually regarded as a religious divide – Everton was seen as a Catholic club while Liverpool was seen as Protestant, something along the line of the Rangers/Celtic split. So Vincent and I were highly unusual in supporting the 'Protestant' underdog – which is amusing in the light of the direction his career took.

Scroll down to see which one he is.

Who else is in this picture? If you recognise yourself or anyone else, please email thetablet@thetablet.co.uk and let us know.

Nichols is circled in red, while two along is Sir Ivor Roberts, President of Trinity College, Oxford and a retired diplomat, who supplied the photo.