I never played cricket or football against GEC but as a member of the "Old Griffinians Rugby Club", I played year in year out against "GEC WITTON RFC", as they were officially known, from the mid sixties. The changing rooms were down in the bowels of the Magnet Club as I recall, and the pitch was the furthest away of any. It was on a shelf and there was a set of steps leading up to it. It was always in immaculate condition and we loved playing there, not least for the club bar and facilties afterwards. GEC were a great bunch of lads and after the game, there would be endless games of snooker and darts with the losing team buying the opposition the drinks. As can be imagined, these games were even more hotly contested than the one on the pitch ! I remember them telling us that they were thankful for the nearby motorway being built because they could then train at night under its lights ! But all good things come to an end and I played in the very last rugby match at the Magnet club which I think was at the closure of the 1983/84 season. The club itself upstairs had closed its doors for the final time a couple of weeks before. But no one was going to be denied their after game drinking session. The GEC lads had somehow 'come into the possession' of a last barrel of beer, a gas tank to serve it up, and thirty one glasses which included one for the referee. So there we all sat in the one changing room singing our heads off and proposing toast after toast to the "GEC WITTON RFC" and the good old Magnet Club. I think they moved to another pitch somewhere but shortly afterwards, they merged with "OLD CENTRALS RFC" near Streetly to become a new club which they called "ALDRIDGE RFC". The Old Griffinians played against all the works sides in Birmingham e.g. Lucas, Kynock, Bakelite, GKN etc, but there was something special about "GEC WITTON" and the Magnet Club. Sadly, all of these clubs have now disappeared with only memories left.