When Malcolm started at Worksop College, the swimming pool was small and open with diving platform and a springboard at the deep end. Water came from the school well which was said to be 102' deep so the water was very cold when the pool was newly filled. However, within a few weeks it would become cloudy with green slime. One boy reported that some small animal had been swimming alongside him one day. Once the new pool had been opened the old one was converted to a nature reserve.

Swimming lessons would take place in the summer term and it was also allowed to go for an early morning swim before breakfast. Malcolm did this a few times but, on one particular morning, he was unaware that the pool had been refilled the previous day. He dived into perishing cold water then popped out on the other side like a cork out of a bottle. He thought his forehead was going to split with the suddeness of the cold water. Maintenance of the old pool declined as the prospect of the new pool approached and this was demonstrated by the springboard. A boy (it could have been Austin or Kidd ) was bouncing on the end of the board in preparation of a dive and when he took the final hard bounce, the board broke and he slid into the water feet first.

The old pool

The new pool

 
The new indoor pool was opened on Whit Monday, 10 June 1957 and was immediately put to good use. The biggest advantage was that swimming could now take place all round the year and not just in the summer. Competitive swimming started and matches took place with other schools. The following year an annual swimming sports day was inaugrated. Malcolm was proficient in breast stroke and backstroke but could never manage the crawl. It is quite likely that he represented his house on sports day but he has no recollection of that.

A new activity was Life-saving tuition and Malcolm was one of the many boys who undertook this. He gained his bronze medallion then progressed to a bronze cross and these entitled him to wear a badge on his swimming trunks.

Some less regulated activity also took place in the swimming pool. Malcolm, together with his friends Julian Hereward and Steve May started going out to the pool at night, well after 'lights out'. The usual route was to the changing rooms to gather towel and trunks then out via the kitchens. The amount of noise made in the pool must have been considerable but they were never challenged. Malcolm actually learned to make a somersault dive from the springboard during these nocturnal visits. To dampen the noise, one of the others would sit on the springboard as Malcolm left it thus supressing the clatter of the board. The nightime swimming got to the attention of other boys and numbers going out started to increase. A system was created that anyone up for a swim would leave a towel over their end bedrail then a volunteer would go round each dormitory to wake those wanting to join the party. Not surprisingly it soon got out of hand and was abruptly stopped but with no consequential punishment as far as Malcolm could remember.