March 2007 to June 2008 NEWS
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30.6.08
Trewirgie Junior School from Cornwall will be back at the birthplace of rugby on Wednesday July 9 to defend their national Tag to Twickenham title.
Trewirgie from Cornwall won the national title 12 months ago when they beat Yealampton Primary School from Devon six tries to three in an entertaining final.
They will be among 24 schools taking part in this year's final at Rugby School, where William Webb Ellis is credited with being the first man to pick up and run with a foootball giving birth to the sport that carries the name of the Warwickshire town.
The Rugby Football Union have been running a far-reaching community Tag Rugby programme across England in conjunction with the Child Victims of Crime charity and YAZOO to encourage the nation's children to participate in sport and pursue a safer and healthier lifestyle.
Teams have qualified for the national finals day through a series of local and regional qualifying events for a competition that has involved almost 15,000 children - boys and girls.
The two finalists from next week's event will have the honour of playing against each other at Twickenham Stadium as a curtain-raiser to next season's Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland in the RBS Six Nations Championship.
England and Sale Sharks winger Mark Cueto and Dean Richards, the former England number eight who is now director of rugby at Guinness Premiership club Harlequins, will be among the guests of honour at the event.
Cueto is the RFU YAZOO Tag Rugby Ambassador and and Richards, a former police officer, is patron of Child Victims of Crime, the charity of the British Police rugby section, which was set up to children whose lives have been affected by crime..
Sir Ronnie Flanagan, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and president of CVOC will also be attending to highlight the work done by the police and CVOC to promote children's health, safety and welfare through their Tackle Safety Programme.
The programme also helps to bring local communities together by enabling police forces to get involved with local schools and work with them to improve community relations.
Tag Rugby is a non-contact version of the sport that can be played by all ages and which has proved a popular way of introducing participants to rugby.
YAZOO's commitment to supporting grassroots sport in the UK helps the RFU to bring Tag Rugby to over 450,000 school children each year as well as donating balls, tag belts and other equipment to thousands of schools across the country.
The schools that have already qualified for the Tag to Twickenham finals day are: All Cannings School (Wiltshire), Black Firs School (Cheshire), Bleak Hill Primary School (Merseyside), Buchan School (sle of Man), Burraton Primary School (Cornwall), Christ Church Middle School (Staffordshire), Church Langton CE Aided Primary School (Leicestershire), Churchend Primary School (Reading), Croeserw Primary School (South Wales), Cudworth Churchfield Primary School (South Wales), Gilbert Inglefield Middle School (Berkshire), Grange Park Primary School (London), Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School (Kent), John Hampden Primary School (Oxfordshire), Langdale Junior School (Staffordshire), Newbottle Primary School (Tyne & Wear), Ravenscote Junior School (Surrey), Silverdale School (East Sussex), Smawthorne Henry Moore Primary School (West Yorkshire), Southend Primary School (Essex), St Aloysius RC Junior School (Tyne & Wear), St Katharine's Primary School (Dorset), Trewirgie Junior School (Cornwall).
26.6.08
Portsmouth Grammar School powered their way into the national final of the Lords Taverners U15 Cup for the first time ever after a thrilling victory against Whitgift School, from Surrey, yesterday.
Chris Stone smashed a memorable 106 not out in just 88 balls as Portsmouth Grammar set a daunting target of 242-5 in 40 overs against their talented hosts.
Earlier Eugene Hind hit 40 in 39 balls and Jacob George compiled an impressive 51 on a beautiful batting track at Haling Park in South Croydon.
In reply, things looked tricky for PGS as Whitgift’s Matt Laidman (77) and Elliott Daly (40) scorched their way to 104-1 off the first twenty overs.
But spinner Rob Gibson (3-44), supported by Jonny Rusbridge (2-32) and Rob Tusler (2-39), hit back to bowl out the Surrey school for 186 to win by 56 runs.
Portsmouth Grammar, who beat Millfield in the quarter finals, will now tackle Oundle School, from Peterborough, in the national Lords Taverners Schools final at Kibworth Cricket Club in Leicestershire on Monday July 7 after Oundle defeated Manchester Grammar School by 35 runs in the other semi final.
Despite losing captain and leading run-scorer Harry Ramsden for just five, Guy Hodgkinson (50) and George Johansen (37) helped Oundle – national U15 runners-up last year - reach 184-6 off their 40 overs.
Then leg spinner Jamie Letten opened the bowling and immediately removed Manchester’s top three batsmen cheaply.
Despite recovering, MGS were always behind the rate and eventually succumbed to 149 all out.
24.6.08
A Derbyshire school is today celebrating the news that one of it pupils is set to become the youngest ever member of the Great Britain Olympic women’s hockey squad.
Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Craddock, who is studying for her A levels at Repton School, has been named as one of the 16 full squad members travelling to Beijing for the games in August.
The squad members were announced by the British Olympic Association in London this morning.
Centre forward Craddock’s place had looked in doubt when she when she was forced to leave the Great Britain Women's Hockey Squad tour of Australia in February this year with two stress fractures in her lower back.
But she has fought her way back to fitness and form and put on a dazzling display for GB senior women at the Setanta Trophy in Ireland earlier this month.
Inspired, she says, by her parents, Charlotte took up hockey when she was just eight years old and has been playing at an international level since the age of 14.
Charlotte was awarded a hockey scholarship to Repton School where she has just sat AS levels in economics, geography and PE.
A programme of training and studies has been drawn up to enable her to maintain both her hockey and academic work.
She has trained in school – which boasts two water-based Astroturf pitches identical to that built for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and where hockey is played year-round - and with Cannock Hockey Club.
Her speed and skill with the ball has meant that she has been a real goal-scoring asset to both of these sides. She is the youngest member of the GB squad and the only one in full time education.
Martin Jones, director of hockey at Repton and himself a former GB squad member, said: “Charlotte richly deserves her place in the Olympic squad. She has been training intensively and is playing incredibly well at the moment. We will all be following her progress in August and wish her well for Beijing.”
Charlotte joins a growing list of Reptonians to make names for themselves on the hockey pitch. Jones himself was educated at Repton and others include Susie Gilbert (Great Britain - 2008), Ben Sharpe (Sydney Olympics 2000 - GB), Andrew Griffiths (Sydney Olympics 2000 - Canada), Matthew Taylor (England), Georgie Twigg (England U21 2008) and Tim Gilbert (England U18 – 2007).
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will take place from 8th to 24th August 2008.
19.6.08
Whitgift School beat Bradfield College by four wickets in the last quarter final of the Lords Taverners U15 National Cricket Cup
Berkshire champions Bradfield were restricted to 140-9 off their 40 overs thanks to Josh Taylor (2-12) and Matthew Morrison (4-32).
In return, the Surrey champions’ batsmen never took total control apart from opener Matthew Laidman, who held the innings together with an impressive 73.
But Whitgift’s winning runs were scored in style by Nirav Patel with a huge six over midwicket with 4.4 overs remaining.
Former Surrey player David Ward, head of cricket at Whitgift, said: “It was a very pleasing victory over a talented Bradfield side, but we did not make it easy for ourselves losing too many wickets at critical times.
“However, the work done pre-season on a tour to Dubai meant we had a real depth of batting talent in the squad and, despite losing six wickets, we still had very able batsmen at the crease.”
Whitgift will now host Hampshire and South West champions Portsmouth Grammar School in the Lords Taverners semi-final next Wednesday (June 25) on the school’s County Oval at Haling Park.
16.6.08
Harry Ramsden hit 81 and Guy Hodgkinson scored 65 as Oundle School totalled 207-4 and defeated Loughborough Grammar School - 105 all out - by 102 runs in the quarter finals of the Lord’s Taverners U15 Schools Cricket Trophy.
They will now play Manchester Grammar School in the national semi finals after MGS defeated Sedbergh School, from Cumbria.
Inthe other semi final, Portsmouth Grammar School will travel to either Surrey champions Whitgift School or Bradfield College, Berkshire, who play their south eastern regional final tomorrow.
15.6.08
Nottingham High School pupil Oliver Holland, 13, has led the England U15 squash team to victory as the youngest ever captain.
The team travelled to Lyon to compete in the European Championships, where they played against 16 countries, including Israel, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic, and claimed victory in the final against France.
Oliver, who trains five times a week, is currently ranked as number one in Europe and England at U15 level and is also ranked as number eight in England in U17s.
13.6.08
Portsmouth Grammar School surged into the national semi-finals of the Lord’s Taverners U15 Schools Cricket Trophy by overcoming mighty Millfield by 25 runs in a pulsating South West regional final yesterday.
Portsmouth became the first team into the semis and inflicted a rare loss for the formidable Somerset outfit.
The South Coast side overcame the loss of two early wickets to post a decent total of 225-4 in 40 overs thanks to 73 from Eugene Hind, an unbeaten 60 from Miles Walker and an incredible 33 in just eight balls from Cameron Prentice.
In reply, Millfield made a steady start to reach 75-1 in fifteen overs before the dangerous opener Bell-Drummond was run out.
The talented Portsmouth bowlers then gradually suffocated the Millfield batters and two wickets apiece from Prentice, Gibson and Rob Tusler left them 25 runs short.
Portsmouth Grammar School will now travel to either Surrey champions Whitgift School or Bradfield College, Berkshire, who play their south eastern regional final next week.
12.6.08
Lancaster Royal Grammar School’s swimmers achieved an historic “clean sweep” at the Lancaster and District Inter-Schools Swimming Gala
For the first time in over twenty years, Lancaster won all the trophies in the boy’s section of this annual event at Salt Ayre.
Luci Ollerton, teacher in charge of swimming, praised the boys in winning 32 out of the 36 races held on the night and pointed out how much the swimmers benefited from the pool-side advice and guidance of sixth former Nick Tawn.
Seventeen year old Nick, who is also a pupil at LRGS and a member of Carnforth Otters Swimming Club, has recently been selected for the Great Britain 2012 Olympic Swimming Training Squad.
The successful teams were U12s (Alasdair Fairhurst, Sam McIlwaine, Luke Saul, Josh Hillis, Freddie Carter and Tim Hendry), U13s (Phillip Mason, Oliver Gent, Matthew Robinson, Andrew Burch, Joe Hayhurst, Sam Foley, Oliver Jacques and Charlie Robb), U14s (Adam Bateson, Beau Smith, Elliot Trafford, Liam McGuinness, Bill Timpany and Tom Diamond) and U15s (John Rainford, Stephen Dufton, Jack Brown, Matthew Eardley, Laurence Daykin and Joe Barton)
11.6.08
Rugby Football Union National Academy Coach Martin Haag will host a coaching day at Newquay Tretherras School on June 29.
The coaching day, which has been organised by the Cornwall RFU Coaches Association, is for all coaches and teachers within the county and will take place between 10am and 4pm.
The former Bath Rugby and England second row player will deliver practical sessions of interest to coaches of all levels, concentrating on coaching skills and attack patterns.
To book a place, send a £10 cheque made payable to the CRFU to Mike Bratt at PO BOX 297, Penzance, TR18 9EA.
4.6.08
Scottish Rugby has paid tribute Grant Mackenzie, a PE teacher at Stewart’s-Melville College in Edinburgh and coach to Stewart’s Melville FP coach, who has died aged just 39.
Grant was responsible for the development of an array of talented rugby players both at school and club level.
Scottish Rugby Chairman Allan Munro, also chairman of Stewart’s-Melville FPRFC, paid tribute to the talented coach.
Munro said: “Grant was a tremendous person and an individual blessed with the ability to improve other people; both as rugby players and as individuals.
“He will be very much missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to know him and this tragedy has deeply affected the whole rugby community in Scotland.
“Everyone at the rugby club would like to extend their condole senses to his wife, Sian, his children, Murray and Ellie and all his family.”
Former Scotland internationalist Graham Shiel, now a National Academy coach, played under Grant at Stewart’s Melville FP and latterly worked alongside him as a coach.
Shiel said: “Grant was such a well-respected individual both in his occupation as a teacher and in the world of rugby. He was a very talented individual and a very caring individual.”
3.6.08
Lancaster Royal Grammar School hosted the Red Rose County Badminton Finals where the star of the show was LRGS sixth form pupil Jack Mitchell.
Jack maintained his one hundred percent record in his school career defeating both the Runshaw and Lytham singles opponents very comfortably.
Jack has been the mainstay of the team over the years and his excellent courtcraft, balance and power have made him a regular in the Lancashire team as well.
Unfortunately on this occasion, his team mates Mark Butterworth, Rushir Mashar and Alex Aulakh, were overcome by superior doubles pairings, meaning that the school finished a creditable third, behind winners Runshaw College.
2.6.08
England cricketers Stuart Broad and James Anderson put twenty local youngsters through their paces today at a coaching session, organised by Test series sponsor npower, at Upton Cricket Club in Nottinghamshire. The session saw the England quickies run the group through a series of coaching drills concentrating on basic fielding and bowling skills. All the lucky youngsters who took part in today's coaching session will also get the chance to see their heroes in action against New Zealand on the Saturday of the Trent Bridge Test as part of the 'Urban Cricket Crew' – a grassroots initiative, organised by Test sponsor npower, which pays for children between the ages of 5-12 to watch live International cricket at Test match grounds.Stuart Broad said: “The boys have done well today in what was a demanding session. It's
important at this age to get the basics right so that's what we've worked on. There's some talented cricketers here, so I'll be telling Mick Newell to keep his eye out.”James Anderson said: “I'm really pleased that the boys will be able to come and cheer me and the rest of the England team on at Trent Bridge on Sunday. Hopefully seeing me
steam-in against the Black Caps will inspire them to keep playing the game.”
Roger Clark, chairman of Upton Cricket Club said: “We're delighted that Stuart and James has come and given our younger members a day they'll never forget. They've really enjoyed the day and have definitely picked up a few tips. Now we're looking forward to seeing them knock the Kiwi's over on Sunday.”
30.5.08
Stuart Broad, England cricketer and ASDA Kwik Cricket ambassador, today launched ASDA Kwik Cricket 2008 at Thurgarton Cricket Club in Nottingham with a surge in participation amongst primary school pupils.
ASDA Kwik Cricket 2008 sees 23% more teams taking part than last year and a phenonemonal rise in girls taking part, up 97% on last year with over 25,000 girls aged 7 to 11 registered to take part.
ASDA Kwik Cricket is now on the curriculum at over 8,000 primary schools which, together with over 4,500 ECB affiliated cricket clubs, provides an introduction to cricket.
With record numbers participating again this year, the initiative is one of the largest primary school programmes in England and Wales.
Kwik Cricket celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year and Broad recollected his early days with the plastic bat and ball.
He said: “Like many of my England team-mates, Kwik Cricket was the first form of the game that I played, and I loved it. It’s so easy to pick up the basic skills of catching, throwing, hitting and running from cricket which makes it a great game for children to play.”
Pete Ackerley, ECB Head of Development said: “ASDA Kwik Cricket is the gateway to our sport for thousands of youngsters at primary school, and the growth is incredibly encouraging for the long-term future of our sport.”
Clare Connor OBE, ECB Head of Women’s Cricket said: “I offer my sincere thanks to everyone involved in encouraging such a meteoric rise in the number of young girls playing cricket. We are fast moving away from being a minority sport in schools for girls and becoming a key player in girls’ physical education development.”
The growth in ASDA Kwik Cricket reflects the increased participation in all levels of the recreational game which has seen a 27% increase nationally and a 45% increase in women and girls cricket in 2008.
Michelle Payne, ASDA Kwik Cricket Project Manager said: “It is great news that so many children are turning to cricket and we are delighted to work closely with the ECB to sustain such significant increases in participation. Once again, ASDA will focus on children within communities and help them make healthy choices about their lifestyle and eating patterns.”
ASDA and the ECB work in partnership to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to children, using the ASDA Kwik Cricket Festivals and England player appearances as an opportunity to discuss healthy eating issues with youngsters.
23.5.08
Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey Cricketer today launched the Brit Howzat Project at the Brit Insurance Oval.
The scheme allows thousands of school children in Lambeth and South London to receive cricket coaching, a lesson in the Ben Hollioake Learning Centre, a tour of the ground and tickets to a first-class match.
In the past the scheme has only run for ten weeks in a year. Now, thanks to its partnership with Brit Insurance, the Howzat project has trebled in scale to run for 30 weeks of the year.
With sessions running four mornings a week, this now allows over 2,000 local children to benefit.
The Brit Howzat project has been set up to broaden the reach of the game in Lambeth, and maximise the facilities that the Brit Insurance Oval has to offer.
Receiving tickets to a Surrey match during the summer gives local school children the chance watch a live professional game at the leading Test Match venue.
Hugh Robertson, Shadow Minister for Sport and the Olympics and Paul Sheldon, Chief Executive of Surrey County Cricket Club, were both at the launch to see one of the classroom based Howzat sessions in action.
Paul said “Schemes such as the Brit Howzat Project are key to the future of the game. As the Twenty20 season approaches and with the IPL in full swing, it’s important to utilise the excitement and interest that this generates to get more young people involved in cricket.”
Graham Thorpe said of the project “The community programme appears to grow every time I visit. It really is at the heart of the club here and there are always plenty of youngsters using the facilities at the ground. It’s great to see that the different schemes reach out across the county too.”
22.5.08
Nottingham’s Trinity School completed a dream day out at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena by lifting the Minute Maid U13 Boys Schools Cup.
21.5.08
Lichfield’s Friary School saw off Romford’s Frances Bardsley School 3-2 in the Minute Maid U13 Girls Schools Cup.
20.5.08
John Hampden Grammar School, from High Wycombe, survived a close-fought encounter with Leicester’s Lancaster School to win 1-0 and claim the ESFA U14 Boys Cup at Yeovil Town FC.
19.5.08
Kirkley High School, from Suffolk, overcame Bridgnorth Endowed School, from Shropshire, 3-2 in the girls RAF ESFA U16 Schools Cup .
18.5.08
Shenfield High School, from Brentwood in Essex, needed extra-time before overcoming Thomas Telford School 3-2 to lift the ESFA U12 boys Cup.
17.5.08
Torquay Boys Grammar School produced one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the competition to defeat Rock Ferry High School, from Merseyside, 5-4 and lift the RAF ESFA U16 Schools Cup.
16.5.08
Four different schools took the four major titles in the National Inter-Schools Badminton Championships, sponsored by Gransprung Flooring.
Thornden School from Hampshire were crowned U15 champions ahead of runners-up Tapton School, from Sheffield, while Nottingham Girls High School took the U15 girls title with Surrey’s Therfield School in second.
In the U13 boys event, Exmouth Community College battled through to take the championship ahead of Charters School, from Berkshire.
7.5.08
Tens of thousands of state school pupils around the country will take part in the first-ever Chance to shine National Cricket Day later this month, The Cricket Foundation announced today.
On Tuesday May 20, hundreds of primary and secondary state schools across England and Wales will hold a day of cricket and cricket-related activities to mark the third anniversary of Chance to shine – the campaign to educate school children through competitive cricket.
As well as activity in schools, there will be a number of national fundraising events, launching on National Cricket Day and continuing throughout the summer, to engage the wider cricket-loving public and to help The Cricket Foundation reach their goal of raising £50 million by 2015.
The Cricket Foundation, an independent charity, is engaging all 1,850 schools involved in the 2008 Chance to shine programme and offering them a range of cricketing and classroom activities.
Working with the Glamorgan Cricket Archive, the Foundation has produced a unique menu of interactive lessons, using the stimulus of cricket to support teaching of numeracy, literacy and citizenship.
Schools and cricket clubs around the country are also organising cricket festivals and inter-school tournaments to celebrate the inaugural National Cricket Day.
A host of Chance to shine ambassadors, including members of England’s men and women cricket teams, county cricketers and campaign supporters, will join in activities at state schools nationwide.
The Cricket Foundation, supported by MCC, is also launching a schools competition. Pupils will design a badge and motto representing the spirit of cricket and will have the opportunity to win Test Match tickets and have their design made into a badge for distribution at Lord’s.
The Director of The Cricket Foundation Nick Gandon said: “Through National Cricket Day, we are celebrating what Chance to shine is already achieving and raising the profile of cricket throughout state education, while emphasising that Chance to shine is a charitable campaign dependent on further successful fundraising to accomplish our objectives.”
England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham and Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King, who is President of Chance of shine, are among those backing the event.
Michael Vaughan said: “The Chance to shine National Cricket Day is a unique opportunity for schools – and cricket fans around the country - to get involved and take part in fun and enjoyable educational or fundraising activities.
"The inclusive nature of cricket ensures everyone can make a positive contribution. Whether you take a catch, develop your numeracy through scoring, or you learn how to work better within a team, cricket can benefit everyone.”
Andy Burnham said: "I look forward to National Cricket Day which will underline the power sport has in enhancing young peoples’ lives.”
Mervyn King added: “What I have learnt through competitive cricket is invaluable – how to win and how to lose, how to be part of a team and take charge as a captain, how to think through the complex strategies that make cricket special. My motivation, as President of the Chance to shine campaign, is to ensure that the opportunities I was given are available also to girls and to boys throughout the nation.”
Chance to shine is an ambitious campaign. Last year nearly 100,000 youngsters took part in the programme and around 10,000 school matches were played. This year the campaign will reach 150,000 children in 1,850 schools. The 10-year plan is to reach two million children in a third of the nation’s state schools.
Chance to shine has wide-ranging support, from The National Sports Foundation, the ECB, the MCC and the PCA to The Lord’s Taverners, the British Army and England’s Barmy Army. Allianz and Slazenger are the campaign’s main corporate sponsors.
Further details on Chance to shine National Cricket Day and the campaign, including ways to donate, can be found at www.chancetoshine.org
7.5.08
Children who play competitive team sports, like cricket, can improve their academic results and develop key life-skills, say parents in a survey released today.
But, according to the poll of nearly 1000 parents, fewer than 1 in 10 (9%) of parents say their child receives coaching or was part of a school cricket team.
Over half (53%) of parents of children in state schools believe that success in the classroom is linked directly to their children's activities on the school playing field, according to a YouGov survey on behalf of The Cricket Foundation, an independent cricket charity.According to the survey, nine out of 10 parents (90%) think that playing cricket and other competitive team sports help children develop life-skills such as the ability to work in a team, discipline, resilience and increases self-esteem.
Despite the perceived benefits of playing cricket, the survey revealed that only a minority of children in state schools play in a school cricket team.
Eighty four per cent of parents say their child does not receive cricket coaching or play in a school team. Of the 9% of children who play in a school cricket team, 38% played fewer than five matches last year.
A third (30%) of parents described the state school’s cricket facilities as adequate (16%), fairly good (9%) or very good (5%).
Nearly four times as many parents think professional cricketers (54%) act as better role models than professional football players (14%), with a third (32%) of parents undecided.
The Cricket Foundation’s Chance to shine campaign aims to regenerate competitive cricket in state schools and to educate children through regular cricket and competition.
Nick Gandon, Director of The Cricket Foundation says: “Whilst the Chance to shine programme has begun to address the decline of cricket within state education, the YouGov survey is a reminder of what exactly cricket can uniquely offer, but also how much more needs to be done.
The YouGov survey echoes the findings of research carried out last September by The Institute of Youth Sport at Lougborough University, for The Cricket Foundation, on the benefits of playing team sports like cricket.
The report found that a number of teachers felt that the confidence pupils had gained from cricket had transferred into other aspects of the curriculum and resulted in improved self esteem.
6.5.08
More than 100 children from state schools across London will be stepping up to the crease at Lord’s tomorrow May 7 from 11am to 3pm for a unique day of cricket skills training.
Former England cricketer Devon Malcolm and England Ashes Winner Rosalie Birch will be joining Chance to shine cricket coaches at Lord’s.
Pupils from a dozen schools across the capital will learn core cricket skills, including batting, bowling, fielding and team work skills, at the Allianz Schools Cricket Challenge.
The Cricket Foundation, an independent cricket charity, is hosting the event as part of their Chance to shine campaign to regenerate cricket in state schools and educate school children through cricket. Allianz, one of the largest insurers in the UK, is sponsoring the event and is a premier partner of Chance to shine .
Participating schools will also be able to win a ‘concertina cage’, a space saving cricket net system innovated by England pace man Devon Malcolm’s company JohnJac.
At the event, details of the first-ever Chance to shine National Cricket Day will be unveiled, together with the results of a YouGov survey of parents, commissioned by The Cricket Foundation, on cricket in state schools and the benefits for children of playing competitive team sports like cricket.
5.5.08
The finals of the Daily Express Emerging Schools Rugby Festival at Twickenham saw Farlingaye School, from Woodbridge, win the U12 New Schools title.
Other title winners in the world’s biggest schools rugby event were Honywood, from Essex, who lifted the U13 New Schools title, Kingsbridge from Devon (U12 Emerging Schools), Harrogate (U13 Emerging), Aldridge, from Walsall (U14), and Winston Churchill, from Woking, who claimed the U14 girls crown (for a full report, see the June edition of School Sport Magazine)
30.4.08
England schoolboys beat Scotland 2-0 in the first U18 schoolboys international at the new Wembley stadium.
30.4.08
Kingston Grammar won the National Schools U14 and U18 boys hockey championships while Ipswich School took the U16 championships at East Grinstead Sports Club in Sussex.(for full reports see the next edition of School Sport Magazine)
30.4.08
Fifteen finalists from an entry of more than 100 schools took part in the ISGA schools matchplay golf tournament at Wokefield Park near Reading.
After two days of medal competition, Millfield were crowned champions ahead of runners up Loretto, third placed Wellington College and Campbell College, Northern Ireland, in fourth.
29.4.08
Forty eight teams from across England are ready for the national finals of this season’s Daily Express Emerging Schools Rugby Festival.
They have qualified through a series of county and regional tournaments to compete in six categories of 10-a-side rugby at Staines RFC on Saturday morning (May 3).
The 12 finalists from Staines will then have the experience of playing on the hallowed turf at Twickenham Stadium that afternoon as curtain-raisers and during the half-time interval of the Army v Navy match for the Babcock Trophy which is expected to attract a 40,000 crowd.
John Spence Community High School in North Shields and Newquay Tretherras School in Cornwall will set out from opposite ends of the country with a place in one of the Twickenham finals in their sights.
The Philip Morant School from Colchester in Essex made the most of an unexpected opportunity to reach Twickenham when they were late inclusions in the London North regional festival after another school had to withdraw.
Philip Morant’s teams had only a couple of days’ notice but they won both the U12 and U13 categories for emerging schools, and with more good performances at Staines their players could be running out at the home of England rugby.
Heathside School from Weybridge in Surrey are first-time entrants in the Emerging Schools Festival, having reintroduced rugby to the school curriculum last year after a number of years away while their facilities were unsuitable.
Heathside teams won in the U12 and U14 age groups at the rearranged London South qualifiers at KCS Old Boys on April 25, and the school’s rugby teacher Ben Blake said all the boys are looking forward to the finals at Staines – and possibly Twickenham.
“About half our players belong to rugby clubs at Esher, Weybridge Vandals and Reeds Weybridge, and the rest are learning the game from them,” Blake said.
“In turn, the players who are new to the game are likely to join local clubs so it has a good two-way effect.
“We will have a training session with Jamie White, an RFU community rugby coach, after school on Thursday and we have sorted out a new kit to look smart in at the weekend.
“You can tell how much the boys are enjoying taking part by the way the Year 9 players were cheering on the Year 7 team in the qualifying rounds.
“They even ran to chair off the try-scorer when the final went down to golden tries.”
When a group of Liverpool firefighters teamed up with the West Lancashire Rugby Development team and Sale Sharks last year in a project to expand the delivery of RU coaching to schools on Merseyside, they could hardly have imagined that just a few months down the line they would be just one step from an outing at Twickenham with one of the schools they have been helping.
But that’s the situation for firefighters Paul Cromack and Steve Mann, who are heading south on Saturday for the finals day.
The duo have been helping the youngsters are Birkdale School in Southport to develop their skills and a measure of their success was the team’s qualification as one of the North West representatives after they won the U12 regional competition for schools new to the game.
“Birkdale’s success in getting to the play-offs is a testament to the great work all the fightfighters have been doing in schools since the project was put in place,” says RDO Mark Sutcliffe.
“The fire service has always had a strong involvement in senior rugby on Merseyside, but this is a fitting reward and a testament to the work Paul and Steve have been doing at junior level at Birkdale. They have been working on their own with Birkdale, so this success is a real accolade for them.
“Obviously the team still has to get through the Staines qualifier to get the chance to play at Twickenham, but they are all heroes simply by getting this far. If they can take the next step it would be a tremendous thrill for everyone – not least the two firefighters who have helped to make it happen.”
In addition to involving schools from across the country, the Daily Express tournament also caters for both boys and girls and U14 girls teams from Wyndham School, Cumbria and Settle Middle from North Yorkshire will be representing the North in that section.
“We have been playing rugby for many years as all our PE lessons are mixed gender.” says Head of PE at Settle, Mark Glover: “All boys and girls play all sports and against each other. The girls love rugby, but until three years ago we could not find any schools to play against.
“We were invited to take part in the North Yorkshire RL league Carnegie schools championship and for the last three years we have been North Yorkshire champions at U12 and U13 ages.
“The reputation of the girls has resulted in all the schools in Yorkshire knowing how good they are, which is a fantastic effort for a school of only 250 pupils and 125 girls. This reputation and willingness to enter all competitions has resulted in the Settle girls being asked to compete in the Daily Express Emerging Schools rugby festival. This will be our girls first Rugby Union competition and we are very proud to be playing.”
Mangotsfield School in Bristol will be flying the flag for the South West in the U13 Emerging category and Gavin Solomons, Head of PE at the school, said: “The boys are so excited about Saturday. They just can’t wait for the day to come.
“After winning all of our games in the regional tournament the boys are feeling confident, but I am hoping they won’t be too confident as they need to remember they have got to win the national stages before they can play at Twickenham!
“Certainly the allure of playing at Twickenham is a massive incentive for them, even the boys who have only ever played football before.”
The Emerging Schools Festival is designed to drive up participation at state schools who play little or no formal rugby, including those introduced to the game for the first time this season.
More than 50,000 children have taken part since its launch in October last year, when the 12-year-old competition expanded to add boys U14 teams to the existing U12 and U13 categories for ‘new’ and ‘emerging’ schools and the U14 girls.
“The Emerging Schools Rugby Festival is a fantastic event that that gives thousands of children in state schools the chance to take up the sport and to take part in a national competition,” said Andrew Scoular, the RFU’s Community Rugby Director.
“We see it as a major part of our strategy to continue the growth of the game and our Rugby Development Officers work closely with teachers and School Sport Partnerships to make sure that growth is sustainable.
“We’re very grateful for the support of the Armed Forces, who play a key role in the running of the Festival, and the excellent backing we receive from the Daily Express.”
Qualifiers:
U12 New
London North: Honywood School, Coggeshall, Essex
London South: Heathside School, Weybridge, Surrey
Midlands East: Central Technology & Sports College, Grantham
Midlands West: De Ferrers STC, Burton upon Trent
North East: Durham Johnston School
North West: Birkdale High School, Lancashre
South: Sir William Ramsay School, High Wycombe
South West: Hardenhuish School, Chippenham
U12 Emerging
London North: Philip Morant School, Colchester, Essex
London South: Norton Knatchbull School, Ashford, Kent
Midlands East: Carre's School, Sleaford
Midlands West: The Chase, Malvern
North East: Harrogate School
North West: The Whitby High School, Ellesmere Port
South: Bay House School, Gosport
South West: Kingsbridge Community College
U13 New
London North: Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge, Suffolk
London South: Chaucer Technology School, Canterbury, Kent
Midlands East: West Bridgford School, Nottingham
Midlands West: Hagley Catholic High School, Worcestershire
North East: Johnspence Community High School, North Shields
North West: All Hallows Catholic High School, Preston
South: The Mountbatten School, Romsey
South West: The Stonehenge School, Amesbury
U13 Emerging
London North: Philip Morant School, Colchester, Essex
London South: Bishop Justus CE School, Bromley, Kent
Midlands East: Wrenn School, Wellingborough
Midlands West: Alvechurch CofE School
North East: Harrogate School
North West: St Cuthberts Catholic Community College, St Helens
South: The Cottesloe School, Wing
South West: Mangotsfield School, Bristol
U14
London North: St Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford, Herts
London South: Heathside School, Weybridge, Surrey
Midlands East: Frederick Gents School, Derbyshire
Midlands West: Aldridge School, Walsall
North East: Acklam Grange School, Middlesbrough
North West: Moorside High School, Salford
South: Sandown High School, Isle of Wight
South West: Swindon Academy
Girls U14
London North: Twyford CE School, Acton, Middlesex
London South: Winston Churchill School, Woking, Surrey
Midlands East: Wootton Upper School, Bedford
Midlands West: Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
North East: Settle Middle School
North West: Wyndham School, Egremont
South: Perins School, Alresford
South West: Newquay Tretherras School, Cornwall
28.4.08
Bell Baxter High School won the John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s title for the second successive year at the exciting all-day tournament at Murrayfield.
After battling their way through a series of thrilling knockout matches, the formidable team played a strong and determined game showing excellent hands, particularly in contact, to defeat Galashiels Academy 31-5 in the final and lift the Cup as the John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s champions.
Head coach Steve Aitken, said: “I’m delighted for the school and the boys. It’s a great achievement to the win the tournament twice in three years.
“We put a lot of pressure on Gala and worked really well as a team, which is one of our biggest strengths.
“We’ll definitely be back next year; it’s been a great day for the boys and all the players playing here today who got the chance to challenge for a range of trophies.”
Scottish Rugby’s head of community rugby Colin Thomson added: “The John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s is a fantastic youth event; it was great to see so many young rugby players out there enjoying themselves on the back pitches of Murrayfield today.
“There was really high quality 7s on display but, equally as important, was the participation of new and rejuvenated rugby schools like Stirling High School, who haven’t had a competitive team for almost six years.
“The feedback from the kids and coaches has been really positive and already teams are talking about raising their game for next year’s event.”
John Lewis is the official sponsor of the Scottish Schools 7s, with this tournament marking the first year of the retailer’s involvement in the event. John Lewis’ partnership with the Scottish Rugby youth programme also extends to the John Lewis Youth League Cup, which was won by Stirling County earlier this year.
These competitions have played a key role in an impressive 19% increase in participation over the past year with now more than 18,000 under-18s (boys and girls) playing the game across the country.
Andrew Murphy, managing director John Lewis, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, said: “It has given us tremendous pleasure to sponsor this event. John Lewis has been working closely with Scottish Rugby to raise the profile of youth rugby and broaden our existing commitment to local communities through our support of the rugby development programme.
“The John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s has given over 380 young rugby players the opportunity to develop their skills, meet other talented players and take part in a tournament involving other schools from across the whole of Scotland. Ultimately, it is a day for players, supporters and family to enjoy the sport and have fun.”
27.4.08
St Augustine’s Roman Catholic High School won the John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s Salver at the exciting all-day tournament at Murrayfield.
After battling their way through a series of thrilling knockout matches, the formidable team played a strong and determined game showing excellent hands, particularly in contact, to defeat Stirling High School 19-5 to be crowned as John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s Salver champions.
Head coach Graeme Robertson - and father of captain Neil Robertson - said: “The boys did very well, they stuck to the task and by the time they reached the final they were playing some really good rugby.
“It’s been a really enjoyable day, the refs and the organisation of the tournament has been excellent, the boys have had a fantastic day.”
26.4.08
St Thomas of Aquins won the John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s Quaich at the exciting all-day tournament at Murrayfield.
After battling their way through a series of thrilling knockout matches, the formidable team played a strong and determined game showing excellent hands, particularly in contact, to defeat Hamilton College 33-0 to be crowned as John Lewis Scottish Schools 7s Quaich champions.
Head coach, Mark Rooney, said: “I think the boys committed themselves superbly. No one expected anything from us but the boys worked well for each other.
“In the semi final and final the boys really showed their class, particularly in their fitness and conditioning. It shows Scottish rugby has a bright future.
“The tournament was run superbly. To run five pitches simultaneously requires an immense effort and credit goes to the Scottish Rugby Union for managing such a great youth event. It really has been a great day all round.”
14.4.08
The Cricket Foundation, in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), today announced that it will offer eight Chance to shine coaching contracts to members of the England Women’s Cricket team.
Captain Charlotte Edwards along with Rosalie Birch, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Danielle Hazell, Katherine Brunt and Nicky Shaw have all been offered the contracts which will see them taking up coaching and ambassadorial roles within the Cricket Foundation’s Chance to shine programme.
The women will deliver coaching sessions within Chance to shine schools, assist in developing girls’ sections at clubs and support local competition structures.
Jenny Gunn and Lydia Greenway have also been offered contracts which they will take up on their return from Australia.
The Cricket Foundation contracts offer the players 25 hours coaching a week and last for eight months of the year.
Edwards, Rainford-Brent, Hazell and Brunt have all been offered the full 25 hour contracts while Shaw has opted for a part-time contract to coincide with her work with Loughborough UCCE.
Rosalie Birch will combine 15 hours of coaching with ten hours of PR work for the Chance to shine scheme.
Wasim Khan, Operations Director for Chance to shine, said: “We are delighted to have secured the coaching services of the England Women cricketers who will be a real asset to the Chance to shine programme. Last year saw 43,000 girls participating in the scheme and with the involvement of the England Women, we’ll have every opportunity to build on this success.”
The coaching contracts are two fold in that they support the players financially as well as providing them with enough time to train and concentrate on their playing career.
They will raise the profile of both the players and the sport and will ultimately add longevity to their careers as international cricketers.
The players will spend the first week establishing their roles and meeting people on site visits within the scheme before kicking off with earnest next Monday April 21. Gunn and Greenway will start on Monday April 28.
Chance to shine is The Cricket Foundation’s 10 year campaign to regenerate competitive cricket in a third of state schools in England and Wales.
In 2007, it introduced 99,119 children to the sport in 1,276 schools; of whom 43 per cent were girls, nine per cent were from ethnic minorities and one per cent had disabilities.
This year, over 150,000 children from 1,850 schools across the country will participate in the Chance to shine programme.
The Cricket Foundation aims to bring the benefits of cricket to two million children by 2015. For more information visit www.chancetoshine.org
9.4.08
To mark the publication of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack 2008, the first Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year has been named as Jonathan Bairstow, the son of former England wicket-keeper David Bairstow.
Jonathan, 18, who has played for Yorkshire 2nd XI, represented England U17s and is still at school, averaged 218 for St Peter’s School, York, in 2007. His eight innings produced three centuries and 654 runs.
He said: “It was a great season for me and team, made easier by the people around the school, in and away from the team.”
The new edition of Wisden contains 42 pages exclusively about schools cricket and coverage of more than 200 schools.
8.4.08
Cricket legend Sir Gary Sobers will be the guest of honour at Birkenhead School for a fund-raising dinner on June 7 in aid of the school’s first-ever overseas tour.
The 1st and 2nd XI cricket teams are raising money to travel to Barbados to take part in the Sir Gary Sobers Festival.
For further details or donations, contact commercial manager Brad Donelan on 0151 651 3095 or email commercial.manager@birkenheadschool.co.uk
7.4.08
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced a 27% increase in participation in club and school cricket during 2006-07, with women’s and girl’s cricket recording the sharpest rise of 45%.
The ECB survey also showed a 37% increase in years 5, 6 and 7 school participation.
Peter Ackerley, the ECB’s head of development, said: “This rise in participation shows that our partnerships between clubs, schools and their local communities are flourishing and cricket is a sport which youngsters want to be involved in.”
6.4.08
Our Lady of Sion School’s U15 team were crowned champions at the Sussex Independent Schools’ Netball Tournament.
The side won all their group games before defeating St Bede’s 4-1 in the semi-final and Brighton College 6-5 in an exciting final at Roedean School.
3.4.08
Wellington College were crowned Daily Mail U18 and U15 Cup champions at Twickenham yesterday, the first school ever to win both competitions in the same year.
Sussex Downs College beat QEGS Penrith 14-13 to take the Daily Mail U18 Vase while Langley Park School For Boys defeated Calday Grange Grammar School 8-7 in the U15 Vase final. (For full reports see our latest edition out on April 21)
31.3.08
Wellington College could make Daily Mail Schools Cup history if they are crowned champions in both the finals of the Daily Mail U18 and U15 Cups at Twickenham on April 2.
The Berkshire college have battled their way through eight rounds of tough cup rugby this season and they are now just one hurdle away from a possible end of season finale.
Director of Sport Matt Oakman said: “To have two teams through to the final is an unexpected bonus. We never thought this would happen but we are over the moon.
“We are aware that no team has ever won both competitions in the same year, but we’re not really thinking about that. We are just happy to have two teams through to the final and either way it’s going to be a great day. Obviously we want to win and if one team wins, we will be delighted and if both win, well at the moment I can’t describe what that would be like.
“It has certainly been a busy time since the semi-finals as we have got so much to organise both on and off the pitch but we are really looking forward to it. We are expecting a lot of support on the day, with around 3000 people coming to support the teams, from pupils, to parents and old boys as well.”
In the U18 Cup, Wellington College are up against St. Benedict’s High School, kick-off 3.30pm. Wellington booked their place in the final after a 10-6 defeat of 2007 champions Warwick School. Twice behind from penalty kicks, Wellington came back with two tries in each half scored by their two England U16 players Sam Edgerley and Guy Armitage.
The game itself was a particularly tense affair and with neither side wanting to make a mistake, the expansive rugby for which Wellington is renown only occasionally broke out in the heavy winds that swirled around Banbury RFC. The win, however, ended two years of disappointment for Wellington, who had suffered consecutive semi-final defeats at Wolverhampton.
Oakman added: “I think our U18s are in a very good position. To be honest we didn’t expect to be here but after the disqualification of another school, we were delighted to get to the semi-finals and then earn our place in the final.
“Consequently, that situation has lifted the pressure off the boys and they are going into this match as underdogs and that’s a tag we are very happy with. I think it has taken the fear factor away for the boys.
“St. Benedict’s are a very impressive rugby school. Their U18s won the Daily Mail U15 Cup a couple of years ago so they have got experience of this sort of occasion. They also have 11 players who featured in the U18 semi-finals a year ago so that is definitely going to help them.
“However, that’s not putting us off. We have got a very strong front five, I think one of the strongest around and even though we haven’t got any players playing U18 representative rugby or affiliated to any academies I know we have got a very strong team here. Our backs have got the pace too and the team is boosted by the experiences of England U16 players Guy Armitage and Sam Edgerley. Who knows what will happen in the final, but I know it’s going to be a good day.”
For St. Benedict’s they are led by dynamic flanker Rowan Halsall. St Benedict’s are England’s top-rated schools side with 22 wins in 22 matches – most recently when they scored 60 points against a Surrey Select XV last Wednesday (March 19) under lights at Sutton & Epsom RFC.
That took St Benedict’s to 1029 points for the season and in the U18 Cup they have already gone one better than last season’s semi-final defeat to the eventual winners, Warwick School.
The St Benedict’s boys have been in for training most days during the Easter holidays and two players are back from international duty.
Hooker/flanker Arthur Ellis – younger brother of England U20’s Grand Slam captain Hugo – was excused England U18 duty against Scotland in Melrose to play for his school in the 19-6 semi-final win over Barnard Castle.
Since then Ellis has taken part in the U18 AER Championship and he was the starting hooker for England when they secured third place by beating hosts Italy 21-5 last Saturday (March 22) in Treviso. Centre James Stephenson played at flanker for Ireland in the same tournament.
St Benedict’s scrum half Michael Simpson has recovered from a debilitating bout of glandular fever last autumn to play his part in the later rounds of the Daily Mail Cup and his combination with fly half Stuart Pearham is one to look for.
In the U15 Cup it is an all South West affair with Somerset’s Millfield School, Wellington’s opponents. Millfield earned their place in the final after a convincing 19-0 defeat of Old Swinford Hospital School while Wellington were celebrating after a 23-3 victory over Oundle School.
“We are possibly labelled as favourites for this match but we are not taking any notice of that,” added Oakman. “We know Millfield have also got a very strong rugby pedigree and they are certainly a very strong team when it comes to the big matches.
“Our U15s though are also an extremely talented bunch. They are certainly the best year group we have had for several years. Our U15 teams have also enjoyed a rich history in this tournament. We won it in 2001 and also shared the cup in 1994. We were also losing finalists in 1988, 1996 and 1999. Hopefully we won’t be on the end of another finals’ defeat, but either way this is going to be a great day for Wellington College.”
30.3.08
Most rugby players never make it to Twickenham while the ones who are gifted enough to grace the most famous turf in the Rugby world can invariably point to countless hours spent on the training pitch and in matches developing and honing their skills.
Matthew Hanson, however, has avoided all that tiresome preparation. When he runs out at Twickenham on Wednesday (April 2) for Calday Grange School from the Wirral against Langley Park School for Boys in the final of the Daily Mail Schools U15 Vase competition he will be starting only his tenth game of rugby ever.
The novice tight-head prop has played American football at Middle School in the USA, where his father was stationed, and has also played soccer at Calday Grange.
But until Paul Miller, the coach to the Calday Grange U15s, suggested earlier this season that he might have the build to do well at rugby, he has never put a toe in the water. Now he is living the dream of countless thousands of players of all ages.
He will probably have benefited more than anyone from being part of a team that will have been as fully prepared any for their day in the spotlight.
They were scheduled to go on a three-match tour to Venice the day after their 19-12 semi-final victory over King’s College, Wimbledon, but once they had claimed their place in the final, the match element of the trip was dropped and the excursion turned into a seven-day training camp.
“Being on the beach at Sottomarina training at 7.30am on the first morning was a shock to the system, but they grew to enjoy it and in the end were asking for more. They really worked hard throughout the stay, but also got plenty of rest. We trained at Petrarca Rugby Club four times and also watched them going through a faultless pre-match run. That was a real eye-opener for them. They really enjoyed that.
“I thought they were a pretty tight group before we went, but living and training and eating together has really bonded them even more. We’ll need that because we see ourselves as underdogs against a school that has been through the experience three times and won the competition two seasons ago.
“This is a whole new experience for us, but we’re a good team, so let’s see what happens on the day.”
Their opponents from Beckenham in Kent made it through to their second final in three years in the most dramatic fashion when they won a sudden death place kicking competition in the semi-final against Woodlands School, but there will be no repeat on Wednesday.
The trophy will be shared if any of the four finals finishes level on tries and goals from tries.
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Penrith are seeking to maintain a proud Northern tradition when they face Sussex Downs College in the final of the Daily Mail Schools RU U18 Vase final.
The U18 Vase has been won by a Northern school for the last five years, with Ermysted’s Grammar School from Skipton winning an all-North final last season by beating Wilmslow High School 3-0.
But the Penrith boys may need to call on all their Cumbrian wrestling skills to get the better of a well-organised Sussex team that applied its very considerable collective physique very effectively.
Both semi-finals at Broadstreet were very physical affairs with fluent, open rugby only provided in glimpses, QEGS qualifying for a dream outing at Twickenham thanks to the only score of the game, a James Ellar penalty, against Reigate Grammar.
Sussex Downs, from Lewes, eventually managed three tries against Marling School from Stroud, but it was their sheer bulk up front that provided the key to success.
They had far too much timber for Marling in both attack and defence and it was their ability to apply that physicality so effectively when they were on the back foot that carried them through.
While it was never pretty, the Sussex game plan was effective, measured and disciplined and if they are to return to Cumbria with the prize, QEGS will need to outmanoeuvre their heavyweight opponents. They may need to become involved in a wrestling match, but pace and finesse seems to be their best route to success.
The rugby programme at Sussex Downs has grown from an initial 11 students to the current figure of 45 who study three or four A level subjects and receive six hours rugby coaching and playing a week, funded out of the school’s ordinary curriculum budget.
The school has sent two props on to Premiership club Harlequins – Alex Rogers and current England U18 squad member Joe Marler – and are hopeful of many more top players to follow, in addition to all those playing for their local clubs.
Fly half Charlie Terry scored two tries in win over Marling, but No 8 James Streeter was the lynchpin of the team and the sturdy front-row of captain Henry Sandys, hooker Max Drage and Joss Townsend the foundation.
Lessons from the semi-final that QEGS will be keen to pick up on relate mostly to finishing. They defended solidly enough, but when they engineered clear-cut scoring chances they were betrayed by faulty execution.
Having survived the pressure of getting to Twickenham, they will be hoping that the open spaces help to bring out their best attacking talents.
29.3.08
St Benedict’s School, Ealing, have a pair of double dreams to fulfil as they look forward to a first appearance in the final of the Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup at Twickenham on Wednesday April 2.
Having won the U15 Cup at the home of English rugby in 2004, St Benedict’s are hoping to repeat the achievement of Bradford Grammar School who won the U15 Cup in 1990 and followed up with the U18 Cup in 1992 and 1993.
St Benedict’s have also been nominated by the RFU to represent England in the 16-team Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament in Japan from April 29-May 5, and the west London school’s coach Jesse Coulson said: “That's the ultimate dream - to win at Twickenham and do well in Japan as Daily Mail champions.
“The Daily Mail Cup has been our main focus since the first day the boys got together last summer and now, 10 months down the line, we are on target.”
Led by dynamic flanker Rowan Halsall, St Benedict’s are England’s top-rated schools side with 22 wins in 22 matches – most recently when they scored 60 points against a Surrey Select XV last Wednesday (March 19) under lights at Sutton & Epsom RFC.
That took St Benedict’s to 1029 points for the season and in the U18 Cup they have already gone one better than last season’s semi-final defeat to the eventual winners, Warwick School.
“We have a unique style of play in this day and age,” said Coulson. “A lot of teams build up their players in the gym and rely on size to see them through. We don’t rely on size in our game plan. We make other sides’ size work against them.
“We’ve played two teams in the quarter- and semi-finals who were bigger than us in Filton College and Barnard Castle and shown that you can beat the big guys with speed and moving them around.
“The boys have worked so hard and now I hope they can use the Twickenham stage to highlight what they can do and what they are all about.”
The St Benedict’s boys have been in for training most days during the Easter holidays and two players are back from international duty.
Hooker/flanker Arthur Ellis – younger brother of England U20’s Grand Slam captain Hugo – was excused England U18 duty against Scotland in Melrose to play for his school in the 19-6 semi-final win over Barnard Castle.
Since then Ellis has taken part in the U18 AER Championship and he was the starting hooker for England when they secured third place by beating hosts Italy 21-5 last Saturday (March 22) in Treviso. Centre James Stephenson played at flanker for Ireland in the same tournament.
St Benedict’s scrum half Michael Simpson has recovered from a debilitating bout of glandular fever last autumn to play his part in the later rounds of the Daily Mail Cup and his combination with fly half Stuart Pearham is one to look for.
Sussex Downs College, who will play QEGS Penrith in the final of the Daily Mail Schools Under 18 Vase, are reaping the benefit of the rugby programme established at the then Lewes Tertiary College 10 years ago.
The programme has grown from an initial 11 students to the current figure of 45 who study three or four A level subjects and receive six hours rugby coaching and playing a week, funded out of the school’s ordinary curriculum budget.
Sussex Downs have sent two props on to Premiership club Harlequins – Alex Rogers and current England Under 18 squad member Joe Marler – and are hopeful of many more top players to follow, in addition to all those playing for their local clubs.
Fly half Charlie Terry scored two tries in Sussex Downs’ 17-5 Vase semi-final win over Marling School from Stroud.
Langley Park School for Boys made it through to their second Daily Mail Schools Under 15 Vase final in three years in the most dramatic fashion when they won a sudden death place kicking competition in the semi-final against Woodlands School.
There can be no repeat at Twickenham on April 2 as the respective trophy will be shared if any of the four finals finishes level on tries and goals from tries.
But James Parkinson, the No.8 whose calm left-footed kick settled the semi-final at Broadstreet RFC and gave sent Langley Park the chance to repeat their 2006 Vase triumph, has been the recipient of countless pats on the back for his effort, according to coach David Johnson.
“James was only on the bench for the semi-final as he had just recovered from a groin injury he’d suffered the night before the quarter-final, so we could not have been more delighted for him,” said Johnson, who hails from Kelso in the rugby hotbed of the Scottish Borders.
“I am coaching this team through from year seven to year 11, and I have asked the coaches of the 2006 side all about how the day at Twickenham runs. It’s useful knowledge to have.”
Parkinson would not have taken the make-or-break semi-final kick if fly half Ben Hollister had not limped off with a twisted knee during the match.
Hollister has been having intense physiotherapy and is hoping for the go-ahead to take part in the final.
Langley Park, a school of 1500 pupils in Beckenham, Kent, will have new kit for the final paid for sponsors William Dulcie Ltd, a furniture design company owned by the father of one of the players.
28.3.08
Scotland international Ally Hogg revisited his old school Stirling High School to announce the nationwide roll-out of Scottish Rugby’s ‘Rugby Champions’ programme and new national partner Scottish Widows Bank.
Rugby Champions aims to increase the number and amount of rugby played in state secondary schools while rewarding the dedicated school teachers who give up their spare time to take extra-curricular rugby.
As a result of the successful central region pilot, the number of affiliated rugby schools in the region has risen from 7 to 17, and the number of school teams has risen from 39 to 48 (23%).
Scotland back-row forward, Ally Hogg, said: “This initiative is a fantastic way of getting kids involved in sport from an early age and will not only benefit Scottish rugby but the whole of Scotland by encouraging more young people to be fit and active.”
Scottish Rugby expects the initiative, once rolled out nationwide this summer, to take the number of Scottish state schools playing rugby from 184 to 300, over the next three years.
Community Rugby Partnership Manager, Nick Rennie, said: “It is vital, for the future of Scottish rugby, that we support rugby at all levels and all ages.
“We are giving our full support to school volunteers resulting in the creation of more rugby opportunities for Scotland’s state school children.”
The programme operates by rewarding the school’s registered rugby champion with personal coaching kit, and provides the school with specialist rugby equipment for coaching and training; additional equipment is then provided as rugby develops at the school in accordance with levels of participation.
Colin Thomson, head of community rugby, said: “This programme underlines Scottish Rugby’s objectives to ensure that rugby is open and available to all, while greatly contributing towards our strategic targets of a 38% increase in young people playing rugby, and a total playing population of 38,000 by 2012.”
Graeme Hartop, managing director at Scottish Widows Bank, added: “The Rugby Champions scheme is an excellent initiative both in increasing participation in rugby and encouraging Scottish children to become more active. As an Edinburgh based financial services company with a proud Scottish heritage, we are pleased to be in partnership with the Scottish Rugby and supporting them in rolling out the Rugby Champions scheme.”
28.3.08
Millfield School were crowned U15 and U19 girls and U19 boys champions while Wycliffe College reclaimed their U15 boys title at the Jigsaw Training National Schools Squash Finals at the National Squash Centre in Manchester (see the April edition of School Sport Magazine for further details).
17.3.08
Cardinal Newman College, from Preston, Beaconsfield High School, from Buckinghamshire and Goffs School, from Hertfordshire, were crowned Sporting Destinations National Schools U19, U16 and U14 Netball Champions at Bournemouth at the weekend. (To read a double-page spread on the championships in our April edition, order your subscription or copy now)
16.3.08
Langley Park School for Boys from Beckenham in Kent will meet Calday Grange Grammar School from the Wirral in the final of Daily Mail U15 Schools Vase at Twickenham on April 2.
The semi-finals were played at a chilly, blustery Broadstreet RFC near Coventry and there could not have been a more dramatic conclusion to the opener.
Local state comprehensive The Woodlands School had levelled the scores 15-15 against Langley Park late in the match with a thrilling try by wing Tom Walker created and converted by fly half and captain Ben Palmer.
The teams were also locked together on tries scored and goals from tries, so the prize of a final appearance at Twickenham had to be decided by sudden death penalty shoot-out, beginning with one kick each from the middle of the 22 metre line.
Langley Park’s first choice kicker, fly half Ben Hollister, was off the field with a twisted knee, so replacement No.8 James Parkinson stepped up and landed a confident left-footed kick.
That left the pressure on Palmer – who had kicked beautifully out of hand for Woodlands during the regulation 60 minutes – needing to equalise but his right-footed kick went to the left of the posts to spark wild celebrations among the noisy Langley Park support.
Parkinson had practised his kicking alongside Hollister but only attempted goals in matches “once or twice” this season, according to Langley Park’s delighted coach, David Johnson.
“I asked the boys who the best kicker would be and James, who had been injured for our quarter-final, was the nomination, although the captain, Jacob Burr, put his hand up too.”
Palmer had kicked Woodlands into a 3-0 lead then the sides exchanged tries through centre Matt Hinkin for Langley Park – winners of the U15 Vase in 2006 – and Woodlands’ No 8 Owen Whittle, who plays for the Broadstreet club.
Hollister’s 25 metre penalty made it 8-8 at half-time, and with Langley Park’s forwards on top in the second half they appeared to be heading for victory with a well-worked try by full back Mark Longhurst.
An initial Langley Park line-out was fumbled but they regained possession and Hollister’s pass out of the tackle fed Hankin who sent Longhurst over, Hollister converting.
But with Hollister forced off and Langley Park reorganising, a clever chip to the left by Palmer prompted the flying Walker to get round his opposite number Dan Hamilton and score at the posts, Palmer converting.
The sudden-death finish was a cruel way for Woodlands to go out, but their coach, Paul Harrison, said: “This is the start of something big for Ben Palmer, he is something special.
“We are a state comprehensive, albeit in a strong rugby county, and to achieve what we have done, the boys can hold their heads high.”
The second semi-final of the Daily Mail U15 Schools Vase was more disjointed and less structured than the first but no less entertaining.
King’s College School Wimbledon were admirably ambitious in giving the ball some air but always fighting for territory against a well-drilled Calday Grange for whom fly half Alex Eagles ran and kicked intelligently.
Centre Will Powis kicked three first half penalties for KCS but Calday Grange led 12-9 at half-time after tries by pacy left wing Jake Collins and captain and centre Ben Sparke, with the first converted by Sparke off the bar.
A kick ahead and a slip in the KCS defence allowed right wing Matt Ross to score Calday Grange’s third try, converted by Sparke for a 19-9 lead.
Powis collected a fourth penalty for KCS but they were left with too much to do.
“As soon as I saw KCS running from their 22 when they had the wind behind them in the first half, I was over the moon,” said Calday Grange coach Paul Miller. “Our defence was solid and our fly half put us in the right areas of the pitch.
“KCS went through the phases superbly in the second half but I believe our team is as good as the one which reached the semi-finals of the U15 Cup in 2003 when Whitgift with Danny Cipriani as captain knocked us out.”
KCS coach Jeremy Gibbon believed the match turned on “three or four key moments” which went against his side but paid tribute to their hard work.
“It was not the best match we have played but I was pleased how they kept going right to the end.”
Calday Grange’s semi-final appearance caused them to postpone a planned trip for the team to Italy but their proud shirt sponsor – and 15-year-old loosehead prop – James Lynch, chipped in to fund most of the £1600 required to change the travel tickets.
When Lynch was dropped from the football team he used the £50 he had been given to buy boots to buy and do up a car for re-sale instead.
It went so well that the young entrepreneur has since bought and sold 70 cars worth up to £7000 each.
“We find the cars in auctions and the local newspapers,” said James, who has used his middle name to make the company title James Elliot Motors which appears on the Calday Grange jerseys.
“My father drives me to the auctions and the garage, and we do up the cars, which sometimes means just giving them a good clean.
“This was the hardest game we have had this season, KCS kept coming back at us, but I am looking forward now to our trip to Venice, and to my first ever visit to Twickenham.”
12.3.08
When Calday Grange School U15s started casting around for sponsorship to help balance the books and make sure they were smartly turned out for special events like the Daily Mail Cup and a trip to Italy, they were hoping that some kindly parents might chip in to ease the burden.
But when they run out at Broadstreet RFC on Sunday (March 16, 1pm) to face Wimbledon College in the semi-final of the Daily Mail U15 Vase, the name emblazoned across their shirts will be that of one of their players.
For ‘James Elliott Motors’, the firm that has come to the aid of the school, is a commercial interest created by a member of the team, prop forward and junior entrepreneur James Lynch.
He first revealed his eye for a commercial opportunity when he was given £50 by his parents to buy some new football boots. That gesture proved to be ill timed in that before he could make a purchase, he had been dropped from the team.
Football boots were not required. Capital for an alternative project was available. A car was purchased for renovation and a business was launched.
Now, after sales of over 70 vehicles, young Lynch’s sideline is sufficiently lucrative for him to step in when news of the sponsorship requirement reached him.
“One of his team-mates jokingly suggested that James might be someone to approach. His first reaction was positive, but I said that he should go away and think carefully about it, have a word with his parents and then make a decision.” says master-in-charge Paul Miller.
“He came back and said he wanted to do it and to be honest, it was something we really needed because the appeal hadn’t really been that successful.”
James’s gesture presented the team with a double bonus, for the retail talents of the lad have had not compromised the selection process in any way.
“He’s a really nice lad and a very good rugby player. You have to know what you’re looking for and watch him closely to see the substantial amount of quality work he gets through. Because he’s not one of the flair players in the team his work can easily go unnoticed. He’s a quiet sort of lad who doesn’t make a fuss.”
James’ early season support did not end there. Calday Grange’s Daily Mail Vase success led them unexpectedly into another financial crisis in that they were scheduled to leave for a rugby trip to Venice on Sunday, never thinking at the time the trip was organised that they would be one step from a Twickenham outing and taking on King’s College, Wimbledon in Coventry on the day they were heading for Italy.
“Obviously we had to change our travel plans, which cost us £1,500, but James again came to our aid and helped defray the costs. It’s like having a big name sponsor. I didn’t even have to ask – he just came forward and said ‘I think I can help you with this’.”
Commercial return, of course, will only be maximised if the team can make it to Twickenham, so how does coach Miller rate his side?
“We were county winners last season and we were confident we could get through the first few rounds of the Cup,” says Miller: “But we played local rivals Birkenhead on the second round in a game that is always evenly balanced.
“We lost 15-13, but we blew some really good scoring chances by wasting clear overlaps and poor decision making. We felt really bad that we’d played so badly and agreed that we had to make amends by doing well in the Vase.
“In contrast, when we beat Birkdale 36-5 in the Vase quarter-final, we were really hot and played some good stuff. It could have been a bigger margin and if we can stay on song and repeat that sort of performance, we’ll be hard to beat.”
And if they manage that and clinch a final spot at Twickenham on Wednesday, April 2, keep an eye out for James Elliott Motors and the teenager who has struck another blow for the much-maligned ‘front-row union’.
12.3.08
Penair School from Cornwall became the winners of the inaugural South West U14 Non-selective State School championship when they defeated Gryphon School from Dorset in the final in Portway, Bristol.
Both teams displayed good team skills and the winning try was scored by winger Callum Johnson and converted by the very promising centre Hilly Murrell.
The Penair pack was well led by Oliver Seagrove, while try-saving tackles by Aaron Howes and Alex Dolman ensured Gryphon were highly competitive until the end.
Wider satisfaction at the final extended to an audience well beyond the Duchy because this was the first time a regional competition had finally been created that encompassed all nine counties in the South West.
Penair were representing the South of the Division having won a festival of 10-minutes each-way games at North Petherton involving teams from Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Bristol and Gloucestershire, while Gryphon had emerged as Northern champions after tackling teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Dorset & Wiltshire at Chipping Norton.
“The beauty of this competition is that the final is the tip of the iceberg in terms of youngsters taking part,” says Eric Blackman, president of the England Rugby Football Schools Union.
“Each of the counties has had to organise a tournament to find a champion to represent them, so the overall competition has provided rugby for lots of young players.
“This is the first time in the South West that it has really functioned. We nearly got it together last season, but this time we made it work.
“I know there are similar competitions running successfully in the other areas of the country and I’m delighted for the teams that the South West has brought it together this season.”
11.3.08
Langley Park School for Boys from Beckenham, Kent, are two wins away from a repeat triumph in the Daily Mail U15 Vase, having won the trophy in 2006 when they defeated John Cleveland College 27-12 in the final.
Langley Park will meet Woodlands School on Sunday (March 16) in the first semi-final at Broadstreet RFC near Coventry.
It is almost a home tie for Woodlands, the Coventry comprehensive which produced two famous England forwards of recent years in Neil Back and Danny Grewcock.
“That’s the luck of the draw,” said David Johnson, coach of Langley Park U15s. “Our team have been training hard and they are very focussed.
“We are a single-term school so we haven’t had a match since the quarter-final but most of the boys have had games with their clubs and we have arranged a conditioning match against our U16 side.
“There is a great team spirit among the boys. Off their own backs they have been going out together on Friday evenings as a group of 22 to 25, for a curry night or a trip to the cinema. They might have suffered just a little in terms of nutrition but the spirit of togetherness is great to see.”
Langley Park were cheered on by several hundred supporters when they won the Vase final at Twickenham two years ago and a return trip is an obvious spur for the team – but mention of the home of rugby has been avoided at all costs so far this season.
“There is a ban throughout the team on using the word ‘Twickenham’,” said Johnson. “As far as we know every one has stuck to it. It was a great day out for the school in 2006 but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves before what we know will be a tough semi-final against Woodlands.”
King’s College School, Wimbledon, will contest the second semi-final of the Daily Mail U15 Vase at Broadstreet RFC against Calday Grange Grammar School from the Wirral.
KCS went out of the U15 Cup to local rivals Wimbledon College and are determined to seize their chance of success in the Vase.
“This is a tremendously exciting experience for our team,” said Jeremy Gibbon, the KCS U15 coach who hails from Cape Town in South Africa.
“It is the furthest we have been in the Vase and the sense of anticipation is very high. We are a one-term rugby school and our regular season was a bit up and down.
“We lost twice to Wimbledon College, including going out of the main cup, but we won 6-5 away to RGS Guildford which was a tremendous result.”
KCS director of rugby Marcus Blackburn and U18 forwards coach Terry O’Connor have been giving tips to the U15s, with O’Connor concentrating on defence, scrums and line-outs.
Hugo Kelly, the U15 captain and openside flanker who has been playing for Harlequins Academy, may shuffle along the back row after an injury to the regular No.8.
And though there are many logistical challenges associated with taking part in a Twickenham final during the Easter holidays, Gibbon said it was a great incentive.
“The possibility of the boys being able to play at Twickenham is a wonderful thought.”
St Benedict’s School, Ealing, won through to the final of the Daily Mail U18 Cup at Twickenham on Wednesday April 2, when they defeated Barnard Castle 19-6 in the semi-final.
And Sussex Downs College from Lewes earned a place in the Daily Mail U18 Vase final when they defeated Marling School from Stroud, 17-5.
11.3.08
Millfield School are expecting a tight encounter for their Daily Mail U15 Cup semi-final clash against Old Swinford Hospital School on Saturday at Broadstreet RFC, kick-off 1pm.
The Somerset school are no strangers to the latter stages of this competition and in fact reached the final in 2003 only to lose 24-7 to Whitgift School. Since then they have been regular protagonists in the quarter and semi-finals.
Master in charge of rugby Trevor Greenhill said: “I think this is going to be a 50/50 game. I don’t think either school can say they are favourites as we are both very evenly matched.
“We know they are strong in their forwards, but so are we and invariably when it gets down to the cup semi-finals the games are always tight. There is usually hardly anything between the teams and it often goes down to the wire.”
Millfield School booked their place in the final after a tough quarter-final match against St. Paul’s School, Barnes which they edged 10-7 away from home.
Previously, they have also notched up wins against Truro School, Bishop’s Wordworth School, Sherborne School, West Somerset Community College, Heathfield Community School and King Alfred School, scoring some 237 points along the way and only conceding an impressive 23.
Greenhill added: “For us the Daily Mail competition is all about giving our boys the opportunity to play against schools we would never normally come up against and that has certainly happened.
“So far in this tournament we have had a couple of tough games against the likes of St Paul’s, Bishop’s Wordworth and Truro School but the rest have been relatively comfortable. Now it is time to step up a gear for the semi-finals.”
Also in action in the final four of the U15s Cup is Wellington College, who last lifted the crown at Twickenham in 2000.
With their U18 side already through to the final after a 10-6 victory against Warwick School on Saturday, the Berkshire side could be contesting two Daily Mail Cup Finals on April 2nd if they can defeat Oundle School on Saturday at 11am.
10.3.08
It was third time lucky for Wellington College as they reached the Daily Mail U18 Schools Cup final by ousting the holders 10-6 in a tense semi-final at Banbury’s Bodicote Park ground.
It ended two years of disappointment for Wellington, who had suffered consecutive semi-final defeats at Wolverhampton, and secure them a meeting with St Benedict’s School, Ealing at Twickenham on April 2.
But Warwick relinquished their title only reluctantly and Wellington needed tries from wing Sam Edgerley and centre Guy Armitage, both members of this season’s England U16 squad, to end their spirited challenge.
A strong downfield wind dictated how the game was played. Wellington, who had it at their backs in the first half, managed only Edgerley’s try.
But they played a solid defensive game after the break, retained possession better than Warwick and eventually wore down the holders. When Wellington worked the overlap, Warwick did not have enough men or energy to deny the powerfully-built Armitage.
“It was reward for our guts and determination,” said Graeme Owton, Wellington’s coach. “I am so proud of all the players.
“Martin Knights, the St Benedict’s coach, is a good friend of mine so I’m pleased that we will be playing them.
“We will start as underdogs in the final, there is no doubt about that. But if we play with the same guts and determination that we showed here, then we will be in with a shout.”
Defeat ended Warwick’s hopes of successive titles but at least half of their side will still be eligible to play in the competition next season.
“It’s been another wonderful experience to get to the semi-final,” said their director of rugby Mark Nasey.
“A lot of people didn’t expect us to get this far. But we have a young team and a lot of the players will be around next year.”
Defeat was a particular disappointment for Warwick fly-half David Johnston who missed out on the game because of a dead leg.
Last season he broke a wrist playing against St Benedict’s in the semi-final and he was forced to miss the final.
Warwick were also without their influential hooker Sam Collins because of a serious knee injury which Nasey fears may end his rugby career.
Warwick’s points came from two penalties from James Astin, Johnston’s replacement, but it was centre Sam Miller, their leading try-scorer, who came closest to breaching Wellington’s defence.
Miller latched on to a cross field kick, accelerated away down the left touchline and dotted down in the corner only to be brought back for a Wellington line-out after he was adjudged to have put a foot in touch.
Miller and Edgerley also featured prominently in one entertaining passage of play midway through the second half in which both sides attacked then counter-attacked.
Armitage’s try proved the decider and Warwick could not retain possession long enough during a sustained period of pressure in injury-time to force their way into the final.
9.3.08
Fresh from their triumph in the North of England Sevens at Birkenhead Park the previous week, Kirkham Grammar School won the 61st Fylde National School 7s at the Woodlands when 40 schools from all over England took part.
The top two seedings met in the final with Kirkham overcoming Ivybridge Community College 22-19 in a tense battle.
Kirkham scored twice to take an early lead only for Ivybridge to strike back. Shortly into the second-half Kirkham scored again to extend their lead.
Then, in the final moments, Ivybridge scored but the final whistle blew before they could overhaul the Kirkham score.
Manchester Grammar School won the Plate Final by beating Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham 38-12 , while Birkdale School, Sheffield beat Ashville College, Harrogate 14-12 in the Bowl competition.
Player of the tournament, judged by the referees, was Daniel Bibby of Kirkham.
More than 420 young rugby players, plus teachers, parents and other spectators descended on Fylde's Lytham St Anne’s ground for a great spectacle and showcase of young rugby talent.
7.3.08
Kingston Grammar, Ecclesbourne and Repton were crowned U14, U16 and U18 champions at the National Schools Girls Hockey Championships.
(For a double-page spread on the championships in our April edition, order your subscription or copy now)
6.3.08
Wellington College will contest their third consecutive Daily Mail U18 Cup semi-final clash this Saturday at Banbury RFC and the Berkshire side are hoping it will be third time lucky.
The college have been denied a finals spot by the narrowest of margins in the senior competition for the last two seasons, losing by one point a year ago and being denied a finals’ place on try count two seasons ago.
Head of rugby at the school Graeme Owton said: “Here we are again and we are all delighted to be through to another Daily Mail Cup semi-final.
“It has been a frantic week, with our quarter-final game played on Saturday and then a sevens tournament this week, but we are really looking forward to the match on Saturday and hoping that we can go that one step further.
“In a way I think the busy week of rugby will work in our favour as the boys are really in the swing of it and will have fresh minds for the game. They should be even more focused. Previously I think the semi-final matches haven’t gone our way because we’ve had little game time so we are hoping our time will come this weekend.”
This time around Wellington College’s opponents are Warwick School, winners of the U18 Cup a year ago.
Owton, whose side beat RGS Newcastle 36-12 to reach the final four, added: “I think the strongest school left in the competition is St Benedict’s who are already through to the final, but certainly Warwick School are going to be very difficult to beat. They have got a very good back row but we are ready for that.
“We have a strong pack and so far no side has been able to take them on. Certainly I think we have got a better balance in our side than in previous years so we are hoping that will work in our favour.”
The tie was originally scheduled to be played at Broadstreet RFC last Saturday but had to be postponed while an appeal from St Peter's HS, Gloucester was heard into their disqualification from the competition. The effect was that there was no traditional back-to-back semi-finals festival day.
“We are happy to play at Banbury and to be honest we’re not bothered that we won’t be playing in back-to-back semi-final matches,” added Owton. “When you are that focused on your match you don’t really take any notice of the other game. Banbury too is a good venue and the weather forecast is good so we are hoping we can play some good attacking rugby and the game can flow. We want to show people how much schools’ rugby has progressed over the years.”
Wellington College can certainly boast some very talented players in their squad including the school’s top points’ scorer Sam Edgerley. The wing is also in the England U16 squad alongside fellow school teammate Guy Armitage.
Owton added: “We have got a real mix of players in this team and generally we are on a much better platform that we have been in previous years. We are certainly going into this game in a much better frame of mind.
“I think if we show the same level of determination on the field as we have been we will be hard to beat. If we win it and reach the final then great, and if we don’t then the important thing is that the boys have enjoyed their rugby.”
The winners of Saturday's semi-final will meet St Benedict's from Ealing in the final at Twickenham on April 2. St Benedict's defeated Barnard Castle School, who were beaten by Warwick in last season's final.
4.3.08
Lancaster Royal Grammar School’s Biathlon team have gone one better in the British Schools Championships
Last year Lancaster RGS’s U13B team won the North West Counties Schools Championships at Blackpool and went on to the British School’s Championships held at Bath University, where they won the silver medal.
This year the same three boys, this time as the school’s U14 team, qualified for the British Schools Championships by again winning the North West Counties title in Blackpool.
The British finals were again held at Bath University where the boys went one better, winning the gold medal.
The LRGS team - Beau Smith (5th), Adam Bateson (17th) and Liam McGuiness (40th) - had to swim 100m and run 1km against the clock and gain points for every one-tenth of a second they manage to beat the target times.
All three boys have represented Lancaster Royal Grammar School in swimming and cross-country teams.
(For full details of the championships order the April/May edition of School Sport Magazine now)
3.3.08
St Benedict’s School, Ealing will play in the final of the Daily Mail U18 School Cup at Twickenham on April 2 after scoring three tries without reply in beating Barnard Castle School 19-6 in the semi-final at Broadstreet RFC, Coventry.
After losing a semi-final they should easily have won last season to eventual winners Warwick School, the Londoners, with most of last season’s team still available, were desperate to make amends this time.
But to do so they had to be at their best to cope with a solid challenge from a very able Barnard Castle team.
Key to the victory was the ability of St Benedict’s to take full advantage of lapses by their opponents and nail their chances when the were presented.
The winners also had a crucial edge at the driving maul, which unlike the pedestrian version presented so often at senior level, was dynamic, mobile and well organised.
Twice in six minutes St Benedict’s scored from lineout drives, hooker Charlie Allum and prop Adam McCulloch both breaking from the maul to score, while the final try which sealed victory came from centre James Stephenson, who was on hand for the scoring pass after scrum-half Michael Simpson, arguably the game’s outstanding player, had gathered a weak clearance kick and sliced through the Barnard Castle defence.
Two conversions from fly-half Stuart Pearham completed the scoring for St Benedict’s.
Barnard Castle had their moments and should have had more to show for their periods of pressure than a brace of penalties from fly-half Rory Clegg, but their decision making was flawed when chances beckoned and while they defended tenaciously for most of the game and led 6-0 at the interval, they could not find the cutting edge.
“Up to this moment it’s been nine months of seriously hard work,” said St Benedict’s Jesse Coulson. “They are a very talented team and they never give up.
“We played a very good side in Barnard Castle today who put us under pressure, but ultimately, I think the better side won on the day. We gave it our all and came through.
“I don’t think we get the plaudits we deserve in terms of international caps. There are four or five players who should be there or thereabouts. But rugby is a game of opinion and in my opinion we have some outstanding players.
“We’ve played two sides who were both bigger than us in Filton and Barnard Castle, but we’ve shown that you can beat the big guys with speed and moving them around.”
Barnard Castle coach Martin Pepper thought the score flattered St Benedict’s. He said: “We were in it more than the score suggests, but the difference was that they had three chances and they nailed them, whereas we had numerous chances and we didn’t take them.
“They were more precise and more clinical than us. Three lapses of concentration – two poor lineouts and a poor kick and chase - and they scored three tries. Simple as that. That’s the difference when you get to this level.”
There was double disappointment for the north east with the 36-12 defeat of RGS Newcastle by Wellington College, another side bidding to make amends for a semi-final defeat last season.
The Tyneside team led 12-5 at the interval with four penalties by scrum-half Todd Harrison, but Wellington eventually worked their way into the ascendancy to score four converted second-half tries.
England U16 wingman Sam Edgeley landed four conversions and a penalty for Wellington and also scored two of their tries for a 21-point haul. Tries by wingman McClean and back-row forward McMillan completed the scoring.
Wellington will now meet Warwick at Banbury RFC in the other semi-final next Saturday, March 8.
2.3.08
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Penrith gave rugby in the Cumbrian stronghold a major boost when they beat Reigate Grammar School 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Daily Mail Schools U18 Vase to claim a place in the final at Twickenham on Wednesday, April 2.
After a prolonged wrestling match with Reigate in which neither side could fashion a try, the QEGS win was settled by a solitary penalty goal, a 40-yard effort kicked by fly-half James Ellar midway through the second-half.
Reigate came within a whisker when a kick-and-chase after a handling mistake brought claims of a try, but both referee and touch judge were perfectly placed and the effort was ruled out.
That was the only near miss of a game in which defences comfortably held sway and on the brief occasions when there was the glimpse of an opening, ‘white line fever’ kicked in and sound decision making was abandoned.
The onset of delirium which greeted Ellar’s final kick of the game to put the ball out and allow the referee to blow for time reflected that fact that the end was much more important than the means to the Cumbrian contingent, who know that they can – and may need to – play much better.
“I’m overjoyed for the boys. It was absolutely brilliant.” said coach Alastair Worth, who has shared the coaching duties with stalwart Steve Jones: “Once again it was everybody in the team who produced the result, not one individual. One individual got the three points, but it was definitely a team effort.
“The forwards competed well in the tackle areas, we got the ball back well, and generally defended well. We were probably better in that department in the second-half. There were a few holes in the first period, but we tidied those up.
“The backs tried to play enterprising rugby in windy conditions, so sometimes things didn’t come off, but that didn’t stop them trying to do it. I was a bit frustrated because I know they can play better than that. More things could have come off.
“There were two or three occasions when the gap was there and it was only a matter of catching the ball. But all in all, our defence was very good and I’m obviously very pleased.
“It’s a great boost for Cumbrian rugby and also for Penrith Rugby Club. They’ve been absolutely awesome in the way they’ve supported us.”
Reigate coach Matt Clarke said: “Things didn’t go the way we wanted but to go out 3-0 is a bit gutting.
“There was nothing in it and it’s a rough way to go out. So far as the try is concerned, if the ref can’t see it, he can’t give it.
“But it’s been a fantastic year and a great experience and hopefully the boys can use it and move on. This is quite a senior group in terms of next year, but we have some good U16s coming through, so hopefully we can start working with them and be back next year.”
QEGS opponents Sussex Downs College Lewes earned their Twickenham place when they defeated Marling School from Stroud 17-5.
Sussex Downs had first use of a favourable wind against Marling and 7-5 interval lead from a try by flanker Tom Tudor, goaled by flanker Joe Hoare, looked a modest return.
The Lewes side, however, used their superior bulk to good effect to keep Marling at arm’s length with a sturdy rearguard that only faltered once.
The winners had signalled their defensive strength by twice holding up Marling players over the line, but they could not repel the pacy threat of scrum-half Tom Mehendran which he slipped through from close range.
It was to be his side’s only success of the game as Marling tried in vain to penetrate the beefy Sussex defence and having held onto the lead via a conservative approach, the winners finished in more positive style.
They pulled clear when fly-half Charlie Terry crossed and then lit up a fairly dour affair with a try to grace any game. No 8 James Streeter was the architect, breaking cleanly through the Marling lines after gathering a kick and then releasing the ball for smart handling and good support to end in Cherry scoring his second.
The key strength of the Sussex side was their sheer physicality up front. They carried tremendous bulk and easily won the prolonged arm-wrestling match against opponents who never seemed to appreciate that they were committing rugby suicide by not seeking to get the ball away to the open spaces at every opportunity. The lesson was surely too obvious for QEGS to ignore.
“I thought we would win at half-time because we were steady,” said Sussex coach Jim Maskell: “We weren’t being outrageous, trying to be too clever. We just played good, sensible rugby.
“The overall thing with the forwards was that we would go through six phases and then lose it. I made the point that we’d done six phases well and that we shouldn’t panic about losing it. Simply go back and do six more and not lose it.
“I think that judging from the number of bumps Marling picked up, they found it physically very demanding, which is pleasing. We also have some creative backs and that combination should create a very good rugby team.”
Marling coach Mark Nicholson was very positive in his inevitable disappointment. “We thought we were in with a shout at half-time.” he said: “But we just didn’t convert pressure into points. Sussex defended well, we conceded too many turnovers in the red zone and we had a couple of drives to the try line that we didn’t turn into points.
“But we were probably giving away two stones a man in the pack, so I thought we did exceptionally well.
“For a side containing only six players who play rugby outside the school to reach this stage is a tremendous effort. I’ve got to take my hat off to the boys. In my 10 years at Marling, this bunch of lads is the closest we’ve been to a complete team.
“It’s just a shame our fairy tale has finished. They’ve written their own history and they’ve all said ‘No regrets’. It’s been a fantastic experience.”
2.3.08
Kirkham Grammar School from Preston carried off the Bowring Trophy when they edged out Hymers College from Hull 19-17 in the 20th final of the North of England Schools Sevens at Birkenhead Park today.
The competition for pool runners-up, the Boodle & Dunthorne Plate, went to Sedbergh, who beat Trent College 34-7 in the final after losing to St Ambrose 12-7 in the pool games.
The Gerald L Finch Memorial Trophy, which goes to the player who most impresses the referees, was Matthew Kelly of St Ambrose College.
“We had a fine day and some very close, enjoyable games,” said Graeme Marrs MBE, one of the driving forces behind the event: “We had just one cry-off because of illness and Sedbergh helped out by putting in their second strong at short notice.
“We also had a team from the Isle of Man for the first time and they warmed to the competition as their experience grew. We’ll certainly do what we can to get them back next season.”
1.3.08
The Bell Lawrie U18 plate final between Queen Victoria School and Kelvinside Academy, scheduled to be played today, has been postponed due to flooding.
The final will be re-scheduled at a later date.
29.2.08
Kelvinside Academy and Queen Victoria School will contest the Bell Lawrie U18 Plate final on Saturday March 1.
QVS head coach Duncan McLay acknowledges his team’s achievement this year. He said: “We’ve done exceptionally well. It’s been a particularly long school year for them, the final being their 19th game of the season.
“We’ll be looking to play some quick, skillful rugby this Saturday and fully expect Kelvinside to be at their best.”
Queen Victoria beat Banchory in the first round of the plate and then travelled north again in round two to face Aberdeen Grammar.
After beating Grammar, QVS had a quarter-final encounter with Douglas Academy, winning 17-12. Balfron High hosted QVS for the semi final, QVS the eventual winners, 33-6.
Kelvinside Academy won their first round tie with Cathkin High 34-3. Kelvinside then beat Perth Academy in round two and saw off Carrick Academy 27-0 in their quarter-final tie. Linlithgow Academy were beaten 27-5 by Kelvinside Academy in the semi final.
Davy Wilson, head of sport at Kelvinside, knows how important this final is to the lads and how tough the opposition are.
He said: “It’s been about eight or nine years since Kelvinside were in the plate so all the team are looking forward to this game. It’ll be a fitting way for some of our sixth years to finish their time here at Kelvinside.
“It will be a hard game there’s no doubt about that. QVS are a good side. But I’m sure the team will go out on Saturday and give it their all.”
Wilson and McLay are no strangers though, having both played for QVS in their school days.
McLay said: “There will be some friendly rivalry between myself and Davy but the final is about the two teams playing and hopefully we’ll see a good performance from both teams.”
The Bell Lawrie U18 Scottish Schools Plate final will be played at Bridgehaugh (Stirling County) and kick off at 10:30am on Saturday 1 March.
28.2.08
The frustrating cloud of uncertainty that settled over RGS Newcastle’s Daily Mail RU U18 Cup quarter final ambitions in recent weeks may prove to have a silver lining.
The Tyneside team have been waiting patiently for their much-delayed last eight tie to be resolved, but the dispute surrounding the match between St Peter’s Gloucester and Wellington College has finally been settled, with the Gloucester side being disqualified from the competition and Wellington being awarded the game.
For much of the wait – the quarter final was scheduled to be played on February 6 – the feeling on Tyneside was one of frustration, but that has gradually evolved into a much more positive approach.
The main reason for the change of mood is that the delay has enabled RGS to get their full contingent on parade on Saturday and that means a return to action for the team’s most potent force, centre Fred Burdon.
He damaged his wrist before Christmas and plays his first school game since then at Wellington having tested the injury on a skiing trip and then in a Northumberland U20 game against Cumbria at Aspatria on Sunday.
“We’ve just had to be patient and in the long run it may that the break will have done us more good than harm.” says coach Paul Ponton. “The good thing is that we’ve had one or two injuries and all the players are now fit again and we’ll be at full strength.
“The availability of Fred is the big plus. He’s our leading try scorer and having played for England U16s, would have been in the reckoning for the England U18 squad, but he’s two days too old for the January deadline.
“We don’t know much about Wellington, but we’re under no illusions – we know it’s going to be a very tough call for us. We’ve seen their record, so we know they’re very good. Strangely enough, when we thought we would be playing St Peter’s, they were going to send us a video of their game. I don’t expect anything to be dropping through the letterbox now.
“But it’s up to us to get our match strategy sorted out and concentrate on what we want to do.”
Winners of Saturday’s tie will meet the holders, Warwick School, in the semi-finals, which will be played at Banbury RFC on Saturday, March 8.
Warwick claimed the title last year when they beat Barnard Castle School in what many regarded as the best final for years and the prospect of a re-match is still on the cards if the pair can win their next match.
Barnard Castle hopes are boosted by the fact that they have 11 of the 22 players who got them to Twickenham last season still available, although they can expect a tough workout from St Benedict’s, Ealing, who they meet in the semi-final at Broadstreet RFC on Saturday (Mar 1, 1pm).
The London side have 13 of the team beaten 10-5 by Warwick in last season’s semis and having seen them squander a glorious chance to get to Twickenham 12 months ago, ‘Barney’ coach Martin Pepper knows how hard it will be to get back to Twickenham for the fourth time in six years.
“We’ve one or two niggles, but I expect we’ll be OK for Saturday,” he says: “In terms of preparation, we had a game against Leeds Academy on Saturday. It wasn’t really all that productive and we had some players missing, but it was a run-out for the rest of the squad.
“I saw last season’s semi-final and thought St Benedict’s should have won it. They are a good team with a lot of good players and good coaches and that team ethic counts for a lot.
“There is always pressure at this stage because nobody remembers who lost in the semis, but some of us have been here before and hopefully that will help.
“There’s certainly a great buzz of excitement about the school once again and we’re all looking forward to it.”
There will be no bracing strolls on the beach for Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Penrith ahead of their Daily Mail U18 Vase semi-final against Reigate Grammar on Sunday (March 2, 2008), but no doubt coach Alastair Worth will be looking for alternative ways of keeping his team relaxed at Broadstreet RFC as they make their bid for a place in the final at Twickenham.
The sharp blast of envigorating sea air was the prelude to a 25-6 quarter-final win at Kings School, Tynemouth in which all the components of the side functioned effectively and it is that kind of performance QEGS are searching for on Sunday.
While team-work was the key to success in the North East, there is no doubting the influence of wingman Joe Bancroft and fly-half James Ellar on the side.
Bancroft scored twice in an outstanding display, while Ellar produced two drop goals – one from 40 metres - when they were needed most to keep his side in the driving seat.
Key elements for QEGS this season have been a superbly organised defence and the patience to exploit opposition weaknesses.
Their passage into the semi-finals underlined those qualities once again and the Cumbrians will be looking for more of the same on Sunday.
27.2.08
Schools sevens remains one of the most enjoyable spectacles the game of rugby union has to offer and the 20th staging of the North of England Schools Sevens at Birkenhead Park on Sunday (March 2, 2008) is guaranteed to maintain that proud tradition.
Forty schools from across North and much further afield are involved in this season’s tournament, with Llandovery College adding an international flavour and an Isle of Man Select XV broadening horizons to the West.
Sedbergh from Cumbria, who have won the tournament six times and been runners-up three times, are defending the Bowring Trophy they won by beating Barnard Castle last season, when Hymers College from Hull beat RGS Worcester in the Boodle & Dunthorne Plate.
“In terms of quality, this must be second only to the famous Rosslyn Park Sevens and the top tournament in the North,” says one of the driving forces behind the event, Graeme Marrs.
“We have different schools like Bradford Grammar entering for the first time, Ermysted’s from Skipton returning to the fold and a strong contingent from the Midlands seeking to wrest the title from Sedbergh.
“While we’ve had our problems with the weather in recent times, when the elements have been kind we’ve seen the kind of scintillating rugby that only teenagers can deliver. Looking at the calibre of the field this year, I’m certain we’ll be treated to some superb entertainment once again.”
The 40 teams are divided into eight groups for the morning qualifying programme, with the winners of each section going into the Bowring Bowl and the runners-up into the Boodle & Dunthorne Plate in the afternoon.
The semi-finals of the Plate and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the Bowl will be held at Birkenhead Park RFC on Sunday afternoon with proceedings scheduled to begin at 2.15 and conclude with the final around 5pm.
Sponsorship from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, The Army, Shell Lubricants, Morris of Shrewsbury, Arizona Chemicals, Coulter Hurst & Company and Britvic is among the backing from a range of organisations which support the event and make it viable, while once again David Mathews, who organises the refereeing of the programme, has surrounded himself with officials of International calibre drawn from all over the country, but not surprisingly, including the best that the Liverpool Society can offer.
26.2.08
St Benedict’s, Ealing, will go into Saturday’s semi-final of the Daily Mail U18 Schools Cup at Broadstreet RFC near Coventry confident that last season’s defeat at the same stage will stand them in good stead.
A remarkable 13 of the St Benedict’s team beaten 10-5 by Warwick School in the 2007 semi-finals were in the lower sixth year at the time.
And most of the players have come through from the squad which won the Daily Mail U15 Schools Cup in 2005.
“This team are well used to playing matches under pressure,” said head coach Jesse Coulson.
“If it is not with the school then they are off every week to play in trials and matches with their counties, divisions and international teams.
“Playing on a neutral ground and staying away for a night beforehand does add a bit spice, and we expect to have four busloads of supporters – parents, teachers and students from the school and prep school – cheering us on.”
St Benedict’s will face stiff opposition in Barnard Castle, the runners-up in last season’s Daily Mail U18 Schools Cup, having left it late to see off Filton College from Bristol in the quarter-finals.
Filton led 8-3 going into the last 15 minutes but London Wasps Academy hooker Arthur Ellis, who had been deployed in the St Benedict’s back row, scored two tries, both converted by Stuart Pearham, for a 17-8 triumph.
Ellis is in the England U18 squad preparing for the AER tournament in Italy in March, and is one of half a dozen St Benedict’s players attached to England Rugby Academies at Wasps, Saracens or London Irish.
James Stephenson has played for Irish Exiles at openside flanker and earned a call-up to Ireland’s Provincial Youth squad which will go to the AER tournament.
And Stephenson, like Ellis, has popped up in different positions for his school team this season.
“We think it’s important for the players’ development that we don’t pigeon-hole them at this stage,” Coulson said. “James can play in the centres or in the back row, among other positions.
“The boys’ academic programme is the first priority in the upper sixth. Someone like Arthur Ellis will train with us after school for an hour and a half, then go to train to with Wasps’ Academy in Acton but he knows how important it is that attends to his homework too.”
Sussex Downs College, who beat Brighton College in the first round of the U18 Cup before being knocked out by Worthing College, will face Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith, in the first of the two semi-finals of the Daily Mail U18 Schools Vase at Broadstreet RFC on Sunday March 2.
The other Vase semi-final tie features Reigate Grammar School, who lost to John Fisher in the second round of the U18 Cup, against Marling School.
22.2.08
RGS Newcastle have been waiting patiently to discover who and when they will be playing in the quarter-final of the Daily Mail Schools RU U18 Cup after a protracted dispute involving their initial opponents St Peter's RC High School and Sixth Form Centre, Gloucester.Despite an appeal against the original findings of the competition organisers, St Peter's have been removed from the competition for a breach of eligibility regulations and their round six opponents Wellington College from Berkshire have been reinstated.However, because the competition timetable has been rendered inoperable by the delay, the quarter-final involving Wellington College and RGS will now be played on March 1 at Wellington, the scheduled date for the semis.Awaiting the outcome are Warwick School, the holders, and they will meet the winners in the delayed semi-finals at Broad Street RFC, Coventry on Thursday, March 13.Fortunately the disruption has not affected any of the other sections of the Daily Mail Schools competitions.Barnard Castle will still meet St Benedict's, Ealing on Saturday week March 1 at 13.00 in the U18 Cup semi-final, while the following day Northern interest in the last four of the Daily Mail U18 Vase will be provided by Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Penrith, who face Reigate Grammar.QEGS were 25-6 winners at King's, Tynemouth in the previous round.Northern involvement in the Daily Mail U15 Cup ended at the quarter-final stage when the two survivors were beaten.Manchester Grammar went down 13-7 at Old Swinford Hospital School from Stourbridge, while Birkenhead School were beaten 36-20 at home by Oundle School.
The Northern flag in the Daily Mail U15 Vase is carried in the semi-final by Calday Grange School from Cheshire, who now meet King's School, Wimbledon, 20-5 victors over King's, Grantham in the last round. They will play at Broad Street on Sunday, March 16.
21.2.08
England Schools' U18 side will take on home nation rivals Scotland at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, 26 April 2008 in a Centenary Shield match for the inaugural 'Bobby Moore Trophy'.The match will see England Schools returning to the national stadium after a gap of nine years and continues Wembley's long and rich history of hosting England Schools' matches and showcasing the English talent of the future.The fixture is a repeat of the first ever schools' international played at Wembley in 1950, where England won 8-2 against the Scots.The game attracted a crowd of 53,000 and showcased the talents of Johnny Haynes who went on to become captain for both club and country at senior level.Two years later the great Duncan Edwards, whose life and career was tragically cut short by the Munich air disaster, made his debut appearance at Wembley in an England Schools' match against Scotland in 1952 - a game which England won 1-0.The English Schools' Football Association (ESFA) will be supporting the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK by donating 5% of the net proceeds from the event to help tackle bowel cancer through vital research work.Furthermore, Bobby's wife Stephanie, founder of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, will be presenting the winning team with the inaugural 'Bobby Moore Trophy'.Ticket holders to the event will receive a FREE copy of the award-winning DVD: 'Hero: The Bobby Moore Story.'Howard Webb, one of England's top referees, has agreed to officiate the match and the world famous tenor, Martin Toal, has agreed to sing the national anthems on the day.Immediately before the international match, Wembley will also stage the finals of the four national competitions for primary schools (kick-off 12.25pm).This will feature more than 100 year 6 pupils the opportunity of playing small-sided soccer at the new Wembley Stadium.Following on from the primary schools finals, kicking off at 2pm, there will be a charity match between two celebrity teams, with a Sir David Frost XI taking on a Rod Stewart XI.John Read, Chief Executive of ESFA said: "The ESFA is delighted to be returning to Wembley in April. This builds on our rich history of holding English Schools' Football at the national stadium and gives some of this country's most talented young players the unique opportunity to showcase their skills at football's spiritual home."The opportunity to see the U11s play on the famous Wembley pitch as well as a star studded line up in the celebrity match and a full schools' international, should not be missed. This is a truly fantastic day out for schools and football fans of all ages."Alex Horne, managing director of Wembley Stadium, added: "Every footballer, both young and old dreams of walking out at Wembley and this is sure to be an inspirational experience for potential young England stars of the future."The ESFA have put together an exciting line up of activity to complement the Centenary Shield game and it's set to be a fantastic family day out."Tickets for the game are £25 with generous discounts available for group bookings. To book tickets, call the ESFA ticket line on 01785 785 970.National Express Coaches are providing charter group travel to Wembley Stadium for this event. To book or for more information visit www.nationalexpress.com/eventsolutions
For more information on the event please visit www.esfa.co.uk/wembley
21.2.08
ZigZag interactive fitness solutions has partnered with Fit For Sport, the UK's leading children's healthy lifestyle activities provider, to encourage school children to exercise and improve their fitness levels.In 2007, Fit For Sport's inaugural Fitter Schools UK Challenge engaged almost 3,000 UK schools and more than 1 million children - improving the participating children's fitness levels on average by 14.5%.This year ZigZag will kit out one of the winning national primary/secondary schools of the 2008 Challenge with its fitness-based dance platforms, where children move their feet to the latest tunes following step routines on a massive plasma screen.The national winners in both primary and secondary categories will be the schools demonstrating the biggest improvement in its pupils' fitness levels, as well as the highest average fitness score per pupil - with the winning schools receiving thousands of pounds worth of sports equipment or coaching services.Fergus Ahern, Managing Director of ZigZag said: "One of the major attractions of the Fitter Schools UK Challenge is the fact that it is completely free to enter and can help schools achieve their PSA target of two hours high quality PE per week.Both national and regional winners of the Fitter Schools UK Challenge will be announced in June and invited to a special awards day with the Challenge team and Ian Wright.The Challenge is open to all schools, including independent schools, specialist sports colleges and SEN schools from Year 1 to Year 11, with the winners announced in June.
To take part or for further information, call 0845 456 3233 or visit www.fitterschoolsuk.com by the middle of March.
20.2.08
Youth charity The Prince's Trust, together with the RBS 6 Nations, is to stage a Tag Rugby festival for 10 London schools next week, with the lucky winners forming a guard of honour for England's players at Twickenham.The festival, at the University of Westminster playing fields in Chiswick on Monday February 25, will be attended by England's 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning full-back, Josh Lewsey, MBE, who will conduct a question-and-answer session with the participating young people who attend Prince's Trust xl-clubs at their schools.Rugby development officers and community rugby coaches from the Rugby Football Union will conduct a warm-up session, referee the matches and lend a helping hand with the laws and other aspects of playing and coaching, as most of the participants are new to the game.The festival winners will go on to form the guard of honour at the England v Ireland match in the RBS 6 Nations on March 15 and line up either side of the teams running out in front of 82,000 spectators at Twickenham.The RBS 6 Nations with The Prince's Trust is an initiative which uses rugby, its players, and its team-based values to teach new skills to pupils attending Prince's Trust xl-clubs across England, Scotland and Wales.Backed by the Royal Bank of Scotland and the RFU, Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union, the scheme is in its fourth year and has helped more than 800 young people to date.The Prince's Trust xl programme runs clubs within schools for children aged 14 to 16 who are at risk of truanting or under-achievement.For three hours or more a week during the last two years of school, students meet and work together. An xl club Adviser is available but most of the time the students run the show.
Participating schools on February 25: West London Academy, Abbotsfield School for Boys, Uxbridge College, Capital City Academy, Feltham Community College, Chiswick Community College, Longford Community School, The Gladys Aylward School, Chace Community School, Friern Barnet School.
15.2.08
An England Rugby Football Schools Union hearing has rejected an appeal by St Peter’s RC High School and Sixth Form Centre against their team’s disqualification from this season’s Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup.
The Gloucester school was disqualified by competition organisers for fielding ineligible players in their 12-10 win against Wellington College on January 31.
Last night their appeal at the East India Club in London was dismissed by the panel of Jeremy Summers (chairman), Rob Udwin and Mark Lowe.
Wellington College will now be invited to host RGS Newcastle in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition.
14.2.08
Newcastle Schools Sport Partnership (NSSP) is supplying students in Newcastle city schools with rowing machines to improve their competitive edge, fitness and interest in the sport.
All 15-16 year old pupils will be given the opportunity to try out the equipment, supplied by Concept 2.
At the launch demonstration, students from Heaton Manor enthusiastically applied their collective strength in a virtual team competition, where progress could be monitored on overhead plasma screens.
Ted Baty, an NSSP coordinator for Heaton Manor school, watched their reactions with interest.
He said: ”This is something new for us, but the students are loving it. Key Stage 4 pupils will be able to take part in virtual rowing leagues both locally and nationally. We also expect that primary children will be given access to the machines.
“In time, we hope that it will encourage them to go one step further and get out onto the Tyne in real rowing boats and we will be establishing links with Tyne Rowing Club and the University.”
This is the first stage of an extended programme to provide each school in the city with access to rowing machines and use rowing as a means of increasing participation and performance.
There are plans for an indoor rowing league, an indoor rowing festival and entry into national online leagues.
“Students get fit, and by competing against each other in their teams, gain respect for the abilities of others and raise their own sporting standards,” explained Joyce Matthews, NSSP partnership manager.
“We continue to focus on delivering innovative solutions to encourage children into high quality sport and if the rowing machines are a means to help them realise that their potential may lie in previously unchartered territory, then we have succeeded in raising their personal goals.”
It is expected that the city schools involved will have their rowing machines installed by Easter.
13.2.08
Jedburgh Grammar won the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Bowl Final in an exciting contest against St Columba’s Kilmacolm at Malleny Park, Currie, 17-5.
Jed’s victorious team co-ordinator, Fraser Forrest, said: “We’re absolutely delighted. It’s the second time some of our boys have won medals as they’d been successful at U15 level.
“St Columba’s beat us last year when we had quite a young squad and we knew it was going to be tough. It was a cracking game with nothing really between the teams tonight. We took our chances a wee bit better.”
Both teams started the match strongly sharing possession and territory but it was Jedburgh that made the breakthrough on 18 minutes with a superb run from centre Andrew Nagle who found a hole in the St Columba’s ranks off lineout ball to score the first try of the match. Nagle then converted to make it 7-0.
St Columba’s responded well with powerful play from their forwards almost making headway into the Jedburgh 22, but gave away a penalty and subsequently lost momentum.
Jedburgh pushed up the park and were awarded a scrum deep inside the St Columba’s danger zone and quick-thinking from the Jed’ scrum-half, Euan Fowler, saw the captain scoot in for the second try of the night after 25 minutes. Nagle missed the conversion to leave Jed with a 12-0 half-time advantage.
St Columba’s started the second half purposefully and their hard work paid off when wing David Smith weaved his way through a sea of blue jerseys to score their first try of the night. The conversion was missed but St Columba’s were back in the match trailing 5-12.
The second half wore on and both teams showed the sort of defensive play that brought them to the final but it was Jed’ that had the clinical touch, Fowler displaying another smart try off scrum ball 22 minutes into the second half.
St Columba’s fought hard to the very end and looked like scoring at the death but Jed stood firm in defence.
Man of the match was Jed’s centre Scott Blackie who was presented with his award by Karen Adamson of Bell Lawrie.
13.2.08
The England U18 squad to compete in this season’s Six Nations Festival has been announced.
The 26-man squad has been selected from the Rugby Football Union’s Regional Academy system and includes three players who competed in the Six Nations Festival in Glasgow a year ago.
The England U18s squad will be coached by Alex Sanderson (Coach) and Geoff Richards (Assistant Coach).
Sanderson is a former England U18 player himself and has in fact played for every England representative team. He started his coaching career at Saracens before joining up with the Queensland Reds in 2006 as a forwards coach. He then joined the RFU in 2007 as a National Academy Coach.
Richards, a former Australian international, was previously head coach for the England Women’s team from 2000 to 2007 and coached the side to win two back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams and reach two Rugby World Cup finals.
The England U18s Six Nations Festival campaign gets underway with a first test against Wales on March 2nd at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium. They will then travel to Cork for the Six Nations Festival in March to play against Italy, France and Scotland.
Coach Sanderson said: “I am delighted to have been able to select this squad. All these players have proved they deserve their chance to represent their country at U18s level. There is no easy route into this squad so I am confident that we have a very talented group of players who can compete in a tough season ahead of us.
“All of these lads have been at the top of their game at schools level, but now they have to make the step up and prove that they are capable of playing international rugby, and as a former U18s players myself, I know what a challenge and honour that is.
“So far we have had four trial games and we have won each one and scored an average of four tries a game, so I think we are in a strong position ahead of our first game against Wales and our Six Nations Festival campaign in Cork.”
England U18 Squad: Joe Barker, QEGS Wakefield, David Blackwell, Hartpury College, James Currie, Millfield, James Gaskell, Sandbach, Jamie George, Haileybury, Jamie Gibson, Marlborough College, Alex Gray, Barnard Castle, Tom Holmes, Sandbach, Lee Imiolek, Sandbach, Joe Marler, Richmond College, Rob Milligan, Rugby School, Jacob Rowan, Bradford GS, Joe Trayfoot, Epsom College, Mako Vunipola, Millfield, Freddie Burns Bath College, Tom Casson, Sedbergh, Tom Catterick, Barnard Castle, Rory Clegg, Barnard Castle, Andrew Forsyth, QEGS Wakefield, Sam Harrison, John Cleveland College, Tom Homer, Milton Abbey, Will Hurrell, Wyggeston & QE1 College, Jordi Pasqualin, The King’s School Gloucester, Sam Smith, Cranleigh, Christian Wade, RGS High Wycombe, Jack Wallace, RGS High Wycombe
8.2.08
South Oxfordshire District Council, in partnership with the Rugby Football Union, is helping to increase sporting participation amongst 16 to 18-year-olds in the district, by leading on an innovative project to increase participation in tag rugby.
The project, launched this month, aims to encourage sport at sixth forms across South Oxfordshire.
Through the project, students can attend tag rugby sessions after school or college and learn rules of the game, new skills, tactics and most importantly have fun while taking part.
Tag Rugby is a safe, fun and exciting form of non-contact rugby suitable for both males and females of all age groups and abilities.
Although this project will primarily target girls, it will also include six weeks of mixed tag rugby coaching delivered at locations across the district, including Wallingford Sports College, Wheatley School, Henley College, Didcot Girls School and St Birinus Sixth form.
The project provides each venue with a tag rugby kit to enable teachers to continue coaching. Each venue will also hold tag rugby training for teachers and pupils to gain qualifications in the sport.
The high point of the project will be the large interschool tournament held at Wheatley Rugby Club on Sunday 9 of March. All the rugby clubs within South Oxfordshire District are invited to the event.
Afterwards, pupils from each school have the opportunity to watch the Wasps versus Harlequins rugby match at the Adams Park Stadium.
They will also have the chance to go on pitch before the match, meet a player and be presented with the winners’ trophy.
South Oxfordshire District Council, the Rugby Football Union and South Oxfordshire School Sports Partnership have come together through the South Oxfordshire Community Sports Network to devise and implement this project.
The project has been funded through both partnership funding and support from the Oxfordshire Sports Partnerships Development Fund.
Wasps Rugby Football Club have also been supportive of the project through greatly subsidising the tickets for the home game and providing a player to present the trophy.
Bill Service, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for leisure, said: “With obesity on the increase year on year it is more important then ever to encourage sport amongst young people.
“This is a fantastic project, which helps young people get more active and encourages team work skills. Using a partnership approach has helped this project provide a sustainable way for schools to continue teaching tag rugby once the project has ceased, as well as giving young people the opportunity to gain qualifications and improve leadership skills.”
For further information, contact Cath Dale, Sports Development Officer on 01491 823128 or email cath.dale@southoxon.gov.uk
7.2.08
With help from children at Firshill Primary School, England Test Cricket Captain Michael Vaughan today announced plans for an npower Urban Cricket facility to be built in Abbeyfield Park, Burngreave, Sheffield.
The facility is one of five purpose-built cricket facilities, which will be opened across the country as part of the Urban Cricket initiative.
It will provide a permanent space for children in the area to learn and practice their cricket skills, turning them into possible stars of the future.
In addition to the facility, five school playgrounds in the Sheffield area will be redeveloped into Urban Cricket zones. These will help children with an interest in cricket develop their skills for the game.
Working in partnership with Sheffield City Council, the development of the Sheffield facility and its five supporting zones, creates a tiered community development programme with a clear route for children to follow, from learning basic skills all the way up to playing club cricket.
England Test Captain, Michael Vaughan said: "It's great to see how grassroots schemes like npower Urban Cricket are making a real difference to the local community.
"Having been brought up in Sheffield I know how popular cricket is in this area and I know local kids will love having a safe, purpose built space in which they can play cricket and practice their skills - you never know it might help produce the next Michael Vaughan!"
Tim Rippon, Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Culture and Planning at Sheffield City Council commented: "The npower Urban Cricket arena at Abbeyfield Park will really benefit the local area. Not only will it add to the facilities in the area and encourage children to play cricket, it will also help kids lead more active lifestyles. The Urban Cricket Programme has been rolled out into other areas of the UK to great success. We are very fortunate to have it here in Sheffield too."
npower Urban Cricket, a grassroots project run in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was launched in 2006 with one clear goal - to get more children playing cricket.
Since its launch in 2006, npower and the ECB have distributed over 40,000 Urban Cricket kits to children in the UK.
In 2007 and 2008, the focus for Urban Cricket has shifted to the development of five facilities with five Urban Cricket zones in school playgrounds surrounding each of the facilities.
The first facility was opened by Monty Panesar in South London in August 2007. Additional facilities are planned for Cardiff, Birmingham and Newcastle.
For more information on Urban Cricket please visit www.npower.com/cricket
6.2.08
Essex are reporting a record take-up in their county qualifiers for the RFU's Emerging Schools Rugby Festival, thanks in part to co-operation with government-appointed competitions managers whose brief is to fill gaps in schools’ sports programmes.
The Essex qualifiers are the first step on the road via county and regional finals to a national final at Twickenham in May, and they continue this week at clubs in Barking, Harlow, Westcliff and Colchester.
More than 100 teams are expected at Colchester RFC on Thursday February 7, which adds up to more than 1200 children from schools new to rugby or from “emerging schools” who play fewer than six fixtures a term.
All five of Colchester’s pitches will be in use from 10.30am, as boys compete at Under-12, U13 and U14 levels and girls take part at Under-14s.
“This is the biggest turnout we have ever had in Essex,” said Keith Green, the RFU’s Essex regional development officer.
“Our regional development team will be assisted on Thursday by 15 Community Sports Leadership Award (CSLA) students from Colchester sixth form college.
“A lot of hard work goes into the organisation and we have been working closely with the government-appointed competitions managers of Essex and the London Boroughs.”
The Colchester festival is just one of 13 in Essex from which teams go forward to three days of county finals in March at the Coopers' Company and Coborn School in Upminster.
These are followed by London North regional finals leading to national finals at Staines RFC before the eagerly-anticipated Twickenham finale of the Emerging Schools Rugby Festival on the day of the Army v Navy match on May 3.
5.2.07
Sports colleges are winning the race to give thousands of schoolchildren the best possible start in life, according to research published by the Youth Sport Trust.
A major report released by the Youth Sport Trust, the national charity working to build a brighter future for young people through sport, reveals the true impact these specialist secondary schools, special schools and academies are having on whole school improvement.
The first 11 sports colleges came into existence in September 1997 and today there are now over 430, including academies with a sport specialism - together placing sport at the heart of the curriculum to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people across the country.
The research follows the Youth Sport Trust’s annual Sports Colleges Conference, which focussed on how headteachers, directors of specialism, local education authorities, subject leaders and key practitioners can continue to build on the recent achievements in school sport.
The Youth Sport Trust research document, “Know the score”, which is available to download via www.youthsporttrust.org, found:
Sports colleges achieved the largest annual increases in the number of pupils gaining five or more grades at A*-C compared to all specialist schools in 2006/2007 (an increase of 3.6 percentage points from 54.4% to 58%)
In each of the last three years, sports colleges have now achieved annual increases at 5+A*-C above those achieved in all specialist schools
At 5+ A*-C, including English and maths, sports colleges recorded the largest annual increases in 2006/2007 compared to specialist schools and the national average (an increase of 1.9 percentage points from 40.1% to 42%)
As many as 96% (over 373,000) of pupils at sports colleges are meeting the Government’s target of taking part in 2 hours of high quality PE and school sport per week compared to the national average of 86%
In the last year, there has been a nine percentage point increase in the number of pupils at sports colleges actively involved in sports leadership and volunteering (25% compared to the national average of 14% for all schools in 2007)
Sports colleges are using the specialism to impact upon English, maths and science and are seeing improvements in pupil motivation, attendance, understanding, behaviour and concentration
A third (33%) of sports colleges surveyed had at least one pupil who was an athlete performing at international level
Almost two thirds of sports colleges (63%) ran an education, mentoring and support services programme to support their gifted and talented pupils
More than one in three sports colleges (38%) operated a sports performance academy on site
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “2007 was an impressive year for the sports colleges’ movement and 2008 looks set to be even better. The use of sport as a specialism has proven it can raise whole school standards and increase participation.
“With “Different Perspectives: Different Possibilities” which is the theme of this year’s conference, we can achieve even more. The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics coming to London is our chance to use the next four years to build a world class PE and school sport system that not only improves sporting opportunities, but also the lives of our young people.”
The two-day conference for 2,000 delegates at the Telford International Centre was opened by Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
Other speakers at the conference, which is sponsored by NEXT, included Erin Gruwell, Freedom Writers Foundation, Sir Phillip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, Peter Keen, Performance Director, UK Sport, and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, the National School Sport Champion.
A glittering awards ceremony to celebrate the innovative work by sports colleges to encourage more young people to learn through sport and feature a parade of Olympic and Paralympic athletes representing 40 years of achievement, including Olympic gold medallists David Hemery and Jason Gardener was one of the highlights of the conference.
1.2.08
Wellington College will be hoping to put behind them the heartache of the two previous seasons in the Daily Mail Cup as they continue their quest for glory in the U15 competition next week.
For the last two years the Berkshire school have been knocked out of the semi-finals in both the U18 and U15 cups by the narrowest of margins, but with a team billed as one of their most talented in several years Wellington College are hoping it will be third time lucky this time around.
Matt Oakman, director of sport at Wellington College, said: “It has been hard to take our luck in the cup over the past couple of years, but this is a new year group and a new year and we hope we can go one better this time around.
“We have had a very good season. This is a particularly talented year group, probably the best we have had in five years. We have been very successful on the schools’ circuit, unbeaten in 12 games.
“Most recently we went to Ireland to play Blackrock Rugby, who have produced the likes of Brian O’Driscoll. They have a huge tradition in rugby and are renowned for producing some very talented players.
“We went specifically on that tour to prepare for the latter stages of the Daily Mail competition and although we lost 23-15 it was a very tight game, with both sides scoring two tries, and it gave us the experience we needed ahead of this match. We also played Newbury RFC U15s who are another strong outfit and won that game 24-22.”
Epsom College are Wellington’s rivals for the place in the semi-finals, a team who won the U15s cup a year after Wellington last did in 2001.
The Surrey side are no strangers to Wellington College though and in fact both sides will clearly be well drilled and know what to expect come match day.
Oakman added: “We now are at the game we have been preparing for and we are looking forward to it. Epsom are a side we know very well as we play them on our schools’ circuit.
“We played them earlier in the season and won 33-0. On paper I think we will be going into the game as favourites, but we are trying to install in the boys not to have that attitude.
“This is a completely different fixture so we have to go into it like any other match as I am sure they will be very strong.”
31.1.08
More than one hundred and fifty year eleven students benefitted from a Sports Industry Day at Callington Community Sports College in Cornwall.
Believed to be the first of its kind in the county and one of the first in the country, the event aimed to provide students with informed choices about their futures and provide them with the inspiration to pursue a career in sport.
Among those attending the day included Callington Sports Partnership, Plymouth Raiders, Launceston Sport & Therapy Centre, Jane Abraham (Health Development Officer, Caradon District Council), Ian Leigh (ex Plymouth Argyle Youth Physiotherapist ), Dartmoor Rescue, Callington Sport & Leisure, Matthew Jess (Launceston Rugby Club), University College of St.Mark & St.John, Paul Lovell (Adventure Fit Southwest), The Royal Navy, John Coates (Radio Devon), Plymouth Argyle Football in the Community, Sarah Cudmore (Cornwall County Physical Education Consultant ) and the RAF.
The main attraction of the event was the attendance of two sporting champions, Michaela Breeze (Team GB weightlifter and 2006 Commonwealth gold medalist) and Denise Austin (Sporting Champion and international volleyball player).
Michaela and Denise opened the proceedings and took part in a range of workshops with the students including being interviewed by the sports media package students and tasting freshly made fruit smoothies by the sports nutrition & therapy package students.
Pupils were given an option of selecting one of six sports specific packages including teaching and coaching, sports nutrition and therapy, leisure and fitness, sports media, outdoor and adventurous and sports and the forces.
Throughout the day, students engaged in four practical and theory based workshops in their chosen package.
Alan Yendell, Callington’s community sports manager said: “A lot of hard work went in to provide a great day where students who are having to make decisions about their future have the opportunity to engage with people and organisations who have proved to be very successful within their industry.
“I am also delighted about the positive response from all our guests. We enjoyed a fantastic day.”
30.1.08
A sports tour operator is offering schools the chance to showcase their talent overseas.
Sun Living, a school sports travel provider with more than 28 years’ experience, can give your talented team the tour of a lifetime - whether its cricket, netball, rugby or hockey.
Sun Living will organise matches against local host teams so you can enjoy exciting competitions at local schools or sports facilities.
Tours can also combine two or three sports in one trip so more of your talented teams can enjoy this unforgettable experience.
Destinations range from historical European capital cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Prague, to long haul destinations including the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand.
Wherever you wish to visit, Sun Living aims to create a tailored itinerary ensuring all your objectives are met, whether your tour is for 15 or 100 students.
For further details contact Angela England on 01623 795365, angela.england@sunlivingsports.com
or visit www.sunliving.co.uk
30.1.08
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Penrith, may be in uncharted waters having reached the last eight of the Daily Mail Schools Cup U18 Vase, but their form suggests that they will not be fazed by a trip to King’s School Tynemouth on Wednesday February 6.
The Cumbrian side have been on the road for their last three successes, but they have come through to record wins over teams who a strong rugby pedigree.
King Edward VII & Queen Mary’s, Lytham were beaten 36-11 at home before the team put down a eye-catching marker with a 16-8 win at Bradford Grammar.
That was followed with another away victory over another of Yorkshire’s finest, a 12-0 win at Hymers College, Hull to establish the credentials of the Cumbrian challengers.
“A lot of credit for the quality of the side goes to the coaches at the Penrith club,” says Alastair Worth, who jointly coaches the school side along with Steve Jones.
“All the lads play at one level or another at Penrith RUFC. Two of our backs, our captain and full-back Phil Fell and his twin brother Jonathan, the outside centre, have both played for the first team.
“We also have a few lads who have played for Cumbria Schools. Joe Ellis, our No 8, and front-row duo Michael Clarke and Dan Coleman.
“But the secret of our success is not outstanding individuals, but the fact that we have no weaknesses and play as a team.
“We’re expecting another tough game at King’s and hopefully the last two Vase games will stand us in good stead. It was good experience for the lads to go to Bradford and Hymers and see the calibre of their set-ups. The fact that we cam away with wins after being involved in a couple of very tight, difficult games is good experience and should help us next week.”
King’s Tynemouth had a relatively smooth passage through the earlier rounds of the Vase, but proved that they too can handle a tense encounter when they beat Cheadle Hulme School 7-3 in the previous round and with home advantage, they will be confident of claiming a semi-final place at Broadstreet RFC on March 2.
Hoping to make it a triple North East assault on the Daily Mail semis that weekend are Barnard Castle School and RGS Newcastle, who both have U18 Cup quarter-final assignments on Wednesday February 6.
‘Barnie’ entertain Old Swinford Hospital from Stourbridge, a school gripped by cup fever with both their U18 and U15 sides still involved in their respective Daily Mail Schools Cup competitions.
This season's success follows Old Swinford's achievement last season in reaching the semi-finals of the National Schools Sevens at Rosslyn Park and the semi-finals of the National Schools Tens at Sedbergh School.
"It's good that all the teams are going so well," said Old Swinford coach Nick Tisdale, a former Worcester and Stourbridge lock. "It shows that everyone is doing the right things and that every player who comes here are well coached."
Old Swinford are no strangers to this stage of the competition but have yet to progress beyond the semi-finals.
"It would be nice to go all the way but we've got a bit of work to do yet," says Tisdale. "We've been to three quarter-finals in five seasons at senior level and this our second in the U15 Cup in the same period. We've not won anything yet although things are ticking along nicely.”
RGS Newcastle are still waiting to discover who their quarter-final opponents will be, the delayed round six game between St Peters, Gloucester and Wellington College being provisionally arranged for Thursday January 31.
RGS qualified for the last eight with a 14-7 home win over Stonyhurst College from Hurst Green in Lancashire.
Plenty of power up front and bags of pace behind is usually a recipe for success in any rugby team and that certainly seems to be the case where Manchester Grammar School are concerned.
They visit Old Swinford Hospital from Stourbridge in the quarter-finals of the Daily Mail Schools U15 Cup next Wednesday February 6, with a semi-final against the winners of St Paul’s, Barnes and Millfield at Broadstreet RFC awaiting the winners on March 15.
“We’ve lost one game this season in 15 and overall I would guess this group have lost no more than six games in the last three years on their way through the age groups,” says master in charge Steve Swindells. “We have a strong, well-drilled pack and some very quick backs. It’s a good, all-round team.
“Normally at this age teams tend to have four of five decent players who form the nucleus of the team, with the others filling in.
“We have four Cheshire county players in No 7 and captain David Rowland, No 8 Ben Stern, scrum-half Oliver Chambers and centre Marcus Webber, but we have 10 or 12 very good players in the squad.”
A 17-0 victory in the previous round against Stokesley Technology School, the surprise package of the competition in the North, was a hard-earned success that will not have done Manchester’s hopes any harm.
“They were a very awkward side to deal with,” says Swindells. “They were very aggressive up front and they defended really well. We had the majority of the ball and the play, but we had to work hard.”
And Old Swinford? “I’m sure they will be very well drilled with a big set of forwards and from what I’ve heard, some big lads in the centre.
“But there’s a buzz of excitement in the school, who haven’t been this far for a while, and we’ve been given permission to take a supporters bus to the game, which will give us extra encouragement.”
Also flying the flag for the North West in the last eight are Birkenhead School, who entertain Oundle from the Midlands on Wednesay.
They will face Wellington College or Epsom in the semis at Broad Street on March 15 if they can overcome the next hurdle.
The guarantee of a North side in the semi-finals of the U15 Vase at Broadstreet RFC on February 16 comes via the fact that Calday Grange School from West Kirby on the Wirral entertain Birkdale School from Sheffield in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, the winner facing either Kings College School Wimbledon or King’s School Grantham in the semis.
29.1.08
Academy International, a renowned sports education company in the USA, is seeking lacrosse and hockey players and coaches to fly to Washington DC this summer to join an exciting tour of America.
Academy International employs staff from the UK, Canada, Holland and Australia to teach girls lacrosse or hockey in cities throughout the US.
The 5-6 week tour that starts in July offers weeklong stops in New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New England as well as many other cities in the states.
The company pays for the upfront cost of the airfare, all expenses in America and weekly wages.
Academy International’s Martyn Conquest said: “The tour is an ideal opportunity to get guaranteed warm weather, teach children a sport you love, while travelling around the USA meeting some great people.”
Places are limited but for more information email sports@academyinternational.net phone 001 703 816 0244 or visit www.academyinternational.net
28.1.08
St Benedict’s, Ealing, will put their unbeaten record this season on the line at home to Filton College from Bristol in the quarter-finals of the Daily Mail U18 Schools Cup.
“We have played 18, won 18 in 15-a-sides this season,” said Jesse Coulson, the St Benedict’s head coach, “but it will count for nothing if we lose this match. That is how we feel about this competition: a lot of dreams and aspirations are riding on it.”
St Benedict’s won their sixth round match at Hurstpierpoint College before Christmas, allowing them time to prepare for the quarter-final round which is a national draw.
James Stephenson from the backs is in the Ireland U18 squad and forward Arthur Ellis has been called up by England U18s.
On previous away trips, the St Benedict’s boys have picked out films for the coach journey designed to get them in the mood to conquer, including Gladiator and 300, the story of the Spartans’ battle against huge odds to defeat the Persians.
“A home quarter-final against Filton will be motivation enough this time,” said Coulson. “Normally our paths wouldn’t cross so it should be interesting and we respect any team which has reached this stage.
“Our side have stayed together since winning the U15 Cup three years ago. In fact some of them have come through together from the U9s.”
Warwick School, the defending Daily Mail U18 Cup champions, will provide tough opposition as the London & South East’s other quarter-final representatives - King's College School, Wimbledon – travel to the Midlands.
“Unlike Warwick, we are not a two-term school,” said KCS coach Marcus Blackburn, whose side also reached the U18 quarter-finals last year. “We have not played since the last round against Campion. On the one hand a fixture gives you an opportunity not to get rusty. On the other, you might pick up injuries so there is a balance there.
“We will have our strongest squad out, hoping to do our best and we are really excited at playing opposition further afield.
“To reach the quarter-final two years running is something to be proud of. Hopefully we are making a name for ourselves.”
Captain and centre Guy Tyler is a focal point of the KCS attack, while wing Gareth Stoppani has scored 11 tries this season including one in the sixth round 22-19 win over Campion of Essex, a match which KCS led 22-0.
Stoppani has returned to rugby after two years concentrating on other sports and applied himself in training and matches so well he was selected for the Independent Schools Barbarians against Irish Exiles U19s at Harrow School earlier this month.
The Daily Mail U15 Schools Cup quarter-finals is also a national draw, and both of the London & South East qualifiers will meet opposition from the South West division.
Epsom College’s reward for a narrow win over Norwich School is a tricky-looking trip to 2000 winners Wellington College. And St Paul’s School, Barnes are at home to 2003 runners-up, Millfield School.
26.1.08
Merchiston Castle School won the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Rugby Union Cup with a 15-3 victory over their Edinbugh rivals George Watson's College at Murrayfield.
But at least George Watson's picked up some silverware of their own when they triumphed 7-5 over George Heriot's School in the U15 Cup final.
(For further details check out the magazine)
23.1.08
Beaconsfield High School, from Buckinghamshire, have completed the rare achievement of all three of its teams qualifying for the Sporting Destinations National Schools Netball Championships in March.
At the South of England Netball Finals, Beaconsfield's U14, U16 and U19 squads all qualified for the national finals in Bournemouth on March 15.
23.1.08
Eastbourne College girls’ cross country team won the thirteenth girls’ senior Knole Run against stiff opposition, some of whom had travelled the length and breadth of the country to compete.With over 500 school runners in the girls and boys events, teams came from as far afield as Glasgow, Manchester, Shrewsbury and Norwich to run in this annual race around Knole Park, Sevenoaks .The Eastbourne College girls gained gold with superb runs from Camilla Freeman finishing 2rd, Rebecca Eaton 3rd, Chloe Cook 4th and girls’ captain Rhiannon Shepherd 11th. The other two girls in the team, Charlotte Yates and Alex Simpson ran strongly in their first year at the event.With over 118 finishers, on a course of over two miles and across extremely demanding terrain, the College team simply demolished every other team in this prestigious cross country event .
In the boys’ race of just under six miles, College captain Chris Dodd finished an outstanding 8th, out of a total field of 302.
Other strong performances came from team members Harry Villa, Thomas Moody, brothers Edward and Thomas Hickman Casey and Michael Vilén-Letts who all showed real determination and potential over a very challenging course.
22.1.08
Form-lines can be notoriously misleading, but the 7-6 defeat for RGS Newcastle against Bradford Grammar at the weekend suggests that their Daily Mail Round Six tie at home to Stonyhurst College tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 23) could be a keen tussle.
The Lancashire side were also beaten by a point in an 18-17 reverse at Bradford earlier in the season, while both teams have given a good account of themselves before losing to Sedbergh School earlier in the season.
“This is probably the best squad we’ve had since 2001, when we went out at the semi-final stage to Campion,” says master in charge Paul Ponton, a veteran of Daily Mail Schools Cup rugby having been involved since the U18 competition began in 1991.
“We’ll be without the lad who most would regard as our star man, centre Fred Burdon, who has three hat tricks to his credit this season, but broke his ankle before Christmas. I’m hoping he could be back for the quarter-finals, but first we have to get past Stonyhurst.
“Player-wise, we should be at full-strength other than missing Fred. My only hope is that the pitch recovers well enough from the heavy rain to give the lads a chance to perform.”
While Ponton is hoping for some sympathy from the weather gods, his counterpart at nearby Barnard Castle, Martin Pepper, is simply happy that his players have not only come through a trial by ducking-stool at St Ambrose College, but that the reward for the 10-8 win in Hale has been a home quarter-final tie against Old Swinford Hospital from Stourbridge.
“Conditions at St Ambrose were dreadful and the game was a bit of a lottery,” says Pepper. “The game could have gone either way – it was a day when you were better playing without the ball is was so bad.
“It was a shame really because they were two very good sides and on the day you couldn’t really judge which was the better. We probably looked after the ball better.”
Fly-half Rory Clegg supplied the points for ‘Barnie’ with a try, conversion and penalty.
“We’re absolutely delighted about getting a home tie – we’ve been away in our last four ties. Old Swinford have been there or thereabouts in the competition for a few years now, so I’m pleased to have home advantage.”
The winners of the quarter-final, to be played by Wednesday, February 6, 2008, will meet the winners of the tie between St Benedict’s Ealing and Filton College in the semi-finals at Broadstreet RFC, Coventry on March 1, 2008.
Winners of the RGS/Stonyhurst tie face a stiff test against the winners of the St Peter’s Gloucester/Wellington College tie, with the winners of that quarter-final taking on the winners of the game between defending champions Warwick School and Kings College Wimbledon, also at Broadstreet on March 1.
In the Daily Mail U18 Vase, Kings Tynemouth kept their sights on a Twickenham appearance when they beat Cheadle Hulme School 7-3 in round six to earn a quarter-final slot.
The other Northern entry in the last eight of the Vase will be decided tomorrow (Wednesday) when Hymers College, Hull entertain QEGS Penrith.
In the U15 Cup, Stokesley Technology School, will play their postponed round six game at Manchester Grammar on Thursday, January 24.
The other section of the North draw sees Birkenhead School entertaining Lancaster RGS.
22.1.08
Teachers, trainee teachers, sport science students and assistant teachers will be able to gain an understanding of the essential skills needed to coach or teach volleyball to young people aged between 11 and 18 years at a two-day Volleyball England Coaching course at Canterbury Christ Church University.The course will take place on Saturday 2nd February and Saturday 9th February 2008 from 9am to 5.30pm at Canterbury Christ Church University's Gymnasium, situated on the University's North Holmes Campus, North Holmes Road, Canterbury.It will enable participants to teach volley ball at a standard level and covers essential skills, tactics and rules.
Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive the Volleyball England Coaching Award and will be able to progress on to the next level.Canterbury Christ Church University's Sports and Recreation Officer, Kim Debling, said: "Courses such as this one are a stepping stone to develop confidence and provide the individual with the opportunity to access higher level courses. This course is excellent for an aspiring sports teacher's CV and especially good for those looking to go into the teaching profession."The course is open to the public and costs £58 for students and £69 for non-students and includes a course book. No playing experience of volleyball is required.
For more information and to reserve a place on the course contact Canterbury Christ Church University's Sports and Recreation Officer, Kim Debling, on 01227 782679 or email kim.debling@canterbury.ac.uk
21.1.08
George Watson’s College made it a double this afternoon when their U15 side followed the lead of their U18s with victory in the semi-final of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup.
The younger Watson’s outfit defeated Hutchesons’ GS 15-0 at Auldhouse, Glasgow, through a first-half try by No 8 Rhys Davies and two second-half tries by flanker Joe Benassi.
Watson’s now face their city rivals George Heriot’s in the final of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U15 Cup on the international pitch at Murrayfield this Friday (25 January) with a 6pm kick-off.
That contest is the appetiser for the U18 final between George Watson’s and Merchiston Castle School, which kicks-off at 7.30pm. Admission to both ties is free
17.1.08
After losing at the semi-final stage in the last three years Merchiston Castle coach Mark Appleson could be forgiven for expressing an overwhelming feeling of relief at his side’s 27-3 victory in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup at Myreside in front of a raucous crowd of more than 2,000.
The semi-final success against a George Heriot’s side that never gave up was well-merited as Merchiston had the greater tactical awareness and some crisp and slick handling in their potent backs.
“The boys know they can improve – and they’ll need to against George Watson’s in the final,” Appleson reasoned. “But after missing out at the semi-final stage in the last three years, the performance was not foremost in our minds. Tonight was just about getting to the final.”
Heriot’s coach Matt Mallinson praised his team’s attitude and reckoned that as many will be back at school next year they’ll be all the better for tonight’s experience.
Merchiston, who led 20-3 at the break, scored two catch and drive tries off close-range lineouts through flanker Bruce Mustard and prop Nicholas Watt and two well-crafted tries by centre Sam Hughes, the recipient of quality service, the benchmark for which was set by captain and scrum-half Russell Weir.
The remainder of Merchiston’s tally was contributed by full-back Glenn Leslie who goaled two conversions and a penalty.
Weir was a worthy recipient of the man of the match award, chosen by Scotland and Edinburgh players, No 8 Dave Callam and stand-off Phil Godman.
Heriot’s points came from a penalty by centre Chris Porteous.
It was not all gloom and doom in their camp as, earlier in the day, their U15 side had defeated Edinburgh Academy, 14-13 at Goldenacre to reach the final of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U15 cup.
Full-back Grant Mollison had the Heriot’s try with stand-off Jack Polson kicking three penalties.
The finals of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup take place at Murrayfield on Friday 25 January with the U15 event opening proceedings at 6pm and the U18s continuing at 7.30pm.
17.1.08
Owen Farrell and George Ford, two sons of famous rugby fathers, have been named in the England U16 Elite squad for a training session at Broadstreet RFC near Coventry on January 25 and 26.
Centre Farrell (St George's School, Harpenden and Hertfordshire) is the son of Saracens and England centre Andy. Fly-half Ford (Rishworth School and Yorkshire) is the son of Mike Ford, the England defence coach.
Farrell captained London & SE in last weekend's Divisional Festival at Broadstreet while Ford played for the North. Both were watched by their fathers during the two-day event.
London fly-half Sam Stanley also comes from a famous rugby family. Stanley, a pupil at Wiiliam Edward School in Grays, is the nephew of former New Zealand centre Joe Stanley.
Farrell, Ford and Stanley have now been included in a 40-strong elite squad for the first of six training sessions in the coming weeks. A further 20 players will be added to the squad after a further Divisional Match at Broadstreet on January 27 (10.30am) between a combined North & Midlands XV and London & South West XV.
England will select a senior squad to play in the Four Nations Tournament in Lyon from March 17 to 27 along with France, Italy and Wales, and an A team to participate in the annual Millfield Festival in Somerset between March 31 and April 6 alongside Canada, France A, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, USA and Wales A.
England U16 Elite squad: Backs: Joshua Allan (North Halifax GS and Yorkshire), Andrew Davies (Lymm HS and Cheshire), Samuel Edgerley (Wellington College and Surrey), Jamie Elliott (Bedford School and East Midlands), George Elliott (Easingwold School and Yorkshire), Owen Farrell (St George's School, Harpenden and Hertfordshire), George Ford (Rishworth School and Yorkshire), Ryan Glynn (Sedbergh School and Lancashire), Tom Heathcote (Bishop Wordsworth and Dorset & Wiltshire), Mike Hogan (King Edward VII School and Eastern Counties), Alex Lewington (Nottingham HS and Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire), Chris McTurk (St Peter's, York and Yorkshire), Ben Ransom (Tonbridge School and Kent), Charlie Sadler (St Benedict's College and Eastern Counties), Sam Stanley (William Edward School and Essex), Sam Stuart (Sedbergh School and Yorkshire), James Trueman (Solihull School and Warwickshire).
Forwards: Harry Allen (Hurstmere School and Kent), Joe Atkinson (Churcher's College and Hampshire), James Bache (St Peter's HS and Essex), George Bee (Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School and North Midlands), Koree Britton (Kingsbridge Community College and Devon), Sam Farmer (Bedford School and East Midlands), Michael Haywood (Tendring Technical College and Eastern Counties), Malcolm Hearn (Helston School and Cornwall), Sam Heygate (Guilsborough County School and East Midlands), Sam Jones (Aylesbury GS and Buckinghamshire), Matthew Kvesic (Blundell's School and Devon), Addison Lockley (Ivybridge Community College and Devon), Kit McCartney (Wanstead HS and Essex), Louis Padian (Bishop Challoner Sports College and North Midlands), Will Radburn (Tudor Grange School and North Midlands), Tom Schofield (South Hunsley School and Yorkshire), William Skuse (Penair School and Cornwall), Henry Thomas (Millfield School and Somerset), Samuel Twomey (St Wilfrid's RC HS and Sussex), James Tyas (Brighton College and Sussex), Ben Vernon (Hutton GS and Lancashire), Chris Walker (Settle College and Yorkshire), Tom Williams (Abraham Darby School and North Midlands).
16.1.08
Injured Scotland winger Sean Lamont is taking a keen interest in this season’s Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U15 Rugby Union Cup.
The competition is now at the semi-final stages with George Heriot’s facing Edinburgh Academy at Goldenacre today at 2pm and Hutchesons’ Grammar awaiting George Watson’s at Auldhouse on Friday also at 2pm.
For the Watson’s College team there’s the incentive of following their senior team who reached the final of the U18 competition with a 15-5 victory over Robert Gordon’s College.
Heriot’s also have a chance of reaching the U18 final as they’re involved today too in a semi-final against Merchiston Castle at that age-group.
However for one member of the George Watson’s U15 side there’s some extra special advice.
Two years ago Edinburgh youngster Alexander Middleton, who plays at inside centre or full-back, wrote to Scotland head coach Frank Hadden asking to clean the boots of the national squad ahead of their meeting with France in the RBS 6 Nations Championship.
His shoe-shining skills were duly put to the test and won the approval of Sean Lamont, who met Alexander and was photographed with the result of his labours.
Alex is now preparing for Friday’s semi-final – with a good luck message from Lamont to boot!
Sean wrote: “Congratulations to you and your team for making the semi finals of the Bell Lawrie Cup. I hear you are doing pretty well with your rugby and have made lots of progress since I met you a couple of years ago after volunteering to clean my boots at Murrayfield.
“I have always found that on the pitch if you can do the basics well you will never go far wrong. I also have some rituals before a game. I like to prepare by getting a good night’s sleep, eating well the night before and the morning of the game and preparing all my kit to include my clean boots. I find this routine leaves me to focus on the game ahead.
“I hope you have a great day (and a win of course!) just remember to stay calm but play your heart out.”
Alexander’s mum, Hazel, said: “I don’t know who’s more excited to get the message – Alexander or me!”
15.1.08
George Watson’s College booked their place in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup U18 Final with an astute performance over tenacious opponents at Dalnacraig, Dundee.
The match was switched from Mayfield over the road to another pitch at Dalnacraig that was in remarkable nick considering the conditions.
A crowd of 300 braved the wintry weather and saw Robert Gordon’s make the better start. Playing with the wind in their favour the Aberdonians took a seventh minute lead.
Centre Greg Jones made the break and carried on to score a terrific individual try. His stand-off, Harris Jones, missed the conversion.
In the 14th minute Watson’s responded. Stand-off Jamie Forbes scythed through the Robert Gordon’s defence and off-loaded at just the right moment for flanker Malcolm Peacock to score the equalising try.
Just before the break Watson’s stormed in front. Forbes was again the creator, this time with a beautifully weighted chip-ahead, which was gathered by his centre partner Grant Somerville who dotted down. Forbes converted for a 12-5 half-time advantage.
Watson’s enjoyed territorial dominance in the second-half and though Forbes missed narrowly with two penalty attempts his successful goal in the 57th minute boosted their lead.
Robert Gordon’s made a late rally but Watson’s defence remained resolute.
Man of the match, chosen by Edinburgh, Scotland 7s (and former George Watson’s) wing, Andrew Turnbull, was Watson’s stand-off Jamie Forbes.
Watson’s will now play the winner of the second semi-final – between Merchiston Castle School and George Heriot’s at Myreside, Edinburgh on Wednesday (16 Jan) with a 7pm kick-off – on the international pitch at Murrayfield on Friday 25 January (kick-off 7.30pm). Admission to the final is free.
14.1.08
The Warwickshire county finals of the boys national schools hockey championships saw Rugby School win the U18 title by beating Warwick School 2-0 and the U16 title by defeating Bablake School 4-2.
Solihull School squeezed through in the U14 final by overcoming Warwick School 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Rugby and Solihull have now qualified for the Midland regional finals later this term.
13.1.08
School rugby trips to Australia can always be relied upon to galvanise any group of players and weld them into a more cohesive unit.
The current crop of players from Stonyhurst College, who are now into the last 16 of the Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup, are further evidence of the benefits of that well-established touring tradition.
“I would say we are probably over-achieving at the moment and this is a direct result of a three-week trip to Australia in the summer,” says Master in Charge of Rugby, Simon Charles. “We played in Singapore, Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney and it was a great trip in every respect.
“We are a team without superstars, but with no weaknesses. They have a good work ethic and they are very fit. They are a credit to themselves and to team sport.”
With only two defeats in 14 matches this season – 13-19 at home to Sedbergh and 18-17 at Bradford Grammar – Stonyhurst are enjoying one of their better campaigns, while success in the Daily Mail competition has been an added bonus.
“We only entered for the first time at U18 level last season and were beaten by St Ambrose College,” says Charles. “Prior to that we felt that Cup games might interfere too much with our traditional fixture format and our coaching time, but we then decided that the lads would benefit from meeting the new teams and different venues that the Cup offers.”
A 41-8 win at Ermysted’s Grammar School, Skipton, winners of the U18 Vase last season, was followed by a 12-0 victory at home to Wilmslow High, beaten Vase finalists in 2007.
“The satisfying aspect of the Wilmslow win was the fact that we managed it in conditions that didn’t suit us.” says Charles. “We’d beaten Ampleforth comfortably in our previous game playing a expansive, running game, but we showed against Wilmslow that we can adapt.”
Form lines are notoriously unreliable, but with RGS Newcastle having been beaten 19-13 by Sedbergh in Cumbria, an interesting tussle seems assured.
The NE team have also been beaten only twice this season – by Sedbergh and 22-10 at Barnard Castle – so the statistics point to a decent contest.
One problem for all sides playing at this stage of the season is the clash with examinations. The RGS Newcastloe/Stonyhurst game has been postponed until Wednesday, January 23 to allow the Lancashire side time to travel to the North East.
The form-book also suggests that the visit of Barnard Castle to St Ambrose College will be a very entertaining affair.
While the selection of fly-half Rory Clegg, full-back Tom Catterick and No 8 Alex Gray for the England U18 Academy Conference squad has boosted morale at ‘Barnie’, the inclusion of Mark Atkinson in the same group has also given St Ambrose a timely lift.
Interestingly, the 6ft 4in Atkinson plays at centre for his school even though he is seen as a fly-half by others, so the task of playing opposite Clegg will fall to Rob Holloway, one of the unsung but highly talented members of the St Ambrose line-up.
With a 10-3 win against the heavyweights at Sandbach and a 10-0 home win over QEGS Wakefield, the Hale Barns boys are in confident mood.
“We’re expecting a very good game,” says coach Nigel Handy. “We’re not fearful – we’re confident that at home we can give a good account of ourselves.”
Martin Pepper, master-in-charge at Barnard Castle, is expecting a tough game. “It’s going to be a difficult match,” he says. “St Ambrose had a good team last year and they’ve obviously had some very good results this season.
“We have five lads who will be taking exams on the day before we travel South, so that adds to the challenge.”
12.1.08
Stokesley Technology School is not a name that is normally linked with the cream of Rugby Union schools in the North, but in reaching the last 16 of the Daily Mail U15 Cup, the Teesside team has raised more than a few eyebrows in their neck of the woods.
Even in the U15 section of the competition, where the formbook is generally worthless, first time entrants in the competition are not expected to make a major impact.
But in knocking out a string of well-established names – Yarm, Richmond, Barnard Castle, Ampleforth and Durham – Stokesley head for Manchester Grammar on Wednesday (January 16) with a pedigree that passes muster alongside the cream of the Northern schools rugby fraternity.
“What has happened is totally beyond our expectations,” says master in charge Nick Wilson. “We were looking to get a couple of games out of the competition, enjoy the experience and maybe pull a game against a public school out of the hat and savour that opportunity.
“Those hopes have been realised and the trip to Ampleforth, for example, was a really good experience for all of us. We were really well looked after by the staff there and enjoyed the trip immensely.
“Our successes have also excited interest in the players about the future and this has been developed by the presence of people from schools and clubs who have been to see us play. We have also had good support from the local media and that has helped to generate interest within the school.
“We’ve improved as we’ve gone along and learned from the experience. We don’t really know what to expect at Manchester – some reports speak of a mighty pack and others of a blisteringly quick wingman. We’ll have to see what happens.”
Speed should not be a major issue for the Yorkshire lads. They have Ben Stephenson, a national 200m finalist on the wing who has pace to spare.
In the other section of the North U15 draw, Birkenhead School await the winners of the delayed round five tie between Hutton Grammar and Lancaster RGS.
11.1.08
The dates and venues for the semi-finals of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Cup have been confirmed.
In the first semi-final, Robert Gordon’s College, who last reached the final two years ago, will face George Watson’s College.
The tie will be played at the High School of Dundee’s ground at Mayfield on Monday (14 January) with a 1.30pm kick-off.
The second semi-final is an all-Edinburgh affair pitting Merchiston Castle School against George Heriot’s.
It will be played at Myreside, Edinburgh next Wednesday (16 January) with a 7pm kick-off. Admission to both matches is free.
The final of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Cup takes place on the international pitch at Murrayfield on Friday 25 January with a 7.30pm kick-off.
It’s preceded by the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U15 Cup Final, which kicks-off at 6pm.
8.1.08
Favourites Millfield School have been drawn against Sherborne School in the first round of the Lord’s Taverners U15 Schools Cup.
For further details about the national draw, see our results/fixtures section now.
8.1.08
The second National Talent Orientation Camp, organised by the Youth Sport Trust, was declared a resounding success as Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe joined double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes to close the four-day event today.
This year’s Camp saw 75 future British Olympic hopefuls in five sports enjoying a unique insight into exactly what it takes to become the best.
The Camp, held at Loughborough University, featured some of the country’s top 14-17 year olds, who have been identified by their sport’s governing body as having the potential to make it as elite athletes in canoeing, rowing, cycling, sailing and triathlon.
A number of Olympic medallists and world champions, past and present, including world number one female BMX rider Shanaze Reade, worked alongside the young hopefuls over the four days and held a question and answer session to offer advice.
Shanaze Reade said: “I would loved to have come to the National Talent Orientation Camp myself as one of the youngsters – it’s been really exciting. They are so lucky to have something like this and meet people like my idol Dame Kelly Holmes. I wish I’d had an opportunity like this when I was their age.”
David Bain, a 14-year-old canoeist from Chester, said: “The National Talent Orientation Camp has been absolutely brilliant because we’ve got to meet other young people from different sports and worked with elite athletes who have inspired us and made us even more determined to get to an Olympics and hopefully win a medal.”
Abbie Taylor, a 14-year-old BMX rider from Sheffield, said: “I hope the National Talent Orientation Camp keeps going because it gives young people the opportunity to see just how much talent there is, not just in their own sport, but in other sports. Now that I’ve seen that and met people like Dame Kelly Holmes, I’m even more determined to succeed.”
Shanaze Reade was joined at the Camp by other elite performers from the five sports, who all led workshops including Olympic rowing silver medallist sisters Guin and Miriam Batten, Olympic canoeing bronze medallist Helen Reeves, sailing silver medallist Simon Hiscocks, former world number one duathlete Annie Emmerson and former BMX and track cycling world champion Jamie Staff.
Dame Kelly Holmes, who played a leading role in putting together the programme for the Camp, led a seminar at the Opening Ceremony entitled ‘Expect the unexpected’ where she talked about her experiences as an elite athlete.
Kelly Holmes said: “It’s been an incredible four days at the National Talent Orientation Camp and something which I’m sure will stay with all these youngsters for the rest of their lives.
“By giving these young performers the opportunity to gain a unique sight into the life of an elite sports performer, we believe when the times comes for them to make life-changing decisions around their education and career, they will be in a much stronger position to make the right choices and achieve their full potential.”
For the athletes, the Camp combined high quality training sessions with workshops on ability and determination, keynote speeches on education and lifestyle planning, advice on drugs-free sport and a Higher Education Marketplace.
On Saturday, members of the Armed Forces put the young athletes through their paces during a series of command tasks designed to build confidence, self-esteem and develop skills in leadership and teamwork.
For the first time the Camp offered workshops on how schools can support their talented pupils during their development and also an opportunity for parents to get tips and advice on supporting their offspring.
The National Talent Orientation Camp has been developed by the Youth Sport Trust in partnership with UK Sport and the national governing bodies (NGBs) of the five sports involved.
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has made the National Talent Orientation Camp possible this year, particularly the NBG staff, coaches, teachers, parents, and of course all the young athletes.
“A key part of the Camp has been about helping our young athletes from the five sports balance the conflicting priorities that they have to deal with – the training and preparation needs of their sport, the academic and education priorities and the lifestyle pressures faced by any teenager.
“These last few days have given the future Olympic hopefuls the opportunity to recognise the challenges and seize their opportunities.”
7.1.08
Holders Loughborough Grammar School have been drawn against The King’s School, Lincolnshire, in the first round of the David English U13 Bunbury Schools Cup.
For further details of the national draw, see our results/fixtures section now.
6.1.08
One of Britain's most successful paralympic athletes is to bury a time capsule on the site of two new schools in Nelson in Lancashire.
Sarah Bailey has competed in four paralympic games winning five gold medals and more medals in total than any other GB disabled swimmer. She still holds nine world records.
In Beijing this summer she will be at her fifth games - but this time as a cyclist! Since switching sports Sarah, from Manchester, has already set world records and won world championships.
She will help students bury a time capsule on the site of the new Pendle Vale College and Pendle Community High School on Oxford Road in Nelson, on Monday January 14 at 10.30am.
Thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, the site hopes to be a county centre of excellence for disabled sport.
The enhancements include a 1m additional margin to the sports hall to allow for wheelchair sports, additional space for changing areas so that they can all be made accessible, additional circulation space for disabled athletes/users, a larger hydrotherapy pool to allow for increased use, provision of a climbing wall and provision of a floodlit polymeric multi-use games area.
Sarah said: “I am really looking forward to visiting Nelson and meeting some of the children and teachers. I am delighted to see that the new schools will house such good facilities for disabled sport.
County Councillor Alan Whittaker, vice-chairman of Lancashire County Council, said: “The burying of a time capsule is a great way to bring history to life for the students of the future.
“We are honoured that Sarah is taking time out of her training schedule to come and join us. She will be an inspiration to our young athletes.”
The two new schools are part of Lancashire County Council's building schools for the future programme and will move to the new site in September this year.”
4.1.08
Seventy five of Britain’s future Olympic hopefuls will get a unique insight into what it takes to become the best when the second National Talent Orientation Camp is staged in Loughborough.
Details of the four-day event have been confirmed by organisers, the Youth Sport Trust, with double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes among the elite athletes who will be mentoring the 14-17 year olds.
Some of the country’s top young talent in five sports – canoeing, rowing, cycling, sailing and triathlon – will attend the camp at Loughborough University from 5th to 8th January 2008.
The National Talent Orientation Camp is for youngsters of school age who have been identified by their sport’s governing body as having the potential to make it as elite athletes.
For the first time, the camp will offer workshops on how schools can support their talented pupils during their development and also an opportunity for parents to get tips and advice on supporting their offspring.
For the athletes, the camp will combine high quality training sessions with workshops on ability and determination, keynote speeches on education and lifestyle planning, advice on drugs-free sport, a Higher Education Marketplace and the opportunity for them to ask a panel of elite performers questions around what it takes to become the best.
Members of the Armed Forces will also put the young athletes through their paces during a series of command tasks designed to build confidence, self-esteem and develop skills in leadership and teamwork.
Last year’s camp was hailed a huge success with almost four fifths (79%) of athletes saying their performance ranking in their sport has increased since attending.
Meanwhile, 97% were hungrier for success, 93% were more determined to achieve success and 91% were more confident in their ability to succeed.
Dame Kelly Holmes said: “The camp aims to give these young athletes a real insight into what life is like at an elite sporting level, so that we can prepare them for what it takes to become the best.”
“These young people are at an age where they are starting to make some really big decisions which will have a major impact on the rest of their lives, for example, am I good enough to forge a career in sport? Do I want it enough? How can I balance my sport with my education? Am I making the best use of my talent to reach my goals?”
“We will help answer these questions and challenge the youngsters to really think about their futures. Far from wanting to put them off a career in sport, we are showing them the opportunities available so that they are better-placed to make an informed decision about where they want to go in life.”
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “The Youth Sport Trust was delighted with the success of the inaugural National Talent Orientation Camp and we are looking forward to helping to prepare more Olympic hopefuls for the many personal, sporting, academic and vocational challenges that lie ahead now and beyond 2012.
“We are committed to supporting national governing bodies of sport, schools and parents in their efforts to help our young athletes realise their potential and achieve their best as they prepare for life beyond school.”
The National Talent Orientation Camp is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and is the pinnacle of the Gifted and Talented strand of the National School Sport Strategy.
It has been developed by the Youth Sport Trust in partnership with UK Sport and the national governing bodies (NGBs) of the five sports involved.
3.1.08
Bell Lawrie, the title sponsors of the Scottish Schools Rugby Union Cup, gave this year’s competing schools a special Christmas gift.
More than 1,200 rugby balls were distributed among every participating team, of which there are 210 this season.
The rugby kit comes as a welcome addition at this time of year, when equipment can be running low after a tough school season.
Each competing school received a minimum of six new training balls, with fleeces also being given to each participating team coach to reward them for their input into the competition.
Craig Mair of Wallace High School, Stirling said: “The school is always grateful to receive new rugby kit, especially at a time of year when some of the existing equipment can be looking a bit tired. As a school that is developing the numbers of children playing rugby each year, we are appreciative for any help that we can get.”
Marc Wilkinson, Senior Divisional Director of Bell Lawrie added: “We are proud to sponsor a competition that is developing rugby in schools across Scotland.
“As a company we are committed to investing in the future of schools rugby and opening the game up to a wider audience with a well-established competition for schools to compete in.
“The kit give-away has become an annual event, and we look forward to seeing the schools benefiting from new equipment for the rest of the year.”
Pupils from the four semi-final qualifying schools in the U18 competition were among the first to receive their new rugby balls at Murrayfield.
Merchiston Castle School v George Heriot’s and Robert Gordon’s College v George Watson’s College and will battle it out in January for a place in the final at Murrayfield on Friday 25 January.
In the U15 competition, George Heriot’s will play Edinburgh Academy, and George Watson’s College will face the winners of the clash between St. Aloysius College or Hutcheson’s Grammar School, postponed due to bad weather.
All semi-final matches should be played on or before 14 January 2008.
2.1.08
Sport England has announced that five of the best female footballers in the country are to join their Sporting Champions scheme: Jill Scott (midfielder), Alex Scott (full back/midfielder), Siobhan Chamberlain (goalkeeper), Lianne Sanderson (forward) and Rachel Brown (goalkeeper).
Sporting Champions takes past and present elite athletes into local communities to motivate and inspire more young people to get active and achieve their potential in sport. The scheme forms part of Sport England’s ambition to create a world-class sports development system of sport and encourage more people to take part in sport.
11 Sporting Champions also participate in the RESPECT Athlete Mentoring Programme (RAMP), a Government-funded initiative engaging disadvantaged and disaffected young people through the power of sport. Sport England are delivering 75, six-month interventions in community projects in 15 areas across the country.
The women’s decision to join Sporting Champions follows a great performance at the World Cup in China in September, where the Team were knocked out at the quarter final stage by the USA who are the number one women’s team in the world and two times World Champions.
The five footballers join 100 other Sporting Champions from a range of different sports and backgrounds, including Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, Michael Vaughan OBE and Ade Adepitan who are all signed up to the scheme.
Phil Veasey, Head of Children and Young People at Sport England said: “Watching the England women’s football team play in the World Cup will have inspired the next generation of young footballers. The Sporting Champions scheme allows people to get even closer to their heroes – to hear about their experiences and get advice from them. I am thrilled that five of the England women’s football team have agreed to become Champions – hearing about their footballing knowledge will be great at motivating more young people into the sport.
Sue Smith, Sporting Champion Regional Leader for the North West and England midfielder said: “It’s great that the girls are joining the scheme and I hope, as part of my role as Regional Leader, that I can support my teammates and help them to become the best Champions they can be in their own regions.”
Hope Powell, FA National Women’s Coach added: "The FA see a partnership between the England Women's team and Sporting Champions as being a natural fit.
"Girls and women's football is the number one female participation sport in England but numerous recent studies have shown that females do not do enough regular exercise, whilst childhood obesity is a real hot topic of late.
"With five of the England team signing up to work with Sporting Champions, going into schools as role models, hopefully they will inspire more young girls to get active, and who knows, maybe end up pulling on The Three Lions shirt themselves one day."
1.1.08
One of the largest employers in the country is calling all sport and outdoor businesses to pledge their support for the new National Skills Academy in 2008.
Mark Lavington, Human Resources Manager at PGL, the UK’s leading provider of activity courses and holidays for children, says: “We are facing a skills crisis in our sector, yet the launch of a specific National Skills Academy presents a superb opportunity for all employers. It’s not like anything we have seen before and will transform the way in which employees are recruited and trained.”
Skills gaps affect 45% of outdoor employers in the UK. In addition, 33% of the workforce are not qualified to NVQ level 2 or equivalent – a basic qualification requirement for those working in the outdoor sector.
The majority of employers in the outdoor sector do have opportunities for contracted staff and college placements, but these are often residential with varied hours, and training must therefore reflect their diverse needs.
To address this gap, SkillsActive will submit a business plan to the government in January 2008 to develop a National Skills Academy in Sport and Active Leisure.
This will revolutionise the way training is delivered by engaging employers and training providers during the early development stages.
It will provide publicly-funded, bite-size and work-based industry-recognised training which will be consistent and easily accessible to learners in the North West.
Mark continues: “The skills academy for our sector will be the vehicle for capturing existing partnerships with employers and training providers, and creating new ones. It will also provide a superb opportunity for companies of all sizes to share their opinions on skills in our sector.”
The location of three hubs has already been selected. The first will open at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London. The other centres will be located at Sheffield United FC and COMET (Centre for Outdoor Management, Education and Training) in Penrith which will also serve as a national facility for outdoor activities and sport.
There will also be a network of centres of excellence in each region, and employers, training providers and learners will also be able to access information virtually via a website.
Mark adds: “We must ensure the National Skills Academy is true to its principle, fit for purpose and that it is employer-led and employer-directed.”
Stephen Studd, Chief Executive at SkillsActive, says: “If we’re serious about reaching the government’s targets to see 50 per cent of the UK active by 2020, we must improve training for the frontline staff responsible for boosting the health of the nation.
“The National Skills Academy will revolutionise the sport and active leisure industry. It will be the best place for people to find out about and access training in the UK.”
PGL is a member of the regional management group for the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure and acts as a voice for outdoor employers – small or large - in the UK.
Employers interested in finding out more about the National Skills Academy should email Bhupinder Singh at bhupinder.singh@skillsactive.com or visit www.skillsactive.com/academy .
31.12.07
The draw for the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup semi-finals took place on STV’s Scotsport Rugby Sunday programme.
Scotland Grand Slam hero John Jeffrey joined Scotland and Glasgow Warriors back-row John Barclay, who captained Dollar Academy to their Schools Cup victory in 2004, in the studio with presenter Richie Gray for the formalities.
In the U18 competition, Merchiston Castle School were drawn against George Heriot’s School with Robert Gordon’s College being pulled out of the bag alongside George Watson’s College.
In the U15 tournament, the winner of the game between St Aloysians College and Hutchesons’ Grammar School will face George Watson’s College. George Heriot’s School will play Edinburgh Academy in, no doubt, an exciting Edinburgh derby.
The Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup competition has enjoyed its largest ever season, with 210 teams taking part at both U15 and U18 age groups, allowing close to 5,000 school children the chance to take part in competitive rugby in Scotland.
Now nearing the climax of the competition, the teams have the big prize in their sights – the opportunity to run out on to the international pitch in a bid to lift the coveted trophy.
Both the U15 and U18 finals will take place at Murrayfield on Friday 25 January 2008. Entry is free for all spectators.
30.12.07
St Benedict’s, Ealing, are hoping their 18-3 victory away to Hurstpierpoint College in the last 16 of the Daily Mail U18 Schools Cup will be a lucky omen.
The same St Benedict’s year group beat Hurstpierpoint on the way to winning the Daily Mail U15 Cup in 2005.
“They were tough opposition in tough conditions,” said Martin Knights, the St Benedict’s coach, after the round six clash.
“We had the luck of the bounce here and there against a strong team with a good line-out.”
Blindside flanker Liam Dolan scored a good individual try for St Benedict’s and fly-half Stuart Pearham kicked a conversion and two penalty goals.
Hurstpierpoint, a small independent school near Burgess Hill in West Sussex, can be proud nonetheless having reached the last 16 – and indeed the last 32 – for the first time. Rob Kift, the rugby coach and head of sport, called it “a fantastic achievement.”
St Benedict's made it to last year's semi-finals with a young side when they lost 10-5 to eventual champions Warwick.
Rowan Halsall, who captained the U15 team in 2005, leads the side with all bar two of last year's squad involved again.
King's College School, Wimbledon won 24-6 at Whitgift in round five to move into the last 16, and they will play Campion for a place in the last eight.
“We’re dead chuffed the game will be at home where we get good support from the school,” said Marcus Blackburn, the King’s College coach.
“Both teams are expecting a very difficult game. We beat them in the St Joseph’s festival but that was over two halves of 15 minutes and we had to play really well to win.”
In the Daily Mail U15 Schools Cup, Norwich School had a seven-try, 43-0 win away to Colchester RGS in round five to qualify for the last 16 for the first time, and now go to Surrey to face Epsom College.
“Our big game in the cup so far was in the previous round against St Joseph’s, Ipswich when we went through as the away team after a 7-7 draw,” said Rod Bunting, Norwich School’s rugby coach and sports co-ordinator.
“Going to Epsom will be the year group’s first game travelling beyond our usual area and the team is looking forward to the challenge.”
The reward for Royal Grammar School, Guildford after defeating St Johns College, Southsea 39-5 in round five is a home tie with St Paul's, Barnes, conquerors of Christ’s Hospital.
6.12.07
The cream is starting to rise to the top as the Daily Mail Schools Rugby Union Cup competitions reach the Christmas break, with the North’s strongest contenders starting to show their true colours.
In the U18 Cup, RGS Newcastle have been tipped as the side most likely to succeed from the North East sector and their last two performances - a 55-7 win at Durham and a 17-15 victory at St Peter’s, York – underline their credentials.
Next in line is a round six – the last 32 – home tie against Stonyhurst, who reached this stage with a 12-0 home win over Wilmslow High School, U18 Vase finalists last season.
The Ribble Valley side are a nicely balanced unit, but will have to be at their best against what shrewd observers see as the best side in the North East.
Loyal Barnard Castle followers, of course, might take issue with that assessment and they need look no further than a 15-10 win after an epic tie at Woodhouse Grove in Yorkshire to support their claims.
‘Barnie’ are still looking to clinch that elusive win at Twickenham, but each year they have high-class representative players in their line-up and this year is no exception with England players Alex Gray, Rory Clegg and Tom Catterick to give the side a strong backbone.
However, they will need to be on top form if they are to come away from St Ambrose College with the spoils.
The Cheshire side also have a handful of classy backs, as they demonstrated in beating a very capable QEGS Wakefield side in the previous round and that encounter promises to be a cracking tie.
There is no question that Stokesley Technical School from North Yorkshire are the surprise packet in the Daily Mail U15 Cup in the North.
Having raised an eyebrow or two with wins over Barnard Castle and Ampleforth, the competition debutants claimed their biggest scalp in Round Five when they beat visitors Durham School 11-7.
They are now very definitely in amongst the North’s quality rugby schools and will be looking forward to another tilt at one of the big names when they visit the winners of the delayed Manchester Grammar v QEGS Wakefield tie.
30.11.07
Holders Bell Baxter High School were knocked out of the fourth round of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Cup by North Berwick High.
On a windswept and chilly East Lothian, the hosts triumphed 11-5 in the shadow of Berwick Law.
Elsewhere, Merchiston Castle give a polished display to compile their second victory of the season over a committed Edinburgh Academy side, on this occasion by 23-8.
Conditions made kicking extremely difficult throughout the game at North Berwick where the home side took the lead through a penalty by Jonny Mitchell.
The wind was behind Bell Baxter however they could not make use of the first half advantage, stand-off Ross Aitken missing with a penalty.
North Berwick prop Gary Cockburn scored the first try of the game only three minutes into the second half after his forwards had rumbled from inevitable front of the lineout possession from Ian Dove.
With ten minutes to go another penalty was kicked by Mitchell. This finally roused a somewhat muted visiting team and openside flanker Michael Fedo, who had ploughed something of a lone furrow up front, scored a cracking individual try.
It was too little too late however and North Berwick maintained their discipline to avenge last season’s quarter-final defeat.
Meanwhile at Newfield, Merchiston recovered from a 5-8 interval deficit to see off Edinburgh Academy.
Merchiston’s tries were scored by right wing Jamie Harris (2), centre and man of the match Henry Oliver and lock Luke Morrow.
Elsewhere at Old Anniesland, Glasgow, Earlston High School ousted the High School of Glasgow by 17-10.
Earlston’s points came from a long-range penalty against the wind by stand-off Craig Jackson and tries by wing Robbie Shirra-Gibb and centre Joe Helps, both converted by Jackson.
Therefore the eight teams who have booked their place in today’s quarter-final draw are Robert Gordon’s College, Stewart’s-Melville College, George Heriot’s School, High School of Dundee, Earlston High School, George Watson’s College, Merchiston Castle and North Berwick High School.
29.11.07
Three more schools have secured quarter-final berths in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Cup.
At Meggetland, George Watson’s College enjoyed a handsome 48-0 victory over Boroughmuir High School.
Watson’s scored seven tries, five of them converted by Jamie Forbes who also landed a penalty.
Two of Watson’s tries were scored by their captain and industrious back-row forward, Stuart McInally, last season’s Scotland U17 player of the year.
Meanwhile at Dallerie, the High School of Dundee posted a 24-12 win against Morrison’s Academy.
George Heriot’s School won their fourth round Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup U18 tie against Galashiels Academy by 10-6 at Goldenacre.
Heriot’s scored a try in each half through No 8 Johnnie White and winger Jamie Anderson.
The quarter-final draw will be announced on Friday.
29.11.07
It’s here again – the third annual School Sport Magazine Awards that celebrates the wonderful work and achievement by teams, teachers, coaches and pupils all over Britain.
With trophies this year sponsored by Bullseye, we’ve received a record number of nominations and entries – making the awards a true reflection of the 2006/07 year.
One of the most popular categories is the sports teacher of the year which this year attracted 175 nominations.
And the winner is an unsung heroine who has touched the hearts of parents and pupils alike at her tiny Somerset village primary school.
Clare Blackmore has few resources and only 70 pupils at St Lawrence CofE Primary School but it hasn’t stopped her spending a huge amount of her spare time making things happen.Housed in an old Victorian building with no gym or playing fields, pupils still take part in a full range of sports including football, tennis, rugby, swimming, hockey and dance.
St Lawrence’s has achieved the Active Mark Gold standard from Sport England, the Football Charter Standard and is a winner of the South West Region Football Standard.
More than that though Clare works with other schools and groups in the community so that the pupils don’t miss out.
She runs three or four after-school sports clubs a week often with professional coaching, arranges transport to and from games and most weekends can be found coaching and supporting the children at football and cricket tournaments.
And she calls in favours from sports stars such as Alan Shearer and David Beckham to provide fundraising photos as well as forging close links with sporting heroes at Bristol City FC, Bath RUFC and Somerset CCC to inspire pupils.
Modest to boot, Clare is the worthy winners of our sports teacher of the year.
The most popular category with 186 nominations was the secondary school boys sports team of the year.
And with so many accomplished sides to choose from, deciding the winner was a decidedly tricky proposition.
Highly commended was Southend School for Boys whose athletic teams again pulled above their weight to record extraordinary results in both the national schools athletics and cross-country championships.
But in the end the worthy winner was deemed to be Lymm High School, from Cheshire, who this year became the first state school to win the Daily Mail U15 Schools Cup.
Despite the competition being dominated by independent schools - where rugby is often the winter sport of choice and scholarships are offered to attract the best players – Lymm showed that a combination of team spirit and great coaching can pay great dividends.
So it proved in the final where the Cheshire side faced tough opposition in the form of St Paul’s School, Barnes, who make a habit of successful runs in the competition each season.
But a great finale went Lymm’s way as they ran out worthy 20-15 winners – to land them the secondary school boys team of the year award.
Sporting achievements by pupils are part and parcel of school life – yet some are so out of the ordinary that they deserve further recognition.
Highly commended in the sporting schoolboy of the year category was 14-year-old Rikkie Letch who has won both the English Schools Cross Country Championships and the English Schools 800m title this year.
But scoring 200 runs in a competitive school fixture is a rare achievement for 1st XI cricketers – even when time and overs are on their side.
So to do it when you are just 13-years-old is one fantastic accomplishment as Loughborough Grammar School pupil Shiv Thakor proved this summer.
To cap it all he then smashed a fantastic century – going on to make 134 – in the final of the David English Bunbury Schools U13 Cup to lead his side to national success.
So Shiv Thakor is a worthy winner of the sporting schoolboy of the year competition – and we look forward to following his cricketing progress in the future.
Highly commended in the sporting schoolgirl of the year category was 15-year-old Jade Williams, Welsh schools U15 cross country champion, and described by head of PE Judy Price at St Muchael’s School, Llanelli, as a “very modest young lady and a delight to teach.”
But winner this year was Bristol golfer Hannah Barwood who scooped the English Schools National U18 Championships for the third time in four years.
After first winning the championships when she was just 13, Hannah, now 16 from Oldfield Girls School, proved herself one to watch for the future by braving desperate conditions to win the trophy again.
Winning one national age group title is a great accomplishment. Winning it twice in a row is rare.
So Ecclesbourne School’s achievement this year of becoming the only U16 team to win the national girls hockey title for three consecutive years was remarkable.
The Derbyshire school can’t boast first-class facilities and have achieved it with three different sets of girls – so they truly deserve the title of secondary school girls team of the year.
One of the biggest successes of the community sports programmes in Britain in recent years has been the growth of cricket among the countries primary schools.
Often linking up with clubs to provide extra coaching via the ECB’s Chance to Shine campaign, England’s Ashes success has spawned a whole new generation of young cricketers.
Some of the most successful are tucked away in a tiny part of West Sussex where Harlands Primary School have scooped the award for the primary school sports team of the year.
Just three days after finishing third in the finals of the prestigious national schools U11 hardball competition against some of the countries toughest prep schools, Harlands, from Haywards Heath, were crowned Asda U11 Kwik Cricket champions – a competition that had attracted thousands of primary schools and 130,000 youngsters.
29.11.07
Three more schools have secured quarter-final berths in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Cup.
At Meggetland, George Watson’s College enjoyed a handsome 48-0 victory over Boroughmuir High School.
Watson’s scored seven tries, five of them converted by Jamie Forbes who also landed a penalty.
Two of Watson’s tries were scored by their captain and industrious back-row forward, Stuart McInally, last season’s Scotland U17 player of the year.
Meanwhile at Dallerie, the High School of Dundee posted a 24-12 win against Morrison’s Academy.
George Heriot’s School won their fourth round Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup U18 tie against Galashiels Academy by 10-6 at Goldenacre.
Heriot’s scored a try in each half through No 8 Johnnie White and winger Jamie Anderson.
The quarter-final draw will be announced on Friday.
28.11.07
British teenagers are often portrayed as stroppy, overweight, binge-drinking Vicky Pollards, but new research commissioned by the Youth Sport Trust shows this is not the case for the majority of teens.
A major survey of over 1,600 young people and adults announced today by the Youth Sport Trust, the national charity working to build a better future for young people through sport, reveals many teenagers are health conscious, socially aware and more likely to ditch their X-box for X-ercise.
The poll, which questioned teenagers aged 11 to 18 and parents about their fitness habits and attitudes to sport, paints a markedly different picture to some of the recent stories on teenage lifestyles.
The Youth Sport Trust found young people have a different attitude towards PE and school sport compared to their parents at the same age.
When asked to rank their top reason for participating in sport in school, almost twice as many young people (33%) said they did so because of the health benefits compared to less than one in five adults (18%).
The biggest attraction for parents to take up sport at school was for the fun factor (30%) compared to one in four young people (26%).
However, the well-known stereotype of “competitive dad” might not be so far off the mark. One in four dads (25%) chose either “winning” or “competing against others” as their top motivation for taking part in sport compared to 13 per cent of mums.
Overall, just one in eight young people (12%) said “winning” or “competing against others” was the main reason why they took part in sport and PE.
The YST poll also asked teenagers to rate their favourite leisure activity. “Playing sport” came second in popularity overall, with one in five (21%) choosing it as their most preferred pastime, beaten only by “going out with friends” (39%).
This firmly puts sport ahead of more sedentary pastimes such as playing computer games (only 7% ranked this as their favourite) and watching TV/DVS (only 6%).
Playing sport actually came top amongst teenage boys with 31% ranking it their most favourite activity followed by going out with friends (30%).
For teenage girls, who are a notoriously difficult group to engage with sport, going out with friends came top (48%), compared with listening to music (14%) and playing sport (13%).
Teenagers are fully aware of the power sport has to help them gain valuable life skills and become more popular among their peers, according to the poll.
Nine out of ten (93%) said sport helped them work as part of a team, while four out of five (79%) believed it helped them make friends.
Seven out of ten (73%) reckoned taking part in sport made them a happier person, while two thirds (66%) said it helped them develop a sense of responsibility.
Legendary Paralympian and mother Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, who is a Patron of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “These findings from the Youth Sport Trust turn the general perception that teenagers are a waste of space on its head.
“It’s clear that we are heading in the right direction in helping the next generation make the most out of the opportunities sport and an active lifestyle provide.
“However, it does not mean we should be complacent, we need to reach those youngsters who don’t currently take part in some kind of activity.
“I want to get the message across that it doesn’t matter if you’re overweight, skinny, have a disability, or worry about what you look like, you can still get a cut of the action – there’s a sport or activity out there for you to enjoy.”
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “These results show that many of today’s teens have bags of passion and enthusiasm to get out there and become involved in sport in all its different guises, and are even more savvy than their parents about the range of benefits sport can provide.
“At the Youth Sport Trust, we are working hard to create opportunities for all young people to access five hours of PE and school sport a week by 2012.
“We are also keen to ignite the competitive spirit amongst young people, which this research suggests has been lost to this generation, to show our youngsters that competitive sport – and learning to both win and lose – is part of life. There is still much to do, but we are well on the way to creating the best PE and school sport system in the world.”
Today’s research comes on the eve of the Youth Sport Trust’s annual School and Sport Partnerships’ Conference, which will focus on how the teachers, co-ordinators and coaches working with young people can deliver the vision to offer them all the opportunities available through sport.
Copies of the research will be available to delegates to help them in their planning to deliver sports opportunities for young people at local level.
The two-day conference at the Telford International Centre from November 28-29 will be opened by James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and will explore the joint working of School Sport Partnerships, National Governing Bodies and County Sports Partnerships in their bid to increase and improve young people’s participation in PE, school sport and club sport as part of the National School Sport Strategy.
Speakers also include mountaineer Joe Simpson and Olympians Dame Kelly Holmes, the National School Sport Champion, and Roger Black.
27.11.07
North Berwick High School, the first winners of the Scottish Schools Cup back in 1984, face the current holders of the Bell Lawrie sponsored trophy, Bell Baxter High School, at their East Lothian home on Thursday in one of the highlights of the fourth round draw.Last season, North Berwick defeated George Heriot’s and looked favourably placed to reach the Murrayfield final . . . until they were knocked out 12-7 by Bell Baxter in the quarter-final.“We’ve got an honest rivalry with Bell Baxter. We gave them as good a game as they had last year apparently,” explained North Berwick HS’s volunteer coach Mike De Busk. “We’re looking forward to see if we can give them a slightly better game this time and beat them.”De Busk, the former Boroughmuir and Edinburgh District winger, coaches the school side along with Mike Sumner, whose son, Dan plays at openside flanker.“We’ve always had a really active group of people involved in supporting rugby at the school. They’re folk who have had some affiliation to the rugby club and everyone involved on the coaching side just wants to be there,” he said.De Busk, a firefighter with the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service at their Newcraighall station, reckons it’s been a successful season to date for North Berwick, only having lost in narrow defeats in friendlies to Dollar Academy and Fettes College.“We’ve been pretty pleased with the performances. We’ve got quite a strong pack, including Chris Lekkas at No 8 and Gary Cockburn at prop, both in the Edinburgh integrated under-18 squad,” he added.North Berwick’s match kicks-off at 2pm at the High School playing fields. Also on Thursday, one of the longest-running rivalries in rugby, Edinburgh Academy v Merchiston Castle School, has its latest re-enactment. Their fourth round fixture kicks-off at Newfield at 2.15pm with the Academy seeking revenge from their 12-15 loss earlier in the season.Other fourth round ties in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Under-18 cup this week are
George Heriot’s School v Galashiels Academy, Goldenacre, (Tues. 2pm), HS of Glasgow v Earlston HS, Old Anniesland (Wed 3.30pm), Boroughmuir HS v George Watson’s College, Meggetland (Wed 4.30pm), North Berwick HS v Bell Baxter HS, North Berwick HS (Thurs 2pm), Edinburgh Academy v Merchiston Castle School, Newfield (Thurs 2.15pm)Last week Robert Gordon’s College defeat St Aloysius and Stewart’s-Melville College accounted for Loretto to book their places in the quarter-final
23.11.07
Boxer Scott Cardle, 18, from Lytham St Annes, was named OCS Young Sports Person 2007 at the awards event at The Brit Oval.
OCS Regional Winner for the North West, Scott, who trains at Kirkham Amateur Boxing Club, was awarded Overall Winner for 2007 despite stiff competition from a field of outstanding young finalists.
Three times winner of the ABAE National Junior Title, the young boxer captained the England Cadet team in the World Championships and is a member of the Team GB Olympic development squad, aiming to represent Great Britain at the Beijing and London Olympics.
Scott, who trains by running over sand dunes, and making at least two or three trips to the gym every day, has achieved his success despite having to undergo surgery for a lifelong leg length discrepancy, resulting in one leg growing faster than the other.
Scott’s OCS Award includes a funding package worth £10,000 over three years, and another £2,500 will be going to his club.
Chief Executive Chris Cracknell feels Scott was an excellent choice for overall winner in the tenth year of the Awards scheme.
He said: “British boxing is enjoying an exciting time right now, and with young boxers of Scott’s calibre, it is easy to see why.
“We have celebrated a decade of the OCS Young Sports Person Awards by honouring eleven exceptional young athletes. Scott is an outstanding talent and he has overcome real difficulties to get to the top of his game, a worthy winner with a great future ahead of him.”
Winners, OCS Young Sports Person Awards 2007
Overall Winner: Scott Cardle (18), Boxing
Disabled: Philip Cochrane (13), Wheelchair Tennis
Scotland: Eilidh McLeod (16), Alpine Skiing
North East: Alex Kirk (17), Netball
North West: Scott Cardle (18), Boxing
Midlands: Nathan Woodward (17), Athletics
Northern Ireland: Sean Downey (17), Cycling
Wales: Imran Hassan (15), Cricket
London: Tom Hide (17), Sprint Kayak
South East: James Steadman (17), Karate
South West: Corinna Lawrence (17), Fencing
Young Star: Laura Halford (11), Rhythmic Gymnastics
22.11.07
Norwich School reached the fifth round of both Daily Mails Schools Cup competitions for the first time in their history.
Their first team beat Norfolk rivals Gresham's 24-3 to advance to the next stage of the U18 Cup while their talented U15s edged through as the away team after a 7-7 draw at St Joseph's Ipswich.
Their run in the U18 competition ended in today’s 43-13 defeat by last year’s beaten finalists St Benedict's Ealing, who are the first London Division side into the sixth round.
But the Norwich U15s, coached by Rod Bunting and Richard Sims, can be confident going into their game against RGS Colchester.
A Sam Hayes try and Harrison George's conversion saw them past St Joseph's, who struck late on to level the scores.
“They're a very strong group who have been unbeaten since they were U12s three years ago,” said head of rugby Iain Grisewood.
“Lots of them also play at the Norwich club and we've got three in the Eastern Counties U16 set-up even though they're a year young.”
The three hotshots in the Counties side are flanker George, Number 8 George Fenton and scrum half Joe Srokowski.
Their rivals in the U15 Cup include St Paul's Barnes, who produced a superb 39-0 win over St Benedict's, while Epsom College are increasingly strong at all levels and brushed past a good Maidstone side 35-5.
Back in the U18 Cup, St Benedict's await the winners of the Sevenoaks v Hurstpierpoint game and everything points to a tight game between Whitgift and KCS Wimbledon.
The sides drew 8-8 in a friendly last month and KCS knocked Whitgift out of last season's Daily Mail Cup at the same stage by a 23-21 margin.
20.11.07
The Butterfly Skills Table Tennis Programme is being launched by the English Table Tennis Association and the English Schools Table Tennis Association at the Youth Sport Trust Conference in Telford on November 28.
The Butterfly Skills Programme has been designed to help teachers and coaches take youngsters from beginner through to good league standard.
The programme includes a 180 page manual full of pictures and easy to follow instructions, lesson plans, competition templates, player progress charts and teachers’ schemes of work.
Also included is the Butterfly Skills Award Programme consisting of tests at starter, improver and advanced levels in bronze, silver and gold and Polybat for players with a disability at silver and gold. A set of 5 A2 posters is also available.
Butterfly, the world famous table tennis equipment manufacturer, has worked with both associations to produce a range of equipment ideally suited for school play for all ages and levels and this is available as a kit incorporating all the resources.
For further details, contact the English Table Tennis Association on 01424 722525 or email butterflyskills@etta.co.uk
20.11.07
Round five of the Daily Mail U18 Cup throws up a tasty tie between two of the South West’s biggest rivals.
Bristol’s Filton College will travel to Gloucestershire’s Hartpury College this week to contest the clash and hope to book their place in round six, a feat they have never achieved before.
Filton College go into the tie having amassed an impressive 222 points, scoring more than half a century in each Daily Mail Cup outing, and only conceding an equally impressive three points.
Head of Rugby at Filton College Andrew Webb is however well aware the level of competition is about to change, with his team no strangers to the Hartpury College boys.
He said: “We are happy with our progress so far in the cup, but we know that this is where it gets tough. There is a lot of rivalry between the two sides, though all positive rivalry, and in terms of results it has been pretty much tit for tat. I am sure it will be another good encounter between two competitive teams who know each other very well.
“There is also the added incentive for us that Filton College has never reached the sixth round before and it would be really nice to break that duck, but travelling away to Gloucestershire and going to Hartpury’s impressive facilities does make that challenge harder.”
Filton College do however have success on their side this season and most recently enjoyed being crowned champions of the prestigious St. Joseph’s Festival.
Webb added: “We have got some good momentum at the moment and that is going to stand us in good stead for this game. Darren Barry is doing a great job captaining a side which is very balanced. Compared to previous years we are not so forward dominated and we have some useful backs to compliment our strong forwards. We are certainly going to need a complete all round team performance to see us through this next fixture.”
High Wycombe’s Royal Grammar School renew old rivalries next week with a fifth round Daily Mail U15 clash against neighbours Wellington College.
The two schools clash on regular occurrences and will in fact play in each other in a school league fixture just three days before their Daily Mail fixture on November 27.
Royal Grammar School’s U15 head coach Simon Copland said: “Our boys know each other very well, we play regularly on the schools’ circuit, so both schools know what to expect on Tuesday.
“It will be an extremely tough game. I think Wellington’s U15s are their strongest year group this season and they are easily the strongest school we play on our local fixture list.
“Looking at past results they win more games than we do so I think we will find it tough. However, if we play to our best then I know that the result will be very close and we can maybe edge the win.”
High Wycombe’s Royal Grammar School does however have history on their side. Although Wellington College most recently lifted the U15 trophy in 2000, the Buckinghamshire side hold the record for most Cup Final appearances in the junior competition.
The Royal Grammar School has reached the final on four occasions and went home victors an impressive three times, most recently in 1998.
Copland added: “We have a credible record in this tournament and we are proud of that. Most recently our best result was losing to the 2005 finalists, St Paul’s, in the quarter-finals. Obviously we would like to relive those times again, but this is a tournament we are taking one step at a time. This is our strongest year group in a couple of years and we have an honest, hard working group of lads who I am sure will do the school proud once again.”
19.11.07
A sports teacher with 18 years service has been forced to quit for clipping an unruly pupil around the ear.
Bob Mackenzie, 46, a PE teacher at Knutsford High School in Cheshire, saw red after the 15-year-old boy swore at him in a corridor during break-time.
After a complaint from the boy to police, officers investigated and decided the matter should be dealt with as internal disciplinary case.
Mr Mackenzie was suspended and later agreed to resign following examination of CCTV footage. The boy was allowed back into lessons after a five-day suspension.
But the case has angered staff, parents and former pupils at the Cheshire school where Mr Mackenzie was said to be a dedicated teacher, and 900 people have signed an online petition calling for his reinstatement.
Over the years, he has been involved in many sporting programmes, arranged football exchange visits to the United States and organized many Duke of Edinburgh Award projects.
18.11.07
Any team that has reached Round Five of the Daily Mail U18 Schools Cup is bound to be thinking optimistically about what the future holds and QEGS Wakefield cannot be an exception.
But having arrived at the Twickenham final of the Daily Mail U15 Cup two seasons ago as a sure thing and seen their great expectations dashed 16-3 by Bedford School in one of the form-book upsets of recent times, the current crop of players knows how fickle the sporting gods can be.
With the majority of the team still in their first year in the sixth form, realists are looking for the team to reach maturity next season, but there is still plenty of talent in the line-up to ensure that a searching test across the Pennines at St Ambrose College will be faced with no shortage of confidence.
One player who will ensure that the Yorkshiremen have a chance whoever they face is centre Andrew Forsyth, who underlined his pedigree with a four-try display in the previous round against Crossley Heath from Halifax.
The Leicester Academy player was one of the outstanding players in an unbeaten England U16 team last season and he is clearly a young player with a great future in the game.
By coincidence, he is one of many players in the game who are diabetic and given that the day of the game against Crossley Heath was designated National Diabetes Day, his fine individual performance was perfectly timed.
A long-striding six-footer with nimble feet and the eye for an opening, Forsyth’s physical credentials are obvious enough. Not quite so clear are those of his centre partner Joe Barker, son of team coach Trevor.
He was also in the England U16 side last season and also put down a marker as a player with an exceptional rugby brain and great hands to boot – but with No 7 and his back.
The quandary he faces is one of where his undoubted footballing skills can best be used. Whichever shirt he opts for, he is a gifted player and alongside Forsyth, he ensures that QEGS have a real cutting edge in midfield.
A single defeat earlier in the season against RGS Newcastle and this victory over a very committed and able Crossley Heath side underlines that QEGS are well equipped to cope at St Ambrose, but their hosts are not without optimism and ambition.
They were fearful in the previous round that a hefty Sandbach pack might stifle their abilities in the three-quarters but, in gaining a 10-3 win, St Ambrose confirmed that they have the technique to cope with a physical test up front and the backs to carry them further.
Like QEGS, St Ambrose are also driven by disappointment in that they went out of the competition after drawing at St Benedict’s Ealing last season in the quarter-final.
The Londoners, beaten in the semi-finals, will be strongly fancied to make amends this time, but St Ambrose will have an edge in maturity over QEGS being composed of lads from the Upper Sixth, so a keen tussle seems assured.
Elsewhere, Barnard Castle, who nicked an 11-10 win in round rour at RGS Lancaster, are rewarded with a visit to Woodhouse Grove in Leeds, 19-8 winners at Hutton Grammar in the previous round, while Wilmslow High, who have romped through and added a 50-7 win at Cowley Language College to their prolific run, travel to Stonyhurst.
The Lancashire side proved too sharp in their backs and won 39-8 at Ermysted’s Grammar School from Skipton, who incidentally denied Wilmslow in the U18 Vase final at Twickenham last season.
RGS Newcastle underlined their menace with a 55-7 win at Durham School in the previous round and are sure to provide St Peter’s York, 15-0 winners against McMillan Academy, with a stiff test, even on home turf. All round five matches are scheduled for Wednesday, November 28.
One of the beauties of the Daily Mail School Cup competition is that it exposes schools to fixtures they might never play in the normal scheme of things and this has been the case for Stokesley Technology School from North Yorkshire.
They are involved in the U15 Cup for the first time, but have now added the prestigious name of Ampleforth College to their list of victims after drawing 14-14 in East Yorkshire and going through on try count.
With Ampleforth, Barnard Castle, Richmond School and Yarm now forming an impressive list of scalps, the unsung sporting heroes of a school that has politician Alan Milburn as top name on its list of alumni may yet be stealing the lead story on the front page of the school’s newsletter.
Next up in round five, the last 32 of a national knockout event, is a visit from Durham School, who have some experience of success in the tournament.
Victory in that match, scheduled for Wednesday week (November 28), really would be something worth a mention.
QEGS Wakefield sustained their twin-pronged bid for Daily Mail honours and in doing so extended one of the oldest fixtures in the schools’ archive when they beat Bradford Grammar 5-0 to set up a round five visit to Manchester Grammar, 38-5 home winners against Giggleswick School.
The QEGS/Bradford game was the 132nd time the two teams have met, one of the top three continuous fixtures in the annals of schools rugby in England.
In the other half of the Northern draw, Ellesmere College were 17-3 winners at home to Sandbach School and now entertain Birkenhead School in round five after they beat Wilmslow 22-12.
RGS Lancaster moved into round five with a 38-10 at Cockermouth and now await a trip to the winners of the Lymm High School/Hutton Grammar round four tie.
16.11.07
Holders Bell Baxter High School qualified for the fourth round of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U18 Cup after a nail biting third round tie against Hutchesons’ Grammar School.
The game took place under the floodlights at Braidholm, Giffnock, in Glasgow, where the current champions took the lead minutes from the end, winning 15-13.
Pat Rollo, Bell Baxter team manager, said: “Hutchesons’ Grammar put up a fantastic fight throughout, and we had to come from behind three times to eventually win.
“It was a very nerve-racking game for the players and coaches but provided fantastic entertainment for the spectators. We are really pleased to have won such a tight game and commend Hutchesons’.”
Stuart Lang, Hutchesons’ director of sport, said: “It was a brilliant game with both teams playing explosive rugby and the large crowd added to the great atmosphere.
“We went into the last five minutes leading 13-10. However a knock-on meant Bell Baxter were able to gain possession and score a try. Neither side deserved to lose, after the performance they both put in.”
Bell Baxter scored three tries in total, stand-off Ross Aitken and flanker Michael Fedo, who both played in last years’ U17 Scotland squad, along with centre Murray Calcutt, all scored one apiece.
Bell Baxter will now face North Berwick High away, in the next round of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup
13.11.07
A tournament that will help re-launch rugby within secondary schools in Angus is about to kick off.
The event will give more than 100 youngsters the opportunity to play alongside and against others of a similar level and ability.
Games will take place at Inchmacoble, Strathmore RFC’s ground, in Forfar for first and second years on Wednesday 14 November from 4.30 – 7pm and on Monday 26 November for third and fourth years at the same times.
Kenny Christie, Angus Rugby Development Officer, explains: “In recent years there has been little rugby played due to a lack of infrastructure within the schools for rugby provision and poor relations between the local clubs and the schools.
“Now they are working a lot more closely to ensure that there are volunteers available and willing to assist school staff in the delivery of extra-curricular rugby.
“This schools tournament will be the first in Angus in approximately twenty years and aims to make school rugby vibrant again. Interest in the up and coming tournament has been high with six teams entering, which is fantastic.”
Arbroath High School and Arbroath Academy have teamed up to enter a combined team as have Webster’s and Forfar Academy. Brechin, Carnoustie, Monifieth and Montrose are all entering their own teams.
Neil Carrie, Regional Development Manager for Tayside and Fife, said: “This will hopefully be the first of many school tournaments to come and may even lead to school teams from the Angus area entering the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup next year.
“For many players the tournament will be the first chance to play in a competitive environment and will hopefully fuel their interest in the sport, boosting numbers at after-school clubs.”
In nearby Dundee, rugby is also growing as demonstrated by a similar initiative. Last month saw first and second year rugby players from St John’s High School and Grove Academy play a round robin at Mayfield sports ground, run by Dundee Eagles’ Rugby Development Officer, Colin Whittaker.
He said: “The event was organised with the aim of increasing the kids’ interest in the game and to give them experience in playing against other schools. This was both schools first competitive game and was a great success, St John’s High School won by four tries to three.”
5.11.07
The Rugby Football Union and Gloucestershire RFU have teamed up to launch a County School of Rugby for Gloucestershire.The County School of Rugby, of which there will be one in each county across the country, has been set up by the RFU as the development pathway for all elite players in the region and will be integrated into the RFU Academies. Gloucestershire RFU has the responsibility for running two schools, fully supported by the Gloucester and Bristol Academies, with the aim to develop the skills of elite players with training sessions delivered by quality coaches..This is a major step forward by the RFU through the GRFU and the Academies to regularise the identification of potential elite players and to provide a structured quality development pathway.For 2007/2008, there will be elite groups at U14, U15 and U16 with an U13 age group being introduced in the 2008/2009 season.For the U16s, the first two sessions will be held at Hartpury College. Each session will be two hours. Head coach for the School of Rugby is Phil Greenaway of Hartpury College and he will be assisted by Mark Nicholson from Marling School and Andy Collins from Monmouth School.
U16 players selected for Gloucester County School of Rugby are: Tom Foster (Bourneside), Curtis Russell (Whitecross), James Price (Brockworth), Tom Brind (Crypt), Michael Spenser Tonks (Crypt), Joe Hart (St Peters), Jack Allsop (Katherine Lady Berkeley), Jake Leonard Walters (Marling), Hagar Nibblett (Marling), Josh Cheney-Lock (Marling), Harry Lea (Rednock), Tom Hogg (Chosen Hill), Liam Winkworth (Pates), Jack Tupper (St Edwards), Jack Kerr (Wycliffe)
2.11.07
Hurstpierpoint have reached the fourth round on their first appearance in the Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup.The Sussex school’s side is built around the nucleus of the team that reached the last 16 of the U15 Cup in 2005, where they were beaten by eventual champions St Benedict’s Ealing.And so far the decision to take part has been a hit with wins over the Central Sussex College (52-0), St Bede’s (22-0) and Worth School (35-7) earning a tough away trip to John Fisher in Purley next week.“We’ve got a particularly strong year group, who have won the county cup for the last three years and did very well as U15s when they played out of their skins to reach the last 16,” said coach Rob Kift.“We went to South America on tour in the summer and all these things put together have given us a head start this season.“We know full well we’ll be underdogs against John Fisher who have a lot of experience in the competition so we’ll have to see if we can take the next step.”Hurstpierpoint’s success is built round an outstanding back-row of captain Ed Bowden at open-side, Jordan Trayfoot at No.8 and blindside Michael Hartley, while young lock Charlie Matthews – on the books of Harlequins – wins plenty of lineout ball.Centre Jack Maybank’s dad was Chelsea and Brighton striker Teddy Maybank, but his son is better at putting the ball over the bar and is a consistent goalkicker as well as a talented all-round playerAnd they all have a role model to look up to in old boy Noah Cato, the England U19 wing who scored a try on his Guinness Premiership debut against Leeds this season.Also through to the fourth round are another Sussex school, Richard Collyer College in Horsham, whose wins over Godalming College, Christ’s Hospital and Worthing Sixth Form College earn them a home tie against Chichester HS or Portsmouth Grammar.There should be a tight fourth round tie when Maidstone GS tackle in-form Epsom in the Daily Mail U15 Cup.Maidstone won the U15 Vase two seasons ago when they ran riot in their 33-7 win over Oakham at Twickenham.This season’s side keep asking coach Martin Holmes if they’re as good and his answer is that the potential is there.“We’ve got a lot of pace in the backs and we’re looking to win quick ball from rucks and get it out so they can do their stuff,” said Holmes. “Collectively this side may have more pace so we’ll see.”Fly-half Sam Ellis and “lightning fast” centre Tom Hadji have scored the bulk of the points this season.Epsom reached the semi-finals of the U15 Cup in 2006 – edged out 10-5 by eventual champions Bedford – and beat Wimbledon College 20-14 to reach this season’s fourth round.“We know they’re strong and that they’ve gone a long way in this competition before so they’ll be very tough to beat,” said Holmes.A season launched in South Africa has developed an unstoppable momentum for the teenagers at Skinners in the U15 Cup.The Tunbridge Wells school side’s campaign started with four victories over clubs and schools around Cape Town in July.Unbeaten as U14s last season, they are still unbeaten this term with 12 wins and a draw and having scored 596 points and conceded only four tries in the process.Captain Murray Galbraith-Lowe has scored 15 tries in the nine games since returning from South Africa.
They fought their way into round four of the national U15 Cup with a 20-7 win against Judd School, from Tonbridge, and will take on the winners of the Holy Trinity v Christ’s Hospital tie due to take place this week.
9.10.07
Round three of the Daily Mail U18 Cup looks set to throw up some thrilling ties, including the meeting of Aylesbury Grammar School and RGS High Wycombe.
Aylesbury will host their Buckinghamshire neighbours next week and their director of sport, Paul Dean, is expecting a hard fought game of rugby.
Dean said: “Any match against RGS High Wycombe is going to be a tough one. RGS High Wycombe is a side we know well. We have played them several times, including last season and we beat them 17-3.
“This time around I think it will be our pack against their backs and it will be a closely fought match. Although we know we can beat them, they’ll be the favourites going into the match.”
Dean’s side clearly are not lacking in any talent though. Outside of the first two Daily Mail Cup rounds, which saw Aylesbury defeat Waddesdon Church of England School 54-0 and Buckingham’s Royal Latin School 18-23, Aylesbury Grammar are unbeaten in five games.
“We have done reasonably well this season,” added Dean, whose school’s best record in the U18 Cup was a finish in the final 16 when they lost to eventual tournament champions Exeter. “The last Daily Mail fixture was difficult but we came from 18-3 down at half-time to win 18-23. We were also carrying a couple of injuries.
“We have also been successful on the schools circuit, winning five games from five against some good schools. As for expectations in the cup we really are taking it one game at a time. If we win then wonderful, but only then will we look at the next fixture.”
Oxfordshire’s The Warriner School return to the Daily Mail U15 Cup this season with an impressive run already under their belts.
The 11-16-year-old comprehensive school are making their return to Daily Mail Cup action for the first time in seven years and already, after three games following a preliminary tournament qualification fixture, they can hold their heads up high.
From Round 1 the Warriner School have only conceded eight points and certainly they’ll be looking for a similar run of form against Tewkesbury School.
Vinny Halsall, the school’s PE teacher, said: “The last time we competed in this tournament was around seven years ago. We make a decision every year whether we think we should enter the tournament. Based on the performance of this team last year they certainly deserved a chance. They had a good season and reached the finals of the county tournament.
“We have really enjoyed ourselves so far and that is basically why we are competing in the Daily Mail Cup. We want to see the boys play the game as best they can and enjoy themselves. That is why we are only taking this competition one round at a time and putting no expectations out there. We are looking forward to a good game on Tuesday, and if we win, great.”
1.10.07
One of the West Country’s leading rugby academies is making its first appearance in the Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup this season.
King’s College Taunton has been one of the strongest schools on the western circuit for years and produced recent international wings of the quality of Tom Voyce (Wasps) and Matthew Robinson (Swansea).
They beat Wellington College in the final of last season’s National Schools Sevens and were encouraged by new first team coach Nick Gresswell to try the Daily Mail for the first time.
Their initial outing saw them run in nine tries in a 55-3 win against neighbours Richard Huish College.
They now go to Yeovil College on Wednesday and the draw could open up invitingly for them, with another win, to have a good season.
Jos Buttler touched down twice with the rest coming from Henry Cunningham, Callum Stonier, Ed Dawson, Doug Love, Isaac Jay, Ed Walker and Josh Issacs.
“Our new coach was involved in the competition with schools in Durham and as we felt we were a strong side we decided to give it a go,” said director of rugby Peter McKegney.
“We surprised a few people winning the Rosslyn Park Sevens in March and as 11 of last year’s first team are back again we’re hoping for a good run.
“Looking at the draw we could go a long way, but you never know. We’ve got a strong Saturday fixture list, so we won’t be saving ourselves for Wednesdays.”
McKegney’s son Will captains the unbeaten side from fly-half and they warmed up for the Yeovil game with a 43-5 win over Plymouth College at the weekend helped by four tries from vice-captain Charlie Clyde-Smith.
Devon’s best hopes in the U18 Cup may lie with Ivybridge Community College, a specialist sports college that has become a steady production line of rugby talent over the last decade.
Recent graduates include Chris Bell (Sale Sharks), Stuart Hooper and James Parkes (both Leeds Carnegie), Steffon Armitage (London Irish), Dave Lewis (Gloucester) and Tom Arscott (Bristol) and Ivybridge provided three players to the England U18 side last season.
Ivybridge overwhelmed Paignton Community College 54-0 in the first round and are due to meet Churston Ferrers Grammar School on Wednesday.
They routinely take on Millfield, Colstons, Hartpury and Blackrock College, although coach Malcolm Collins has yet to work out the exact strength of this year’s vintage, even though they won 19-11 at St Peter’s Gloucester earlier this month.
“We’ve got one flanker in Richard Jenkins who might make England U18 this year but overall we’re a very young side with only two starters left from last season,” said Collins.
28.9.07
Three defeats in five years at Twickenham in the final of the Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup might be the kind of experience to leave Barnard Castle coach Martin Pepper understandably looking ahead to another campaign with some trepidation.
But the former Yorkshire and North of England flanker remains fairly stoical about the experience and the challenge.
“The beauty of school rugby is that teams change every year and you get new players to work with,” he says: “As it happens, I have 13 of the 22 squad players on duty in the final against Warwick School still available, with nine of the starting line-up still involved.
“But we also have fresh faces involved and injuries will bring opportunities for even more players as the season develops. It’s not like being with a club side where you know all the faces and things don’t change. Each year brings something new.
“So far we’ve won all four games, scoring over 150 points and conceding only 12, which is encouraging, but I think I’ll know a bit more about our Daily Mail prospects when we’ve played RGS Newcastle on Saturday. I think they have a very good side this time and will be the team to look out for.
“We beat Queen Elizabeth’s, Penrith in the first round and now entertain Trinity School from Carlisle, who we beat last season in the Cup.
“It’s always hard to assess from season to season how schools are placed and who are fancied to do well, but I’m fairly confident that we have a decent side once again.”
On the basis that Derby matches always have added spice, the Daily Mail U15 Cup tie between Giggleswick School and Settle College could scarcely be more compelling.
The two schools are only a few hundred yards apart in the picturesque North Yorkshire market town so local support should be strong, although the College team are aware that they face a stiff test if they are to upset the form-book.
“We played ‘Gigg’ in our opening U14 game last season and it wasn’t a classic,” said Settle College’s Anthony Shepherd. “It will be a tough game for us.”
With the Daily Mail programme in mind, the schools decided not to play the game as their opening friendly match this season and that decision proved far-sighted as the College edged out South Craven 19-15 when they met in the Daily Mail earlier this week.
“It was our first match of the season and it could have gone either way,” said Shepherd. “We needed a try-saving tackle from our fly-half Will Davidson in the last minute to save the day it was that close.”
Ironically, former Settle College player Thomas Cockill is one of the cornerstones of the Giggleswick U18 team that moved into round two of the Daily Mail U18 Cup with a 48-5 win at Queen Elizabeth’s, Kirkby Lonsdale.
Cockill was in the England U18 squad last season and adds a very considerable presence to the Giggleswick back-row.
Three other players expected to make an impact in the home game against Ullswater Community College in the next round are Mark Gemmell, Tom Davidson and Max Muller, who have all been included in the Yorkshire U18 trials.
Ermysted’s Grammar School from Skipton will only have half of the side that won the Daily Mail U18 Vase at Twickenham last when they take their first steps in this season’s competition, but they still have vivid memories of that adventure to spur them on.
“Now a new season has started, scarcely a day passes without a mention of Twickenham,” says coach Ian Douglas. “It was a great experience for us all.
“We’ve lost about 10 of the lads of were part of that squad, but we have some very talented lads who’ve moved up a level and we’ve the makings of a useful side.”
Ermysted’s, 3-0 winners in the Vase final against Wilmslow HS last season, were given a walk-over into round two of the U18 Cup by Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, and now travel to St Mary’s Menston in a repeat of one of last season’s Vase games.
“We were due to play at home to St Mary’s at a time when Skipton was flooded and had to take the game to South Craven School to get the game played.” says Douglas: “It was still soaking and it rained so heavily I had to substitute one of my wingmen because I was concerned he was suffering from exposure.
“We won the game and moved on to Twickenham, but I’m expecting another tough game at their place.”
26.9.07
England’s proud unbeaten record against the Scots in their annual schools golf international, which stretched back to 1990, was breached when the teams clashed again at Westerwood near Glasgow.
The Scottish boys won 10½ - 7½ but the girls kept England’s flag flying by winning their match 6-3 despite losing the foursomes 1-2.
The Scots, fielding six members of their Boys Home Internationals team, proved a tough nut to crack and they laid down a marker by winning the foursomes 4-2.
At one stage, England looked to be in a commanding position but the stretch from the tenth to the 14th holes proved their nemesis as the Scots staged a turnaround in most contests.
England’s only successes were gained by Max Smith, the England under 16 cap, and Laurie Canter who beat Neil Henderson and Fraser McKenna 4 and 3 in the top match, while team captain Paul Howard and Alex Wrigley secured a 2 and 1margin over Daniel Young and Chris Robb.
The visitors needed a fast start in the singles but with Scotland winning three of the top four matches, including a 4 and 3 win by Henderson over Smith, the Scots were almost home and dry.
Sean Nicholls gave England hope with a 6 and 4 win over David Law, while Tom Stuart was involved in a battle royal with Andrew McLachlan. After 13 holes, Stuart was four under par and 1-down, but he battled back to win 2 and 1.
Michael Reed gained England another point with a 1-hole victory over Scottish skipper Alan Murdoch the outcome of which hinged on the final hole which they started all-square. But Murdoch drove into water and eventually conceded.
Howard again played a captain’s role, winning both his matches as he had earlier against Wales, while the other England success was gained by Sam Dodds.
Results
Foursomes (Scots names first): N Henderson & F McKenna lost to M Smith & L Canter 4&3; D Law & P Shields bt E Groves & J Hooper 1 hole; A McLachlan & M Bookless bt S Nicholls & T Stuart 2&1; A Murdock & S McLaren bt M Reed & R McGrory 3&2; D Young & C Robb lost to P Howard & A Wrigley 2&1; S Binning & J Bradley bt M Anderson & S Dodds 5&4
Singles: Henderson bt Smith 4&3; McKenna halved with Canter; Bookless bt Groves 5&4; Shields bt Hooper 6&5; Law lost to Nicholls 6&4; McLachlan lost to Stuart 2&1; Murdoch lost to Reed 1 hole; McLaren bt McGrory 2&1; Robb lost to Howard 2 holes; Young bt Wrigley 2 holes; Bradley bt Anderson 6&5; Binning lost to Dodds 4&3
Scotland 10½ England 7½
When the England girls went into lunch having lost the foursomes 2-1, it looked as if Scotland would complete a win-double, the morning action being highlighted by a hole-in-one by Jane Turner at the eighth hole.
A second Scottish victory seemed even more likely when at one stage England were up in only one single. But they bounced back to win five of the six matches with some sparkling golf.
Hannah Barwood from Bristol led the way, following up her foursomes victory with Alex Peters by staging a fighting recovery in her singles. Barwood was 1-down at the turn to Turner but put her foot on the pedal to run out a 4 and 3 winner.
Peters was also in top form, winning the bottom match 6 and 5 over Sammy Vass, while Charlotte Hope came out on top against Louise MacGregor.
There were also wins for Katherine O’Connor and Helen Searle while Scotland’s lone success was secured by Eve Muirhead.
Results
Foursomes (Scotland names first): J Turner & J Meldrum lost to H Barwood & A Peters 1 hole; E Moorhead & L MacGregor bt K O’Connor & H Searle 2&1; R Wilson & S Vass bt B Gibbs & C Hope 2&1
Singles: Turner lost to Barwood 4&3; Meldrum lost to O’Connor 3&2; MacGregor lost to Hope 3&2; Muirhead bt Gibbs 6&5; Wilson lost to Searle 4&3; Vass lost to Peters 6&5
Scotland 3 England 6
25.9.07
Sussex Downs College recorded an important first round result in the Daily Mail Schools U18 Rugby Cup to underline their new status as a breeding ground for rugby talent.
The Lewes-based Sixth Form College reached the fifth round last year and opened their account this season by beating Brighton College 29-5 - their first win over the independent school.
They did so with five tries from captain Henry Sandys, James Streeter, Max Drage, Laurence Main and Dan Martin with Joe Hoare kicking two conversions. Now they face Worthing College in the second round in the first week of October.
Sixth Form Colleges now make a major impact on the Daily Mail competition with Exeter winning the title in 2005 and the likes of Ivybridge, in Devon, are increasingly important production lines for rugby talent.
Sussex Downs already has one notable graduate to be proud of in Joe Marler, the prop forward who won England U18 honours last season and is now on the books of Harlequins.
Their success is due to their setting up a rugby development programme a decade ago, says John Jefferson, the senior lecturer in physical education and sport responsible for launching it in 1996.
"The College has recognised the value of sport," he said. "It set up as a Sports Development College and structured into the timetable that the students get six hours of specialist coaching in their chosen sport each week.
"We had 11 players in our first year (96-97) and this year we have 55 players aged from 16 upwards.
"We employ coaches from outside the college who deliver the programme, we've now got a good reputation in the area and attract lots of good players so we've started to figure in fixtures with schools in the independent sector.
"Last year we reached round five of the Daily Mail Cup before we lost to Skinners, we were delighted with our win at Brighton College and I like to think we've started a trend."
Elsewhere in the second round draw, one of title favourites will be getting their campaign under way in London.
St Benedict's from Ealing reached last year's semi-finals with a young side and were edged out 10-5 by eventual champions Warwick.
They are due to kick-off away at St Ignatius College in Enfield with coach Martin Knights anticipating a successful campaign.
Rowan Halsall - who captained the U15 team to Daily Mail victory in 2005 - leads the side with all bar two of last year's squad involved again.
Among the sides already beaten this season are 2006 Daily Mail champions St Peter's Gloucester (34-10) and St Benedict's won the President's Cup title at Esher by beating RGS High Wycombe 19-0.
"We learned some good lessons last year and the boys are very focused on winning the Cup," said coach Martin Knights.
In the Daily Mail U15 Cup there is a big local derby in south London, where Whitgift, from South Croydon, face John Fisher, from Purley.
Whitgift edged out Trinity School 11-10 in the first round while John Fisher had a more comfortable 29-5 win at St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive.
In West London, the 2005 finalists St Paul's Barnes opened with a 50-0 win at Latymer and now meet London Oratory, who were 41-22 winners over Orleans Park.
19.9.07
Bell Baxter High School have been drawn away from home to open their defence of the Bell Lawrie U18 Scottish Schools Rugby Cup.
The Cupar school, who beat Dollar Academy in last season’s Murrayfield final, have to head north to play against either Ellon Academy or the Forfar Academy/Webster High School composite team.
Bell Baxter and 31 other seeded schools have now joined the competition after first-round byes.
George Watson’s College, last season’s winners of the Bell Lawrie U15 Scottish Schools Cup, have a home draw against either Kinross High School or Buckhaven High School.
18.9.07
Sedbergh School were crowned Daily Telegraph U15 Twenty/20 Cricket Cup champions after a pulsating finals day at Headingley (full details in the next edition of School Sport Magazine)
17.9.07
The journey to Twickenham and the finals of the four Daily Mail Schools RU Cup competitions will be longer than ever for the successful teams who make it to the showpiece on Wednesday, April 2.
But across the country teams will be going into first round action this week hoping that they can emerge among the elite of the competition.
Nowhere will the excitement generated by another Daily Mail extravaganza be more keenly felt than in the three Northern camps that emerged with victories last season.
Ermysted’s Grammar School from Skipton carried off the U18 Vase and open their programme with a visit to newcomers to the competition, Clitheroe RGS, while Lymm High School launch the defence of their U15 Cup title with a visit to neighbours Bramhall High.
Woodhouse Grove School from Leeds/Bradford emerged as U15 Vase winners and they also go on the road for their first U15 Cup test when they travel to Crossley Heath School in Halifax.
One school who will be more committed than most to match their high standards of previous seasons and progress to Twickenham again will be Barnard Castle School from County Durham.
They went down 24-23 in what was widely regarded as the best Daily Mail Schools final for years and in doing so suffered their third final defeat in five years having previously been beaten by Oakham and Colston’s Collegiate.
Durham School is another well-respected member of the Northern fraternity with a proud Daily Mail record, but like neighbours Barnard Castle, another school which has suffered more than its fair share of disappointments in the later stages of the competition.
If Martin Pepper from ‘Barney’ or Paul Gerrard from Durham were to pull it off this season, few would begrudge them their place in the spotlight.
Both schools are seeded into Round Two, so they will be sitting back this week as the non-seeded schools get down to first-round action which is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, September 19.
16.9.07
Hartpury College begin their Daily Mail U18s Cup campaign on Wednesday with an away tie against Chosen Hill School.
The Gloucestershire side will be looking to better their fourth round exit of last season after being knocked out by the narrowest of margins (31-29) against former Cup champions St. Peter’s High School, Gloucester.
Chris Dewsnap, assistant director of rugby at the college, said: “This is a competition we enjoy and we always want to do as well as we can in it.
“We are not a school that sets specific goals so I am not going to say what round we expect to reach but obviously we want to be as successful as we can be. At the end of the day this tournament is about development and teaching the players to play the style of rugby we want to play.”
On paper Hartpury College will go into the first round clash as favourites and after two wins so far this term against seasoned rugby schools, Prince Henry School, Leeds and West Suffolk, there is reason to be confident.
Dewsnap is, however, eager to play down the favourites tag. He added: “On paper, yes we go into the game as favourites, but that doesn’t really count for much. You can never take anything for granted in any sport.
“What makes it harder is that in the early stages of this competition, it is difficult to know how good you’re opponents are and what sort of team you should field. I am hopeful we can make it through to the next round, but they have some good players and our team is very young so you just never know.”
In the Daily Mail U15s Cup competition is just as fierce. Wellington College, disappointed to be knocked out in the semi-finals last season, play host to Charters School.
Exeter School, 2007 quarter-finalists, travel to Queen Elizabeth’s CC in Crediton while Millfield School, who reached the final 16 last season, take to the road to play King Alfred School.
11.9.07
Kings College School Wimbledon were the surprise package of last season's Daily Mail Schools U18 Cup with a breathtaking run to the quarter-finals.
They beat four big-name rugby schools - RGS Guildford, John Fisher, Skinners and Whitgift - in a row before being edged out 13-3 at Wellington College in a game they might have won.
KCS launch their next campaign at home to Richmond-upon-Thames College on September 19, and despite only four survivors from last season's squad, coach Marcus Buckland is confident.
"We've lost 13 players from last year but while we might lack stars we could be as strong this time," said Buckland.
"It's a big call to say that but they are a very adventurous group and very coachable, so they should do alright.
"The Daily Mail competition has risen in profile greatly at the school and everyone wants us to do well in it again.
"We lost our first game of the season against St Benedict's (26-10) who are probably the favourites to win it after reaching the final last time with a young team.
"They showed us what we have to aspire to but on another day it would have been a much closer game.
"We're expecting Richmond to be a tough side, though, and to give us a really physical and abrasive test in our first game."
The winners travel to Trinity School, Croydon or Wallington County in the second round.
One of the competition's traditionally strong sides is under new management this season.
Chris Wilkins is the new director of rugby at Whitgift and will run the first team in conjunction with England U18 coach Chris Kibble.
Wilkins is a former Wasps, Blackheath and Esher number eight who appeared for England A a dozen years ago in a squad that included Lawrence Dallaglio, Tony Diprose and Richard Hill.
Since then he's worked for the Rugby Football Union and Saracens with a reputation for accelerating the development of young players.
Whitgift have reached the last eight of the U18 Cup and have two U15 titles to their credit, the last when London Wasps starlet Danny Cipriani ran the game from fly-half.
"We don't have a lot of stars or international players although we do have a good contingent involved in county and divisional sides," said Wilkins.
"Our strength will be our teamwork - they're a team of scrappers and they work hard.
"I don't like to make predictions and we won't underestimate anyone. What we want to do is for them all to develop as players and long-term to build on a dozen years of good work here.”
Among the talented teenagers at Wilkins' disposal are fly-half Mike Canty - brother of England Under-18 wing Nick - and flanker Luke Dickerson, who are both on the books of London Irish.
Centres Matt Gunasekara and Ollie Newman are involved with Harlequins and lock Billy Cheeseman is another one to watch.
They get their campaign under way at Richard Challoner School on Monday, September 17, with the winners hosting Claremont Fan Court or St George's College, Addleston.
In the U15 competition, St Paul's Barnes will be hoping it's third time lucky this season.
The beaten finalists in 2005 and 2007 - by a margin of just five points each time - begin at Latymer School in Edmonton.
There's a big local derby in West London, with St Benedict's from Ealing taking on Hammersmith-based Latymer Upper, who've produced the likes of World Cup winner Dan Luger and current Wasps centre Dominic Waldouck in recent years.
7.9.07
Top table tennis talent gathered in Coventry for the second UK School Games - billed as a ‘showcase’ for U18 players and a launch pad for future ‘Olympians’.
The table tennis players representing Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and five English regions again shared the stage with competitors from the sports of athletics, fencing, gymnastics and swimming, and for the first time with badminton, judo and volleyball.
The level of competition across the eight sports by the 1300 young athletes was quite incredible.
Events for players with a disability was added to the table tennis programme with boys and girls competing in standing and wheelchair individual competitions.
The table tennis championships were held at the Ricoh Arena with equipment and conditions at international standards.
A Paul Drinkhall inspired England North East had a supercharged start in the Boys’ Team Championships and they outclassed Northern Ireland and England South West 7 – 0 to ensure a semi-final slot, together with rivals England South East.
In the other pool, competition was much tighter with England Midlands involved in two titanic battles with England South West and Scotland, eventually winning both following a series of compelling five setters.
Following a second day of intense competition favourites England North East (Ben Barlow, Paul Drinkhall, David Meads, Daniel Reed) eventually triumphed over England South East (Wing Yung Chan, Darius Knight, Christopher Lewis, William Maybanks), who they had already beaten in their group, to retain the title won in Glasgow in 2006.
The Girls’ Team competition was fast and exciting with England South East (Rachel Jamieson, Haylee Potts, Sarra Wang, Kirsty Wilson) and England South West (Stella Davis, Melanie Farquhar, Hannah Hicks, Matha Travis) winning their respective groups.
Farquhar demonstrated her considerable talent in the earlier rounds, but Wang was inspirational for South East in their 4 – 1 final triumph.
The inclusion of disability events was seen by many as the highlight of day two – all players dealing expertly with the challenge of these new events.
Andrew Harper (England North West) won gold following a fantastic battle with Krysten Coombs (England South West) in the disability standing event.
In the disability wheelchair competition Jack Pegram (England South East) beat Hannah Coulthurst (England North East) to take first place.
It was a day of surprises in the individual competition as a series of upsets left the path clear for David Meads (England North East) to triumph over number two seed Darius Knight in the final.
The shock of the tournament, however, was the unexpected defeat of Paul Drinkhall by Scotland’s Craig Howieson in the quarter final, but Meads beat him easily to book his place in the final against Knight which was decided in the final game 11 – 6.
Emma Vickers took gold in the Girls’ Championships following a keenly contested semi-final with Melanie Farquhar and the final against Sarra Wang.
The overall UK School Games trophy was presented to England South East.
The event came to a spectacular climax in the Athletes’ Village at the University of Warwick with the 2007 hosts handing over the UK School Games flag to the 2008 hosts, the cities of Bristol and Bath.
6.9.07
Bob Taylor, the President of the Rugby Football Union, presented the Cronk-Cunis Cup to William Soutar, captain of the Tonbridge School team who won the National U21 Rugby Festival at Motspur Park.
St Edward’s Oxford, Portsmouth GS and Bristol GS also picked up titles at the 11th annual tournament.
The Cronk-Cunis Festival has grown into a major event and was granted official ‘National’ status by the RFU last year.
Thirty six teams of old boys competed in the Cup, Plate, Bowl and Vase competitions, with some 750 players involved in 56 matches on eight pitches at the KCS Old Boys & Old Blues ground in Surrey.
The RFU President paid tribute to the important role played by this festival in ensuring that players are not lost to the game and forming an effective bridge between school and club rugby.
Taylor said: “This Festival is clearly a great encouragement for old boys to continue playing when they leave school. It does seem to be an ideal way of giving them that extra push to remain involved.”
In the Cup final, Tonbridge held off a fierce early challenge from St John’s Leatherhead to win 19-0.
In the other competitions St Edward’s College Oxford won the Plate, beating Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar 17-10 in the final, Portsmouth Grammar defeated Merchant Tayors’ 10-5 in a sudden-death play-off in the Bowl final and the Vase went to Bristol Grammar with a victory over Abingdon by 18-3.
The Cronk-Cunis National Under 21 Rugby Festival has become a firm fixture in the rugby calendar and planning is already starting for the 2008 event.
4.9.07
It needed a touch of girl power to douse the Welsh fire and steer England to victory in their annual NASUWT-sponsored schools golf international at Gay Hill near Birmingham.
England were coasting when they took the morning foursomes 5-1. But they were given a rude awakening by a Welsh fightback until the girls came to the rescue to deny the Red Dragon.
The morning belonged totally to England as they won both girls and three of the boys’ foursomes.
Pick of the bunch were Hannah Barwood, at 16, a full England international, and Katie Mundy, who proved too powerful for Laura Jane Roberts and Amy Rees, winning 5 and 4.
A similar scoreline was achieved by Lancashire’s Paul Howard and Jack Bingham from Cheshire over Mark Parry and Nick Lofthouse, while the lone Welsh success was gained by Sam Morgan and Ben Davies by 2 and 1 over Andrew Scrimshaw from Northumberland and Gloucestershire’s Matthew Phythian.
That left England needing just four and a half points from the 12 afternoon singles but it was no easy task. The boys were expected to tie everything up nicely yet it didn’t work out like that.
The Welsh came out fighting and with some fine putting were soon showing they meant business. Morgan drew first blood for the Principality beating Scrimshaw 4 and 3, followed by Parry getting home by two holes against Phythian.
Although Howard romped to a 6 and 5 win over Davies and Bingham secured a half with Lofthouse, England wondered where the other points were going to come from.
Three were still needed and the Welsh closed to one behind when James Zanotti and Daniel Udry won their contests.
All was still in the balance as Hertfordshire’s Sam Claridge and Antony Ginn from Middlesex halved their matches, leaving England just a point away, so the spotlight switched to the girls.
And appropriately it was the talented Barwood from Bristol who took England over the finishing line with a 7 and 6 demolition of Roberts in the top match.
With Hampshire’s Mundy and Kent-based Mathieson also winning and Mallett from Warwickshire claiming a half, the final 11-7 scoreline told only half the story.
“It was great to retain the NASUWT Trophy and extend our 25-year unbeaten home record,” said Jason Rhodes, the England team manager. “We proved strong in the foursomes but Wales battled back to win the boys singles and in the end it was the girls that brought England home.”
Results:England 11 Wales 7
Foursomes (England names first): Girls; H Barwood (Oldfield Girls) & K Mundy (Barton Peveril College) bt L J Roberts (Coleg Menai) & A Rees (Brynteg CS) 5&4; E Matheson (St Joseph Williamson) & E Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) bt G Bradbury (Cowbridge CS) & S Rees (St Thomas Picton) 2&1. Boys; P Howard (Rainford) & J Bingham (Harple College) bt M Parry (Holyhead HS) & N Lofthouse (Yagol John Bright) 5&4; A Scrimshaw (Prudhoe CHS) & M Phythian (Hartbury College) lost to S Morgan (Greenhill) & B Davies (Llandrindod HS) 2&1; J Carney (Light Hall) & A Ginn (Northolt High) bt M Baird (Radyr CS) & J Zanotti (St Julians HS) 2&1; C Norman (Reading Blue Coat) & S Claridge (Roundwood Park) bt D Udry (St David‘s College) & T Phillips (St Teilos HS) 3&2
Singles: Girls; Barwood bt Roberts 7&6; Mundy bt Bradbury 2&1; Mathieson bt S Rees 2&1; Mallett halved with A Rees; Boys; Phythian lost to Parry 2 holes; Scrimshaw lost to Morgan 4&3; Bingham halved with Lofthouse; Howard bt Davies 6&5; Claridge halved with Baird; Norman lost to Udry 2&1; Carney lost to Zanotti 4&3; Ginn halved with Phillips
3.9.07
Thirty one new state schools have pushed entries for the 2007-08 Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Rugby Cup to an all-time high.
For the first time in the competition’s 24-year history, more than 200 schools will be participating across both the U18 and U15 tournaments.
Some 31 new schools have joined the tournaments this season – all from the state sector – and drawn from Scotland’s eight regions, taking the total entry across both age-groups to 210.
Colin Thomson, SRU Head of Community Rugby, hailed the news. He said: “More Scottish youngsters are being introduced to rugby through the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup year on year and that’s a positive trend.
“What we’re also finding is that this is proving the catalyst for more children to have more opportunities to play more often and that has to be the recipe for the competition to continue to grow and generate more players for the community game in Scotland.
“As the national squad are about to depart for the game’s biggest showpiece, Rugby World Cup, I also think we should acknowledge the significant role the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup is playing in developing those players with potential.
“Alongside the John Lewis Youth League Cup and our Player Pathway programme we’re making strides in accelerating the progress of those players and their readiness for top level competition.”
Marc Wilkinson, director at investment managers Bell Lawrie, said: “We are delighted with the number of entrants this year, yet again breaking records.
“Last year we said that our aim was to grow the competition further over the next three years of our sponsorship and we are heartened to see this is already happening.
“We now have more than 100 teams in both the U15 and U18 tournaments and more than 5,000 children participating in the competition, which is phenomenal.
“Bell Lawrie started sponsoring the Schools Cup in 2001 in the hope that we could encourage more school children to take part in competitive rugby and to produce more talented young players.
“Seeing players such as John Barclay, who won the Schools Cup with Dollar Academy in 2004, go on to represent Scotland A and make the Rugby World Cup squad, shows that the competition is an important platform for nurturing young rugby talent.
“We hope that the tournaments continue to break records and provide even more enjoyment for the players.”
John Barclay paid tribute to the flourishing competition for fuelling his passion for the game.
He said: “I was determined to lead my school to victory in the 2004 final and the intensity that surrounds the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup encouraged me to work harder on my game and think seriously about making rugby my career.”
Barclay, 20, the only uncapped member in Scotland’s squad, firmly believes the Schools Cup could be a springboard for other young players.
“Who knows, if youngsters involved in this season’s competition apply themselves then they could be figuring for Scotland come the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand,” he added.
Today’s launch saw U18 competition holders Bell Baxter High School return to Murrayfield, scene of their triumph last season when they defeated Dollar Academy 20-8 in the final.
Another member of the Scotland RWC squad, hooker Fergus Thomson, was on hand to offer encouragement to this season’s Bell Baxter squad as he is a former pupil of the Cupar school.
Thomson said: “Last season’s victory in the Schools Cup was a high point for the entire community and I know how much it meant to the players. They’ll be determined to defend their trophy this season.”
Once again, this season’s finals of both the U15 and U18 tournaments will be held on the international pitch at Murrayfield on Friday 25 January 2008.
BELL LAWRIE U18 SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CUP 2007 – 2008
DRAW FOR PRE-ROUND AND ROUND 1
CUP PRE-ROUND (Regionalised) – to be played on or before 8th September 2007
Losers go into Bowl Competition
Borders: Douglas Ewart High School v St Joseph's College (Dumfries)
Edinburgh: Preston Lodge High School v Firrhill High School; Forrester High School v Lasswade High School
Glasgow: Kelvinside Academy v Largs Academy: Grange Academy v Eastwood / Mearns CS Composite; Lenzie Academy v Douglas Academy; St Maurice’s HS & Abronhill HS v Turnbull High School
Midlands: Queen Victoria School v Alva Academy; Waid Academy v Kinross High School
North: Mintlaw Academy v Ellon Academy; Kemnay Academy v Breadalbane High School
CUP ROUND 1 (Regionalised) - to be played on or before 15th September 2007
Losers go into Bowl Competition
Borders: Carrick Academy v Lockerbie Academy; Douglas Ewart High School or St Joseph's College (Dumfries) v Dumfries Academy; Hawick High School v Jedburgh Grammar School: Annan Academy v Wallace Hall Academy
Edinburgh: Knox Academy v Ross High School; Dunbar Grammar School v Leith Academy; Preston Lodge High School or Firrhill High School v Linlithgow Academy Composite; Deans Community High School v Portobello High School; Forrester High School or Lasswade High School v Kelso High School
Glasgow: St Columba's, Kilmacolm v Kelvinside Academy or Largs Academy; Balfron High School v Wellington School; Rosehall High School v Lenzie Academy or Douglas Academy; Williamwood High School v Hamilton College; Duncanrig Secondary School v Oban HS & Tobermory HS; Belmont House v Dalziel High School; St Maurice’s HS & Abronhill HS or Turnbull High School v Arran High School; Trinity High School (Renfrew) v Belmont Academy; Grange Academy or Eastwood / Mearns CS Composite v Cathkin High School
Midlands: Waid Academy or Kinross High School v Buckhaven High School; Wallace High School v The Community School of Auchterarder; Dunfermline High School v Harris Academy; Crieff High School v Graeme High School; Lornshill Academy v Queen Victoria School or Alva Academy
North: Shetland Schools v Wick High School; Banchory Academy v Kemnay Academy or Breadalbane High School; Mintlaw Academy or Ellon Academy v Forfar Academy & Webster HS; Millburn Academy v Culloden Academy; Dingwall Academy v Aberdeenshire South (Mackie & Portleven Academies); Mearns Academy v Montrose Academy
The Gordon Schools v Nairn Academy; Tain Royal Academy v Aberdeen Grammar
Seeded Schools to enter Round 2
Bell Baxter High School; Boroughmuir High; Dollar Academy; Earlston High School;
Edinburgh Academy; Fettes College; Galashiels Academy; George Heriot’s; George Watson's College; Glenalmond College; Gordonstoun; High School of Dundee; High School of Glasgow; Hillhead/Jordanhill Schools; Hutchesons' Grammar; Lomond School; Loretto School; Madras College; Marr College; Merchiston Castle School; Morrison's Academy; North Berwick High School; Peebles High School; Perth Academy; Robert Gordon’s College; Royal High School; St Aloysius College; Selkirk High School; Stewart's Melville College; Strathallan; The Glasgow Academy; Trinity Academy;
BELL LAWRIE U15 SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CUP 2007 – 2008
DRAW FOR PRE-ROUND AND ROUND 1
CUP PRE-ROUND (Regionalised) – to be played on or before 8th September 2007
Losers go into Bowl Competition
Borders: Dumfries Academy v Moffat Academy
Edinburgh: Deans Community High School v Queensferry High School; St Thomas of Aquins’ High School v Ross High School
Glasgow: Dalziel High School v Lomond School
Midlands: Queen Victoria School v Balfron High School; Balwearie High School v Dunblane & McLaren composite; The Community School of Auchterarder v Craigmount High School
North: Culloden Academy v Westhill Academy (Aberdeen)
CUP ROUND 1 (Regionalised) - to be played on or before 15th September 2007
Losers go into Bowl Competition
Borders: Dumfries High School v Annan Academy; Peebles High School v Jedburgh Grammar School: Dumfries Academy or Moffat Academy v Hawick High School: Wallace Hall Academy v Berwickshire High School
Edinburgh: Dunbar Grammar School v Loretto School; St Thomas of Aquins’ High School or Ross High School v Royal High School; Biggar High School v Trinity Academy; Boroughmuir High School v Preston Lodge High School; Firrhill High School v Broughton High School; Musselburgh Grammar v Deans Community High School or Queensferry High School; Leith Academy v Dunfermline High School
Glasgow: Cathkin High School v Dalziel High School or Lomond School; Turnbull High School v Arran High School; St Maurice’s High School v Uddingston Grammar School; Hamilton College v Eastwood / Mearns CS Composite; Calderglen High School v Duncanrig Secondary School; Jordanhill School v Grange Academy ; Oban HS & Tobermory HS v Breadalbane HS & Pitlochry HS
Midlands: Balwearie High School or Dunblane & McLaren composite v St Leonard’s School; Buckhaven High School v Lornshill Academy; Morrison's Academy v Bell Baxter High School; The Community School of Auchterarder or Craigmount High School v Alva Academy; Harris Academy v Queen Anne High School; Queen Victoria School or Balfron High School v Kinross High School; Lathallan School v Crieff High School; Montrose Academy v Ellon Academy
North: Kemnay Academy v Aberdeenshire South (Mackie & Portleven Academies); Nairn Academy v Dingwall Academy; Culloden Academy or Westhill Academy (Aberdeen) v Millburn Academy; Mintlaw Academy v Elgin Schools; Wick High School v Shetland Schools; Meldrum Academy v Kirkwall Grammar School
Seeded Schools to enter Round 2: Aberdeen Grammar; Banchory Academy; Belmont Academy; Carrick Academy; Douglas Academy; Douglas Ewart High School; Earlston High School; Edinburgh Academy; Galashiels Academy; George Heriot’s; George Watson's College; Gordonstoun; High School of Dundee; High School of Glasgow; Hutchesons' Grammar; Kelso High School; Knox Academy; Lasswade High School; Lenzie Academy
Linlithgow Academy Composite; Madras College; Marr College; Merchiston Castle School; North Berwick High School; Perth Academy; Robert Gordon’s College; St Aloysius College; St Columba's, Kilmacolm; Selkirk High School; Stewart's Melville College; The Glasgow Academy; The Gordon Schools
30.7.07
The Rugby Football Union and the England & Wales Cricket Board have teamed up to offer youngsters in Dorset and Wiltshire a chance to attend combined rugby and cricket summer schools.
Designed for eight to 13-year-olds who have a keen interest in sport, the schools will provide children with an invaluable sporting experience.
The schools will be run by highly qualified coaches offering children the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their existing abilities in a safe environment which promotes enjoyment.
The summer schools run for three days and start at 9am and finish at 4pm. Each child can choose to play rugby or cricket or even a mix of both sports. Prices range from £35 a day to £80 for all three days.
Summer School dates & venues: Aug 1-3 (Dorchester Cricket Club), 6-8 August (Trowbridge Cricket Club), Aug 8-10 (Parley Cricket Ground, Parley Cross, Bournemouth), 13-15 August (Devizes Sports Club), Aug 15-17 (North Dorset RFC, Gillingham), 20-22 August (Biddestone Cricket Club), Aug 22-24 (Lychett Minster RFC), 27-29 August (Swindon Cricket Club) and Aug 29-31 (The Dorset Cricket Centre, Christchurch)
For more information please contact the Dorset Cricket Centre on 01202 470852
29.7.07
Loughborough Grammar School became the David English Bunbury U13 Cup champions by beating Brentwood School in the final by 110 runs at Oundle School (for a four-page special report on the final stages don’t miss September’s edition of the magazine)
28.7.07
Eton College retained the ESCA Lords Taverners National U15 Trophy by edging past Oundle School by two runs at Oakham School (for a four-page special report on the final stages don’t miss September’s edition of the magazine)
27.7.07
Queen’s School, Hertfordshire, took first place at the English Schools Team Golf Championships at Hearsall GC in Coventry while Martin Anderson, from Robert Smyth School in Leicestershire and Hannah Barwood, from Oldfield Girls School in Bath landed the boys and girls titles in the English Schools U18 National Championships at Walsall GC ((for a full report on the finals, don’t miss September’s edition of the magazine)
6.7.07
Defending champions Lee Mount School from Halifax will be leading the Northern Challenge in the finals of the Child Victims of Crime Tag Rugby Festival at Rugby School on Wednesday, July 11.Other qualifiers from the region include Parkinson Lane Community Primary School, West Yorkshire, Acresfield Primary School, Chester, Cheshire, Hungerford Primary School, Crewe, Cheshire, Kingston Park Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne They will be part of a finals day involving 450 youngsters aged 11 and under from across the country who will be playing at the reputed birthplace of the game, where William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it in 1823.The competition is the only national Tag Rugby Festival in the United Kingdom and was developed by Child Victims of Crime, the charity of the British Police rugby section, to promote children's health, safety and welfare and to encourage their social inclusion and community involvement.The programme also helps to bring local communities together by enabling police forces to get involved with local schools and work with them to improve community relations.
Regional Tag Rugby tournaments have been held across the country to provide qualifiers for the finals day.
5.7.07
Four South East school teams have qualified for the finals of the Child Victims of Crime Tag Rugby Festival at Rugby School on Wednesday, July 11.The qualifiers are Grange Park Primary School from Enfield, Robert Browning Primary School from Southwark, St Joseph's Junior School from Wembley and Overton Primary School from Basingstoke.They will be part of a finals day involving 450 youngsters aged 11 and under from across the country who will be playing at the reputed birthplace of the game, where William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran in 1823.
The competition is the only national Tag Rugby Festival in the United Kingdom and was developed by Child Victims of Crime, the charity of the British Police rugby section, to promote children's health, safety and welfare and to encouarge their social inclusion and community involvement.
The programme also helps to bring local communities together by enabling police forces to get involved with local schools and work with them to improve community relations.
Regional Tag Rugby tournaments are being held across the country to provide qualifiers for the finals day at Rugby School. At every tournament copies of the Child Victims of Crime safety publication 'Tackle Safety' are distributed.The full list of qualifiers so far is as follows:
Lee Mount Primary School, West Yorkshire (2006 Champions); Acresfield Primary School, Chester, Cheshire; Bosham Primary School, Chichester, West Sussex; Brockley Primary School, Derby, Derbyshire ; Christchurch Middle School, Stone, Staffordshire; Coundon Primary School, Coventry, Warwickshire; Grange Park Primary School, London; Hanley Swan Primary School, Worcestershire;Hungerford Primary School, Crewe, Cheshire; Kingsland Primary School, Leominster , Herefordshire; Kingston Park Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne; Lincroft Middle School, Oakley, Bedfordshire; Mount Charles School, St Austell, Cornwall; Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School, Northamptonshire; Overton Primary School, Basingstoke , Hampshire; Parkfield Primary School, Taunton, Somerset; Parkinson Lane Community Primary School, West Yorkshire; Robert Browning Primary School, Southwark, London; St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Birmingham; St Filumena's RC Primary School, Caverswall, Staffordshire; St Joseph 's Junior School, Wembley, London; St Nicholas Primary School, Cottesmore, Leicestershire; St Paul 's Primary School, Pendeford, Wolverhampton; St Walburghs Catholic Primary, School, Bournemouth, Dorset; Trewirgie Junior School, Redruth, Cornwall; Willowbank Primary School, Cullompton, Devon; Yealmpton Primary School, Yealmpton, Devon
4.7.07
South West schools qualify for national Child Victims of Crime tag rugby festival finals.
Six South West schools have qualified for the Child Victims of Crime Tag Rugby Festival finals day at Rugby School on Wednesday July 11.
The competition is the only national Tag Rugby Festival in the United Kingdom and was developed by Child Victims of Crime, the charity of the British Police rugby section, to promote children's health, safety and welfare and to encourage their social inclusion and community involvement.
The programme also helps to bring local communities together by enabling police forces to get involved with local schools and work with them to improve community relations.
The RFU recently appointed Matt Ferguson, the Luctonians and Stourbridge prop, to co-ordinate the Child Victims of Crime project in partnership with the charity. Ferguson previously worked as one of the RFU's Community Rugby Coaches and as an acting-Rugby Development Officer in the North Midlands.
Regional Tag Rugby tournaments are being held across the country to provide qualifiers for the finals day at Rugby School. At every tournament copies of the Child Victims of Crime safety publication 'Tackle Safety' are distributed.
St Walburghs Catholic Primary, School from Bournemouth, Trewirgie Junior School from Redruth, Willowbank Primary School from Cullompton, Yealmpton Primary School from Yealmpton in Devon, Parkfield Primary School from Taunton and Mount Charles School from St Austell have all won their local qualifying tournaments to secure places in the finals day.
The finals day will involve almost 450 youngsters aged eleven and under from across the country.
27.6.07
Brentwood School became the first team to reach the final of the national David English Bunbury U13 Cup when they knocked out favourites Millfield in the semi-final.The Essex school defeated the reigning champions by four wickets to take their place in the final to be played at Oundle School in Peterborough on July 12 against either Harrogate Grammar School or Loughborough Grammar School.
(Don’t miss September’s edition of the magazine for a four-page special on all the national schools cricket finals)
14.6.07
Dame Kelly Holmes was the guest of honour today at the official opening of Manchester High School for Girls’ new £3.7million sports complex.Britain’s double Olympic gold medallist thrilled the school’s 940 pupils when she unveiled the superb facilities that now rank amongst the best in the UK.After cutting the ribbon to the new building, Dame Kelly changed into her sportswear to lead an hour-long training session for the school’s elite sporting stars, many of whom are aspiring Olympians.Dame Kelly said: “What has impressed me at Manchester High School for Girls is the enthusiasm and willingness of the staff to help their students develop. The girls have got such a great opportunity to participate in so many sports.“I always had a dream of being an Olympic Champion from the age of 14, when I watched Sebastian Coe win Gold in 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics. The self-belief and passion in his face was incredible.“My message to the girls would be to never have self-doubt. There are so many great opportunities and a huge range of sports to try at this school so just give it a go.“The girls I have met here have been so well behaved and a delight to speak to. I congratulate all of the people behind the scenes, who shared a dream to create this fantastic sports complex and worked so hard to make it a reality. It is something to be immensely proud of.”The MHSG Sports Complex features a fully-equipped fitness suite with 16 aerobic machines and 12 weight stations, a sports hall the size of four badminton courts which can accommodate most indoor sports, including trampolining, a floor-to-ceiling climbing wall, a luxurious spectator’s gallery, an air-conditioned dance studio with electric windows and full-length mirrors, a suite changing facilities, staff facilities and an administration centre, as well as its own eco-friendly air-cooling systemManchester High School for Girls headmistress Mrs Christine Jones said the quality of the sports centre had delighted the entire school community.“We spent many hours working on the design specifications with the architects but even I never imagined the final building would be so fantastic. Our expectations have been exceeded and I am thrilled that our girls have such high quality sporting facilities.“It was entirely fitting that Dame Kelly agreed to perform the official opening. Her achievements are inspirational and it was a great honour for our elite athletes to train with such an exceptional role model, and for us all to spend time in her company. It was certainly a day to remember.“It has taken years of planning and months of construction to get to this stage, and the School is indebted for the time and generosity of so many people, but we now have facilities worthy of future Olympians.”MHSG’s head of PE, Sarah Newman, added: “Physical education plays a crucial role in the School’s curriculum as it not only teaches our girls about teamwork and communication, but it also instils virtues of tolerance, honesty and courtesy.“We have many sports teams, at all age ranges, playing competitive fixtures both during midweek and at the weekend, and all of our pupils are very grateful that Manchester High School can offer them such outstanding facilities, coupled with high level coaching.”
More information can be found at www.manchesterhigh.co.uk
11.6.07
Essex County Cricket Board Women and Girl’s section have formed what is hoped to be a very promising and productive partnership with New Hall School, Chelmsford. New Hall School who have superb sporting facilities for a number of sports are now branching out into the traditional English sport of cricket. High quality nets and lighting have been erected in the sports hall and a new cricket square has been laid on the school field.These new facilities have allowed Essex Women and Girls’ in partnership with the school to form a Centre of Cricketing Excellence for Women and Girls’ in the county. At the moment the centre is mainly used by the primary section however all other groups including a performance group also use the facility. The facilities have also been used for 17 of the girls to undertake the Cricketing Junior Leaders award course to encourage more girls to get involved with coaching cricket.The performance group made up of 12 girls aged between 11 and 15 are led by the Essex level 3 coach Matt Hyam and are able to use the school facilities for skill drills, fitness, net sessions and video analysis work. Dave Letch the Essex Cricket Development Officer who oversees Women and Girls’ cricket in the county said: “This group of girls are the first “County Performance” group assembled in the country; this has only been possible because of the partnership with New Hall School and the use of their excellent facilities. I am sure that the use of these facilities will reflect on the performance of the teams in years to come.”
Any women and girls interested in playing cricket in the County can contact Dave Letch on 01245 254042
5.6.07
Two goals from Chelsea Garrett and one from Alice Ladbrooke saw Thorpe St Andrew School, from Norwich, overcome Liverpool’s Archbishop Beck Catholic College 3-0 at Darlington Football Club to win the inaugural ESFA U15 School Cup for Girls. (For a full round-up of schools cup finals reports check out our new June/July edition)
15.5.07
Andrew Flintoff launched the 2007 ASDA Kwik Cricket tournament, with a specially arranged tournament held at Regents Park involving 450 children from London, encouraging even more kids across the country to get involved in the new-look programme. The importance of enthusing participation in cricket at a grassroots level, has been highlighted by Freddie himself.He said: “For myself and ASDA, last year was our first year involved in Kwik Cricket and it was a fantastic introduction to one the largest kids competitions in any sport in this country. 120,000 primary school kids participated in this last year, and more will do so this year, helping promote kids getting active.“It is a real community event, as you can see today. Nearly 200 ASDA stores will be participating in Kwik Cricket, providing healthy refreshments for all involved. As soon as my kids are old enough they will be getting involved! It is great to see not only cricket being promoted, but more importantly health, community, and teamwork.”A modified format of cricket focusing on the game’s core skills and rules, Kwik Cricket has involved nearly one million children in its structured county, regional and national competitions since it’s inception in 1988.In 2007 alone, the ASDA Kwik Cricket competition is set to involve in excess of 12,000 schools including over 1800 district festivals. Andy Cooper, community store manager of ASDA Isle of Dogs, commented, “This Kwik Cricket competition is such a fantastic event for so many reasons. It is the only cricket tournament that incorporates so many children from the local area. We receive so much support from the local cricketing school. Ultimately, it provides children with plenty of opportunity and a great way to get involved in cricket”.Kwik Cricket has been designed by the ECB to take young cricketers all the way from the playground to the Test arena to create future generations of England stars.David Collier, ECB chief executive, said: ““Enthusing following and participation among young people is a core objective of the ECB Strategic Plan 2005 – 2009 and Kwik Cricket accomplishes this aim magnificently.“This year the competition is more popular than ever with over 120,000 children in 12,000 schools taking part in 1,800 local festivals across England and Wales. We are delighted to have ASDA as sponsors of this competition - their presence at the festivals and finals with fresh fruit and water for the children delivers a very positive message about the benefits of an active lifestyle and healthy living.”
Sam Bradley, ECB Strength & Conditioning Coach highlighted, “It is very important for school children to stay healthy, eat a balanced diet and have plenty of exercise so they can lead a long and happy life. The relationship between ECB and ASDA works perfectly in this respect, the kids are actively enjoying themselves on the cricket pitch, drinking plenty of water and eating all of the fruits and other healthy snacks that ASDA have laid on for them, and it’s all free! I only hope that the kids learn from their positive experience here and follow this fantastic example.”
9.5.07
Scottish Rugby is writing to all of Scotland’s secondary schools this month to encourage their involvement in one of the sport’s big success stories.Last year entries for the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup reached an all-time high and bucked the trend which has seen a fall in competitive school sport. More than 100 schools entered the U18 competition for the first time in its 24 year history and even the fledgling U15 tournament recorded 92 entries in its third year.Now Scottish Rugby is writing to all secondary schools in Scotland – regardless of whether they have been “traditional” rugby schools or not – and calling on them to join the competition.Colin Thomson, the SRU’s Head of Community Rugby, said: “Since Bell Lawrie began their sponsorship in 2000, participation in the U18 competition has almost doubled and this past season the response from the state school sector was some 77% of the overall entry.“The competition is structured to enable all teams to progress as far as they can and for all that the highlight is unquestionably the chance for the teams in the finals to play on the international pitch at Murrayfield, I don’t believe you can under-estimate the benefits that can come from playing even one tie in the competition.”Paul Woods from Shetland Schools – a composite team drawn from Anderson, Sandwick, Whalsay and Brae High Schools – echoed Thomson’s point.He said: “Our U18 team played against Montrose then down in Edinburgh against Portobello and the whole competition was very much worthwhile. Our boys had a chance to meet other youngsters and took a lot from it, both from a rugby and personal point of view.“We enjoyed it so much that we’re contemplating entering the U15s cup next season as well and looking to extend our catchment area to include Scalloway Junior High School.”Chris Mason, captain of Bell Baxter High School from Cupar in Fife, who defeated Dollar Academy 20-8 to win the U18 final back in January, also urged more schools to join the competition.He said: “Any success you get in the tournament makes the whole school and the wider community realise what rugby is all about. It lifted the whole school and town and gave us a great buzz.“Playing in the competition also asks different questions about your rugby. It improves your game because you have to think about the different styles that you’ll come up against.”
For further information on the 2007-08 Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup please contact Scottish Rugby’s competitions administrator, Barbara Wilson at Barbara.wilson@sru.org.uk
4.5.07
Fifty school teams from across the country are heading for Twickenham for the national finals of the Daily Telegraph Emerging Schools Festival this weekend.The world’s biggest youth rugby competition has given more than 40,000 children the chance to take part in a national competition with the ultimate prize of a playing at the home of the World Cup winners.The tournament has been developed over the last 10 years by the Daily Telegraph, the Armed Forces and the Rugby Football Union to provide an inspiring competition for schools who play little formal rugby.This year there are boys competitions for under-12s and under-13s for 'new' schools getting to grips with the game for the first time and for 'emerging' ones who play a limited numbe of fixtures. The girls have an under-14 competition which is in its second year.The teams will be at Staines RFC on the morning of Saturday, May 5 to play off for places in the five finals which are staged in the afternoon before and during the half-time interval of the annual Army v Navy clash for the Babcock Trophy that is watched by 40,000 fans.Last season the New Schools competition saw Oxfordshire duo Marlborough and Langtree claim the Under-12 and Under-13 boys titles, while the Emerging Schools categories were won by Bourne Grammar School from Lincolnshire (Under-12) and Beths Grammar School from South East London (Under-13). The first ever Under-14 girls title was clinched by De Ferrers Technology College from Staffordshire.The competition rules mean the winners cannot take part in the same competitions this year, but Marlborough are returning the finals of the Emerging Schools category at both under-12 and under-13 levels.The programme starts with qualifying games at Staines RFC from 9am to 11.30am. The Emerging Schools and Girls finals take place at 1.30 and 1.45pm at Twickenham with the New Schools finals staged during the half-time interval of the Army v Navy game at 3.40pmEMERGING SCHOOLS FINALS DAY QUALIFIERSUnder-12 New
London North: Abbotsfield
London South: Rydon Community College
East Midlands: English Martyrs School
West Midlands: Rawlett High School
North East & Yorkshire: Wath-upon-Dearne Comprehensive
North East & Yorkshire: Roseberry Sports College
North West: De La Salle High School
South West: Redland Green School
South: Bishop Lovett Middle School
British Army: Kings (Germany)Under-12 Emerging
London North: Brentwood School
London South: Simon Langton School for Boys
East Midlands: Stopsley High School
West Midlands: The Chase High School
North East & Yorkshire: Egglescliffe School
North East & Yorkshire: Filey School
North West: Rainford High School
South West: Sidmouth College
South: Priestlands School
South: Marlborough School (Oxon)Under-13 New
London North: All Saints Catholic School
London South: Rydon Community College
London South: Priory School
East Midlands: Queen Elizabeths Grammar School (Lincs)
West Midlands: Walton High School
North East & Yorkshire: Honley High School
North West: Abraham Guest High School
South: Bicester Community College
South: Mayfield Middle School (IOW)
British Army: Kings (Germany)Under-13 Emerging
London North: Hockerill Anglo European College
London South: Kemnal Technology College
East Midlands: Robert Bloomfield Middle School
West Midlands: Charlton School
North West: Sacred Heart Catholic High School
South West: Humphry Davy School
South: Ousedale School
South: Marlborough School (Oxon)
South: Wyvern Technology College
South: Cams Hill SchoolUnder-14 Girls
London North: Simon Balle
London North: Stanborough & Sir Freds
London South: St Bede’s
East Midlands: Elizabethan High Comprehensive
West Midlands: Nunnery Wood High School
West Midlands: Walton High School
North East & Yorkshire: Egglescliffe School
North West: Range High School
South West: Gillingham School
South: Perins School
26.4.07
The Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools U15 Plate final between Kelso HS and Knox Academy will take place tomorrow (Friday 27 April) at Hallhill, Dunbar with a 6.30pm kick-off.Kelso were defeated in the second round of the Cup by Lasswade HS, thus bringing them into the Plate competition where they have accounted for Bearsden Academy, Morrison’s Academy, Hillhead/Jordanhill schools and Duncanrig secondary.Knox lost to Selkirk HS in the second round of the Cup. In the Plate they have beaten Ross High, Royal High, Harris Academy and Forrester High composite.
Admission to the match is free.
26.4.07
Portobello High won the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Under-18 Bowl Final at Malleny Park, the greater variety that they brought to their game proving instrumental in their success over Annan Academy.The young Portobello side – all but one player will be back at school next year – had the outstanding individual afield in Scotland under-17 No 8 Michael Maltman, who was the richly-deserved recipient of the Man of the Match award from Scotland No 8 Dave Callam and his Edinburgh Rugby team-mate, centre Ben Cairns.That said, Maltman’s colleague, centre Cameron Deardon, a second-half substitute, played with considerable imagination, while Annan captain, Scotland under-18 internationalist Andrew White, could not have done more to boost his team’s cause.White was short with a penalty with the wind in his favour from half-way before he did open the scoring with an 11th minute goal. Portobello’s Hamish Munro levelled on 21 minutes but Annan were next to threaten, White and his fellow centre Jamie Harrison carving an opening which Portobello did well to close down deep in their own 22.The sin-binning of Portobello wing Callum Watson only served to galvanise the Capital side as Maltman set out on a long, surging break, during which he brushed off four tackles and confirmed his strength by dotting down in the corner for the opening try.White’s second penalty miss left Portobello leading 8-3 at the interval, a lead extended 15 minutes into the second period, when full-back Rory Thomson’s menacing run on the left was embellished off ruck ball by the long-striding Maltman who sent Deardon in for their second try. The tie then appeared to be wrapped up for the city side as Maltman bruised through another handful of tackles for Deardon to give a well-timed scoring pass to substitute Ben Cleary, Munro’s conversion taking the score to 20-3.Annan, however, finished strongly with White powering over for a try from short-range, then adding the goal points to a 70th minute score from Dean Gallimore, on one of the rare occasions that they had found sustained width in their game.Earlier in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Under-15 final, Deans Community High School, in their first season of rugby, had lost to a more experienced Boroughmuir High School side 61-0.Boroughmuir’s points came from 11 tries by Cameron Roscoe (3), Erik Kruse (2), William Kay (2), Matthew Walker (2), Ross Buchanan and Murray Buchan. Buchanan kicked one conversion and Roscoe two.
Scotland internationalists Rob Dewey and Allan Jacobsen (both Edinburgh Rugby) named Boroughmuir’s openside flanker Matthew Walker their Man of the Match.
25.4.07
The finals of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Bowl at under-15 and under-18 levels will be held at Currie’s home ground, Malleny Park, today..In the under-15 final Deans Community HS from Livingston face Edinburgh’s Boroughmuir HS.The West Lothian youngsters lost in the first round of the Cup to Trinity Academy. Thereafter they accounted for Bo’ness Academy, Oban HS/Tobermory HS, Lockerbie Academy and Mintlaw Academy.Boroughmuir were beaten by Knox Academy in the first-round of the Cup but went on to receive a bye before eclipsing Mearns Academy, Montrose Academy and Wallace Hall Academy en route to the final.Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby players, centre Rob Dewey and prop Allan Jacobsen, will be on hand at the tie (kick-off 6pm) to select man of the match.In the under-18 final Annan Academy from the south-west await Portobello HS from the capital.Annan lost to Selkirk HS in the first round of the Cup. Thereafter they beat Dunbar GS, Alloa/Lornshill Academies, Wallace Hall Academy and Kinross HS.Portobello lost to Knox Academy in the first round of the Cup but then saw off Dumfries Academy, Shetland Schools, Bishopbriggs (on the away team rule) and Buckhaven HS to reach the final.Their match kicks-off at 7.20pm and Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland A utility back Ben Cairns will be joined by his club-mate and Scotland internationalist, No 8 Dave Callam, to select man of the match for this tie.
Admission to both matches is free.
24.4.07
Sale Sharks are inviting champion school and club rugby teams of the North West to parade the trophies that they have won during the 2006/07 rugby season on the Edgeley Park pitch prior to the England v. USA international on Friday 18th May. More than 30 clubs and schools took part in the event last season prior to the Sharks Semi-final victory over London Wasps last May. The Sharks expect an even greater take up from clubs and schools wishing to celebrate their success before an England international.
Any team at any level and age group can take part, as long as they have something to celebrate from their 2006/07 rugby season.
17.4.07
FA Director of Football Development, Sir Trevor Brooking, believes the future of the national game depends on getting more primary school kids involved in the sport between the ages of five and 11.
The former England international was speaking at Ryders Green Primary School in West Bromwich s The FA showcased a £4.5million investment project in local community football.
Brooking said: "Sometimes, everyone focuses on the professional game, the success of the Premier League or the national team, and that grabs the headlines.
"But anyone who is lucky enough to have worked their way up to that level understands that the starting point and the key years are between five and 11.
"All the top players started playing at primary or secondary school when it was just a bit of fun. Arsenal's Theo Walcott is an exception, because he was a late developer, but most of the best players knew what to do with a football at the age of 11.
"The whole football system is a pyramid. And to improve it, we feel we have to strengthen the base of the pyramid so that more youngsters come into the sport at a young age."
The FA Hat-Trick regeneration programme is a three-year scheme that has seen the appointment of 19 community football workers around the country after The FA secured £4.5million in funding from UEFA and the Government.Their role is to provide a range of football opportunities for young people aged 7-16 in communities that suffer from multiple deprivation; poor health, housing, education, and high incidences of crime and drug abuse. These areas also include significant ethnic minority communities and this scheme is enabling The FA to further its commitment to Football for All.
The community football workers work closely with schools and local clubs, and are tasked with getting young people into football, developing sustainable opportunities for children through FA Charter Standard clubs, developing leaders and coaches from within the communities and supporting the Government target of providing two hours of PE in schools every week.
Abdur Obeed is a local teenager who got involved in the Greets Green project, after working as a Youth Worker. "I was working at a local community centre and always thought coaching would be boring, but when I attended my first session, I saw the enjoyment the young kids got from having someone showing interest in them, and I was hooked" he said.
"We're giving young children locally something that we never had ourselves, and as well as keeping them fit, we're giving them opportunities to make new friends and meet new people from other schools on Saturday morning and at after-school clubs we run too."
FA Racial Equality Project Manager, Brendon Batson, believes it's also important to encourage youngsters from all backgrounds to get involved in football.
Batson said: "Football is open for all. I started in the mid-1960s when there were hardly any black players around. We came through in big numbers and now it's no big thing.
"But there is still an issue with the Asian players. There has to be a meeting of minds from both sides but I don't think there are any barriers that cannot be overcome."
England Ladies international Rachel Unitt says the promotion of football in schools has, and will continue to have, a dramatic impact on the ladies game, with more girls playing the sport than ever before.
Unitt said: "The game has changed so much now that there are hundreds of girls teams, and thousands of players, all over the country.
"When I was at school there was no Astroturf on the playground. It just shows how much the game has developed over the last ten years for boys and girls. The kids are lucky these days."
Curtis Davies, who came through the youth system at Luton Town before moving on to his current club, West Bromwich Albion, says the kids he met at Ryders Green could go on to follow in his footsteps.
Davies said: "If you get footballers at a young age, who can make a mark for themselves, then they will spotted and the talent can develop.
"Hopefully these kids could be the bright stars of the future. You would like to think some of them could be playing in professional football in the future.
"Perhaps we ought to get their names now because we might be asking for their autographs in years to come!"
29.3.07
Warwick School defeated Barnard Castle School 24-23 to capture the Daily Mail National U18 Schools Rugby Cup.Lymm High School beat St Paul’s School, Barnes 20-15 to clinch the Daily Mail National U15 Schools Rugby Cup.Ermisted’s Grammar School battled past Wilmslow High School 3-0 to win the Daily Mail National U18 Schools Rugby Vase.Woodhouse Grove School overcame Solihull School 27-3 to take the Daily Mail National U15 Schools Rugby Vase.
(For full reports and behind-the-scenes action check out the new edition of School Sport Magazine out on April 17)
28.3.07
Further evidence that the East Neuk of Fife has become something of a hotbed of rugby development was provided in Forfar tonight. Following on Bell Baxter High School’s success in the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup Final, neighbouring Madras College from St Andrews, won the Bell Lawrie under-18 Plate Final, having more guile in their backs than the boys from the Granite City – beating them 14-8.Terry Trewartha, Madras coach, noted: “It was a game of two styles. We absorbed the forward pressure from Aberdeen and our game gave us the chance to put pressure on in the second-half.”Madras, who had lost to North Berwick HS in the Cup and had gone on to defeat Montrose Academy, Belmont Academy, Kelso HS and Cathkin HS to reach tonight’s final, did well only to concede a snap Sam Knudson drop-goal after Aberdeen had mounted umpteen forward assaults from close-range lineouts and a scrum in the opening ten minutes.The Fifers claimed the game’s first try after 18 minutes. From turnover ball off a scrum, they attacked on the left. Man of the match Dan Spencer showed class to bounce off a tackle and retain his composure to touch down in the corner. Centre Matt Sprot converted.Spencer again looked lively when he was denied at the flag by brave Aberdeen defence and before the break Madras full-back Craig Moir had to shepherd a Patrick Maughan kick-ahead to safety to protect his side’s lead.Madras centre Jonny Watters was yellow-carded for leading with his forearm 13 minutes into the second-half. Yet despite being short-handed, Madras’ backs still showed willingness to counter. From Spencer’s catch off an Aberdeen kick, the wing had a glorious show of the ball, before taking his opposite number on the outside and then releasing Sprot perfectly on the inside run for a fine try. Sprot converted.Aberdeen, celebrating the 750th anniversary of the school, rallied and from 18 metres out, a lineout catch and drive, which saw backs join the forward rumble, culminated in a try for Ross Taylor.
Madras, however, ended the game on the attack and were worthy winners.
27.3.07
Oxfordshire’s The Marlborough School could be set to return to the home of English rugby, Twickenham Stadium, on May 5th after double success in the Daily Telegraph’s Emerging Schools Festival regional finals.
The school won both the Emerging Schools Under 12s and Under 13s categories in the South region finals at Newbury RFC last week.
The victories mean both teams will now contest the national group stages of the Emerging Schools Festival at Staines RFC on May 5th. Those games will decide the 10 teams that go forward to the five Finals at Twickenham Stadium that afternoon. History could certainly be repeating itself after The Marlborough School won the New Schools Under 12s competition at Twickenham a year ago.
As runner-ups in the Emerging School Under 12s and Under 13s competitions respectively Hampshire school Priestlands and Buckinghamshire school Ousedale will also play at Staines RFC.
In the New Schools Under 12s competition this year Bishop Lovett School from Hampshire will fly the flag for the South while Mayfield Middle, also from Hampshire, will compete in the Under 13s tournament.
This year more than 40,000 children have taken part in the event nationwide with the annual tournament giving schools that play little or no competitive rugby the chance to learn the game by taking part in a national event with the incentive of finals being played at the home of English rugby.
26.3.07
With five of the eight teams taking part in Daily Mail Schools Day at Twickenham on Wednesday (March 28) coming from the North, the region looks well placed to claim its best Cup and Vase haul.Last year Lymm High School were the only Northern winners, beating London Leisure in the Under 18 Vase, with Durham losing in the Under 18 final and QEGS Wakefield going down in the Under 15 showpiece.This year, however, Northern success is assured in the Under 18 Vase, in which Ermysted’s Grammar from Skipton take on Wilmslow High, while elsewhere Barnard Castle School, Woodhouse Grove and Lymm High are also involved.Barnard Castle coach Martin Pepper will be making his third appearance in the final of the Daily Mail Schools Cup on Wednesday when his side lines up against Warwick School in the final of the Under 18 section.“I’d be a rich man if I had a fiver for every time ‘third time lucky’ has been mentioned to me,” he says. “And yes, it would be nice to win it. 2003 was a great experience for us being there for the first time and we were a bit unlucky when we lost 30-28 to Oakham, but 2004 was embarrassing when we were walloped 48-0 by Colston’s.“But the experience is all new to this set of lads and previous results don’t have any relevance to them.“From my perspective, having been here before does offer some advantages. We’re traveling down today (Monday) for example to give us more time and lessen the intensity of trying to get everything done in a day. We’re training at London Irish and then we’ll have plenty of time to do the Twickenham tour and get organised.”Most important news for Pepper is that his England Under 18 players No 8 Calum Clarke and fly-half Rory Clegg have returned from weekend action full fit.While both a key men in the Barnard Castle team, Clegg’s influence is very important. He was decidedly below par in the semi-final win over Wellington College after being in bed ill during the lead-up to the game, but Pepper is expecting a return to normal service in the final.“When Rory plays the whole team functions.” says Pepper. “We did well to get the win in the semi and didn’t play well. There were no phases of play and we’ll need to do better to beat Warwick, who are a good team.“We haven’t spent time thinking about their game simply because at this stage you only want to try to make sure that your own game is in good shape.”*In the Under 15 Cup, Lymm High School from Cheshire will have one facet of their game clearly in focus when they take on St Paul’s, Barnes – discipline.“We certainly won’t be giving away as many penalties as we did in the semi-final,” says coach Simon Baker. “That could have destroyed us in our 19-6 win over Wellington at Castlecroft and it will be crucial on Wednesday.“Otherwise, we’re all fit and well, we’ve seen the DVD of the St Paul’s semi three or four times and they’re obviously a very good side. They’re not dissimilar to Wellington and play nice rugby.“From out perspective, we haven’t done any thing special. It’s a case of ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”Lymm travelled south today (Monday) and will train at London Welsh tomorrow.*“I don’t think anybody is going to get a walk-over at this stage and we’re expecting a tough game,” says Ermysted’s GS coach Ian Douglas as he looks ahead to an Under 18 Vase final against Wilmslow. “The main thing for us is that we had a number of lads involved in a National Under 17 game with Wharfedale yesterday (Sunday) and they all came through OK.“I didn’t go to watch because I knew I’d be a nervous wreck on the touchline, but all’s well.“Now it’s all about performing on the day. We’ve trained hard, the attitude has been good and we’ve had good input from Chris Malherbe, the England Counties, Barbarians and Wharfedale centre. The only issue now for me is to decide who plays, which is a good problem to have.”*Defeat in the semi-finals of the Cheshire Schools Cup by Sandbach has been seen as a blessing in disguise by Wilmslow High.
“We’ve one or two bits and pieces and a cut eye from training, but we’re in good shape and we’ve prepared as well as we can,” says coach Stuart Dodds. “We were beaten by Sandbach in our only game since the semis and that was arguably the best preparation we could have had.“We were a bit rusty and needed a game. It also highlighted our deficiencies and made us take a good look at ourselves. It emphasised that if you don’t play to your strengths you can get beaten.“Otherwise we’ve been concentrating solely on our own game. It’s too late to be thinking about the opposition. I’ve locked horns with Ermysted’s coach Ian Douglas a few times and he’s a very good coach, so they will be well prepared.“I’m pleased that we have James Hall leading the side. He’s a very mature lad and someone who won’t be fazed by the occasion. He’s the sort of player everybody wants in their team. His attitude is spot on and he’ll lead from the front.“The main thing is that we’ve got there and now we want to produce our best on the day.”
*Woodhouse Grove School from Leeds travel for their Under 15 Vase game against Solihull with a handful of minor bumps and bruises, but confident that they will be at full strength on Wednesday.“Our fitness levels are good and we’ve just been working on giving ourselves more options to develop depending on how the game goes,” says coach Roger Howard. “We played pretty well in the semi-final to beat Felsted, but we had to work hard to get the 32-10 win. They were a good side, as were Manchester Grammar, who we beat in the previous round. We seem to be finding our best form and getting better with each game.“The Vase competition has given the team a real sense of purpose and I commend the RFSU people for putting it in place.”
Daily Mail Under-15 Vase: Woodhouse Grove v Solihull (11am)
Daily Mail Under-15 Cup: Lymm HS v St Paul's, Barnes (12.15pm)
Daily Mail Under-18 Vase: Ermysteds GS v Wilmslow HS (2pm)
Daily Mail Under-18 Cup: Warwick v Barnard Castle (3.30pm)
26.3.07
The U15s from St Paul's School, Barnes will go one step further than coach Richard Girvan when they make it onto the pitch in this Wednesday’s Daily Mail Schools U15 Cup final at Twickenham.Girvan played rugby league for Ireland and was a matchwinning loose-forward for Cambridge in the 13-man code's Varsity Match.He didn't make it off the bench in rugby union at Twickenham against Oxford in 2003, where he understudied victorious Light Blues skipper Duncan Blaikie.But he is drawing on his Cambridge connections to help St Paul's - who pulled off an outstanding 27-7 semi-final win against the Bishop of Hereford's School - prepare to face Lymm High School on Wenesday."Twickenham's a big pitch for an under-15 team to play on," said Girvan."We've been to Cambridge this weekend to prepare, staying at Girton College and we're fortunate enough to have been allowed to have a run out at Grange Road to help us prepare."That's another large playing surface which will be in good condition and it should be a good precursor for Wednesday."We like to move the ball wide at pace and you could see us go from one side of the field to the other to score in the semi-final."Our third try in that game sums up what we try to achieve in terms of handling when our tight-head prop Ben Lucas was able to throw a double-miss pass that got the move going."St Paul's showed just how much they enjoy the wide open spaces that give them the chance to handle the ball when running in five tries in the semi-final at RFU Castlecroft in the West Midlands.Wing Tom Rebuffa scored twice and centres Ben Macdonald, George Inglis and replacement Michael Bolton also touched down with fly-half Nico Wilson adding a conversion.Standing in their way are Lymm, though, who shut down fancied opponents Wellington College to win the other semi-final 19-6. "They're very well organised in defence and never allowed Wellington to get any decent second or third phase ball," added Girvan."We'd like to think that if we can put some phases together we might be able to break them down."The stars of the show this season for St Paul's - who were the beaten finalists at this age group in 2005 - have been athletic number eight Rupert Cowan and fly-half Willson, who distributes with a touch of class and kicks at goal and for positionGirvan focuses on developing individual skill levels and is particularly pleased with the progress made by pacy outside centre George Inglis, a B team player last year who has scored in every round but one this season.
DAILY MAIL RUGBY FINALS, WEDNESDAY MARCH 28
Daily Mail Under-15 Vase: Woodhouse Grove v Solihull (11am)
Daily Mail Under-15 Cup: Lymm HS v St Paul's, Barnes (12.15pm)
Daily Mail Under-18 Vase: Ermysteds GS v Wilmslow HS (2pm)
Daily Mail Under-18 Cup: Warwick v Barnard Castle (3.30pm)
21.3.07
Wilmslow High School have been reinstated in this season's Daily Mail Schools U18 Vase following a Rugby Football Union appeal hearing.The Cheshire school had been expelled from the tournament at the semi-final stage, after beating Truro School 13-0, for breaching a competition rule about the eligibility of players.The appeal against the decision was heard in Manchester by a panel of former RFU President Robert Horner (chairman), Clif Barker (Lancashire) and David MacInnis (Yorkshire).Wilmslow's appeal was allowed in part, so the team has been reinstated and will play Ermysted's School from Skipton in the final at Twickenham on March 28.
However, because of the breach of the competition regulation 2(d) limiting the number of players taking part who have joined schools in the sixth form, Wilmslow has been suspended from the competition next season.
18.3.07
Bancrofts School, Essex, Holy Cross High School, Chorley, and Cardinal Newman High School, Cheshire, were crowned U14, U16 and U19 champions at the Sporting Destinations National Schools Netball Championships in Bournemouth (for full details, reports, results and pictures check out the next edition of the magazine)
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