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Boys of all ages chosen as last season’s top rugby players for QE enjoyed a special treat with a visit to watch Premiership side Saracens battle it out with Newcastle Falcons.

Most of the 15 boys selected by their PE teachers for the 2021–2022 Rugby Team of the Year headed to Saracens’ StoneX Stadium, where they saw the host side beat Newcastle 29-23.

Head of Rugby James Clarke said: “For all but three of the boys, this was the first live rugby match they’d seen in person, and they thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and experience, despite having to brave the cold.”

Adding to the boys’ enjoyment was the exciting nature of this top-flight game, with the visitors staging a strong comeback in the second half.

Hosts Saracens were 29-13 up at half-time, while Newcastle were already down to 14 men, since Falcons lock Greg Peterson was sent off after just 16 minutes for a dangerously high tackle.

But in the second half, it was the Falcons who scored the only try. And tensions rose still further when fly-half Brett Connon scored a penalty for Newcastle two minutes into stoppage time (which also earned the visitors a bonus league point for losing by no more than seven points – the value of a converted try). In the end, however, Saracens were able to hold on for the win.

After the game, the QE visitors were able to meet some of the players, including England international Billy Vunipola, the Saracens No. 8.

The QE 2021–2022 Rugby Team of the Year, with their age categories at the time the team was announced, were:

• Backs – Taro Niimura, U16; Thomas Young, U13; Esa Aslam, U12; Isa Sheikh, U12; Ubayd Uddin, U15; Andrew Mbogol, U16; Ubaidah Rahman. U14.
• Forwards – Simardeep Sahota, U14; Aashir Irfan, U13; Soham Bhatnagar, U12; David Hirtopanu, U15; Nnanna Okore, U18; Edward Muscat, U14; Aaron Rodrigo, U15; Theo Moses, U15.

Earlier in the season, Year 8’s leading rugby players had enjoyed their own day out, which included a training session by the coaches at Premiership side London Irish RFC and a visit to Twickenham – the world’s biggest rugby union stadium – where they were able to look around the World Rugby Museum.

PE & Games teacher Ollie Di-Lieto said: “Having had a training session led by the London Irish coaches, we had the opportunity to watch the first team train and meet a few of the players. We met Ollie Hassell-Collins (in the England squad) and Henry Arundell (now also in the England squad: he scored on his England debut last year).”

QE’s first post-pandemic skiing trip saw fifty boys take to the slopes of Canada’s ancient Purcell Mountains, some 4,500 miles away from home.

The group flew to the resort of Panorama in British Columbia on a eight-day trip during which they were able to enjoy five days of “fantastic” skiing.

As well as being able to take in the spectacular views of the Canadian Rockies, they benefitted from their hotel being conveniently close to the slopes.

Trip organiser and PE teacher Richard Scally said: “The Canadian Rockies are stunning, and this resort is considered to be in the top ten places to ski in the world.

“Snow is near-guaranteed there from early December through to late April and we were accordingly  treated to some fantastic skiing conditions, unhampered by the queues and crowded slopes that you often find at half-term in other resorts.”

Announced last summer, QE’s first skiing trip since 2019 attracted boys from across the School – pupils from current Years 8–13.

Their destination, Panorama Mountain Resort, which was founded as recently as 1962, is accessed by road from the town of Invermere, which is 11 miles away. It boasts one of the highest vertical drops in North America – some 1,300m.

The boys had five hours of instruction per day, while lessons had also been available for first-time skiers before departure to ensure participants could get the most out of their trip.

The QE group stayed at the Pine Inn, a hotel chosen because, unusually for North American resorts, it is ‘slope side’ – skiing jargon meaning that it is within walking distance of the ski lifts.

Having ‘slope side’, or ‘ski in, ski out’, accommodation meant it was quick, safe and convenient for the boys. It also had the advantage of being next to the resort’s hot springs, offering skiers great scope for relaxation and recovery after a hard day’s physical activity.

Once the day’s fun on the slopes was over, the boys had a programme of evening activities to enjoy, while a ski school presentation took place at the end of the week.

Reflecting afterwards on the trip, Mr Scally said: “With a high percentage of complete beginners this year, it could not have been a better introduction to skiing and mountain life.

“This is the second time Queen Elizabeth’s has now been to Panorama, and I am certain we will be back, as everyone left with the most amazing memories.”

Samuel Akpan’s efforts to build a career in sports have received a major boost with his securing of a long internship at the Premier League.

Sam (OE 2011–2018) won an 18-month placement at the world’s most-watched sports league, where he will spend six months each in three departments.

And he is not the only Old Elizabethan at the Premier League: Piers Martin (1987–1994), son of Chairman of Governors Barrie Martin, is currently the league’s Head of Leadership and Academy Workforce Development.

“The Premier League is probably the best possible place to learn about the complete system of élite football – so I am very much excited by the future,” said Sam.

“The first department I was assigned to was within the football development team, which Piers is a senior figure on – focusing primarily on supporting and developing non-coaching staff off the field, such as academy managers and heads of operation. I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet an OE at the Premier League, but it is a very small world!

“I’m really enjoying supporting the operational element of organising events, working with the digital learning systems and helping contribute to the efficiency of all the different programmes being run. Having an input and being able to offer value to help academy staff is an amazing honour, and it has been very surreal even to visit Arsenal’s youth academy in Hale End.”

Samuel, who graduated in Politics & International Studies from Warwick last year, started making his mark while still a student in fields including social enterprise, sport and anti-racism work at the university. He was named among Future Leaders magazine’s 2021–2022 Top 150 of the most outstanding Black university students in Britain.

As to his future career path, Sam is maintaining a flexible position: “I want to take these 18 months to focus on developing my best skills and understand what this looks like within football, and sport generally.”

The photo shows Sam speaking at the Premier League’s recent Mentor Summit at Villa Park in Birmingham.

Harrisons’ triumphed in the 2021–2022 Eric Shearly House Cup, reaping the rewards of a year of consistently strong performance.

It was a striking reversal of the 2020–2021 results, when Harrisons’ ended the year languishing in the lower reaches of the inter-House points table.

This year’s eagerly awaited final totals were announced at the end-of-year House celebration assembly, with Harrisons’ proclaimed the winners to loud cheers from the boys.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to Harrisons’ House Captain, Utkarsh Bhamidimarri, his deputy, Anubhav Rathore, [both of Year 12] and to all the members of the House. Their impressive victory demonstrates how a combination of unflinching determination, high levels of enthusiastic participation and good organisation can often turn around unpromising situations.”

Founded in 1954, when it was the fifth House to be established at the School, Harrisons’ enjoys the distinction of being the only QE House named after two people­, both of them long-serving Masters (teachers) from the School’s history: G.W.N. Harrison, who taught at the School for 41 years until 1929, and E.W. Harrison (no relation), another long-serving teacher, who retired in 1950.

The competition between QE’s six Houses continues throughout the year and includes points gained through the many House competitions, as well as the totals of merits and good notes earned across the year groups.

One of the biggest contributors to the overall points total is Sports Day, held near the end of the Summer Term. All The Houses battled hard at Sports Day, including Harrisons’, although this year, as in 2019 and 2021 (2020’s Sports Day being cancelled), the winning House was again Broughton.

Broughton sealed their Sports Day success by winning the QE Mile – the first time for some years that this relay has not been won by the staff team. Staff did, however, retain their Sports Day tug-of-war title.

The end-of-term assembly celebrated involvement not only in sport, but also in extra-curricular activities from chess to drama and music, as well as this academic year’s charity work and fundraising.

The latter included the 10km sponsored walks undertaken by pupils from Years 7­–9, which, like Sports Day, formed part of this year’s QE Enrichment Week.

On some of the hottest days of the year, the 570 boys enjoyed the chance to get out into the countryside, raising £5,000, to be split between the Teach Sri Lanka charity and the School’s Robert Dudley Studio project.

During the walks, the boys devised some creative solutions to the issue of carrying their bags, while also enjoying tree-climbing, picnics and some impromptu games of football and cricket.

They slaked their thirst with water delivered to them en route by Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter and Extra-curricular Enrichment Tutor Katrin Hood, who organised the walks.

Year 10’s Enrichment Week featured the performance of a French play, as well as animation and drama workshops. The animation was based on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which the boys will study next term, while for the drama, boys created tableaux from Romeo and Juliet, learned how to stage-fight, and used a Shakespearean insult generator to practise their Elizabethan English.

Victory in the final of the Middlesex County Cricket Cup for QE’s U12 side sealed a vintage season for the School’s youngest players.

The final held at Harrow School ended in exciting fashion, with QE beating St Benedict’s School, Ealing, by two runs, after successfully restricting the opposing batsman to a single run off the last ball of the day.

With 11 wins from 11 games and a total of 1,297 runs, QE’s boys have shown consistency throughout a busy season and currently lead the national rankings for their age group.

Their county cup triumph also qualifies the team for the National Cricket Cup next summer, where they will face the other county champions in a knock-out tournament.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are all super-proud of our Year 7 cricketers! What a great season – and one which augurs very well for cricket at the School in the coming years.”

It is not only the A team in Year 7 which has enjoyed success. The School has fielded teams from A to D this season, with the B–D teams matching the A team’s 100 per cent win ratio and accumulating 11 victories between them for their total of 11 games played.

The champions’ coach, James Clarke, said: “Many congratulations to my U12 team, who topped off a memorable season in style with a thrilling contest against St Benedict’s. I am extremely proud of them.”

In the county cup semi-final, the boys took on Hampton School. Hampton were playing at home and, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, they got off to a flying start, scoring almost nine an over. A combination of strong bowling and impressive fielding limited the damage, but they still finished all out for a “respectable 121 runs, which looked a tall order,” said Mr Clarke, who is Head of Rugby.

QE’s batsmen took to the field in determined fashion and stayed ahead of the required run rate, yet when wickets started to fall, tensions rose. But after Hampton dropped a skied ball from QE captain Aarush Choudhary, he piled on the agony for the hosts in the final stages, securing victory with “a magnificent captain’s innings of 42 not out,” Mr Clarke said.

“In the final, Vikyath Vatnala’s two wickets in the 19^th and penultimate over – including the St Benedict’s opener on 52 – proved to be the turning point: it slowed their run rate at a crucial point and kept us in the contest.

“Captain Aarush had already put in another excellent batting performance – 42 not out again, helping us to our rain-affected total of 126 runs in 20 overs – and he now showed great courage and leadership in stepping up to bowl the final over of the day.

“The match went down to the final ball, with St Benedict’s batsmen requiring four to win. Thankfully, they only managed a single run, and QE were victorious by two runs in an enthralling contest,” Mr Clarke said.

Aarush was named Player of the Match.

Old Elizabethan rugby professional Biyi Alo has received his call-up to England’s 35-man squad, ahead of this month’s international against the Barbarians and the summer tour to Australia.

Biyi (OE 2005–2010), a tighthead prop with Wasps, has this week been taking part in an England training camp at Teddington, with head coach Eddie Jones’ players preparing for the fixture at Twickenham on Sunday 19^th June.

His selection comes as QE’s PE department look back on a busy and largely successful rugby season and report that five current senior players have been selected at county and professional club level.

Head of Rugby James Clarke said: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to Biyi on his England call-up, the first for an Elizabethan in some years. He has built a very solid career, firstly with Saracens and Worcester, and now with Wasps.

“I would also like to thank all the players who have represented the School in rugby this year. We played 150 matches across 21 different teams and amassed 73 wins, as well as a number of draws. A special mention goes to our joint top try-scorers, Isa Sheikh, of Year 7, and Shaun Lee, of Year 9, with 18 tries each. After much debate, we have put together our QE Rugby Team of the Year for 2021/22, featuring the best players from across the year groups – I congratulate everyone who is featured.”

Having played football until the age of ten, Biyi found himself having to get to grips with rugby for the first time when he joined Year 7 at QE. Asked by Talking Rugby Union journalist Chris Heal how he felt about that, he said: “‘Of course I enjoyed it. It was an interesting experience and a challenging one to play a game I didn’t grow up with.

“At first, I wasn’t great at rugby, but I stuck at it. At that age, you are just chucking the ball about and just messing about. That element drew me to the sport – as did the physical side of it, as I was quite a big 11 year-old – but I really started to enjoy it.”

He stayed at QE for five years, climbing through the rugby ranks, before moving on to Haileybury and then studying for a degree in Sports Science, Sport Development and Sport Management at Loughborough University.

He has also released some hip-hop songs, under the name ‘Biyi’ and explained to Rugby Pass website his motivation: “I struggled a little before I started music. Everything came to that point where I needed an outlet and the music came then because mental health, especially in young males and black young males in this country, is something which I am glad there has been more light shone on it recently because it is very important and sometimes it can get swept under the carpet in the world we live in, where sportsmen are these tough guys and if you are having any struggles it is, ‘Get over it’. But the effect that that has on the mind and lifestyle is massive…Whenever I get a message from a complete stranger who says a song really resonates with them, it really makes it worthwhile.”

QE currently has five promising players who, like Biyi before them, have won county honours and have caught the eye of professional clubs: Victor Angelov, of Year 12, (Middlesex/London Irish Developing Player Programme); Taro Niimura, of Year 11, (Hertfordshire/Saracens DPP); Ashley Nwapa, Year 11, (Hertfordshire/Saracens DPP); Theo Moses, of Year 10 (Hertfordshire/Saracens DPP), and Aaron Rodrigo of Year 10 (Hertfordshire/Saracens DPP & Middlesex/London Irish DPP).

The QE team of the year’s ’starting XV’ have won tickets to a Premiership rugby match next season, as part of the School’s deal with Inspiresport, who also sponsored this year’s QE Sevens tournament.

The team’s forwards are: Simardeep Sahota, U14; Aashir Irfan, U13; Soham Bhatnagar, U12; David Hirtopanu, U15; Nnanna Okore, U18; Edward Muscat, U14; Theo Moses, U15, and Aaron Rodrigo, U15.

The backs are: Taro Niimura, U16; Thomas Young, U13; Esa Aslam, U12; Ubayd Uddin, U15; Isa Sheikh, U12; Andrew Mbogol, U16, and Ubaidah Rahman, U14.

The reserves are: Timi Banjo, U14; Kailun Zhou, U15; Sabbir Hossain, U16; Alexandre Lee, U18; Shaun Lee, U14; Victor Varbanov, U13; John Chum, U15, and James Conway, U15.

• For some clips of Biyi Alo in action, see this new video.