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QE’s First XV pulled on their navy and sky blue-hooped shirts for one last time as they took on rivals Habs at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium, 99 years after the fixture was first played between the two schools.

The evening got off to a great start, with resounding wins against Haberdashers’ Boys’ School by the Year 8 A and B teams, who racked up scores of 65-0 and 45-0 respectively.

And, with the First XV buoyant after two consecutive wins against St Ignatius College and Watford Grammar School, hopes were high that they could avenge their loss to Habs earlier in the season in the National Vase.

In the end, it was not to be – Habs overturned a half-time 10-0 deficit to emerge as narrow victors on the night – but Head of Rugby James Clarke had nothing but praise for his players: “It was a great game with a monumental defensive effort and a result that could have gone our way on a different night. The squad has come an awful long way from the early season struggles after a year of missed rugby due to COVID. I am extremely proud of the effort, attitude and commitment that the whole squad have shown this year.”

The games proved a big draw across the Elizabethan community. “It was lovely to see so many of our younger boys, parents, siblings and Old Elizabethans in attendance,  and our senior players were most grateful for the vocal support.”

The Year 8 games had been worthy curtain-raisers for the later First XV match, said Mr Clarke, with the convincing victories representing a major improvement by the A team in particular, who had lost 6 tries to 5 earlier in the season in the reverse fixture. The A team is coached by PE teacher Peter Pickford. Alvin Xu was named Player of the Match for the A team, while Faaiz Adil took the accolade for the B team.

In the main match, after repelling an early Habs onslaught, QE took the lead through Alex Diamond scoring in the far corner.

“After withstanding further pressure following the restart, QE eventually worked their way up the pitch via some intelligent kicking from scrumhalf Taro Niimura and were now within striking range of the same corner. The forwards took charge as they tried to drive over the try line from close range but were met with fierce resistance. After recycling possession multiple times and bringing in reinforcements, Aditya Narayan dived over for a well-earned score to stretch our lead to 10-0. We maintained this cushion until the relief of the half-time whistle after some, at times, heroic defending out wide, including a try-saving tackle from Saalif Jilani.

“The second half saw us playing against the elements and into an increasingly strong wind. Habs made full use of this advantage and pinned us deep within our half from the kick-off.  Despite us clearing our lines reasonably well, Habs threw the ball wide to create an overlap and break our defence to go over for the score.”

Habs scored an “excellent conversion”, leaving QE holding a narrow 10-7 lead. “After an injury stoppage, a typically strong QE scrum gave our backline a platform to play from, and the backs showed some excellent skills to move the ball wide behind several decoy runners and stretch and test Habs on the outside, but to no avail. Several penalties were conceded to cost us field position, and the pressure was starting to mount. Habs kicked a penalty in front of the posts to level the score at 10-10 and swing momentum in their favour. Following some initial strong defence, Habs’ again threatened out wide and their speedster slipped a tackle to score in the far corner. Advantage Habs’ with the score now 15-10 to them.

“For the final ten minutes of the match, QE had a sustained amount of possession and were ‘camped’ at the right end of the field. Habs were out on their feet, with players continuously going down with cramp and the game being stopped and started, which only added to the tension of a one-score game. After several penalties against Habs, QE had one final attempt, but couldn’t quite get the ball to stick and were thwarted in their attempts to overturn the early season result.”

“Special mentions must go to the leadership group of captain Alexandre Lee and his two vice-captains Conor Parker-Delves and Ronak Santilale,” said Mr Clarke. Player of the match was Alex Diamond.

The QE First XV squad
1. Ronak Santilale – vice-captain (Year 13); 2. Manav Khindri (Year 13); 3. Victor Angelov (Year 12); 4. Jayden Savage (Year 13); 5. Nnanna Okore (Year 13); 6. Aditya Narayan (Year 13); 7. Alexandre Lee – captain (Year 13); 8. Kelvin Aye (Year 12); 9. Taro Niimura (Year 11); 10. Danny Adey (Year 12); 11. Shadman Rahman (Year 13); 12. Keir Parker-Delves (Year 11); 13. Harvey Lamb (Year 13); 14. Alex Diamond (Year 13); 15. Saalif Jilani (Year 13).

Replacements: 16. Ryan Jayaraj (Year 12); 17. Ishraq Zamee (Year 13); 18. Dilan Patel (Year 12); 19. Aadarsh Khimasia (Year 13); 20. Alex Woodcock (Year 13).

QE’s younger Eton Fives players have won plaudits from leading figures in the sport – and enjoyed success on the court ­– after competing against some of the most famous schools in the country in two tournaments.

Seven Year 10 boys, who took up the game last year, headed off to Eton College for the Eton Fives Nationals Competition for novices.

And seven pupils from Year 9 enjoyed their very first taste of competition in the EFA U14 Individual Competition at Harrow School.

QE is among only a handful of state schools to play Eton Fives, a handball game developed at Eton in the late 19^th century that is played as doubles in a three-sided court.

PE teacher Oliver O’Gorman said: “It’s been fantastic to see how committed our current crop of Eton Fives players are, working tremendously hard and being very competitive.”

In the Year 10 competition, QE’s top two pairs, Dinuk Dissanayake & Rishabh Bhatt and Neev Sanyal and Yathoosan Suthash, reached semi-finals of the main cup, losing to strong Ipswich School and Eton pairs, while the third pair, Rushil Akula, Adith Jayasuriya & Hamza Mohamed, also enjoyed success in the plate competition, ultimately losing in the final.

Dinuk and Rishabh’s semi-final against Ipswich was, by common consent, acclaimed as the match of the tournament, with the scores recorded as 13-14,13-12 and 12-13.

“It was tight throughout – a real nail-biter – going down to the last point,” said Mr O’Gorman.

In a message sent afterwards, Paul Bowden, Director of the Eton Fives Association (EFA), congratulated the QE players on their “outstanding performance”, reserving particular praise for Dinuk and Rishabh and their Ipswich opponents. “That semi-final should have been recorded and shown to people as an example of the joy of fives. The level of play of the four very inexperienced players and the way they all conducted themselves was an example to all.”

Pair 2, Neev and Yathoosan, lost to Eton 12-5,12-5 in “a thoroughly entertaining match”, said Mr O’Gorman, while Pair 3, Rushil, Adith and Hamza, picked themselves up after being knocked out in the group stage, losing only narrowly in the plate final in “a thrilling game”.

He added that in the U14 tournament, the Year 9 boys had thoroughly enjoyed the day and gained “crucial experience”, too. The tournament featured players from Eton, Highgate, Westminster, King Edward’s Birmingham, Burford, St Olave’s and Ipswich, as well as hosts Harrow.

Organiser and EFA Trustee Howard Wiseman wrote subsequently to Mr O’Gorman to congratulate the QE party on their appearance and performance: “I am always in awe at how good your players are, despite you only possessing one court at school! Amazing…. And you never see a keener nor more dedicated bunch than the QEB boys,” he wrote.

Player Zayn Phoplankar said: “The tournament was a great experience – we played against serious players of the game and learned how to hold our own against more experienced opposition, which will be useful in the upcoming Berkhamsted and Mill Hill fixtures.

Soham Kale added: “We also experienced how to adapt to other Fives courts, learning crucial teamwork and communication skills at the same time.”

And fellow player Muhammad Ammaar Hurzuk added: “We did quite well against harder opposition – some of our scores went into the 60s, and although it was not possible for anyone from QE to reach the finals, we felt we had achieved and improved a lot in the time we spent there.” (The scoring was based on points scored: 12 for a win, 7-11 if a loss, with six rounds played.)

The first Fives courts at QE opened at the old Wood Street premises in 1880, following a £10 grant from the Governors and a special fund-raising concert. The sport languished for some years after the move to Queen’s Road in 1932 and it was not until the post-war rebuilding programme in 1951-52 that plans for a new court were considered. By 1954, the court was complete, and the School was affiliated to the Eton Fives Association and entered the Public Schools Championships in 1955.

Thirty-five years after leaving QE, a group of rugby-loving Elizabethans returned to the School on a specially arranged visit that included an opportunity to see the current First XV in action.

The group from the class of 1986 enjoyed a sometimes-emotional day hosted by Headmaster Neil Enright: some were meeting for the first time in more than three decades, while even those who had remained in closer contact had been kept apart for the past year-and-a-half because of Covid.

Several of the 16-strong group sported new alumni rugby shirts designed by current Head of Rugby James Clarke (OE 1999–2004), which they had purchased through the School Shop. As well as the 15 old boys, all of them 1986 leavers, the visitors included the sister of Graham Dunkley OE, Gail, who was at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School at a time when some lessons in the Sixth Form were mixed between the schools.

Mr Enright said: “I really enjoyed the occasion, which all sprang out of a request from one of the group, Simon Butnick, in a conversation I had with him on LinkedIn earlier this year. It was great to welcome Simon and his peers back and to see them rekindling old friendships – in some cases, for the first time since they left the School.

“With a group of this size, we were able to offer something quite bespoke – knowing they would enjoy the chance to see the First XV game and talk to the players afterwards. We look forward to having the group as active members of our alumni network and keen supporters of the School.”

Among current and former staff present were Mr Clarke, Deputy Head David Ryan, Headmaster’s PA Nicola Weston (who knew many of the visitors from her own schooldays) and Dave Maughan, who was Head of Games from 1974–2003.

The group then set off on a tour of the School, led by the Headmaster, who was assisted by QE’s new Development Officer, Sharla Worrall. There were many comments about how the campus had changed – the visitors left the School just two years after the arrival of reforming Headmaster Eamonn Harris (1984–1999) and well before the major building projects that began in the late 1990s.

Afterwards, several of the group reflected on the day on LinkedIn, with OE Jason Rush writing: “It was a great day. The First and Second XV played their hearts out and reminded us what it used to feel like to play rugby at this wonderful school. Thank you for accommodating us. We will all remain in contact.”

It was, in fact, a day of mixed fortunes for the School’s rugby teams: while the First XV lost their match, the Second XV won theirs. Other victories went to the U16A, U15A, U14B and U13B teams, while the U15B, U14A and U13A sides lost.

• The School is currently asking all alumni to spend ten minutes filling in a survey it has commissioned from independent education consultancy RSAcademics. The results will help shape the School’s offer to its former pupils in the coming years. The closing date for the survey to be completed is Monday 11^th October 2021.

The School’s 2021 return to cricket brought a glittering county cup run for one team and the best performance in decades by an individual batsman.

After last year’s Summer Term lockdown wiped out all cricket fixtures, the current Year 8 team reached the final of the 2021 Middlesex County Cup following victories in the early rounds that were capped by a ten-wicket win in the semi-final.

And in Year 10, Ranvir Sinha broke School records by scoring three centuries during the season.

Head of Cricket Richard Scally said: “Overall, it has been very pleasing to see cricket back this summer and to return to both Saturday and mid-week fixtures for the pupils.  In what has nevertheless been a challenging season – with not only Covid but the poor weather we have had – the completion of 78 fixtures has been a great achievement.”

Even though they had had no opportunity to play when they were in Year 7, the Year 8 boys put together a string of impressive performances. On their path to the county cup final, they saw off challenges from Alexandra Park School in round 1, Fortismere School in round 2 and Enfield Grammar School in round 3.

In the semi-final, bowler Krutarth Behera’s 5 wickets for just 8 runs helped them dismiss The Fulham Boys School for 37 all out. In the final, held at Harrow School, the team fell 57 runs short in their pursuit of St Benedict’s 151-7.

Mr Scally said: “We’re proud of the team’s performances throughout the tournament ably led by captain Ved Nair, and of those of our Year 9 and Year 10 teams, who reached their semi-final and quarter-final respectively.”

The scoring of three centuries by the Year 10 team’s ace batsman, Ranvir Sinha, was, said Director of Sport Jonathan Hart, “a fantastic achievement”. Neither he nor Dave Maughan, who was Head of Games from 1974–2003, could remember any pupil previously pulling off such a feat.

In Year 9, Girish Radhakrishnan has also been very impressive with his bowling, both for his School team and for his county, Berkshire, Mr Scally added.

Ranvir, Ved, Girish and Krutarth all featured in the QE team of the year drawn up by the PE department at the end of the season.

“With continued investment in the square and some very talented young cricketers coming through the School, cricket is in a good position as we look forward to a more normal 2022,” said Mr Scally.

International football fever has broken out at QE – and while some eagerly await the results of a certain game at Wembley tonight, celebrations of soccer successes even closer to home are already in full flow!

Boys from four year groups – 7, 8, 9 and 12 – turned out for a two-day, charity tournament to raise funds for QE’s long-running appeal in support of a school in India, while later this week, Years 8 & 9 will be taking part in a sponsored walk for the same cause.

Over the 18 years it has been running, the Sai School Appeal has funded significant improvements at the Sri Sathya Sai (English Medium) School in Kerala, including the construction of a new building, various repairs and, recently, the provision of computer room that enables pupils there to sit digitally-based examinations.

Languages teacher Katrin Hood, who mentors the Sixth Form team which runs the appeal, said: “The Sai School is going through a very difficult time at the moment; the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the area particularly hard. The boys have, therefore, been very keen to raise money and are being really active, in every sense of the word, in showing their support.”

Year 12 prefects Vishruth Dhamodharan and Varun Vijay Kumar, who lead the 2021 Sai School Appeal team, ran the five-a-side football tournament on both days.

Day 1 saw Year 12 and Year 9, while on day 2, it was Year 7 and Year 8 who took to the field. There was also a staff match in which a (largely) PE departmental team took on a squad drawn from other departments, with the former securing a 3-1 victory.

The winning teams from each year group, not including any substitutions, were:

• Year 7 – Veer Sanjeev, Peter Atanasov, Olic Fan, Yashwant Reddy Sunkara, Thomas Young
• Year 8 – Hamza Pasha, Jake Owens, Ubaidah Rahman, Rudra Patel, Sharvesh Sudhagar
• Year 9 – Avi Juneja, Rushil Akula, Seyed Jalili, Hadi Al-Esia, Raghav Kaushik
• Year 12 – Ahmed Rana, Shadman Rahman, Abdullah Chisti, Hathmi Abdul Haleem, Avik Gupta

“The event has so far raised £260, with money still coming in,” said Ms Hood. “I am grateful to Vishruth and Varun who did an excellent job on both days.”

This week’s sponsored walk, which starts and finishes at QE, will see Year 8 and Year 9 boys covering 10km to raise money both for the Sai School Appeal and for QE’s Piano Fund, dedicated to equipping the new Music School.

A world-class sprinter who has automatically qualified for the Tokyo Olympics explained to QE’s young sportsmen the long road he has to follow in order to achieve those explosive seconds of success in a few short metres on the track.

In a special virtual lecture, Antonio Infantino covered areas such as nutrition and sleep, outlined what he does in training, and spoke about the importance of the right mental approach.

Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “My thanks go to Antonio for a talk that gave a detailed picture of all the ingredients that lie behind élite-level sports success. It was great to hear his own story and I am grateful that he gave such thoughtful answers to the boys’ questions.”

QE’s now well-established lecture programme gives pupils of all ages the opportunity to learn from and question prominent individuals in their respective fields. It continued online through both lockdowns as part of the School’s work to ensure that boys did not miss out during the period of remote education.

Antonio, who will be 30 later this month, is a top 200m sprinter with a personal best of 20.41 seconds. Born to Italian parents but raised in Hertfordshire, he is based in London.

He is the three times British Indoor 200m Champion and has competed at European and World championships. He decided to switch nationality in his early 20s to follow his Italian heritage and represent Italy.

“If the Games go ahead, I hope to be in Tokyo later this year,” he said. His 2021 goals are to make the Olympic final in the 4x100m – he has already automatically qualified for the Games in this event – and the 200m. Following this, Antonio is hoping to ‘medal’ at the Mediterranean Games and European Championships 2022, before looking ahead to his second Olympic Games in Paris.

Antonio delivered his lecture in two lunchtime sessions. Both were open to all boys. “It all started for me when I was in secondary school,” he said. Inspired by Usain Bolt’s remarkable victory in the Beijing Olympics 100m in 2008, Antonio achieved a remarkable 100m time of 11.3s while in Year 8. At the age of 14, he achieved 10.9s, which, he said, was one of the fastest times of all time for that age group.

In his 20-minute talk, he spoke to the boys about nutrition, about diet and about the “often overlooked” importance of sleep, before giving them a taste of what he does in training. He then spent more than 10 minutes answering their questions.

Antonio paid tribute to the support of his parents, with his mother cooking healthy food and his father taxiing him around the country to various athletics events when he was younger.

In fact, when he went to university, the lack of such support – he had to cook for himself – coupled with some partying, led to a dip in his performances. “Through those bad years when I was not running well, I learned once again to be patient.”

In 2018, after a series of disappointments he nearly quit, but decided to carry on and has since achieved new levels of success. “That taught me that…you are going to fail [and] if you fail, you are going to learn. I have lost more races than I have won, but I think I have learned more from my failures than from the races I have won. So, keep patient and keep persevering and you can still achieve what you want to achieve.”

During the Q&A session, Antonio discussed the issue of ‘nature vs nurture’. Evidence suggested that through long hours of practice and expert training alone, anyone could reach élite levels in certain fields of endeavour. He pointed to the example of László Polgár, Hungarian chess teacher and educational psychologist, who trained his three daughters to play chess almost from the cradle. They went on to tremendous success, with one, Judit, widely considered to be the best female chess player ever.

Yet Antonio said it was not true that anyone could reach the very top in athletics, since in sport, genetics were also important: “You do need to pick your parents carefully if you want to be a top sprinter!”

Nevertheless, for aspiring athletes to achieve success, mindset is very important, he said. “Really believe you can do something,” he advised the boys. “Mindset is hugely important in my sport. I had a lot of naysayers…self-belief is really important.”

Asked about how he is paid, he spoke of his financial dependence on sponsorship and said that he must wear sports clothing made by his sponsor, rather than by other manufacturers.

He had some specific advice when asked about his approach to a race by one of the School’s sprinters, saying that he maps out in his mind how the race will go. He advised sprinters to try to ‘explode’ out of the blocks and then to take long strides in the early stages of the race, rather than going at a fast cadence, in order to conserve energy.

He urged a “multisports” approach for the boys. “I think that everyone should try a bunch of sports, and that’s the best way to find one you are good at.” Antonio himself had played a number of sports during his school years, reaching academy level with Watford FC. He dropped this involvement in order to focus on athletics, but still enjoys playing various sports informally, stating that the general fitness they develop in some ways makes his specialised athletics training easier.