Christ College Pupils And Staff On Show At The Sainsbury’S Uk School Games

Three Christ College pupils have been selected to represent Wales U18s in the UK School Games’ Hockey tournament. New Christ College Lower Sixth pupils Tom Wood, aged 16 from Libanus, and Fred Davies, aged 16 from Crickhowell, together Year 11 pupil Ben Foxley aged 15 from Talybont-on-Usk, have been included in a 16 man Wales squad. Sadly, Ben has had to withdraw from the squad due to tonsillitis.

During the four days of competition, Wales will compete against teams from England, Scotland and Ulster in a round-robin tournament which takes place at the Armitage Site, part of the University of Manchester.

The three boys are no strangers to international competition, as all of them have been involved in the Wales U18 Hockey set up for a number of years.

Meanwhile, Christ College’s Professional Hockey Coach, Chris Marriott, will be at the UK School Games too, but as coach to the England U18 Girls squad. Chris commented:”I am hugely excited by the opportunity I have been given to coach an England team at the School Games. There are very few multi-sport events in the calendar especially for young athletes and the Sainsbury UK School Games will be a fantastic experience for all those involved.” He added: “Whilst I am really chuffed to be coaching at the School Games on a personal level, I am equally pleased to hear that three of next year’s Christ College 1st XI Boys Hockey team will be representing Wales in the same tournament. Ben has been a member of the team for some years now, and playing alongside him will be Tom and Fred. I am sure that they will represent Wales and Christ College with great distinction. I look forward to seeing them in action and wish them all the best.”

Building on the success of the 2013 event hosted in Sheffield, the Sainsbury’s 2014 UK School Games will see 1,600 of the most talented school-age non-disabled and disabled athletes competing in sports such as Athletics, Badminton, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Rugby Sevens, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Wheelchair Basketball, and in a city renowned for its passion for sport.

The Sainsbury’s UK School Games organised by the Youth Sport Trust, are supported by National Lottery and UK Government funding via Sport England. It aims to transform competitive sport in schools and get more young people playing sport through class versus class and school versus school competitions along with county-wide sports festivals. The Games will have an opening and closing ceremony, medal presentations, mock drug testing and an athlete’s village to create the look and feel of a major multi-sports event.

Head of Christ College, Mrs Emma Taylor, said: “Events of this type are a fantastic stepping stone for talented young athletes like Tom and Fred. It enables them to experience just what it’s like to part of a major sporting event, and I’m sure it will act as a catalyst for their sporting ambitions. We’re so disappointed for Ben but there will be plenty of other opportunities for him to make his mark! Manchester is going to put on a great games in 2014 and I know that Tom and Fred will represent their country with pride and