Beechen Cliff School, with its rich history of sporting prowess, hit another milestone on Tuesday 12 March by winning the Continental Tyres national school’s u15 Vase.
This knockout competition pitted Beechen Cliff against Durham School in the final hosted at Stone X stadium, home of Saracens Rugby. Beechen Cliff had navigated through other prestigious schools across the country in previous rounds, amassing an average of 41 points per game.
The final was played in heavy rain but this did not impact Beechen’s game plan. They managed the conditions well and stuck to the structure embedded into them. The school gained a ‘16th man’ with 50 Year 10 students and proud parents traveling up to support. The noise and energy that they brought with them pushed the team to the last whistle.
Despite going seven points down early on, Beechen Cliff regrouped and regathered. With a devastating forwards pack and explosive backline, the boys managed to build a healthy lead heading towards half-time.
As the clock kept ticking, so did the points. A stand-out team try, early on in the second half was followed by a length of pitch sprint from Hector Dalby-Welsh to secure an emphatic win. Beechen Cliff School won 45-7.
“The U15 rugby group has grown exponentially,” said Kant Mann, Assistant Headteacher at Beechen Cliff. “However, this is no accident. Hard work has gone in behind the scenes to get this point of success. As a coaching team, we strive to provide the students with the best opportunity to compete at the highest level. This could not be achieved without the dedication of all teaching staff involved throughout the season on top of a busy teaching schedule.
“As a feeder school to Bath Rugby, the player pathway is installed in KS3 and built upon year by year with the aim of producing first team rugby players. The culture within the school has students strive to be the best they can while remaining grounded and developing skills producing not only sporting prowess but confident, creative and caring young men.”