Down High complete successful Junior Rugby Tour
On a crisp Wednesday morning, 44 boys and 5 staff gathered at Down High School to embark on a 3 day / 2 night rugby tour to North West England. After an uneventful crossing to Cairnryan and a 4 hour bus journey to Lancaster, the touring party arrived at Lancaster Royal Grammar School for their first set of fixtures. The Under 14s were faced with a team which were physically much bigger but they did not have the same skills as the Down team won 32-10 with Marcus Graham scoring a remarkable four tries. The Under 13s were also victorious with a scoreline of 32-5. This game was decided in the first half with the boys in green scoring 5 tries. Unfortunately they lost Daniel Millington (fractured arm) and man of the match Ronan Patterson (ear injury) which ended their playing tour. A tired tour party eventually arrived at their hotel and the day finished with a bit of relaxation time in the hotel.
Day 2 began with a hearty breakfast and a bus journey to the brand new Salford City Stadium where the group were able to see behind the scenes of a professional Rugby Union and Rugby League set up. An added bonus was being able to see the Salford City Reds train on the main pitch.
The group then made their way to Liverpool to face Merchant Taylor’s Grammar School. Once again the Under 14s were faced with a physical side but once again Down High emerged victorious by a score of 66-5. Claytan Milligan was awarded man of the match. The Under 13s faced stiffer opposition than the day before but still emerged victorious 17-0. Alexander Martin put in an outstanding forward display and Bailey Thomas scored the try of the tour in this match. This result showed the strength of the Under 13 squad with three of the usual starters absent through injury and illness. The evening was spent tenpin bowling at the Trafford Centre.
Day 3 began with another visit to the Trafford Centre but this time for the boys to indulge in a little retail therapy. The long journey home then started and with a stop at the Gretna outlet centre, the coach eventually rolled into Downpatrick on Friday to mark the end of a successful tour.
Tour organiser Mr Maurice Irvine commented “Special thanks must go to the two schools for hosting us and the efforts made to make us feel very welcome. Credit must also go to the whole touring party on how they conducted themselves throughout the tour with many people commenting on how polite and courteous they were. The boys were certainly excellent ambassadors for Down High School”
On a crisp Wednesday morning, 44 boys and 5 staff gathered at Down High School to embark on a 3 day / 2 night rugby tour to North West England. After an uneventful crossing to Cairnryan and a 4 hour bus journey to Lancaster, the touring party arrived at Lancaster Royal Grammar School for their first set of fixtures. The Under 14s were faced with a team which were physically much bigger but they did not have the same skills as the Down team won 32-10 with Marcus Graham scoring a remarkable four tries. The Under 13s were also victorious with a scoreline of 32-5. This game was decided in the first half with the boys in green scoring 5 tries. Unfortunately they lost Daniel Millington (fractured arm) and man of the match Ronan Patterson (ear injury) which ended their playing tour. A tired tour party eventually arrived at their hotel and the day finished with a bit of relaxation time in the hotel.
Day 2 began with a hearty breakfast and a bus journey to the brand new Salford City Stadium where the group were able to see behind the scenes of a professional Rugby Union and Rugby League set up. An added bonus was being able to see the Salford City Reds train on the main pitch.
The group then made their way to Liverpool to face Merchant Taylor’s Grammar School. Once again the Under 14s were faced with a physical side but once again Down High emerged victorious by a score of 66-5. Claytan Milligan was awarded man of the match. The Under 13s faced stiffer opposition than the day before but still emerged victorious 17-0. Alexander Martin put in an outstanding forward display and Bailey Thomas scored the try of the tour in this match. This result showed the strength of the Under 13 squad with three of the usual starters absent through injury and illness. The evening was spent tenpin bowling at the Trafford Centre.
Day 3 began with another visit to the Trafford Centre but this time for the boys to indulge in a little retail therapy. The long journey home then started and with a stop at the Gretna outlet centre, the coach eventually rolled into Downpatrick on Friday to mark the end of a successful tour.
Tour organiser Mr Maurice Irvine commented “Special thanks must go to the two schools for hosting us and the efforts made to make us feel very welcome. Credit must also go to the whole touring party on how they conducted themselves throughout the tour with many people commenting on how polite and courteous they were. The boys were certainly excellent ambassadors for Down High School”
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