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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR
Sports Report
Andrew Dalgleish, Director of Sport
School sport is intriguingly positioned
between the ever-evolving professional
sports climate of academies, contracts and
high-stakes business and that of tradition,
amateur values and, dare I say it, school
timetables. It is however this bizarre
position that makes school sport so exciting
and so appealing to all those who are
fortunate enough to be involved.
The academic year 14/15 was another
wonderful one for St Edward’s sport
whereby the foundation of the past was a
solid support for further enhancing the
School’s first class reputation. The many
individual and collective highlights feature
on pages 50 - 80. However the 1st XI
cricket team deserve a special mention, not
only as the St Edward’s team of the year,
but for having the most successful season
on record. Other highlights include the
girls’ success at the National Schools Regatta
in May, the rugby and girls’ hockey tour to
Australia in July, and - at an individual level
- the success achieved by rowers Oli Knight
and Hugo Marsh, and cricketer Calvin
Dickinson (who played for Worcestershire
CCC 2nd XI over the summer after scoring
over 1,000 runs for the 1st XI).
Change is inevitable and unfortunately as
we have seen with various examples from the
professional sporting world, not all change is
positive. However this school year saw the
introduction of a Strength and Conditioning
coach for the first time at St Edward’s. Mark
Munroe was appointed in September 2014
and tasked with ensuring that each pupil was
able to maximise their physical sporting
potential and at the same time reduce their
risk of injury. Such a role and development
is an indication of how advanced school
sport has become and how valued the work
‘off the field’ really is. Nick Gardner took
over as Master in charge of Football, Andrew
Dalgleish succeeded Mark Hanslip as Master
in charge of Rugby and Rex Hooten enjoyed
his final summer as the school cricket
professional before retirement.
The fundamentals of sport do not change
and at St Edward’s the core values remain
the same as they have always been and the
sporting philosophy is well embedded.
Pupils of all ages and abilities are
encouraged to participate and enjoy their
sport. There is a firm belief that the School’s
first class facilities and coaching staff provide
pupils with the perfect environment in
which to develop their sport and reach their
individual goals. All staff are fully
committed to the philosophy of
development, enjoyment and performance
whilst also creating a safe and supportive
sporting environment.