A NEW pride of lions are hoping to claw their way into an elite schools rugby squad.
Over 100 players from the four schools within the Emmanuel Schools Foundation are set to try out for the 2015 Lions rugby team.
Players from Bede Academy, Blyth, Emmanuel College, Gateshead, The King’s Academy, Coulby Newham, and Trinity Academy, Thorne, near Doncaster, will compete for just 24 places in the ESF squad where they will be coached to take on some of the best rugby playing schools in Scotland during an annual tour.
Director of rugby at Bede Academy Andy Sutherland said: "The initial Lions team trials take place during our annual ESF Olympics, which will this year be held at Bede Academy at the beginning of March.
“Our players are already training hard and within Bede’s squad there are a number of players who will be in contention, most notably Thomas Marshall, who is part of the Newcastle Falcons Academy and certainly a player top look out for in the future.
Being chosen for the ESF Lions squad is confirmation that you are one of the elite rugby players not only in your school but also across the Emmanuel Schools Foundation and any player selected should be proud and honoured to have been recognised.”
Last autumn, the squad returned victorious from their tour of Scotland.
The 2014 Lions team, including Bede Academy players Jay Robinson, 16, Jack Fennell, 15, Richard Harland, 15, Adam Simmons, 15, and Matthew Smith, 15, secured a hat-trick of victories against Boroughmuir Rugby Club, The High School of Glasgow and North Berwick High School.
“Our boys were faced with some tough opposition and they stood up to the task brilliantly,” said Mr Sutherland.
“Richard Harland was vice captain for the tour and performed this role very well, whilst Jack Fennell was voted Bede’s ‘Lion of the Tour’ for some performances of a very high standard.
“It was also enjoyable to see their characters develop off the pitch through the other activities we did, such as indoor rock climbing and abseiling, and see the positive relationships formed with students from the other ESF schools. Overall, they represented everything that is positive about Bede Academy and I was extremely proud of how they conducted themselves.”
Player Jay Robinson, 16, of Blyth, added: “Overall, the tour was an amazing experience. It helped to build our character and also allowed us to meet a whole new group of people.
“As a team we are very grateful to the teachers who put lots of time and effort into organising the tour and we would like to thank them for their efforts. For the boys who are selected this year, it's a great opportunity and we'd urge them to make the most of it."