Sport

A round up of everything sport related at Trinity

Sporting Spirit.

Participating in sport helps develop our students’ confidence and resilience. Students learn about themselves and others through teamwork, in an environment in which expression and leadership are encouraged. As well as celebrating outstanding achievements, some of which are included here, we encourage our students to participate in and be excited by the sports on offer and come away with a sense of fulfilment, emotional reward, and competitive spirit. Alongside the achievements of our students in an extraordinary year, it has also been interesting exploring the psychology behind elite sport and how this can be applied in other areas of our students’ time at school.

The psychology of sport

In a year that has, sadly, seen many fixtures removed from our sporting calendar, we were delighted to add a new focus on sport psychology. Mr O’Connor, a qualified Performance Psychologist and scratch golfer, runs regular sessions as part of our High Performance Programme, covering issues including mindset, goal setting, mindfulness and imagery. These sessions are designed to show our students tangible ways to develop their resilience not just in sport, but in every walk of life. A Psychology MSc graduate from the University of Edinburgh, Mr O’Connor explained: “Naturally, within a highperformance environment, the focus is around the physical and technical sides of performance. With the inclusion of a psychological perspective, we’re able to add a different dimension to the arsenal of our athletes – increasing their chances of having an advantage over their fellow competitors.”

“Although performance and success are important, considering the psychological side of sport ensures success is generated through happiness and enjoyment so that sporting performance contributes to the overall wellbeing of our student athletes”.

Water Polo

1st team goalkeeper and Fifth Year student, Aarav Ganguli, will represent England in the U17 European qualifiers in Slovenia. Since picking up the sport at Trinity, Aarav has made incredible progress over a short period of time and has been able to balance his academic commitments alongside playing elite level sport. “I was delighted when I found out that I would have the honour of representing Great Britain in Slovenia. I am particularly grateful for all of the extra sessions at school and elsewhere, with experienced coaches, which meant that I was able to arrive at the selection process very well prepared.

“Looking forward to Slovenia, we have the aspirations of qualifying but we will have to work hard, especially as we haven’t been able to train together all year and we have some strong opponents in our group. Going abroad will be an amazing experience for me and it will mean that I develop my skills both in and out of the pool.” As well as Aarav’s selection, we are proud that Third Year Jared Thompson and Fourth Years Fred Turpin and Christian Pauling have been invited to join the National Talent Academy in July. The National Academy is the entry point for both the England and Great Britain squads, and they join Pierre Rivet, Will Burbidge and Oliver Veraas Brown – all from Fourth Year – who are already part of the set up.

Rowing

Morgan Lee broke the girls’ U18 Lightweight Rowing record by 14 seconds with a time of 26 minutes 58 seconds, despite recovering from an injury after an accident in December. She said: “I was pleased with getting 6k in under 27 minutes, and to have my name back on the list of record holders, but I do hope to go faster when I am fully fit”.

Rugby

Harrison Friday was disappointed to have his final year of Trinity Rugby interrupted by the pandemic, yet has continued to improve his game and was able to display the immense progress he has made this year, starting at scrum-half for Esher 1st XV in their win against National One side, Chinnor. Meanwhile, George Papa has battled with injuries but has committed himself to his rehabilitation and was rewarded with an appearance for Harlequins U17 Academy against Northampton Saints at Premiership ground, Franklin’s Gardens. Mr Roberts, Head of Rugby, said: “Harrison and George’s performances prove that the hard work put in this year – despite the lack of fixtures – was certainly worth it. This makes me even more excited to see what the rest of us can do when we get back to it next season.”

Cricket

Our U11 cricketers did exceptionally well, making the final of the County Cup and facing a tough Rokeby side. This was the first time Trinity had reached the final of this competition for a number of years. Our U12s and U15s also made the semi-finals of their County Cup competitions, with the U15s also beating Tiffin to make the semi-final of the national T20 competition. Our 2nd XI (all Fifth Year) also played superbly during their exam period, demonstrating exceptional commitment. Alongside our brilliant team performances, we also saw fantastic individual performances from our cricketers this year, including Joe Bradshaw who delivered ‘‘one of the best schoolboy innings I have ever seen,” according to Mr Gabbitass, with 105* for the U14A v Hampton.

Cross Country

Sports scholar, Ellie Osmond, competed at national level in cross country and middle/long distance on track and roads. Her proudest achievement is winning a gold medal at the last South of England Athletics Championships.

Hockey

Lower Sixth student, Joseph Cotton, has been promoted to the England U18 programme this year. The programme plays a pivotal role in the careers of young hockey players around the country, helping to identify the highest potential senior international players of the future. Mr Giles, Head of Hockey, said: “It’s great to see the progress Joe has made over the past couple of years. He has remained focused on continuing to learn and improve on his performances despite a challenging year. Joe’s commitment to Hockey outside of school has been admirable, attending regular sessions at Oxted and staying on top of his fitness before and after school.”

Football

Fourth Year student, Oliver Scarles, will be offered an early scholarship at West Ham FC. After making his international debut for England U15’s against Belgium last year, Oliver has shown that he can compete at the highest level and is widely regarded as an up-and-coming English talent. Third Year student, Gabriel Bonsu-Amako, has signed a two-year contract at Crystal Palace. This amazing achievement is a testament to his hard work and commitment both on and off the field. Gabriel has been involved in the Crystal Palace Youth Programme from the age of seven. Training at the club is no walk in the park, with sessions taking place four times a week with a match at the weekend. Yet he has managed to prove himself, at times playing above his age group. “It’s a great feeling knowing that my hard work is starting to pay off. I have still got a long way to go, but it’s certainly a step forward in the right direction. I’m truly fortunate to have such a supportive family. I can’t thank them enough.” Lucy Robinson (pictured, right), one of our 2020-21 Heads of School and sportswoman of the month earlier this year, has excelled as part of the Crystal Palace Ladies team. She has set a fantastic example to her peers by involving herself in a wide variety of sports at Trinity and works very closely with PE to promote girls’ sport.

Pictured right, Joseph

“It’s great to see the progress Joe has made over the past couple of years. He has remained focused on continuing to learn and improve...”

Mr Giles, Head of Hockey