FLIPPING FANTASTIC!
Gymnastics to the max through new link
An innovative partnership with a local company is providing exciting new opportunities for younger pupils to learn gymnastics.
The link-up with Anima Gymnastics means boys can use its large new facility on the neighbouring industrial estate and try out all its specialist equipment.
The facility, measuring up to 40m x 20m, is big enough to allow boys to work simultaneously at several different stations, making for action-packed PE lessons.
The partnership means the School can now offer pupils in Years 7 and 8 a full gymnastics module, in which they can learn complete floor routines, put together vaulting sequences and practise balance work high off the ground on the beam.
Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “Through this partnership, we can provide our students with access to equipment and space we do not have ourselves. The boys who have used it so far have enjoyed it and been able to develop core and apparatus-based skills much more quickly than they would otherwise have done. Gymnastic abilities (balance, core strength, flexibility, explosiveness etc.) underpin athleticism and are applicable to many other sports and activities.”
Lessons there are being taught by QE’s PE staff. There may be scope in the future for external coaching for more advanced pupils as an extra-curricular activity.
Not only do our boys and staff now have use of a brilliant new facility, but the partnership is supporting a local business important to the local sporting community.
Mr Hart
Exceeding expectations – and how!
Rocco Giustiniani was seeded 20th for all his events in this summer’s long-course swimming nationals – but he dramatically upset the form book by taking two outright wins and a fifth place.
His race times at the Pond’s Forge complex in Sheffield were enough to qualify him for this year's equivalent of the Olympic trials, which are held in April.
“ I am now looking to potentially qualify for international meets like European Juniors, or the Youth Olympic festival,” he says.
200m fly, first place. Time: 2:09.50
FEATURE
Sunil Tailor
Ever the keen sportsman, Sunil Tailor found a way to combine this passion with a traditional career when he joined Saracens’ financial team in 2020 after 11 years with accountancy firm MHA MacIntyre Hudson. Now Saracens’ Head of Commercial Finance, Sunil (OE 1999–2006) is offering invaluable opportunities for QE pupils, parents, and alumni to engage with the prestigious rugby club.
“We have recently been exploring how we can grow as a North London club and looking at ways to create stronger links with the School. Having reconnected with a School friend, Robert Firth (OE 1998–2005), I invited him to a game early in 2024. He has a real love for rugby and for the memories it gave him during School, so he reached out to his peers (and his teacher, Mr [Tim] Bennett!) and organised a group to attend Saracens vs Sale in May. It was great for the group to reignite their love for the game, bringing back memories of their time playing together." Sunil is currently working with the School to arrange for an OE group to go to the Saracens vs Bulls game on 7th December. Pupils in the QE Rugby Team of the Year 2023–2024 (see the Spring Term 2024 edition of Sports Bulletin) will also be attending as part of their prize, sponsored by Inspire Sports.
Sunil’s contributions to the QE community go beyond his professional role. He remains a dedicated Eton Fives player and it has, he says, been “great to see the rise of Eton Fives at the School in the last couple of years”. Sunil frequently returns to mentor senior players. Next month, he will partner with current sixth-former Yash Kedia in the Graham Turnbull Trophy.
“Cricket was my main forte as a pupil. Having represented Middlesex and England then, I’d love to come back in the summer and help mentor and develop some future cricket stars."
WHY WORK IN SPORT?
SUNIL SUMS IT UP
We asked Sunil what he would say to recommend a career in the non-playing side of professional sport to current pupils.
The culture
Sport, in general, gives you great values. At Saracens, we can learn from the culture and approach of high-performing athletes and coaches.
Right place, right time
Live sport, in particular, is in a fascinating commercial position at the moment: we’re dealing with competition from areas such as gaming; there’s AI; we have had recent recessions and the cost-of-living crisis; and there are new ways of creating partnership and branding opportunities.
What’s not to like!
Being a sports lover, there’s nothing better than rubbing shoulders with like-minded individuals, talking about and being around something you love on a day-to-day basis.
Girish’s SUPER SUMMER
After a successful season playing for the School and for two county U18 sides, pace bowler Girish Radhakrishnan now has his sights set on securing an academy place with one of the major counties.
Girish began his summer in sparkling form for the School First XI, taking ten wickets. Standout performances came against UCS and against Watford, where he had figures of 4–30.
A few Berkshire Second XI games followed, notably including a match against Oxfordshire, in which he conceded only 8 runs in his 7 overs, taking 1 wicket.
Much of his cricket this summer was with Hampshire U18s and Berkshire U18s. For Hampshire, he featured in four T20s, two one-day matches and two three-day matches, against other major county U18 teams. Many of these fixtures included players involved in Second XI cricket regularly and on the verge of playing professionally.
Further success came with Berkshire U18s. He played three three-day matches, two one-day matches and a T20.
“My hopes for the future are to continue developing my game and to secure a place at a major county academy, to boost my chances of playing professionally,” he said.
Working on it!
TWO AREAS OF FOCUS FOR GIRISH HAVE BEEN:
• His slower ball, especially improving how deceptive it is;
• Swinging the ball both ways.
Gaining these skills has allowed him to bowl effectively in different phases of the game, that is, with both the new ball and old ball.
How’s that?
GIRISH’S SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
• Scoring 5–7 for the School, including a hattrick, against University College School;
• Taking at least one wicket in every match played for Hampshire U18s;
• Amassing 18 wickets in three three-day matches for Berkshire U18s, including a five-wicket haul against Devon, and two ‘4-fers’ against Buckinghamshire;
• Dismissing a current professional player while playing for Berkshire U18s against Kent U18s.
Testing pace and power: Pupils’ pathway to the squad
Starting Year 7 is an exciting time, full of new opportunities, and, for some, one of the most thrilling is the chance to join the water polo squad.
After a short period of settling into QE life, pupils are given an initial swimming assessment. It is, says PE teacher Guy Ashby, in charge of Year 7 sport, “a moment for new students to show their swimming skills, and for the School to see who is confident and efficient in the water”.
For those who perform well, the next step is an invitation to trial for the water polo squad.
“This is where the real fun begins!” says Mr Ashby. “Water polo is a fast-paced sport that combines speed and strength, as well as teamwork and a high level of fitness and skill.
The trial gives pupils a chance to learn more about the game and discover whether it’s a sport they’re suited to.”
One boy who found it suited him very well indeed is Alessandro Yu Spagnolo. “I never really thought about playing water polo until I came to QE, but now I can’t wait for the fixtures to start."
While acknowledging that the sport is indeed physically demanding, requiring great stamina, Alessandro adds: “I come from a swimming background which really helps me – now I must just learn to catch and pass whilst swimming!”
Training initially takes place only on Thursday lunchtimes, with the squad working on basic techniques such as swimming-endurance, ball-handling, and teamwork in the water.
The amount of time boys spend in the water is then increased, with an early-morning session on Fridays now having been added – “a great opportunity to develop the strategic side of playing”, says Mr Ashby.
It gives the School’s youngest players the chance to play with and against some of the Year 8 players, pushing them out of their ‘comfort zones’.
For those who didn’t make the cut, there is still hope: “They will continue to swim in their PE lessons and we offer boys another opportunity to try out for the squad later in the year.”
For a Year 7 pupil, being part of the water polo squad is a great way to kickstart secondary school life, offering a unique blend of athletic challenge, teamwork, and fun!
Mr Ashby
Training at Twickers
Year 8’s set 1 rugby players headed off to the Allianz Stadium (a.k.a. Twickenham) for a memorable day that involved a training session from two specialist coaches and a tour of the iconic ground.
Organised with Living with the Lions, who organise school sports tours, the visit gave boys access to places normally off-limits to the public, including the royal box and the pitch-side area.
Director of Sport Jonathan Hart said: “They walked out of the players’ tunnel into the stadium, giving them the chance to imagine just what it would be like to play in front of 80,000 people at the world’s largest rugby union ground.
"Perhaps the highlight of the trip was a visit to the England dressing room, where they saw the list of every player who has ever represented England, together with their test number. During the day, they also learned about the match-day preparations and routines of international rugby players.”
Pupils saw stadium staff hard at work for forthcoming matches in this month’s Autumn Nations series. Their visit finished with a look around the World Rugby Museum.
It was a great opportunity for us to gain an insight into the history of English rugby and an amazing experience. Thank you to everyone who organised the trip!
Saami Mansur
WORLD RUGBY MUSEUM
IN NUMBERS
£1.8m invested in the World Rugby Museum by the RFU in 2017.
41,000 objects held example: J H Clayton’s jersey from the first-ever international, in 1871.
16,500 pieces of archival material including the game’s first written rules, also from 1871.
11,300 photos starting with the first-ever rugby photo, from 1860.
650 posters & prints from the 19th century to today.
RUGBY
Unforgettable! Year 13 reflect on seven years of QE rugby
Our photo shows the Year 13 rugby players after their last home fixture (a tough day against St Albans, whose First XV included an England U20 international). We asked a few of them for their thoughts as their QE rugby career draws to a close.
"Seven years of rugby at QE has been an amazing journey and experience. It will without a doubt be one of the things I miss most when I leave. Rugby offers the opportunity to develop discipline and resilience, but above all, it allows you to create long-lasting relationships with those around you who wear the shirt and sport the badge."
David Hirtopanu, First XV Captain
"Playing rugby for seven years at QE has taught me skills and given me experiences which are invaluable. I have learnt to be resilient, persevere through adversity and manage the highs and lows of competitive sport. But perhaps most importantly, QE rugby has given me the chance to make strong friendships and develop a brotherhood."
Rohan Kumar, Second XV Vice-Captain
"As second-team captain this year, it was an honour to lead such a dedicated and talented group of players. While my season ended before the final match due to an injury, the journey has been one of resilience, camaraderie, and unforgettable moments on the field.
