Bromsgrove School from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire has today been rewarded for a fantastic performance on the rugby pitch at the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens Tournament by winning the trophy in the Preparatory Schools competition.

The Preparatory Schools competition is open to all Preparatory Schools in the UK with a rugby union Sevens team in which all the players are aged under thirteen.

The team, coached by Mr Chris Harris faced Bedford in the final to see who would secure the coveted trophy. In a bruising encounter that was stopped several times for injuries on the field, Bromsgrove edged the first half to lead 12-0 going into the break. The second half proved too much for Bedford as Bromsgrove ran out eventual winners 27-0 to claim the right to be called 2011 Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens Champions.

Master in charge of rugby, Chris Harris commented: “This has genuinely been the best year 8 class I have had the pleasure of coaching. I am speechless and to get the chance to receive the trophy from Hugh Robertson the Minister for Sport was such an honour. The boys gave everything on the pitch and despite taking a few knocks during the game they refused to come off. The match was played in the true spirit of rugby – hard but fair, and I am so thrilled personally and for the school that we have triumphed here today.”

Andrea de Vincentiis, HSBC Senior Sports Sponsorship Manager, commented: “This is the first year of HSBC’s association with the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens and we are proud to support such a prestigious British school sports tournament. It’s a natural progression of our commitment to rugby sevens throughout the world and in helping young talent succeed on the sports field. We extend our congratulations to Bromsgrove on a deserved victory.”

The Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools is an annual event and is the world’s largest schools Sevens tournament.  The 7,500 participants age from 13 to 19 with boys and girls taking part in the various different competitions during the week.  Over 700 teams of all levels from across the UK as well as five international visiting teams from Denmark, Spain, Nigeria, Romania and Kenya, play in the tournament, which is now in its 72nd year.

The tournament has an unrivalled alumni of former participants including former England captains Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Carling, Gareth Edwards and current England Sevens captain Ben Gollings, who have all played in the tournament which was first won by St George’s Harpenden in 1939.

For more information contact Jonathan Steel, HSBC – [email protected] / 0207 593 5217

NOTES TO EDITORS

HSBC and Rugby

HSBC has a long-standing investment in rugby around the world from the pinnacle of the British & Irish Lions Tour and the HSBC Sevens World Series to the thousands of children who are introduced to rugby for the first time through HSBC’s numerous community rugby programmes.

As the first ever title sponsor of the IRB’s premier Sevens Series, title sponsor of the Asian 5 Nations and the first ever Principal Partner to renew their sponsorship of the Lions, HSBC are perfectly positioned in their commitment to the continuing growth of the game. 

These sponsorships, amongst other more localised rugby partnerships, will allow HSBC to continue building long lasting relationships with its key stakeholders and also allow HSBC to further engage and motivate its employees and the internal audience.

Over the coming years, HSBC is dedicated to the international growth of the game from grassroots to the top flight, helping rugby to achieve its true potential of bringing together different people from different cultures through a shared love of the game.