Jersey Sports Tour ’24
At the very early hour of 2.30am on Monday 15th April, 45 pupils and 5 staff excitedly gathered in the Quad ready for the Jersey Sports Tour. This was the first sports tour to take place post Covid at Wellingborough School.
After an impromptu meeting with Gary Neville in Heathrow T5, the touring group took the short flight to the largest of the Channel Islands. Unfortunately, we were greeted by very strong winds and torrential rain. After a 15-minute coach journey (we soon established everywhere in Jersey is a 15-minute coach journey) we arrived at the Merton Hotel which was our base for the week. This was soon followed by our first activity of the week which was a trip to Jersey Zoo, where the pupils got to see a wide variety of animals. I think the highlight for most would be observing the Gorilla’s and Orangutan’s. The first evening was a relatively quiet affair, with a movie night post dinner and an early night for all.
On the second day the pupils spent the morning enjoying the facilities at the hotel Aquadome, before picking up some lunch in Jersey’s capital, St Helier. In the afternoon, the pupils played their first tour fixtures. The girls were victorious at Netball against Les Quennevais School. At the same time the boys’
U13 and U14 teams played Football against Victoria College, narrowly losing in both contests. That evening all the pupils and staff took a trip to the bowling alley which was a perfect way to end the day. It wouldn’t be fair of me to mention who got the highest score!!??
Wednesday morning was spent taking part in four different activities (including high ropes and a 150m Zip Wire) at Valley Adventure Centre. An amazing morning was had by all in the sunshine. In the afternoon, the pupils played their second set of tour fixtures. This time the girls played Hockey, also
against Les Quennevais School. The U13 and U14 boys played rugby against Victoria College and De La Salle College respectively. It was a great afternoon with all three teams gaining a win in competitive matches. That evening, I shared the words of Mr Houghton (quoted from the Sport Department WhatsApp group) with the pupils. “It’s not every day you get a win on tour, so make sure you celebrate”. So, to get three wins in one afternoon was a great achievement, and the atmosphere amongst the pupils and staff at the dinner table that night was special.
The last evening was spent participating in a quiz night in the hotel. The last day of the tour was quite leisurely, with the pupils again making the most of the facilities available at the Aquadome, followed by a beautiful walk along some of the local beaches, finishing with an ice cream overlooking St Aubin Bay. Then a spot of souvenir shopping in St Helier was all we had time for before our flight back home.
It was a brilliant tour. I must thank the four staff members who accompanied me on the trip, but most importantly I must thank the pupils. They were an absolute credit to the school throughout. Finally, I must thank colleagues at the three schools that hosted us. They all went above and beyond to ensure
that our pupils had the best possible sporting experience. Jersey 2026? Who knows. Watch this space….
Already looking forward to South Africa 2025.
Jonathan Dean, Housemaster of Cripps’ and Head of Football
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