MORE CRAWSHAY’S WELSH HONOURS FOR TWO CHRIST COLLEGE RUGBY PLAYERS
06 Mar 2014
CHRIST COLLEGE’S 1ST XV RUGBY CAPTAIN ALEX DAVIES, AND NO 8 JACOB LEWIS, HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO PLAY FOR THE CRAWSHAY’S WELSH U18S IN A PRESTIGIOUS FIXTURE AGAINST THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS RFC LATER THIS WEEK.
The match takes place at Maidenhead RFC on Saturday 15th February and kick off is at 12 noon.
Both boys were part of the Crawshay’s Welsh U18s XV that made light of the bog-like conditions in Llandovery as they helped their team to their first win over Llandovery College since 2010.
A feature of the Crawshay’s performance on that day was their fierce tackling, with Christ College’s Jacob Lewis working non-stop in defence. The terrific performance by the whole of the Crawshay’s back row, which included Lewis, was one of the features of the match. Christ College’s Alex Davies capped a fine display with a late try to seal the Crawshay’s win.
Alex, caught the eye of the Crawshay’s selectors back in the autumn when he led the Christ College 1st XV to a famous 6-5 win over Crawshay’s at the end of November.
The ISRFC Lambs LogoThe Independent Schools Rugby Football Club known as ‘The Lambs’ was set up in 2006 to provide representative rugby opportunities for talented young players within the independent education sector. Players go through regional trials and it culminates in the best players playing for the ‘Lambs XV’ more fully known as the English Independent Schools XV. The ISRFC Lambs National Rugby Squad of over thirty players was announced after the final trial, a Northern XV versus Southern XV trial game, last month. They will represent the Lambs in several matches from now until Easter before touring Ireland during the Easter holidays.
Commenting on Alex’s and Jacob’s selection for the Crawshay’s Welsh team, Head of Christ College, Emma Taylor, said: “This is a fantastic accolade for the boys. They are outstanding rugby players, fine young men, and this is rightful recognition of their abilities. It is a wonderful opportunity for them. ”
Christ College’s Director of Rugby, Jon Goodridge, added: “Their selection for the Crawshay’s Welsh team is fully deserved. It really does cap a fine season for them. They have made a significant contribution to rugby at Christ College over the past two seasons. They performed brilliantly against Crawshay’s back in November and then played a significant part in Crawshay’s victory at Llandovery College a few weeks ago. Individually they are both very good players indeed but their strength is that they are outstanding team players who inspire those around them.”
Alex and Jacob follow a long line of Christ College rugby players who have been invited to play for the Crawshay’s Welsh U18s, a club with a long and distinguished history.
In 1922 Captain Geoffrey Crawshay was invited by the Engineer Commander of Devonport Services to bring a team of Welsh rugby union players to play Devonport Services RFC and this was the start of one of the most famous amateur teams in the United Kingdom. They are mainly a touring team who play fast entertaining rugby and it is regarded as an honour to be invited to play for such a prestigious team.
At senior level, their teams are usually a mix of seasoned internationals, experienced regional and club players, and promising youngsters. Many Wales rugby legends have played for them, including JPR Williams, Phil Bennett and Jonathan Davies.Crawshay’s Welsh XV play all over the rugby playing world and the U18 team also travels extensively, playing fixtures against Monmouth School, Christ College and Llandovery College, as well as fixtures against the Independent Schools RFC Lambs and Penarth RFC Youth. They also compete in international 7s and 15-aside tournaments.
Photo: Alex and Jacob following their winning performances against Llandovery College