Ten Stokesely School students are limbering up for the final of the Yorkshire Plate rugby final when they will make up over half of the U15 Guisborough RUFC squad.
The students train and play for Guisborough, under the watchful eyes of coaches, brothers Dean and Blake Sewell, and Mark Ferguson. There are very close ties with Stokesley School as Dean, head coach, and Blake, assistant coach, are both ex-students and are delighted that the passion and commitment for rugby continues to be strong within the School.
Blake Sewell, assistant coach, comments: “Throughout this season all of the boys have shown great dedication to training sessions and match-day fixtures, along with positive attitudes towards their team mates and coaches. They have all grown in stature since joining, proving time and time again how their commitment to training has helped them to improve their technical ability, leading to securing a place in the prestigious county Yorkshire Plate final.”
The students will face Morley RUFC at the final, at Scarborough RFC, on Sunday 7th April, after beating Selby in the semi-final 17:12.
Darren Beattie, head of PE at Stokesley School, adds: “Achieving such an impressive representation in the Guisborough RUFC team is testament to the drive, determination and unfaltering skill of our students. To account for over 50% of the total team from the area is a great achievement and I am extremely proud of the students ongoing commitment and success, which is also equally strong in their approach and delivery of sport at School.”
Mackenzie Proll has captained the team this season after demonstrating great leadership skills, not only throughout the current season, but in previous years also. Mackenzie says: “It’s a great honour to lead the team to the final of the Yorkshire Plate. It’s a reflection of how much effort every player in the squad has put in all season and the effort of the coaches which has resulted in us reaching the final. We are really looking forward to the match.”
Mackenzie is supported by Roshan Parker-Mian and Ben Houlgate, who possess a great skill-set leading to selection for the Yorkshire County squad. Jack Parkes has become a key figure in the team, with Ben Thompson, Barney Rider, Fin Darcy and Ben Barker all showing brilliant progression, adapting well to the constant changes in the game both physically and mentally. Michael Gray and Joe French are the most recent squad members and are proving to have great potential, demonstrating very high standards of rugby and showing more is yet to come!
Blake concludes: “The boys from Stokesley School have proven to be core members of the team, continuing to improve their ever-growing talent. From both myself and Dean, it has been a pleasure coaching them and watching them develop into outstanding players and well mannered, pleasant young men.”
Image1: Pictured left to right: Back row – Barney Rider, Roshan Parker-Mian, Mackenzie Proll (Captain), Jack Parkes, Finley Darcy. Front row: Joe French, Ben Houlgate, Ben Barker. (Unfortunately Michael Gray is missing from the shot)