The inaugural derby weekend between the four high schools in Bishop Lavis not only united the school communities, but each school also showed its mettle on the field.

Mixed bag

Held on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September at the Bishop Lavis Sports Grounds, it was a mixed bag of results, but the communities and the participants were the overall winners. The four schools participating were John Ramsay, Bishop Lavis, Beauvallon and Bishops School of Skills. They competed in soccer, rugby, volleyball, chess and table tennis.

In the lead-up to the event, schools promoted and marketed events at their respective campuses to build “gees” (spirit) in the hope of claiming bragging rights for the first time. Fun events such as False Injury Day, held on Tuesday 15 September at John Ramsay, saw players faking injuries — being wrapped as mummies with strapping from head to toe — or simply being clumsy to produce the perfect fake injury. Needless to say, the fake injuries were a hit, as some of the players copied the antics of their favourite English Premier League heroes who set examples week after week.

The idea of the derby weekend is the brainchild of Kevin Sonn, caretaker principal at John Ramsay, in collaboration with circuit manager Wayne Hendricks.

Universal language

“The idea stems from the recognition that sport is a universal language that can bring people together despite differences in age, culture, background, ability or socio-economic circumstances, facilitating community cohesion. In a school and community where there may be social challenges, sport provides a positive platform for people to interact, cooperate and build relationships,” says Tessa Cloete, a teacher at John Ramsay.

Therefore, sport becomes a vehicle for building stronger relationships, developing responsible young people and creating united schools and community.

According to Cloete, the powerful programme statement for the weekend is: “We play together, we grow together, and we belong together.”

The results:

• Table tennisBoys u.19 — Bishops School of Skills
• Girls u.19 — Bishops School of Skills
• ChessU.19 Mixed — Bishop Lavis Secondary School
• VolleyballGirls u.19 — John RamsayBoys u.19 — Bishop Lavis Secondary
• NetballGirls u.19 — John RamsayLGBTQ — Beauvallon
• RugbyBoys u.19 — Bishops School of SkillsGirls u.19 — Bishop Lavis Secondary
• SoccerBoys u.17 — John RamsayGirls u.19 — John RamsayBoys u.19 — John Ramsay

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