Calcutta show for school rugby tour

May 27 2008 by Gordon Bannerman

KINROSS High School youngsters were delighted to learn Scottish Rugby, in conjunction with local property regeneration company Montgomery Hanson, will be backing their upcoming tour of Canada – with the Calcutta Cup playing a key fundraising role.

Scottish Rugby chairman Allan Munro will present school’s captain Daniel Brown with a cheque on behalf of Montgomery Hanson at a youth rugby development course at Kinross Rugby Club today.

The £200 donation comes on the back of the pupils’ pledge to clean one of the company’s sites on the banks of Loch Leven.

In addition to the donation, Scottish Rugby will also contribute a signed Scotland shirt to the tour cause, to be auctioned off at a fundraising dinner on September 16.

Under the guidance of Kinross High School PE teachers Helen Davidson and Elaine Kinnell, 35 children from both rugby and hockey teams will be travelling to Vancouver in October for a fortnight.

During the trip a team of rugby and mixed sex hockey will play against three schools based in Vancouver and Kelowna.

Kinross High School and notably rector Dick Keatings have built up a significant contact base across the Atlantic which has allowed them to organise this tour.

Helen Davidson said: “The school has toured abroad and hosted teams from Canada in the past. Having secured a number of contacts we decided not to seek the help of a touring company but rather organise everything off our own backs.

“It is obviously a big responsibility and a lot of work but the possibilities the tour presents in sporting development are vast.”

The visit of Scottish Rugby’s chairman coincides with the youth rugby festival taking place at Kinross Rugby Club.

The event has been greatly boosted by the prospect of the appearance of the Calcutta Cup.

Young rugby enthusiasts from the local community will be able to witness the talismanic cup first hand. For many, who may go on to international sporting success, the Canadian tour will be the first rung of that ladder.

The school has a strong relationship with the rugby club and they both realise how influential touring abroad can be in raising the profile of community rugby.

PE teacher Helen added: “There is such a variety of sports on offer that sometimes rugby can drop out of focus, slightly, in the local community.

“However, the tour will promote rugby through the junior ranks that will undoubtedly filter through to the senior clubs. The experience that the children will gain is invaluable in their rugby lives.”

The touring party have been very active in fundraising, having already hosted a race night and bag packed at many local supermarkets.

The key fundraising event will be a Sportsman’s Dinner on September 16, where the signed shirt alongside other memorabilia will be auctioned to raise funds for the tour.