Evie follows in her big brothers' footsteps and plays rugby for BGS
1st June 2009
Little Evie Barnard has decided that if you can’t beat them, you might as well join them!
The eight-year-old is following in her older brothers rugby playing footsteps and has been called up for her school rugby team for the first time.
In one of the final matches of the season, Evie, a pupil at Belmont Grosvenor School, Harrogate, was called up to the school’s Under 9 tag rugby team against another Harrogate prep school – and helped power her team to victory.
For Evie, who started playing rugby a number of years ago, it was a case of if you can’t beat them, join them!
Both her older brothers, former pupils at Belmont Grosvenor School, now play at Harrogate Rugby Club and represent Yorkshire at rugby.
Jack, 14, has two Yorkshire caps for the U15s while younger brother Harry, 12, is a member of the Yorkshire U13 squad.
Said mum Andrea: “Evie has spent half her life on the sidelines watching her brothers play rugby. She really thought rather than get cold and wet at the side, that she’d join in, and she has great fun. She’ll give everything a go – and she was delighted to be asked to play for her school.”
Chris Dight, head of boys PE at Belmont Grosvenor, an independent co-educational prep school on the outskirts of Harrogate, said Evie had been called up to play tag rugby with the boys – and had performed well on the pitch.
“We have not had any girls taking part in rugby at Belmont Grosvenor since I joined the school six years ago – the girls tend to play hockey and netball and the boys rugby and football.
“We have some excellent children in the teams who are all very enthusiastic about their sports and play very hard. Evie joined in and played a really good game – we hope she will play again next season,” he said.
Children at Belmont Grosvenor, which is based at Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith, have access to a wide range of sports and during the summer term can enjoy cricket, rounders, tennis and athletics, as well as swimming in the school’s indoor pool.
They regularly compete in matches and friendly competitions against other schools both locally and further afield. Last month, the school’s U-11 netball team scooped top honours in a regional netball competition hosted by Sedbergh School.
