My name is Suraj Sanhi and I am the Head Boy at HGS. I currently study History, RS and Maths and I hope to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the London School of Economics. This was another exciting and varied year in the sporting calendar for the pupils of HGS. FOOTBALL A number of winning teams continued the school’s fine history of success: • Year 7 Aston and Erdington Football League winners • Year 7 Cup runners-up • Year 7 Futsal winner (futsal is a five- a-side version of football) • Year 8 Aston and Erdington runners-up • Year 9 Aston Cup runners-up CRICKET • Year 7 Aston Schools Cricket champions • Year 7 Aston Super 8s cup winners TABLE TENNIS • U14 and U16s Birmingham Schools Table Tennis runners-up Table tennis is a popular sport at school, and the outdoor tables which we have on the playground have had a big effect on improving the overall standard of play at the school. BASKETBALL A senior and a junior team are competing in new North Birmingham Leagues organised by HGS, and both teams look likely to finish runners-up in their respective leagues. Sporting representation: A number of boys are attached to academies including Ty Barnett in Year 8 with Birmingham City FC and Arjun Toor who is with Walsall FC. Ibrahim Qayyum has played cricket for Warwickshire schools regularly. One of our Year 11 boys, Aden George, will be leaving school this year to sign with Birmingham City FC. He will be joining the club full time as soon as his GCSE exams are finished. We wish him every success with his career. This year saw the biggest ever investment in our sports facilities when over £500k was spent on building a brand-new full-size 3G astroturf football pitch at the games fields. The pitch is a magnificent addition to the school sports facilities. The first game played on the field took place in mid-November with a 1st XI victory over Camp Hill. The pitch was officially opened in the Spring with a game against the Old Boys, and we look forward to many years of enjoyment of the 3G. It is a fantastic football pitch and we are determined to look after it and maintain its excellence for years to come. We have also seen the continuation of our house sporting fixtures with house competitions in a wide range of sports including football, basketball, table tennis, track and field athletics, cricket and handball. Points are awarded for every house event and the house championship is presented on the last day of the school year. As you can see, sport at the school remains very important in the culture and ethos of the school. We look forward to even more success next year. HOUSE ROWING COMPETITION MARCH 2018 The school staged its first ever house rowing competition on 23rd March 2018 to coincide with “Sport Relief 2018”, and the event proved hugely popular with pupils and staff. Big School was the setting for the indoor rowing competitions, as each year group had their own house races using rowing machines which had been connected to a large screen, so that competitors and spectators could follow the action closely. The competition was made up of five individual races, and house points were awarded for each race depending on final positions. The first year group to take part in the event, Year 8, were asked to row for five minutes in their race, but it soon became clear that this was testing pupils to the point of physical exhaustion. Subsequently the races were for only three minutes, but this did not detract from the determination shown by all of the rowers who were determined to win glory (and house points) for their house. Throwing caution to the wind, every rower gave of his very best, and all were a credit to their house and to the school. They were encouraged all the way by noisy and enthusiastic spectators. There was even time for a staff race at lunchtime when a serene Mr Kafai triumphed over his colleagues with a sublime rowing style reminiscent of a young Sir Steve Redgrave. We look forward to next year’s house rowing event when pupils will have new school records to aim for in their three-minute races. HEAD BOY’S SPEECH BY SURAJ SANHI... SPEECHES 32