Churcher’s Champions is Back!

Three Days to Go!

Get ready…on Saturday 12 December, the Churcher’s Champions intra-school sport festival will be back!   

The festival is the highlight of the internal sporting programme that has been running this term, more than 400 Churcher’s pupils will take part in competitive rugby and hockey matches with winners’ categories including individual outstanding performers, and team awards for matches and overall year group achievement.

Ensuring Covid-safety is maintained, internal year group tournaments will be held in bubbles from Years 7 to 13 and matches will be live streamed for parents to enjoy the action whilst it is not possible watch in person.  

The students will be competing for teams inspired by Old Churcherian (OC) sporting heroes:  Calum Chambers, Fiona Pocock, Joe Atkinson, Georgina Tuffin, Margie Pedder and George and Will Cairns. 

Louisa Taylor, Director of Sport, said: “The Churcher’s Champions Festival is a great opportunity for pupils to experience a competitive sporting atmosphere and show off their abilities after a busy term of intra-school sport.  It’s been wonderful to see how many of our pupils have been enjoying competitive team sport each week, with amazing participation numbers and huge smiles highlighting the positive impact sport has on their wellbeing.  Go Team Churcher’s!”

More about the Old Churcherian sporting champions:

Calum Chambers

Calum Chambers is an English professional footballer who plays as a right back or centre back for Premier League Club Arsenal and the England national team. Originally a member of Southampton's academy system, Chambers was promoted to the first team at the beginning of the 2012–13 campaign.  Chambers made his senior international debut for the England national team in 2014.

Fiona Pocock

Fiona Pocock is an English female rugby union player.  She represented England at the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup.  She has made 32 appearances for England.  Fiona visited Churcher’s College in 2019 to run a rugby workshop and we look forward to welcoming her back again in the future.

Joe Atkinson

Joe has had a successful rugby career playing for London Scottish, Wasps and most recently Bedford Blues.  He is an all action flanker, who has an eye for the try line.  He continues to build his reputation as one the Championship’s best back row forwards.  Atkinson has also been capped by England at age grade and student level.

Georgina Tuffin

In 2011 Georgina completed a solo swim of the English Channel in an impressive 11 hours and 54 minutes. She also won three different awards for 2011; Earliest / Latest Swim, Fastest Swim on the Highest Tide; Youngest Successful Swimmer

Margie Pedder

Margie is the former British record holder in both the 100m butterfly the 200m butterfly and became a 200m butterfly at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Later she captured a bronze medal when her nation hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games.  During her sporting career, Pedder trained with the Portsmouth Northsea Swim Club.

George Cairns

George attended Churcher’s College from 2005-2012 and in his final year he was Captain of College. George received his first England cap for hockey in 2016 in the U16 squad and progressed through to also play for the England U18’s.  George went onto study at Bristol University and became the university 1st XI Captain in 2014.  He is now working as a Junior Doctor at The Royal London Hospital.

Will Cairns

Will attended Churcher’s college from 2003-2010 and went on to represent England Hockey at U18. Will continued his studies and hockey at Cambridge University where he played each year in the Varsity match against Oxford University. He was awarded man of the match in this game in 2014.