Last Friday we welcomed some OGs back to Downside to play a friendly match against the School team. Basketball is becoming a really popular sport for pupils at Downside and our team is going from strength to strength. The U18 basketball squad made it 3 wins in a row in the first half of the term. Wonderful to see Jimmy (S22), Andy (B22), Daniel (S22), Pedro (R23), Chloe (C22) & Ady (C21) make the journey from their various Universities around the country.
The result was School 32 – 45 OGs. A great performance by the Old Gregorian team, led by Jimmy, who alone scored 27 points! Huge congratulations to all who took part in this event. In Jimmy’s words:
‘It was a wonderful experience not only to be back at Downside but also to have a friendly basketball against the current School team. Despite the delays of trains and flights, I was able to make the journey on time all the way from Durham. Alongside me came Andy and Daniel (both from my year), Ady and Chloe (the year above) and also Pedro (from the year below), who made their own way back to School for this amazing event.
Stepping back into School, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t get a sense of nostalgia for the six years I spent studying at this memorable place, especially playing basketball every day after school with my friends. The feeling was rather strange yet familiar. Furthermore, having the opportunity to visit and talk to my old teachers reminded me that I might not have left Downside that long ago compared to other OGs, but it felt like forever, especially discussing the level of Mathematics I have been studying at university with Dr Tapia, which has always been a pleasure and exciting thing.
Getting into the actual game, I am amazed and very proud of the current basketball team. Whether it was their own development of the game or the popularity of the sport at Downside, I do not regret at all choosing them to be on the team back when Andy and I were the co-captains. Donnel, Clovis, CJ and Ormond were all in the Fifth Form when we played together. Seeing the improvements they have made and the basketball culture they’ve developed after us was truly special. Although finishing with a win of 45-32, I was amazed that they came up with and practised their own tactics and plays, which led them to score several easy baskets during the game. It is safe and sure to say that this sport at Downside is in good hands, with special credits to Ormond taking up the place as coach and CJ as captain this year.
It has been a year and a half since graduating from Downside, taking my University life to Durham always made me feel nostalgic for School since it was a long journey to come back down. I hope to see how culture keeps on growing and hopefully, we will meet soon next year for another OG game, but this time I promise to score more than 30!’
We hope to make this an annual event, so please get in touch with us if you’re interested. Also, if you’d like to lead any OG Sports, please contact us at oldgregorians@downside.co.uk. We are always looking at ways to bring the OG Community together!