HAYGROVE School’s Year 11 rugby squad, who were crowned Sedgemoor district champions in January, have shown their gratitude to their coach, Mr Austin Elliott, for the commitment he has shown them over the past five years.

They penned their own lyrics to Christina Aguilera’s song ‘Beautiful’ to tell him how much they have enjoyed having him as their coach, and performed it during a school assembly.

The team captain, Harry Saunders, then presented Mr Elliott with a memento of their time as the Haygrove squad – a rugby ball signed by all the players.

Saunders said: “For all of us, being part of the rugby team has been a very important part of our time at Haygrove.

“We have trained and played matches together since Year 7 and we are all great friends.

“Being part of the team also means we have a strong bond with our PE teachers, especially Mr Elliott, who has been there for us all the way through.

“Many of us play for local rugby teams too, and when we move onto college will hopefully play at Under-18 level, too.”

Squad consisted of: Brown, Barrow, Stone, McAllum, Bajona, Fitzpatrick, Sunders, Evans, Williams, Griffin, Ford, Lockyer, Coleman, Hillman, Redman, Washer, Evans, Bryan, Andrews, Sheelan, Close, Marchent-Saunders, Williams, Dray, Stevens.