The schools season in the UK starts to ramp up this week as pre-season starts to edge ever nearer to the start of the season proper.
Two big midweek pre-season Festivals take place on Wednesday, the Esher President’s Cup and the Hartpury College pre-season Festival.
NextGenXV will be at Hartpury College to live stream the Festival, which features boys and girls teams, nineteen in the boys’ competition and six in the girls’.
All teams play three games and each will appear at least once on the live stream which you can watch embedded below or by heading to the NextGenXV YouTube Channel, where you will be able to watch every live game this season.
The six girls U18 teams are Oaklands College, Henley College, Coleg Gwent from Wales, City of Oxford College, and two Hartpury College sides.
Over in the boys U18s there are six ACE Colleges in action, Truro College, SGS Filton College, Exeter College, Stourport High, and Brooksby Melton College, with all bar Filton and Brooksby Melton entering two sides.
Three Welsh College are also in attendance, Coleg Gwent, Cardiff and Vale College, and Coleg y Cymoedd, with Gwent and CAVC both entering two sides. Meanwhile four English school sides will also be in action, Sir Thomas Rich’s, Ivybridge Community College, Denstone College, and St Joseph’s College, who are doing almost the whole width of the country to attend.
It promises to be a real chance to see where teams stand ahead of the season, with not too much time left before things kick off. Most schools will be back in action on Saturday 9th September, with the ACE League kicking off four days later on Wednesday 13th.
Around the Country
The Hartpury College pre-season Festival is one of several events happening this midweek, ahead of what is going to be a busy weekend of pre-season. Tuesday sees two games in Scotland, Dollar Academy v Glenalmond College and George Heriot’s v Stewart’s Melville, while in Kent Maidstone Grammar host Hayes.
There’s a brilliant game in Cumbria as Sedbergh and RGS Newcastle, two giants of the school game, go head to head.
Running at the same time as the Hartpury College pre-season Festival is the Esher President’s Cup, featuring a seriously strong lineup with the teams in attendance including Clifton College, Hampton, Millfield, Newman College, St Benedict’s, Tonbridge, Whitgift, and the reigning champions, Ipswich.
Also on Wednesday Durham host Bede, Mill Hill welcome Merchant Taylors’, and Solihull host Bloxham as all six look to fine tune their preparations. Thursday when sees Eltham College host Gravesend Grammar, Plymouth College, welcome Taunton School, and King Henry VIII host a triangular featuring themselves, KES Birmingham, and Ratcliffe College.
Hartpury College Pre-Season Festival Schedule
Back at Hartpury College the action begins at 10am, with games featuring every half at hour until the final fixture at 4.30pm, barring a half hour break at 1.30pm.
There are three pitches in action, with Pitch 1 being the live streamed pitch, featuring 9 men’s games and 3 women’s games, including every single team competing.
Up first will be Stourport High School (1) against St Joseph’s College in the Men’s competition, followed by Hartpury College (1) v City of Oxford College in the Women’s competition.
Live Stream Schedule (Pitch 1)
10am Stourport 1 v St Joseph’s College (Men’s)
10.30am Hartpury College 1 v City of Oxford College (Women’s)
11am Ivybridge College v Coleg Gwent 1 (Men’s)
11.30am Truro College 1 v SGS Filton College (Men’s)
12pm Truro College 2 v Cardiff and Vale College 2 (Men’s)
12.30pm Cardiff and Vale College 1 v Hartpury College Red (Men’s)
1pm Denstone College v Exeter College 1 (Men’s)
1.30pm Lunch Break
2pm Oaklands College v Hartpury College 2 (Women’s)
2.30pm Coleg Gwent v Henley College (Women’s)
3pm Hartpury College Black v Brooskby Melton College (Men’s)
3.30pm Sir Thomas Rich’s v Truro College 1 (Men’s)
4pm Coleg y Cymoedd v Exeter College 2 (Men’s)
4.30pm Stourport 2 v Coleg Gwent 2 (Men’s)
3G Pitch
10am Sir Thomas Rich’s v SGS Filton College (Men’s)
10.30am Stourport 2 v Cardiff and Vale College 2 (Men’s)
11am Henley College v Hartpury College 2 (Women’s)
11.30am Coleg Gwent 2 v Exeter College. 2 (Men’s)
12pm City of Oxford v Henley College (Women’s)
12.30pm Sir Thomas Rich’s v Coleg Gwent 1 (Men’s)
1pm Ivybridge College v Truro College 1 (Men’s)
1.30pm Lunch Break
2pm Coleg Gwent 2 v Truro College 2 (Men’s)
2.30pm SGS Filton College v Coleg Gwent 1 (Men’s)
3pm Oaklands College v City of Oxford College (Women’s)
3.30pm Ivybridge College v Hartpury College Red (Men’s)
4pm Cardiff and Vale College 2 v Hartpury College 2 (Men’s)
4.30pm Hartpury College 1 v Hartpury College 2 (Women’s)
Pitch 2
10am Hartpury College Black v Coleg y Cymoedd (Men’s)
10.30am Denstone College v Hartpury College Red (Men’s)
11am Oaklands College v Coleg Gwent (Women’s)
11.30am Cardiff and Vale College v Exeter College 1 (Men’s)
12pm Brooksby Melton College v St Joseph’s College (Men’s)
12.30pm Coleg Gwent v Hartpury College (Women’s)
1pm Stourport 1 v Coleg y Cymoedd (Men’s)
1.30pm Lunch Break
2pm Stourport 2 v Exeter College 2 (Men’s)
2.30pm Hartpury College Red v Exeter College 1 (Men’s)
3pm St Joseph’s College v Truro College 2 (Men’s)
3.30pm Denstone College v Cardiff & Vale College 1 (Men’s)
4pm Stourport 1 v Brooksby Melton College (Men’s)
