For the first time pupils from Crowstone Preparatory School are having the opportunity to participate in a number of exciting new and traditional sporting activities at Southend Tennis and Leisure Centre in Garon's Park.

Under the direction of fully qualified coaches, all members of years five and six are able to experience and enjoy such activities as trampolining, tennis, table tennis, badminton, basketball and netball.

John Thayer, headmaster of the School with sites in Westcliff and Shopland, said: "Such a breadth of sporting activities is not usually available to children of this age and our youngsters are taking full advantage of their opportunities.

"In so doing, they are improving their physical fitness, extending their skills in, and knowledge of, a wide variety of sports and learning to develop sportsmanship in a number of different areas.

"Together with the swimming lessons our children also receive, and the team sports they are able to play on our extensive fields, the pupils of Crowstone Preparatory School have a well-rounded PE curriculum."

Get set - Crowstone's Kieran Quinn (10) prepares for a tennis lesson with development officer Luke Greenway

Picture: STEPHEN LLOYD

Sponsor needed for tour

Greensward College is hoping a local company will come forward to help sponsor their forthcoming winter cricket tour of Singapore and Australia.

Fundraising for the trip at end of October is now underway and the school is looking to raise £6000 to help with the cost of sending boys on tour.

Locally-based Centurion, who supply the West Indies with some of their cricket equipment, have stepped in to offer low cost kit. But the school has so far scored a duck in their effort to attract shirt sponsors

Cricket coach Gary Sullivan, who is leading the tour, confirmed: "We're still waiting for responses from some of letters but we've opened quite a few already and they've all said no.

"Any help, hopefully from a local company, will be greatly received - even if it's just an advert in our tour brochure."

Lord Maclaurin of the England & Wales cricket board has been lined up to write the foreword for the brochure and the school hopes to print 2000 copies.

Anyone who wants to sponsor the tour can contact Gary on 01702 202571.

Greensward's year seven pupil Joanna Chase is proving a real sporting all-rounder.

On Friday she plays soccer for the Colchester United girls school of excellence at Chalton.

Then, next month, the 12-year-old will be running for Essex Schools in the year seven inter-counties cross country race in Worthing, Sussex.

College floored by grant

The National Foundation for Sports and Art has given Greensward College a £38,000 grant towards the cost of their sports hall floor.

Assistant vice-principal Martin Clark said: "The Centre is used by a wide range of different sports clubs and teams as well as by students and staff so the £38,000 for the special flooring system will be put to good use."

The Centre was designed to be suitable for a wide range of sports and any team wanting more details can contact Gill Cook on 01702 202571 for a brochure.

Greensward out to net more glory

It's another major date in the basketball calendar at Hockley's Greensward College tonight when the home team's under-19 girls' line-up go in search of national glory.

They take on Sheffield College in the national cup quarter-finals with Greensward's director of PE Tony Mescall believing the victorious team could go on to win the competition.

He said: "This will be a very tough match for us and, I believe, extremely close. Whoever wins this one could easily go all the way and win the whole thing."

Tip-off is at 4.20pm and one player will go into action for the Greensward Lane outfit with the added boost of having made her international debut at the weekend.

Hannah Wilhelmy played for the England under-16 team which was beaten by Scotland at Newcastle.

Meanwhile, Greensward pulled off another major success when their year eight team won the under-13 Essex Cup when they narrowly beat arch rivals St Martin's School, Brentwood.

The final was held at Fitzwimarc, Rayleigh, and Mr Mescall said: "Basketball is a sport at which our students excel and we were delighted that the year eight girls' team continued to enhance the reputation of Greensward for high standard of success."

He went on to praise the opposition when he added: "This was the first time that a girls' team from St Martin's had reached an Essex Cup final and they gave us a very good game.

"The match was fast-moving and high-scoring with some excellent play from both teams. This was reflected in a very close final score of 66-61 in our favour."

Triumphant - Greensward's year eight basketball girls, who won the under-13 Essex Cup

Picture: MAXINE CLARKE

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.