Wild about Zimbabwe
School rugby tour returns to African nation for the first time in over a decade
In April, Edwin Doran Sports Tours will be taking a team of 28 independent school rugby players to Zimbabwe for a nine day whistle stop rugby tour. Despite Zimbabwe’s chequered past, the African country is rich in heritage and natural beauty and its people are renowned for their warmth and hospitality. The last UK school known to have toured Zimbabwe was in 1998 but in response to a request from the ‘Independent Schools Barbarians’ team, Edwin Doran Sports Tours decided to re-run the tour this year.
Accompanied by their teachers and a handful of supporters, the 17 and 18 year-olds making up the Independent Schools Barbarians will be treated to an energetic programme of rugby fixtures against local teams. Their sporting challenge will start with games against similarly skilled county level teams and will later progress to them testing their abilities against the mighty Zimbabwe under-19s. In between matches the boys will embark on a programme of cultural highlights including: a once in a lifetime game drive to spot elephants, lions and rhinos; a visit to the atmospheric Chinhoyi Caves and the chance to explore one of Zimbabwe’s finest National Parks.
Ian Barton, General Manager, Edwin Doran Sports Tours, explained: “We are delighted to be involved with the first sports tour from the UK to travel to Zimbabwe for a number of years. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s we used to take schools to Zimbabwe every year and reinstating this tour will help the Zimbabwe economy. The boys will stay at a variety of boarding schools, squeezing in some valuable time for school study, and be put up by host families.
He then added: “Teams travelling with Edwin Doran Sports Tours benefit from their involvement in community projects, those receiving ongoing support include; SKRUM for Swaziland orphans, rebuilding playgrounds for Tsunami Relief, ‘Money for Milk’ and the ‘Pathway out of Poverty’ in the Western Cape. On the Zimbabwe trip we plan to donate rugby kit and boots to boys in the township so they can continue to enjoy this fantastic sport”.
Edwin Doran Sports Tours offer high performance training camps with rugby world cup legends and premiership football clubs. For excursions heading to the USA, they can experience sessions with players from major league soccer such as LA Galaxy, or even go behind the scenes with teams from the NFL. With destinations spanning almost every continent; Edwin Doran Sports Tours prides itself in blazing a trail where no other sports tour operator has been, providing tours to relatively new destinations such as India, Swaziland, Croatia, Jamaica and Malawi.
Notes to Editors:
Students from the following schools will make up the Independent Schools Barbarians team: Epsom College, Sherborne School, The Leys, St. Edwards Oxford, Queen Ethelburga’s College, Mill Hill, Bedford School, Durham School, St. Benedicts, Felsted School, Birkenhead School, Oratory School, Bolton School, Stowe School, Portsmouth Grammar School, City of London Freemens, Yarm School, Brighton College, Woodhouse Grove School, Rugby School, Eton College, Ipswich, Framlingham College, Portsmouth Grammar School, Berkhamsted School, Mill Hill School, Oundle School, Caterham School, Taunton School, Millfield School, Oakham School, St Columba’s College, Kings College, Bedford School, Cheltenham College.
In April, Edwin Doran Sports Tours will be taking a team of 28 independent school rugby players to Zimbabwe for a nine day whistle stop rugby tour. Despite Zimbabwe’s chequered past, the African country is rich in heritage and natural beauty and its people are renowned for their warmth and hospitality. The last UK school known to have toured Zimbabwe was in 1998 but in response to a request from the ‘Independent Schools Barbarians’ team, Edwin Doran Sports Tours decided to re-run the tour this year.
Accompanied by their teachers and a handful of supporters, the 17 and 18 year-olds making up the Independent Schools Barbarians will be treated to an energetic programme of rugby fixtures against local teams. Their sporting challenge will start with games against similarly skilled county level teams and will later progress to them testing their abilities against the mighty Zimbabwe under-19s. In between matches the boys will embark on a programme of cultural highlights including: a once in a lifetime game drive to spot elephants, lions and rhinos; a visit to the atmospheric Chinhoyi Caves and the chance to explore one of Zimbabwe’s finest National Parks.
Ian Barton, General Manager, Edwin Doran Sports Tours, explained: “We are delighted to be involved with the first sports tour from the UK to travel to Zimbabwe for a number of years. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s we used to take schools to Zimbabwe every year and reinstating this tour will help the Zimbabwe economy. The boys will stay at a variety of boarding schools, squeezing in some valuable time for school study, and be put up by host families.
He then added: “Teams travelling with Edwin Doran Sports Tours benefit from their involvement in community projects, those receiving ongoing support include; SKRUM for Swaziland orphans, rebuilding playgrounds for Tsunami Relief, ‘Money for Milk’ and the ‘Pathway out of Poverty’ in the Western Cape. On the Zimbabwe trip we plan to donate rugby kit and boots to boys in the township so they can continue to enjoy this fantastic sport”.
Edwin Doran Sports Tours offer high performance training camps with rugby world cup legends and premiership football clubs. For excursions heading to the USA, they can experience sessions with players from major league soccer such as LA Galaxy, or even go behind the scenes with teams from the NFL. With destinations spanning almost every continent; Edwin Doran Sports Tours prides itself in blazing a trail where no other sports tour operator has been, providing tours to relatively new destinations such as India, Swaziland, Croatia, Jamaica and Malawi.
Notes to Editors:
Students from the following schools will make up the Independent Schools Barbarians team: Epsom College, Sherborne School, The Leys, St. Edwards Oxford, Queen Ethelburga’s College, Mill Hill, Bedford School, Durham School, St. Benedicts, Felsted School, Birkenhead School, Oratory School, Bolton School, Stowe School, Portsmouth Grammar School, City of London Freemens, Yarm School, Brighton College, Woodhouse Grove School, Rugby School, Eton College, Ipswich, Framlingham College, Portsmouth Grammar School, Berkhamsted School, Mill Hill School, Oundle School, Caterham School, Taunton School, Millfield School, Oakham School, St Columba’s College, Kings College, Bedford School, Cheltenham College.
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