RUGBY UNION: With victories in three of their five fixtures during the first half of term under their belts, Ipswich School's 26-strong Under-15 rugby squad flew out to Barcelona confident of success in their four-fixture tour to the Catalan capital.

WITH victories in three of their five fixtures during the first half of term under their belts, Ipswich School's 26-strong Under-15 rugby squad flew out to Barcelona confident of success in their four-fixture tour to the Catalan capital.

With advice and support from Ipswich School's head of rugby, Richard Welbourne, head of games and PE Bob Clayton, sports development Bryan Caley and seasoned rugby coach Neil Cameron, the players enjoyed conspicuous success.

They scored 153 points, conceded only seven and won all four fixtures by wide margins.

They played Under-15 sides from FC Cornella, FC Barcelona, Hospitalet and Saint Boit, the latter team being the only one that managed to score any points against them.

Edward Driver was top scorer with 35 points to his credit, Will Turner was the second highest scorer and Richard Long and Mohammed Makhdum were jointly designated players of the tour.

The squad enjoyed four nights in the Hotel Canada Palace at Calafel and managed to get in some sightseeing and some time on the beach in between fixtures.

They had a tour of the Nou Camp Stadium and enjoyed a visit to the Universal Studios Theme Park at Porta Ventura on that final day.

"It was excellent experience for these talented young players," and their sportsmanship and co-operation made the tour a very enjoyable one for all concerned," said Richard Welbourne.

Our picture above shows the Ipswich tour party: Back row (from left): Mr Bryan Caley, Owen Jones, Finlay McNeill, Will Spencer, David Thurtle, Joe Broughton, Tom Kesterton, Oliver Salmon, Nick Card (captain), William Wijnberg, Earl-James Atkinson, Will Turner, Mohammed Makhdum, Mark Treharne, Oliver Bowditch, Alex Gilmour, Matt Donaldson, Richard Long, Joshua Rubin, Matthew Crowe and Mr Neil Cameron. Front row: Daine Lomas, Joshua Head, Jonathan Hill, Dominic Crame, Peter Gallagher, Sherif Salam, Edward Driver.