Students and staff from across The Marches Academy Trust came together for the annual cross-trust varsity competition.

Around 240 students from Years 7 and 8 travelled to this year’s hosts, The Marches School in Oswestry, and they were joined by Whitchurch’s Sir John Talbot’s School (SJT), The Grove School and Shrewsbury Academy.

Students came together to compete in a variety of sports, including football, rugby, netball, badminton and basketball, with student young leaders invited to referee some of the events under PE staff guidance.

During the tournament, the teams accumulated points to determine who would be awarded the much-coveted Marches Academy Trust Varsity Cup.

It was a closely fought contest with the lead changing several times throughout the day, with all of the schools managing to claim at least one victory out of the 12 rounds of sport played.

When the scores were totalled, The Marches managed to claim victory over their rivals, meaning they held on to the cup for a second year.

Neal Martin, head of PE at The Marches, said: “It has been a spectacular day of sport, despite the strong competition all the students have shown great team spirit and displayed a positive attitude throughout.

“From the smiles seen on all the students’ faces today, it is clear that they will have formed memories that will stay with them for a lifetime.”

Jack Brown, deputy director of performance/PE at SJT, added: “Well done to The Marches for hosting such a well-organised competition.

“Our students and staff have enjoyed meeting and competing against fellow schools within The Marches Academy Trust. It has been a great day of sport.”

Mr Littleford, PE Teacher at The Grove School said, “It has been a fantastic day and a great opportunity for our students to build on their sporting technique. We have really enjoyed our first Varsity and look forward to future competitions.”