Wellington UK Exchange Trip – Basketball Tournament

Following the invitation from our partner school, Wellington College UK, a team of 7 Wellington Tianjin players set off on 6th January , accompanied by coach Eddie Zakharian and PE teacher Ross McGrath. Our team was part of an annual tournament involving teams from most prestigious independent schools including Eaton, Charterhouse, Stowe Winchester, Bradfield, BWS and Pangbourne.

Before the start of the tournament, the Wellington team visited some of London’s major tourist attractions: Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Princess Diana memorial fountain. The team was also pleased to see a grand statue of the Duke of Wellington.

Having arrived at Wellington College UK, the schedule allowed the students the opportunity to attend lessons and sample the similarities between the schools, as well as giving the players the opportunity to compete against the Wellington basketball team in a 4 quarter fixture. The game also allowed the team to gauge the quality of the opposition prior to the tournament.

The official tournament took place on Saturday afternoon and the Wellington Tianjin team was in a very strong group that included Charterhouse, Bradfield and Winchester. The tournament was very well organized and supported and the team certainly didn’t look out of place. Unfortunately a win against any of the sides eluded the team. As always Wellington’s players applied themselves fully and in every game they had periods of excellent play. Charterhouse were crowned the winners eventually in an enthralling game against BWS.

The trip to Wellington College UK and London allowed our Tianjin pupils to meet new friends, embrace new cultures and understand the unique history of Wellington College.