Sedbergh Celebrates Rugby Heritage at the SSFC Reunion Dinner in London
On Thursday 26th March, Sedbergh School hosted a special dinner in London to celebrate the School’s rich rugby heritage.
The event took place in Carisbrooke Hall, a chandelier-lit, galleried space within the Victory Services Club, a prestigious military members’ club near Marble Arch.
Over 150 guests attended, bringing together Old Sedberghians from the 1950s through to the 2020s, alongside current and former staff and friends of the School.
Rugby was the common thread uniting them all. Many in attendance were former SSFC players, their passion for the game as strong as it had been during their days playing on Busk.
The high-ceilinged room reverberated with laughter as guests gathered for pre-dinner drinks, exchanged stories and picked up on conversations where they had left off, sometimes years before. Such was the collective enthusiasm that it proved a challenge to call everyone to their seats, but OS Alex Hambly (H 77–82), expertly fulfilling his role as Master of Ceremonies, rose to the occasion.
Headmaster Dan Harrison, having earlier in the day started Sedbergh’s Wilson Run which had been rescheduled due to terrible weather, travelled swiftly down from Cumbria to deliver an exciting opening address. As both Headmaster and a former Director of Rugby for eleven years, he was in a unique position to unveil “The SSFC Team of All Time,” a selection of the finest Sedbergh players from across the School’s history.
Selecting such a team was no easy task, given Sedbergh’s long-standing reputation for producing outstanding rugby talent. The line-up prompted cheers, nods of approval and some lively debate among guests. With so many exceptional players to choose from, it was fortunate that a list of “non-travelling reserves” meant even more names could be recognised.
A three-course dinner followed, featuring a salmon starter, melt-in-the-mouth beef, and berry cheesecake – all accompanied by animated conversation.
After dinner, former England captain, British and Irish Lion, and Harlequins legend Will Carling OBE (W 1979–84) took to the stage to share stories and reflections. He spoke about the lasting impact of Sedbergh on both his life and rugby career, and looked back on his time as England’s youngest captain, recalling how he had viewed his role as one of drawing on the strengths of others: “I just remember the first time I stood up in front of [the team], and I thought – there’s all this experience, all this knowledge that’s sat in the room, and if I can just access this… hopefully we can start winning games.”
He then led a lively panel discussion featuring five distinguished Old Sedberghian rugby figures:
• Phil Dowson (H 1993–2000), England international and Director of Rugby at Northampton Saints
• Mike McCarthy (SH 1993–2000), Ireland international with Newcastle Falcons, Connacht and Leinster
• Abbie Ward (R 2009–2011), England Rugby World Cup winner and Bristol Bears forward
• John Spencer (E 1961–1966), former England captain, British and Irish Lion and Headingley stalwart
• Ewan Dowes (W 1997–1999), former England Rugby League international with Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC
The panel discussion will be available to view in due course.
Also in attendance were several rugby stars, including Ali Crossdale (P 2014–16), formerly of Perpignan and Saracens; Ben Redshaw (S 2018–23) of Gloucester Rugby; and Annie Roué (R 2022–24) of Sale Sharks.
Ben Collins (P 1996–2002), Acting Director of Development and Alumni Relations, summed up the spirit of the occasion: “It was wonderful to see generations of Sedberghians and friends of the School coming together to celebrate their shared love of both the game and the School. It is a real privilege to spend time in the company of such outstanding rugby players, and such exceptional people.”
That sentiment was echoed by Will Carling, who reflected on the lasting impact of Sedbergh’s rugby tradition: “I was lucky enough to play for many teams, and I’ll be honest, I loved playing for two of them,” he said. “One was England, and one was Sedbergh.”
Read the School’s press release HERE.
