Oakham chase dream treble

Oakham stand on the threshold of a remarkable sporting hat-trick, beginning on Saturday in the Daily Mail U18 Cup semi-finals against RGS High Wycombe at Castlecroft Stadium, the Wolverhampton HQ of the English schools game.

On Sunday, their girls head to Milton Keynes for the national hockey finals after putting out favourites Bromsgrove and in a fortnight's time the netball team will attempt to become English champions at the Manchester Velodrome.

'It is a fantastic conclusion to five or six years in which our coaches and players have worked like trojans and discovered how success breeds success. We are also lucky to have some great talent to work with,' said Oakham's Director of Sport Charles Welch, who heads the rugby coaching,while wife Jo, head of girls PE and former England player, oversees the netball team. Mary Grimley has guided the hockey team. The family connection does not end there. Gray Cullen, at No 8,has led the rugby team to their first semi-final and his 16-year-old sister Crista, already an England international, is a star of the hockey team. But there is just one worry. Gray will take a late fitness test on the shoulder injury which kept him out of the quarter-final win over Hymers andprevented him winning his first England cap against New Zealand Schools a month ago.

RGS High Wycombe have a similar problem for their sixth semi-final. England full back Jon Hammond cracked an ankle attempting to score a try in the New Zealand game, missed the quarter-final win over John Fisher and is an unlikely starter.The Bucks team will be happy as underdogs against an Oakham team who have had their colours lowered just once in the past two seasons and that was by RGS Newcastle in last year's quarter-finals.

Campion have risen to the challenge of being champions and their young side have made a vibrant and defiant defence of the Cup. The way they disposed of Whitgift and St Peter's, Gloucester in the space of four days indicated it will take a good side to beat them. Manchester Grammar Schoolthrow one of the best teams in their history against the Essex boys. They have an exciting set of backs and, under Manchester RFC's captain Dave Muckalt, have created a formidable pack. But it is their first semi-finaland Muckalt said: 'I just hope they do themselves justice. If we play to our best and Campion still beat us, good luck to them. I'll have no complaints.'

The winners head to Twickenham on March 24 together with the winners of tomorrow's Vase semi-finals. King Edward's, Morpeth, St Bart's, Newbury, Dartford Grammar and Solihull 6th Form College all had their Cup hopes ruined by injuries early in the season but have run into form at the righttime for two ties that are impossible to call.

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