School profile: St Bart's

St Bart's is one of the oldest schools in Berkshire and after the amalgamation of Newbury Boys Grammar School (founded 1466) and Newbury County Girls (founded 1904) it became an 11-18 co-educational school which now has 1660 pupils, 380 of them in the Sixth Form.

The school has a great sporting tradition and has been a long-time supporter of the Daily Mail competitions at both age groups but this is the furthest any team has reached and, in fact, it is their first time in the Vase since they usually negotiate the first two rounds. St Bart's have had to contend with a season disrupted by injuries and were unable to fieldtheir strongest team until they faced Cheltenham Bournside in the last 16.

But they have acquired the knack of winning tight games and possess a man with a cool head in inspirational skipper Tom Heath. The fly half, a useful enough cricketer to have taken a century off the MCC last summer, crowned a great fightback against Cheltenham with the successful late penalty thatgave them a heart-stopping 18-17 victory. Against Tring in thequarter-finals and in atrocious conditions, it was his grubber kick that set up the only try of the game for centre Phil Simmons. Then, in the semi-final he nailed 14 points as St Bart's came back from 24-3 down to beat King Edward's, Morpeth 28-24.

But they are by no means a one or two-man team. Centre Jon Gibson is a member of Bath's U19 Academy and in the South West U18 squad. Joseph McGahan and Tom Andrews play for Berks, Bucks and Oxon; Heath, Tom Sandford and William Goodman play for Berks U18 and David Lee is in the Welsh Exiles squad. Of the younger players, full back Dan May has made the South West U16 squad and winger Joseph Wood plays for Berks U16.

David McGall, a young Ulsterman, who enjoyed reaching three schools cup finals playing for Methodist College, Belfast, is in his fourth season as 1st XV coach. He is helped by head of PE Martin Britton, who has coached many of the players coming through the school, and St Bart's veteran Mike Hart who has been Ist XV coach, head of department among numerous roles andwho will be an important motivator and tactician today.

ROUTE TO THE FINAL

2nd rnd Leighton Park (a) won 55-5
3rd rnd Ridings HS(h) won 23-20
4th rnd Marling (a) won 15-0
5th rnd Cheltenham Bournside(h) won 18-17
qtr-final Tring (h) won 7-0
semi-final: King Edward's,Morpeth won 28-24.