The prizes awarded at Awards Ceremonies that are held each term form part of the formal recognition of pupil achievement at Kingswood College. This award was awarded on the 22nd of November 2021 at the Sports Awards Ceremony for the Third Term.
Matthew has achieved a tremendous amount in the sporting sphere during his time at Kingswood College. He is an outstanding natural born leader, who leads by example in all that he does.
Matthew would never ask anyone to do anything he is not willing to do himself. While he is a very talented rugby player, what has been most impressive in his years at Kingswood College, is the way he conducts himself as a person. His strong moral compass has always guided Matthew, which is clear to anyone who meets him. His natural way with people and ability to connect with individuals of all ages and all cultures, is one of the main reasons he is well respected and popular amongst his peers.
Unfortunately, his plans and goals for his final two years have not materialised due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but his maturity and optimism in the way he has handled this setback has been an example to all.
As a rugby player Matthew has a very good work ethic, he works extremely hard on his micro skills and conditioning off the field and has a very high work rate on the field. He has played a number of positions while at Kingswood, he started out as a loose forward and has recently put the team before himself and moved to the front row, playing loose head prop and hooker for the 1st XV.
Matthew is the ultimate team player, always putting the needs of the team before his own. Even though he was the captain and a senior in the team, it was never beyond him to do the little things, like, pack up after practice or sweep out the changing rooms.
During his U14 – U16 age grade teams, Kingswood College did not have the strongest group and Matthew never let this get him down, if anything, he chose to use this to his advantage and use his talent and outstanding character to become an even better rugby player.
It was evident from the start of his time at Kingswood College that this principled young man, would be able to galvanise any team he represented. Matthew has represented the 1st XV for three years, captaining the team in 2020 and was a co-captain in 2021.
This year Matthew was selected into and was a key member of the EP u20 rugby team. As Matthew moves to Scotland next year, I have no doubt that he has a future in the game, he is very talented, works extremely hard, loves rugby and most importantly, he is an outstanding person.