Welcoming teenagers who relocated to Aberdeen, Mr Horne and some of our senior players hosted taster cricket sessions to welcome them to the city and encourage an interest in the popular sport.

Mr Horne, Teacher of PE and Head of Cricket shared: “During October 2021 I heard about the possibility of sharing our passion for cricket with the children who had recently moved to the area from Afghanistan. Prior to the start of the normal school day at RGC, we arranged for some senior pupils to welcome the group and play some indoor matches. Seeing how enthusiastic the children were towards the end of term, we reached out to Dave Pemberton at Lord’s Taverners who has generously donated cricket kit to the group. 

“We are also introducing the keen cricket players to coaches from the University of Aberdeen, Gordonians Cricket Club, Aberdeenshire Cricket Club and Cricket Scotland with the aim of integrating them into the community and providing more playing opportunities throughout the season.”  

Mr Macpherson, Head of Robert Gordon’s College said: “We’ve been delighted to help Afghan children to settle in Aberdeen, and I’m grateful to Mr Horne and the Lord's Taverners for all their hard work and support. Seeing the Afghan children play cricket with RGC pupils has been brilliant, and it just shows what a universal language sport is. They have been through a great deal over the past few months, so we wanted to do whatever we can to help the children integrate into the local community and share their passion for cricket with people their own age. Hopefully it is the start of something special for them, and the local clubs.  We look forward to watching how they develop their cricket skills and thank everyone involved for making the early morning sessions.”

Lord’s Taverners creates a range of opportunities for young people to engage in sport and recreational activities in their local communities. Their programmes support some of the most marginalised and at-risk young people in the UK.