Former England Cricket Captain Mike Gatting OBE visits BIS HCMC

The Aide Memoire attribute we have been focusing on this term has been RESPECT, and when I think of respect, I immediately think of sport and return to my youth where my love of games provided me with a deep understanding of what respect meant. Like many aspects of life, sport is governed by sets of rules, and without due respect being shown by all involved, sport degenerates into a state which is not recognisable. Sport taught me to not only respect rules, but also referees, other competitors, the spirit of the game and most of all, myself. It also gave me wonderful role models whom I was able to look up to for guidance; those who played games hard, but fair and characters who were strong and yet were humble in their approach to life.

One such role model I had as a teenager just leaving secondary school, was a gentleman by the name of Mike Gatting, who at that time was captain of the England cricket team and was leading his national team on a very successful tour of Australia. A tour which I got to see first-hand in Australia. Almost 30 years later, I was very proud to be shaking the hand of one of my most respected role models right here at BIS HCMC, when Mike Gatting OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) came to BIS HCMC to provide a number of coaching sessions for a handful of lucky students from all three campuses. The CCA clubs run by Ms Naomi on the Early Years and Infant Campus and myself here at the Junior Campus, as well as a number of other cricket enthusiasts joined Mr. Gatting for an hour long session in the gym, during which he discussed the skills necessary in cricket and gave us some tips on how to take our game to the next level. This was followed by two outdoor sessions, with Years 7 to 8 and then the senior boys from Years 10, 11 and 12. Mr. Gatting had an excellent rapport with each of the different age groups and helped the students to improve their batting, bowling and fielding techniques.

This is what a couple of our students had to say:

"I was really looking forward to meeting Mike Gatting, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. It was great to meet someone so famous!" – Rishi, Year 6

"The best thing about meeting Mike Gatting was that he fixed my batting grip and I think that this will make me a more successful cricketer in the future, oh and my mother thinks he is fabulous!" – Esmaeel, Year 6

“Playing cricket alongside Mike Gatting was undoubtedly an amazing experience for all of us. We got into two teams and played a match, during which Mr Gatting would act as a coach; highlighting the aspects that each individual player was doing well and what aspect each one of us needed to improve upon. Whether you were an experienced player or just playing for fun, there was no question that we all learnt something new and enjoyed the session. Personalised feedback from such a famous cricket player is certainly not something that we can experience every day, and we were all thankful to receive such a great opportunity.” – Atharva, Year 12

During the afternoon Mr. Gatting gave an assembly to the entire Junior Campus. During this, he spoke passionately about what respect meant to him and why it is such an incredibly important part of our lives, be that at school, or in any aspect of our daily lives. A very fitting way to finish the half term focus on ‘Respect’. We were very grateful that he was able to be a part of BIS HCMC for a day, and we look forward to potentially having him back at some stage in the future. A huge thank you to Mr. Gatting, and indeed all the students and teachers involved for the positivity shown all afternoon.

Mr Chris McKelvie, Deputy Head Teacher, Junior Campus