Two Junior High students are nominated for awards

TWO students at Lurgan Junior High School have been nominated for the first of this season's Vodafone Try Harder Rugby Award for Schools.

Liutauras Velicka and Robert Norton were nominated for the award by the Head of Rugby and Boys’ PE at the school, Rob McDowell

The Awards are run to highlight Vodafone NI’s status as Official Kit Partner of Ulster Rugby with whom the communications company has recently signed a new three-year partnership.The Try Harder awards also supports the work that Ulster Rugby is doing to spread the playing of the game in schools throughout Ulster. This rugby season Vodafone will be presenting five Try Harder awards.

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Liutauras is 12, in Year 8 and plays at second row for his team. Rob explains why he nominated him for the award: “Liutauras has never played rugby until this year but has earned the respect of all around him with his outstanding attitude and play on and off the pitch. A brilliant lad.”

Robert is also a Year 8, twelve-year-old player who plays at scrum-half. “Robert has been a footballer all his life – as are his brothers and family. Robert has become a tremendous scrum-half – first out to training and practices everything he is told,” says Rob.

Pauline Quigley, Head of Vodafone NI, says, “It’s really good to see the interest in rugby in Northern Ireland schools increasing year on year and to see new schools taking up the sport each year.

“At Vodafone NI we hope that the Try Harder awards encourage boys to do their best when playing rugby and while training. The awards will go to the boys who Try Harder and not necessarily the best players.”

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The Awards are open to every second-level school affiliated to the IRFU Ulster Branch. With the emphasis on effort and hard work on and off the pitch, the Awards have been organised so that a school just starting to play rugby has an equal chance of having an Award winner as a school which has a long tradition of excelllence in schools rugby.

Rugby coaches and teachers may nominate any number of players for the awards. The nominees may be of any age and play at any level of rugby in the school, including players who are not on a regular school team. Vodafone offers the winning player a sports voucher for 200, his school gets a voucher for 300 and the nominating coach or teacher receives a mobile phone from Vodafone.

Nomination forms may be obtained by phoning Duffy Rafferty Communications, tel 028 9073 0880 or by emailing [email protected]

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