MORE than 100 guests attended the annual rugby club dinner on Saturday night, with members of the unbeaten Under 16 team from 2005 enjoying a reunion.

In their halcyon campaign, captained by former Maltese international Sam Borg, Oratory won a perfect 12 games from 12 against sides including London Irish, Abingdon, Radley College, Stowe and City of London Freeman’s.

Saturday had begun well for the 2025 cohort, who produced their best display of the season to crush derby rivals Pangbourne College 55-7, and it was captain Rudi Derbyshire who walked away with the Paul Keddie Shield for outstanding performance during the season.

There was added emotion to this year’s presentation with former 1st XV captain Paul – who played for the first team for a remarkable five years and went onto be a House Master at the school – having passed away in the summer.

Prolific try-scorer Adi Hector was the winner of the inaugural Derbyshire Cup donated by the captain’s parents Rob and Nikki.

They were presented with replica shirts by Head of Rugby, Mikey Hennessy, with their two elder sons Harry and Louis – both previously 1st XV players – also in attendance along with teammates Tom Croisdale and Iwan MacRae, the older brother of Wales 7s and Rams’ ace Morgan.

The Captain’s Cup was won by hard-hitting back row Jacob Bangs, with the MacRae Cup for the best Lower Sixth performers shared by inside centre Seb Charles and versatile forward Charlie Mossop.

The Tom Hennessy Shield, awarded to the player who best showcased the values of the school and rugby club, was won by Max Schuetz.

The guest of honour was former Five Nations Grand Slam-winning England Head Coach, Dick Best, who entertained the audience with many memorable tales from his time involved in the sport.

Argentinian exchange students Dalmiro Alegre and Pedro Barbeito also shared their thanks for a term in which they made ‘life-long friends and memories’.

The third of the front row contingent from Cardinal Newman College in Buenos Aires, Cruz Walker, had flown back home to celebrate his club side’s cup triumph earlier in the week.