AFTER even the quickest of glances around the facilities at their vast site amid the East Lancashire country-side, it is not hard to understand why Stonyhurst College has produced so many fine sporting talents over the years.

Founded in 1593, it is a college steeped in tradition – and success is one of those traditions.

Stonyhurst is perhaps known best in sporting circles for its rugby – former pupils Kyran Bracken, Iain Balshaw and Joe Ansbro have been among those who have gone on to star at the World Cup, while former England coach Brian Ashton was once a teacher at the college.

But the story does not end there, far from it.

Pupils from the college have earned county and regional representation in a whole range of activities this year – Millie Arnold and Ella Chippendale in netball, Jessica Pye, Simone Masterton and Beattie Smith in hockey, Molly McManamon in swimming.

Simon Whittle and Magnus Whittle have even been part of the Great Britain junior fencing squads in recent times.

Many other sports are also played within the grounds, which have been under consideration as a training centre for hockey for next summer’s Olympics because of the all-weather floodlit aqua turf pitch on site.

“There is cross country, swimming, football, basketball, some play golf, tennis, cricket, athletics, there is a full range of activities,” said Stonyhurst sports director Simon Charles.

“Our policy here is not only about excellence in our major sports but a sport for all approach, where there is an opportunity for all pupils to get involved.

“It’s not just the high flyers, we want everyone involved here with the benefits of competitive team sport.

“We obviously take our sport very seriously but we see it as part of the all-round education of every pupil.”

It is a college with links far and wide – a cricket tour to Zimbabwe to face sister school Saint Peter’s Kubatana was considered at one stage before complications prevented the trip from going ahead.

But Stonyhurst did go on a rugby tour to Argentina and Chile last year and Ansbro, who still has a sister at the college and has now progressed to become a Scotland inter-national, was in the college team that travelled to Australia and Singapore in 2003.

“The tours are on a three-year cycle and it’s a wonderful part of their rugby education,” said Mr Charles, who has been at the college for two decades.

“To visit places, meet new people, see other cultures and be immersed in a country – especially in Australia where they are absolutely sports mad – and play some serious rugby as well.”

Pupils come from far and wide to attend the independent school, and as a result Stony-hurst have had representation at national level with rugby-playing countries as disparate as Spain, the United States and Romania.

The college, which hosts a well-attended sevens tourna-ment every March, have had 12 full internationals in all – the first of which was Irishman Noel McGrath in 1932.

Will Greenwood – a former pupil of the affiliated preparatory school St Mary’s Hall whose father Dick, the ex-England coach, once coached at Stonyhurst – joined Bracken and Balshaw in the England side that won the 2003 World Cup.

There are more promising players in the production line, with Daniel Fitzgerald and Tom Morgan playing for the Lancashire Schools under 15s side this year.

Victor Keunen and Favour Maduka lined up for the Independent Schools Barbarians under 14s team.

“We certainly do have some good players coming up through the school that we have high hopes about,” Mr Charles added.

“We have boys too who come from overseas, immerse themselves in the rugby here, enjoy it, go back to where they live and just carry on playing.

“We’re getting boys going through the Welsh system, boys from Romania, boys going back to Germany and getting involved with their national set-up, boys going back to Hong Kong and getting involved there.

“When they go on from here they carry a bit of Stonyhurst in their rugby.

“We have some fantastic rugby facilities here, all the teams have their own individual match pitches and it’s a lovely part of world to get outside as well.

“We have had internationals here in the past but we hope that our pupils can go on and play rugby at whatever level they’re capable of.

“The real satisfaction comes from seeing pupils benefiting from being committed to a team sport like rugby and getting all of the personal and social benefits of that.

“It is wonderful to see people like Joe Ansbro playing at the highest level.

“But it’s equally uplifting to see the team spirit that people can get out of playing a sport like rugby.”