Badminton   Close

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Cricket   Close

Football   Close

Rugby Union   Close

MGS Rugby clearly had a measure of success during the Nineteenth Century. In 1881 the school gained its first rugby International when W.R. Richardson, who was still at school, appeared for England against Ireland. The Reverend Matthew Mullineux toured South Africa in 1896 and also Australia in 1899 with the British Lions. On the 1899 trip The Reverend not only captained the side, but also coached them and organised the trip as Tour Manager. How times have changed!

At the turn of the Twentieth Century rugby had not really taken hold at the school and only revived itself after the First World War in 1922 with the advent of more accessible pitches. Football was the chosen sport for most talented athletes and this meant that MGS Rugby was dour and, with a strong fixture list, mainly unsuccessful.

Perhaps the turning point for MGS Rugby was the arrival of Bert Toft to the school in 1932. After captaining the 1st XV during his final year in 1928 he came back to coach the team for seven years. Between 1936 and 1939 he became England's first choice hooker and even captained them during the 1938-39 season. If it hadn’t been for the onset of World War Two, it was thought he could have achieved well over 100 caps.

Apart from an unbeaten 1st XV season in 1950-51 rugby was still some way behind football. Things began to turn around in the 1980s with better drainage, the introduction of B teams and perhaps more importantly the development of the Club atmosphere in rugby. This was through the efforts of Alan Welsby, a renowned International referee, and Head of Sport at MGS. Together with Rodger Alderson, who ran the U12s for over 30 years, they introduced a Senior Club Dinner and Summer BBQ helping to attract a number of new recruits particularly from football. With an increase in both numbers and athleticism, there was a shift in how teams played leading to a slightly more attractive style of rugby and success rates starting to improve.

1990 saw the first major rugby tour abroad, to Holland, and subsequently the Seniors have toured every two years to different places around the world such as France, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Chile and are currently planning to visit Sri Lanka in 2016.

John Potts succeeded Alan Welsby as Director of Sport in the early 1990s and he was instrumental in the next dynamic shift for MGS Rugby. Having advertised for a Head of Rugby, in 1994 he appointed Mark Appleson to the role. Mark was a former International player with Scotland, was still playing for Sale Sharks and had a growing reputation as a coach. He arrived bringing a vast technical knowledge to what had historically been a group of hugely enthusiastic amateurs. Rugby started to prosper, B teams spread throughout most age groups and players regarded winning as the norm through playing a recognisable 15 man style of attacking rugby.

In 2001 David Muckalt replaced Mark Appleson, bringing a new and distinctive approach. He brought with him a new vision and saw the establishment of outside coaches being used to further develop the players. The fixture list grew along and MGS had now established itself as a genuine rugby playing school.

And so to the present under current Director of Rugby Steve Swindells, our third top class player in the post. A former England U21& Barbarians full back Steve has continued to coach an open and attacking 'heads up' game along with introducing player led learning and encouraging player development. With the help of more dedicated and enthusiastic academic staff there are now more opportunities for the boys to train and play with specific individual coaching sessions for all. Mgs have several players from each age group in both the Cheshire and Lancashire County squads and now regularly reach the latter stages of the County and National Cup Competitions. Links with Premiership rugby side Sale Sharks has given the more talented players an opportunity to experience top level rugby in professional environments and a number of Mgs boys have gone on to represent their academy and England at U16, U18, U20 and U21 over the course of the past 7 years.

Squash   Close

SQUASH AT MGS

The history of squash at MGS begins in the early 1970s when two squash courts were built on the initiative of High Master Mason. These courts have served MGS well. Over the last year they have been significantly refurbished.

Few local schools play squash so competitive matches, certainly in recent years, have been confined to the England Schools Championship, a competition involving the top squash playing schools in the country. The standard is high, especially in the later stages. MGS teams- both Under 15s and Under 19s- have an impressive record, three times in recent years reaching the national finals, held here in Manchester at the National Squash Centre at Sportcity. One outstanding player, Adam Murrills, decided to take up squash as a career and plays on the professional circuit. Others have played with distinction for university and club sides.

Opportunities to learn or improve squash are open to all boys. Squash Club sessions are held for boys in the Junior, Lower and Middle School- either before school, at lunchtimes or after school. The best players are enrolled in squads who benefit from the advice of Tom Fairhurst, a leading coach for younger players at the Northern Squash Club. Internal competitions are organised to find the best player in the Junior, Lower and Middle School.

Three members of staff help in the running of the club: John Shoard, Rachel Sharkey and John Burke.

Table Tennis   Close

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Tennis   Close

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Water Polo   Close

Water Polo has been played at MGS since 1931 when the pool was constructed at the Old Hall Lane site. The School has had won several national titles across all age groups, with the first victory coming for the U16 age group in 1994. The 1994 team, coached by Mike Yates, laid the foundations for further success with the School winning 7 consecutive U14 titles from 2005-2011. The MGS team is currently coach by Simon Jones (OM 88-95) and Stephen Walsh.

A number of high profile players and coaches have been associated with MGS and GB water polo:

Adam Fahmy

Brian Hoy

Marc Shirman

Tom Richmond

James Salt

Robert Gourley

Simon Jones

Craig Figes (former staff)

Rosie Morris (former staff)