Chippenham teenager wins coaching session from rugby ace (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Chippenham teenager wins coaching session from rugby ace

9:30am Friday 8th June 2012 in Chippenham By Alex Winter

Sheldon School pupil Chris Dyer swapped lunches for line-outs after winning a coaching session with rugby ace Matt Dawson.

The Year 7 student won the prize in a competition organised by food company Sodexo, which runs the new refectory at the Chippenham school.

The World Cup winning scrum-half visited Sheldon last week and kindly Chris decided to share his prize with the other members of the Year 7 rugby team.

“He was a jolly and inspiring man,” said Chris, whose father used to play for Bath Rugby. It was really nice to meet him.

“He gave us lots of little hints to help us play better.”

Chris also asked the Celebrity MasterChef champ if he enjoyed playing for the British and Irish Lions or England more. Dawson replied that he had preferred playing for his country.

The former London Wasps legend is an ambassador for Sodexo, and his last visit to the school was in November, when the new refectory officially opened. Chris won the prize out of all the schools across the country affiliated with the firm.

Assistant head Michael Seeley said: “Because Chris regularly uses the refectory, he was entered into a massive national competition, and amazingly he was the winner.

“He very kindly decided to share his prize with the rugby team, and they had about an hours’ worth of coaching with Matt Dawson in the sunshine on our field.

“Matt gave out some wonderful coaching tips, so it was a fantastic day for the team.”

Dawson, who is a regular team captain on BBC quiz show A Question of Sport, became a bit starstruck himself upon meeting 13-year-old Olympic torchbearer Daisy Barker.

The schoolgirl, who ran through Royal Wootton Bassett with the flame, had brought the torch in to school to show friends, and Dawson asked for a photo of him holding the torch to be taken.

Mr Seeley said: “It was fantastic to have him here – particularly so for Chris, who has been inspired by his dad and would like to be a rugby player himself one day.

“It’s amazing that he got to meet a hero just for having a hot lunch.”