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Press and Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen Grammar School's Hampden heroes back together again 30 years on from famous win
The members of Aberdeen Grammar School's 1995 Scottish Schools' Senior Shield winning team were back together to toast a famous victory. The Grammar side, which included future Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson, defeated Dunfermline High School 4-2 in the final at Hampden Park to win the national competition. They remain the only team from the north-east of Scotland to have won the Senior Shield. Patrick O'Driscoll nodded Grammar in front after only five minutes before Anderson doubled the advantage with a header in the 20th minute. Steven Gilfeather put Grammar 3-0 up in the 33rd minute with a magnificent solo effort before Dunfermline fought back with two goals either side of the interval. Gilfeather put the game beyond doubt when he made it 4-2 in the 65th minute. Members of the team and their coach Mike McLeod met up on Saturday to reminisce about their Hampden triumph. Andrew Wilson, who played in goals for Grammar, said: 'It was a really nice occasion as it was 15 years since we last met up. 'Mike McLeod was there for the first part of the evening when we watched the highlights of the game and it was lovely to see him. 'He brought along a shirt signed by all the players that we'd given him at one of our earlier reunions. 'We went to the Ferryhill House Hotel for some food and then we went back to our captain Gav Hendry's house and ended up watching the DVD of the game two more times until about 3am.' Wilson said the journey through the early stages of the competition was almost as memorable as the final itself. He said: 'Along the way we played a number of teams who were probably on paper better than us but we just had enough good components and real character to win those matches in the earlier rounds. 'In several of the rounds we were behind at one point and managed to come back and win. 'I remember we played Carnoustie in the third round and we won 3-2 with a goal in the last minute. 'Somebody said 'our name is on the cup' and I didn't really take too much notice at the time but it just kept going with all these epic cup ties. 'In the following round we had to play down at Braidhurst High School, which I think is now a Scottish FA football academy. 'We won on penalties and we had to run off the pitch at the end as some of the locals started to come after us, which got a bit scary!' Former Dons captain Anderson was a key member of the victorious team but there were plenty of promising players in the Grammar ranks. Wilson said: 'Russell played in midfield for us. He was in the Dons youth set-up at the time and played for King Street Dons so he had a fair bit of juggling with the three teams. 'When we played in the final on the grand stage he really came into his own. 'He was tremendous. 'There was another guy, Paddy O'Driscoll, who went on to do a football scholarship in the United States. 'He is now running the women's team at Penn State. He gave us a video call on Saturday night. He was on a tour with his team and was speaking to us from the Copacabana Beach. 'Steven Gilfeather went to Dundee for a bit and then Raith Rovers. 'Andy McCraw played in Highland League, he was at Cove from the age of 16 for nine years. 'Gav Hendry, our captain, also played for Cove Rangers. 'Russell was the one who made it as a professional but we had enough decent players in the team.' The Grammar team were wearing the school's traditional rugby kits for the final, which gave their opponents plenty to ponder before the big match. Wilson said: 'When we were watching the DVD, something that was spoken about quite a bit was the rugby kit we had to play in. 'Our opponents got brand new kits for the cup final. 'I think they were looking at us in the tunnel before the game in our rugby kits and they weren't quite sure what to make of it. 'The kits were actually really heavy and the shorts were a bit ridiculous. Our centre-half was 6ft 3in and it looked like he was wearing hot pants!' The team intend to meet up again in five years' time. Wilson added: 'I think it is the oldest schools football tournament in the world so winning the final at Hampden is a great memory for the whole team. 'The lovely thing on Saturday was you could see everyone was delighted to be back together again. 'The oldest is 48 and youngest would have been 46. 'I think someone was saying we should try to meet up every five years. It felt like it had been too long. 'We had planned to do something for the 25 year anniversary in 2020 but then Covid kicked in and we couldn't do it. 'It was actually my Mum who filmed the game. She borrowed a video camera and took it to Hampden. 'It was lovely to watch the highlights and, looking back, we actually played some really good football.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Unexpected medal' stokes Olympic flame for Penman
Scottish diver Noah Penman says a surprise European Championships silver medal is a huge confidence builder as he chases his Olympic dream. The 18-year-old, who was making his first senior individual appearance at a major event, narrowly missed out on gold in the men's 3m springboard final in Turkey. "It was an unexpected medal," he told BBC Scotland. "Most of the other guys in the competition were a few years older. "The main goal was to gain experience of being in that senior competition environment, so to come away with a medal is great. "To go out there and do what I love doing and to bring the medal home, it gives me great confidence to go into the season and the coming years toward the Los Angeles Olympics [in 2028]. "GB is a great diving nation, so to make that team is a very difficult task but I think getting the silver puts me in good stead to push on further, to make those world teams and go to the Olympics." Having shown real promise as a gymnast in his childhood, Penman made the sporting switch when his diving potential was spotted while in his final year at primary school in Aberdeen. Two European silvers and a bronze followed at junior level. "I think gymnastics built a great base for me to go into diving," explained the Aberdeen Grammar School pupil, who is on his way to Edinburgh University. "I started diving a bit later, through a talent identification programme where coaches from the local club go round the schools recruiting future prospects. "I quickly turned to diving once I realised the love I had for the sport."
Press and Journal
15-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Tall Ships: Looking back at history of the world-famous Aberdeen Line on its 200th anniversary
The Tall Ships are making a grand return to Aberdeen this summer, and their arrival will help reawaken the city's illustrious maritime history – the Aberdeen Line. Excitement is already building ahead of the races in July, with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to attend the quayside entertainment. Seeing the elegant ships glide into Aberdeen port is virtually a once-in-a-generation sight these days. But 200 years ago, Aberdeen was a centre of innovation when it came to shipbuilding and shipping, and tall ships would have been part of the city's skyline. The Aberdeen Line was established in the city by George Thompson Jnr in 1825 and it was an enterprise that would ultimately take Aberdeen to the rest of the world. Educated at Aberdeen Grammar School, George Thompson Jnr was just 21 when he founded the Aberdeen Line. He had already successfully established himself as a generous philanthropist, and ship and insurance broker, before moving into trade routes. The Aberdeen Line went on to become one of the world's most prolific shipping companies, and built more than 100 tall ships at the Walter Hood Shipyard in Aberdeen. There is no trace now of the shipyard that built these graceful, yet powerful vessels, but in a nod to the past, it is the very place where the Tall Ships will berth come July. Pioneering shipbuilders were at the forefront of Aberdeen's technological revolution. The innovative 'Aberdeen Bow', designed by Alexander Hall and Sons boatyard in 1839, created a more pointed and streamlined vessel. It was first used on Hall and Sons' vessel 'Scottish Maid' built for the Aberdeen Line, said to be the first clipper fabricated in Britain, and one of the fastest ships of her time. This advancement represented a significant change from the cumbersome wooden sailing ships of old to quicker, sleeker models. In the same year Scottish Maid launched, shipbuilder Walter Hood set up his own yard in Aberdeen. He hailed from Brechin, but served his apprenticeship in Aberdeen and worked in Dundee before returning north to establish his business. Hood's yard in Footdee – where Pocra Quay is now – lead the way, globally, in the production of sailing ships. Unlike other shipbuilders, Hood's launchways were largely covered offering shelter for workers from harsh weather. From 1842, George Thompson became a partner of Walter Hood and the shipyard went on to build dozens of vessels for the Aberdeen Line. The line initially operated in the North Atlantic and UK coastal Baltic trade routes, but by the 1840s progressed to more far-flung destinations. These more lucrative routes saw goods like copper brought back from the far reaches of Cuba, and tea from China. In 1846, 'The Neptune' – a Walter Hood vessel built for the Aberdeen Line or Aberdeen White Star Line as it became known – made its first sailing to Sydney, Australia. Aberdeen was now open to business from the rest of the world and became a leading centre in establishing the tea trade. The Aberdeen Line's success soared and George Thompson took on chief clerk William Henderson as a partner for the firm in 1850. Aberdeen's clippers adopted a signature livery, an 'Aberdeen green' hull, which made them instantly recognisable in any port in which they docked. Within a few years the Aberdeen Line was running monthly sailings from London to Australia, with room for passengers as well as goods. Voyages to transport gold from Australia would take months at a time and would often prove perilous. Storms made for dangerous sailing conditions, and deaths were not uncommon through people drowning or falling from the rigging. Fire was also an ever-present risk due to paraffin lamps and, of course, pirates were always lurking, ready to plunder vessels. Clippers that did successfully reach their destination were always well received. In a time before telephones, it was a physical link for many with their native Aberdeen. By the 1860s, the Aberdeen Line was well established and its high-quality ships were world renowned, particularly in the China tea trade. The tea trade required faster vessels, and in 1868 the tea clipper Thermopylae was built and launched at Hood's yard in Aberdeen. A composite design of iron frame covered in wooden planking, the magnificent Thermopylae was the fastest sailing boat built. Her record-breaking maiden voyage from Gravesend to Melbourne took just 63 days, and retains the record for the fastest passage by a sailing ship. Built for speed, Thermopylae operated in the Far Eastern Tea Trade where pace was needed to outrun pirates and bring tea to Europe as quickly as possible. The tea trade was very lucrative and became very competitive as operators sought out the best captains and crews. In 1872, the eyes of the world were on Thermopylae, and therefore Aberdeen, when she became the main rival to clipper Cutty Sark in the great tea race. The two sailing ships were pitted against each other during the world-famous regatta – a race to bring the first tea of the season to London from Shanghai. Setting out on June 15, Cutty Sark quickly took the lead and nine weeks later was 400 miles ahead of her rival. But disaster struck when Cutty Sark lost her rudder in a storm while crossing the Pacific Ocean. Rather than pulling into port and risk losing time, she kept racing while a temporary rudder was forged on board. Meanwhile, the defiant Thermopylae managed to traverse the oceans unscathed, and arrived in London a full seven days ahead of Cutty Sark on October 11. But by this time, the days of sail were waning as technological advances brought about the age of steam. By the end of the 1860s most of the new ships built in Aberdeen were constructed from iron. In 1875, the iron-hulled Salamis was built in Aberdeen as a sister ship to Thermopylae and gained a reputation as the fastest iron sailing ship built. The progression in technology squeezed the sailing ships out of the tea trade, and Thermopylae made her final tea voyage in 1881. She was replaced by George Thompson's first steamer SS Aberdeen. But Cutty Sark and Thermopylae's old rivalry was reborn when both were assigned to the Australian wool trade. In 1895 Thermopylae was sold to the Portuguese Navy as a training vessel. For such a prestigious vessel, Thermopylae ended her days in a watery grave in 1907 when she was sunk by the navy during target practice.
Press and Journal
27-04-2025
- General
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen Grammar ‘one of top 10 high schools in Scotland' as prestigious list revealed
Aberdeen Grammar School is one of the top high schools in Scotland, according to The Sunday Times. The city's oldest school is 9th in the newspaper's 2025 Secondary School League Table and the only institution north of the central belt to make the cut. Aberdeen Grammar rose from 15th place in 2024, thanks to a 10% rise (64% to 74%) in the percentage of pupils achieving the Scottish government's 'gold standard' of five highers. Cults Academy has risen from 15th place in 2024 to 11th place in 2025; last year, the Aberdeen school fell out of the top ten. Banchory Academy is 32nd on the list with 58% of pupils achieving five highers or more, Westhill Academy is 33rd, and Oldmachar Academy is 59th. Jordanhill School in Glasgow was named Scotland's top-performing high school for the eighth year running. It is the only grant-aided institution in Scotland and advocates for others to follow its unique funding deal, which gives it independence from council control. In Highland, Plockton High School is at 26th place on the list, with Mallaig High School in 37th place. Glen Urquhart High School is in 80th place, Gairloch High School in 91st, and Millburn Academy in 93rd. Inverness Royal Academy is in 153rd place on the list, and Inverness High School is in 338th place. Lochaber High School is in 316th place, with 21% of pupils achieving five highers or more. In Moray, Elgin Academy was the highest achieving school, taking 141st place with 39% of pupils achieving five Highers. In second place was Speyside High School, ranked 203rd, while Milne High School was ranked 231st. Oban High School is in 79th place with 46% of pupils achieving five highers or more, while Tiree High School is 353rd on the list with only 1% of pupils achieving the benchmark. Shetland's Mid Yell Junior High School and Sandwick Junior High School are ranked 351st and 352nd. Brae High School is in 88th place, and Anderson High School is in 158th. In Orkney, the top-performing school is Stromness Academy, taking the 144th slot with 39% of pupils achieving five highers or more, with Kirkwall ranked 171. A full searchable performance table for Scottish secondary schools is available on The Sunday Times website.
