Lewis Jones
Age: 18
What are you doing now?
I am currently sat on a bus, on my way to Christchurch Airport getting ready to fly out to the Gold Coast, Australia, for a four week holiday, after having lived in New Zealand for five months.
Having finished my time at college the day before, I flew out to NZ on Wednesday 20th May, not having much clue of what was waiting for me on the other side of the world (apart from a rugby team). I arrived in Kurow, which is a very isolated town in the middle of the South Island, and there wasn’t much there apart from a rugby team, sheep, and a pub. Un-coincidentally i ended up working on a sheep and beef station, roughly half the size of Wales for a couple of months which was a big shock compared to being brought up in a city. For the last few months of my trip i was working as a support worker for a guy who was a disabled paraplegic, whilst living in the seaside town of Oamaru, and playing for North Otago which is the 3rd tier of NZ rugby. Back at home I live in Rugby with my mum, and Coventry with my dad.
When were you at Princethorpe?
I was there from Years 7-11, which was 2008-2013 I think!
What was the school like in your day?
I suspect it hasn’t changed much, but what I remember from Princethorpe is the great balance it has between the academic, sport and social sides of school. I think this was really important because it let everyone achieve different things in different fields. Also another stand out for me was the pastoral care that everyone knew was there if needed, which helped people feel safe and happy.
How did Princethorpe affect the person you are today?
Well first of all I wouldn’t be here, because I wouldn’t have even played rugby if it wasn’t for Princethorpe! I think the Princethorpe ethos did rub off on me a lot in my time there, which is something i proudly carry around with me as a person. I also know I wouldn’t have got the results I did if it wasn’t for the tireless work of the teachers, always wanting to get the best out of everyone.
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
To give some of teachers a break because they must work so hard! And maybe to focus less of what people think of you, and more on what you want to make of yourself.
... And to do more kicking practice, you can never do enough of that.
Who or What has been the greatest influence on your life?
Apart from family, probably Princethorpe. It wasn’t just one teacher or one moment either, the whole placed changed me a lot. I was adamant when I went there in Year 7 that i wasn’t going to play rugby, as I was football mad. But that soon changed when I was chucked onto the pitch with not much clue -I still remember it to this day.
What keeps you awake at night?
At the moment my phone, because it keeps buzzing and going off because of people trying to contact me, as they’re 12 hours behind. But at home probably my dog, who never wants to stop coming in and out as he pleases.
What has been your proudest moment/greatest achievement so far?
Probably scoring a hat-trick for Kurow. I’ve also got it on dvd and sent it off to a few clubs, which has created a few opportunities for myself, which I’m excited to pursue when I get home. I also helped crutch 10,000 lambs, which was very fulfilling when we finally, finally finished.
What's your biggest indulgence?
My biggest indulgence has got to be clothes, I don’t even buy that many, but spend hours looking and get really involved with it all.
If you had one last meal, what would it be?
Not exactly exotic, but fish and chips with curry sauce, from a proper English chippy.
What is your favourite TV show and why?
I'm a series type of person so this question is difficult! I loved Prison Break but I’ve finished that now. My current favourite is Game Of Thrones, which really sucks because I still haven’t found a way to watch it in NZ so I’m kind of stuck behind everyone else. I read that a lot of the series was filmed in NZ, not that far away from me.
If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be and who would it be with?
A place I have really craved to be since I arrived in NZ, and a place I love going to is the south of Spain. My dad’s got a house there, it's by a real nice town called Estepona which hasn’t been overtook with tourism, so it still has a real nice Spanish culture, and the food there is unbelievable. But still only about 30 minutes from Puerto Benus and Marbella. I'd either be there with my dad and my best mate Jordan, who I’ve been with numerous times; or it would be great to get the lads who I spent all my time with at school back together. The lads I met at college would be pretty cool to go there with too.
Lasting memories of Princethorpe:
God its hard to narrow them down!
I guess especially for me, all the Saturday mornings spent at home and neighbouring schools playing for the jersey. I loved all of that, and its something that I really miss. I remember once Mr Fitt said to us as a group ‘there’s nothing like winning with your mates', which is something that stuck with me because it’s so true. It wasn’t just the rugby though, the cricket, athletics and football were also hugely enjoyable as we always had good teams as we had a talented year. In the athletics, we had Ryan Letts, Luke Bromley, Chris Tolcher and myself, who still to this day have not been beaten in a 4 x 100; we won ISA nationals 4 times I think. We also made it to the Country cricket semi’s one year which was a real good achievement. Towards the end of my time at school I went on the South Africa trip, which still stands out as the best two weeks of my life so far.
Another one is the great set of mates I made there, we aren’t always seeing each other or talking as a lot of us have gone our separate ways, but when we do its like nothing's changed and we still have a great laugh.
Are you in touch with with any other Old Princethorpians, if so whom?
Yes, I’m in touch with quite a few as it wasn’t long ago that I left. I see Jordan Hallam a lot as ww were best mates, a lot of people question if we’re inseparable sometimes. I also keep in contact with a lot of my old mates over social media because its so easy nowadays. Im still talking to a few of the girls who I was good friends with too, like Zoe Hyland and Sian Davies.
Most importantly what are your thoughts on the World Cup and England's chances?
I think England are at a massive stage now, if they win against Aussie, it proves they can do it under pressure and there's no reason why they can't go all the way. But there's always the all blacks as I have been reminded every day in NZ! Any team who beats them will go on to win it I think.
