The Delhi 2010 Baton's journey through England

29th October

Launch of Baton Relay from Her Majesty The Queen to Hon'ble President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
English athletes involved in the Relay in Pall Mall – Dame Kelly Holmes, Susan Gilroy, Monty Panesar and Lord Sebastian Coe

 30th October

Handover of the Baton from the President of the Indian Organising Committee for Delhi 2010, Suresh Kalmadi MP to Sir Andrew Foster, Chair of CGE at the House of Commons

The English journey begins.....

31st October

The Queen’s baton today travelled north – back to the home of the magnificent 2002 Commonwealth Games . The Baton was welcomed into the City of Manchester stadium by the Lord Mayor of Manchester Alison Firth, who was joined by Chris Newton – fresh from winning gold at the World Track Championships at the Manchester Velodrome.

 

 With all the regional media present Chris relayed to BBC Manchester how much the Commonwealth Games meant to him. Chris first competed in the Games in 1994, winning the silver medal in the Team Pursuit. He secured both a silver and bronze medal in the Games in Manchester, and won Gold in 2006 Melbourne Games.

Chris was joined by Laura Massaro – British Squash Champion, currently ranked ninth in the world and very much hoping she will compete in her first Games in Delhi. Two faces from the track joined her – Andrew Steele who competed in the 400m in Melbourne, and emerging 100m runner Shauna Tompson, who at just 17 will be a face to watch in the future.

     

 The Commonwealth Games is close to the heart of everyone in Manchester which benefitted enormously from the sporting, infrastructure and volunteer legacy created from the 2002 Games.

 

 

 

1st November

The Queen’s baton today toured through Staffordshire and Yorkshire appearing at the hockey Futures Cup in Cannock and the English Open Table Tennis in Cannock.

Welcomed by torrential rain brave ball girls and boys from Cannock and South Staffordshire Junior development centre, heralded the baton in a celebration of emerging English hockey talent. Surrounded by the best of England U16 and U18 club player s who form part of the junior academy programme the youngsters received the baton from David Faulkner, performance director of England hockey. As the players on the pitch gathered for the start of the match, the 14 -17 year olds lapped the pitch proudly wearing their new ‘We are England’ kit.

In the afternoon the Baton joined guest of honour the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Graham Oxley, at the 65th English Open, part of the prestigious International Table Tennis Federation Major Pro Tour Programme. Men’s and women’s England number 1 players Paul Drinkhall and Joanna Parker played an exhibition game whilst English divers Nick Robinson-Baker and Ben Swain lapped the table with the baton before presenting it to Alex Murdoch the ETTA Chairman before Drinkhall and Parker then shared the last lap of the baton at the EIS Sheffield.

The baton is now heading west to Droitwich Spa High School for a day of celebrations and festivities with Gail Emms gold, silver and bronze Commonwealth Games medallist.

 

 

 

2nd November

Today the students of Droitwich High School were given the special opportunity to share in the  Queen's Baton jounery across England. Joined by Commonwealth gold medallist Gail Emms the school twinned with Ramjas school in New Delhi put on a spectacle including Bollywood dancing and an Indian sports festival with other local schools.
 

The day opened with a special assembly for Year 8, attended by the Lord Mayor of Droitwich Spa Maureen Lawley and other local dignataries. The students of Ramjas school sent a special message of support to Droitwich Spa which was broadcast in the assembly. Connor Foweraker Droitwich Spa's young ambassador, introduced Gail Emms who shared with the assembly the special experience of competing at the Commonwealth Games; and how proud she felt to win gold, silver and bronze medals at the Games in Melbourne. The specialist sports college and sixth form centre also welcomed emerging British cylist Emily Kay  and canoeists Jonny Tye and Emily Lewis - some of the stars of the future giving the students motivation and inspiration to excel at sport.

A festival of sport followed led by Droitwich Spa young leaders.  40 students from other partnership schools also with links to India participated in the showcase of Indian sports Kabaddi and Pithu.

The day ended with the Baton being taken into the community paddled by schoolchildren along the newly renovated Droitwich canal before being run through the streets of Droitwich to be handed to the Mayor to complete its journey for the day.  

Birmingham City Council and the Youth Sports Trust have combined forces to create a community schools day, including open top buses, displays from English Elite Gymnasts and Weightlifters. The event finishes with a show and fireworks in front of the council offices.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd November

Today England’s gymnasts and weightlifters put their support behind the Queen’s Baton relay as it toured Birmingham. Some of the best tumblers in the world came together with world class artistic and rhythmic gymnasts to follow the weightlifting showcase with complex technical routines.

The display started with petite weightlifter Hannah Powell, who competed in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune and Chris Freebury. Powell weighing only 41 kg demonstrated clean and jerk of 71kg weight!

The Sports Acrobatics display came from internationals Robyn Birch, Grace Blacklock and Claire-Louise Thompson. Mike Barnes, Charlie Burrow, Samantha Rockey and Rachel Letsche then showed some phenomenal tumbling skills. Mike is the current British champion and next week will be travelling to Russia to represent GB in the world championships. A display of Rhythmic Gymnastics came from Jade Faulkner, Francesca Fox and Frankie Jones who have all competed at World and European Level and have numerous British Championship titles between them. 12 year old Billie McKenzie, a member of the GB World Class Start Squad showed her exceptional talent on the asymmetrical bars – she is certainly a face you will see on the podiums in the future. Artistic gymnasts Kristian Thomas the senor men’s English Champion and Emily Goring also showcased their skills in artistic gymnastics.

The baton spent the day, on an open top bus touring the city and visiting several local schools. The students of Birmingham gave a great welcome for the Baton which first visited Hamsted Hall School who competed in a mini-Commonwealth Games involving over 400 impeccably turned out students. A flying visit to to Dorrington Primary followed for a special Commonwealth assembly before finally the baton was welcomed to Cherry Orchard School.

Late in the day the Baton arrived at the City Council House for the Asian business meeting, where top business people heard from the Delhi Organising Committee of the spectacle they are promising at the Games next year.

The evening ended with 100 pupils including drummers and dancers gathered with the Baton on the top of the bus parading into Victoria Square in the City Centre for an evening of entertainment and celebration. 

 4th November

The Queen's Baton had a media day with Roger Black sharing his Commonwealth Games experiences on national TV and radio with appearances on Talksport and on the Alan Titchmarsh show.  During the week the Baton also took part in a relay between Loose Women's Jane McDonald, Swimmer Mark Foster and Athlete Mark Lewis Francis.

 5th November

The Commonwealth Games England Annual General Meeting with speakers including Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe MP and the Chair of Sport England, Richard Lewis.  

The Sports Minister told those present that "the Commonwealth Games are a breading ground for success and offer a unique opportunity for athletes to compete under the English Flag." "CGE's success in Delhi will provide the stepping stones to further success, Delhi 2010 is a significant event because it will be the last before 2012."  He finished saying that "We (the Government) need to work closely with, and get behind, CGE and make sure we have our best athletes in Delhi in order to inspire others at grassroots level.  It is imperative to continue momentum in the forthcoming decade of sport which will be a key element to supporting everyone through this difficult time of recession."

A celebrity dinner in the evening attended by members of the Royal Commonwealth Society and a selection of English Commonwealth Athletes who will hear Dame Kelly Homes, CGE's President, speak about the England's aspirations and preparations in the lead up to Delhi 2010 next October.

6th November

A host of celebrities, dignitaries and sports celebrities converged on Newham for a festival of athletics with Tolgate and Scott Wilkie Primary Schools. The students , rallied by the Royal Docks Cheerleaders competed as different Commonwealth Countries as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay.

Fresh from a dinner the previous evening hosted by Dame Kelly Holmes at the Royal Commonwealth Society the baton first visited the site of the 2012 Olympics Opening ceremony, at the Olympic Stadium, Greenway, for a photocall with English gold and silver medalist javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson. The baton then travelled to Newham Leisure Centre where it received a rousing welcome on the track and was paraded round by athletes of the Newham and Essex Beagles and local school children waving Commonwealth flags. The baton was officially welcomed by Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales, before presiding over a ‘Quadkids’ athletics competition in the indoor athletics centre.   Commonwealth and Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu arrived to a hero’s welcome at 4pm to present the winners their medals and ‘We are England’ t shirts, before the baton travelled with Christine,to Wanstead flats for an evening of celebration and entertainment, ending in a fantastic spectacle of fireworks set to Chariots of Fire.  

Saturday is the last day the baton will spend in England and it will visit Twickenham where England face Australia in the first of their Autumn internationals.  The England sevens team will parade the baton to the capacity crowd before it is handed to Wales to continue its journey around the Commonwealth en route to the Opening Ceremony of the Games in Delhi on 3 October 2010.
 

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7th November

The Queen’s Baton Relay finished its historic trip around England on Saturday at Twickenham where England’s rugby team took on their arch rivals Australia in the first of the Autumn rugby internationals. The baton took to the skies before the start of the match suspended high above the pitch from the England rugby helisphere.

In a festival of English patriotism the pre-match entertainment saw the Queen’s Baton entering the stadium held aloft by a trapeze artist beneath the helisphere, before the pitch was engulfed in the England flag as the English crowd delivered a group rendition of the classic English hymn Jerusalem. The baton, held proud by a member of the military joined the guard of honour welcoming the teams to the pitch for the national anthems in a burst of spectacular fireworks.

At half time the baton was paraded to the capacity crowd by members of the men's and women's England squad, as the finale to the England leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay that will see the baton traverse 190,000 km in its journey from Buckingham Palace to the Opening Ceremony of the Games in Delhi.

All eyes will be on the England rugby sevens team in next year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi since the decision to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio made Delhi an even more significant event in the sport’s programme. With a place in next year’s England Team for the Commonwealth Games in the players’ minds preparations are well underway for this season’s Sevens Series action kicking off in Dubai on December 4. Ryan has retained 10 players from last year’s squad including Sevens Series Highest Points Scorer, Ben Gollings and last season’s IRB Sevens Player of the Year and Captain Ollie Phillips [Stade Francais].

The spectacle at Twickenham was a fitting patriotic end to England’s leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay; and on Sunday the Baton was handed over to Wales where it will spend three days before continuing its journey across the Commonwealth.

 

8th November

The Baton travels to Wales to continue its journey en route to the opening ceremony of the 2010 Games in Delhi.