Festival of Sports | From Field to Formal Hall

Caption

On Saturday 25 April, the College welcomed back its sporting alumni, affectionately known as ‘Ghosts’, for the annual Festival of Sports. The event brought together students and alumni across a range of sports, celebrating the connections forged through competition and the shared pride of representing Keble.

Match Results

Hockey                Ghosts 7 – 5 College

Men's Football 2nds      Ghosts 2 – 2 College

Men's Football 1sts       Ghosts 2 – 3 College

Netball                                Ghosts 18 – 16 College

Tennis                                  Ghosts 5 – 3 College

Rugby                                   Ghosts 50 – 30 College

Whilst the first Ghosts football match was played nearly 60 years ago, the current Festival of Sports is a more recent development, with new fixtures regularly added to the programme, strengthening the event year on year.

One of the newest additions has been tennis. Introduced in 2025, it has quickly grown in popularity and is now an established part of the day. Student captain Nijay Sivarajan (2023 Jurisprudence) reflected on the fixture’s continued success:

“One of the pleasures of the Festival of Sports has been seeing the Tennis event grow from strength to strength. When we first introduced the match, finding enough alumni players was a challenge. This year, the alumni side was so strong that we may soon need trials to select a team! As I leave Keble this year, I look forward to moving to the other side of the net and representing the alumni team. I hope that this tradition continues for many years and I am glad to have contributed in a small way to life at Keble.”

This year also saw the return of hockey, which was met with great enthusiasm from students and alumni alike. Alumni captain and long-time football Ghost, Adrian Grayston (1972 Philosophy, Politics and Economics) says:

“Three days before the match, despite vigorous recruiting efforts, the Ghosts Team was threadbare. Then as if by magic the cavalry started to arrive, in the form of a Chef, a Sporting Fellow, the Head of the Development Office, a ‘proper’ Hockey Player carrying an injury, another excellent player fit and well, all responding to the clarion call from an ageing Footballer. That made six for our seven-a-side and the College, ever generous, loaned a player from the riches of their Squad.”

After a closely contested match, the Ghosts emerged victorious, winning 7–5. Following its successful reintroduction, we hope to build on this momentum and further expand the fixture in the years ahead.

As the final whistles blew, attention turned to Hall for the inaugural Sports Formal Dinner. Bringing together members of the Keble community, the dinner marked a new chapter in the College’s celebration of sport.

Our thanks go to all the alumni Ghosts who returned to compete, the student athletes who represented the College, the Captains who helped to organise the fixtures, the College staff whose efforts made the day possible and the donors to the Sports Fund whose generosity continues to support sporting life at Keble.

Save the date for next year’s event: Saturday 24 April 2027

If you would like to know more about joining the Keble Sports Fund, please contact Jenny Tudge.