Perse quiz team secures national Schools’ Challenge double
There was no question about the winners of the Senior Schools’ Challenge as the Perse quiz team claimed the national title.
The success of the team, which included captain Sean Ridley, Shaaon Bhattacharya (both Upper Sixth), Djia Sanath-Vijay and Ruairi Wallace (both Year 10), comes after Yajur Sanath-Vijay, Lynden Long (both Year 8), Benjamin Danesh and Alexander Walker (both Year 7) were crowned Junior Schools’ Challenge champions last week.
It is the third time The Perse has won both categories in the same year, having achieved the feat in 2014 and 2019. No other school has won both titles in the competition in the same year.
Sean, Shaaon, Djia and Ruairi won their quarter-final against City of London School 550-320 before defeating King Edward VI Grammar School Chelmsford 980-480 in the semi-finals.
They met King Edward’s School Birmingham in the final and found themselves trailing for much of the first half of the match.
However, they got into their stride and a fantastic second half saw them race away to a comfortable 720-420 win.
Maths teacher Fred Jayatilaka, who oversaw the team, said: “The students were great and it was particularly nice for Sean and Shaaon to end their Perse quiz careers on a high. They have been stalwarts of the school quiz scene for the last five years and seven years respectively.”
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