BBC West Sports Awards trophy for the Team of the Year
This was presented to Mat Gilbert’s University rugby team, Hartpury College, on Sunday night at a BBC dinner at Bath University.
The citation said, for "the scintillating performances of their rugby team in completing a fantastic treble this year.
Hartpury added the EDF Energy Senior Vase to the Gloucestershire Premier and British University Sports Association (BUSA) Championship trophies already in the cabinet with an 83-5 demolition of Wheatley Hills at Twickenham in May."
Mat Gilbert is the first choice Number 8 for his university XV and the Hartpury RFC Saturday team that is currently at the top of the Western Counties North league. Mat Gilbert returned to Hartpury for a fourth year as a Masters student this year, after becoming a try scoring hero in the BUSA Championship Final against Loughborough last season. He is a powerful ball carrying forward and is capable of producing some devastating defensive tackles. Mat’s powerful displays in a Hartpury shirt have led to his inclusion in both England Deaf Rugby and the ‘Rest of the World’ Deaf Squad.
Mat Gilbert is a severely deaf player but by no means does he allow his disability to stand in his way, excelling both on the rugby pitch and in his academic studies. Mat Gilbert has also been selected for a number of Gloucester 'A' games in the Guinness league and is currently trialing for England students and looks forward to an exciting career in professional rugby.
A former Old Boy of the Duke of York's Royal Military School where he was Captain of Rugby, and Bilton Grange School near Rugby where he too " first picked up the ball and ran". Mat first played club rugby with Dover RFC rising through their hugely successful Youth and Development programme to play 1st XV rugby in the multi-promotion winning Sharks before leaving for Hartpury College.
