by the college. Former pupils who have achieved sporting success include rugby players Hugo Southwell (Scotland and London Wasps) and Mark Lock (Leeds Tykes) and cricket player Ed Giddins. Each term at the college has a single primary sport: There are also alternative sports, including football, cross country, swimming, golf, tennis, squash, rowing, sailing, Rugby fives, fives, and rounders. The school owns a boat house nearby the campus. Birley Centre On 17 October 2011, Gus Christie, chairman of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, opened the Birley Centre. It was named after Michael Birley, former Headmaster of Eastbourne College (1956-1970), and now has facilities such as a recording studio and a state of the art theatre space. In popular culture The Southern Railway made great use of steam locomotive names for publicity, and the carrying of pupils to boarding schools at the beginning and end of school terms was a significant traffic flow. Locomotives of the 'V' or "Schools" Class, introduced in 1930, were hence named after prominent English public schools. The fifteenth locomotive, no. 914, was named Eastbourne after the college. Built at Eastleigh in October 1932, no. 914 remained in service until withdrawn by British Railways in July 1961. Notable Old Eastbournians Former pupils Former pupils are known as "Old Eastbournians" and are members of the Old Eastbournian Association. Nick Atkinson, lead singer of the band Rooster Theo Bevacqua, Cardiff rugby player Harry Bentley, jockey Olav Bjortomt, World Quiz Champion 2003, writes quizzes in The Times newspaper Sir Hugh Casson, architect Aleister Crowley, occultist and mystic Michael Fish, weather forecaster Richard Fitter, naturalist Ed Giddins, cricketer Charles Hedley, naturalist Bob Holness, presenter David Howell, chess Grandmaster Johnny Mercer Minister for Veterans Affairs Eddie Izzard, comedian Nasser Judeh, Jordanian former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Sam Kiley, security editor of Sky News Jules Knight, actor and singer Timothy Landon, soldier Oliver W F Lodge, poet and author Ruari McLean, designer Archibald Morres, cricketer Ian Mortimer, historian and historical biographer Adam Mynott, BBC journalist Michael Praed, actor Charles Rivett-Carnac, Commissioner of Royal Canadian Mounted Police David Smith, historian and Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge Frederick Soddy, chemist and Nobel laureate Sirichok Sopha, Thai politician Hugo Southwell, rugby player Ed Speleers, actor, played Eragon in the Inheritance Cycle and footman Jimmy in the ITV drama Downton Abbey Gwilym Lloyd George, 1st Viscount Tenby, politician David Lloyd George, 2nd Viscount Tenby William Lloyd George, 3rd