We have had a truly unforgettable year of individual sporting achievements, both nationally and internationally.
As one of the leading sporting schools in England, we were proud to see OB Marcus Smith (Le. 2011-17) make his senior debut appearance for England Rugby against the USA, where he was crowned ‘Man of the Match’. Since then, Marcus has gone from strength to strength, most notably representing England in the Six Nations and accumulating the most points of any team member, scoring 71 of England’s 101 points.
Current pupils Charlie, Harry and Jonny are following in Marcus’ footsteps, having each been selected for the Harlequins U18 squad and having had an excellent season. Charlie also attended squad camp for Scotland U19, and Harry and Brighton 1st XV captain Jonny were awarded their first England U18 caps last term.
But it’s not all about rugby! Our School of Science and Sport enables us to provide a huge range of games options, from netball to bouldering, ensuring that all pupils can enjoy exercise, find their passion and, if they wish, strive to excel in their chosen sport. Many of our pupils achieve national recognition and international caps across a range of sports, and this year has been no exception!
In hockey, Olivia has been selected for and, has captained, the U16 England Hockey Squad, having been called up to play against Scotland and Wales last Summer. Olivia also played for the U18 team in a 4-nations event in Le Touquet and has been selected for the upcoming 8 Nations in Barcelona this Summer. Olivia will be joined in Barcelona by Dina, who has been selected for the Ireland U16 team. Good luck to both.
Holly, our 1st XII netball captain, started the netball season well with a dual signing for Superleague team Surrey Storm’s U19 and U21 squads and impressed coaches of Scotland’s U21 team, leading to a selection into their long squad. Sophia was selected for the U17 England squad and then for the U17 Netball Europe Squad as a reserve, but was called up and played in February – England won the gold medal, and she earned her first cap!
In athletics, Miles placed first in the U17 800m at the England Athletics Indoor Championships, with a season’s best, making him the national U17 800m champion. Ruby also competed at the championships in the U20 long jump, where she jumped a new personal best – twice! She won silver and was invited to compete at the UK Indoor Championships alongside many GB Olympic athletes. We are certain we will be hearing more about these two in the coming months.
Keira has also achieved national recognition as the British U16 Girls’ Sabre champion, having won the British Youth Fencing Championships earlier in the term, and Astrid is ranked number 1 in the country in the U12 category for the 100m and 200m backstroke and number 2 for the 50m backstroke.
Further afield, Freddie, as part of the British Youth Sailing Squad in the 29er class, won the National Inland Championships and the final Grand Prix earlier in the year, which meant that he won the Allen Grand Prix Series and became the National Grand Prix Champion with his sailing partner. This summer, he is sailing the 29er European Championships, the World Championships in Barcelona and the UK National Championships in Torbay.
Good luck to Freddie and all those competing over the summer. We are exceptionally proud of all you have achieved so far and look forward to hearing how you go on!
