Sport

BOYS’ CRICKET

JFK

This has been the first full cricket season at Eltham since 2019, and it has been a tremendously busy one. There have been many successes across the age groups – and a few firsts for the school along the way, too.

Four teams progressed to the Kent Finals this year. The U12 boys beat Judd in a tense Ford Cup Final which went to the last over. Seb Lapena Murray was the star of the show, making 77 in a successful chase of 140. It was a well-deserved win for a talented group of boys that show the future of cricket at Eltham College is bright. The U14 boys were also successful in their Tony Church Trophy Final win against The King’s School, Canterbury. This represented a great success for the boys, having been knocked out of the main competition in the second round. There were consistent performances from Finlay Flint and Vaibhav Garimella throughout the season as well

The U15 boys had a superb run to the final of the Miskin Cup, winning five games on route to the final before coming up against a strong Sevenoaks side. Aaron McEntire, Alex Bush, Edward Castle and Zach Hopley were instrumental to the side’s success.

The 1st XI had a good season, led superbly by Charlie Smith as captain and top run scorer. Block fixture wins against The King’s School, Canterbury and Emanuel College in the first half of the season were memorable, with Louis Radley’s consistency with the ball essential to both victories.

A stunning win against Caterham towards the end of the season, where Charlie made his maiden century, ably supported by Akhil Venugopalan, as he often was throughout the season. Ethan Fiore, who ended up finishing as leading wicket taker, and Benjy Davis both took four wickets in the 157-run win. College in the inaugural Hundred Festival. Using the new format Eltham tied with KCS and lost in a good game to Dulwich during a round robin tournament. We look forward to welcoming both schools back, along with some others, to Eltham next year.

Eltham also hosted an international side this summer. Our U12 boys beat Switzerland U11s in a T20 just before half-term. It was a great experience for all with the game being played on the school’s 1st team pitch. We hope this partnership will continue into the future.

There were 143 fixtures played this summer, with only three being cancelled due to bad weather. Eltham achieved close to a 60% win ratio across the school which, considering the number of knockout competitions we have been involved in, is a great achievement. Cricket at Eltham is back and in a strong place moving forward. ⬤

BOYS’ HOCKEY

CMG

Eltham College enjoyed its most successful season ever, winning five trophies across all age groups.

1ST XI

The 1st XI had a successful year, winning nine of their 16 matches. There were notable wins over Dulwich and Caterham alongside a thrilling 3-3 draw with Alleyn’s. Eltham competed in the St George’s 6s tournament which was a wonderful day out as the boys made it through to the quarter-finals in a pulsating tournament that saw them play eight games in just the one day.

The 1st XI also won the Frank Mason Kent Cup for the first time in our history. Having won the group, the team went on to win all of their knockout games, including the final on a shootout. Oliver Adamson and Oliver Egan were the heroes in all three penalty competitions. Impressive play throughout the squad was on show all season with standout performances from Jack Campbell and Ludo Jones.

UNDER 12

The U12s has a successful season, losing just three games across all competitions. The boys scored 39 goals, while conceding only 10, across their block fixtures. Eltham’s defensive record was in large part achieved by Louis Helm’s goalkeeping and Barney Cox’s leadership. Robert Welensky, Aadit Parikh, Will Duncan and Aaron Jervis also performed consistently well throughout the season

Ben MacLoughlin played with maturity well beyond his years, controlling all the plays and linking the team together masterfully. Rafa Dekkers, Seb LapenaMurray, Frans-Louis Van Schalwyk and Aaryan Riat provided the attacking threat, wreaking havoc against every side they played against. Frans-Louis scored six goals against a stunned Alleyns team, while Rafa provided regular moments of magic and class.

UNDER 13

The U13 boys enjoyed a successful season. Their first victory came against Reigate Grammar School (8-3). They followed this up with wins against Kent College and Trinity School. Zach Perrott, Aiden Woodland and Noah Wilde were excellent in these games.

The U13A team went on to win the John Maylam Cup for the first time in the school’s history, winning a penalty shootout in the semi-final. Zach Perrot was superb all day, leading the team in great style. Will Simcock scored the only goal of a fiercely contested final, showing great vision and touch in front of goal.

UNDER 14

The U14s had a tough season this year. Despite results not going the way they would have hoped, they played every game with heart and a true desire to do their best. Stand out players were Olly Buck in goal who made huge saves throughout the season and was always positive, marshalling his players from the back.

Arthur Nechyporuk worked hard in defence and showed great resilience throughout the season. Finlay Flint was excellent in the midfield alongside Matthew MacLoughlin, both pushing the team forwards and working tirelessly hard in each match.

UNDER 15

The U15s enjoyed a superb season under the leadership of Mr Chesterton. He has done a remarkable job for many years and cannot be thanked enough for his dedication and commitment. The U15As not only won the Peter Firminger Plate competition, but also boast the best winning record across the Saturday block fixtures.

Stand out players were Cameron MacQuarrie who also went on to become a regular in the 1st XI as well as captaining London South. Harry Clout was superb in midfield showing true grit and determination to win. Zach Hopley consistently put in quality performances every week, while Hakeem Drammeh showed he is a player for the future with outstanding performances in goal, also representing London South. ⬤

BOTH THE UNDER 12 A AND B TEAMS WON THE SIR JOSEPH WILLIAMSON’S MATHEMATICAL SCHOOL TOURNAMENTS IN THE FINAL WEEK OF THE LENT TERM.

RUGBY SEVENS

BJK

This academic year saw the return of competitive rugby sevens fixtures and festivals after the pandemic. In a very busy Lent Term, students from Year 7 to the Upper Sixth represented the school in 20 festivals, including five county competitions and four separate days at Rosslyn Park.

Our season got underway with two senior sides playing in an invitational afternoon of sevens at College Meadow. Over ten schools took part in what was an exciting afternoon in glorious sunshine. Our 1st VII went undefeated throughout the day with notable victories against Dulwich, and Caterham, in which we came back from 28-0 down to win. Later in the same week we hosted another festival at College Meadow, this time for our U12 sides. The U12A team won three out of their four games, starting off the season in great fashion.

Our U14s – starting their season in torrential rain – fought valiantly to reach the quarterfinals of the Kent Sevens tournament in Dartford. Ethan Mudahy and Jermaine Essien played well, consistently finding gaps and contributing extensively to the overall performance of the team. Two days later it was the turn of our U15, who went one better to reach the semi-finals of the Kent Cup, narrowly losing to Ravens Wood School. schools competitions. It proved to be perfect preparation for our boys ahead of their trip to Rosslyn Park the following week.

Throughout March, tournaments came thick and fast, with festivals for the U16s, U13s and U12s across three days. Our boys played fantastically and were able to express themselves in competitive sevens fixtures – a recurring theme of the season.

The final week of term saw our U13s, U14s, U16s and Seniors travel to west London to take part in the Rosslyn Park National Sevens Festival. The entire week was brilliant and our boys gave a fantastic account of themselves. Although we did not make it through to the second day in any age group, our U13s finished second in their group after winning four games from five, and our Seniors were one game away from making it through to the play offs.

As ever, I would like to thank all students, staff, and parents for their efforts during Lent Term. It was so great to have sevens back and I cannot wait to see it flourish over the next few years. ⬤

TENNIS

KAH

61 pupils from Year 7 to the Lower Sixth have joined the Tennis Club this year and have committed to playing in tournaments and fixtures representing the College.

The Year 9 and 10 boys got the season off to a tremendous start at the Kent Secondary Schools’ Doubles Festival. Each pair played in group stages and progressed to the latter further rounds. Congratulations to Will Forsdyke and Ivan Zubac (Year 9) who won their tournament and to Miles Cobourne and Fred Wu (Year 10) for reaching the semi-finals.

The Lower School boys and girls also competed in same the competition for their age group. This was the first time they had played a doubles match and their first time representing Eltham College at a tennis fixture. Progress was made throughout the day, particularly as pupils’ confidence grew in each game. Congratulations to Serena McMillian, Melissa Tan, Henry Richards and Will Torpy (Year 7) and Laurence Richards, Aiden Woodland, Mira Karthikeyan and Juliette Williams (Year 8) for their efforts on the day. Boys and girls from Years 7-10 faced JAGS and Colfe’s in friendly fixtures. Pupils gained valuable experience from playing against skilled players. The skill of serving in the Lower School has developed notably over the term, which is exciting for games in the future. In the Middle School the boys’ understanding of tactically working with a partner is growing as doubles pairs becomes stronger.

Our talented Lower Sixth Tennis players played in a mixed doubles fixture against JAGS – a first U17 Tennis fixture for Eltham College! There were stand out performances from Chris Jones, Emily McLennan, Thomas Stringer and Saskia Turner.

Many thanks to our external coaches Katy Forsdyke and Carrie Watson for their commitment to supporting fixtures and developing the pupils’ technical tennis skills. ⬤

SKIING

SKI RACING

Eltham’s Ski Racing squad have had a busy Summer Term with plenty of momentous occasions. The season started with the Kent Schools Ski Championship on May 8 at Chatham Snowsports Centre where 18 Eltham students competed against various schools in Kent. It was a fantastic day for Eltham Ski Racing with plenty of incredible wins.

George Baker, Albert Bradley, Santi Harrison and Harry Edwarde took third place in the Primary Male Team event, while Alex Bosviel, Zach Szollosi and Oscar Jones secured second place in the Secondary Junior Male Team event.

Lily Ferreday, Rohan McCleery, Arthur Girardot and Henry Richards finished in third place in the Secondary Junior Mixed Team Event. Alex Lancaster, Boden Kelly and Adam Cornick won the Secondary Senior Male Team Event, with Freddie Bidwell, Hugo Jacquemier-Ward, Joshua Found and Kevin Huang finishing closely behind in second place. Adam was the third fastest skier overall, Boden was the fastest Secondary Junior Male and Joshua finished as the third fastest Secondary Junior Male.

The next event of the season was the London Schools Ski Race at Gosling Stadium in Welwyn Garden City on Saturday 18 June and Sunday 19 June. The slope was challenging and mixed weather conditions proved to cause some difficulties, resulting in a few stumbles and falls along the way. All competitors should be commended for their perseverance and determination, however. Boden Kelly, Joshua Found, Adam Cornick and Hugo Jacquemier-Ward took home first place in their age group. Alex Bosviel, Zach Szollosi, Thomas Harrison and Arthur Girardot secured second place in their age group. A special mention to Boden who secured the title of Fastest Overall Racer of the day with an incredible time of 10:30.

The final event of the season was House Skiing. It was wonderful to see so many students showing off all they had learnt throughout the year. Moffat managed to steal the show, winning both the Senior School and the Junior School competition. A big congratulations to all who got involved in the event. ⬤

ATHLETICS

ETT

ATHLETICS AND CROSS-COUNTRY

This year saw a welcome return to athletics and cross-country events with Eltham putting forward their most impressive season to date. In cross-country we had two year-groups win the Greenwich Schools competition at Avery Hill with numerous superb individual performances and no less than 12 students going on to represent London Schools. In addition, the intermediate boys’ team qualified for the regional finals for the first time in 15 years. A special mention to Theo Treadwell who has been impressive on both the school and national stage this year.

In athletics, the medal haul was impressive across eight age-group championships. Olly Buck, Tom Ravenscroft, Christine Kadiri and Sam Holloway continued to impress across a number of disciplines and the Year 8 girls 4 x 100 relay team won a gold medal. Congratulations also to Ethan Mudahy and Emily Cadman on their selection for England Schools.

LOUGHBOROUGH TOUR

The fourth annual trip to Loughborough University returned as 40 Year 7 and 8 boys made their way to the Midlands. The first day saw the boys play Loughborough Grammar School in a festival of cricket, where Hunter Caldwell scored an impressive 67. An evening of high entertainment followed as Mr Merrett directed the sports quiz.

The second day saw the boys visit Trent Bridge, a Test cricket ground in Nottingham, where they were given an in depth tour of the historic venue. In the afternoon we were hosted by Beeston Hockey club, where we were given a two hour masterclass and treated to some very entertaining matches in the evening. After a resounding win for the staff at ten pin bowling in the evening, the third and final day saw contained a rugby masterclass at the stunning Loughborough University 1st XV pitch. It was a magnificent trip with a great group of pupils. ⬤

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT

MKO

This year we have had over 100 fixtures in nine different sports with every child in the Junior School representing the school in these fixtures as well as fantastically competitive House competitions in rugby, netball, football, athletics and other minor sports.

There have been many highlights over the course of the year. It has been great to see our netball going from strength to strength. The progress our U9 girls have made since joining us two years ago is fantastic. A last-minute win for our U11A rugby team against Dulwich Prep will live long in the memory. Our Year 5s won the Kent Schools’ final – a great lead into Wimbledon. The U11s qualified for the regional finals of the south of England hockey tournament where they gave an excellent show of themselves.

The U10As made it to the final of our own football tournament, displaying some great team work on the way. We also hosted our first ever girls’ football tournaments which were well attended and hugely enjoyable. Our U8s, 9s and 10s all played block cricket fixtures against Colfe’s and, after 15 matches, the two teams couldn’t be separated. ⬤

GIRLS’ SPORT

NETBALL Lower School Netball Tour

In February, the Lower School netball teams went on their first ever netball tour. The tour started on Friday 25 February with a London Pulse Masterclass led by Sacha McDonald. The session focussed on attacking skills, defensive skills and shooting.

It was great to see the girls take on feedback and learn from a fantastic role model. After the masterclass, we travelled to Marchant’s Hill PGL centre for a weekend of fun and challenging activities. The students enjoyed raft building, zip wire, giant swing, trapeze, Jacob’s ladder and archery. It was great to see our students overcome challenges and push themselves outside of their comfort zone. The portable speaker meant a lot of singing and dancing over the weekend, with the Cotton Eyed Joe dance becoming the iconic weekend song. On the final day, the girls enjoyed a netball tournament played at a local school.

NETBALL Senior Netball Tour

On Friday 4 to Sunday 6 March, the Senior netball teams travelled to Exeter for a three-day tour. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams played against The Maynard School and Exeter School. These were two fantastic fixtures with an excellent level of netball played.

The girls also participated in a team activity – ‘Laser Tag’ – in the hilly countryside just outside of Exeter. This proved to be the most competitive game of the weekend: Lower Sixth vs Upper Sixth! Tactics were implemented, creative methods adopted, and the teams worked together to outwit their opponents in every way possible, but in the end the Lower Sixth team took the crown.

The students also enjoyed a tour around the Exeter University campus by some of our OE students and a walk along Exmouth beach. A highlight was shopping in Exeter city centre where a handful of the girls bumped into the comedian Jimmy Carr in Starbucks.

U12

Year 7 netball continued to be popular during the Lent Term, with over 25 girls attending training every week. It was also fantastic to see every girl in Year 7 represent the school in competitive fixtures across the term. The teams enjoyed competitive fixtures against Colfe’s, St George’s Weybridge, Sevenoaks, JAGS, Royal Russell, Caterham, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar and Reigate Grammar.

The U12A team went to compete in the Kent Tournament where they recorded wins against Ashford, Sydenham High, Rainham School for Girls, Kent College, Farrington’s and Dane Court Grammar, with their only loss coming against Bennett Memorial. This meant the girls qualified for the quarter-finals where they were narrowly beaten by Walthamstow Hall. All the girls should be proud of their achievements, progress and perseverance this term. We very much look forward to seeing what they have in store for next season.

U13

The Year 8s continued to show huge amounts of progress and development in the Lent Term. The girls showed commitment, resilience, and determination throughout. It was fantastic to see all students represent the school in competitive fixtures against Hayes, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar, Royal Russell, JAGS, Farrington’s and Reigate Grammar School.

The U13A team made it through to the quarterfinals of the Sisters n Sport Plate competition where they narrowly lost against Roedean House. They went on to play in the U13 Kent Tournament in March where they secured wins against Hillview, Kent College, Rainham Mark, Newstead Wood and Cobham Hall. They qualified for the quarterfinals where they beat Tonbridge Grammar School 7-4, putting them through to the semi-finals. The girls played exceptionally well throughout the day and although losing their match, they went on to win in the play-off to secure third place overall out of 32 schools. The future for this squad is certainly looking bright and we look forward to seeing how they get on next season.

SENIORS

After winning the Kent Cup in November 2021 and finishing third overall at the regional finals in January, the girls continues their success in block fixtures against local schools including St Dunstan’s, St Olave’s, Langley Park School, Alleyn’s and Reigate Grammar School. On Wednesday 8 March, Eltham hosted its annual U19 netball tournament. Over 150 Senior girls took part from 10 schools, and it was great to have A and B team pools running. It was a fantastic afternoon where our Seniors performed well in both pools.

Overall, it has been a really successful year for our Senior netball teams. It has been fantastic to see so many Senior girls involved, with over 20 students regularly attending training and taking part in competitive fixtures. We wish our leavers the best of luck in all their future endeavours, and we look forward to what the next netball season has to bring. ⬤

GYMNASTICS

This was another great year for the Gymnastics club. Miss Holmes, Miss Caudle and I were all thrilled to see so many students turn up every week to learn various styles of gymnastics.

The beginning of the Michaelmas Term saw students working on their artistic gymnastics and in particular training with the vault, working on their skills and technique. Rhythmic gymnastics sessions were launched after Easter. This combines ballet, body skills and creative movements with music, while working with ribbons, balls, hoops, ropes and clubs in a choreographed dance-and-tumble routine.

Students worked with various apparatus including ropes, balls, hoops and ribbons and learnt numerous rolls, throws, spins and tricks with them. Girls and boys in the Lower School also practised various rhythmic leaps, balances, pivots, and flexibilities. Students grew in confidence and combined their moves with the apparatus into solo, duet and group routines.

This year also marked the launch of the first Eltham College rhythmic gymnastics showcase. In February, students performed a group rhythmic gymnastics routine to the rest of Year 7 and 8 during an assembly. The routine showcased the fantastic improvement and determination of each student who had attended the club. It was fantastic to see so many students perform so brilliantly in a sport which they had only started earlier this year. ⬤

CRICKET

Following the introduction of cricket for the girls last year, the sport has continued to grow and it has been fantastic to see so many students getting involved. The girls have enjoyed a number of cricket fixtures this term against schools including Colfe’s, Caterham, New Hall and Emanual and the U13A team were entered into the U13 Softball Cricket Cup tournament.

The U13A team was made up of students from Year 7 and 8 where they played a series of matches in their pool. These included games against Chislehurst School for Girls, Bromley High School and Weald of Kent Grammar. The team won all their games which meant they qualified for the semi-finals against Benenden. An 18-run lead against Benenden meant the team secured their place in the U13 Kent Cup finals. This match is due to take place in September.

This year also saw the introduction of hard ball cricket. The transition from soft ball cricket to hard ball cricket is challenging, but the girls took it in their stride and embraced the opportunity. After only a couple of sessions, the girls seemed to grasp the new concept; their enthusiasm and keenness guaranteed superb progress being made – from improved bowling, to the correct setting of the field and batting boundary balls, the girls have demonstrated that the commitment to practice leads to improved performance. ⬤

PDC