Sports round-up 24.04.2026

The road to participation. Welcome back dear reader, we trust the Easter break has left you revitalised and eager to enjoy the plethora of sport promised across the Summer Term. We have hit the wicket hard, the courts bouncing and track running in the opening days of term, this first Summer Term Sports Round Up summarising a frantic first fortnight. The campus is alive with blossom, heralding the soundtrack to the new season, ball on willow, lawn mowers purring, the crack of the starting pistol – the mercury rising steadily in anticipation of vibrant months ahead.

Archery

The Richmond Pagoda Shoot took place on April 19th, 2026, under bright and sunny conditions, with a light but noticeable wind that added an extra challenge for competitors. The event featured a Windsor 60 round, testing both consistency and precision across distances. Two junior archers, Comet and LJ, delivered outstanding performances in the Juniors Open category. Despite the shifting wind conditions, both archers demonstrated strong focus and control throughout the competition.

Comet secured an impressive 1st place finish, showing excellent shooting form and consistency across all ends. LJ followed closely behind, earning 2nd place, with a determined and composed performance. Notably, both archers achieved personal best (PB) scores, marking a significant milestone in their development and reflecting the effectiveness of their training and dedication to the sport. Overall, the competition was a great success for both athletes, highlighting their progress and competitive potential in future events.

Athletics

The opening meet of the season saw four schools join Claremont for a Y7 & 8 Track only meet on a bright, blustery Tuesday afternoon. Hinchley Wood, Sir William Perkins, Greycourt and Esher High enjoyed the Claremont hospitality, the Mansion afforded prime viewing as the first athletics fixture of the term set the tone. Thursday welcomed the first full Y9 & 10 Track & Field meet, with ten schools visiting Claremont in glorious sunshine. With the temperatures climbing, the opening Athletics meets have provided some excellent competition. Giles H dominated his Javelin (45.76m) and Shot events, with Ellie and Abbie (Y9) giving strong 100m performances.

Cricket

U14A v Gordons

U14A played away at Gordons in the Regional Cup on an artificial pitch. After electing to field first Claremont set out and restricted the opposition to a limited total with some fantastic bowling and fielding, the opposition were 42/6 after 12 overs. The final score was 89 all out in the 15th over with exceptional fielding and catching by CFC, Roshi A and Sam B taking 3 wickets each. Claremont then chased down the 90 runs by the 12th over. Oscar I 29 and Jack D 21 runs.

MVP was Roshi A with bowling figures of 3 wickets for 9 runs in 2 overs. He also took a great catch and made an amazing run out.

U14A v Whitgift

Claremont bowled first on a chill morning, an early wicket raising hopes, Whitgift batted well however, able to pull away to 159-4 in a consistent display. The home reply started tentatively, but did accelerate as the overs progressed. Lacking a forceful hitter, Claremont fell just 20 runs short in an entertaining fixture that went down to the final overs. A promising start.

U13A v Whitgift

Claremont lost the toss and were asked to bat first on a dew‑laden wicket, with A. Thompson and B. Assen opening the batting in the side’s first innings of the season. Conditions favoured the bowlers, and against the pace and accuracy of a strong Whitgift attack, early wickets fell in the morning sunshine. Captain E. Saunders showed fluency at the crease, scoring attractively until he was bowled, while J. Wilson showed excellent determination, working hard for his runs and refusing to give his wicket away. Despite further losses, Wilson continued to contribute, and alongside H. Snelgrove, briefly raised hopes of a late acceleration. However, the innings was brought to a close with Claremont setting Whitgift a modest total.

Defending 46, A. Atherton and M. Chilcott opened the bowling and worked well as a pair, maintaining good lines and energy. Atherton was rewarded with an early wicket, before E. Saunders followed with an outstanding two‑wicket maiden in the fifth over, demonstrating his quality. There were two notable highlights in the field: J. White, wearing the gloves this week, came agonisingly close to pulling off a spectacular full‑stretch catch, while B. Clough, E. Horn, and J. Perrie kept team enthusiasm high with their chatter. Ultimately, however, Whitgift’s batters showed their strength and composure, reaching Claremont’s total comfortably, with the match concluding at the end of the sixth over of their innings.

U13A Girls v Epsom

The U13 girls faced a tough Epsom side in their first round of the county cup. Winning the toss and choosing to bowl our attack was strong keeping the total down and a steady fall of wickets coming our way. With a strong end to their innings Epsom set 132 which would be a big chase. Despite some early wickets Claremont were positively attacking the bowling line up, with Milly, Julia & Olivia all scoring some late runs. Scoring 96-8 we fell just short but very much held our own against a strong side. POM – Gigi & Julia

U13B v Whitgift

The Claremont U13B team took on a Whitgift side in a nail-biting performance that went down to the last ball. Claremont chose to field first, with stellar bowling performances from captain Arthur B and Charlie N. An early direct hit from mid-on, Alex B, put the pressure on the batting team. Claremont fielding was impeccable, with a notable performance from Rory T’s sharp, acrobatic fielding saving many boundaries. Unfortunately, Claremont had conceded more extras (wides and no-balls) than they had hoped for, resulting in a target of 122 for the second innings.

However, Claremont suffered a huge blow during the break. A player had been attacked and stung by a bee. Despite the pain, he bravely chose to play on, serving as an inspiration for the rest of the team as they went out to bat. Joe B and Feargus M opened, forming a solid partnership that would prove the backbone of the innings. Tiaam A and Alex B later displayed a more aggressive style of Claremont batting with many boundaries. Having survived a spell of quick, accurate bowling from Whitgift, Charlie S and Charlie N were later retired from the innings having played their part.

Needing 8 to win off the last over, two new batsmen, Rory T and Charlie L, bravely went out. Strong running kept ticking the score down every ball. Eventually it was 3 needed to win from the last ball. 2 to draw. It was now or never. Charlie L faced a brilliant ball and Rory quick ran down the wicket, but it was not enough. Despite their brave efforts, Claremont fell short by one run. In all Claremont U13B should be proud of their performance, and a lot of positives to takeaway from our first game as we start the season.

U12A v Whitgift

Claremont U12A faced a stiff opening game against a Whitgift team whose fielding proved an object lesson in constricting an opposition. Claremont opted to field first, dew still apparent on a slick outfield. Whitgift raced to a promising total initially, but were then pegged back by four quick wickets, the game up for grabs at 70-4. Ultimately the contest was taken away from the visitors by a fine fifth wicket stand, Claremont assisting the final 161-5 total in dropping four catches.

Claremont were circumspect in their run chase, the pressure exerted by the Whitgift fielders seeming to suffocate the square, fielders eager to back up, to prevent boundaries, whether at square leg, short leg, or in the case of the flamingos within their enclosure at Whitgift, on one leg. Harrison top scored with 25, adding to his 1-6 bowling stint and deserved PoM nomination. Ultimately Claremont limped to 80-9, but can take encouragement away in that few batters gave their wickets away, Whitgift accurate and on point across the fixture.

U12B v Whigift

The U12B played a pairs match against a strong Whitgift team which had a very good bowling attack. We conceded 11 wickets for 222 runs. CFC bowled exceptional well and eventually the opposition winning by 21 runs for an equivalent 11 wickets. A fantastic performance by the boys in their first match. Claremont’s standout batsman was J.French O’Beirne with the best bowlers J.Haywood and Ethan C taking 4 wickets apiece.

Fencing

In February, Miles and Hattie both qualified for the Nationals in the U14 Boys and U12 Girls Epee. These are being held in Sheffield in May.

This weekend, Miles and Hattie won the County Championships – (The Surrey Youth Championships). Miles won Gold in the U14 Boys Epee and Hattie won Gold in the U12 Girls Epee. There was strong competition from schools like Epsom, Whitgift and RGS and Claremont did incredibly well, winning medals in other age groups too.

Coach Jo Maynard was a huge support to all the fencers, not just Miles and Hattie and was coaching late into the evening on Sunday. We are incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful coach! At the Surrey Youth Championship, Claremont achieved outstanding results across the piste, as the results table displays.

Hockey

Over Easter, Jack D and Charlie S (Y9) represented Surbiton Hockey Club at the European Hockey League in the Netherlands. This is the Champions League of the hockey world. The best men’s and women’s club sides in Europe face off against each other. Each country also brings an U14 side. Charlie and Jack came 4^th in their competition, an amazing result.

Rugby

Ben M continues his rapid ascent up the Surrey referee ranks, through the Young Match Official scheme. Ben has just acted as AR1 (1^st assistant referee – touch judge primed to replace the referee in the event of injury) for the U18 Girls Quins Cup Final and will be the lead referee for the U16 Boys Finals on the 27^th of April at the Twickenham Stoop. Congratulations Ben.

Lacrosse

Congratulations to all our lacrosse players who were selected to represent their respective nations/regions and competed over Easter in various tournaments.

Home Internationals:

• England U20 – Minnie F and Isla S
• Wales U20 – Xandi L, Emily I and Ellora W (alumni)
• England Senior Development – Jess F (alumni)
• Miss Beaman – England U20 coach

European Lacrosse Federation Easter tournament:

•  South Africa National team – Nala E and Daisy G

Southeast Super Counties:

• U18A – Minnie F, Isla S, Nala E, Sophie L and Emily I
• U18B – Anna O and Lola C
• U15A – Rose A, Thea H and Summer L
• U15B – Holly R
• Miss Chandler – U18B South East coach

We are incredibly proud of all of their achievements.

Tennis

We are thrilled to report  that Ben C made the U14 Girls and Boys teams selected to represent Surrey at the 2026 U14 County Cup Finals in Nottingham 15-17 May.  Our photo shows 18U Grade 4 Singles Winner, Croydon

On Friday after school, the U13 girls’ and boys’ teams took on City of London Freemen’s School in the LTA League. The U13 boys began their matches strongly, but unfortunately one of our players sustained an injury partway through. After the singles, we were 3–1 down. Going into the doubles, Charlie S showed incredible determination, playing on his own against Freemen’s number 1 and 2 players and winning convincingly 6–0. The second doubles match was closely contested, but we narrowly lost 4–2, making it a very tight afternoon overall. Well done to Charlie S, George S, Brodie J and Alex B for their efforts.

The girls also faced a tough challenge, drawing level with Freemen’s at 3–3 after some excellent matches featuring long and competitive rallies. This meant the result came down to a Championship Tie Break, where Greta and Lily delivered an outstanding performance, winning decisively 10–2. A fantastic result and a performance to be proud of. Well done to Greta B, Elsa O-B, Lily E-S and Ane B.