Sports Review: Michaelmas 2017

As we reach the end of what has been a fantastic seven weeks of sport, I thought it important to reflect on some of the progress made and successes achieved by our pupils across a range of the physical activities here at the College. There have been a total of 247 competitive fixtures played, across 14 different sports.

Football

The number of boys playing football at the College remains a highlight of our sporting provision. 134 fixtures have already taken place, an impressive 22 of which were on one day against Eton College! The boys’ attitude has been superb and it has been heartening to see them striving to play the game in the right spirit. The standard of play has also been of the highest quality across all teams, with the U16A and U16C team remaining unbeaten. Notable mentions should also go to the U15B, U14A, C, E and F teams who have only lost once. The 1st XI continue to play an outstanding brand of football and this has led to nine victories already. They currently sit top of the Hudl Independent Schools League and are into the ISFA Cup third round. Another key feature of the season has been the impressive improvements made by a number of teams. Nowhere more so has this been seen than with the U15A team, whose results have improved considerably from last year. Their incisive play has also enabled them to reach the ISFA Cup third round.

Hockey

The long, warm days of August seem like a distant memory, but the girls’ senior preseason tour to Holland set the tone for what has followed in the first weeks of autumn. The girls completed an intense week of training and matches in which they were exposed to the Dutch attack-minded way of play. A 5-1 victory in the first game of the season highlighted the benefits of the tour and more success followed with the girls being crowned County Champions, without conceding a single goal. The 1st XI arrive at Long Leave having lost only one fixture, an impressive record matched by both the U14B and U14C teams. In the younger years, participation numbers continue to grow and the outstanding coaching provision has enabled a number of complete beginners to progress from D through to A and B teams; something the hockey club takes great satisfaction from. We are also proud of the significant number of individuals who continue to excel at the highest level, with eight players currently part of England Hockey Performance Centres and twelve at England Hockey Academy Centres.

Badminton

Elias (C) has performed at a consistently high level for the badminton team this term and his leadership has been outstanding. Despite the squad struggling to achieve victories in competitive fixtures, their positive attitude as a squad and determination to improve the consistency of their play has been excellent. The squad have a busy second half of term with six further fixtures before Christmas.

Cricket

Indoor sessions are up and running with over 15 hours of weekly coaching offered to the pupils. We have been pleased to welcome in coaches from both Surrey and Gloucestershire who have come to observe the progress of our players. The batters have been working on their range of shots and attacking play under the watchful eye of our cricket professional Julian Wood. The spin bowlers have been developing their variations, guided by our spin coach Khalid Malik, and they are making some exciting progress. The number of girls training continues to increase, with significant impetus added in this area by the wonderful news of Lauren‘s (J) call up to the England Women’s Senior Academy. She is the currently the youngest player in this squad and only one level away from the full England team.

Fencing

The fencing club has seen record numbers wanting to take part in the sport this term and there is real excitement about the potential within the club. Competing on a challenging circuit, the mixed squad have made excellent progress with their tactical approach. This led to them putting in an impressive performance in their recent victory against Marlborough College. A real highlight for the squad was the opportunity to spend an afternoon being coached by Mr Csaba Gemesi, the Hungarian National Team Sabre coach.

Golf

The golf provision at the College continues to go from strength to strength and the new indoor facility has been packed out by girls and boys of all abilities. The increased number of girls taking up the game has been great to see, aided by Faulkner’s pupils having a golf taster session as part of their ‘Introduction to Games Programme’. We have been particularly impressed by one of our new Lower Sixth pupils, Marta (J), who has become a regular in the senior golf squad. Our junior team have enjoyed a rich vein of form beating Marlborough, Radley, Wellington and Winchester in the space of eight days. At the top end of the school, the senior squad has followed their notable victories in the HMC Foursomes and Micklem Trophy last year, with more success at the HMC Singles Competition where Killian (D) won the handicap tournament with a superb gross score of 71 (-1 par).

Lacrosse

In the five fixtures played so far this term, enthusiasm, effort and enjoyment have been on full display. Significant progress in technical and tactical understanding has been made and the girls have been unfortunate to lose a number of fixtures narrowly. If they continue to progress at a similar rate next half term, there is every chance the narrow loses will turn into victories.

Tennis

It has been exciting to see our first competitive fixtures played on our six new clay courts and the pupils have enjoyed the challenge of adapting to the different surface. Both the clay and indoor centre have been heavily used, with numerous beginner and elite training sessions running throughout the week. Over 20 Faulkner’s pupils have taken the chance to start their training early this year and our team of professional coaches have been impressed by their application. Our performance players have also already been in competitive action, with some notable successes. Both the girls and boys LTA Division 2 teams were crowned regional champions, whilst the Division 1 boys won the county championships. This has set an exciting tone for the year and there is significant hope for further successes in the senior competitions running next half term.

Shooting

22 pupils have been shooting regularly on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, with eight beginners taking up the sport. Katie (M) has been one of these and impressively she is yet to card a score lower than 93. Our small-bore team achieved notable success, by retaining the Wiltshire Regiment Cup, with their victory against Marlborough College. Hugo (C) continues to star and his consistent form has resulted in him being called forward for a GBU19 selection weekend.

Swimming

The swim team has been working hard in training and performances in the first few meets of the term have demonstrated significant promise. The team has been bolstered by the arrival of a number of impressive swimmers into Faulkner’s and the junior teams demonstrated their ability with a strong victory against Stowe. The U16 and U18 team also won a thrilling fixture against the Oratory, gutsing out the win with a top performance in the last relay of the afternoon.

Very well done to all pupils who have represented the College with so much effort and commitment this half term. My sincere thanks to all of the staff here at the College who have worked so hard to coach our teams and to parents for your continued support from the sidelines. I wish you all an enjoyable Long Leave and I look forward to being able to share news of more successes next half term.

Matt Ruxton, Director of Sport