Mr Smith summarises half a term of boys' sport:
Cricket
Cricket is an exciting game that encourages leadership, friendship and teamwork.
It owes much of its appeal and enjoyment to the fact that it should be played not only according to the laws, but also within the spirit of cricket. The major responsibility for ensuring fair play rests with the captains and players, match officials and, especially in junior cricket, teachers, coaches and parents.
- Respect is central to the spirit of cricket
- Respect your captain, teammates, opponents and the authority of the umpires
- Play hard and play fair
- Accept the umpire’s decision
- Create a positive atmosphere by your own conduct, and encourage others to do likewise
- Show self-discipline, even when things go against you. When you are out don’t hit your pad and slouch off with your head down
- Congratulate the opposition on their successes, and enjoy those of your own team
- Thank the officials and your opposition at the end of the match, whatever the result.
The 1st XI, without our star leg spinner, have had excellent victories against strong teams from Pilgrims, Brighton and Highfield. Dill Howell and Toby Barton continues to impress in all areas of the game. Both have been awarded school colours and both have been selected for the full county side.
The first half of term culminated in an excellent match with Highfield for the Centenary Bursaries Fund and Westbourne House chosen charities. It was a great advert for top Prep School sport and played in a lovely spirit. We retained the trophy for the fifth year running.
The 2nd XI have had a good start to the season and remain undefeated. We really do have strength in depth this year. There have been some excellent team performances with the captain Dylan Gadsy leading from the front. Arya Jeevathasan has starred with the ball and Charlie Gray with the bat.
Rumi Mansoubi and Finn Sutcliffe have both scored half centuries for the 3rd team
The U11As have had a tough start to the season but are making good progress all the time. As a unit they are becoming more consistent with the ball with Tom Symington being the pick of the bowlers so far this season. With the bat they have struggled to put together partnerships but are starting to show better shot selection. Top scores so far from Felix Lock, Freddie Gillett and Theo Chinwala.
Although the U11Bs have only one victory, this has not detracted from their enthusiasm, team spirit and palpable enjoyment of each game. Everyone without exception has improved in terms of skills. Standout moments among many, include lengthy and well-judged innings from Tegan Lyne and Archie Garrigan, spectacular run outs from Dominic Lawlor and Arthur Southall, and a fantastic catch from Matisse Paternot. All matches have been played with grit and determination, and in the spirit of the game.
The U10 cricket team have really impressed. They have a lot of potential; Captain Fergus O’Connell is a fine cricketer both his batting and bowling, and his match winning innings against Highfield was a delight to watch. Oliver Norman has also impressed with the bat. Oliver Wilson had been the stand out bowler, delivering the ball with excellent accuracy. They have also been a delight to coach.
The Under 10Bs have enjoyed a successful first half of term, winning three out of four matches played. Alex Langmead has excelled with his bowling and Tommy Osborne and Harry Brown have produced some solid innings with the bat.
The U9A team have made a fantastic start to the cricket season with three wins out of three. Their bowling has been impressively consistent and the standard of fielding from all of the boys has been very high. Whilst continued work is needed on batting technique, the boys have been scoring runs in all of their matches to date.
It was a strong start to the season by the U9B boys. Their bowling in particular looks strong. The batting performances have been a little inconsistent but a good win against Highfield last weekend has given us renewed confidence. There has been lots of passion and good communication on the field as ever, which is always good to see.
Tennis
All the internal competitions are well underway and the overall standard of play has been very high. We have had a number of excellent matches with Highfield, Cranleigh and Windlesham. Arran Mckitterick is the boys' U13 tennis captain and thus far undefeated. We have great strength in depth and the more boys we put in a team the stronger we become. Most of the coaching in P.E. lessons has focussed on the pupils' ground strokes. All forehands and backhands have begun to show greater consistency and control. Raf Goddard, William Ferrier and Ollie Wilson deserve special mention.
Athletics
Athletics is all about improving your performance, whether it is accomplished in a fiercely contested sprint finish, a tactical middle-distance race, fast and dynamic athleticism to jump longer and higher or a gargantuan effort to propel a missile further than one’s fellow competitors. The boys’ outings this term have given opportunities to compete at a variety of stadia, against a host of different schools. In almost every case the athletes have improved their personal best performances and enjoyed the excitement of competition.
The Cumnor House event at the K2 in Crawley and the Hurstpierpoint invitational both gave ample opportunities for achieving the qualifying standard for the “County Championships” later in the term.
Notable performances at Hurtpierpoint were recorded by Dill Howell (triple jump), Arya Jeevathasen (hurdles) Jacob Tuppen (long jump) Ollie Williams (600m) and Finn Sutcliffe (javelin).
