It has been an excellent year of School sport, both in terms of fixtures and results, with a number of teams enjoying impressive playing records. Continued high rates of participation and overall enjoyment have also been notable. Analysis highlights the following average participation rates of pupils representing the School in competitive sport across the year:
Third Form 97% | Fourth Form 95% | Fifth Form 90% | Lower Sixth 81% | Upper Sixth 85%
Girls’ Hockey and Boys’ Rugby both fielded 22 teams across the Michaelmas Term, with the U16B and U15B hockey squads enjoying unbeaten seasons. The Gale Mile once again saw Houses compete with enthusiasm and camaraderie, run under a revised format in mid-September. Later that month, the 24-hour sponsored swim proved to be another successful event.
The Lent Term was another action-packed ten weeks of sport. Oundle hosted both the County and Regional Netball Finals, alongside the Regional Fives Championships. The OO Sport Weekend was the biggest yet, with an increasing number of female teams participating. The School once again retained the Spragg Trophy, and the Purbrook Memorial Match was played to an exceptionally high level. The 24-hour sponsored row and the whole-school indoor rowing event were both joyful highlights. The term concluded with the Whole School Cross Country. The cross country squad also enjoyed representative success at both regional and national levels.
Boys’ Hockey, Netball, and Girls’ Rugby all delivered notable achievements. The U15D, U14C, D, and E netball teams all remained unbeaten. Both Boys’ and Girls’ Football teams performed strongly, with the Boys’ U15As completing an unbeaten season and recording the statistically second-best playing record nationally.
In Badminton, 15 pupils trained with the county across various age groups, and inter-school fixture success has been impressive. Basketball continues to grow, with the senior boys achieving success in the national knockout cup. The House Indoor Rowing event and 24-hour charity indoor row-a-thon were once again excellent occasions. In March, the Dance Show filled the Stahl Theatre to capacity. In the final week of term, three boys’ squads and two girls’ squads competed at the Rosslyn Park 7s tournament, with the U16 girls competing for the first time. The U16 boys reached the final of the national plate competition, finishing as runners-up. Meanwhile, Second Form pupils enjoyed a successful sports tour to Edinburgh at the start of the Easter break.
The Summer Term has been dominated by Cricket, Tennis, Athletics, and Rowing. Despite the demands of internal and public exams for the Fifth Form and Upper Sixth, participation and commitment to school sport have remained high. School Sports Day was held the Friday before half term for Third Form to Upper Sixth, while First and Second Form had their event on the final Wednesday of term.
Cricket enjoyed a fantastic 2025 season with marked improvements in results and individual performances. The sport remains hugely popular, with over 275 fixtures played across U12 to U18 teams. The Boys’ 1st XI reached the last 32 of the National T20 Cup, while the U15s progressed to the round of 16. The Boys’ U14s reclaimed the County Cup, highlighting a superb season. The 1st XI secured 16 wins, including notable victories over Bedford and Uppingham, and triumphed at the Adrian Gale Festival. The Girls’ teams also saw great success, with the 1st XI, 2nd XI, U15s, and U14s winning the majority of their matches—the U14s finishing their season unbeaten. The Girls’ 1st XI also won their end-of-season festival. The U15s retained their Indoor County Cup and gave a strong showing at the regional stage.
In Tennis, the Boys’ 1st Team performed well in the Glanville Cup, with the 2nd Team remaining unbeaten. The Girls’ teams also recorded numerous successes, with an overall win ratio close to 50% across a highly competitive circuit.
Athletics has produced standout performances, with 11 pupils representing Northamptonshire at the Mason Trophy. Three athletes qualified for the English Schools Championships in July.
Rowing has enjoyed its most successful season in over a decade. All six crews entered at the National Schools Regatta reached their finals, with performances full of determination and spirit. The Boys’ 4x crew competed in the Henley Royal Regatta Qualifying Race, finishing a commendable 14th and missing out on qualification by just 2.2 seconds. The Girls’ 4x crew successfully qualified and defeated a strong Putney High School crew by 2.5 lengths in the first round of the Diamond Jubilee Cup—an outstanding achievement and a welcome return to Henley for an Oundle crew.
The Golf squad continues to grow in strength, supported by the OO-funded golf simulators allowing year-round training. A highly successful U15 squad was introduced this year, and the senior squad performed well in both the ISGA National Knockout Cup and HMC Foursomes.
Across the year, pupils have made full use of the Oundle School Sports Centre. Recreational sport participation remains strong, particularly in swimming, where the School’s performance programme continues to thrive. School records have continued to fall, with strong showings at the Bath and Otter Cups. Participation and achievement beyond school competitions continue to rise. The water polo squad finished third at the ESSA National Bowl Finals—an impressive accomplishment.
In May, the fourth annual Prep Schools’ Triathlon welcomed over 1,000 pupils from Year 3 to Year 8 to Oundle. It was another fantastic day of camaraderie, competition, and fundraising.
Our partnerships with Northampton Saints Rugby, Loughborough Lightning Netball, Northants Cricket, and the England Hockey Talent Academy Pathway continue to strengthen our sport scholarship and athlete development programmes. We also maintain strong ties with the OO sports community, particularly the OO Golfing Society and Oundle Rovers, whose continued success in the Cricketer Cup is noteworthy.
Representative honours have been achieved across athletics, badminton, cricket, cross country, equestrian, hockey, netball, rugby, squash, tennis, and swimming. These outstanding individual successes demonstrate how elite performance grows from a deep culture of participation and team spirit – qualities that remain at the heart of sport at Oundle.
