Sport Springs in to Action!

March 29th 2023

In many ways the Spring Term is busier than any other, and this is especially true when it comes to sport! As always, the participation of the pupils extends beyond our major sports. Over 60 boys played in the weekly senior football programme, and swimmers from Year 7 and 8 competed in a gala hosted by Kingswood. The cross-country calendar provided more opportunity for our pupils to shine, with 42 runners taking part in the BANES XC event, with 11 coming in the top 10 across various races. In the Avon Championship we had seven athletes braving the freezing conditions, including Ollie Squire (4th) and George Breakspear (9th) who then went on to represent Avon at the South West (SW) Schools. The Marshfield Mud Lark XC event saw four of our pupils claim 1st place in different age groups, with our Year 7 boys' and Year 10/11 girls' team winning the team events. Mr Middlebrough has also organised the KES climbing team which has very successfully taken part in the SW Schools Bouldering.

The Spring Term has seen plenty of excitement, drama and a lot of fun on the hockey pitch with the boys’ teams playing some brilliant hockey across the age groups. The number of matches played has risen again since last season, with KES teams taking the field on over 130 occasions since January, however, with record numbers attending training, the biggest challenge has been finding enough fixtures to give all the boys a regular chance to play, particularly in the younger age groups – something that we will continue to work on next year. KES teams have performed superbly in the various England Hockey age group competitions. The U12 and U13 teams both reached the semi-finals of the Avon County Competitions, while the U14 and U15 squads produced excellent displays to become County Champions in their respective tournaments. At the Regionals, the U14s were in free-scoring form, making it all the way to the final, but just missed out on a place at the Nationals, coming up against a strong KLB side. At the senior end of the school, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams showed great commitment, played an entertaining style of hockey and were an outstanding example to our younger players. The 2nd XI performed well at the Regional Finals for the second season in a row, while the 1st XI has shown just how far hockey at KES has come in recent years. At the time of writing, they have progressed through to the semi-finals of the National Plate, following superb victories over Collegiate, Prior Park College, King’s Gloucester, Exeter School and KLB. They have shown flair, determination and resilience in equal measure, and whatever the outcome of their clash with Bromsgrove School, it has been a season that will, quite rightly live long in the memory.

KES players continue to make great progress through the GB Hockey Talent pathway, with a significant number of our boys and girls showing that they have the potential to achieve representative honours in the future. Special mention should go to 1st XI players, Ben Maclean, Max Kirkwood, Alex Tagent and Henry Derwent, who were all selected for the Talent Academy and will be pushing for further progress towards the potential England trials later in the year. The hockey term draws to a close with the KES Hockey Festival, featuring schools from all over the country.

It has been another incredibly busy netball term, with 18 teams representing the School most weekends, and over 180 girls playing. This is a true testament to the dedication of staff and pupils, who have played in over 150 games this term. Beyond the range of fixtures and training enjoyed there was a Netball Masterclass with former KES pupil and Team Bath star, Summer Artman. She not only joined both Year 7 and Year 10 pupils for a training session, but she also reminisced about her time at KES and shared her journey since leaving school. We also hosted touring teams from Spratton Hall and Blundells, so the pupils could experience competition against new opponents. Whilst the sheer numbers of girls representing the School grab the headlines, there have been notable team successes throughout the term. Our U12 and U13 teams came 2nd in the KES invitational tournament, whilst in our domestic season the 1st and 2nd teams remain unbeaten, with our U15 A’s only losing one game. A new addition this season was the Collegiate 7s tournament, which saw netball included for the first time against 15 other teams from the South West. The 1st team won their pool and semi-final to earn a place in the final. It was 6-6 at full time and 8-8 at extra time, with KES losing on a golden goal! The annual charity game last week saw KES take on the Royal High School in a very closely contested game of skill, resilience and athleticism. The scoreline of 39-39 reflected how neither team was prepared to lose, with netball of the highest level on display. We have three players involved in the Team Bath Development Centre, and a number of girls in the county pathway, whilst Amber Tiley has been part of the Team Bath U18 Player Development Squad and a central player within the 1st team. Planning is already under way for next season, with a tour to Dubai set to go in October.

The senior football programme has run over two terms and has again provided many boys with the opportunity to represent the School in several fixtures against other independent and local state schools. The 1st XI squad played eight fixtures, winning 7-4 v Marlborough, 3-1 v Stonar and 3-2 v Dauntsey’s. The quarter final Somerset Cup game against Backwell School was also a tough, competitive fixture with KES eventually losing 4-3 after extra time, despite a stunning hat-trick from Ali Stewart who is also progressing well on his professional pathway at Swindon Town. The 2nd XI squad also enjoyed their football, and although the results often went against them, their fighting spirit, pride in representing the School and pure enjoyment of simply playing was clearly evident.

The rugby 7’s programme has been in action during the second half of the Spring Term. We run age group teams at U12, U13, U14, U16 and U18 level, with each age team playing in two tournaments, building up to the Rosslyn Park National 7s Tournament.

The U12s’ first experience in 7s has been a successful one, and they were runners-up, at both Port Regis and The Downs, whilst the U13s won the Plate at Port Regis. The outstanding team this term has been our U16 squad. They won the Wycliffe Tournament, going unbeaten on the day, which meant that they were also invited to the All England 7s in London, going toe to toe with the very best teams in the country. The culmination of their season was the progression through to ‘day 2’ of the Rosslyn Park 7s and a match on one of the showcase pitches streamed live around the world! Like our other main sports, KES rugby enjoys strength in depth, with 26 players advancing within Bath Rugby’s Player Pathway.

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