Rightly, Cranleigh has a national reputation as a sporting powerhouse. This comes from a tradition of elite excellence as well as a sincere commitment to participation, allowing every pupil opportunities to play and perform, whatever their level.
Four weeks into the term, we have already seen some standout team and individual performances in athletics, cricket and tennis. Here are just a few highlights.
Athletics
We hosted our annual meet at the K2 in Crawley, finishing third in a highly competitive field. There were numerous personal bests across both track and field events. Oscar H impressed on debut in the 400m, winning his race comfortably, while Zac W anchored the senior boys’ sprint relay team to victory in the final event of the day.
At the Withdean Stadium this week. Charlie L ran 10.9 seconds in the 100m and also won the senior boys’ 200m. Rafi W won the junior boys’ 1500m to maintain his perfect start to the season, and Jayne O won the senior girls’ 100m. We saw some excellent performances across the U14 and U15 age groups at the Waverley trials, and we now await confirmation of how many athletes have qualified for the Surrey finals in June.
Cricket
The U15A girls cricket team completed a dramatic 6-run victory over Wellington, posting 146, with Ruby P contributing 39 runs. In the field this was backed up by a strong bowling display led by Eve M. This week, our girls’ U14 side beat Charterhouse by 4 wickets, with Hetty W scoring 37 runs and Ottilie D taking three wickets in her two-over spell for just one run.
Our block of fixtures against Dulwich saw victories for all our boys teams. The 1st XI chased down 169 to win by eight wickets, with Will H taking four wickets and Zan C scoring 73. The 2nd XI secured a two-wicket win chasing 152, thanks to valuable contributions from Fred H, Max L and a composed innings from Tom F. The 3rd XI delivered a convincing performance, highlighted by Jack W’s explosive 79 from 25 balls, while the 4th XI completed a comfortable eight-run win. Additionally, we want to congratulate Zan C who scored two centuries for the school 1st XI last week – 157 against Tonbridge on Saturday and 125 against St John’s last Thursday.
Tennis
Our tennis season got off to a strong start. The U14A girls secured a solid 6–3 win against Sevenoaks, while the U15A and U15B girls were dominant, both recording 9–0 victories. The U15A boys also impressed with a 6–3 win over Bradfield.
Other Sports
In padel, Max V G is currently ranked 276 in the world for juniors, a testament to both his ability and dedication to the sport. He holds the number one ranking in Surrey for U18s, underlining his position as one of the county’s leading young players and has been selected for the Great Britain training squad.
Well done to all swimmers who competed against Eton on Tuesday afternoon. A special mention goes to the U15 team, who secured an impressive victory with some outstanding times and performances.
During the week, we also held the Cronk Salver Golf competition, and congratulations go to Liam K and Archer K for their performances.
Beyond Cranleigh
We are always thrilled when we see pupils progress on to the next level of their chosen field.
Firstly, we offer a huge congratulations to Charlotte B on her selection to represent England U18 in the Women’s Six Nations Festival for the second year in a row. This achievement is particularly notable as Charlotte becomes the first female rugby player from Cranleigh School to reach the international stage.
We also celebrate the success of Jack K, who has signed his first professional rugby contract with Harlequins. Jack will join the squad following the conclusion of his exams this summer, adding his name to the distinguished list of Old Cranleighans currently playing in the professional ranks.
Turning to cricket, we are delighted to see OC Adam Thomas (Loveday 2024) score an impressive century on his first-class debut for Surrey versus Sussex at The Oval.
Finally, on the first Sunday of term, we held our first-ever Sixth Form Sports Awards Dinner. Thank you to all who attended and congratulations to those pupils and teams who were shortlisted and recognised for their achievements. You can read more about that here.
See below for a selection of our favourite images from the Summer Term’s sporting action so far.
