Just as we broke up, The U18 Rugby Sevens team delivered an outstanding performance at the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens. On Thursday, the squad won their group with impressive wins over Warwick, Barnard Castle, The King’s Macclesfield, and Coleg Sir Gâr to progress to the knockout stages. In what was dubbed the “group of death” quarter-finals, Cranleigh rose to the challenge overcoming strong opposition in Kirkham, Ipswich, and Berkhamsted to reach the semi-finals. Though they fell just short against a powerful Millfield side, finishing in the top four nationally is a remarkable achievement.
The Easter holidays were a busy and exciting time for our sports teams, with plenty of action both at home and abroad. The 1st XI girls’ cricket team had a fantastic start to their season, taking part in a pre-season tournament at Bradfield (winning 3 out of the 4 matches) and also hosting Surrey in a competitive fixture on Bank Holiday Monday. Meanwhile, the 1st XI boys’ cricket team sharpened their skills with pre-season T20 matches against Winchester and Canford, providing valuable match experience ahead of the summer term. Off the pitch, our tennis squad enjoyed a brilliant tour to Portugal, combining plenty of fun with intense training as they geared up for the season ahead.
Benji W. came 2nd in the UK in the 2025 Super Series triathlon. This involves a 400m swim on one day and then a bike and run on the Sunday with the competitors being released onto the course based on their swim times, faster first. This is a wonderful achievement and in particular his swim leg with a massive personal best of 4mins and 41 seconds. Matt H. was in Belgium playing for the England u18 boys in their European tournament. Charlotte B. played three times for England U18 women’s rugby against Italy, Wales and France. Joe T. played in the U18 Boys rugby six nations for Scotland U18 and was vice-captain for their final game. Alfie P., Luke W, and Rory H. represented Harlequins at U16 level with Jack K. playing U17 Harlequins as well. Henry P. was invited into the Scotland U18 rugby representative pathway squad over Easter as well. Congratulations also to Charlie L., Max L. and Jason S. who helped Guildford rugby win the Colts Quins final at the Stoop on Thursday night for rugby.
On Thursday we saw our 1st XI Girls and Boys cricket teams start their season with two excellent victories over Seaford and the MCC respectively. The girls won their National schools cup match with 6 wickets and 58 balls remaining. Special mention to Nathaniel A. who scored a brilliant hundred for the 1st XI Boys team as well as a mature innings by Zan C. in their win over the MCC. The Golfers had a mixture of a match on our 9 hole course as well as practice at West Surrey. Both groups did well and sets them up nicely for the upcoming matches. The swim team competed with Eton. Eton won the U15 age group with Cranleigh winning the U18, so it ended up resulting in a draw. Stand out swims that were also big personal best times were Luke G. in the 50m Backstroke (missing the school record by 0.2secs), Aston S. in the 50m Breaststroke and Felix Bin the 50m Freestyle.
This weekend marks the start of our full summer sports program. I’ve emphasised to the pupils just how important exercise and sport are during the exam period. Our excellent sporting reputation is a result of the commitment and dedication shown by our pupils in representing the school to the best of their ability. Academic research consistently shows that students who engage in regular physical activity often perform better in their exams. I encourage all pupils to take this to heart and strive for excellence both in the classroom and on the sports field this term.
Match teas for all sports will be available in the marquee by the Jubilee Pavilion. Please note that return times for away teams—particularly in cricket—may vary, as match durations can be unpredictable.
We’re excited to announce the launch of our new Instagram sports page, @cranleighsport. All sports updates, highlights, and achievements will now be posted there rather than individual sports posting separately. We hope you enjoy following along and celebrating the fantastic sporting success of our pupils.
As ever, further information can be found by following the link:
https://sportsdesk.cranleigh.org/?id=89&desktop=1
