Eltham College Celebrates a Landmark Sporting Lent Term
This Lent Term will be remembered as one of the most successful sporting periods in Eltham College history, with pupils achieving outstanding success across hockey, netball, swimming, rugby, water polo and athletics. From national finals appearances to county championships and international honours, Eltham athletes excelled at every level.
A historic milestone was reached by the Boys’ Under 16 Hockey team, who advanced to the National Tier 1 Finals for the first time in College history. After finishing second in the pool stages with four wins and one defeat, the team delivered superb knockout performances, defeating Trinity School in the Last 16 before overcoming unbeaten Taunton School in the National Quarter Final. This set up a final four with Repton, St George’s and Whitgift, held at the Lee Valley National Hockey stadium over two days.
Success on the hockey pitch continued across the age groups. The Boys’ Under 12A Hockey team were crowned London Tier 1 Champions after winning all six matches at the finals to complete an unbeaten season. Across 14 fixtures, the team scored an extraordinary 80 goals. The Girls’ Under 13A Hockey team impressed nationally and regionally, finishing fourth at the National ISHC Plate Finals and winning bronze at the London Tier 1 Finals, while the Boys’ Under 13 Hockey team finished runners-up in the London Tier 1 Regional Finals and were crowned Kent “John Maylam” County Champions, making it four titles in five years at this age group.
Netball also enjoyed an exceptional term. The Under 15 Girls’ team were crowned champions at both the London Pulse Partnership Festival and the Eltham College Festival, completing a remarkable season in which they won 13 of their 14 matches. At county level, the Girls’ Under 12A team secured third place at the Kent County Championships, while the Girls’ Under 13A side finished as runners-up.
In the pool, Eltham College swimmers delivered a dominant display at the Kent County Championships, winning 18 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze medals, alongside an impressive 67 top-10 finals appearances. The Boys’ Under 15 Water Polo team also achieved national success, winning the ESSA National Plate title following a thrilling 4–3 victory against KCS Wimbledon in the final. Both the Boys’ and Girls’ Under 13 teams qualified for the ESSA National Cup finals after Easter, placing each in the top six schools in the country for Water Polo.
Rugby 7s teams enjoyed a highly successful campaign. The Boys’ Under 16 Rugby 7s team were crowned Kent Cup Champions for the first time since 2019 and went on to reach Day Two of the Rosslyn Park National 7s, finishing among the top 24 schools in the country after winning all three group matches and defeating Kingswood School 31–15 in the eliminator. The Boys’ Under 14 Rugby 7s team finished as Kent Cup runners-up, while the Boys’ Under 13 Rugby 7s team completed an unbeaten season.
Individual achievements were equally impressive. Emily (Lower Sixth) won bronze in the Women’s Under 20 200m final at the England Athletics Indoor National Championships.
International honours were also awarded to Christine (Lower Sixth), Raf (Year 11), Hattie (Year 10), Jason (Year 7) and Oscar (Year 10). Christine was selected for the England Under 19 Netball Roses, Raf represented England Under 18 Hockey, Hattie earned England Under 16 Hockey honours, Jason was selected for Great Britain Under 12 Tennis, and Oscar represented Great Britain Under 16 Ski Racing.
Further representative success included Alex (Year 11) and Jayden (Year 11) being selected for the Saracens Under 16 Academy fixture against Harlequins, while Brandon (Upper Sixth) was selected for the Kent Under 18 Rugby team and invited to a London and South East England trial.
Director of Sport, Marc Edwards writes: “This Lent Term represents a landmark period for sport at Eltham College and is a testament to the sustained commitment, hard work and consistently high-quality coaching delivered throughout the year. What has been particularly pleasing is the breadth of success across so many sports and age groups, alongside the number of pupils achieving selection at regional, national and international levels. There is a real sense of momentum within our programme, and it is an incredibly exciting time for Eltham College as we continue to strengthen and build our sporting reputation on the national stage.”
