Sports round-up 17.05.24

Athletics

What a week we’ve had for athletics. For the first year running we entered the English Schools Track and Field Cup. This is a competition between school teams which is held in three rounds. Each school can enter one team in four separate age-groups, juniors (year 7 & 8) and intermediates (year 9 & 10). Each competitor has to do a track and a field event or a field and a relay, or a field and a relay. Our athletes were in action on Wednesday 15 May and we had some notable performances from a number of pupils. Our junior girls came in 4th and junior boys finished 10th. Our intermediate girls came in 5th and intermediate boys finished 10th.

Thursday evening saw the return of our much-anticipated Year 9 and 10 track and field meet. Claremont hosted 12 other schools and we look forward to hosting many more meets in the summer term.

Fencing

This past weekend three Claremont fencers (2 from senior school and 1 from the prep school) competed in the British Youth Championships in Sheffield.

Arabella and Yoojoo had a very tough competition, with many of their opponents significantly bigger and more experienced than them.

Arabella fenced brilliantly in the first round, winning 4 out of 6 fights and then clinching a nail-biting 12-11 victory over Vedika Tamilselvan to progress through to the top 32. She fought well but finally succumbed to higher seed 12-8 to finish in 20^th place. This is a superb result especially as she has another year in this age group – bring on next year!

Yoojoo had a tough time in the first round, not fencing with her usual controlled aggression… she then met no 13 seed  who has been fencing for several years longer than Yoojoo but whom she could have beaten if she had been able to regain her focus and execute a couple of key moves confidently. Yoojoo is very talented and trains hard, but as is often the way in sport, sometimes the ‘wheels come off’… coach Jo isn’t worried though as Yoojoo has many outstanding results ahead of her!

Tennis

What an exhilarating week it has been at Claremont, filled with intense matches and unforgettable moments on the tennis court. Let’s dive into the highlights of our action-packed week:

LTA National League Debut

The excitement kicked off with our first match in the LTA National League, featuring a format of 4 singles and 2 doubles rubbers. Our U/15 Girls took center stage in their group stage debut against Kingston Grammar School (KGS). Despite facing tough competition, our girls displayed exceptional skill and determination, clinching a remarkable 10-2 victory over KGS. Congratulations to Linea P, Isabella L, Poppy M, and Laurina R for their outstanding performance and securing the win for Claremont.

Surrey League Showdowns

Tuesday saw the culmination of the group stages for our U/13 and U/15 Boys in the Surrey League. Our U/15 Boys engaged in a thrilling battle against Cranmore, showcasing remarkable rallies and close points. With sheer grit and determination, Claremont emerged victorious with a 3-1 win. Well done to Zac H, Oliver R, Oscars C, and Felipe S for their stellar performance on the court. Meanwhile, our U/13 Boys delivered a dominating performance, securing a 4-0 victory to end their group stage campaign on a high note. Well done to Harry S, Nathaniel R-T, Leo B, and Charlie M for their impressive display of skill and teamwork.

Senior Boys’ Finale

Wednesday witnessed the culmination of the group stage matches for our Senior Boys in the Surrey League. In a display of athleticism and skill, our boys engaged in electrifying rallies and quick volleys against Harrodian. Despite a valiant effort and closely contested points, Claremont fell short, losing 1-3. Nevertheless, commendations are in order for Leo S, Ben S-L, Max G, and George T for their outstanding performance throughout the match.

LTA League Resilience

Thursday brought another round of challenges as our U/13’s faced off against St George’s in the LTA League. Despite encountering formidable opposition, our young players demonstrated resilience and determination on the court. Although the match ended in a tough loss 0 – 12 to St George’s, the spirit and effort displayed by our team are truly commendable. Well done to Jessica L, Ella-Kate R, Alice B and Mia H.

Cricket

U14A vs Salesian School

The U14A lost the coin toss and were put into bat and got off to a great start scoring quickly and managed to post 150 runs off 20 overs with Sam Corkery scoring a good 44 along with William Heslop who scored 31. Claremont then defending their total, managed to bowl out the opposition’s best batter on 49, the match was very tightly fought out with Salesian needing 29 off four overs. Claremont eventually closed out the win restricting the opposition to 129 in their 20 overs.

It was a very good win for the U14’s.

Football

U13 Girls ISFA 7-a-side Surrey Qualifier was a fantastic event where we hosted 15 schools for the annual tournament seeing approximately 150 girls participating. Claremont did incredibly well winning one, drawing one and losing two matches. The girls narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-final in their last game and were determined throughout. It was great to see some stand out performances from Freya M, Eve M, Isobel S and Thea H.