The College enjoys an enviable reputation for producing highly successful individual and team performances in a wide range of sports.
Whilst excellence is pursued for those with talent and has led to many pupils achieving county, national or international representative honours, the aim is to cater for every pupil at their own level of ability and enthusiasm. All pupils have a carefully considered games programme and the opportunity to play competitively at School and House level. A full fixture card and regular major games tours are part of this provision.
More than 25 sports are on offer at Epsom, with most pupils involved at all levels three or four times a week. Coaching is organised by members of the Common Room and supplemented in many areas by visiting professionals and specialists.
The main sports for boys are: Rugby, Hockey, Cricket, Tennis and Athletics. The main sports for girls are: Hockey , Netball, Tennis, Athletics, and Rounders. Badminton, Basketball, Cross-country, Fencing, Football, Golf, Judo, Martial Arts, Sailing, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Target Rifle, Water Polo and Volleyball are also very popular with some highly successful school teams over the years.
The exceptional sporting facilities which make all this possible include some of the very best chalk drained traditional grass pitches in the south of England, two Astroturfs for hockey and tennis (one floodlit), a 25 metre indoor swimming pool, the indoor shooting range, six netball courts and a very large and fully equipped double sports centre.
Team photographs for 2009/2010 are available from The School Photography Company. Click here to order
Master in charge: Jud Drinkall. Email: Judd@epsomcollege.org.uk Athletics at Epsom College is traditionally one of the strongest Summer sports and is one which is truly co-educational. The boys and girls train together and often compete together in the recently established co-educational matches. In the well established single sex competitions, Epsom still holds its own despite fewer students to select from and other sports competing for athletes. The College still competes in the highly prestigious Cholmeley Shield match hosted by Highgate and the Lord Burghley match hosted by Eton College. The Epsom Boys' team has in fact just won the Lord Burghley match for the third successive year. The coaching is supplied by teaching staff, several of whom have international experience themselves, along with more recent internationals who come in each games afternoon to offer their considerable expertise. All pupils cover all aspects of throwing, jumping and running and there are House competitions and external matches with other schools. Boys and girls also have the opportunity to compete in District Championships from which individuals often qualify for County trials/selection. The standard achieved by the boys and girls is extremely high. Pupils and former pupils hold many district and county records. Both boys and girls won the Central Surrey titles last year and over 35 students went on to reach County finals with a further three reaching the National finals. We have a proud tradition of not only sending students to the national finals, but of producing national champions as well, several of whom have gone on to represent their country. |
| Coach: Dr Bob Chappell. Email: RHC@epsomcollege.org.uk Basketball at Epsom is offered on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons as an optional activity for boys and girls. The main aim is to make basketball an enjoyable sport for students of any ability. Most students do not have a basketball background so they are taught the necessary skills of passing, shooting and dribbling, which may then be transferred into a game situation. For those few with a basketball background, the teams enable those skills to be used in a competitive situation. The boys' team participate in the Surrey County League in which they have had considerable success during recent years. The Epsom College Basketball Tournament, launched this year, saw Epsom defeat Dulwich College in an exciting final watched by a large crowd. |
Cricket is a main sport in the summer term at Epsom with the College running eight boys’ teams and one girls’ team. Sides compete against a wide range of other schools. The College coaches are well supported by a full time cricket professional. |
Master in charge of Fencing: Dr Adam Hughes. Email AWH@epsomcollege.org.uk Coach: Joseph Shackell. Pupils are introduced to Fencing at Epsom College as part of an activities carousel, which runs throughout the Michaelmas and Lent terms. In subsequent years, pupils may opt for Fencing as part of their activities timetable. Fencing for the 5th and 6th form takes place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and a junior fencing activity for the M4 and U4 also runs on Thursday afternoon. The pupils are trained by an external, professional coach. In addition to regular Saturday afternoon matches against other schools, pupils are also encouraged to take part in both county and national competitions throughout the year. In 2009, an Epsom College pupil won the Public Schools Fencing Championships. |
Hockey is the main sport for girls in the Michaelmas Term and for boys during the Lent Term. The College has an excellent record in the sport and ex-Great Britain and England international Stuart Head (himself a former captain of the College's 1st XI) is one of the coaches who helps prepare pupils for a range of competitions. The College has two artificial surface pitches, one of which is floodlit, and excellent indoor facilities. County and Regional honours are achieved by both boys and girls alike. |
Horse riding takes place at Wildwoods Riding Centre in Walton-on the Hill, a school that is approved by the British Horse Society and the Association of British Riding Schools. The school has superb facilities, a team of excellent trainers and more than 30 horses to suit all types of rider. This activity is open to beginners as well as experienced riders. |
Girls play Netball as their main sport in the Lent Term competing at House, inter-school and County level. There are 12 teams across the age groups that compete on a weekly basis against schools from the south coast and the Home Counties. |
Master in Charge: Andy Wolstenholme. Email: a-wolstenholme@epsomcollege.org.uk Epsom College is well known for excellence in rugby, which is the major boys' sport in the Michaelmas term. We compete on a strong circuit, the current fixture list including Tonbridge, Eton, Harrow, Wellington, Cranleigh, RGS Guildford, Brighton, St John's Leatherhead, Dulwich and Eastbourne, and regularly field more than 16 sides on a Saturday afternoon. The current Master in Charge is an RFU Level 4 coach, who formerly coached at Leicester Tigers and currently coaches Blackheath. He is assisted by a number of teachers, who are well qualified to coach rugby, as well as professional coaches, who come into College to deliver specialist coaching and staff INSET. We enjoy strong links with the Harlequins and London Irish Academies, a programme that has recently seen four pupils move on into the professional game, three with Harlequins and one with Leeds Carnegie. College rugby teams tour overseas every year, with a major tour every two years. Destinations include Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Argentina and Ireland. Boys are also encouraged to play representative rugby. Currently we have two England, one Scotland and one US international, as well as a host of Divisional and County players. Sevens rugby is particularly strong after Christmas, with regular appearances in major finals such as the National Sevens at Rosslyn Park. Girls' rugby has been a popular development in recent years with the emphasis on Sevens after Christmas. They, too, play in the National tournament. We aim to provide a programme that is appropriate for every boy and girl in the College, from the enthusiastic member of a 'D' team to the top international player. Having fun and meeting new challenges, while developing a sense of teamwork and fair play, are central to what we try to achieve. |
| Master in charge: Dr Eric Huxter. Email H-Huxter@epsomcollege.org.uk The Snorkelling Club offers introductory training (1 term course) in basic snorkelling techniques in the College Pool on Tuesdays (5.00-6.00pm). The course aims to equip swimmers with the confidence and skills to use basic diving equipment as a preparation for open water snorkelling and moving on to SCUBA diving. The College provides the basic equipment to use in these sessions. |
| Master in charge: Dr Eric Huxter. Email E-Huxter@epsomcollege.org.uk This co-educational club enjoys the use of a 25m, 6 lane pool for training and home competition and operates all year in both games times, as an option, and general activity time all through the week (except Wednesday). The Club offers coaching and training to both the specialists and the all-round sports person, with up to 10 hours pool time per week. The College is fortunate to have the services as specialist coach of Adam Mason (Chief Coach, Epsom District Swimming Club) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The College swims competitively at inter-school level in the Summer term and also enters the County and Division II Schools Swimming Association relay events (National Finalists in three years in the recent past) in the Michaelmas Term and the Public School Relays in the Lent Term. Each year in the Lent Term there is an inter-house competition for boys and girls and swimming is also part of the inter-house biathlon competition. The pool is equipped with a wide range of swimming training aids. |