Sport

Cricket is the focus sport for boys in the Summer Term and has proven to be highly popular in the last few seasons, reaching five senior teams in 2020. Cricket for girls arrived as a participation sport in 2022. In recent years the fixture list has strengthened significantly, enhancing the experience of our students.

The cricket facilities have developed in recent years, with three squares, indoor nets and a new six lane cricket net facility. These facilities are supported by experienced coaching staff led by the Head of Cricket, Greg Webber. Greg is supported by our Cricket Professional, George Setterfield, alongside a number of other cricket specialists on the school staff.

Cricket is delivered in games lessons in the Summer Term, which is complimented with pre season coaching in the Lent Term and indoor nets in the Michaelmas Term. Bespoke coaching is also available with our cricket professional, George Setterfield.

Hockey is one of the largest and most popular sports at Bloxham, being the focus sport for girls in the Michaelmas Term and for boys in the Lent Term. We have challenging fixtures against a number of very well reputed hockey schools and also have excellent links with local clubs, such as Banbury.

The hockey facilities at Bloxham include two full size AstroTurf pitches and an indoor pitch in the sports centre. The facilities at Bloxham are supported by highly qualified and experienced staff, led by our Head of Hockey Connor Roberts. Connor is supported by several other hockey specialists.

When hockey is the focus sport for girls and then boys, it is delivered in their games lessons. It is also offered as a pre-season activity for boys in the Michaelmas Term and for girls in the Summer Term. We also offer mixed indoor and outdoor hockey activities to complete an excellent three term offering.

Netball is the focus sport for girls in the Lent Term. We have up to sixteen teams representing the school on a regular basis.

Head of Netball, Lisa Manning, has been in post for nearly a decade. During that time, the number of girls in school has grown and the programme has developed alongside this. We now compete against many of the strongest schools in the area, including Cheltenham and Rugby. Lisa is supported by a number of experienced Netball coaches, as well as the two on-site strength and conditioning coaches.

Bloxham is a training hub for Wasps netball and it has been pleasing to see a good number of Bloxham girls join the Wasps pathway. This underlines the potential within the Netball programme.

Rugby at Bloxham is well established, popular and ambitious. In recent years the school 1^st XV, Colts, Junior Colts and Yearlings have all maintained successful seasons, with the 1^st XV winning the National Schools Plate in 2018/19, before reaching the final in the coronavirus disrupted 2019/20 competition. The fixture list is now becoming more ambitious, providing challenge across our teams.

In recent years we have seen an increase in the number of teams, with fifteen teams available in 2021. Exham House has also developed and we now have three teams representing the school regularly on a Saturday morning.

The rugby facilities at Bloxham are excellent, with seven pitches and a well equipped gym, supported by two strength and conditioning coaches.

In the Michaelmas Term, rugby is the focus sport for boys. We also have a developing 7-a-side programme in the Lent Term and pre-season activity in the Summer Term for all year groups.

Tennis is currently the Focus sport for girls in the Summer Term, with boys also playing as a ‘Participation’ option.

Tennis has been reviewed in recent seasons and we have added a winter tennis programme in conjunction with Banbury West End tennis club. This will allow our students to develop their tennis technique all year round and will strengthen the Bloxham teams.

The introduction of girls’ cricket means that a smaller number of girls now play tennis, which allows our team of tennis coaches to focus on students’ development even more closely.

Bloxham prides itself on finding a sport for everyone and with such diversity in the sports programme, we hope each student can find a number of sports that they can continue to enjoy after the have left the school.

A number of sports sit alongside Bloxham’s traditional Focus sports, with sporting opportunity extending across a wide range of team sport and individual pursuits. ‘Participation’ and ‘Recreational’ sports are open to our Fifth and Sixth Form, with the Third and Fourth Form being able to access Focus and ‘Participation’ options. All options are in agreement with the Director of Sport, relevant Head of Sport and the student’s tutor, in accordance with the games policy.

Badminton, Squash and Boys’ Tennis are popular options, with professional coaching and fixtures available to all participants. Our cross country runners enter the East Midlands Cross Country League, offering some fantastic fixtures.

Basketball is a new venture, which reacts to a growing demand from our student body. We look forward to seeing this sport develop over the next year or two.

Recreational sports often still involve fixtures but not always on a regular basis. We see popular swimming and gym options, with students often training towards triathlons or other relevant challenges. Fives and golf are popular options, with a good number of traditional fixtures and local competitions.

Bloxham has a thriving equestrian squad and runs its own annual competition, The Bloxham Eventer Challenge Series throughout the winter at Aston le Walls. Find out more here.

Clay Pigeon Shooting is also popular, with a strong squad participating in national competitions, such as the Holland and Holland Independent Schools’ Clay Pigeon Championship.