Sports Home | Tonbridge School |
Login |
|
Sport HistoryCricket Read moreCricket CloseIn 1826 the Governors of Tonbridge School purchased a field next to the school from Mr. Martin. This ground was levelled in 1838, using earth and workmen from the new railway then being built through Tonbridge, and became The Head and the Upper and Lower Hundreds.The famous Dodd painting of cricket at Tonbridge is dated 1851, but the first inter-school match was against Brighton College in 1856 and the current pavilion was built in 1860. In 1876 the school played the MCC for the first time.In the 1880s C.J. Kortright was in the school team going on to become the fastest bowler in England, but the greatest Tonbridge cricketer of this period was K.L. Hutchings, who made 126 for England against Australia in Melbourne in 1907. In the period after the First World War the names of L.P. Hedges and C.H. Knott stand out, both of them Oxford and Kent cricketers, who in 1919 shared a stand of 396 against Lancing. In the 1930s J.G.W. Davies earned fame as a Cambridge undergraduate by bowling Bradman for a duck and went on to play for Kent, as did T.A. Crawford, while J.R. Thompson played for Warwickshire. The second Tonbridgian to make a century against Australia was M.C. Cowdrey, certainly the most distinguished cricketer the school has produced. He had a remarkable school record of 2894 runs and 216 wickets over five years and went on to captain Kent and England and become a hugely respected administrator of the game as Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge. Following Colin Cowdrey another four Tonbridgians have played for England – Roger Prideaux, Chris Cowdrey, Richard Ellison and Ed Smith. All of these played for Kent, although Prideaux also went on to captain Northants and Smith latterly captained Middlesex. Chris Cowdrey, like his father, captained England and Richard Ellison will be remembered for the way he bowled out the Australians to win the Ashes in 1985. The association of Tonbridge with Kent County Cricket Club has been a long and enduring one. In recent years, apart from those above, Graham Cowdrey played many games for the county, while others to have played are Nick Kemp, Jonny Longley, Chris Walsh and Matt Banes. Mark Allbrook played for Nottinghamshire and James Pyemont for Derbyshire. Not surprisingly this roll-call of fine cricketers has meant that the Old Tonbridgians have been the dominant team in the Cricketer Cup, winning the competition thirteen times, more than twice as many as the next school, Malvern. This includes six victories in the last ten years. Until the late 1960s the climax of the school season was a two-day match at Lord’s against Clifton, but this has now been replaced by an end-of-term festival which started at Eastbourne in 1970 and has now assumed a more international feel at Tonbridge in the week after term ends. This year we are hosting Bishop’s from Cape Town, Prince Alfred College from Adelaide and Millfield School, now coached by Richard Ellison. The fixtures during term also generate the very highest quality of school boy cricket, with fixtures against Eton, Harrow, Wellington, Charterhouse and Radley, with whom we compete for the Cowdrey Cup. There are many fine cricketers who have served the school as cricket professional or masters. Maurice Tate was the professional briefly after the war, while Ray Dovey and Alan Dixon of Kent played a major part in producing the fine sides of the 1970s. John Inverarity of Australia taught Maths at Tonbridge in the 1970s, while Derek Chadwick from Western Australia spent five happy years here recently as coach. Test players currently on the staff are Andy Whittall of Zimbabwe and Paul Parker of England. C.H. Knott returned to his old school in the 1930s to run the cricket and was succeeded by Mike Bushby in 1954 who in turn handed on to David Walsh in 1972. Simon Doggart, Ian MacEwen, Paul Taylor, Nathan Leamon and James Hodgson have produced some excellent sides since 1990. Tonbridge cricket is also strongly associated with the Yellowhammers Cricket Club, which celebrated its centenary in 2009. It was founded by Leonard Marzetti who wanted a week’s holiday cricket with his Tonbridge friends. David Walsh took over the Presidency from Richard Gracey in 2006. There are not many better grounds in England than The Head, lovingly tended by many dedicated groundsmen, with George Alexander now in charge. Its position in the centre of the school and right beside the Chapel has helped to maintain the popularity and success of the game at Tonbridge. Every boy who plays here becomes part of a rich and celebrated cricket history. Rugby Union Read moreRugby Union CloseRugby is the major Michaelmas Term sport at Tonbridge and the school plays on one of the strongest circuits in the country. We are particularly proud of the number of boys who take part at all playing levels, with the club fielding over 20 teams each weekend including six at Under 14 level, five at Under 15, five at Under 16, and seven Senior teams. As well as this, there is a programme for House Sevens competitions in each age group and various House fifteen a side competitions.At the top end, the School has had a strong rugby tradition for many years, with most impressive school results and with a number of boys being awarded representative honours for Counties, the RFU South-East Division and England U16 and U18 squads. We enjoy strong links with a number of London academies which, combined with our own expert coaching staff and facilities, ensure that boys receive the very best coaching. A number of pupils have gained professional contracts with Premiership clubs in recent years, including Luke Wallace (Harlequins), James Short and Ben Ranson (both with Saracens). The 1st XV tour overseas on a regular basis and will travel to South Africa in Summer 2013 to play a number of the leading schools there. Sevens is also played in the Lent Term with noteworthy success in many of the tournaments played after Christmas. In 2011 the U16 squad won the Rosslyn Park National Sevens and in 2010 the Senior squad were crowned Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s Champions. |