Cricket

Pupils at Whitgift are coached to play with passion, to train hard, to want to improve and to always put their team first.

These are values that drive success not just on the cricket field but in school life in general. 

Cricket becomes a key part of school life during the summer term when 24 teams throughout the School, ranging from A to E, are fielded. With the oversight of David Ward (Head of Cricket), Neil Kendrick (Head of Cricket Performance) and Simon Jackson (Cricket Academy, Head Coach), pupils are challenged with block fixtures against some of the strongest school teams in the country throughout the season. Pupils can also train and practise with a County Academy-style Cricket programme during the two winter terms.

In First Form, Second Form and Third Form, between 70 and 80 pupils take part in the annual Cricket Camp in either Spain or Barbados while cricketers in the senior years enjoy major tours to countries such as Australia or South Africa every two to three years.

Whitgift’s training and playing facilities are such that they have hosted numerous First Class and List A matches and are used by Cricket Australia as their training ground when they are in London.

Whitgift has nine students who have progressed on to play First Class Cricket and in recent times, three OWs - Rory Burns, Jason Roy and Dominic Sibley - have opened the batting for England in Test Cricket. Jason Roy played an important role in England’s World Cup campaign and was part of the first England team to lift the World Cup.

We hope to instil a lifelong love of the game in all students who take up the sport and we are very proud of the numbers of pupils who carry on playing or taking an active role in cricket long after they leave the School.

My most memorable moments at Whitgift have been on the cricket field. I started as captain of the D team, barely landing it on the cut strip, but through years of training morning, after school and lunch with coaches and teammates I have progressed to being an integral member of the second team.

CURRENT student (2020)