All Sports   Close

Stowe offers an exceptionally wide range of other sports alongside the key sports, giving everybody the opportunity to take part in an activity they enjoy.

Athletics

There is the opportunity to train all year round for athletes that are serious about their Athletics and each athlete will receive an individualised training programme to complement their other sporting commitments for the School. In the Lent term athletics is focussed on indoor competitions such as the South of England Championships and London Indoor Games at Lee Valley and the England National Championships in Sheffield. In the 2015 indoor season we had athletes competing in the National Combined Events with Octavia Cavil (Fifth Form, Nugent) finishing 9th in the Inter girls. Thalia Felton (Lower Sixth, Queen's) and Zoe Pollock (Fourth Form, Nugent) also qualified for the individual National Championships in their first season of indoor competition.

In the Summer term we have over a hundred athletes training, which provides a fantastic atmosphere and all our athletes are extremely supportive of one another. We compete against other schools during the term including Harrow, Eton, Rugby and Magdalen College. We also compete in the English Schools' Track and Field Cup where last year both our Inter boys and girls made the Regional Finals. Other competitions include County Championships along with the English Schools. In 2015 Octavia Cavil won Gold in the inter girls High Jump and went on to win Silver for England in the SIAB Schools International in Scotland.

We also host an annual Prep Schools competition as well as a whole School Sports Day, where all 13 Houses compete against each other. It is a great day with many friends and family attending in support.

Head of Athletics: Mr Grant Seely

Netball

Netball at Stowe is enjoying considerable success and developing a higher profile within the school. Netball is played by the Junior and Senior girls predominantly in the Lent term, although there is a club in the Michaelmas Term to maintain performance, whilst also preparing for the County Tournament. This year the U16 VII qualified for the Regional Finals of the National Tournament. During the Netball season, three teams of Seniors train four times a week playing a full fixture list on Wednesday and Saturdays against competitive schools including Bloxham, Princethorpe, Wellingborough, Cokethorpe and Tudor Hall. Last season, the 1st VII won the St Helen and St Katharine's School Tournament and Louise Highwood was named Player of the Tournament.

We have forged a link with the Loughborough Lightening Superleague team and receive coaching workshops from Karen Atkinson (ex-England Netball Captain and Loughborough Lightening head coach). Pre-season is undertaken with current Loughborough players. These workshops have developed a number of fundamental skills which has been very influential in our match play.

The Junior girls have the opportunity to play as an activity in the Lent term across six teams, where they enjoy fixtures on a Tuesday afternoon against local schools including Royal Latin, Thornton, Akeley Wood, Tudor Hall and Bloxham.

Stowe encourages any girls who have achieved a high standard to pursue the avenue to County and beyond. Lucy-May Wallis, (Nugent 13) played for the Midlands Regional VII (‘11/12), also training for NTL, and Louisa Dobbs (Queen's 10) represented Northern Ireland during her school career. Amelia Leondiou (Third Form, Queen's) is currently representing the North Buckinghamshire County Academy and U16 MK Netters Regional Team.

Head of Netball: Mrs Victoria Dias

Swimming

Swimming at Stowe is a thriving sport. We are blessed with a six lane, 25 metre training pool. Stowe pupils can swim for fun or compete in inter-school galas to County, Regional or National ASA swimming levels. We are very proud to promote some of our pupils representing their countries at an International level. We also have a link with Northampton Swimming Club.

In addition to a very healthy fixture list, the School competes in the English Schools National Swimming Championships, County Championships and the swimming pinnacle for all HMC Schools - The Bath Cup. Stowe also hosts its own increasingly popular Stowe Relay Championships and the Prep Schools team relays.

Inter-House rivalry culminates in the House swimming competition held in February, where both House and individual performances are rewarded. Swimming takes place on a daily basis - dedicated swimmers can take advantage of both early morning, afternoon and evening training sessions. With afternoon sessions for recreational swimmers wanting to keep fit, improve their stroke or try something new.

Master in charge: Mr Cheryl Davis

Golf

Stowe is blessed with one of the finest golf courses of any school, local, national or international. The boys and girls have the opportunity to play throughout the year and many Old Stoics look back on their years at Stowe with huge gratitude for the opportunity that they had to play. Stowe’s rich golfing heritage owes much to the excellent grounding available here.

Regular minibus visits to the Professional Course at Buckingham Golf Club for lessons give beginners an excellent start, whilst boys and girls with experience can benefit from swing analysis and appropriate individual tuition. In inter-school competitive Golf Stowe is regarded very highly, and rightly so; in 2015, for example, in addition to some fine victories in matches, the top five players enabled Stowe to be runners-up to Wellington College in the prestigious Micklem Trophy at Woking Golf Club. Over the past 50 years Stowe has actually won the Micklem more times than any of the other seven schools. We play a number of matches at Stoke Park (courtesy of Chester King – Old Stoic) and other venues recently have included Woburn, Little Aston, Frilford Heath and Studley Wood. Fixtures are held throughout the year against Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Charterhouse, Rugby, Bradfield, Wellington, Radley, Cheltenham, Bedford and others. We also compete in the national HMC Foursomes tournament.

Master in charge: Mr Andrew Hancox

Squash

Squash is a sport on the march at Stowe, both in terms of results and in terms of participation. Blessed with three high quality glass-backed courts, two England Squash Level 2 coaches, a vibrant squash ladder and a hotly contested Inter-House competition, the game's profile has never been higher and the host of players more enthusiastic or accomplished. This wealth of resources means that Stowe is highly competitive on the inter-school circuit and the team has achieved strong results during recent seasons. Any parents wishing more information or former pupils wishing to play in the Old Stoics vs School Fixture on Speech Day should contact the MiC Squash, Mr Floyd.

Master in Charge: Mr Knott

Polo

We are very fortunate at Stowe to be able to offer Polo to all abilities throughout the three terms of the School year. We currently have over 25 players of mixed ability, from beginners to Young England players. During the Arena season we have matches against Rugby School, Harrow, Eton, Wellington and Marlborough College which enables all our players to get some much needed match practice before the Schools National Championships held at Rugby Polo Club in March. For the past two years we have been the school with the most teams entered (A to D teams!) and we have won several divisions.

During the Summer term we have many matches for all of our teams, making sure that the beginners get plenty of experience as well as our seasoned players. In 2015 our A team played against the Sandhurst Military officers (and won!) at Sandhurst Academy in front of a large crowd. We are hoping this will be a regular fixture. In 2015 our A team also competed in the prestigious Copenhagen Cup held at Guards Polo Club, an invitation only event for select schools.

Our current Captain of the A team, Jamie Grayson (England U18), has a huge amount of experience and talent and is hoping to continue his polo into a professional career when he leaves Stowe, he is very supportive of all the new players joining our Wednesday and Friday practices! We have two coaches, John Martin and David Ashby. We practice at Heathfield Polo Club during the Arena season and Kirtlington Polo Club during the summer.

Master in Charge: Mrs Fiona Corthine

Basketball

Basketball is played in our well-equipped sports hall. As well as the main goals there are also six practice goals which enable small group practices and greater participation across the width of the hall. There is also a wall-mounted, electronic scoreboard. There are two outdoor basketball courts on the Shop Courts and a further outdoor basketball court at the Athletics Track.

Stoics are introduced to basketball during timetabled PE lessons and Stoics who wish to further develop their basketball skills have the opportunity to do so during afternoon and evening activities.

Basketball is mainly played in the Lent term when there are many inter-school matches against other public schools and the local maintained schools. We develop boys’ teams at U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18 level and girls' are able to choose basketball as an activity. We also run numerous Inter-House competitions as well as an evening basketball club for the boys and girls.

First and foremost, basketball is played for enjoyment, however, the practices and matches serve to develop self-confidence, a sense of belonging, high skill levels, self-discipline, fair play and the ability to win and lose gracefully.

Master in Charge & Head Coach: Mr Isaac Michael

Soccer

Soccer is played in the Lent term at Stowe. We have a strong fixture list which sees us taking on teams from the Midlands such as Wellingborough, Uppingham, King's Ely, Oakham and Oundle. We also play more local teams like Abingdon, St Edward's, Dr Challoner's and Royal Latin. The season culminates in the annual Stowe vs Old Stoics fixture.

We field three Senior teams and an U16 A team. The majority of games are played on a Saturday afternoon, although there are some midweek fixtures. Teams train three afternoons a week, focusing on skill development and game awareness. The coaching staff is supplemented by the MK Dons Sport & Education Trust whose coaches work with the boys across all the teams and also talent spot for the Championship side. Current plans are for a soccer tour in the Lent term of 2016.

Master in Charge: Mr Matt Burch

Water Polo

In water polo we field U14, U16 and Senior boys teams in inter-school matches over the year. Water polo fixtures are mainly played in the Lent term, but we also enter the English Schools' Water Polo Championships every year. Water Polo is also played at House level and there are various cup events we run during the School year.

Master in Charge: Mrs Cheryl Baker

Badminton

Badminton is played in the Michaelmas term and depending on numbers we can often field two boys' teams and one girls. Our coach Sara Sankey (ex-England International) joins us twice a week to put pupils through their paces. Sara not only helps the team members to progress, but also assists with identifying talent and bringing younger players through. The team plays on average 10 matches throughout the term and Stoics have the opportunity to practice four afternoons a week. Junior and Senior Inter-House tournaments are held during the term and are fiercely contested. In addition a tournament for the regular team players is held at the end of the term.

Master in Charge: Mr Isaac Michael

Fives

The Eton Fives court area was rejuvenated during the summer of 2004 and the courts are a hive of activity. During the Michaelmas and Lent term Fives is played three times a week with extra days being played particularly in the Lent term with fixtures against other schools, The Eton Fives Association and Old Stoics. John Skinner, the Master in Charge, is a level II coach and on a Friday an external level II coach - Matt Wiseman - is also utilised.

From 2015 we were able to field a full girls’ team for the first time, and it is good to see that the numbers are still on the rise regarding participation. The three courts are in a good condition and all players have the opportunity to use the courts outside of activity time. The annual round of Inter-House matches always sparks extra interest with additional new players as well as spectators.

Master in Charge: Mr John Skinner

Sailing

Sailing is available to boys and girls of all ages at Stowe. It takes place primarily at Great Moor Sailing Club at Calvert, in our fleet of brand new Firefly racing dinghies. During the Summer term we have a School team, which has included both boys and girls, competing against other schools. We also teach Stoics to sail, sometimes using the Toppers on the Eleven Acre Lake at Stowe.

Master in Charge: Mr Syme

Cross Country

There is the opportunity to train in the Michaelmas and Lent term for Cross Country and each athlete will receive an individualised training programme to complement their other sporting commitments for the School. In the Michaelmas term competitions are based around the Chiltern League where athletes run for Marshall Milton Keynes AC, who is our local athletics club and the English School Cross Country Cup. In the Lent term we continue with the Chiltern Leagues but also compete in other events such as the Wellington Relays, County Championships and the English Schools. Last year we had three athletes qualifying for the English Schools.

We also hold our whole school Inter-House cross country race in the Michaelmas term, where all 13 Houses compete against each other and it is a great day with many friends and family attending in support.

Master in Charge: Mr Mark Austen

Fencing
Fencing has improved vastly over the last few years with introduction of a GB coach Baldip Sahota.

The disciplines we offer are Foil and Epee. We are lucky to field a mixed squad of 15, who are able to fence to a high standard in competition. We enter the English Schools, Public Schools Team Championships and various other open competitions including the Luton Open where we were able to achieve Gold and Silver medals this academic year.

Cricket   Close

Cricket is a key sport in the Summer term but during the winter months there is a comprehensive off season training programme consisting of one to ones, squad sessions and nets along with a physical fitness programme to prepare our cricketers for the season ahead. There is a strong fixture list comprising the likes of Oakham, Harrow, Radley, Bedford, Marlborough, Oundle, Rugby, Stamford, Bradfield College and Uppingham, amongst others.

Stowe cricket has enjoyed many successes in recent summers with five Stoics signing full professional contracts in the last ten years. Ben Duckett (Grafton 13) is the most recent to have signed a professional contract with Northamptonshire CCC. Ben has since gone on to represent England Lions and he made his Test match and ODI debuts against Bangladesh and India in 2016. Another former pupil – Graeme White (Bruce 05), also at Northants, has also played for England Lions on their recent tour to Sri-Lanka.

There cannot be many better settings for cricket than the North Front at Stowe. It was voted the most picturesque ground in England in the school’s Tattler magazine and was featured as one of 12 of the country’s most scenic cricket grounds in the Wisden Cricketer Magazine’s Calendar. Stowe has also been included in the Top 100 schools cricket guide also published in the Wisden Cricketer Magazine.

There has been major investment into cricket in recent years which has seen the addition of a seventh square, 11 lanes of turf nets, re-laid astro nets, a batting cage, £30,000 of lighting in the sports hall, two new bowling machines and stands, new covering for the whole 1st XI square and a ‘super sopper’ (very handy for a typically wet English summer!). The School has also invested over £10,000 in video analysis equipment as well as a ‘Meryln’ Bowling Machine, used by counties and international teams to hone batsman’s skills against spin bowling. With plenty of boarding facilities the School is also able to host teams from overseas as well as other English schools, which we do on a regular basis during our end of term festivals.

Teams and Coaches

Stowe runs up to 15 teams, seven Senior and eight Junior. Our full time Head of Cricket is James Knott (Level II coach), who was a professional with Surrey County Cricket Club. Performance teams have two coaches available to them to ensure players get the individual coaching required for them to reach their full potential. Several of the coaching staff have also played first class cricket. To complement the staff coaching team several Level III & IV external coaches are used throughout the year to offer specialist coaching.

Once every three years the 1st XI embarks on a major tour abroad. Recent Tours have included Sri Lanka, Grenada, India, Cape Town and Dubai. Every other year the Junior A teams have a pre-season tour - the most recent to Cape Town during February half term 2017.

Hockey   Close

Hockey at Stowe has taken some big steps forward over the last few years and is looking to continue this trend in the coming years.

The Autumn term sees eleven girls’ teams and four yearlings’ teams take to the AstroTurfs each week in preparation for their League fixtures on Saturdays. All the girls’ teams are part of the very strong Midlands Independent Schools Hockey League (ISHL) and play Uppingham, Repton, Oakham, Rugby, Trent and Oundle. The yearlings are a part of the LUPOSS League, which includes tough fixtures against The Leys, Uppingham, The Perse, Oundle and Stamford. During the week our fixtures are closer to home, which keeps travelling time to a minimum, but we are able to maintain the quality of opposition as St Edward's, Bloxham and Abingdon are nearby.

The Senior boys also start their Hockey in the Autumn term with an indoor and outdoor session during the week and an occasional match against local rivals such as RGS High Wycombe and Bloxham.

The facilities at Stowe are some of the best school facilities in the country with two sand dressed, floodlit Astro Turfs, the most recent laid in Summer 2015.

Each Astro has a covered spectator seating area, fixed dugouts and a camera platform to video games for post-match analysis. There is also a warm up area which comes in useful when we host County and Regional tournaments. We have access to a third local AstroTurf that is available to us all year round.

Stowe has a good relationship with Buckingham Ladies Hockey Club (BLHC) who play in the National Premiership and use the school pitches. Our more talented girls are invited to attend training at BLHC to help them continue to develop in a different environment, with different coaches.

Indoor Hockey is starting to take off at Stowe with four teams (boys’ U16 & U18, girls’ U16 & U18) representing the School in the National Indoor Competition. This form of the game really highlights the core skills needed to excel in outdoor version, but is also fast, fun and great for aerobic fitness.

Every three years there is a major Hockey tour for the boys’ and girls’ 1st XI squads. Pre-Season tours also regularly take place, with teams visiting local European Hockey playing nations such as Holland, Belgium and Germany. Future tours will potentially include South Africa, Malaysia, India and Australia. Over the coming years we are looking to bring in junior tours for both the boys and girls.

Significant investment has been directed towards Hockey at Stowe over the last few years; the new AstroTurf in August 2015 with new dugouts, four new goals, re-developed warm up area and two new camera platforms. The School has also invested over £10,000 in video analysis equipment, which is a very powerful learning tool accessible to all Hockey teams.

External coaches are brought in to enhance to coaching talent already utilised by the students. A Goalkeeper coach has been hired to develop the specialised position and each performance team (1st XI, U16A, U15A, U14A) has the benefit of having 2 coaches to maximise the potential of the individuals within this squad.

With each passing term Stowe Hockey looks to find new ways to progress and develop the program as a whole, as well as the individual teams and players within it. Technology is becoming an increasingly important part of the international game and the benefits of this are starting to be seen in school Hockey and Stowe is certainly a school looking to utilise these technological advances.

Lacrosse   Close

<p>Lacrosse at Stowe has quickly evolved over recent years becoming a huge attraction for any lacrosse enthusiasts, whether they be seeking an international career in the game or simply enjoying participating at their own level. We provide for all and believe the coaching structure helps players of all ability to achieve their maximum potential. As a result our fixture list has developed into an extremely competitive program, playing some of the best girls schools and Universities alike. Often they are much larger schools than us and do require some travel, but the results are extremely encouraging. We field 3 senior teams and 5 junior teams at U15 and U14 level. Although Lent is our key term, all age groups have the ability to play throughout the Michaelmas term, developing skill sets and allowing for our strong performances at every age group at the National Schools competition played at Surrey Sports Park in February. Most of our talent is &lsquo;home grown&rsquo; and we produce highly talented lacrosse players at every level. All our teams have two members of staff coaching them during the week. We currently have a wealth of knowledge and talent in our coaching staff that includes former international players and coaches, all headed up by Mr Rob Ingham Clark, who is an England Indoor coach, and draws from a range of other international and regional programs such as Belgium Senior Women&#39;s 6s and South West England Senior Regional.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Performance Players</strong><br /> For our top teams all of our fixtures are highly competitive against some of the best girls schools and Universities in the country. Although there is no league for lacrosse, we make sure to put out a tough schedule for every age group and enter every age group in the National Schools lacrosse tournament. In 2015, the Senior 1st XII won their division in the tournament.</p> <p>As an extension to this, we now regularly have a number of girls <a href="https://www.stowe.co.uk/school/sports-fixtures/international-honours">representing their country</a> at International level. We also have a number of past Stoics competing on International senior squads, including Liv Thomas (Nugent 18) having been selected for the 2022 World Championships in Towson, Maryland.&nbsp;We help provide the girls with the opportunity to trial for club teams outside of school, help girls through the county and regional selections and then some on to World Cup selection</p> <p>Internally we also run the <a href="https://www.stowe.co.uk/school/sports-fixtures/performance-programme">Stowe Sport Performance Programme</a>.</p> <p><strong>Lacrosse as a Passion</strong><br /> Some of our best results come from our lower teams. From A to C we run full fixture lists and celebrate performance, commitment and importantly passion and enjoyment. Lacrosse is a game that brings out the best in the individual behaving as a team player. We coach to develop the mind, to overcome obstacles and to make decisions, as an extension of our entire academic and pastoral programme.</p>

Rugby Union   Close

Rugby at Stowe has evolved over recent years becoming a huge attraction for would be Rugby enthusiasts, whether they are seeking a professional career in the game or simply enjoying participating at their own level. We provide for all and believe the coaching structure helps players of all ability to achieve their maximum potential. As a result our fixture list has developed into a extremely competitive program which stretches our intake. Often they are much larger schools than us and do require some travel, but the results are extremely encouraging. We field 5 Senior teams and 3 or 4 Junior teams at each U16, U15 and U14 level. Our U14s play Rugby in the Lent term affording them the opportunity to work with our top age group coaches in the second term so the platform from which we wish them to build their development is solid and reflects our style of play when they reach the sixth form. All our teams have two members of staff coaching them during the week. We currently have three staff members who are themselves former 1st XV coaches at their previous schools, a former European Cup winning coach, the Oxford University Greyhounds coach all headed up by Alan Hughes the former England U18 Head Coach.

Performance Players

For our top teams all of our fixtures are Daily Mail Schools Trophy status and we currently enter the biggest national knock out trophy, the Nat West Cup at both U18 and U15 level. We are also the current holders of the Rosslyn Park National 7s Trophy.

As an extension to this, we now regularly have a number of boys representing their country at U16 and U18 level. Likewise we provide the opportunity for a number to go on to sign professional contracts and obtain favourable offers at their preferred choice of University. We are very fortunate to have strong relationships with both Northampton Saints and Wasps. Boys selected by these clubs attend their DPP and EPDG evening training sessions which gives them and excellent window into the outside world and a measure of the standard that needs to be achieved to be successful. Internally we also run a Stowe Sport Performance Programme across all sports at Stowe.

Rugby as a passion

Some of our best results come from our lower teams. This 2015/16 season we celebrated an unbeaten 3rd XV winning with a Barbarian style flair. From A to D we run full fixture lists and celebrate performance, commitment and importantly passion and enjoyment. Rugby is a game that brings out the best in the individual behaving as a team player. We coach to develop the mind, to overcome obstacles and to make decisions, as an extension of our entire academic and pastoral programme.

Sports Development Programme   Close

Performance Programme

Stowe School offers a first-class sports programme designed to provide our elite sports performers with exceptional coaching alongside a framework of academic support. The Stowe Sport Performance Programme (SSPP), offers students opportunities in the following areas, enabling them to achieve both their sporting and academic potential:

• Individual Mentoring
• Goal Setting
• Time Management
• Strength and Conditioning
• Video Analysis
• Fitness Testing
• Nutrition and Lifestyle Advice

Tennis   Close

Tennis at Stowe is in a very healthy state. Our players are learning a skill for life as well as life skills, which will last a lifetime. Through tennis they learn how to make decisions, how to control emotions, how to deal with success and failure, how to deal with pressurised situations, self-discipline and good sportsmanship.

During the off season there are two sessions a week for our performance tennis players, which takes place on the three hard courts by the school shop. In addition to this there are two tennis coaches available every Sunday for those who wish to take individual or group lessons. John Skinner (Level III coach) heads up the coaching team and Paul Robertson (Level II) assists.

During the summer term we have an additional twenty four courts at the Bourbon where you will find either training or matches taking place six days a week.

For the girls we run four senior teams, three U15 teams and four U14 teams. For the boys we have three senior teams, two U16, two U15 and two U14 teams.

Full inclusion is provided for the girls, whatever their ability. Those who are new to tennis or do not initially make the team squads have their own Stowe Tennis Club. This is where they have the opportunity to learn the game and improve on their existing skills with the goal of making it into the team squads.

All U14 tennis players have the opportunity to enter the Road to Wimbledon singles tournament. This starts off as a knock out event in school, and the winning boy and girl then go to the Bucks county finals. If they win at county finals they then get to play on the grass at Wimbledon in August.

At senior level we enter both boys and girls teams in the National Senior Schools competition. In recent years the girls have had great success reaching the national finals twice where the top eight schools who enter the competition play in Bolton.