Since returning from Exeat (half-term), our sporting programme has continued to build impressive momentum. The girls’ football First XI remain unbeaten, our Fives players have challenged the reigning national champions in a gripping set of fixtures, and the U14 netball team have secured an excellent progression in their tournament.
Hockey
The Charterhouse Hockey programme continues to impress with a highly competitive series of fixtures against Brighton College, where the 1st XI narrowly lost 2–1, once again demonstrating the strength of hockey at Charterhouse. The 2nd XI delivered another strong performance with a 4–1 victory. The 14A side had a close 1–0 loss, showing clear moments of high-quality hockey and reflecting the progress they have made this season.
The 1st XI then prepared for a major clash against Gordon’s in round three of the National Cup. The match remained finely balanced for a long period, with an exceptional standard of hockey throughout, though Charterhouse were narrowly defeated 2–1.
The following week included a large programme of fixtures against City of London Freemen’s, Lord Wandsworth, and Epsom College. All Charterhouse teams competing that weekend went undefeated, highlighting how the commitment and hard work of the pupils are yielding results.
The 14A squad also contested round three of the National Tier 1 Plate, where every pupil involved was a tremendous credit to the School and embodied its values throughout. They were unfortunate to lose 1–0 in a high-quality match.
We now look ahead to our final major block fixture of the Quarter (term) against Cranleigh on 29 November.
Football
This half of Quarter (term) has been a busy and very successful period across the football programme. We have had full fixture blocks against Bede’s and Hampton, with several standout performances from many teams. The Boys U16C continue their winning streak, and our senior girls’ 1st XI also remain unbeaten this season.
Girls' 1st XI
Earlier this week, the senior girls faced Ardingly in the ISFA National U18s Cup and secured a convincing 3–1 victory, earning a place in round 3 where they will meet Surbiton High School. Only 16 teams now remain in the competition.
Boys' 1st XI
The senior boys’ 1st XI have also shown excellent progress since Exeat (half-term), drawing 3–3 with Bede’s and defeating Buckswood School to progress to the last 16 of the Boodles ISFA National Cup. Their next opponents will be Whitgift, a strong and familiar local rival.
As we approach the end of term, we look forward to a block of fixtures against Bradfield next Saturday. Good luck to all our teams in their remaining fixtures this term.
House Football Final
Prepare for the historic Boys House Football Finals in the final week before the Christmas break. The coveted senior boys’ trophy will be contested between last year’s finalists, Lockites, and their new opponents, Gownboys. We wish these teams the very best of luck.
Netball
The girls have continued to work hard in preseason in preparation for Long Quarter (spring term). Both the Underschool and the seniors have remained committed to improving their fitness, agility, footwork patterns, and consistency on the ball. Training has been productive, and clear progress has been made.
1st VII
Since Exeat (half term), the 1st team travelled to Hurstpierpoint for their Independent Schools match, where they were outclassed by an outstanding side that made very few errors and displayed remarkable consistency in the circle. The team gave everything, although the result did not fall in our favour. There were periods of excellent netball that reflected the work done in training, although the cohesion and experience of the opposition ultimately proved too strong.
U14 A Team
The U14 team secured an impressive win over a strong Streatham & Clapham side in the Sisters in Sport Shield, progressing to the last 16, which is an exceptional achievement. They maintained composure and delivered the strategies practised in preparation for the match. Outstanding defensive work from Ashleigh and Emelia allowed the team to control the game, while effective movement from Lucy, Eloise, and Poppy in the circle led to well-executed goals. The squad now looks forward to the next match after Christmas.
U15 A Team
The U15 team travelled to St Swithun’s for their cup fixture, where the opposition performed at a higher level on the day. They played with significant pace and delivered an excellent game plan, while our relative lack of match experience together presented challenges. There were encouraging moments, although also valuable learning points to take from the match.
The girls have applied themselves admirably over recent weeks and should be very proud of the progress they have achieved.
Fives
vs St Olave's
This week we took seven pairs to St Olave’s (the current national champions), using their six courts: four U14 beginner pairs for a subsidiary friendly meet-up, and our three top pairs for a full competitive match.
Excitingly, we fielded an all-girl partnership of Coco and Lizzie at pair 4 in the U14s, with Veer, Amit, Alex, and Oscar forming pairs 2 and 3, while Wilf and Charles led the junior section at pair 1. Facing boys with three years of Fives experience – while our pupils have only eight weeks – was always going to serve primarily as a learning experience. It proved a challenging afternoon for the lower pairs. There were encouraging moments of good Fives, with rallies starting to take shape, although only Wilf and Charles were able to accumulate significant points, perhaps even unfortunate not to win, losing 9–12 to a well-established Olavian pair.
In the Seniors’ match, our top two pairs had been rotated, placing Jules and Matteo at 1st pair against the Olavian all-star pairing of Henry and Oscar, the no. 2 seeds in the country. Jan and Bertie took the 2nd-pair slot, while Jack and Sacha faced the Olavian U16 1st pair on the third court.
One half of the St Olave’s top pairing, Henry, is fresh from winning the Midlands Tournament for adults during Exeat (half-term), playing alongside Seb Cooley, the second-best player of all time. On paper, our Charterhouse pair were not expected to threaten them. At 8–0 down inside ten minutes, it looked like a procession for the home side, although Jules and Matteo recovered well to be edged out 12–5 in the first set.
On the adjoining court, Jan and Bertie enjoyed the familiar comfort of the 2nd-pair position, cruising to a 4–12first-set victory. Meanwhile, Jack and Sacha reached 7–7 midway through their opening set, although they were unable to convert and lost 12–10.
Back on court 1, Henry and Oscar tightened their grip on the match, taking the second set 12–2 despite some excellent rallies from our pair. The Olavians had a shade more awareness and precision at key moments. The third set began with the home team racing to a 6–0 lead before an impressive resurgence from Matteo and Jules closed the gap to 6–5 through outstanding retrievals and athletic movement. The pressure clearly unsettled the Olavians. Charterhouse eventually slipped to 12–5, 12–2, 12–9 – the first defeat of the year for our top pair – although the overall fixture remained finely poised.
On court 2, Jan and Bertie settled into their rhythm and, despite minor wobbles, converted an 6–8 lead into a 8–12 win, levelling the fixture overall.
“Boys, we’re losing at pair 1 and winning at pair 2 – we need you to come back.” “No pressure, then, sir!” replied Jack. Another cat-and-mouse start to the second set saw the pairs trade points before our boys edged ahead at 6–7, eventually accelerating to a 7–12 win to level their match. A decisive third set followed, ending with a near-identical 7–12 victory and securing a 1–2 overall win for Charterhouse.
In a gesture reminiscent of Jules and Matteo’s successful challenge against Eton’s 1st pair earlier this term, Jan and Bertie requested a single-set contest against Henry and Oscar. Going 3-0 down was not a promising start, but soon it was 3-1 and there was a flicker of hope, though the Olavians extended their lead to 8–4. A series of superb rallies – featuring “pinball Bertie” at the front wall and “safe-hands Jan” at the back – pulled the score back to 9–6, then 10–9. A brief lapse in precision ultimately allowed St Olave’s to close out a 12–9 win. For both Charterhouse pairs to push the country’s no. 2 seeds to 12–9 on their home courts was a fitting finale to a memorable afternoon, especially following the delight of the overall match victory.
Senior House Fives
On a rain-soaked afternoon in November, some 32 players and a vocal group of supporters gathered for our Senior House Fives competition. Verites were the defending champions, and for the first time since 2019 the original, 142-year-old solid silver trophy was able to be awarded. This is believed to be the oldest Fives trophy in existence anywhere in the world, and had lain hidden in Bodeites since before the pandemic.
It is a testament to the improvement and growth this sport has seen in recent years that the 16 pairs taking part were so evenly matched, leading to tightly contested games in every pool and a very close battle for the knockout stages. After an hour of play, Lockites came through in Pool 1, Verites in Pool 2 and Daviesites in Pool 3, with Bodeites joining them in the Semi Finals as strongest runners-up. Saunderites and Gownboys, our other two runners-up, then fought arguably the closest match of the entire tournament for the Plate, with Saunderites winning 12–9.
In the Semi Finals, Bodeites put up a good show against Lockites but were unable to close the gap, eventually going down 8–4. Daviesites ran things much closer against Verites and could have taken the win against the defending champions, only going down 8–7 in the end. This set up a superb final between Lockites and Verites, with the boys showing their best Fives of the day and playing on long after it was time for dinner. Eventually Verites retained their title, 12–6, and Lockites must wait another year to get their name on the trophy.
Basketball
Charterhouse Basketball has had a busy period, with senior fixtures against Hurtwood House, Eton College, and another match against the Old Carthusians.
Strong leadership from Captains Raymond and Nolan contributed to impressive wins over Hurtwood House (75–40) and Eton College (62–58).
Unfortunately, the Old Carthusians proved too strong, finishing 52–78.
The senior team comprises boys and girls from the Second Year Specialists (Year 13), First Year Specialists (Year 12), and Fifths (Year 11). They represent seven different nationalities, with three pupils new to Charterhouse this Quarter (term).
Sport Fixtures & Results
All the latest sports fixtures and results are available on our Charterhouse Sports website
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