Category: Summer 2026
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Why Do We Play? – Hampton Rugby First XV Season Review
By Will Olsen If you’re the All Blacks, dominant seasons are the norm. If you’re Italy, heartbreak is what you expect. But for most of us there’s a moderate middle ground, and that prompts an interesting question. Why do we play? Is it the lifelong bond with teammates, the drive to reach the top, or…
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Academy Rugby : What does it take?
By Will Olsen What does it take? A question pondered by hundreds of thousands of athletes every day. Is it the grit and determination of Muhammad Ali, the relentless willpower that drove Michael Phelps to 23 gold medals, or the fierce competitiveness that carried Rory McIlroy to a career grand slam and back-to-back Masters victories?…
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Mr Butler: Rowing Revolution
By Archer Jones Mr Joshua Butler is a former international rower, having competed at Henley Royal Regatta – the most prestigious annual rowing event in the world – 12 times, winning the Wyfold challenge cup in 2017. Having been in the junior rowing coaching business since 2015, Mr Butler took up position as Head Rowing Coach at Hampton in 2023 and, since then,…
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Hampton Hazards a Guess: FIFA World Cup 2026 Predictions
By Tom Scrimshaw As the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws closer, excitement continues to build ahead of what promises to be the sporting event of the summer. Due to commence on June 11, the 23rd edition of the world–renowned tournament is scheduled to be hosted by three nations: the United States, Canada…
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1st XI finish runners-up in ESFA 2026
By Arun Crowe As the Hampton 1st XI walked out onto the pitch at the Bet 365 Stadium, they were greeted by 800 travelling fans; parents, classmates and alumni who had all seen Hampton lift one trophy that day already, and now were calling for a second, and for history to be made in Stoke. …
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Cricket U17s National Cup Final 2025
By Adhrit Pande Hampton School’s U17 side were crowned National Champions after a hard-fought and thrilling victory over Rugby School in the 2025 U17 Cricket Paper National Cup Final. The final, although played in the Summer holidays, was the culmination of a campaign that had begun in the previous academic year, where Hampton progressed through…
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What’s gone wrong for Bazball?
By Aneesh Agrawal After England’s drubbing in the land down under, let’s take a look at what went wrong in this Ashes series and what has consistently been going wrong during McCullum’s tenure. His men came to Australia with hope and confidence that they would finally win the Ashes there for the first time in 15 years. But they couldn’t have been more wrong, losing 4-1 in a series they tried to make competitive. Recently,…
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ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2026 – The Review
By Aneesh Agrawal With the 2026 T20 World Cup (held in India and Sri Lanka) having come to a close this March, Aneesh Agrawal reflects on its key events, standout players and most exciting teams. I don’t know why, but it seems there was less spotlight on this World Cup until the Super 8s and the later matches of the group stage. I…
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U16s at Hale End : Arsenal Academy Invitational Tournament
By Tom Scrimshaw Whilst it would be an understatement to call the Hampton U16A team’s season anything short of brilliant, The Arsenal Academy Invitational Tournament provided the perfect opportunity for the team to begin to draw to a close their last season together before heading into the senior teams next season. On a mild but…
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Miss Turner: England, Harlequins and Hanworth Road
By Felix Payne and Jack Morris Earlier this year, we were very lucky to welcome Miss Turner as an amazing new rugby coach. She has had a stellar career in the sport, earning 59 caps for England and playing in 2 Rugby World Cups, before she ended her rugby journey with Harlequins before retiring in…
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Pressing Matters : Mr Hurst
By Harry Morris Recently I was lucky enough to interview Mr Hurst, a familiar face amongst Hampton boys, whether he teaches them PE or they see him on the fields every lunchtime and sports afternoon, coaching the sport that is his passion: football. He started coaching when he was at school, completing coaching badges, while…
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Last minute winner sends Hampton into another ESFA final
By Arun Crowe A clear blue sky, a pristine 3G, and a crowded sideline was the setting that preceded the ESFA semi-final clash between Hampton and Maidstone Grammar school. The tensions around the school were high on the Wednesday afternoon, with both teams casting an eye towards the Bet 365 Stadium, where the final would…
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2nd XI progress into ESFA quarter-finals with two huge victories
By Alex Watson Two great performances from the Hampton U18Bs see them march into the National Schools’ Cup quarter final, an away fixture against Torquay Boys’ Grammar School. Round 3 – Hampton School vs Latymer Upper School Having begun their ESFA title defence with a convincing 4-0 victory over Glyn School, the 2nd XI had…
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Social Media in Youth Sport: Motivation or Distraction?
By Mohammed Ali Scroll for five minutes on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat or even YouTube and you will see it – gym transformations, matchday vlogs, insane football skills, ‘day in the life of an athlete’ videos – this is the type of content which amasses millions of views each day, mainly from younger people. So we…
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MND In Sport : An Intervention
By Arthur Hanna Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a progressive, and fatal, neurological condition which affects motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord. These nerves control essential day-to-day muscle activity. Early symptoms include a weakened grip, more frequent falls, and muscle cramps. As the disease progresses, speech can become slurred, you can have difficulty…
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Marcus Solomon: Miles Ahead
By Alex Watson On the surface, running is a simple sport. It requires no sort of equipment, teammates, or specific playing field – just a pair of trainers and a space to move in. Often, it feels easiest at a young age, when we are arguably at our most fearless and energetic. But, for most…
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Football vs Politics: The match before the tournament
By Ollie Scrimshaw With the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than six months away, excitement across the footballing world is building to a level never seen before. The United States, co-hosting with Mexico and Canada, is preparing to welcome millions of travelling supporters for what promises to be the largest and most anticipated football event ever held. But behind the…
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U12Cs clinch classic victory over Dulwich
By Mahir Olcer On 17th of January 2026 the Hampton U12Cs played their first match of 2026, and it was one of the most difficult fixtures of the calendar. As the Hampton side prepared for the upcoming match, they missed Aditya Sharma, who was replaced by the D goalkeeper, as well as Henry Lawrie, who would usually be at the heart of the match putting in the effort. …
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Roy, Burns and more speak out: how have franchises affected cricket today?
By Aneesh Agrawal In recent years, cricket has drastically changed and evolved. With the season starting in a couple of months, it remains a question to me as to how we play cricket, and how the T20 and franchise circuit has affected how we all play cricket today and how teams have been affected. Cricket is a global sport, one of…
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Leverett hat-trick inspires Hampton U13A masterclass
By Arthur Hanna The Hampton rugby players woke up on the 17th of January knowing they were about to face Merchant Taylor’s school at home on the beautiful, mowed pitches outside Hampton School. These two sides had never met before this game so understandably, both team were unsure how the other would play. Hampton walked onto…
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Challengers: Hampton’s very own tennis prodigies
By Arun Crowe We often find life at Hampton tough, with the multitude of demands from various teachers and fellow pupils weighing down on our minds and robbing us of our free time. But it is important to remember the wealth of opportunities surrounding us, and that if we organise ourselves well enough, there aren’t…
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Braces galore in second-half rampage vs Glyn
By Miguel Badimon Hampton faced Glyn at home in a friendly game on Saturday 15th of November. The match started and straight away the hosts scored, but their celebrations were soon cut short, as the goal scorer had mistimed his run and was marginally offside. A sense of disappointment spread through the crowd like wildfire. Both teams…
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J16 Rowing: International Waters
By Alex Watson J16 athletes Patrick Moroney and Johnny Rofé spoke with Alex Watson about their incredible experience representing Great Britain over the summer. Rowing is, without a doubt, one of Hampton’s most popular sports. First introduced to pupils in Year 9, it typically sees large numbers of boys switching over to it from football…
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How the Red Roses have changed the game
By Felix Payne This year was one to remember for the England women’s rugby team. After 5 weeks of grit and determination, England came away with the biggest prize and honour in the sport: to be crowned world champions. This was a massive achievement for the players and all the staff behind the scenes, but…
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Hampton U15 Football Tour: Villarreal
By George Scholes Over October half term, the Hampton U15 A and B teams had a great experience being hosted by Villarreal CF in Spain, during which they played some good football, had some excellent training sessions, and overall learnt a lot to put into practice for the rest of the year. They started the…
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Autumn Term Social League Review: Underdogs Victorious
By Joshua Chapman It has been an intriguing first season for the Hampton Social League. An uneventful group stage saw PST (Paris Saint Taran) make it 5 wins from 5, a stark contrast to the misfortunes of This is Why We Ball, who failed to pick up a single win in the group stages. The…
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This Week’s Big Debate: Is Cricket a Mental or Physical Game?
By Jack Bason Cricket has been an established team sport for hundreds of years and can be called one of the most well-known sports in the world. It originated in 1611 in England and is now one of the most popular sports both there and in many other countries such as Pakistan, India, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. …
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From Classroom to Court
By Harry Morris Many Hampton pupils will know Miss Todd (or Mademoiselle Todd if you’re in the French classroom) as a French teacher and Head of Tennis at Hampton. However, what you probably didn’t know was that she was a very talented and successful youth tennis player, and had many amazing highlights, such as her…
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Ravalia stars as Hampton U14Ds Beat Eton 2-1
By Francisco Conte-Ireland After a relatively brief and enjoyable coach ride, the U14D team arrived at Eton College. Once the team had gathered together, they realised that they were slightly low on numbers, with only one substitute. Despite this major hurdle, Hampton were eager to get revenge after suffering a defeat to this side prior…
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The Lynagh Brothers
By Felix Payne I first came across the Lynagh brothers when I saw a picture of Louis in the corridor, alongside a poster saying that he played for Harlequins. I remember being so amazed that less than a year ago, he was at this school. I was very interested in him, and when I saw…
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Finch soars as Hampton start season with win
By Felix Payne On Wednesday, the U12 basketball team faced a strong Southborough team. Hampton started the match brilliantly with a 3 pointer from Sebastian Finch, and this gave Hampton momentum, who after the first period were ahead. Both teams were great near the hoop and many of the points were scored by rebounds. For…
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Hampton 2nd XI Begin ESFA Campaign With Big Win Against Glyn
By Alex Watson Yesterday, the Hampton 2nd XI travelled to Glyn School to begin their ESFA Cup defence. After getting a bye through the first round, everyone knew this wouldn’t be an easy first fixture, especially the Lower Sixth part of the team, who were all playing two years ago when Glyn had knocked the…
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11-0 win sees First XI advance in Surrey Cup
By Alex Watson Today, a dominant home performance from Hampton’s 1st XI against The Hollyfield School saw them march into round 2 of the Surrey Cup. Looking to defend last year’s title, Hampton started the game sharply, scoring after barely a minute as, from an early corner, the ball fell to the feet of Alex…
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ESAA Cross Country Cup: A First Person Perspective
By Kaarthikan Mayouran On Thursday, the U13s had our first cross country race of the year at Harrow School. It wasn’t too cold that day and I was raring to go. The course was 2.5km in total for Year 8’s – last year, a couple of my friends did the exact same race and from…
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U13Bs earn first win in thrilling derby
By Arthur Hanna On the morning of the 11th of October, Hampton’s U13 rugby players woke up knowing that they were about to take on local rivals, Halliford. The boys arrived at 8:45 am and went through some warmup drills, including passing, tackling, also plays that they planned to use in the game. The U13B team…
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Double hits hat-trick in big away win
By Sam Greaney Hampton U12As rugby squad travelled to Cobham ready to battle for a win against Halliford. The game started off very well for Hampton with Lawrence Schmidt clattering over the line to score Hampton’s first try of the game, but after this, Halliford had a very good chance to score, although Hampton defended…
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U16A Preseason Training Camp
By Tom Scrimshaw The U16A team began preparations for the 2025-26 season with a productive pre – season camp at Loughborough University during the penultimate week of the summer holidays. Joining sixth form senior footballers, the U16As enjoyed an action-packed schedule of football over four days, getting back into the swing of things before the…
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Hampton U12s Make Big Statement with Three Important Wins
By Lewie Green On the afternoon of Friday 10th October, three united Hampton teams disembarked from the coach with a mission to accomplish against local rivals Halliford, at the opposition’s home ground. U12As Match Report: Hampton, after winning the toss, chose to kick to Halliford to start the match, and this immediately proved effective as…
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Hampton 2nd XI Continue Strong Start to Season with Dramatic Win
By Alex Watson Looking for the first three points of their Elgin League campaign, Hampton’s 2nd XI travelled to Croydon last Wednesday for what promised to be a tough fixture against Royal Russell. Coming off the back of an impressive 3-2 win over Bradfield College, the boys were quietly confident for the match ahead, but…
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U12Bs Win High-Scoring Thriller to Progress in ESFA Cup
By Jack Morris Early on Saturday morning, the Hampton U12B team gathered as they faced their first real challenge of the year against Grey Court School in the ESFA Cup. With Mr Hawkins as their coach instead of Mr Worrall, Hampton quickly dominated the possession and attacking chances. Although passes weren’t quite flowing like usual,…
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Strong Start Continues For U12Bs With 13-1 Win
By Jack Morris Coming off the back of a great win against Kingston Gramar School on Friday, winning 9-0, confidence was running through every one of the Hampton U12B players going into their next fixture against Alleyn’s. The team started well with wingers and midfielders making great contributions to attacking plays, as Felix Koltai scored…
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Resilient Hampton defence undone by second-half thrashing
By Arthur Hanna For a few, the first match of the season. For most, a match to forget. It was Saturday 20th September. The day of open day and the U13 rugby teams were keen to show parents what their child might enjoy in a first taste of Hamptonsports. Hampton kicked off and they started well, making their tackles, hitting their rucks and running…
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U12Bs Begin Rugby Season With Convincing Win
By Felix Payne It was on Saturday 20 September that the Under 12 Rugby Bs had their first fixture against RGS. It was a bit of a tough start, as Hampton were running up the slope, and they had not yet mastered the wet and slippery conditions. There were too many fumbles, and Hampton found…
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Cricket Champions: U13s Win National Cup
by Ridhaan Gala It was early in the morning, during the summer break, when the Hampton team gathered, knowing that in just a few hours they would be playing the biggest game of their lives. After preparing everything, they made their way to Hampton, ready for the two-hour coach journey to Oakham School, where the…
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Akshat Pruthi: Run, Swim, Repeat
By Ranvi Paul If you ever find yourself at Thames Turbo Triathlon Club on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or even a Saturday, you’ll probably spot Akshat Pruthi powering through the water, pounding the pavement or even pushing pedals with his quiet intensity. At just 11 years old, Akshat isn’t just participating – he’s living and…
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U12Bs Kick Off Hampton Career With Huge Win
By Mahir Olcer In the sweltering heat, the Hampton U12B’s started their Hampton football career on Friday afternoon. They had a very ill-starred start to the match, as their goalkeeper Al Haston was out with an illness. But thanks to Miguel Badimon stepping up last second, nobody dropped their heads as they knew this wouldn’t…
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Hampton U14A’s begin season with end-to-end draw against Bede’s
By Theo Payne The U14A’s made a promising start to their 2025/26 campaign with a hard-fought draw against a strong Bede’s side. Playing their first ever competitive league game for the school, they played free flowing, attacking football whilst displaying brilliant fight and determination. The match looked like it would be tight from the off,…
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U12A’s first fixture finishes in hard-fought loss
By Thomas Fulford The U12A’s first Hampton rugby fixture at home to St Paul’s was an extremely exciting game, going right down to the wire. Hampton’s skill in attack was strong, but St Paul’s displayed a worthy defence, and ultimately emerged on top with a 3-2 win in a well-fought game. However, Hampton never gave…
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Hampton 2nd XI Begin Elgin League Campaign With Thrilling Draw
By Alex Watson It was an early start on Saturday for the Hampton 2nd XI. Arriving at school just past 8am, they made the long trip up to Brighton for their first competitive fixture of the 2025-26 campaign, an away match against Bedes School in the Elgin League. A squad consisting almost entirely of new…
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The Beautiful Game: Renamed
By Arun Crowe The story of how, through heavy investment and influence, football is being made increasingly appealing to our neighbours across the Atlantic, and what this means for the sport as a whole. Football. Footy. The beautiful game. The people’s game. This ubiquitous sport goes by many names across the globe, and using any…