Tonbridge selected for ‘best cricketing schools’ guide

Tonbridge has been named as one of the UK’s best schools for cricket by a national sports title.

The Cricketer has published a new Good Schools Guide in which the magazine names its top 100 secondary, and 50 leading prep and junior schools.

During what The Cricketer called “a long and exhaustive selection process”, it considered the merits of more than 350 academic institutions. Each entry was judged against extensive selection criteria including quality of facilities, commitment to cricket in the curriculum and breadth of fixture programmes.

The prestigious list includes schools across the country.

The Good Schools Guide states: “(Tonbridge) offers performance cricket at the top end, and mass participation at the bottom”. It adds that the 1st XI ground, The Head, “is renowned nationally”, and mentions that a school squad toured Sri Lanka earlier this year.

The guide also rates Sam Hadfield (FH2), selected for the Kent Academy at the age of just 14, as the school’s ‘Best Prospect’.

Chris Morgan, the school’s Director of Sport, said: “This award is a testimony to the hard work and commitment by a number of parties, and I would like to use this opportunity to thank parents, coaches and ground staff for their year-round support.

“Tonbridge provides a great environment for players of all abilities to enjoy the game and, hopefully, facilitate a lifelong passion. We are proud of our achievements, but as a school we take as much satisfaction in being able to field a 6th XI and under-14E, our main aim being to provide opportunities for all students, regardless of ability, to compete.”

The school has won the under-14 Kent Cup in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The under-15s won the ESCA (English Schools’ Cricket Association) National One Day Cup in 2018, and the 1st XI won the Cowdrey Cup.

Former pupil Zak Crawley (WH 11-16) is a member of the Kent first team and has recently been given a long-term contract extension after a good run of form.