Sport Round Up – Spring 2

It has been another outstanding term of sport at Leighton Park, with over 300 fixtures and competitions completed since the start of the academic year. A wide range of sports, including rugby, football, hockey, netball, and swimming, have featured prominently, showcasing the depth of talent and enthusiasm across the school.

Alongside fixtures, the school has hosted and delivered a variety of events and initiatives. House competitions in football, swimming, netball, and rugby have kept the competitive spirit high, while sports leaders have supported swimming lessons for local primary school students. There have also been enrichment opportunities such as a Primary Schools Sports Nutrition visit, a hockey tournament for Whitley primary schools and a Year 5/6 boys’ netball festival hosted on site. We have also hosted multiple ISA Netball Tournaments on our 10 courts.

Further highlights include the football tour to Villarreal, Ski Trip to Austria, GCSE PE and CTECH Sport moderations, the ever-popular Friday Night Lights football match against Ranelagh and a staff vs students hockey match. The wider community has also been active, with staff, students, and parents taking part in the Reading Half Marathon.

House Sport – Richard Coleman Shield

Competition across the houses has been fierce this year:

• Swimming Gala Winners: Tubman
• Football Winners: Cadbury
• Rugby Winners: Cadbury & Tubman
• Basketball Winners: Cadbury, Tubman & Fox
• Netball Winners: Cadbury & Tubman

With Tubman currently leading, everything is still to play for in the final term. Upcoming events, including house tennis, pickleball, table tennis, girls’ football, and Sports Day, will decide the overall champions.

Hockey 

This term has been exceptional for hockey, with Leighton Park crowned Berkshire Champions in two categories:

• U16 Boys – Berkshire Champions and 3rd place in the regional competition
• U15 Girls – Berkshire Champions

Rugby

Fryer Rugby

A hugely successful season for both U12 and U13 teams:

• U12 Highlights:
  • St Joseph’s: 30–20 win
  • Reddam House: 70–5 win
  • Holyport College: 35–20 win
• U13 Record (Unbeaten):
  • Multiple dominant victories including 115–10, 70–0, and 105–5
  • Overall points difference of +325
  • Oscar (Year 8) finishing as top try scorer

Many players have also taken the step into club rugby, further developing their skills beyond school.

Basketball

The boys’ basketball team enjoyed a perfect season, winning every league match. Standout performances from James and Illy, who also compete at national league level, were key to this success.

Cross Country

A fantastic season saw:

• U16 Boys – ISA London West Champions
• U12 Girls – ISA London West Champions

Several students progressed to national competition, with Isla (Year 10) representing both Leighton Park and Berkshire at the National Schools Cross Country Championships in Liverpool.

Football

Senior Boys

• Friday Night Lights raised nearly £1000
• 2nd Team highlights: 7–0 win vs Halliford, 3–2 vs Reddam
• 3rd Team highlights: Win vs Claires Court and draws with Reddam and Halliford

Junior Boys

• U15B team were the standout performers, undefeated and league champions with 6 wins from 7 matches

Netball

Senior Netball

• 1st Team: 4th in Super 8 League, 2nd in playoff tournament
• 2nd Team: 3rd in league (5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss)
• 3rd Team: Unbeaten in league, 2nd overall, 3rd in playoffs
• 4th Team: Strong development season, finishing 3rd

Junior Netball

• U15B and U14A teams both recorded successful, winning seasons

Fryer Netball

Participation continues to grow, with all girls playing weekly. An encouraging sign for the future of the sport.

With such strong performances across all disciplines, Leighton Park sport continues to thrive at every level.