badminton
Badminton is a popular sport for boys and girls in the Upper School. It is also available as a Lower School activity and is open to all on Saturdays. Our sports hall has five courts and keen players of all abilities greatly enjoy their games time. Inter-house competitions and fixtures against other schools take place periodically.
BASKETBALL
Basketball is a popular and growing sport at Eastbourne College. It is offered across all three terms with each year group having at least two sessions per week. Senior pupils fulfil an extensive fixture programme in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. We play in a Sussex independent schools league and arrange friendlies with higher-standard opposition in the state sector. Each year we enter the Basketball England Dynamik National Schools Competition. In MT22, we made it beyond the regional round of this competition. We have links with Eastbourne Neptunes Basketball Club and the coaching set-up at the University of Sussex.
The programme is developing with the introduction of individual tuition with our professional coaches, Ian Berry and Martin Catterick. In LT22, we launched basketball at our feeder prep school, St Andrew’s. The numbers playing the sport here are strong giving it a firm foundation within the charity. We have also partnered with the Coastal Schools Partnership to run regular Saturday sessions for pupils from local state schools.
Coaching:
Ian Berry (Head coach): Level 2 qualified coach with professional playing experience. Previous coaching includes school, local league, university & national league (senior & junior).
Martin Catterick (Assistant coach): Level 2 qualified coach with experience across a variety of levels from school basketball to elite coaching at South East England and university level. Martin also supports in the development of basketball at St Andrew’s Prep.
Pete James (Assistant coach): Level 1 qualified coach with experience across various ages of school basketball. Pete runs our Saturday programme and the Coastal Schools Partnership pupil premium initiative. He also supports in the development of basketball at St Andrew’s Prep. He will shortly be embarking on a Level 2 coaching qualification.
Cross Country
Cross country makes use of the wonderful surrounding countryside to introduce new runners to the sport as well as catering for serious athletes who seek to compete at county or national level.
In the Michaelmas term, the whole school takes part in the annual steeplechase event which allows all boys and girls to compete for their house. Two local clubs (Bodyworks XTC and Eastbourne Rovers) are close to the College and pupils are encouraged to join so that they can access coaching and support for some highly specialised events. Particular successes have included individual as well as team wins at the Sussex cross county championships and the English Schools national finals.
Recent Successes
George Pool won the U17 county championship and ran the fastest leg in the U17 South of England road relays (2019)
Edward Armitage qualified and competed at English schools national finals (2017)
Eighth at English schools national finals (U15) (2017)
Inter boys won a bronze medal at the Sussex championships (2017)
EQUESTRIAN
Having joined the National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) in April 2013, the equestrian team has gone from strength to strength and now competes at the very highest level, achieving remarkable and unparalleled success. We are now one of the most successful school teams in the country.
Whether pupils are looking to take their first foray into riding in the beginners’ riding group or develop their specialist skills and train for the British team, we have the expertise available.
The equestrian team trains locally at Starnash Farm under the guidance of their coach, ex- international showjumper and British Show Jumping Coach of the Year runner-up Judi Piper-Dadswell. The riders receive expert tuition, training and clinics to prepare themselves and their horses for regular competitions including qualifiers, the national finals, the Royal Windsor Horse Show and the world-renowned Hickstead. Judi works closely with the British Show Jumping Association as the Sussex junior co-ordinator and lead coach, and the partnership between the College and Judi provides the highest standard of coaching for riders, whether beginner or advanced.
Membership of the equestrian team enables pupils to attend inter-school competitions in cross-country, dressage and show jumping disciplines, with the added advantage that the riding is built into the College sports programme to allow riders to play for teams in the core College sports too.
Recent successES
- The team qualified for the 2019 Royal Windsor Horse Show and finished ninth against a strong national field.
- At the 2019 National Championships, the team achieved sixth place in the 80cm jumping with style competition. Calum finished first in the 90cm showjumping at the Hurst Schools Show.
- 2017 Royal Windsor Horse Show 2017 Champions. The first school ever to have two teams compete at this prestigious final.
- National Champions (Addington)
- 2017 NSEA Team National Champions at 90cm Jumping with Style and runners up at 90cm Show Jumping
Fencing
The College fencing club has a core of keen, regular fencers with a good mix of boys and girls. Beginners from all age groups join regularly. All groups fence foil.
Matches are arranged throughout the academic year against other schools. Some fencers have competed at the annual public schools championships.
Football
Football is a popular sport at the College. The main fixture card is in the Lent term for the five senior teams. There is a recreational side which plays in the Michaelmas term, and a junior activity which runs throughout the year. Those wishing to pursue football join more local clubs.
Recent Successes
Michael Ginno England Schools XI
Golf
Golf is available for all, from complete beginners to those with a low handicap. There is a good relationship with the Royal Eastbourne Golf Club where players can benefit from playing on Eastbourne’s premier course. Membership to the club can be arranged for pupils at a reduced termly or annual rate, and instruction is available from the team of professional coaches at the club.
The main fixtures take place in the summer team with some knockout competitions running throughout the year. Players can enjoy playing in or outside the games programme as well as on Sundays. We are fortunate to have a strong tradition in golf and are invited annually to play in the very competitive West Sussex GC foursomes and the Smarden Bell at Royal Ashdown GC.
After leaving the College, golfers can become part of the Old Eastbournian Golf Club and play on some of the finest courses in the UK including the prestigious Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club and the Royal St George’s Golf Club where they play in the Halford Hewitt. The club is fortunate to boast of a number of scratch and low-handicap players including ex-professionals.
Recent Successes
Toby, Will and George won the area round for the ISGA Competition and finished 11th in the national finals (2019)
ISGA Regional Finalists (singles) (2018)
ISGA National Plate Finals finishing sixth (2017)
Toby Lock Kent U16
William Oates Sussex U14
Mountain biking
Eastbourne College is extremely fortunate to be situated on the edge of one of the UK’s largest and most spectacularly varied National Parks, which is also home to some of the most accessible mountain biking opportunities.
With hundreds of miles of trails and bridleways at its doorstep, the school is resourced with its own small fleet of mountain bikes to use to explore the open tops of the South downs with its famous cliff top views, or to head into local Friston forest to use the plethora of trails and tracks enjoyed by so many.
Mountain biking is led by a qualified mountain bike leader and instructor enabling pupils of ranging ability to access the various trails as well as train some 6th form pupils to level 1 cycle trail leaders as part of the Leadership, Awards and Personal Development programme.
Rowing
Eastbourne College boat club is situated on the Pevensey levels on a stretch of water wide enough to race two fours, side by side, for one kilometre. We also row in pairs and sculls, and, in the summer term, race at regattas on the Thames (including Barnes, Chiswick, Hammersmith, Mortlake, Thames Ditton, Walton and Weybridge regattas).
Rowing is a three-term sport. It is offered primarily to pupils in Year 11 and the sixth form.
Recent Successes
Simon Barr World champion lightweight VIII gold medallist (Germany) (2014)
Rugby Fives
Rugby fives is played by both boys and girls. Pupils take part in schools competitions. Inter-house leagues and tournaments for boys and girls take place too.
There is a thriving OE network of fives players. Tessa Mills is currently ranked number two in the national ladies rankings, Marcus Bate is ranked in the country’s top 50, and has won several national doubles titles. Andy Pringle is a governor of the Rugby Fives Association.
Recent Successes
Eastbourne College girls have won several trophies at the annual national girls competition, most notably Tessa Mills who won the open singles title for four consecutive years.
Sailing and Windsurfing
Located only a few hundred metres from the sea, the College is ideally situated for pupils who love the water. Sailing and windsurfing is a popular activity during the summer term when pupils are taught single-handed sailing, and some have the opportunity to windsurf. Sailing is also on offer during the Michaelmas term. Fixtures take place against local schools on some Saturday afternoons in the summer. Home events take advantage of the excellent facilities at Buzz Active Watersports on the seafront.
Recent Successes
Sam Williams competed in the five-day RS:X European Windsurfing Championships
Squash
Squash is a popular sport at the College and is open to all age groups and abilities. Pupils in Years 9 and 10 participate in afternoon activity sessions, designed to introduce the game to the many who have not had the chance to play before. From Year 11 upwards, pupils can choose squash as their main sport, either on a recreational basis or as part of the squad that represents the school in competitive fixtures.
The new sports centre features two, modern, glass-backed squash courts with tiered viewing areas.
Fixtures take place in the Michaelmas and Lent terms, increasingly on a mixed gender basis, providing a rare opportunity for boys and girls to represent the school in the same team.
SWIMMING
The College swimmers and squad are fortunate to benefit state-of-the-art six-lane pool. The pool boasts touch-pad timing and a big screen for competitions and training, as well as seating for 100 spectators.
Swimming is available to all year groups throughout the school year. It is enjoyed as an activity in Years 9 and 10, or as a games option for pupils in Year 11 or the sixth form. The swim squad train in the mornings and evenings during the week. Swimming is led by Jessica Simmonds who is not only Head of Academic PE, but is herself an Ex GB swimmer, not to mentioned her highly accredited and decorated accomplishments in many others sporting areas. The swimmers are coached by Claire Bryant, a highly respected National swimmer and waterpolo player with a Level 2 coaching qualification.
The swim team are hugely successful in not only engendering a love of swimming in pupils, a true life-skill, but also in the success that they achieve at a very high level. For elite swimmers, a tailor-made programme is developed with links to training and competitions through the long-established and very successful Eastbourne Swim Club. 3 Current pupils are also enrolled in the GB talent development programme
Swimming galas take place throughout the year, alongside regular inter-school fixtures. October sees the national qualification rounds for the English Secondary Schools Association (ESSA) relay competition. The Weald and Downland Trophy (a seven-way inter-school event hosted at Tonbridge) takes place in February. March sees the annual Bath Cup relays at the London Olympic Aquatics Centre involving over 80 schools. The Sussex Cup, a four-school event, is run in April.
RECENT SUCCESSES
Eastbourne College Boys’ Swimming Team
2022 Bath Cup podium 3rd Place. Weald and Downland Trophy winners Intermediate boys
2019 Bath Cup finalists
2018 Gold medal for senior boys, Weald and Downland Trophy
2017 Gold medal for senior boys, Weald and Downland Trophy. Senior boys relay team qualified for the national finals, improving their final standing by five places to 25th. Bath Cup finalists (sixth in freestyle, eighth in medley)
Eastbourne College Girls’ Swimming Relay Team
2019 The girls team finished 12th overall at the Bath Cup finals
2017 Bath Cup finalists
