Stoics can practise athletics every day in the Summer term on the fantastic David Donaldson track which was opened by Lord Sebastian Coe in 2009. We are fortunate to have several experienced staff to help coach the pupils in a range of events with specialisms in throwing, jumping, sprinting and middle-distance running.
Athletes will get the opportunity to represent the School at meetings held at various schools such as Uppingham, Bromsgrove, Oundle, Rugby and Marlborough throughout the term. We also enter the Track & Field Cup at Intermediate age groups for boys and girls.
The highlight of the year for many at Stowe is Sports Day which is always a great occasion, seeing several hundred athletes compete for their houses to win the prestigious trophy.
Stowe has produced athletes who have gone on to achieve International honours, Marylin Okoro (Stanhope 2003) represented GB in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and Zoe Pollock (Nugent 2017) recently won 400m hurdles in the European Under 23 championships.
Badminton is played in the Michaelmas Term and depending on numbers we can often field two boys' teams and one girls. Our coach Sara Sankey (ex-England International) joins us twice a week to put pupils through their paces. Sara not only helps the team members to progress, but also assists with identifying talent and bringing younger players through. The team plays on average 10 matches throughout the term and Stoics have the opportunity to practice four afternoons a week. Junior and Senior Inter-House tournaments are held during the term and are fiercely contested. In addition a tournament for the regular team players is held at the end of the term.
Opportunity for Participation
High Performance
Basketball is played in our well-equipped sports hall. As well as the main goals there are also six practice goals which enable small group practices and greater participation across the width of the hall. There is also a wall-mounted, electronic scoreboard. There are two outdoor basketball courts on the Shop Courts and a further outdoor basketball court at the Athletics Track.
Stoics are introduced to basketball during timetabled PE lessons and Stoics who wish to further develop their basketball skills have the opportunity to do so during afternoon and evening activities.
Basketball is mainly played in the Lent term when there are many inter-school matches against other public schools and the local maintained schools. We run boys’ teams at U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18 level and girls' teams at U14 and U16 level and we will have an U18 team from the 2016/17 season. We enter County and National competitions for both boys and girls. We also run numerous Inter-House competitions as well as an evening basketball club for the boys and girls.
First and foremost, basketball is played for enjoyment, however, the practices and matches serve to develop self-confidence, a sense of belonging, high skill levels, self-discipline, fair play and the ability to win and lose gracefully.
Master in Charge & Head Coach: Mr Isaac Michael
There is the opportunity to train in the Michaelmas and Lent term for Cross Country and each athlete will receive an individualised training programme to complement their other sporting commitments for the School. In the Michaelmas term competitions are based around the Chiltern League where athletes run for Marshall Milton Keynes AC, who is our local athletics club and the English School Cross Country Cup. In the Lent term we continue with the Chiltern Leagues but also compete in other events such as the Wellington Relays, County Championships and the English Schools. Last year we had three athletes qualifying for the English Schools.
We also hold our whole school Inter-House cross country race in the Michaelmas term, where all 13 Houses compete against each other and it is a great day with many friends and family attending in support.
Football is offered to the pupils all year round at Stowe with a comprehensive senior fixture list in the Lent term. We have a strong fixture list which sees us taking on teams from the Midlands such as Oundle, Uppingham, Bromsgrove and Rugby. We also play local teams that includes Abingdon, St Edward's, Bedford Modern and Akeley Wood. The season culminates in the annual Stowe vs Old Stoics fixture.
We field three Senior teams with strong junior players allowed to trial for these teams. The majority of games are played on a Saturday afternoon, although there are some midweek fixtures. The 1st & 2nd XI teams train twice a week with well qualified coaches, focusing on skill development and tactical awareness.
Masters in Charge: Mr Matthew Burch and Mr Dominic Green
Our performance in fencing has increased dramatically in recent years with the support of GB and Indian Paralympic coach Baldip Sahota.
The disciplines we offer at the moment are foil and epee, in which we field a squad who are able to fence to a high standard in competition. Two of our Senior fencers have represented England and Wales respectively at Under 17 level. Along with various open competitions, we regularly enter the English Public Schools Team Championships in London. Last academic year the squad returned with a Bronze medal at Under 18 and a Bronze and Silver medal at Under 16.
Master in Charge: Aidan Harvey-Craig
We are very fortunate at Stowe to be able to offer Polo to all abilities throughout the three terms of the School year. We currently have over 25 players of mixed ability, from beginners to Young England players. During the Arena season we have matches against Rugby School, Harrow, Eton, Wellington and Marlborough College and many other schools, this enables all our players to get some much needed match practice before the Schools National Championships held at Rugby Polo Club in March. We are currently the SUPA National arena Champions.
We have two Captains of polo - India Bailie (Queens) is our Captain of Winter polo and Lucas Stern (Chandos) is our Captain of summer polo. Both bring huge amounts of experience and work tirelessly with all levels of players during weekly polo lessons. We practice at Heathfield Polo Club during the Arena season and Kirtlington Polo Club during the summer. In the summer term we compete in various matches including the SUPA Nationals, the Copenhagen Cup (organised by Wellington College) held at Guards polo club in Windsor. We also take part in our annual match against the Army officers at Sandhurst which is a huge privilege in front of the historical Sandhurst Army Academy. Polo is a very popular activity at Stowe being unique that it is a mixed sport and all ages play together, it offers great camaraderie and inclusivity with fantastic HPA coaching.
Master in Charge: Mrs Fiona Corthine
Stowe primarily participates in sculling events, which involves rowing with two oars as distinct from one, which is described as 'Sweep Oar' rowing. We offer sculling to all pupils including beginners and is available four days a week. To be successful at rowing it is expected that pupils practice four days a week with a mixture of fitness training as well as work on the water.
The School has a boathouse based on the 11 acre lake, once pupils have demonstrated the basic skills and express a serious interest in competing there is the possibility to go to Northampton each Wednesday and Saturday to practice on the River Nene using the facilities of Northampton Boat Club. As well as practice on the water there is also technical training on the rowing machines (Concept Ergometers). The pupils who are in the team will be expected to attend fitness training twice a week (one erg session and one fitness circuit) plus two sessions on the water.
We have a variety of boats at our disposal and have recently purchased two coxless quads. In our boathouse we have a selection of single sculls, double sculls, quads and an Octuple. We have a safety boat on the lake to support pupils while they are practicing.
While we are still a very small club, we have had some amazing success stories over the past few years. James Rudkin (Walpole 12), who was Captain of Boats at Stowe, went onto study Geography and recently graduated from Newcastle University where he was Captain of the University Boat Club and is now residing at Leander Club in Henley and is part of the GB squad. Hugh Gallie (Bruce 08) was one the fastest university scullers in the UK having won many prestigious events around the UK. Dani Fusco-House (Lyttelton 16) was awarded a full sports scholarship to Tulsa University in the USA in 2016 and is now a member of their women’s’ rowing squad.
In the last couple of years we have managed to take some of our better scullers to Boston, USA in the autumn to participate in the Head of the Charles River. We have entered the women’s’ junior singles event, men’s’ junior double sculls event and in 2017 we entered a coxed quad into the junior men's event. We also participate in a range of other Regattas here in the UK to include, National Schools’ Regatta, Head of the River, Cambridge Small Boats and Birmingham Regatta to name a few.
Sailing is available to boys and girls of all ages at Stowe. It takes place primarily at Great Moor Sailing Club at Calvert, in our fleet of brand new Firefly racing dinghies. During the Summer term we have a School team, which has included both boys and girls, competing against other schools. We also teach Stoics to sail, sometimes using the Toppers on the Eleven Acre Lake at Stowe.
Master in Charge: Mr Duncan Syme
Squash is a fast growing sport at Stowe, both in terms of results and participation.
A comprehensive fixture list is played across both the Michaelmas and Lent Terms and includes the likes of Eton, Wellington College, Oundle, Rugby, Oakham, Uppingham and Abingdon plus several others.
Our three glass-backed courts have been recently refurbished and new lighting installed.
Tricia Malliff, a Level III coach, heads up the coaching team which is complemented by Stowe Staff.
Dan Busby is a former pro squash player with a highest world ranking of 240. He is a Level 2 qualified coach, former world number 1 Racketlon player, 2 x world champion in Racketlon and Great Britain Captain Racketlon.
There are four leagues and a hotly contested Inter-House competition, and we can field three Senior sides and four Junior teams.
Stowe is highly competitive on the inter-school circuit and the team has achieved strong results during recent seasons.
Swimming at Stowe is a thriving sport. We are blessed with a six lane, 25 metre competition pool and full timing system. Stowe pupils can have the opportunity to swim for fun or compete in inter-school galas to County, Regional or National Swim England Championships. Many Stoics have represented their country at age group Level and some have progressed to Common Wealth and Olympic participation.
In addition to a very healthy fixture list, the School competes in the English Schools National Swimming Championships and the swimming pinnacle for all HMC Schools - The Bath Cup held at the Queen Elizabeth Park Olympic Pool. Stowe also hosts its own increasingly popular Stowe Relay Championships and the Prep Schools Team Championships. Inter-House rivalry culminates in the House swimming competition held in February, where both House and individual performances are rewarded.
Swimming takes place on a daily basis - dedicated swimmers can take advantage of both early morning, afternoon and evening training sessions with our affiliated Swimming Club Maxwell based here at Stowe and in the local town of Buckingham. With afternoon sessions for recreational swimmers wanting to keep fit, improve their stroke or try something new.
Head of Swimming: Cheryl Davis
In water polo we field U14, U16 and Senior boys teams in inter-school matches over the year. Water polo fixtures are mainly played in the Lent term, but we also enter the English Schools' Water Polo Championships every year. Water Polo is also played at House level and there are various cup events we run during the School year.
Head of Water Polo: Cheryl Davis