Tennis
Tennis at Norwich School is played on our five Lower Close astro courts, as well as routine access to the dedicated facilities at the award-winning UEA Sportspark. Tennis is available as an option for Year 9 pupils in the Trinity Term, with taster tennis experienced as part of PE rotation in Years 7 and 8.
In the 2023/24 season we played 10 fixtures against schools including Culford School, Hethersett Academy, Hills Road Sixth Form, Wymondham College and Gresham’s School.
Sports News
Despite the frost and the wet weather, there has been an incredibly successful start to Cross Country in 2026. The Norfolk County Cross Country Championships were held at Earlham Park, Sunday 4 January. The event includes races for different age groups, with U11s running 2.1km, U13 running 3.1km, U15 running 4.5km and U17s running 6km. This event was a great opportunity for athletes of all ages to compete and showcase their skills in cross country running. All pupils did exceptionally well all whilst braving the frosty weather! The following pupils took part; U11 Girls - Agatha, U3 - 1st place U11 Boys - Seb, U3 - 2nd place U13 Girls - Emi Muntingh, U4 - 1st place and now invited to take part in the London Mini Marathon in April! U15 Girls - Ruby Ivie, M5 - 6th place U17 Girls - Beatrice Green, L6 - 6th place U17 Girls - Olivia Allen, L6 - 9th place On Tuesday 20 January, ten of our runners took part in the Norfolk Schools’ Cross Country Championships at Wymondham College against the strongest runners in the county who had all qualified to compete. The course consisted of flat and fast laps around the playing fields and through the woods with plenty of mud making for challenging conditions. The target for each runner was to finish in the top 12 to qualify to represent Norfolk and six of our athletes achieved this. In the Minor Boys race, Joshua Bevan finished in 17th place, while in the Junior Girls Nona Griffiths came 24th. Our solo Intermediate Boy, Noah Buchan, was up against some very strong competition and did well to finish in the middle of the field in 45th position. Our best placed finisher on the day was Emi Muntingh who came 4th in her Junior Girls race. Ruby Ivie also qualified for a county vest by coming 5th in the Inter Girls. In the Senior Girls race we had 4 athletes all vying for a top 12 place. The girls paced it perfectly and all qualified, with Minnie Andrews coming 6th, Bea Green 8th, Izzy Last 10th and Olivia Allen 12th.
This half term saw the 1st VII Sevens squad compete in two competitive 7s festivals, gaining valuable experience against strong opposition. On 3 February, the 1sts took part in the Saints 7s Festival at Oundle School. After winning their group with convincing performances against Ousedale School and Wollaston School, the team progressed to the Cup qualifier, where they faced a very strong Rugby School side and suffered a narrow defeat. The final game of the day was a Plate quarter-final against Finborough School. Despite leading for much of the match and playing some excellent 7s rugby, Finborough scored on the final play to win 26–22. William Hawkins was named Player of the Festival for his performances throughout the day. The 1sts then competed in the New Hall 7s Festival on 8th February, which proved to be a more challenging day. Drawn in a strong group alongside Campion School, Finborough School, King’s Ely, and RHS, the team secured one victory against RHS. This result progressed them to the 5th-place play-off, where they were narrowly defeated by Victory College. While results were tough, the day provided important learning opportunities for future competitions. Levite Oyelakin was awarded Player of the Festival. The U15s took part in the U15 County Cup 7s, hosted by Norwich School at Redmayne. Norwich topped their group following strong performances against Hethersett Academy, Diss High School, and Acle Academy. In the semi-final, the team delivered an outstanding 22–0 win against Gresham’s School. The final saw Norwich face Wymondham College in what proved to be their toughest test of the tournament. Norwich emerged victorious with a 17–7 win, conceding their only try of the competition. This was an exceptional team performance, with Ben Lowe being named Player of the Tournament.
It has been an exciting and busy start to the Lent term for Boys’ Hockey. In the Junior section, we have enjoyed a number of competitive and entertaining fixtures against strong local opposition, as well as schools from further afield, including The Perse and Felsted. The U13A side, in particular, have impressed with their attacking intent and commitment to playing an expansive, entertaining style of hockey. Our Inters have also performed well across a demanding programme of block fixtures against Felsted, Culford, The Perse and Langley School. Across these rounds, the boys demonstrated resilience and teamwork, securing a series of positive results and continuing to build momentum as the term has progressed. For the Seniors, competition has been equally fierce. Fixtures against Felsted, Culford and The Perse have been played with real intensity, with the boys showing excellent commitment and energy throughout. The new-look, youthful 1st XI have made a particularly strong start, winning six of their eight matches, with one draw and one narrow defeat. Scoring an impressive 47 goals, they recorded standout victories over Felsted (12–2), Culford (7–0) and Framlingham College (7–0). They have now qualified for the Tier 1 Plate competition and reached Round 3 of the Independent School Cup. We now look ahead to the second half of term, with further block fixtures against Ipswich, Gresham’s, Framlingham and RHS. Well done to all players and staff for an excellent start to the season.
Tennis Gallery
