The summer sport season kicked off at the end of April with fixtures in cricket and tennis, while athletics training started in earnest ahead of the start of the track and field season.

Cricket

The cricket season got off to a tricky start for us at the end of April, with two matches abandoned due to rain in the very first week! In the first completed matches our U13 team won away at Latymer Upper School in a hardball match by 6 wickets, while our U15 team lost narrowly by 13 runs to South Hampstead High School in the Middlesex Hardball Cup. Our U14 team lost in a softball match away at St Augustine’s while our U12 cricketers won at the same venue by 33 runs.

In early May our U12A team won away in a softball match to St Paul’s Girls School (MVP Lara V-H) while our B team lost (MVP Daisy G). On May 9th, hardball matches against Wimbledon High School at home were both abandoned while our U15 team beat The Harrodian School away by 2 wickets in a hardball game on 11th May.

Tennis

Our tennis teams got off to a flying start with their matches in April. Our U15A team won 10-2 away at Nower Hill High School (LTA Youth Team Tennis), our U14A won away 9-6 at St Paul’s Girls School, U13A won 12-0 against Lady Eleanor Holles U13B team 12-0 (LTA Youth Team Tennis), our U15A won 8-5 away against St Paul’s Girls School U15C, our U13A won 6-0 against St Augustine’s Priory (home) and our U12A team also won home to St Augustine’s by 5-1.

Our U15 team won their qualification group of the LTA Cup and made it though to the county semi-finals following an 8-4 win away at St Benedict’s School on May 2^nd and JFS School, who conceded the match. Our U18 team of 6 pairs took on Highgate School at home and lost 0-11. The U12A team (9 pairs) also took the win away at St Benedict’s School by 39-13.

In the Play Your Way to Wimbledon competition (U18), Abby G and Sophia DJ emerged victorious against Zahara and Bea with a score of 7-4. Next stop for the winners is the regional round! Meanwhile our U18 (6 pairs) lost 1-5 to Godolphin & Latymer (away), with our U14A losing to the same opponents 2-13 (6 pairs) and our U12A also losing 0-5.

On May 15th our U14A team (4 pairs) played a 4-4 draw home to Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park, while on the same day our U14A team lost 6-11 away to Highgate School and our U13A won 8-6 vs Lady Eleanor Holles in the LTA Youth Team Tennis. This means our U13 tennis team have now qualified for the Division 2 County semi-finals. St Benedict’s were our hosts for an U14 and U15 fixture, with the U15As winning 10-6 (5 pairs) and the U14As winning 15-6 (6 pairs). On the same day the U12A and B team drew away at St Paul’s Girls School in a friendly. The 18^th May saw our U15A team win 12-6 home to Highgate (6 pairs). The same day our U13s played away at St Benedict’s and take the win 6-0 in the LTA Youth Team Tennis as well as a 16-4 win (8 pairs). This means our U13 tennis team have now joined our U15 team in qualifying for the Division 2 County semi-finals!

Athletics

Our athletics season kicked off with a four-way fixture at Perivale track against Godolphin & Latymer, St Benedict’s and St Augustine’s featuring our U12-U15 teams. NHEHS took the win by over 200 points from both track and field events.

On 12th May our Intermediate (Year 9 and 10) and Junior (Year 7 and 8) athletics teams travelled to Lee Valley for the English Schools Track & Field Cup county round. Our Inter team finished as first overall in the Intermediate Girls section with 361 points and have qualified for the Regional A final (London North) in Watford on June 19th. Meanwhile our Junior team finished second with 288 points which meant they qualified for the Regional B final (London North) which takes place in Croydon on June 12th.

Water polo

The final water polo fixture of the 2022-23 season took place on 15th May and what a fixture! Following our U18 and U16 teams to the final of the ESSA National Water Polo competition, our U13s went one stage further and won 4-3 against Bolton School for Girls to be crowned national champions ! Read Mr Bent’s report here.