Sporting Success

Sporting opportunities at Barton Court Grammar School span a vast range of sports and activities, from traditional sports such as rugby, netball, football and athletics, to more modern sports such as handball and equestrian.

The autumn term sees competition in the Canterbury district league and the Kent Cup for boys and girls football, as well as the district netball league. Students train and play fixtures once a week, challenging themselves against all other schools locally. We boast a number of district football players, with some also representing at county level. This is also the time of year when our excellent rugby squads begin their training for the tournaments and fixtures to come.

Notable successes this year saw the year 7 girls crowned district indoor football champions and the under 14 girls’ team go all season unbeaten in the league. The under 15 boy’s handball team also put on a strong performance in the Kent School Games local handball finals, being unlucky in missing qualification for the county finals.

Basketball is the star attraction as we head in to the dark winter nights, with dazzling performances lighting up the courts. Competing at under 14 and 16 in both the boys and girls district league, students play fixtures and train weekly. The under 16 girls had a fantastic season, with immaculate lay-ups and sensational shooting seeing them crowned as district champions. The under 16 boys are also showing great promise for next year, with a very committed squad who are developing at great pace.

The district cross country championships in December are always a very competitive and hard fought event with a 32 strong team representing the school. This year saw six students go on to represent Canterbury at the County championships in January.

The school equestrian team have had a spectacular rise to prominence after the creation in June 2017. The team go from strength to strength and our showjumpers have already been crowned Regional Grassroots Champions 2017 and competed at nationals in October. At the Nationals the team made it through to the final round which involved an exciting speed jump off in which the team placed 7th nationally. This was followed up with a respectable 5th place at the eventers challenge. The team are keen to add more members so we can have more success in 2018/19.

Terms 3 and 4 see the return of netball for the district tournaments, as well as the boy’s football district cup competition. However, the main highlight of this time of year is the rugby season. The school rugby team is building quite some momentum in what has been another hugely successful year. In addition to unbeaten seasons in the district league for year 7, 8 and 10, we were also unbeaten at the Canterbury 10’s festival (year 7 and 8).

The talented year 8’s put on a brilliant display to remain unbeaten at the Kent 7’s tournament, showing great potential for future success at county and national level. The year 10 team made it to the semi-finals of the Kent Cup, the third round of the national cup and only narrowly missed out on the quarter finals in the highly competitive Kent 7’s cup.

 

The brilliant performances of our talented rugby players has not gone unnoticed, with 4 students selected in the Kent under 15 squad as well as 2 trialists at Saracens. The under 13’s also had 4 trialists at county level.

The summer terms are dominated by athletics, rounders and softball. For the first time this year the school competed under the Barton Blaze identity in the local softball league. This is an exciting opportunity for students as we look to develop our boys teams in softball. The girls have had continued success in rounders, with strong performances in the local league and an excellent 2nd place in the year 10 girls district tournament.

The athletics season always brings outstanding performances and this year has been no different. Strong performances all season were followed up with a fantastic 2nd place overall in the District Athletics Championships, for 3 students crowned district champions in their events.

Year 7 also showed they have potential for the future with an impressive second place for the boys at the Super 8’s competition. Leading the way in athletics we have had 3 outstanding athletes who represented Canterbury District at the Kent Athletics Championships in June, with one students clocking 11.36 on his way to 3rd place in Kent in the 100m.

In addition to our elite sports teams we have a thriving recreational badminton club with attendance of over 20 students every Friday of the year. Many of these students have gone on to join up with local badminton clubs in the community as a result of their experiences at school. We also offer the level 3 bike ability course where students are able to take their cycling skills to the next level ensuring they are confident with tackling the city traffic on their commutes to school.

Enrichment is not confined to the lower school, with sixth form students taking part in an exciting and enriching trip to Canterbury Christchurch Sport Science labs. Students get the opportunity to work in state of the art laboratories to test their physical fitness.