Core Sports

Athletics at Oakham sees over 200 keen pupils participate and at least 100 athletes competing weekly against other schools.

In recent years Oakham has been the powerhouse of athletics amongst school in the East Midlands and we have had significant success beyond the borders of Rutland and Leicestershire at the English Schools Athletic Association Championships and the Achilles Relays in Oxford. At the Achilles Relays our runners regularly win medals and set new Archilles Records each year.

We regularly send athletes to the ESAA Championships and have achieved medal-winning success in past tournaments; our athletes have excelled in both track and field events, gaining national recognition and going on to represent their country.

I’m proud to contribute my little bit to the long, rich history of Oakham Cricket.

Around 230 boys and 70 girls of all ages from 1^st XI to U11 level play cricket at Oakham during the Summer Term, and the school regularly fields 21 boys’ teams and 10 girls’ teams. Our highly competitive fixtures list includes many of the best cricketing schools both regionally and nationally. In 2023 our U15 Girls were crowned County Champions.

Our outstanding facilities include two grounds maintained to an exceptional level and used for county cricket matches, together with two cricket pavilions that provide first-class facilities for teams and our guests.

Oakham is one of the top hockey-playing schools in the UK, fielding 75 hockey teams from 1st XI to U11 level for girls and boys.

We run a highly competitive fixture list including schools, clubs, universities and national competitions. Our year-round training and playing programme offers pre-season training camps, indoor and outdoor fixtures in the winter and spring, additional coaching in the summer and overseas tours. Our first-class facilities include two sand-dressed hybrid surfaces and an indoor sports centre.

Our U18, U16 and U14 Girls’ and Boys’ teams compete in the Tier 1 National Cup competitions, regularly making it to the final 8 stage of the competition and ranking in the top flight of UK schools. Our U16 Girls were Runners-Up in the 2024 Tier 1 Cup Competition.

We give 300 girls the opportunity to represent the School in inter-school fixtures in netball, with a typical week seeing up to 30 fixtures played from U11 through to 1^st VII levels against some of the top netball-playing schools in the country.

There are many opportunities for girls to compete in national age group competitions at U19, U16 and U14 levels. Oakham has attended the National Schools Finals for nine of the last ten years, highlighting the wealth of talent and sheer commitment in pupils and coaches alike.

In 2019 our U15 team attended the inaugural World School Games where they played schools from different countries at the highest level, and won the plate.

Over 400 boys of all ages from 1st XV to U11 level regularly enjoy playing rugby across 25 teams on a traditional and well-balanced fixture list against some of the top rugby-playing schools in the country. The boys have the opportunity to play in a number of regional and national competitions where they have achieved considerable success. They have won the National Schools Cup three times, most recently in 2023.

There are opportunities to play rugby all year round, starting with the week-long pre-season camp at the end of August each year, providing team bonding and invaluable training and match play prior to the beginning of the season.

This leads to the possibility of playing a season of Rugby Union, Rugby Sevens, and additional coaching sessions over the course of the academic year.

We regularly field over 40 boys’ and girls’ tennis teams from the 1^st VI to the U12Ds, who play against some of the biggest schools on the circuit in a competitive fixture list.

In addition to our Summer Term training and fixtures, the Oakham School Tennis Academy offers pupils all-year round technical and tactical coaching sessions each week with our partnership with Oakham Tennis Club. This provides a link between School and local clubs, with many pupils enjoying playing at club level.

Oakham tennis players enjoy excellent facilities with 12 hard courts for training and matches. Oakham School aspires to achieve national success with entry in the National Schools Team Tennis Championships, Road to Wimbledon and Aegon Leagues for both the boys and girls teams and we have a number of pupils who represent the county at tennis with the School actively supporting individual progress in this area.