Sports Development Programme   Close

Kingston Grammar School: A Brief Sporting History

Kingston Grammar School (KGS), formally known as Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School has an extensive sporting history stretching back over 150 years. One of the school's major sports of Hockey was played on the field behind the London Road building in the mid-1800s and the Hockey and Football Club was established in 1896 following the Old Boy’s Hockey Club a few years earlier in 1892. Cricket was a popular game in the school at this time, along with Football, Boxing, Swimming, Cross Country, Athletics, for a brief time Rugby Football, and of course; Rowing. The Boat club was founded in 1889 and the school held its first regatta in 1892.

When the school acquired the Oil Mill Lane playing fields, more Hockey was played, and in 1914, the decision was made to focus just on Hockey at Senior Level in the Autumn and Winter season to the expense of Football, with the majority of matches being against club sides such as Teddington HC, Surbiton HC, Spencer HC and Staines HC. St. George’s College, Weybridge were the only regular school on the fixture list-one that is still a regular one today!

During the First World War period, quite predictably, sports rose and fell in popularity, with a decline in sporting standards as a result. Rowing made a temporary disappearance in 1918, but the introduction of the House system in 1917 re-ignited the passion for Games and competition; with the houses of Lovekyn, Queen’s and Walworth established soonafter (Taverner in 1921).

The purchase of a 5 acre playing fields at Dinton Road, Kingston Upon Thames, allowed for the development of a pavillion, changing facilities, an ‘extremely good Cricket square’ and 3 grass Hockey pitches. This allowed Games to become part of the curriculum in the afternoons (it was purely during co-curricular prior to that time). The development of the cage also became a hot bed for practising stick skills at lunchtimes along with a 'bit of Cricket'. By 1925, 7 Old Kingstonians had played for their Country at Hockey, with 2 being selected for the GB Olympic team. Junior Schoolboy internationals and Oxford and Cambridge blues followed.

Sport at KGS during the Second World War was kept going in a skeleton sense, with Saturday fixtures ceasing and Boxing and Swimming being the major sporting casualties. The Boat club also suffered an uncertain time but survived the Second World War years nonetheless.

The 40 post-war years was something of a ‘golden age’. The proliferation of honours in terms of International Hockey players, accompanied that of ‘open scholarships’ and were a measure of the increasing post-war opportunities. The student and staff roll also grew significantly. Ditton Field was purchased in 1965, and so KGSBC finally had its own home on the Thames and the sporting programme moved there from Dinton Road with each sport having its own ‘Master in Charge’. With more space, the expansion of the fixture list for Hockey and Cricket was a major feature of this time, as was the number of staff and schoolboy sporting internationals. By 1999, 42 Old Kingstonians had won senior international caps at Hockey, the highlight being many of those in Olympic Games and notably Richard Dodds captaining the gold medal-winning side in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

The arrival of girls to the school in the late 1970s meant that girls’ sides were put out in the 1980s, with the sporting programme including Athletics, Cross Country, Hockey, Netball, Tennis and Rowing. By 1989, the 1^st XI team were Surrey U18 Hockey Champions and Natalie Bell became the first schoolgirl Hockey international in 1996, with Jane Hall becoming the youngest World Rowing Champion in 1992.

In ‘A Physical Education and Sport in Independent Schools’ by Malcolm Tozier, Kingston Grammar is noted for its significant contribution to producing internationals in Hockey and Rowing and is ranked at number 5 overall nationally. From the years 2000-2012, KGS produced 14 full senior internationals; Oliver Wheatly-O’Neil (Futsal), Chris O’Connor (Gymnastics), Rebecca Merchant (Hockey), Brett Garrard (Hockey), Danny Hall (Hockey), James Wallis (Hockey), Jon Ebsworth (Hockey), Sarah Haycroft (Hockey), Tom Merchant (Hockey), Hannah Elsy (Rowing), James Cracknell (Rowing), Jane Hall (Rowing), Simon Fieldhouse (Rowing) and Sophie Hosking (Rowing). Most notably, Sophie Hosking won a Gold Medal in the 2012 London Olympics.

References

'Chantry Chapel to Royal Grammar School, The History of Kingston Grammar School 1299-1999' by David Ward and Gordon Evans.

'A Physical Education and Sport in Independent Schools’ by Malcolm Tozier.