Sport Round Up - April - May 2023

In Athletics, the Millfield team competed in the Somerset Schools Combined Events Championships on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 May in Yeovil. 

Lower Sixth Mayalee Osola was first in the Senior Girls Heptathlon, with a 4614 personal best, while Kizzi Reed was second with a personal best score of 2853. 

In the Intermediate Boys Octathlon, Year 11 Stefan Chirita was second with a personal best score of 4231. In the Intermediate Girls Heptathlon, Year 10 Zoe Allen was second with a 3317 personal best. 

Year 9 Tabitha Olivier was first in the Junior Girls Pentathlon, with a personal best score of 2534. 

The following students have been selected for the Somerset Schools’ team for the South West Regional Combined Events Championships on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 June: Upper Sixth Noah Miller, Lower Sixth Mayalee Osola, Kizzi Reed, Year 11 Oscar Webb, Stefan Chirita, Year 10 Zoe Allen, Year 9 Mimi Woodliffe and Tabitha Olivier. 

On Thursday 4 May, Millfield teams competed in the Achilles Schools Relays. The annual inter schools relay event held at the prestigious Sir Roger Bannister Running Track at Oxford University, site of the first sub 4-minute mile by Sir Roger Bannister himself in May, 1954. Millfield Athletics had a successful meet taking five victories and breaking three meeting records. The three records set were also new Millfield School records. 

The Millfield teams finishing in first place were: Junior Girls 4x100m, Junior Girls 4x200m, Junior Boys 4x100m (meeting record), Senior Girls 4x100m (meeting record) and Senior Girls 4x200m (meeting record). 

Those achieving Millfield School records were as follows: Senior Girls 4x100m, 47.7s, Upper Sixth Lucy Fellows, Sabrina Jones, Lower Sixth Eliza Olimna, Bellsie Honey. Senior Girls 4x200m 1.42.0s, Upper Sixth Lucy Fellows, Ella Wintle, Lower Sixth Lucy Wintle, Olivia Sparks. Junior Boys 4x100m 46.6s, Year 9 Harry Wilson, Aston Barrington-Hibbert, Teddy Woodbridge and Ini Asuquo. 

Millfield supported the Somerset County Championships on 13 and 14 May, taking over 60 students to compete in Yeovil. Conditions were excellent across both days of competition, and our students seized the moment. With a vast number of top 3 placings, personal best performances and championship records. Two students achieved Somerset County Championship records, with Lower Sixth Bellsie Honey running a 12.12s in U20 Girls 100m and Upper Sixth Lucy Fellows jumping 6.08m in the U20 Girls Long Jump. 

Students from Years 9 and 10 combined to form the English Schools’ Cup teams taking on other schools from across the county in the English Schools’ Track & Field Cup County Round, hosted by Millfield on Wednesday 17 May. Millfield won both the Inter Boys and Inter Girls competitions securing their place in the next round due to be held at Millfield on Wednesday 14 June. The teams will be hoping to qualify for the National Final on Saturday 8 July in Chelmsford. Following all county round events across the South West region, both the Inter Boys and Inter Girls are ranked number one. 

The annual 10 Schools’ Match welcomed 12 independent schools from across the South West and London to Millfield for an action-packed timetable of competition. With over 350 students taking part, the combined match result from across all age groups, boys and girls saw Millfield come away victors with 1108 points scored.

Upper Sixth Lucy Fellows represented Great Britain Juniors at the Loughborough International, placing third with a huge new personal best 6.20m, just 5cm away from the European Junior Championship qualifying distance. 

Millfield hosted their House Athletics event, which saw several strong performances across the age groups with many House Records being set. Shapwick House were the winning Senior Boys house, while Portway came out on top in the Senior Girls category. Portway were also champions in the Intermediate Girls category, while Joan's Kitchen came out on top in the Intermediate Boys. Ivythorn Flames claimed the most points in the Junior Girls category, while Keen's Elm Scorpions were victorious in the Junior Boys.

New school records achieved on the day are as follows: Upper Sixth Lucy Fellows claimed the Senior Girls Long Jump record with a leap of 5.98m, which was previously held by OM Jazmin Sawyers. Lower Sixth Bellsie Honey broke the Senior Girls 100m record, finishing in 11.5s. Butleigh House smashed the 4 x 100m Senior Girls record with a time of 49.9s, which was previously held by Southfield. Year 11 Amalia Eneanya-Bonito broke the Intermediate Girls Shot Put record with a throw of 13.48m, with the previous record being held by Upper Sixth Maya Kendall who threw 11.01m. Year 11 Seva Kava ran a 10.8s in the Intermediate Boys 100m to claim the record. Year 9 Caden Hughes achieved the Junior Boys Javelin record with a throw of 42.98m. 

In Cricket, Lower Sixth Sidney Thomson and Year 11 Harry Fairchild registered their maiden Millfield Hundreds against Hampshire Elite International Cricket Academy in late May. 

Lower Sixth Archie Vaughan (Somerset) and Dominic Kelly (Hampshire) have played 2nd XI matches for their respective counties. 

The Meyers XI finished fourth in their T20 group this year yet have won some recent 50 over matches in an improving season. Lower Sixth Archie Vaughan is comfortably the leading run scorer with Upper Sixth Ben Howgrave-Graham finding form just before half-term. Upper Sixth Joe Carson, Lower Sixth Archie Vaughan and Year 11 Harry Fairchild are the leading bowlers at the halfway stage of the season. 

The U18 Girls team have progressed to the next stages of the National Cup, while the U15 Girls team lost to Plymouth at the Regional Semi Finals stage of the U15 Cup competition. 

The U14A team have made a super start to the season with Year 9 Noah Lewis-Jones making an excellent start to his Millfield Cricket career, while Charlie Ward and Hanson Martin have led the way with the bat. 

The U15B team lost to a very strong King’s College A side in the U15 County Cup. At one stage, the star-studded opponents were 23/3 with some fantastic catching by Year 10 Kai Kiernan and Alfie McAnespie. Year 10 Lewis Bennie starred with the bat in reply. Year 10 Ed Purser (leg spin) and Matthew Palmer (Batting) have also stood out so far this season. 

The U15A have recorded some excellent wins, most notably against Clifton. Year 10 Hugo Dunn has led the way with bat with good support from Hardy Linnell, Alex Yeabsley and Will Morgan-Hughes. Charlie Fee and Charlie Boyd are the standout bowlers to date. 

The Boys Second XI have started strongly and played a vibrant brand of cricket under the captaincy of Upper Sixth Luke Sloman. Upper Sixth Hugh Middleton played fantastically for 98 not out against Clifton. Lower Sixth Charlie Morgan-Hughes scored 102 not out against King’s College. 

The Third XI have flourished under the leadership of Upper Sixth Bobby Mulvey and Mr Keates. They remain undefeated this summer with Upper Sixth Bobby Mulvey and Harry Godson performing consistency. 

The Marauders are the most enthusiastic group of players, often maintaining a strong slip cordon throughout the innings in a style resembling Ben Stokes and his England Test Team. Their win against Blundell's was a battle between traditional and modern methods. Upper Sixth George Timmins and Alexander King struck the ball cleanly in their nine-wicket win. 

Upper Sixth Scarlett Hale umpired the ECB Cricket County Women’s Regional Finals, and also umpired the U13 and U15 Schools Finals.

In Dance, Upper Sixth Noah Miller was selected to represent England in the Dance World Cup in Portugal. Read the full story here. 

In Equestrian, Year 11 Harriet Blair won at British Eventing Oxstalls Horse Trials. 

Lower Sixth Tesla Martin (Y12) was second at the British Eventing Burnham Market Horse Trials. 

Year 9 Mimi Woodliffe won the NSEA 100 one day event at Moreton, qualifying for the finals in September. 

Year 9 Isla Sully has had a very successful couple of months aiming for European selection. Isla was a member of both the Pony and Junior teams representing GB at the Nations Cup competition in Le Mans. The Junior team placed second and the Pony team fourth with individual placings for Isla of third and second. Isla was also third and fourth at the recent CDI International Dressage Festival at Hickstead, which was her 22nd international start. 

Year 11 Mathilda Brooks-Francis and Year 10 Emily Shaw both won classes at Mendip Plains Unaffiliated Show Jumping, while Upper Sixth Cisca Norris had two podium finishes. 

Year 9 Myla Coppins won the Shetland Pony Grand National at the Badminton Horse Trials. 

Lower Sixth Jemima Heffron and Year 9 India Heffron were winners of the South African Ladies Open Polo and India was awarded MVP. 

In Fencing, Millfield Senior Fencers competed at the British Youth Championships in Sheffield. Students qualified for this event through their placement at the South West Fencing Championships in January. The British Youth Championships is a three-day competition with 24 events and over 1200 entries. Millfield was represented in 18 out of the 24 events. Millfield fencers placed well in an incredibly tough national field, showing great support for each other.  

In the U18 Girls Sabre, Upper Sixth Renee Nassozi-Kiggundu was 3rd. In the U16 Girls Foil, Year 10 Evie Colyer was 5th. In the U18 Girls Foil, Upper Sixth Lauren Tang was 6th. In the U18 Boys Epee, Upper Sixth Umar Badroel was 9th. In the U18 Boys Foil, Umar Badroel Rizwan was 10th. In the U18 Girls Epee, Lower Sixth Maisie Everett was 14th. In the U16 Girls Epee, Year 10 Evie Colyer was 14th. In the U16 Boys Foil, Year 11 Aleksey Ageyev Jr was 37th. In the U16 Girls Sabre, Year 10 Maisie Searle was 19th, Year 9 Victoria Baughan was 20th, Year 10 Ava Cooke was 24th and Tamara Gomez Velasco was 24th. In the U14 Girls Foil, Year 9 Dora Ji was 26th. In the U16 Boys Sabre, Year 10 Kaden Woname was 24th, Anton Sidorov was 33rd and Year 9 Monty Price-Bailey was 47th. In the U14 Boys Sabre, Year 9 Jem Hedgecock was 30th. In the U14 Girls Epee, Year 9 Yashika Gupta was 53rd. In the U14 Boys Foil, Year 9 Jem Hedgcock was 66th. 

In Football, Upper Sixth Charlie Binns signed a two year professional contract with Championship club Ipswich Town. Read the full story here.

The Millfield U14 Football team won the County Cup, capping off a great season.

In Golf, Upper Sixth Freddie Turnell finished runner-up in the McEvoy Trophy (England Boys Championship U18). He won the Somerset Boys U18 championship with a 36-hole total of +3, won the Men’s Somerset County Championship with a 36-hole total of –3 and won the Somerset Colts Championships alongside this. In the Fairhaven Trophy, he finished joint 27th (a tournament open to all leading players, including Europe). 

Upper Sixth Harriet Lockley won the Comboy Trophy with -1 and the Leveret with -4, both of which are leading ladies 36-hole events. In the Helen Holm (Scottish Women’s Open), she finished 20th. She was also the Somerset Ladies County Championship runner-up. In the French U21 event, she qualified 32nd and made the knock-out stages. 

Lower Sixth Dylan John was runner-up in the Somerset Boys U18 Championship, and represented Somerset Men’s County team v Wiltshire. 

Year 11 Thomas Richardson finished ninth in the Somerset Boys U18 Championship. 

Year 9 Joss Monachello finished fourth in the Somerset U14 Championship. 

Year 9 Toby Morris and Joss Monachello represented Somerset U14 in recent county matches. 

Year 10 Wills House, Luke Burbridge and Year 9 Joss Monachello represented Somerset U16 Boys in recent county matches. 

Year 10 Abbie Moore finished 13th in the Somerset Ladies Championship and played in the Scottish Girls U18 Championship. 

Year 9 Ffion Lockley finished 15th in the Somerset Ladies Championship. 

Millfield won the HMC Regional Finals v King’s College, Taunton, by two matches to one and now go to the National Finals at the beginning of July. The team consisted of Upper Sixth Freddie Turnell, Harriet Lockley, Hugo Wu, Lower Sixth Dylan John, Year 11 Thomas Richardson and William Welsh. 

In Hockey, Millfield coach Nakira Downes has been selected for national duty to attend national trials with the Barbados Senior National Women’s Hockey Team for the 2023 Central American & Caribbean Games (CAC) in the Dominican Republic. 

OMs Stuart Rushmere and Toby Reynolds-Cotterill were both selected to represent Great Britain.  

In Modern Pentathlon, Lower Sixth Gerard McGrady and Year 10 Tom Webb qualified to represent Great Britain in the European Biathle Championships in Munich, Germany. Gerard and Year 11 Zac Cooper has qualified for the European Triathle Championships at the same venue. Year 11 Stefan Chirita has qualified for the World Laser Run Championships in Bath.

Millfield athletes competed in the National Tetrathlon Championships, with Year 11 Stefan Chirita claiming a silver medal.

In Rugby, Millfield participated in the England Touch Schools tournament, entering four teams: two U15 boys' teams, one U15 mixed team and one U13 boys' team. They reached two finals, featuring intense “drop off” endings. In the mixed final, Ruby Wetherill's sprint and try secured the victory. The Prep School final had a nail-biting finish, with the boys defending and scoring skilfully. The tournament also welcomed players of all abilities, providing a low-pressure yet competitive introduction to touch rugby.  

Upper Sixth students Ioan Emanuel, George Timmins and Ieuan Davies have all earned an opportunity with Bath Rugby as contracted players. Read the full story here. 

Millfield Rugby held their end of year awards and recognised some standout performers from this year's season. In the U14s category, Year 9 Piran Moran was named Player of the Year, while Aston Barrington-Hibbert received the title of Millfield Values Player. In the U15s, Year 10 Alex Yeabsley was honoured as Player of the Year, with George Cottrell recognised as the Millfield Values Player. In the U16s, Year 11 Charles Heffron stood out as Player of the Year, and Ben Blumberg was distinguished as the Millfield Values Player. The first team saw Upper Sixth George Cottrell being crowned Player’s Player, while Jack Lee was acknowledged as the Millfield Team Player of the year. In the Girls Under 16's, Evelyn Wheeler claimed the Player of the Year accolade, while Katherine Hill was celebrated as the Millfield Values Player. Lastly, in the Girls U18's, Lucy Wintle was Player of the Year, and Halle Heath was distinguished as the Millfield Values Player. 

In Squash, Lower Sixth Amelie Haworth represented the victorious England team in the U19 European Team Championships. The the U19 girl’s individual event, Amelie was 3rd/4th seed and finished runner-up. 

In Swimming, from Sunday 4 April through to Sunday 9 April, a team of three coaches and 21 swimmers made the trip to Sheffield to compete in the annual British Swimming Championships. This is the highest level of domestic competition and provides the opportunity to qualify for the following events: 2023 World Swimming Championships, 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games, 2023 European U23 Swimming Championships, 2023 World & European Junior Swimming Championships and 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival. The Millfield swimmers were on fine form right from the start and only went from strength to strength throughout the week. Millfield’s statistics from the event were as follows: 21 individuals competing, 103 swims, 39 finals, two world-leading times, three worlds qualifying times (Matthew Richards, Emily Large + Coach Ryan Livingstone) six European Junior Championships classification times (Upper Sixth Solomon Williams, Lower Sixth Evie Dilley and Adam Graham) eight Youth Commonwealth classification times (Upper Sixth Solomon Williams, Lower Sixth Evie Dilley, Rhys Insley, Jade Phiri, Adam Graham and Year 10 Ethan Stubbs-Green) and 14 Millfield records. 

The following students and athletes have been picked up to represent their nations at the following competitions: Matthew Richards: GB World Championships Team; Emily Large: GB World Championships Team; Upper Sixth Solomon Williams: GB European Junior Team & Commonwealth Youth Games (Wales); Lower Sixth Adam Graham: GB European Junior Team & Commonwealth Youth Games (England); Lower Sixth Evie Dilley: GB European Junior Team & Commonwealth Youth Games (England); Year 10 Ethan Stubbs-Green: Commonwealth Youth Games & World Junior Championships (Antigua); Lower Sixth Jade Phiri: Commonwealth Youth Games & World Junior Championships (Zambia). 

Coach Livingstone has been named team coach for the GB team at the World Swimming Championship, while Coach Aldington has been provisionally nominated for the Commonwealth Youth Games. 

Millfield Senior and Prep School swimmers put in some incredible performances at the South West Regional Championships, with over 130 medals being won across the various age groups and disciplines.

In Triathlon, Year 10 Tom Webb won the Taunton Triathlon, and was the youngest competitor.