This marked the third attempt for this group of players to qualify from the district tournament, having first entered the competition in Year 7,making the achievement even more special.

It was a brilliant day from start to finish. Students arrived at school at 5:45am full of excitement and ready for the challenge ahead. Upon arrival at Lord’s, we were welcomed into a truly professional environment, and it was immediately clear that the standard of competition would be extremely high.

We made a strong start to the tournament, winning our first two pool matches. One of these victories came against Falkirk School, the champions of Scotland, an excellent achievement. We then narrowly lost by 12 runs to the eventual tournament winners in a very competitive match, followed by a tough game against a strong Wirral Grammar School side.

In our final fixture, we played for 5th place against the Welsh champions. In a thrilling contest, the game ended in a draw on the final ball. Overall, we finished 5th out of 12 schools on the day — and 5th out of over 1,000 schools that entered the competition nationwide, which is a fantastic accomplishment.

The staff and students had an unforgettable experience, and it will certainly be remembered as a highlight of the year. It was a proud moment for everyone involved.

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue developing table cricket over the next academic year. We plan to enter both a Year 7 and Year 10 team in the next district tournament, giving our younger players valuable experience, while aiming for our Year 10 team to build on this success and push for the title.

We are extremely proud of all the students who have taken part.