Congratulations Downside School‘s Fifth Form sports scholars and Somerset Pathway player, Florence, who has triumphed in a Somerset County Cricket Club writing competition, winning an England replica shirt from bowler Jack Leach.
Photo above: Florence with the U15s cricket squad and Head of Cricket Development George Setterfield.
The competition was held to celebrate the return of Test Cricket on free to air TV (Channel 4), in conjunction with Somerset County Sports.
To be in with a chance of winning the coveted prize, pathway players had to watch as much of the recent Test cricket as they could, and study which players were successful in the game and what they were doing well. Competition hopefuls then had to describe how the most successful batsmen (on either side) had played during this Test, what movements they made and what were their main methods of scoring.
“This is fantastic news for Florence, and everyone at Downside School is extremely pleased for her,” said George Setterfield, Head of Cricket Development. “Taking an interest in cricket as a spectator and being able to analyse the game is such a vital skill for any young cricketer.
“I’m delighted that Florence was given the opportunity by the Somerset Cricket Board to voice her thoughts on the first test match between England and India, writing a superb match report and including some high level analysis. Downside School takes great pride in offering a well-rounded education, and it’s really pleasing to see Florence bringing that to life and demonstrating her passion for cricket with her academic ability. I’m sure she will treasure the Jack Leach England shirt for a long time!’
Florence is currently in the County Age Group U18 Girls Winter Training Squad, and is just one of the many Downside pupils who enjoy competitive sport at county level.
Cricket has been a major feature at Downside for over 150 years. The first boys’ cricket match was played at the school in 1867, and the first girls’ matches took place in 2018. The sport is one of over 30 sports and games options available at Downside including rugby, tennis, kayaking, wall climbing and archery.