A Brilliant Start to a Year of Sport

1 October 2026

With the first full month of term now under our belts, sport is well and truly back at St Leonards. Football, hockey, rugby and netball teams have returned to fixtures, our golfers have been competing on the course and pupils have already represented beyond the school in their respective sports.

Behind it all, our Sports Department has been working hard to deliver a packed programme of fixtures, tournaments, training and opportunities for pupils across the school. With the sporting year only just beginning, there is plenty more to look forward to over the months ahead.

Here are just some of the highlights from a brilliant start to the sporting year.

Golf

Thirteen pupils represented the school at the Swift Tour Stroke Play event at Elmwood Golf Club in Cupar, taking on 36 holes in one day and some particularly windy conditions!

There were strong results across both U18 competitions. Harry J (Year 13) followed a level-par 72 in his opening round with a two-under-par 70 in Round 2 to secure victory in the U18 Boys competition. Postgraduate Programme pupil Theresa R recorded rounds of +1 (74) and -1 (72) to claim the U18 Girls title by three shots. To top it off, the combined efforts of the team secured the U18 Team Championship title for St Leonards.

There were also strong performances from Jackson T (Year 11) and Rocco S (Year 12), with Rocco finishing tied third. Well done to all who competed!

Football

It has been a busy return for our football teams, with fixtures against Strathallan School, Hamilton College, Waid Academy, Canongate Primary, Wormit Primary, and Albyn School.

The 1st XI put in a positive performance against Strathallan before going on to secure a win at Hamilton College, where Louis R scored twice and was named Player of the Match. The U18 Girls began with a draw against Strathallan before travelling to Waid Academy later in the month, as participation in girls’ football continues to grow.

There has been plenty of Junior School action too, beginning with an U10 Mixed Football Festival with Canongate on 10 September. Later in the month, four U10 teams took part in a round robin festival against Canongate Primary on Fives Court, with some of our youngest pupils representing St Leonards for the first time. The U10s were also in action away to Wormit Primary, while the U15s ended the month with a dramatic win against Albyn, sealed by a late goal from Paolo R-S.

Netball

Our netballers have also been straight back into competition, with the U14s travelling to Cupar on 9 September and securing a win over Bell Baxter High School. Eloisa W was a standout in her first fixture for St Leonards.

The First VII later secured a draw against Hamilton College with a last-second equaliser, before joining the U14 and U16 teams for a full day of netball in Aberdeen against Robert Gordon’s College. The three teams mixed across age groups and abilities for a round robin tournament, recording wins in four of their six games. The First VII followed with another win, while Trinity L made her first appearance with the team.

Hockey

Hockey has been back in full swing, with the U14 and Senior teams beginning their season against Glenalmond before the 1st XI and U14s welcomed the High School of Dundee later in the month.

The U12s were also hosted by the High School of Dundee for their U12 Hockey Tournament, facing teams from Glasgow Academy, Dollar Academy, Robert Gordon’s College and Strathallan School.

There was also representative hockey to celebrate, with Lana M, Becca S and Rose H travelling to Glasgow to represent Midlands at the Scottish Hockey U17 Inter District Tournament.

High Performance Sport

Our High Performance Sport athletes have been getting the year underway too, with Sports Graduate Mr Connolly leading a session focused on mindset and athletic discipline. Pupils then headed to the newly opened Salt Gym St Andrews for strength and conditioning training, making use of the facilities just a short walk from school. We look forward to seeing how the High Performance Sport athletes continue to develop through the programme over the coming year.