In June, the England cricket team announced that they had selected Chris Read, former England player and Director of Cricket at Repton School, as the wicket-keeping consultant for England's Three-match Test Series against the West Indies. Chris worked hard to prepare the team of 30 players in the weeks running up to the Test Series, coaching and supporting them on their journey to victory. Repton staff and pupils are delighted that Chris was asked to coach England's training group at the Ageas Bowl training camp - and are even more delighted with the Test Series results. 

'It is a great honour to have been asked to be involved in the England Cricket coaching team for the upcoming Test Series,' says Chris, who played for Nottingham CCC from 1998-2017 as a wicket-keeper batsman. He captained the side for a decade and made 52 appearances for England. When Chris retired from Trent Bridge, he became the Director of Cricket at Repton School, where he continues to inspire and coach young cricket players. 'I am very much looking forward to working with some of England's most highly talented cricketers.'

The Test Series took place between 8-12 July at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton; 16-20 July at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester; and 24-28 July, also at the Emirates Old Trafford. Though COVID-19 meant that cricket fans couldn't attend the matches in person, BBC Sport covered all of the action, airing the Test Series live on BBC Two and iPlayer. The coverage marked the first time that BBC has shown home Test Cricket since 1998. The Test Match Special and Tailenders podcasts also covered the Test Series in dedicated episodes. 

Test Series Results: England vs. West Indies

Though the West Indies won the first match with a four-wicket win, England made a comeback in the second match, equalising the series with an impressive 113-run win. Home viewers glued themselves to the edges of their sofas as England and the West Indies commenced their final match, in which England beat the West Indies by 269 runs, claiming the Wisden Trophy.

The Guardian reports that the West Indies 'were bowled out for 129 as briskly as the chill wind sweeping across the ground, occasionally bringing scudding showers. So England won the match by 269 runs and the series 2-1 to retain the Wisden Trophy forever.'

Following the intense training that England endured under the watchful eye of Chris and his colleagues, Chris is pleased with the excellent results that the team achieved in the Test Series. Repton School shares Chris' delight that the team has achieved such success. Repton School's cricket pupils also enjoyed the matches and are looking forward to returning to school to receive Chris' cricket tuition next month.

Cricket at Repton School

Cricket is a core part of Repton's sporting curriculum, and few schools boast comparable cricket records. Chris Read and fellow cricket professional Andy Afford manage the school's year-round cricket programme, helping pupils to develop their skills, tactical awareness, mental preparation, strength, and conditioning. 

Repton's cricket fixture list comprises national competitions, a challenging school circuit, and matches against a variety of age groups and academies. Over 150 Repton pupils have gone on to play cricket professionally. Out of these 150 pupils, 12 became internationals and 3 became Test Captains.

Recently, the Derbyshire cricket team has also been making the most of Repton's grounds, using the excellent facilities for training. The school has close links with many neighbouring country cricket clubs, including Derbyshire CCC, and works with external performance managers to create an integrated development plan.

Sports at Repton School

Repton School's outstanding sports facilities and coaches cultivate the best possible environment for pupils to reach their athletic potential, preparing them for further sporting education and careers. Whether pupils are pursuing professional sporting goals or simply participating as part of a healthy lifestyle, Repton cultures every pupil's interest in sports and athletics, helping them to become well-practised team players.

Pupils have countless opportunities to represent the school in prestigious fixtures against other schools. Plus, Repton manages a programme of inter-house sports so that all pupils can engage in competitive practice regularly. As part of Repton's sports curriculum, pupils may also participate in the Repton High-Performance Programme, which comprises six pillars: technical, tactical, physical, mental, lifestyle, and mentoring. Repton's athletes receive top-level training from coaches who focus on these six pillars of best sports practice. 

With a choice of over 25 sports on the curriculum, there's an athletic option for all pupils. Outside of cricket, pupils can also practise football, netball, tennis, swimming, athletics, basketball, cross country, golf, riding, rugby, sailing, and hockey. 

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 has presented, Repton pupils are still making use of the school's excellent sporting facilities to develop their athletic skills. In particular, Repton's hockey camp is still going ahead; pupils are currently making use of the schools two floodlit, water-based, Astroturf hockey pitches. The ongoing camp sessions are enabling Repton pupils to continue to work towards their hockey goals - the school has won more National Hockey Titles than any other school in the history of the National School's Championship. Repton pupils have even won Olympic medals for their hockey performance at the last five Olympic Games. 

Many of Repton's junior and senior pupils have celebrated national sporting success, supported by acclaimed coaches who offer close personal training. In some cases, Repton develops tailored programmes to support individual pupils' sporting ambitions while safeguarding their academic progress.

Learn more about Repton School's cricket and sports curriculum at www.repton.org.uk/sport/sport-at-repton.