Rugby is an extremely popular sport at Milton Abbey. We are extremely fortunate to play on some of the finest pitches in the country that are adjacent to the boarding houses, allowing ample opportunities for practice.
We are extremely lucky to have many experienced and talented coaches on staff. The emphasis of the coaches is to install the basic skills required to be successful in the sport. This, coupled with our strength and development team, allows pupils to flourish within the sport. Some of our pupils have gone on to county and professional sides.
Rugby 7s also plays a significant role in the Lent term, with squads training under lights as part of the evening programme.
Milton Abbey hockey has developed hugely over the last few years and is now the main sport for girls in the Michaelmas term and boys in the Lent term. There is ample opportunity for all interested pupils to represent the school. The teams enjoy a full fixture programme against local schools and often perform well.
We have a number of experienced coaches. Their knowledge and expertise not only stretches our gifted and talented players, but also helps those that are new to the sport to develop the required skills and confidence to be successful. It is not uncommon for pupils that are new to the sport in Third Form to develop into 1st XI players in their Sixth Form years. We have pupils that represent Dorset.
Lacrosse is a fantastic sport that is fast and skilful. Girls often come to the school having not experienced the sport before, but they pick-up the skills quickly as we find that skills and tactics transfer from hockey to lacrosse smoothly, allowing pupils to quickly enjoy the sport.
The pitches are located at the heart of the school and as a result the teams enjoy excellent support for their home matches. All the teams have regular fixtures.
Cricket at Milton Abbey is one of our strongest team sports. The boys are particularly passionate about the sport and have an excellent culture of training and matches. Our 1st XI cricket ground is considered to be one of the finest in the world, hosting the MCC for an invitational match each summer.
Our wonderful facilities certainly help develop our strong link with cricket, however it is the staff that provide the real energy and enthusiasm. We are lucky to have two ECB Level 3 coaches and many passionate and talented players on staff. The Students' 1st XI vs the Staff XI is one of the most hotly anticipated events of the school year!
We aim to make cricket as fun as possible. We play in coloured kit and play a variety of different formats, including T20s. Girls are encouraged to join our teams and many enjoy the sport.
Golf is developing at a tremendous speed at Milton Abbey, with our team coming second in the national finals in 2022. We are extremely fortunate to boast a wonderful 9-hole golf course on-site, that was designed by the late Peter Alliss when his son attended the school.
The course is a short walk from the boarding houses and extremely popular with pupils and staff, who are regularly playing and practicing in both timetabled and recreational time.
We compete in National events, with increasing numbers of pupils taking up the sport and gaining handicaps. In 2018, we opened a state-of-the-art indoor studio with launch monitors, cameras, golf simulation and a putting green. This allows pupils to develop their skills throughout the winter months ready for competition.
The school also enjoys a close partnership with local golf clubs. This allows pupils to experience different courses and developa the necessary skills to be successful in a variety of conditions.
Road Cycling is taken extremely seriously at Milton Abbey. We believe we are the only school in the country that runs an extensive training and competition programme.
The location of Milton Abbey lends itself perfectly to cycling, with miles of rolling Dorset countryside and quiet roads on which the teams train and explore. The team members train extremely hard and can often be seen around school in their custom-designed racing kit. They ride at least three times a week, all year round, with at least one extended ride a week. They compete regularly in local and national sportives, as well as participating in track training and racing, cyclocross riding and audaxes.
During the ‘off-season’, and when the weather is poor, the cyclists either train cyclocross or make the most of our onsite indoor turbo studio. This ensures that they are able to keep up their mileage throughout the year whilst also having an area to maintain and service their bikes.
Mountain biking has really taken off at Milton Abbey. The school has been offering mountain biking as part of the activity programme for many years, but it has only been in recent years that it has become a timetabled sport.
We are extremely fortunate to have some fantastic terrains surrounding Milton Abbey, with some excellent trails that are used for time trials and for developing technique. The squad explores the miles and miles of trails and uses smartphone technology to record their times. This prepares them well for competitions.
During poor weather, the team gets the opportunity to maintain fitness through the use of our onsite indoor training studio.
Cross country running and athletics has a long tradition of excellence at Milton Abbey, with the school site and local countryside lending itself perfectly for training and competition. Our annual Senior School and Prep School Cross Country Competitions are renowned for their incredible views, steep hills and mud!
Cross country or athletics is available to pupils during all three academic terms. We offer a range of teams to ensure all pupils train at a level appropriate for their ability. Whilst some enjoy the health benefits that the sport offers, others push themselves extremely hard to perform at their best. Each team has a member of staff allocated to it, to ensure that training is appropriate, so that pupils enjoy the sport and maximise their potential. They regularly take pupils off-site to enjoy different terrains. Beach running at Weymouth is particularly popular.
Milton Abbey offers an extensive swimming programme that develops pupils’ skills and fitness throughout their time at the school. The sport is popular across all year groups and houses.
The school has a fantastic indoor 25m swimming pool on-site. Our teams compete against other schools and take part in endurance events.
Pupils get to train both within timetabled sports time and in recreational time, when the pool is open. Our athletes also get regular access to the gym for strength and conditioning work, in order to develop the necessary attributes for success.
Our sailors train and compete at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in Weymouth. The venue is a short drive from Milton Abbey and generates an inspiring atmosphere with our sailors often sharing the water with Olympic champions.
Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour offer some of the best sailing waters on the planet and have purpose built on-shore facilities to match. This winning combination was showcased at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Sailors train and compete in the Michaelmas and Summer term on a variety of boats. The club caters for beginners, intermediates and advanced sailors, ensuring that all reach their potential. We have a number of fully qualified instructors on staff, but also utilise the coaching and expertise available from the Andrew Simpson Sailing School.
We aim to run our sailing sessions so that a pupil will progress through the RYA stages, with some pupils reaching Dinghy Instructor level. We also take part in race training, where we compete against other schools using both team racing and fleet racing formats.
In addition to dinghy sailing, the school offers offshore sailing utilising local yacht charterers and sailing schools, both for enjoyment and for progression through the RYA Cruising Scheme up to Day Skipper level. Some students also explore sailing as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
Milton Abbey offers a unique Football Programme, in conjuction with Champion Sports Group. This provides the opportunity for the most talented young players to develop their footballing skills while receiving a full, rounded education.
Find out more here.
Football is available year-round. Competitive teams enjoy a full fixture card throughout the year, playing many local schools and competing in national tournaments.
We are fortunate to have some wonderful pitches that encourage our teams to play passing football. The pitches are so good that they are used as an academy training ground for professional and international teams during our school holidays.
We have a number of talented football coaches that work with all our players. The Head of Football organises trips to watch local teams, to help players develop their tactical knowledge. Many players choose to get fitness help and advice from our on-site strength and conditioning coach.
Netball is a major sport for girls in the Lent term. We have two competitive teams, who play a full fixture card throughout the term. Netball is also available for all pupils in both the Michaelmas and Lent terms through the activity programme.
All training and matches take place in our Sports Hall, ensuring that pupils have ideal playing conditions for every session. This, coupled with our experienced coaches, allows our teams to develop a fast-passing style of play.
Tennis is one of the most popular sports at Milton Abbey, with both girls and boys of all standards - recreational or otherwise - playing at some point during the year.
There is a busy school fixtures list, in which we compete strongly with good results. Alongside the competitive squads there is an opportunity for all pupils to play recreationally. After being introduced to the sport at school, tennis is statistically very likely to be played long after pupils move on from Milton Abbey.
The Dorset Tennis Academy provides professional coaching in the winter months to those pupils who seek it; alongside opportunities to play indoors in the winter months, as part of the evening activity programme.
Horse Riding is now available in timetabled sports sessions, as well as recreationally. Polo lessons are available as an additional activity on Wednesday afternoons.
Pupils can stable their own horses at the school, or ride horses belonging riding centres we are affiliated with.
Clay pigeon shooting is one of our strongest sports at Milton Abbey, reflecting our country roots and rural setting. We often compete and perform extremely well in national competitions.
Pupils train at The Purbeck Shooting School, which has been voted as the Best Shooting Ground in the UK. The facility occupies some 50 acres of mixed heathland and conifer plantation. This unique contour enables our pupils to develop the required skills and knowledge to be successful in a range of scenarios.
The facility also provides the very best coaching for our pupils. There is an additional cost to be part of the team, but the tuition and facility is second to none.