TOBA: Sporting endeavour
Sport has long played an important part in the life of the school, and Bill Williams (a former Head of Sport) keeps a keen eye on the sporting endeavours of TOBA members and other ex-pupils...
Gilbert Jessop
Jessop was a Cheltenham man who played cricket for Gloucestershire, and then England from 1899. He is reckoned to have been the fastest run-scorer who ever lived, and for sure one of the giants of early English cricket. What is less wellknown is that for a time he taught at Burford School, and thus a TOBA man!
Bill Williams has done a lot of work to commemorate 'The Jessop Connection', and takes up the story with an article in The Gloucestershire Cricket magazine.
Thank you Darryl Woods ( an Oxfordshire CCC Coach) who made the film
Guests after the unveiling of 'The Jessop Plaque' at the Boarding House, which was arranged by TOBA's Bill Williams
and separately
​Mrs Pat Jessop and Dr Lucy Jessop
International Honours Board
Bill Williams (former head of the Sports Department writes: "In 2020, I began compiling a list of current and former pupils of the school who have gone on to represent their country in international sports. A temporary honours board is already on display, but there are now more names to add, and a more permanent board will be created when the foyer is reconfigured."
Additional names to add to the honours board (below):
1987 Graham Nutt GB Formula One Hovercraft Racing European Champion
1991 Cyrus Warwick NZ Boxing
1999 Lee Evans GB U18 Kickboxing
1999 Mathew Evans GB U18 Kickboxing
2021 Keith Kelly GB Over 45s Basketball
2022 Bakary Darboe England U17 Karate
2022 Dominic Hey Ireland U20 Rugby Union
2023 Mathew Ajayi England U17 Athletics
2023 Frankie Scrivener GB U16 Canoeing
2023 Jake Summers Falkland Isles Cycling
2024 Abi Norgrove England U19 Cricket
Currently, we have 61 performers who have represented thirteen countries or territories across twenty four different sports!
Temporary Honours Board
Frank Hartley (1896-1965)
After leaving Burford School Hartley played football for Oxford City and Tottenham Hotspur. He played for England against France in 1923.
Colin and Alan Toogood
They both represented Great Britain at The European Junior Ten pin Bowling Championships in 1988, where they won the Bronze medal.
Mark Lee
He represented Scotland U21 at Rugby Union in 1998 and went on to Captain Scotland Sevens. He also became the first Scottish player to represent GB sevens at The World Games in 2003.
Alice Topley( Freeman)
She is to date, Burford School's only Olympian!
She represented GB in the Rowing Eight who achieved 5th place in the 2008 Olympic Final in Beijing.
India - Mae Thompson
She became World Kickboxing Champion in 2017 and retained her title the following year.
Josh McNally
He plays professional Rugby Union for Cardiff Blues and made his first appearance for England in 2021.
Abi Norgrove
She plays cricket for The Southern Vipers and Oxfordshire and was recently selected for England U19 's on their tour of Sri Lanka.
The earliest Burford School team photograph
Bill Williams writes: "I believe it to be the earliest Sports Team Photograph that we have!
It's from the 1911/12 season, and is the School Football Team that includes Frank Hartley standing far left (future England Footballer) and brother Ernest standing sixth from the left (future England Hockey player).
