Taunton School named a top cricket school and welcomes professional cricketer to teaching staff

Taunton School has been featured in The Cricketer’s annual list of Top 100 Senior Schools and Top 50 Prep Schools in the UK for 2025.

The prestigious Cricketer Schools Guide is put together by the expert editors of The Cricketer following the judgement of an extensive set of criteria, including “a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programme and coaching” and includes state and private schools.

Taunton School has also welcomed professional cricketer, David Roberts, to its teaching staff as a Performance Cricket Coach. David brings with him extensive knowledge of coaching cricket players at different levels, including spending time as Somerset Women’s Head Coach, following his career playing for Northamptonshire Cricket Club, Bedfordshire Cricket Club, and Cornwall Cricket Club.

Taunton Prep School and Senior School have seen 52 students chosen to join the Somerset Player Pathway for the 2024-2025 season. The pathway programme led by Somerset County Cricket Club offers young players the opportunity to receive high-quality coaching and develop their existing skills. As well as this, five students are part of the Somerset County Cricket Club Academy for the new season, with three students retaining their place and two students gaining new places.

Director of Cricket at Taunton School, Pete Sanderson, said: “This has been a great period in Taunton School's cricket history and I’m so proud of the progress our students have made and the exceptional opportunities we can offer them. Being included in The Cricketer Schools Guide again is a real honour and a great reward for our hard work.

"It has been brilliant to grow our coaching team this year to be able to offer an increased number of students extra small group sessions to help develop their skills, and I am delighted to be able to add David Roberts to our team - this gives the school such a strong team of coaches and one of the best in the West.”

Cricket is one of the many sports offered by Taunton School and each year is one of the most successful in terms of results achieved. During the 2023-2024 season, students scored nine 100s, the most seen in a single season in the school’s history, and the school’s 1st XI won a match against the prestigious MCC. The school has provisions for both boys' and girls' teams, with the girls' teams going from strength to strength and receiving caps for the very first time this year.

Taunton School offers a range of scholarships, including in sport. Applications for 11+ (Year 7 entry) and 13+ (Year 9 entry) are currently being accepted. Please click the link below to find out more about this and the school's wider sports offering.