EDUCATED FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY

Independent schools have spawned some of the most talented sportsmen and women of our time. Jamie Douglas Home examines how influential public schools have been in producing some of today's most promising international players

Pupils from the private sector have represented their country in a plethora of sports from cricket to skiing. Batsman Andrew Strauss and fast bowler Simon Jones, two England cricket internationals, were educated at Radley and Millfi eld respectively and Chemmy Alcott, the photogenic British skier, is an old girl of Surbiton High.

The only surprise is the absence of any public school educated international level football players whereas the England soccer teams of the late Victorian era were almost exclusively made up of former independent school pupils. Two great English football internationals of that time, G.O. Smith, an Old Carthusian, widely believed by contemporary commentators to be the first great centre forward, and William Oakley, an ex-Shrewsbury schoolboy, subsequently became joint headmasters of Ludgrove, the preparatory school, which Prince William and Prince Harry attended many years later.

The Princes' cousin Zara Phillips was Gordonstoun educated, but instead of riding she preferred to play hockey instead. The eventing international, however, is a rare exception. In fact, most other ex-independent school pupils excelled during their time at school in the sport at which they later gained an international cap.