Former Cranleigh pupils share spotlight at Olympics
Two of Cranleigh’s former pupils have enjoyed participating with their respective Team GB Hockey teams in the Paris Olympics this summer.
Cranleigh has a proud tradition of hockey success for both boys and girls, whilst being a National Tier 1 Hockey school. Our philosophy, to develop each athlete to the best of their ability. We have had no less than 28 Boys and Girls playing junior international hockey including the current crop of: Charlotte B. (Scotland U19 & Aspiring programme), Luisa C. (Wales U16), Sammy D. (England U18 and now GBEDP) and Matt H. and Louis P. (both England U16).
We are the only school currently to be represented by at least one person in both the centrally-contracted England Hockey / GB squads – Izzy Petter in the Womens and Will Calnan and James Gall in the Mens. In addition, we have four players in the Mens and Womens GBEDP that sits just below the centrally-contracted squads including Pippa Lock who made her FIH Pro League debut for England last season.
Izzy Petter left Cranleigh in 2018, and became the first Old Cranleighan to reach the landmark of 100 combined caps for England and Great Britain. Playing for Loughborough Students’ University club in the Women’s England Hockey League, her first goal for Great Britain came against Germany in the FIH Pro League in 2019.
Izzy is now a key member of the Team GB Hockey team and this was her second Olympics, having won bronze in Tokyo and Gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 with England.
Team GB’s time in Paris was cut short in the quarter finals following a brave defeat by The Netherlands who advanced to the Gold Medal match to face China on Friday night.
Will Calnan left Cranleigh School in 2014 and attended Kingston University. Alongside a career on stage as a guitarist with indie band French Dogs, he plays for Hampstead & Westminster Hockey Club as well as for England and Team GB since 2018. A successful forward, he has 37 England caps and seven England goals to his name. Having helped England win a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, he was a reserve at the Olympics in Toyko.
In Paris, Team GB men’s hockey team also reached the quarter final but were beaten by a strong India side.
