Hills Road shines at AoC Sport National Championships 2025

Students from Hills Road Sixth Form College delivered standout performances at the AoC Sport National Championships 2025, held from 4–6 April at the University of Nottingham and surrounding venues.

Now in its 45th year, the event is the largest annual further education student sporting competition in Europe, bringing together over 1,300 participants from across the country.

Student athletes from Hills Road proudly represented both their college and the East Region in five disciplines: badminton, cricket, cross country, table tennis and women's basketball.

Badminton

Team gains valuable experience on National Stage

Hills Road athletes made up six of the eight players in the East Region badminton squad: Max Xue, Zach Chung, Boaz Au, Caitlyn Bonnyface, Carolyn Kuang, and Alisha Burrows.

The team began with a 3–2 win over East Midlands, followed by a narrow 3–2 defeat to North West. Later rounds saw challenging matches, with losses to South East (4–1) and Yorkshire and Humber (5–0). Despite tough opposition, the Hills players gained crucial experience and represented their region with pride.

Cricket

Hills takes Silver for East Region

The Hills Road cricket team, representing the East Region, enjoyed an unbeaten run to the final, combining tactical awareness with sharp execution. Though a flurry of quick wickets in the final match shifted momentum, the team’s earlier dominance secured them a well-deserved silver medal.

Team: Oran Walker (C), Toby Weston (VC), Alex James, Nawfal Durranu, Aarnavh Trivedi, Bobby Clifford Barleyman East, Arnav Madan.

Cross Country

Cerys Bithell & Bill Crowther

Hills Road runners competed strongly in the endurance event, with Cerys Bithell claiming an impressive third place with a swift 5km time of 20:18. Bill Crowther also put in a solid performance, completing the course in 23:37.

Table Tennis

Rachel Li & Ray Ong

Rachel Li delivered a standout performance in table tennis, securing silver medals in both the individual and team events. Winning eight of her nine matches, Rachel only fell short against the tournament's top seed in the final. A highlight came when she staged a thrilling comeback to defeat the second seed from Yorkshire and Humber 2–1, showcasing her tactical skill and composure under pressure.

Ray Ong also competed valiantly in the group stages, finishing 8th in a strong Group A. His top moment was a well-earned win against the eventual 4th-place finisher from the West Midlands.

Women’s Basketball

Battle to fantastic Fifth Place Finish

The Women’s Basketball team faced a tough field over the weekend, but showed grit and progress throughout the tournament.

Day one saw them narrowly defeated by the eventual champions, losing by just four points in a tightly contested match. Undeterred, the squad bounced back with a commanding double-points victory over London.

On day two, they displayed composure and determination in a nail-biting encounter against the South East, eventually pulling away in the final quarter to secure a five-point win. Their strong finish earned them a commendable 5th place overall.

Squad: Annika Gu, Daisy Hatfield, Grace Lamb (C), Paloma Bacon-Perez, Sofia Olanrewaju, Maria Amojo, Carolyn Liu, Chioma Okoye