Sport magazine The Cricketer has released its schools guide for 2025 based on the facilities on offer, fixture programmes, coaching, and overall commitment to the sport.

Watford Grammar School for Boys was named as one of the top 25 state schools in the list.

Headmaster Mr Ian Cooksey. (Image: Watford Grammar School for Boys.) Merchant Taylors’, Lockers Park, Westbrook Hay School, Berkhamstead School, Bishop’s Stortford College, and Haberdashers’ Boys School, also represented Hertfordshire in the overall list.

The latest ranking is the schools guide’s 10th annual edition, supported by cricket ground equipment manufacturer Durant Sports. (view the full list here)

Editor Huw Turbervill said: “Here at The Cricketer, we’ve covered the schools’ game since our inception in 1921, as part of our commitment to follow cricket at all levels.

(Image: Watford Grammar School for Boys.) “We’re proud of this coverage, and the 10th anniversary of this guide recognises the fantastic cricket programmes that exist in school curricula up and down the country.”

In 2020, The Cricketer produced a feature on Watford Grammar School which highlighted it as a rare example of a state school able to compete in an area with particularly strong public schools.

Its report said: “What makes this a superb cricket institution, and an example to other state schools in the UK, is the passion for the game, right from the very top.”