The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt (R.S.S.H.)

Please also see our Latest News page, and our Forthcoming Fixtures below.

The RSSH is one of the five major sports at Shrewsbury School and has the distinction of being the oldest cross-country club in the world, with records going back as far as 1831.  Many of the old traditions remain today, with the Captain of cross-country known as the Huntsman, his two deputies being the Senior and Junior Whips, and the younger runners being known as the Hounds.  The first person to cross the finish line in a race is said to have ‘killed’, and at the start of the school races – including the annual whole-school ‘Tucks’ run and the Inter-House Steeplechases and Paperchases – the Huntsman goes to the front of the pack and is heard to yell the encouraging command, “Any hound who intends to kill, run hard, run well, and may the devil take the hindmost”.

The club not only prides itself on its history and traditions, but also on its successes and prominence on the National cross-country scene.  Notable recent old boys include Oli Laws (competing for GB at cross-country) and Oli Mott (British Universities), and the present generation of Hunt runners are fast establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with.  Indeed, in recent years the club has swelled in numbers (with squads including close to 50 boys and girls), and soared in successes (with nine trophies won in the 2010-2011 season, and a Top 5 placing at the National Long Run at Knole Park).

Our sights are firmly set on attaining a National title in the coming years, but we also encourage runners of all abilities, priding ourselves on being a wholly welcoming and non-elitist club which pupils of all abilities and ages feel a part of.

Any forthcoming Hunt fixtures for the current term will be displayed below.