Editing Eton College (section)

=== Sports ===
[[File:Wallgame ethon 2005.jpg|thumb|right|Boys participate in the [[Eton wall game]], 2005]]

Sport is a feature of Eton; which has nearly 200 acres of playing fields and amenity land.<ref>Patrick Bond and Peter Brown, ''Rating Valuation: Principles and Practice'' (3rd edition, 2014 Routledge, London and New York), at [https://books.google.com/books?id=cD_XAwAAQBAJ&dq=land+acres+%22eton+college%22+%22playing+fields%22&pg=PA271 page 271]</ref> The names of the playing fields include Agar's Plough, Dutchman's, Upper Club, Lower Club, Sixpenny/The Field, and Mesopotamia (situated between two streams and often shortened to "Mespots").

* During the Michaelmas Half, the sport curriculum is dominated by [[soccer|football]] (called ''Association'') and [[rugby union]], with some rowing for a smaller number of boys.
* During the Lent Half it is dominated by the [[Eton Field Game|field game]], a [[code of football]], but this is unique to Eton and cannot be played against other schools. However, using strategies from the field game, the Eton football team ([[Old Etonians F.C.]]) reached the finals of the [[FA Cup]] 6 times, [[List of FA Cup finals|winning twice]] in 1879 and 1882. During this half, Collegers also play the [[Eton wall game]]; this game received national publicity when it was taken up by [[Prince Harry]]. Aided by [[AstroTurf]] facilities on Masters' field, [[field hockey]] has become a major Lent Half sport along with [[Rugby 7's]]. Elite [[Rowing (sport)|rowers]] prepare for the [[Schools' Head of the River Race]] in late March.
* During the Summer Half, sporting boys divide into ''dry bobs'', who play cricket, tennis or [[sport of athletics|athletics]], and ''wet bobs'', who row on the River Thames and the rowing lake in preparation for [[The National Schools Regatta]] and the [[Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup]] at [[Henley Royal Regatta]].

The [[Dorney Lake|rowing lake at Dorney]] was developed and is owned by the college. It was the venue for the [[Sport rowing|rowing]] and [[Canoeing at the 2012 Summer Olympics|canoeing]] events at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] and the World Junior Rowing Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dorneylake.com/ |title=Welcome to Dorney Lake |publisher=Dorneylake.com |access-date=3 September 2011}}</ref> The [[Eton v Harrow|annual cricket match]] against [[Harrow School|Harrow]] at [[Lord's Cricket Ground]] is the oldest fixture of the cricketing calendar, having been played there since 1805. A staple of the London society calendar since the 1800s,<ref name="world and its people">{{cite book |last=Dunton |first=Larkin |location=Boston, MA |title=The World and Its People |url=https://archive.org/details/worldanditspeop05duntgoog |publisher=Silver, Burdett|oclc=4352850 |year=1896 |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldanditspeop05duntgoog/page/n49 41]}}</ref> in 1914, its importance was such that over 38,000 people attended the two days' play, and in 1910 [[Fowler's match|the match]] made national headlines<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://content-www.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/143944.html 
|title=Fowler's match, 1910
|publisher=ESPN Cricinfo
|access-date=3 September 2011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1910S/1910/ENG_LOCAL/OTHER/ETON_HARROW_08-09JUL1910.html |title=Eton & Harrow match scorecard 1910 |publisher=Cricinfo.com |access-date=3 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080810223339/http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1910S/1910/ENG_LOCAL/OTHER/ETON_HARROW_08-09JUL1910.html |archive-date=10 August 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but interest has since declined considerably, and the match is now a one-day [[limited overs]] contest. In the 2024 match, Harrow were the victors.

In 1815, Eton College documented its football rules, the first football code to be written down anywhere in the world.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of British Football|author=Cox, Richard W. |author2=Russell, Dave |author3=Vamplew, Wray|publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7146-5249-8|page=243|location=London}}</ref> Eton Match was the annual cricket match between Eton and [[Winchester College|Winchester]] held at each school alternately. First played in 1826, it was originally just the cricket match, held over two days, with a dinner or concert or dance on one of the evenings. Eton Match, as such, ceased to exist by 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Forster |first1=S. |title=The Evolution of Winchester Match |url=https://www.winchestercollege.org/stories/the-evolution-of-winchester-match |access-date=9 July 2023 |quote=Eton Match was the annual cricket match between Eton and Winchester held at each school alternately. It was originally just the cricket match, held over two days, with a dinner or concert or dance on one of the evenings...The first cricket match between Eton and Winchester was played in 1826. Matches were played over two days and hosted alternately by Winchester ...In 2001, the name changed – Eton Match became Winchester Day. Wykeham Day started in 1996 and was held in September as an open day for OWs.}}</ref>

There is a running track at the Thames Valley Athletics Centre and an annual [[steeplechase (athletics)|steeplechase]]. The running track was controversial as it was purchased with a £3m [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] grant with the school getting full daytime use of the facilities in exchange for £200k and {{Convert|4.5|acre|hectare}} of land. The bursar claimed that Windsor, Slough and Eton Athletic club was "deprived" because it did not have a world-class running track and facilities for training and the [[Sports Council]] agreed, saying the whole community would benefit. However Steve Osborn, director of the Safe Neighbourhoods Unit, described the decision as "staggering" given substantial reduction in youth services by councils across the country.<ref name=indy>{{cite news |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pounds-3m-lottery-cash-for-eton-sports-centre-1595502.html |title=£3m lottery cash for Eton sports centre: Top school gets exclusive deal |work=The Independent |location= London |first=Danny |last=Penman |date=10 August 1995 |access-date=2 August 2010}}</ref> The facility which became the Thames Valley Athletics Centre opened in April 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.runtrackdir.com/details.asp?track=eton |title= Eton: Thames Valley Athletics Centre |access-date=18 July 2020}}</ref>

Eton's [[Rifle shooting|Shooting VIII]] competed in the [[Ashburton Shield]] for many decades against the other major [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public schools]]. In July 1935, the "Public School Rivalry" was reported thus: "[[Charterhouse School|Charterhouse]], [[Harrow School|Harrow]], [[Winchester College|Winchester]], Eton, [[Rugby College|Rugby]] and [[Clifton College|Clifton]], all previous winners, were determined to add to their laurels" in the competition. Eton reportedly drew with Charterhouse and beat Clifton in the July 1939 competition held at [[National Shooting Centre|Bisley]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Public School Rivalry |url= https://www.genesreunited.com.au/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=eton%20%20%20clifton%20ashburton&from=1933&to=1940 |access-date=20 August 2023 |work=Shields Daily Gazette |location=South Shields |date=11 July 1935 |quote= famous schools in Great Britain competed at Bisley today for the Ashburton shield — the blue ribbon of the shooting world for schoolboys. Charterhouse, Harrow, Winchester, Eton, Rugby and Clifton, all previous winners, were determined to add to their laurels...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ashburton Trophy |url= https://www.genesreunited.com.au/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=eton%20%20%20clifton%20ashburton&from=1937&to=1940 |access-date=20 August 2023 |work=Birmingham Daily Post |date=14 July 1939 |quote= Half-way through the 500 yards shoot Winchester were two points up on King's, but they tailed off badly in the second half. The next best were: Tonbridge, 473; Winchester, 472; Eton and Charterhouse, 469; Glasgow Academy, 468; City of London, 467; Highgate and Leys, 463; Sherborne, 462; Edinburgh Academy, Clifton [College] and Imperial Service College, 460; Harrow, 458;}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Lincolnshire Echo |location= Lincoln |date=13 July 1939 |title= SCHOOLBOYS AT BISLEY |quote=Public schoolboys invaded the ranges at Bisley to-day to compete for the Ashburton Day Shield.}}</ref> As with the other schools, Eton's [[cadet corps]] sent a team of eight men – the Shooting VIII – to compete annually at Bisley.<ref>{{cite news |title=News In A Nutshell – Short Summary: The English public schools rifle competition – Description: Bisley, Surrey |url=https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/42406/ |access-date=21 August 2023 |publisher=British Pathe |date=15 July 1935}}</ref>

Among the other sports played at Eton is [[Eton Fives]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Eton Fives – Oxford University Sport |url=https://www.sport.ox.ac.uk/eton-fives |publisher=University of Oxford |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref>