Hockey ( CONTINUED )
Our coach this season was the one and only Mr Drury , so already we were one step ahead of the game . The first challenge we faced together was the county tournament where we came across a few very good teams . We made it through to the final against Weald , ( reigning national champions ) so it was going to be close . With Summer scoring her second penalty , Liv made a phenomenal save and crowned us Kent champions ! The first round of regionals after a road trip to Bedford was a hard-fought day on the pitch , but our resilience took us through , in second place , to regional finals .
This year the U16 team adapted well with new members and regular challenges , in which we always put up a good fight . Winning five matches and drawing two , we actually played some of our best team hockey in the matches that we lost . We always worked hard and when under pressure , never gave up . We analysed our mistakes and grew in confidence to work together and weave the ball up – celebrating some excellent goals scored with our friends .
It was great to defend our Tier Three national title , but it was always going to be tough , with four players taken to the 1st team , and therefore unable to play in our competition . It was exciting to go away together for the night and we got off to a great start , winning 5-1 against Moreton Hall . A classy individual goal gave Cundall Manor victory in game two , and a lapse in concentration saw Cokethorpe steal a 1-0 win in game three . However , there was still an outside chance for third place overall as we went into the final game ; a tight affair finished as a draw and we took third place in the pool and plenty of pride . It was a great day of hockey with so many memories created .
Isabella Osborne , U16A Captain , Year 11
Every tiny moment at regional finals would count towards our chance of making it to national finals again . A tense 0-0 against Perse was followed by a jubilant 2-1 over Weald . With tiredness taking a toll , we ran out 0-1 to Framlingham and just missed out on qualifying for nationals . Although we didn ’ t get the result we wanted that day , our teamwork only grew stronger and this was shown throughout the rest of the season as we only lost three matches out of 18 , and scored 78 goals .
Esther Adcock , U15A Captain , Year 9
BOYS
Whilst coming to an unfinished and abrupt end , the 1st XI Boys had enjoyed a number of fine matches this season as new players joined the squad . We also had , on occasion , a few players from Years 9 and 10 , so it has been great to build the team play and understanding . Despite missing out on our last few matches , we did enjoy scoring a good number of goals in our matches against Worth , Tonbridge , Lingfield and Judd – our only loss was against Tonbridge 2nd XI , although we put up a great fight . We had a lively atmosphere and team spirit and it was great to train and play together – we are already looking forward to next season and building on our progress this year .
George Fisher , 1st XI Captain , Lower Sixth
92 SPORT REVIEW