The Pocklingtonian 2019/20 | Page 71

SPORT // GIRLS ’ HOCKEY

1st XI

P21 / W13 / D2 / L6
For the very first time the senior squad travelled south to Stamford for preseason which involved playing against Oundle , Oakham , Perse and RGS Newcastle , what has followed has been an outstanding season where every member of the squad can feel incredibly proud of their efforts , the brand of hockey on display has been breath taking and never have we scored more goals than we have this season !
Two losses to Oakham and RGS Newcastle in pre-season and two drawn games against Scarborough and Barnard Castle were soon to be overturned with powerful wins against Ashville , Hymers , Giggleswick , Worksop , St Peters and Ampleforth to name a few .
Our indoor game has developed starting with a handsome win against Hymers and then qualifying to the North finals day by beating Scarborough College and Egglescliffe . Having travelled to the Sedbergh Sports centre , Bradford our first game was against Wakefield Girls where we lost 3 - 0 , in the next game against Queens , Chester we won
5 - 4 and progressed into the semi-final against RGS Newcastle . With the score 4 - 4 at half-time and the girls very much in the game RGS just got the upper hand towards the close and Pock were unable to wrestle the advantage away from them going down 6 - 4 . This was an outstanding display by the girls , up against it having lost the first game , they fought hard to beat Queens by a single goal and then in the semi they stood toe to toe to RGS . They can be very proud of the journey they have had in the indoor competition , very well done to the whole squad .
There are many highlights to the season : the leadership of Bella Byass , the continued emergence of young players coming into the team making significant contributions and how all the senior girls have upheld the high values of truth , courage and trust that has underpinned how this group has functioned through the season .
Full Colours awarded to : B Byass , H Quinney , G Beckett , L Walster
Half Colours awarded to : R Stainforth , E Hirst , A Casselden

2nd XI

P10 / W6 / D4 / L0
The 2nd XI in any senior squad is always a very special team as it is made up of those girls who ‘ just love to play hockey .’ The first week of the season , while the sun was still shining saw an overwhelming number of quality and keen hockey players from 5th and Sixth Form turn up to training , excited for the season ahead . It soon became clear that the big personalities in the group as well as the skills on show were going to combine to carve out a great hockey season .
Our first official match of the season was against our local friends at
Scarborough College ; a classy and confident performance allowed us to come away as winners , scoring five goals and keeping a conceding clean sheet . Confidence was high as we faced Ashville before exeat and again , a strong team ethos of ‘ working for each other ’ was evident and we comfortably beat our opponents 2-0 .
The core committed squad made the long journey over to Giggleswick in early October and the wheels fell off slightly here as absences of certain players as well as ‘ bus legs ’ took over and our usual confident and upbeat mind set waned . This was to be the first loss of the season . The season progressed and we found our feet again , recording wins against Worksop , Hymers and Yarm .
Amy Jordan , Alice Howie and Eunae Charlton- Harrison have been stalwarts for the 2nd team back in defence and losing Amy to the 1st XI half way through the season was inevitable with her form and reliability in defence . Izzy Scanlon and Freya Stewart ’ s commitment to the squad and their work rate in defence and on the wing respectively have also been notable .
In the midfield , Georgia Byass worked as part of a dream duo with Maddie
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