Sticking with it: Hockey
The 2 nd XI had a memorable season, managing to remain undefeated after seven games before finally losing in a 1-0 thriller against Alleyn’s. The team produced some excellent performances and managed wins against Lingfield College, St Dunstan’s, UCS and KCS Wimbledon. Hopefully many of this squad will look to push for a 1 st XI spot next year. The team saved their best hockey of the year for the biggest stage The 1 st XI had an amazing year, culminating in a third-place finish at the national finals. After a slow start, the team quickly found their groove and produced a fantastic performance to beat KCS Wimbledon 3–0. This improved confidence within the team that they could compete well and gain some positive results. The county tournament followed and — despite a nail-biting finish against Aldenham, which was effectively a winner-takes-all — the team stepped up to the challenge and qualified for national finals. Emphatic wins against Bancroft’s, Royal Russell and John Lyon meant only a draw was required to qualify against Aldenham — and despite some nervy moments, the match finished 0-0. The St George’s Sixes followed and this prestigious tournament is always a highlight of the year for both boys and staff. The team played excellently throughout the day and headed into the last game against Kingston Grammar needing a win to progress. A fast start against one of the strongest schools in the country put the team 1–0 up, but tired legs meant Kingston were able to find some openings in the second half and the boys could not hang on to get the result needed. The national finals were always going to provide a tough test, but the team stuck together and saved their best hockey of the year for the biggest stage. The group phase saw wins against Hitchin and Prior Park, with a loss against Portsmouth Gram- mar sandwiched in-between, despite only boys dominating the game. This meant a 2 nd place finish in the group and a fi- nal match of the season in the 3 rd /4 th playoff against Sandbach. This was always going to be a tough game against a team with some strong players and a couple of junior internationals. The sheer determination and courage of the team for 30 minutes was immense and both Mr King and myself could not have been prouder at the final whistle. Two well-taken goals from short corners early on gave the team a lead to protect and that they did, defending with what little energy they had left after a gruelling day to end the year with a bronze medal. This season’s award winners were Jack Irwin (Outstanding Player of the Year), Ethan Patel (Clubman of the Year), Barnaby Taylor (Goal of the Season), and Mr King (Coach of the Year). ◎
H ockey in the Junior School continues to grow, with more than 50 pupils across Years 5 and 6 regularly attending the co- curricular club throughout the first two terms. In addition, more than 50 pupils from Years 3 and 4 have also attended their weekly co-curricular Hockey club. Our U10A and U10B teams enjoyed fixtures against Royal Russell, Alleyn’s and Tulse Hill & Dulwich Phoenix. The As also participated in the U10 London Cup, scoring 14 goals in four matches. The U11B team had a very successful season winning against Alleyn’s, Royal Russell and Trinity, scoring 16 goals in the process and conceding only four. The U11A team qualified for the IAPS finals and finished 13th in the country out of 141 schools. The U12A and U13A squads both enjoyed a great deal of success this season, successfully navigating the County Cup rounds and qualifying for the London region finals. Both teams performed well at the regionals, but will hope to improve on the 5th and 4th place finishes next year. There is a lot of talent in both squads and it is exciting to think about what they can achieve over the next few years. Arguably even more encouraging than the A team success has been the positive results of both the U12B and U13B teams. Both squads have put together impressive seasons and scored plenty of goals, showing a real strength in depth across both age groups. The U13B in particular had an amazing year, winning six out of eight matches and scoring a very impressive 39 goals, while conceding only nine. The U12C and U13C did brilliantly in the few fixtures they played and
again reinforced the strength in depth across both year groups. Whilst results did not go the way of the U14A and U15A squads, both teams showed excellent resilience and perseverance, consistently attend- ing co-curricular training and improving as the season went on. Technical skills have developed significantly and I have no doubt that both squads will continue to improve and see more positive results in future years. The U16A team had some tough weekly fixtures and competed well against strong opposition in Alleyn’s and Eltham College. This provided great preparation for their county competition, where the team were able to over- come Bancroft’s, Royal Russell and UCS to qualify for the national finals. The standard of hockey at the finals was very high and the pupils involved will have learned a huge amount, which they will be able to take into the senior teams.
by Calum Basey, Head of Hockey
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THE ALLEYNIAN 713
SPORTS
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