Our 1st XI hockey team had a busy couple of weeks before half term, playing in 15 matches at four tournaments and racking up around 450 miles on the coach!
The season began with the Schools Super 6s Championships, held at the home of Canterbury Hockey Club. Our newly formed squad of seven put up an admirable fight against some well established teams in a round-robin tournament. The team achieved solid wins in their first two matches against Kent College 2-0 (Allen x 2) and Kings School Canterbury 5-1 (Allen x 4, Wright) but unfortunately lost against Sevenoaks School 1-3 (Allen) and last year’s champions St Lawrence College 1-5 (Carr). Their final match against Cranbrook ended with a 3-2 victory (Allen x 2, Carr 1), finishing the day on a high.
Well done to Charlotte, Louise and Millicent who joined the indoor team this year alongside Jemma, Rita, Sofia and team captain Amelie.
The following week the team travelled to Sevenoaks for the Kent County Cup Championships. Two pools of four teams played in the sunshine on Sevenoaks School pitches in Solefields Lane. A win in their opening match against Beneden School 1-0 (Allen) gave them some confidence and a chance to learn about playing together as a new team. They finished second overall in their group after a 3-1 (Carr) win against Kings School Canterbury, a 2-2 (Allen, Carr) draw against St Edmunds School, a 1-0 (Allen) win against the Duke of York Royal Military School, Dover and a 0-1 loss to Sevenoaks School who reached the finals.
“After the success of last year’s 1st IX, it was always going to be hard to replicate their accomplishments given the vast change to the playing squad but we definitely rose to the challenge and the newer members slotted in well.”Amelie,1st XI Hockey Captain
The following afternoon, they team competed in the GDST Trust Rally Regionals in Purley, winning against Streatham & Clapham High and Croydon High and qualifying for the Trust Rally Finals. Despite a 3-0 win (Wright) against Newcastle High in the GDST Trust Rally Finals, they narrowly missed out on a place in the final after a 0-0 draw against Royal High School Bath and Wimbledon High.
The whole team played with tenacity and determination during a very busy two weeks. We wish them the best of luck for the next two friendly games of the season in the coming weeks.
