7 minute read
Boys’ Hockey
This season was a strange one for the boys with the Covid-19 disruption. This resulted in some of our regular block fixtures being cancelled which were replaced with some internal matches, playing the year group above and beneath them. I was more than pleasantly surprised in how well the fixtures were received by everyone and the attitude in which they were played. Whilst acknowledging that the standard of our hockey continues to progress, these internal matches gave some teams a much sterner test than they would have received against our usual opposition.
1st XI It was an exciting, if disappointingly short, season for the 1st XI. Led very ably by captain Thomas Smith, there was a thrilling blend of Upper and Lower Sixth that many had been waiting to see finally have the opportunity to play together. There is no embarrassment in losing to good sides, and the mark of a good team is how they rise to the challenge; though disappointed in an early exit in the national cup at Eastbourne College, the difference was not in the quality of the teams but in an outstanding performance by their goalkeeper – nothing was going to beat him that day! To bounce back and follow that with good performances and excellent wins was testament to both the ability and work ethic of this team; that 28 players represented the 1st XI this season is perhaps a true reflection of the strength in depth at this age group. There were highlights aplenty, but perhaps back-to-back wins against strong rivals Seaford College in the national cup and our block respectively, would be up there, although arguably drawing 1-1 under floodlights in the driving rain at St. George’s College would be the grittiest performance I have witnessed yet by a Churcher’s side.
2nd XI The boys enjoyed a fantastic hockey term, under graduating captain Tom Wild. With a large and enthusiastic squad, and a full set of fixtures, the team performed excellently, employing a passing style of play with a focus on moving the ball forward quickly.
They trained hard and played hard, with notable performances including away wins at St George’s College and King Edward’s Southampton. The camaraderie, team spirit and excellent sportsmanship made coaching the team an absolute pleasure. Having won through the Hampshire Trophy county round in second place behind a strong Peter Symonds College side, the later rounds were not able to be played this year. Who knows how far the team might have progressed?
U16s The thing that sets this exceptionally talented group of boys apart is the intensity of their training. As last year’s national champions, the As were always going to have a target on their backs with many viewing us as their biggest match of the season. They were crowned County Champions on a day when we did not played our best hockey, however, we got the job done against, it must be said, inferior opposition. The National Cup was the arena where we were always going to get truly tested, shown in a particularly feisty match against St George’s College, who we had beaten on penalty strokes in last year’s national final. Pleasingly, we beat them again 2-0 in a very solid performance. The B team lost 2-0 in the same block but the Bs very much pushed St George’s and it is nice to know that we can compete with a school of that size. The B Team’s best performance of the season was against KES, looking really dangerous going forward and scoring a lovely counter attack goal that would have been worthy to win any standard of match in the 3-1 victory. As for the As, the performance of the season was the demolition of Hurstpierpoint in the National Cup. Hurst have consistently been a tough opponent but the team played the most clinical first half of school hockey I have witnessed! We were 8-0 up at half time and eased out to an 11-3 victory. The quarterfinals proved our undoing, losing 4-0 to a very disciplined Repton who in their midfield alone had two England players.
U15s The A Team continued to prove their talent, athleticism and hard work by building on their impressive regional result last year. Expanding their diversity of play as a team and ability to adapt and read phases of the game as a team and individuals, they have become a more structured and disciplined side who are a force to be reckoned with, playing an exciting brand of attacking hockey scoring 40 goals in nine matches. Their strength was noticeable, struggling at times for opposition that could fully test this talented, competitive group. Locally we cruised past PGS 9-0, Seaford College 3-0 and RGS 4-2. Disappointingly, we were edged out of the national cup by KES in agonising fashion, losing 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at full time! We were not at our best but we secured revenge defeating the same team 2-0 later in the season, the boys really learnt from this experience and are a better side as a result. Meanwhile, the B Team enjoyed an extremely competitive and successful season; regularly turning out 16 players for each game such was the demand and the high numbers attending training. All players were hard-working, enthusiastic, and always keen to improve their skills. They had excellent victories against Ardingly (4-0), Seaford College (4-0) and PGS (3-0) with a hard-fought draw against KES (1-1), but the most pleasing aspect was the unity and enthusiasm of all the squad.
U14s This year has been a real turning point for the U14s as a hockey team and we are starting to see the solid foundations of a team that can not only play expansive 11-a-side hockey, but one that is focussed in training and determined to do well. There are some natural leaders beginning to take charge of the team and, as they lead by example, the other boys are starting to adapt. We have regularly had more than 40 boys at training and have easily been able to field a C Team on multiple occasions. This will only help the squad to improve as competition for places is keenly fought over.
U13s The U13 boys have had a terrific season where every game has been a goal fest! All four teams scored some wonderful team goals and many times the opposition umpire put down his whistle and applauded our style of play. Overhead passes from one ‘D’ to the other volleyed in were certainly nice to behold but the most pleasing for me were the times that every player showed the hunger to touch the ball and simply passed the ball into the net around the goalie. The boys proved far too strong for nearly all opponents and so our focus was on learning to press the ball properly, improve our movement off the ball and have the confidence to play the ball around the back of our defence. This vastly improved as the season progressed and they are in a great position to move onto 11-a-side. Unfortunately, they did come unstuck against Whitgift in the quarter final of the National Cup, despite being the better side in the first half, chances were wasted and injuries took their toll and the opposition left with a scoreline that flattered them. U12s This U12 squad was arguably one of the most talented year groups that I have ever had the pleasure of working with at Churcher’s. I have been so impressed by how much depth there was within the year group, with so many boys who put their hands up to play that it made selecting teams very difficult. In total, 18 boys represented the A Team and there could easily have been more!
