THE DOLPHIN SPORT - GIRLS’ HOCKEY
Girls’ Hockey Despite the restrictions and uncertainty surrounding school sport, it was fantastic for the girls to be able to play some inter-school fixtures and have some semblance of a hockey season. Under the circumstances, the senior girls managed to enjoy a productive pre-season at school with two days of intense and high-quality training. What stood out in particular was the energy and enthusiasm demonstrated by the girls as they were clearly delighted to be back on a hockey pitch. With some schools deciding not to play interschool fixtures, the whole programme was amended, and I was very pleased that we still managed to find schools were also willing to play, albeit with a reduced number of teams. The first weekend saw the girls line up against Warminster School and with the emphasis on enjoyment and making the most of being out on the pitch together again, there were some fantastic team
The 1st XI were comprehensive winners as some very exciting attacking play resulted in some excellent goals being scored. The movement of Jasmine Spilsbury, Kitty Walker, Anya Evans and Georgina Woods in the front line was difficult for Warminster to deal with and the energy that Julia Schedl, Sophie Gould and Marcia Kennard showed from midfield was impossible for Warminster to compete with. The U15As enjoyed a frustrating draw as they simply could not make their dominance count against a gritty and hardworking opposition. Despite the best efforts of Skyla Cannon, Honey Halperin and Mimi James, the ball simply would not go in and although Anouska Loveridge and Ellie Duval in the King's midfield controlled proceedings, it was a very scrappy affair. Finally,
playing
in
their
first
ever fixture for King's, the U14s enjoyed a comfortable victory as they demonstrated some of their huge potential. With so many exciting attacking options available through Lilah Bird, Harriet Vallings, Emily Weeks, Anna Ingvaldson and Araminta Wakelin and the solid defensive platform of Lucy Duval, Sophie Coverdale and Florence Wood, Warminster found it difficult to cope despite having some talented players of their own. With the same three teams in action versus Marlborough College, in what was a very difficult fixture, there were some hugely encouraging performances. The 1st XI battled their way to a 1-0 away victory with some excellent attacking play from Julia Schedl and Marcia Kennard whilst the defence of Davina Ellis, Millie Venner-Coombes, Isca Bird, Katie Wootton and captain Pip Venner-Coombes held firm and produced some outstanding last-ditch
Julia Schedl
Harriet Vallings & Araminta Wakelin
Sophie Coverdale
Poppy Agabani
Marcia Kennard
Emily Weeks
Winnie Dawes
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and individual performances.
Alexina Andrew, Winnie Dawes & Coralie Smith
