Interview

We ask our current girl’s first eleven team captain Harriet Miller, how Hurst has shaped her hockey career.

what is your first memory of hockey at Hurst?

My first memory of hockey at Hurst is a game we played in prep school, as we were starting to learn how to hit the ball, we would stand on the base line and see who could hit it the furthest and I remember being so amazed as a girl in the year above managed to hit the ball all the way to the other side of the pitch. At the time that seemed a very big distance so I made it my challenge for the next year.

why do you think Hurst’s girls want to play hockey ?

I think the environment we have for girls hockey is what most people enjoy, the ability to both play a sport at a high level but also have time with friends to bond over a shared interest.

why do lots of the girls play for a club side?

Playing with a local side introduces the players to a different style of hockey as you are usually playing with slightly older people so the dynamics of the game are different. I think a lot of the girls find this beneficial as it develops different skills which they can then incorporate back into school hockey. what is your greatest hockey achievement to date?

I would say being 1st team captain is my greatest achievement so far as it is something I have always aspired to be and a person I looked up to in younger years, so to be given this leadership role is something I am proud of. But another big achievement was winning IAPs in year 7 as that was the first big tournament we won as a team so I will always remember that one.

How does hockey fit in with your future plans?

I hope to play hockey at university next year and it was something that I took into consideration when applying, but beyond that I am looking to continue playing past university through to club hockey.

Facilities

Hurst’s facilities for hockey are second to none, boasting 3 Tiger Turf all weather pitches, a warm up area and an indoor court. Allowing us to play, train and coach over 1,200 pupils every week. The set up at Hurst hasn’t gone unoticed and Sussex Hockey now hold all of their age group training and matches on the site.

TIGER TURF EVO PRO FIH Standard pitches provide Hurst with top quality surfaces which allow students to improve their game on a surface that plays more like and expensive water based pitch rather than a sand dressed one.