BOYS’ HOCKEY 2ND XI
2nd XI
stream of attacks on goal from both sides. BG’s defensive line - James Eggleston, William Brodie, Ned Mitchell, Sam Wright and Luke de Waal, proved a force to be reckoned with for much of the half but Trent were strong enough to find a winner.
Returning to my former Prep school five years on, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to join Game 1 and coach the 2nd XI alongside PJN. The weather proved to be a constant menace during the season, with several matches cancelled due to frozen pitches, but, despite this, the 2nd XI had a pleasingly successful season. The boys had a stroke of bad luck to start the season off, venturing over to play a formidable Formarke Hall team. The first half brought a stalemate but, after the break, a cleverly crafted through ball gave Harry Kesterton the opportunity to open the 2nd XI’s account and he did so, comfortably working the ball around the keeper’s legs. Much of the remaining 25 minutes was reminiscent of the first half, a hard fought contest with Will Sturrock and our Captain, Jacob Hardy-King, leading the barrage of attacks on the Formarke defence. With 10 minutes to go, an unfortunate bobble of the ball allowed Formarke to collect the equaliser and their winner came moments later. We were then visited by an old rival, Winchester House, and the boys took to the grass rather than the more usual, smooth astro turf surface. This seemed a daunting task for both sides but the BG boys confidently rose to the challenge. An early chance for Luke de Waal was neatly tucked between the keeper’s legs to send BG into the lead. The game quickly became an exciting, end-to-end affair with attacks on goal being relentlessly exchanged throughout the first half. Lucas Ribas, a secondhalf substitute, deserved particular praise for his performance that day. He was devastatingly skilful in attack and individually scuppered the Winchester defence, time after time. The second twenty five minutes was spent mostly in the BG half as Winchester drove forward in an attempt to equalise… James Eggleston had other plans, confidently saving all of their attempts until the final whistle.
An early goal from Will Sturrock against Bedford opened up the 2nd XI’s account. The early lead boosted the boys’ confidence on the ball and there were particularly remarkable slalom runs from Carlos Ribas who tore the Bedford defence apart. Goals from Will Manners, Lucas Ribas and Jacob Hardy-King put BG four up and well on the way to a comfortable win. Joe Anderson used his incredible pace down the right, leaving the Bedford boys in his wake. Bedford’s second goal was matched by a fifth from BG and we ran out as comfortable winners. At Spratton Hall, the defence of Sam Wright, Ned Mitchell, Thomas Hardman and Elian Malkin had their best game to date, proving to be a solid and formidable line that was rarely broken. Spratton, however, did have chances which were modestly brushed away by the mits and pads of Alexey Kapustin. BG’s patience was rewarded with a cracking goal from Jacob Hardy-King off a late penalty corner and victory was secured. BG’s final match of the term was a difficult fixture against the Dragon, who proved to be the better side throughout the match. Several players fought hard but a special mention goes to Alexey Kapustin in goal who, despite the 5 goals that went past him, made three or four times as many saves. It proved a challenging season for the 2nd XI with some terrific wins and some unfortunate losses. However, all the boys played and trained with the right attitude and a determination to perform at their best. It was a pleasure to have been their coach, alongside Mr Nicholson, and I hope they add to their successes next season. Results:
A difficult third match of the season saw BG lose out to a strong Trent College side. Harry Kesterton levelled the scores in the first half but the second half brought a hard struggle for possession, resulting in a steady
HJ Carr (OB 2001-2006)
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