Boys’ Hockey

U14a

The transition from 7-a-side to 11-a-side can be tricky, but not for the U14A team. Strangely enough, the game of the season was their first, against Queen’s, Taunton. The game was a competitive end-to-end thriller that finished 3-3. The distribution from the back four, in particular Eddy Muggridge and Mac Isaacs, was very impressive. Unfortunately this game also marked the start of our injury-plagued season and the last time the boys played as a full-strength squad. We lost five players due to injury, which led to a few disjointed performances, but on a positive note it enabled a wider squad to experience a variety of positions and also included a handful of talented Prep School pupils. Three wins against Malvern, Bromsgrove and KES Bath were great team performances with key goals coming from Mac Isaacs, Rhys Baker and Nathaniel Phillips in each game. Losing to Kingswood and Taunton by one goal was a great learning experience as the team had a few chances to win both games with lots of lessons learnt. On the whole, this was a solid season with a very talented bunch of boys with a bright future ahead of them.

Stuart Loughrey

U14b

There was a point somewhere at the start of the Lent Term when it looked unlikely that we would be able to field a competitive 11 hockey players for the B team. As it turned out, that fear was never realised. Often we look to measure success through the eyes of wins and losses. However, this method is incredibly crude and fails to take into account some much greater attributes that come from taking part in team sports. It is against these metrics that this team should be measured. The nature of the team meant that there was a huge variety of experience and skill sets. Five of the players had never picked up a hockey stick before and a number had some excellent and instinctive playing ability. To put them in a team should be a tricky square to circle and yet due to the excellent individual attitudes, players of all standards played and learnt together. As a result, not only did the team improve the quality of their game stratospherically but they enjoyed their time together. Most importantly, they learnt about themselves and their character. For that, I was immeasurably proud to stand on the sideline with them. Of the seven games played, we drew two. The 2-2 draw against a decent Taunton School side was a season highlight, a thriller of a game that went to the wire in the final moments of the match.

My thanks go to Matthew Lane, Ben McKinlay and Archie Johnson, who as senior players showed not only great skill, but helped nurture less experienced players. Their patience, leadership and positive attitude was commendable. Thank you also to the less experienced players who showed unwavering determination to improve and enjoy training and competing while representing the College. I hope you all continue to enjoy the game. Thank you also to Harry and Fraser for their support, encouragement and coaching.

Ben Bates