HOCKEY BOYS 1ST XI

Squad

Captain: H. Stone (N)

C. Buffin (S), J. Butler (N), X. Cordero (L)

S. Cossey (L), O. Ewart-White (N), G. Fletcher (N), L. Frankhof (N), L. Fusch (C), H. Geutjens (N), T. Javaid (S), N. Kempe (L), S. Kempton-Parkes (L), S. Rollett (C), W. Roy (C), N. Salsby (P), J. Sookias (S)

Also played: F. Browne (P), T. Kim, A. Millard (P), J. Mulholland-Wells (P), W. Tarrant (C), Z. Wedgwood (S)

The boys 1st XI squad kicked off their year with an unforgettable pre-season trip to South America, through Chile and Argentina. There were so many highlights both on and off the field, with memorable experiences at Iguazu Falls, the Tango Show in Buenos Aires, and a barbeque at the Gaucho Ranch which included another stunning show. The hockey was also a superb opportunity to test ourselves against U18 and U21 teams in both countries and some exceptionally high-level fixtures.

Pre-season was the ideal opportunity to assess a larger group of players prior to the start of the Michaelmas Term and the early group stages of the National Tier 1 Championship against Oakham, Norwich, Solihull and Denstone.

Towards the end of Michaelmas indoor hockey became the focus, with the team winning the Midlands Regional Qualifier to progress through to the National Finals at Whitgift in early January. We performed well throughout but came up short to Whitgift, losing 5-4 in the Final. However, the team must be complimented for the dignified manner in which they handled this massive disappointment.

South America Tour

School

In Lent the team really started to take shape, with various structural elements and playing shapes becoming established. This was critical as we headed into the last group match against a very strong Ipswich team, and victory here gave us the opportunity to top our group and therefore be seeded in a home Quarter-Final against Taunton. Whilst a win secured our Semi-Final spot in the National Tier 1 Championships late in March 2023, we once again found ourselves up against Whitgift, losing 0-3. The team dusted themselves off to put in a stellar display against Peter Symonds to take bronze.

The Independent Schools Hockey Cup (ISHC) always allows us the opportunity to give developing players match time and invaluable experience and, with victories over Kimbolton, Yarm and Denstone, we qualified for the ISHC Finals Day at Nottingham Hockey Centre. The ISHC Semi-Final against Whitgift was another high-quality schoolboy hockey match and after a 2-2 draw we progressed on penalty flicks to set up a final against St George’s, Weybridge. This proved to be a tense encounter as both teams vied for their first-ever ISHC title. But we showed a huge amount of resolve to eventually win 4-3 and thereby claim the ISHC.