Chronicle Spring 2022

50 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Hockey By Jamie Davies, Head of Hockey

recent times for the girls’ 1 st XI. Having dominated against Lord Wandsworth, they found themselves 2-0 down but showed great resilience to score twice in the last 2 minutes. The following week another thrilling 2-2 draw against Great Marlow saw the result decided on flicks, with Anna West scoring the decisive flick. That triumph meant an away day at The Perse in Cambridge and despite a physical contest that saw goal line clearances, a disallowed goal and the frame of the goal tested more than once, it went to flicks again, and this time it was our turn to taste defeat. The 2 nd XI and 3 rd XI demonstrated the strength in depth at the top end of the School. They only lost one game apiece, with the 3 rd XI unbeaten until the final game of the season. What struck me most was the sense of camaraderie and team spirit within each group. This was most notable for the 2 nd XI when they won the County Tournament and for the 3 rd XI as the season headed towards its denouement. The 4 th XI also had a strong season with 5 wins from 7 games, the highlights being a 7-0 win against Bloxham and a 4-0 win against Stowe and hat tricks scored by Eloise Firth and Holly Hunter. While results for the 5 th and 6 th XI did not quite go their way the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the girls throughout the season were remarkable. The U16As played some tough opposition with narrow defeats to Stowe and Cheltenham, and hard-fought draws against Bradfield and Bloxham. They did manage to beat two Senior 1 st XIs, Downe House and Cranford House, and can take much credit from their performances throughout. The U16Bs had a symmetrical season, winning three, drawing one and losing three. On what is a competitive circuit, they had great games against Cokethorpe, Lord Wandsworth and Stowe. The highlight of the 16C team’s season had to be the thrilling 4-4 draw at home against Marlborough which saw a last- minute equaliser send the visitors home disappointed. The U15s enjoyed their first full season of hockey at St Edward’s after last year’s disruption and there were many reasons to celebrate. The 15As won the Lord Wandsworth 7s tournament midway through the term and that was book-ended

Molly Spencer and Lucy Hanslip at the Olympic Park in September

The Autumn Term was another action- packed season for girls’ hockey at Teddies. In total there were 137 games played and for the first time ever, 15 teams played for the School. It was great to see the U16Cs and 5 th and 6 th XI playing competitive games against other schools alongside impressive cup and tournament performances from the A teams; performance and participation really can go hand in hand. The season began with the 1 st XI playing Haileybury at the Olympic Park – a big crowd, lights, walking down the tunnel

– it had all the hallmarks of a professional game. The opposition proved to be too strong on the night but the performance was to a high standard and it set the tone for the term to come. Wins followed against St Mary’s, Kimbolton and Pangbourne, with Anna West scoring all five goals against the latter. Covid had an impact on Tier 2 and County Cup games, but the girls produced an accomplished performance to beat MCS and proceed to the next round of the Tier 3 School Championships. There followed some of the most exciting games seen in