SE CHRONICLE 684

62 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

against Abingdon and strong performances at Kimbolton and Radley. The U16As struggled for consistency but they brought out their best when it mattered. In the county tournament, they beat Radley and drew with MCS to secure their place in the Tier 3 knockout rounds. Despite missing players through injury, they beat Bradfield, Lord Wandsworth and King Edward before losing in the final to Eton on penalty flicks – two of our flicks hit the bar! The season slightly stalled after that and slow starts against Cokethorpe and Marlborough led to deficits they were unable to overturn. The 16Bs got off to a flying start with a 5-0 win against Kimbolton before encountering a strong Stowe side and not getting out of the blocks against Bloxham. Some new recruits added depth to the side, though, leading to wins against Abingdon and Cheltenham, and a draw with Bradfield. The 15As’ season was a case of what might have been and some slow starts meant they were often playing catch-up. This was the case against Stowe, Abingdon and Bradfield where strong second half performances were not quite enough to overturn deficits. An early drag flick from Ted Bowling did put them on course for a hard-fought win against Bloxham in front of a partisan away crowd watching from the balcony and, similarly, they found an earlier gear against Wellington with early goals from Ollie Rogers and Lucas Foster setting them on course for a 3-2 win. The 15Bs had a tricky season disadvantaged by the lack of hockey in Shell due to Covid against more experienced schools. The highlight of their season was a 3-1 win over Bloxham. It was a similar story for the 15Cs but a thrilling 3-3 draw against Abingdon with the home crowd acting as a 12th man was a great experience for all. The 14As had a fantastic season, falling just short of national finals qualification but ending the season as ISHL and County Champions. The first two games against Kimbolton and Bloxham showed magnificent glimpses of what was to come with some clinical finishing in front of goal but the third game against Stowe was a delight to behold, with a first half passing display that led to a 4-0 half time lead. Three wins from three meant they went into the county tournament with confidence and it showed, with a 2-0 win over arch-rivals Radley. Perhaps victims of over confidence

Hockey By Ed Ellis, Head of Hockey

After the frustration of the 2021 season due to Covid, 2022 provided an uninterrupted front row seat on a brilliant term of hockey. The girls played as a full 1st team in the Spring Term for the first time, there were exciting cup runs, we came close to success in national competitions and the U14As brought home some silverware.

Lysander Tarrant and Alex Sharman

The 1st XI, captained by William Barlow, enjoyed some terrific moments in a season that both promised and delivered. The first game of the season was a full house under lights against Abingdon in the National Championships. Roared on by the home crowd, they managed to recover from falling behind to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Archie Crawford and Charlie Ferrett. The cup run also accounted for Rugby before losing 2-0 to Prior Park in a tight affair. Wins against Kimbolton and Stowe followed before a tough run of fixtures against strong

Bradfield and Radley teams. The season was to finish on a high, though, with a pulsating win away at Marlborough and another triumph over the Martyrs. The 2nd XI was to all intents and purposes a mixed team throughout the season and they played some wonderful hockey and surprised some sides that were perhaps expecting an easy win. The performance of the season, without doubt, came against Marlborough, a 4-2 win underpinned by a goal of rare quality. There was also a feisty win