Chronicle Summer 2023

57 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Hockey By Head of Hockey, Ed Ellis Autumn Term 2022

The senior section of the Club had a very busy, but successful term of hockey. The hard work shown in previous terms to prepare was evident within their performances. The 1st XI started the season with a Friday Night Lights game against Haileybury at the Olympic Park – despite the result, it was an amazing experience for the pupils involved. The girls bounced back from a tough start to the season with a streak of ten unbeaten matches and a huge win against a strong Uppingham 1st XI. Their cup run to the Tier 3 National Quarter Final came through victories against Beaconsfield High, Wycombe High, Bloxham and Bancrofts. A close 2-1 lost against Great Marlow, the eventual National Champions ended a successful run. The team came a long way from the start of the term and the effort and dedication shown was highlighted within the results. Many congratulations to Alice Spencer (1st st XI Captain), Lucy Hanslip, Lucy Peperell, Millie Giles and Florence Spackman who were all awarded their colours. Millie Giles also made her Premier League debut, representing the Buckingham 1st XI. The 2nd XI had a very successful season – their first victory was a comfortable 4-1 against Pangbourne. In the following weeks, they continued to improve as both individuals and as a team. Victories against Cheltenham Ladies’ (3-0), Bloxham (1-0) and Tudor Hall (4-0) followed. The team finished second in the annual County Cup, with a strong St Helen and Katharine side finishing first. The season ended with 10 wins, the number of short corners scored being a key highlight of the team’s goal scoring prowess. The 3rd d XI had a similarly successful year, starting the season with a winning streak of five matches. The season concluded with some tough losses, but the team managed to remain optimistic, even during the coldest and darkest of training sessions. The highlight of the year was winning against Cheltenham (3-1) in their final match, arguably their best performance. The 4th XI, had a fluctuating season, with three comprehensive victories against Bloxham, Magdalen College and Malvern but tough losses against Pangbourne and Uppingham. The 5th XI also had their ups

It was another action-packed year for girls’ hockey at Teddies. The largest summer league season ever set the tone for the 2022 season. In total there were 169 games played across the 14 teams playing for the School. We welcomed Malvern, Rugby and Uppingham back on to our fixture card to allow a bigger challenge for all our teams. It was great to see the U16Cs and 5th/6th XI continue to play competitive games against other schools. The 1st X1, 2nd X1 and U14As all came tantalisingly close to county tournament success but sadly just missed out on the title. The U16As and U14As had very competitive days at their respective regional tournaments, just a few goals light of heading to the Nationals. The 1st XI progressed to the National Plate Quarter Final, winning four games along the way. The strength in depth within the senior teams has been very evident with lots of positive results across all year groups. The U15s had a successful run in the ISHC at the start of the year narrowly losing 4-3 in a nail-biting run away at St Benedict’s. A massive thank you to all the hockey coaches, teachers and house staff who have supported the Hockey Club throughout the year.

Martha Withers Green