After a convincing 3-1 win against Stowe on Tuesday, the girls 1st XI Hockey team have advanced to the semi-finals in the U19 National Independent Schools Plate competition taking place in Nottingham. Buzzing with apprehension and excitement, they left for Nottingham on Monday night, with one sleep left until the semi-finals.
With the match against Stowe being at home at Gordon’s, there was a very supportive crowd gathered to cheer on the team, giving them a boost of confidence and allowing a goal early on. However, Stowe would not let up that easily as they soon after scored, bringing the total to 1-1. The girls’ teamwork and communication really shone through, allowing them to gain control of the ball reducing the opponent’s possession drastically. This is really emphasized by the two drag flicks from short corners, which Alice C scored. The overall score was 3-1, which clearly shows the girls determination and reflects the high level of hockey being played here at Gordons.
Highlights include a goal by Jess and two by Alice, which secured their place in the semi-final. Deservingly, Alice won player of the match, as both her attacking and defending skills were outstanding, and was noticed widely even from a student’s perspective. If the energy was high at the last match, this one’s energy was incomparable, due to the closeness of the finals and the bittersweet feeling of this being Mr Boote’s last season.
Never before have the girls got this far in the U19 National Independent Schools Plate competition, and to progress to the finals there is only one more match to win against Seaford Collage on Tuesday the 9th, bright and early at 9am. If this is won, then the finals will take place at 12:30pm. Despite these not being home matches, we all have faith that the girls will play with skill and confidence. From Mr. Boote, the team can win with, ‘the correct game management,’ which is a necessity in a knockout match. However, it will be a few challenging matches before the girls can raise the trophy!
- Chloe, Y12 Scholar