By Mr Mason-McLeod (Head of Junior School Sport)
The U16's successful England Hockey Tier 1 Plate competition run began on Wednesday 28th September with a home match against Dean Close and concluded with a National Final on Wednesday 6th March at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
The cup run culminated in a last-16 match victory against The Perse, a quarter-final away win against The Queen’s School, Chester, and then a 5-2 triumph against Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.
The final pitted us against a formidable Sutton Valence School team, who had previously won the U16 Tier 2 cup with a very similar team to the one we faced. The match started nervously, with both teams turning possession over under pressure. BGS gained the first penalty corner, and a short pass to Isla Campbell resulted in a powerful shot into the far corner, giving BGS a 1-0 lead. However, six minutes of madness ensued, with Sutton Valence going into halftime 3-1 up and BGS needing to regroup.
We began the second half strongly, with Lucy Nissen making a great run down the wing and delivering a hard cross that Bella Moretto superbly finished at the far post. In the 51st minute, Sutton Valence's captain dribbled the ball the length of the pitch, winning a penalty corner that ended with a tap-in at the far post. With ten minutes to go and trailing 4-2, BGS pushed hard. Intense pressure from BGS made it difficult for Sutton Valence to advance beyond their half, and this pressure paid off when Isla Campbell scored again, making it 4-3 with six minutes remaining.
Unfortunately, while pressing for the equaliser, Sutton Valence capitalised on a break and the game finished 5-3 in their favour. Nonetheless, this was an incredible cup run and final, and everyone involved should be immensely proud of the U16's efforts and performance.
View a gallery of photos from the final here.
Many congratulations to the following BGS U16 Hockey stars:
Kate Woodward (Captain), Charlotte Brakenbury, Amber Chapman, Alice Challacombe, Esmée Challacombe, Isla Campbell, Molly Brierley, Alice Everitt, Connie Horn, Alice Lawson, Martii Maze-Brown, Isabella Moretto, Lucy Nissen, Rhianne Noor and Jessica Parrish.
