By Mr Mason-McLeod (Head of Hockey)
The hockey season got off to an exciting start with the 1st and 2nd teams, along with the U15s and U14s, representing BGS at the Rugby School Hockey Tournament in August. All squads gained valuable experience playing together for the first time, with new players slotting into their teams and making an immediate impact. The U14s, in particular, showed strong progress across the tournament and demonstrated real promise for the 2025/26 season.
Pre-season hockey camps followed on 1st and 2nd September, where students from Years 3 - Upper Sixth enjoyed high-quality coaching from MT13 and prepared enthusiastically for the new campaign.
The opening weekend of fixtures against King’s High Warwick saw three wins, one draw and four narrow defeats, with standout performances from the 1st XI, U16/15Bs and U14Bs. It was also encouraging to see nearly 50 students attending U12 training on Saturday morning, showing the strength of hockey at the foundation level.
Last week brought a large block fixture against Queenswood and St Edmund’s College, with over 170 students from Years 7 - Upper Sixth proudly representing BGS. The matches against Queenswood were particularly impressive, with students winning five games and drawing three, going unbeaten across the day. The 1st XI, U14A, U13B, U12A and U12B teams all produced excellent performances. Against St Edmund’s, there were some competitive fixtures across the board: although the U14B, U14C, U13C and U12D came up against strong St Edmund’s A and B sides, our U13D and U12C secured fine wins, showing the depth of talent within our squads.
The junior teams also began their season on Wednesday with some excellent matches against King’s Ely. Over 40 students from Years 5 and 6 represented BGS, many playing their first competitive hockey fixtures. The afternoon ended with one win, two draws and a very close defeat, a strong start for our younger players, who are already looking forward to their next fixtures.
With so many students involved, the start of the season has been hugely positive and we look forward to building on this momentum in the coming weeks.
