U15 XI
It is a tribute to the enthusiasm of this group of players that over 26 of them regularly turned up after school for evening training. This also reflects the quality of the coaching provided by Chris Mayer and we are again indebted to him for his contribution to the development of hockey through the younger age groups at the school.
The side was well led by Ed Sykes and he also scored the lion’s share of the goals in his role leading the attack.We also had the benefit of an excellent goalkeeper in Ben Johnson. In defence, Rob Gooden was totally dominant and Phil Bevan showed touches of real class. Tom Butterworth and James Bahia both tackled tremendously and Joe Schuppler and Richard Brough always gave full commitment. The midfield featured a hugely impressive development by Matthew Rivers, whilst Rob Cook has the best skills in the side and just needs to become a more forceful presence. The absence of Daniel Super, playing Rugby, allowed a number of others to shine, not least Jon Lau, who played with passion and speed and Chris Bridge, who showed real ability and fire in a number of positions. Ben Wiseman and Tom Watson continued to show much promise up front and Oliver Caunce has the skill to make a bigger impact next year. There were also debuts for Tom Holden,William Paskins, Michael Dyke, Steve Taylor and Peter Williams, and this gives an indication of the strength in depth of the squad of players. It is a pity that we could not get more ‘B’ team fixtures, as these were clearly enjoyed by the other members of the squad.
The most memorable games were the 8-0 victory over Bablake and 8-3 over King Henry’s, together with a clear 3-0 win against Warwick. The team, however, showed the most character in coming back after a big defeat to a talented Bloxham side to win against Nunnery Wood the following day, and in a fighting draw against Princethorpe when outclassed by another strong side. The ‘B’ team will remember their two victories over KES and Stourport High School.
These players should feed through next year into a strong pool from which the senior 4 sides will be chosen. It is good to see that a number of them will be taking advantage of the priceless opportunity - presented by the tour to Australia - to learn more over the summer.
Mr M R Brough