In sub-zero temperatures, the Sevenoaks Hockey Club U10 girls gave their all in the Kent Championships to go through to the East regional finals as runners up.  The team qualified with three wins and two no-score draws, to end on 11 points, with 11 goals for and 0 against.  The final positions came down to the last game of the Championships between Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells.  A draw would have seen Sevenoaks finish at the top of the table, however, Tunbridge Wells managed to sneak a single goal past Canterbury, cementing their own position as Kent champs with four wins and a draw.

 

Coach Lucy Peachey was demonstrably thrilled as she commented "At the end of a mixed season, the girls have really come together as a team.  We are so proud of them".  There were goals a plenty for Fletcher, Friend, Fryatt, Heslop and Thompson, but due credit must go to the defenders and goalkeeper Wernecke, making her debut in pads and kickers, for keeping a clean sheet. Linking passes and solid tackles led to fast flowing games against Brombecks 3-0, Marden 3-0 and Blackheath 5-0, with solid defending against Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells keeping both games at 0-0.  The team are looking forward to representing Kent in the East regional finals at Harleston Magpies Hockey Club in Norfolk at the end of April.

 

 

Sevenoaks Hockey U10 Boys win Kent Championship

 

Today, Sunday 10 March, Sevenoaks Hockey Club boys competed for the Kent Under 10 Championship.  In a field of 10 teams from seven different clubs, the B team came joint third only loosing to the A team in the semi-final. The A team went on to win the title by beating Canterbury A in an exciting final!

The A team had a relatively comfortable passage into the semi-finals with three wins and one draw in their pool and nine goals for with only two against.  The B team on the other hand put up a tremendous fight to make it into the semi-finals.  Having won one, drawn two and lost one match, it ended on an equivalent goal difference with Tunbridge Wells. Therefore, it came down to goals scored to ensure they made it to the semifinals as second placed team in the pool.

The semi-finals showed the strength in depth of Canterbury and Sevenoaks Hockey Clubs.  The first semi-final pitted Canterbury A against B, while the second sem-final was a clash between Sevenoaks A and B.  Both were very closely fought encounters with the A teams just edging the B teams (2-0 and 1-0 respectively).

In the final, the Sevenoaks boys played their best match of the tournament.  Combining brilliant team play with excellent passing and great determination, they quickly took the  lead.  After some tense moments in defence, the team managed to score again and build a cushion.  As they scored their third goal and time was running out, it became clear that they would be crowned champions.  Although Canterbury managed to counter in the last couple of minutes with their own goal, the Sevenoaks boys won the final with three goals against one and are the new Kent U10 Hockey Champions. 

A team (goals scored):  Paddy Walton, Max Kibblewhite, George Fisher (2), William Caiger, Lewis Wilcher (2), Ben Clarke (2), Paul van Velsen (4), Hugh Innes (3)

 B team (goals scored): Aiden Mylroi, Stefan Zdzylowski, William Parr, Tom Rodenhorst (1), Piers Branson, Theo Hill (1), James Craggs, Cameron Dymond (1), Jack Pullen (1)