Hockey: U14 boys second in the country

On April 26, our U14 boys hockey team travelled down to London for the culmination of a season of hard work and excellent hockey: National Finals at the Olympic Park. 

They were one of eight teams from around the UK, each of which had each qualified as regional champions. Playing in two groups, only the group winners would progress to the national final. 

Stepping out on to the pitch at the Olympic Park is something none of the boys will forget, but attention quickly turned to their group matches.

In a tough group, King’s finished with two wins and a draw, placing them at the top of the group and looking forward to the National Final against Whitgift School.

King’s fought hard in the final, keeping the score at 0-0 until, with just four minutes to go, Whitgift took the lead. Unfortunately for King’s, their first defeat of the season came in the final as Whitgift went on to win the match 2-0.

Team Captain, Oscar Wallis (3BRD) summed up what the day meant to him and the team.

He said: “Playing at the Olympic Park was amazing, something I’ve dreamt about since watching the hockey there at the 2012 Olympics.  And to come away with a silver medal, beating Repton on the way, that is a great feeling.  

“The whole squad worked really hard, it was a great team effort.”

Coach Chris Ashcroft echoed the captain’s words: “This has been a wonderful effort from all of our players and I am immensely proud of them. 

“These boys have put King’s very firmly on the national Hockey map.”

Director of Hockey, Simon Egerton, thanked the parents who made the journey to London to support the boys so enthusiastically.

On the boys’ silver medals, he said: “It didn’t take long for the initial disappointment to subside and for the squad to realise the magnitude of their achievement as they boarded the coach for the journey back to Chester.”

We are all very proud of the squad’s fantastic achievement and, with a number of Shells and one Remove playing above their age group for the U14s, the future looks very bright for hockey at King’s. 

Click on the image below for a gallery of pictures from the day: