Sport roundup from Hockey and Rugby

Hockey

Hockey is going from strength to strength with 120 girls taking to the field this term and taking part in 65 fixtures. 25 students are playing at club level, with 10 playing at county level and two at an international level. The brand-new Astro and lighting are providing an excellent platform for success.

Highlights have included the U12A team who only lost one game all term, with Isla picking up top scorer. For the U12s, the most improved player of the season was Bella, and players’ player of the season was Anais. For the U13s the most improved player was Maisie and the player of the season was Florie.

The U15A team had a fantastic season achieving an 80% win rate. The girls enjoyed a trip to the Lee Valley Olympic Hockey park to play in the Independent Schools Association (ISA) tournament, where we narrowly missed out on 3rd place. This is a talented and exciting group of young players. The top goal scorer of the season was Mia with an impressive 8 goals in 9 games! Our U14 girls’ team won the Berkshire county plate competition before half term! It’s always nice to add some silverware to a season. For the U15B team the most improved player was Mikayla and the player of the season was Alex. For the U15A team the most improved player was Maia and the player of the season was Elisa. Hermione was awarded with coaches player of the season.

The U18 1st team finished 2nd in the league. We’ve had a fantastic group of girls who have played hockey together for a while now. The girls played 11 games, won 7, drew 3 and lost just 1 game. They participated well in both indoor and outdoor county tournaments, and proudly hosted our friends from Skerries CC in Dublin who came over for a tour back in November. Top goal scorer was Abi, a Year 9 student! Having Abi, Elisa and Hermione as three junior players all looking very comfortable in our U18 1st team is a hugely exciting sign for the future as they move up the School. The most improved player was Sophie, players’ player was Olivia and our coaches’ players of the season went to Charlotte and captain Chloe.

The U18 2nd team played 6 fixtures in the season. They ended up finishing 2nd in their group and were the side that conceded the fewest goals in the whole school. This is an amazing sign which showcases the depth of quality hockey players we have in the school. Top scorer was Kimia! The most improved player was Alizia, players’ player went to Kit and Jeremy’s coaches player went to Daisy.

Rugby

Rugby has continued to grow this season, with over 80 boys from Years 9 to 13 taking to the field, achieving an impressive overall win rate of 67%. We now have several students in each age group who play at the weekends for local clubs. Casper has got into Buckinghamshire at County level. Next term will see the girls take to the field. Charlotte is now training with the England U18 squad and she and Cali both play with Reading rugby club, currently in the last 16 of the National cup. Congratulations to Emily who has recently made it into the Berkshire county U16.

Highlights for the boys this season included the U15s coming tantalizingly close to being unbeaten three years in a row. They finished first in the Super 8 League, achieving a perfect win rate of 100% with seven victories. This year group is truly special, with a very exciting future. The coaches player of the season went to Laurie who scored a stunning 17 tries, while Nihal picked up most improved player.

The 1XV faced a challenging season but rose to the occasion brilliantly, especially given that half the team consisted of Year 11 players, playing two years up. The 1XV finished the season with five wins and three losses, with Zeb emerging as the top try scorer, closely followed by George. A standout moment came in the team triumph over local rivals Reddam House! Most improved player goes to Vansidhar, while players’ player of the season goes to Brian and coaches player of the season goes to Zeb and Sterling.