January 2020 has been an historic month for the hockey at St Lawrence College.
After qualifying as champions from their respective county tournaments both our U16 Boys and U18 Girls went onto represent the school at the Regional Indoor Hockey Finals. The girls doing this in fine style, playing six games, losing none and scoring 20 goals in the process without conceding any. For the Regional Finals, the girls travelled to Queenswood School where they faced six other teams in a round robin format. The day started with a strong 4-0 win versus a stubborn Haileybury School, this was followed by a comprehensive 6-1 win over New Hall School. The toughest game of the day came next versus a strong Framlingham College side whom the girls knew well from previous indoor campaigns. After 20 minutes of high-level hockey, the girls emerged victorious with a terrific 1-0 win. Three more comprehensive wins followed versus The Leys School, Norwich School and Stamford. This meant that the girls went onto the National Finals as East Regional Champions.
For their Regional Finals the boys travelled to Whitgift School, a venue they know well. First up was a tough encounter against Cranleigh School who pushed the boys every step of the way however, the boys dug deep and secured a terrific 2-0 victory. They followed this up with a strong 2-1 victory over Sir William Borlase’s and a routine 3-0 defeat of Trinity School. This saw the boys qualify for a semi-final versus Lingfield School where the winner would advance to the National Finals. An extremely professional display from the boys saw them emerge 6-0 victors. A closely fought final versus Whitgift School followed where the boys lost out narrowly 1-0 thus securing a place in the National Finals as regional runners-up.
This month the girls headed to Bromsgrove School for the Nationals to be held over two days of competition. They started the tournament with a truly staggering 5-1 win over Millfield School. This was a remarkable start for the girls who used the confidence gained to go on and win their next two matches. Firstly, a 6-0 win over RGS Newcastle and in the last game of the day 6-4 over a tricky RGS Worcester side. This left them with one more group game versus a strong Wellington side. In a hard fought battle, the girls gave everything however; a 3-0 loss meant they agonisingly missed out on a semi-final place by one goal difference. This was heart breaking for a close-knit group who had come so far. However, becoming a top six side in the country for a young group of girls is a terrific achievement and something every one of the team should be proud of.
For their weekend, the boys found themselves back at the scene of their earlier success, Whitgift School. Unlike the girls, the boys did not start the tournament in quite the same fashion. An opening game 2-1 defeat to Ipswich School meant that the pressure was on. Knowing they had to win every game, the boys went onto beat Altrincham School 5-1 in their second and final game of the day. Early the next morning an extremely tense match against a strong Repton side was played out. An up and down affair saw the boys win dramatically in the final stages 3-2. This meant that a victory versus Sherborne School would secure a semi-final place. A routine 3-0 win followed to set up a clash with Whitgift School. What was to follow was nothing short of spectacular. The boys who had previously lost to their opponents 1-0 in the Regional Final showed no fear. They imposed themselves from the first to the last minute securing a 3-2 victory in front of a partisan home crowd. This lead us to the National Final where we faced the team we had played in the very first game of the tournament, Ipswich School. An understandably cagey affair followed where a moment of brilliance from Tassilo Sura proved the difference for us securing a 1-0 victory and the title.
Both the girls and boys have done the school extremely proud over not just the last week but also over the entire indoor season. They should be proud of their achievements and the College is excited for what lies ahead.
