On the 23rd of April, QEGS U16’s Hockey team embarked upon the journey down to London for an unforgettable experience.

After a team meal in the school canteen all sixteen squad members were brimming with excitement: Lee Valley stadium, the home of GB Hockey and in the Olympic Park, is where the boys would be playing. After a stunning win in the quater-finals against Oakham School due to a last minute penalty save from Sammy Parkin and a comeback 2-1 win in the semi-final against King’s College Taunton, the players were ready for the big occasion. Arriving at the hotel, we quickly ate food and prepared for the long day ahead. 

We woke up bright and early and filled up with a hearty breakfast. We set off to Lee Valley and soon enough the team was  in the changing rooms ready to play. The squad warmed up well before lining up in the tunnel, on the verge of the start of the match. The match had started and we were very much in the game. After a hard fought half against a strong opposition, we found ourselves 1-0 down. Hopes were still high as we felt we played the better hockey despite a few moments going against us, including a disallowed goal which would have put us 1-0 up. Unfortunately, we were unable to swing the momentum back in our favour and we conceded 2 late goals to give the opposition a flattering 3-0 win. 

Overall, the team enjoyed the experience and  should definitely be proud to reach a national final. 

We would like to thank Mr Leask and Dr Clark for coming down to London as well as the large away support from parents. Finally, we would like to thank Mr Anderson who’s coached us through the ups and downs this season and led us to this achievement.

Aarush Pillai and Alex Kilner