Arnold School

U18 National Hockey Final

Reaching the U18 National Hockey Finals was a dream come true for our senior girls. For all but three of the team, it was the first time they had reached this stage of the competition, and what a journey it has proved to be.

Way back in October, the 1st XI could not have been anything less than disappointed when the difficult decision was made to put our strength in the U16 team for the national final run. So without the U16 players the sixth form girls faced a tough county round. A draw, three wins and a defeat at the county round, saw Arnold scrape through to the next round as runners up to Kirkham GS. Undeterred , the girls worked hard and it was a completely different outcome at the regional round. A win against tournament favourites Stockport followed by wins against Wilmslow, Kings Chester and a draw against Sedburgh was enough to earn them a place in the North Final, where it just got better. At the North Final in January three wins and an exciting penalty shoot out win in the semi final against Hymers College meant that Arnold were in the final. The final against Cheadle Hulme proved too much for Arnold’s tired legs and the final result was a 3-0 defeat. Down but not out, Arnold as runners up could still qualify for the national final via the play off route. In the play off an exciting game against Framlingham College, Norwich ended 2-2, but once again Arnold proved their worth in the resulting penalty shoot out and earned their place in the National Final along with Cheadle Hulme to represent the North of England.

Although pleased to be at a National Final, as play-off qualifiers the team were put in a strong group. It was going to be a challenging  two days for the girls. Their first game was against Millfield School, Somerset one of the strongest teams at the tournament. The game started badly with Arnold conceding a goal from a penalty corner after four minutes of play. Millfield scored again five minutes later, but despite this and continued pressure, Arnold held out and the score was a very respectable 2-0 at half time. Arnold under the excellent leadership of captain Georgina Read and vice captain Liz Thorp never stopped running in the second half, with keeper Amy Bradley making some excellent saves and Rachel Fackey closing down numerous attacks in the middle. Despite everyone’s best efforts in the second half, especially Camilla Dunlop who caused her opposite number to resort to some questionable tactics, Millfield proved too strong and Arnold eventually lost the game 6-0.

The second game against Repton School who have held the U18 national school title for the last six years was as tough as expected. Once again Arnold conceded an early goal, but this time frustrated the opposition and quietened the Repton crowd by keeping the score at 1-0 until the final minute of the half. Unfortunately the sheer effort everyone had put in during the first half meant gaps began to appear, and despite some superb chasing and tackling from Rachel Fackey and Elizabeth Thorp who somehow managed to keep up with the pace, the team eventually conceded six second half goals. Arnold’s sweeper Chloe Stafford and defenders Aime Barrow, Camilla Dunlop and Emily Foster were constantly under pressure in this half and without their sterling work in the circle, good tackling and some fine saves from Amy Bradley the score could have been many more. Despite an 8-0 defeat, all credit to the team who never gave up and kept trying until the final whistle. Credit must also go to our three supporters Suzanne Fackey, Pat Barrow and Amanda Parker who kept spirits up from the side-line and also managed to quieten the Repton parents.

An upbeat and entertaining evening at the hotel and a good sleep put everyone in a positive mood for what we knew would be our last national final match. Our opponents Cheadle Hulme were keen to do well against us as they had also lost their first two games. Unfortunately we conceded an early goal again, but this match was to prove more even, with Harley Greene almost equalising for Arnold soon afterwards. Cheadle scored another first half goal but Arnold had their chances with Rachel Fackey forcing two short corners and a Georgina Read shot going just wide. In the second half Cheadle came back strongly and scored two more goals to make the final score 4-0. This was a busy game for Faye Shearer who as well as attacking down the right had to defend well against her opposite number. Our forwards Harley Greene, Charlotte Greenwood and Catrina Waktare constantly hassled the Cheadle defence with Catrina even tackling their England player.

Despite losing all three games in the National Final, it was a great experience for the girls as a team and as individuals to be able to play against the best schools in England and against many international players. We were very proud of the girls, especially the spirit they showed in just reaching the final. Their team togetherness and the dogged determination they showed in all three games at the national final was unbelievable. Heads never went down, they never stopped working and they kept trying until the final whistle. This is one Arnold team and one team performance that I am not going to forget. Well done girls!

Finally, can I thank Mr & Mrs Read and Mr & Mrs Greene for sponsoring the U18 sweatshirts.

U18 National Schools Squad Georgina Read (capt) Elizabeth Thorp (v/capt) Amy Bradley (GK) Hannah Deuchars (GK) Chloe Stafford, Aime Barrow, Camilla Dunlop, Emily Foster, Faye Shearer, Rachel Fackey, Harley Greene, Charlotte Greenwood, Catrina Waktare.

Final Positions.

1st Kingston GS

2nd Repton

3rd Millfield

4th Coopers Cowburn

5th= Trent College

5th= Cheadle Hulme

7th= Arnold

7th= Bryanston

Posted by: Miss G Raby
Date: Tuesday 08/03/2011