Hockey Report, Spring Term 2010

Team Date Opponents Venue Result
Boys U13 Thur 28th Jan Drogheda Grammar home Won, 1-0
Girls U13 Mon 1st Feb Loreto, Navan away Won, 4-1
Boys U13 Thur 4th Feb Dundalk Grammar away Won, 2-0
Boys U13 Wed 10th Feb Mount Temple home Won, 10-0
Girls U13 Thur 11th Feb Drogheda Grammar away Drawn, 1-1
Girls U13 Thur 25th Feb Mercy, Navan away Won, 1-0
Boys U13 Wed 3rd Mar King’s Hospital home Won, 4-0

Girls’ tour to Wales
Girls U13 Thur 11th Mar St.Gerard’s, Bangor away Drawn, 0-0
Girls U13 Thur 11th Mar Ysgol Tryfan away Drawn, 0-0
Girls U13 Fri 12th Mar Ysgol Brynrefail away Drawn, 1-1

Boys U13 Tue 16th Mar Donabate away Drawn, 2-2
Boys U13 Fri 19th Mar Whitechurch home Won, 4-1 (semi-final of Leinster under-13 C league)

Mixed U13 Tue 23rd Mar Parents home Won, 4-2

BOYS GIRLS MIXED
Won 5, Lost 0, Drawn 1 Won 2, Lost 0, Drawn 4 Won 1, Lost 0, Drawn 0
Goals For: 23 Goals For: 7 Goals For: 4
Goals Against: 3 Goals Against: 3 Goals Against: 2

Goalscorers: Goalscorers: Goalscorers:

Michael Blakiston H 7 Marina Pollock 2 Zach Adebayo-Oke 3
Zach Adebayo-Oke 5 Eliza Hancock 1 Michael Blakiston H 1
Christian McKeever 4 Ana Ortiz 1
Cameron Wood 2 Isobel Andrews-McC 1
Wolfe Purcell 2 Mercedes Alba C 1
Pedro Nunez 1 Kye Bradshaw 1
William Brownlow 1
Edward Tottenham 1

Late in the autumn season, when the girls came off the pitch after a 10-0 hammering at the hands of an Under-12 Aravon side, the prospect of an undefeated season after Christmas, including a three-match tour abroad, would have seemed fanciful in the extreme; yet that is exactly what the girls managed to create for themselves after the break. This feat owes a great deal to their willingness – indeed, their determination – to go back to basics and re-learn the skills they needed. It is also a testament to the work that assistant coach Liz Pratt-Jarvis put in with the players; and to the grit and leadership of the captain Eliza Hancock.

The girls’ transformation was first made tangible with their early-February visit to the Loreto Convent in Navan, when it came as a slight shock to them that their skills-work had meant that they were immediately on top against a team of relative beginners (as they themselves had been a couple of months earlier). Confidence made an early arrival, and they never looked back. They took this confidence away to a team of 2nd-year girls at Drogheda and honed it against another older team at Mercy Convent in Navan. By that stage I realised that my lightly-made January offer of a tour in case of significant improvement had to be made good; hence the preparations for the trip to Wales, made in substance by Henry Clesham, Headfort’s tour operator par excellence.

The trip to Wales was fascinating in many ways, viz. how could three draws look so different from each other?! We were, against all odds, well on top in two of the matches (against St. Gerard’s and Ysgol Tryfan), yet just could not score despite perhaps ten shots on goal (to none) in the first match and an actual goal (disallowed by the myopic writer) in the second. The real test came against a superior side, Ysgol Brynrefail, on the last day of the tour. The other team were comfortable on astro-turf, they passed the ball thoughtfully, they threatened with alarming frequency. Our defence held firm for a good while, only to buckle under the pressure, whereupon an avalanche might have been unleashed; instead, within two minutes of their goal a clean move up the left by our players and a cross by Isobel found our most dangerous attacking player (Kye) on the edge of the circle, who headed unerringly for goal – and the back-board sounded loud and clear as the ball made contact. A wonderful sound. Great spirit, and enough to keep the opponents to a draw.

I owe a great debt of thanks to Henry Clesham, who not only made most of our logistical arrangements (hotel, ferry) but also drove the minibus on this trip; and to Jane Hancock who gamely came along on the trip to help chaperone the girls.

Eliza Hancock, colours-winner in December, led the team with fearless abandon: she ran and ran until she dropped (often literally) in each match, and inspired her players with a rare fighting spirit. The other colour-winners were Kye Bradshaw (inside forward) and Marina Pollock (centre-half), whose skill and grit were also palpable and ever-increasing. Beyond these, the squad was as large after Christmas as it had been before – Headfort is never short on willing players. Ana Ortiz became a talented goalkeeper, even if she did have a heart-stopping tendency to keep the ball in play unnecessarily. Freya Pierce improved with each game, though she never much liked to defend. Kirsten Higgins and Victoria Mooney fulfilled that vital defensive role alongside their captain. Isobel Andrews-McCarroll, Flora Pery-Knox-Gore, Jane Walsh, Paz Pablo-Romero, the Munoz twins, Soren Higgins, Marie Sichel, Mercedes Alba, Ali Stammschröer – these were the touring players, though yet others managed to gain playing time on the team this term (Anna Pieper, Ana Rodriguez, Phoebe Langham, Maria Solis, Clara Alba). As they might say in New York, Headfort goils
know from willing.

The boys have had a true-blue year, the best year (in terms of results and talent) since my arrival in 2003. The talent was clear even in their once-a-week appearances in the autumn term. After Christmas, in our first league match (versus a typically physical Drogheda Grammar side) the team came out after a scoreless first half and proceeded to hit the wood-work twice before the captain Wolfe Purcell scored the only goal of the match with a text-book, faultless strike at a short corner. The season was off and running. After that, victory followed seemingly effortless victory, and the goals flowed. The first test came in our match away to Donabate, to determine first and second place in our section. A great first half with two well-taken goals, then implosion and near-disaster as nothing went right after the break and our team lost its defensive shape as well as its confidence. Two goals conceded could easily have led to three or four, which would have crucially led to an away match in the semi-finals instead of a home match; but we held on to the 2-2 draw, which meant we were up against Whitechurch at home in the semis. They arrived, and from the start showed no inclination to be fazed by playing on our grass. When they levelled at 1-1, the match seemed to swing in their favour, only for Christian McKeever to smack a fine goal to give us the lead by 2-1 at the half. End-to-end stuff, and the second half promised more heart-stopping action –ultimately delivering two more Headfort goals, this time rather soft, for a somewhat misleading 4-1 win. We were into the finals – but have to wait until after Easter to play it: Friday 16th April, in Dublin.

Wolfe Purcell has been the proverbial tower, the midfield general, who has led by example and inspiration. He has been very capably supported by colour-winners Zac Adebayo-Oke (half-back), winger Michael Blakiston Houston (who topped the scorers’ list), inside-forward Christian McKeever, centre-back Edward Tottenham and goalkeeper Bradley Weatherhead. Other key players included Cameron Wood (half-back), winger Archie Rowan Hamilton, and defenders Patrick Dunn and Mark Doyle. Sean Phelan and William Brownlow played as inside-forwards, Pedro Nunez Martinez, Pablo Portes Navarro and Ben Whitley played in the half-back line, Marcus Hayden got some playing time on the wing, and Tomi Adeyefa was a thoroughly dependable reserve goalkeeper.

The two teams came together beautifully, they played with great guts and skill, and were never short on inventiveness – they were great to watch, and never more so than in their 4-2 defeat of the parents on the last day of term. The parents were represented by frequently capped, hard-bitten players such as Mrs Lucinda Blakiston Houston, Ms Dorothy Niall, Mr Geoffry Tottenham, Mr Graham Wood and myself – all anxious for revenge after a series of bitter defeats; and some welcome newcomers such as Ms Rachel Andrews, Mrs Anne Pery-Knox-Gore, Mrs Jane Shekleton and Mr Tim Weatherhead, with Mrs Marion McKeever making her second appearance. Lower VI’s Tomi Adeyefa graciously agreed to play in goal and Upper VI’s Eliza Hancock played one half for us. All through the match Wolfe hit the ball like a rocket (as Michael found to his cost), and in one remarkable shot hit both uprights of the parents’ goal! Zac scored a hat-trick, and in classic fashion Michael came back on the pitch after his injury to score a goal only to be struck a second time! Isobel set up one of the children’s goals; Marina, Eliza, Flora, Freya and Kye all played with great energy and effectiveness alongside the boys. There was, however, some reason for nervousness on the part of the children. Two stylish goals by Mrs Marion McKeever and Mrs Jane Shekleton set the children back on the heels, but – sadly for us parents – only momentarily. Mr Morris, where are you in our hour of need?! All in all, it was a memorable way to close the season.

My thanks to all the many boys and girls who played for the team or competed for places: they gave us a season to remember. Thanks too to Mr Peter Sheridan and Mr Thomas Meehan for their work on the pitch.

DSD