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Newcastle-under-Lyme School’s (NULS) U18 Senior XI Hockey Boys team have soared to victory in the England Hockey Schools T3 Competition after winning 2-0 in the National Final, played at the Olympic Park in London.
Playing against Kimbolton School from Cambridge at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre, the thrilling game started at a fast pace with NULS having the majority of possession and some good chances early on. As half-time came around, the two teams couldn’t break 0-0 so the NULS coaching staff chose to make a few minor tweaks resulting in Piers Copeland scoring after a well earned short-corner 10 minutes into the second half.
With 25 minutes still on the clock, NULS didn’t stop pushing forward and created a further four short-corners but sadly to no avail. Our goal keeper, who is in Year 10, did a fantastic job in defending NULS’ lead when Kimbolton tried to score.
With one minute left in the game, Oliver Power converted a goal after Kimbolton took their goal keeper off in a change of tactics. The final finished 2-0 in what was a very impressive performance by NULS.
The 1st XI Head Coach, Mr Amaan Merali and Assistant Coach, Mr Graham Chesterman are so proud of the team and all their efforts going through six rounds in the competition, culminating in a victory for the school for the first time in its 400 year history.
This achievement also comes as seven of the players recently won the National U18s clubs Tier 2 competition with their club, North Stafford Hockey Club, which also calls NULS its home.
The team’s captain, Teddy Halket said: “NULS introduced me to hockey when I was in Year 7 and I had never picked up a stick before joining. Mr Chesterman was the one that initially introduced me to the sport and it has been a path leading up to this for the past seven years.
“It means so much to me, the whole team and our coaches. We knew there was something special about this year in hockey and we have tried as best we could to get something out of it and I am so happy we managed to achieve this!”
Mr Merali, Head of Boy’s Hockey, said: “The journey leading up to this final has been a long time in the making. These boys in this team are a cut above the rest. Our link with the North Stafford Hockey Club has also played such a big role in our success as we have so many talented players who play at a high level in both the club’s First Men’s team as well as at school.”
Big thank you to the travelling parents who gave the team a boost with their loud cheering and encouragement! It was a special day for Newcastle-under-Lyme and the hockey department, a feat that has never been reached before and one that we will savour for a long time.
Louis Bond: “The site of the camp was much larger than I had ever expected. Much of the camp was destroyed, but there were the cabin like structures at the front of the complex which were tiny in comparison to the number of people who were forced to stay in them. At the rear of the
Mount Pleasant, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 1DB
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