U13 National Hockey Finalists!

#Throwback to an incredible season! 🏑✨

Our U13A girls’ hockey team had an amazing 2023/24 campaign, reaching the England Hockey U13 National Schools Finals in Nottingham.

This achievement is especially notable as no other Kingswood team has reached this level in years!

Our talented squad – Katie, Liv, Pippa (captain), Sasha, Annabelle, Eve, Rebecca, Mimi, Elspeth, and Fig – faced tough competition and emerged as undefeated West Regional champions! 

To get to the National Finals, Kingswood were pitted against three other regional winners in their group – St John's Leatherhead (South East), St Faith’s School (East) and AKS Lytham (North West). The girls beat St John’s 3-0, with goals from captain Pippa, Fig and Rebecca. In game two, the girls dug deep to eke out a draw with a very good St Faith’s School, with goals coming from Annabelle and Pippa. Needing a draw or a win in the final pool match, the girls outclassed Lytham winning 3-0 again with goals from Pippa and two from Elspeth. Topping the group meant we automatically qualified for the National Final versus Loughborough High School (Midlands champions).

Naturally, it was a very tense affair, with Loughborough on top in the first half. However, in the second half we came out firing. Pippa got her fourth goal of the tournament and if it wasn’t for an inspired Loughborough goalkeeper, we would have gone further ahead. As it was, Loughborough converted a penalty corner with a few minutes to go to take the game to a penalty shootout. After two rounds of penalty strokes, and into sudden death, it was Loughborough who prevailed and Kingswood heartbroken after an outstanding effort.

However, demonstrating their maturity, they quickly understood the significance of their achievement, proudly finished as national runners-up! 🥈

After the game, Mr. Gordon-Brown celebrated the team's success with a hot chocolate session. He said, "I invited them to meet me so I could personally congratulate them on their terrific achievement in the National Finals. They are already talking with steely determination about what next season has in store."

The players should be enormously proud of their performances across three terms; we are also thankful to their coaches and team-mates who just missed out on selection, but assisted their preparations. We’re already planning how to turn silver into gold next year! 💪💛