Silver lining for Perse hockey team at national finals

The Perse boys’ U13 hockey team performed brilliantly to finish runners-up at the England Hockey Schools Championships national finals in Nottingham.

Having been crowned East champions in March, the boys carried on where they left off at the national finals with a 4-0 victory over Newcastle-under-Lyme School in their opening group game.

They followed it up with a 3-2 win over Millfield before beating Kent College 3-1 to ensure they topped their pool and progressed to the final.

In the final, the team faced Whitgift, who moved into a 5-1 lead by half time, and despite coming back strongly after the break, The Perse ultimately lost 5-3.

Perse Head of Hockey Ross Hayward said: “After a superb achievement of reaching the national finals, the group was looking forward to the challenge of competing against the other regional winners from across the country.

“They made a positive start with a strong performance in their opening match in the tournament. This generated some momentum and the squad continued to achieve positive results to finish the group matches with an impressive three wins, which secured a place in the final.

“In the final, unfortunately the squad were punished for some errors and a lack of intensity in their play by a clinical Whitgift side. An improved performance in the second half saw us score two goals, but with 12-minute halves, the advantage held by Whitgift was too much to claw back.

“However, to reach the final and finish second in the country is an amazing achievement.”