Excellent display by Perse hockey team at national finals
The Perse boys’ U14 hockey team came an impressive fourth at the Notts Sports England Hockey national schools finals.
They had a tough start to the competition at Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre with a 3-0 defeat to Whitgift despite a strong performance against the eventual champions.
However, the team bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Wellington College, going a goal down before a Teddie Clifton strike from a penalty corner, a Niall Graham goal and a Henry Denny-Gouldson penalty stroke earned the win.
The final match of the group stage saw The Perse take on Yarm School with a slow start seeing them go behind.
Alex Filionescu pulled one back and Thomas Goldsmith hit a hat-trick of outstanding individual goals before Henry Denny-Gouldson fired home a penalty stroke to round off the scoring as the team finished runners-up in their pool to qualify for the third-place play-off.
They took on St George’s Weybridge and after conceding an early goal, the boys were unable to net an equaliser despite creating many chances as they went down 1-0.
Perse Assistant Director of Sport (Performance) Ravi Mahendra, who coached the team, was thrilled with their performance.
He said: “The boys should be really proud of their efforts over the course of the season. It’s a very talented squad and every single member of the team contributed towards the team’s success both at the national finals and throughout the season.
“I’m hugely proud of the improvement some of the players have made over the course of the season and I’m looking forward to seeing the team go from strength to strength as they move through the school.”
Published