Strong display from Perse hockey team at national finals
The Perse boys’ U16 indoor hockey team produced some high-level displays to finish fifth in the England Hockey Schools Super 6s national finals at Whitgift.
Despite losing their opening pool match 3-0 to Yarm School, the team bounced back with a 3-1 victory over Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School with goals from Elliott Kirkpatrick, Theo Hofer and Ethan Smythe.
They needed to win their final group game against Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School to qualify for the semi-finals, but found themselves a goal down early in the second half.
With two minutes to go, goalkeeper Nicholas Fanourakis was replaced by an extra outfield player as The Perse searched for an equaliser, which duly came from Elliott Kirkpatrick.
Still needing to find a winner to go through to the last four, the team went agonisingly close from a short corner five seconds from time, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
The result put the boys into the fifth-place play-off against Trent College, which they won 4-2 thanks to strikes from Henry Denny-Gouldson, Tobias Franklin, Thomas Goldsmith and Jude Nathan.
Perse Assistant Director of Sport (Performance) Ravi Mahendra, who coached the team, said: “The win over Trent College was a good way to finish the tournament.
“The boys can be proud of how well they represented the school and the quality of hockey they displayed over the course of the day.”
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