Perse hockey teams set for national finals
The Perse boys’ U14 and U13 hockey teams have made it to the England Hockey national schools finals in impressive fashion.
Both sides were crowned East champions in their respective regional final tournaments at Ipswich School.
The U14 team got under way with back-to-back 3-0 victories over St Albans School (goals from Thomas Goldsmith x2 and Freddie Newhouse) and Felsted (goals from Thomas Goldsmith, Freddie Newhouse and Zachary Shkarupa).
Freddie Newhouse scored in a 2-1 defeat to Ipswich, but the boys bounced back by beating Gresham’s 5-0 with Thomas Goldsmith scoring twice and Alexi Demetriou-Foale, Freddie Newhouse and Raphael Zailer-Fletcher all on target.
A 3-0 win over Woodbridge School, with two goals from Thomas Goldsmith and one from Freddie Newhouse, sealed The Perse’s place in the semi-finals.
There they prevailed 2-1 against Bedford School, thanks to strikes from Freddie Newhouse and Raphael Zailer-Fletcher, before taking the title with a 2-0 triumph over The Leys in the final, with Felix Emerson and Thomas Goldsmith on the score sheet.
The U14 team will now take part in the national finals at Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre next month.
Perse Assistant Director of Sport (Performance) and team coach Ravi Mahendra said: “The boys played exceptionally well all day. They executed the basics very well and it was a complete squad effort.
“Credit must go to the defence and Theo Hill in goal for keeping five clean sheets throughout the day.
“The short nature of the games meant that there was very little room for complacency. However, we managed to score early goals in each game which helped build confidence.”
Meanwhile, the U13 team earned a spot in their national finals at Nottingham in May by winning their East qualifiers without conceding a goal.
They claimed successive 1-0 wins over Stamford and Bishop’s Stortford College before being held to a goalless draw by Framlingham College.
Consecutive 2-0 victories against Beeston Hall School and New Hall School followed and The Perse topped their pool by beating Bedford Modern School 3-0.
The boys defeated Gresham’s 4-0 in the semi-finals before a 2-0 success against St Faith’s School in the final saw them clinch the East honours.
Perse Head of Hockey Ross Hayward said: “The squad performed superbly well through the tournament. They should be all very proud of their achievement of winning the tournament and reaching the national finals. “
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