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Issue No 4 February 2008 |
Sporting Hurst - Boys
Hurst 1st XI Boys' Hockey Team
U14's Boys' Hockey team become Sussex Champions
(by Chris Wilson)
In a match played at St Bede's, Lower Dicker, Hurst started the stronger team, dominating possession and pushing forward to put pressure upon the Ardingly Circle. This pressure proved too much for Ardingly and after 12 minutes, Ben Blundell slotted the ball home from a short corner to put Hurst 1-0 ahead. Ardingly fought back, building up some well constructed play, but the Hurst back 4 remained composed and held on strongly, enabling them to soak up the pressure.
In the second half, Hurst again dominated possession. The lead might well have been increased, had they used a series of short corners to better effect. With 8 minutes to go, Hurst scored their second goal through a well built-up series of moves, which was finished off by Jacob Orgill to take Hurst 2-0 up. Finally, Ben Blundell made it 3-0 with a lovely finish to secure the victory for Hurst, who were crowned Sussex Champions.
This is a very talented team and they fully deserve their victory. I look forward now to the boys testing themselves against the Champions of Buckinghamshire, Kent and Middlesex.
Hurst 1st XI Boys' Hockey team become Sussex Champions
(by Ian Pattison)
Hurst achieved a relatively comfortable win in the County Cup semi final against a Beacon Community College side that had the experience and skill to make us pay dearly for playing anything less than at our very best.
The final against St Bede's was a less comfortable experience. Hurst began strongly and but we failed to capitalise on our early dominance. Pressurised into giving away a short corner, and defending with less than our customary skill, we then allowed St Bede's to break the deadlock and go one up. The goal gave a great boost to our opponents who played with noticeably improved confidence through to half time.
Both sides came out for the second half knowing that the game was still wide open and responded by producing some fast moving and fluid hockey punctuated by errors, one of which allowed St Bede's to go 2-0 up with only 23 minutes of the game left. Despite this significant setback, and the knowledge that time was tight, our boys did not give up for one moment. Adopting a number of key tactical changes, we began to dominate the play and were rewarded with a penalty corner that enabled Jack Maybank to snap the ball smartly into the back of the net. Then with only 8 minutes to go, Dominic Dann laid off a shot for a first time strike by Cameron Bygraves to level the score at 2-2. Hurst really piled on the pressure and, with 4 minutes to go, Josh Cather calmly put away a penalty stroke to take the lead which Hurst held by controlling possession for the remaining minutes of the game.
I am enormously proud of the way our boys kept their heads, fought back and, working to plan, produced an astonishing final 10 minutes against a very good, young and talented side.
Hursts 1st XI have contested the Sussex final many times and this is the first time we have won. It is particularly satisfying to have achieved victory in the final year at Hurst of Josh Cather, Jack Maslen and Jack Maybank, three superb players who have been stalwarts of Hurst hockey throughout their time at the school.