The Abingdonian 2019

38 The Abingdonian Hockey Abingdon School Hockey Club has once again had a fantastic season, with over 160 pupils participating and 16 teams being fielded on a weekly basis in the Independent Schools’ Hockey League. The fixture card continues to be very competitive with fixtures against Bradfield, Marlborough and MCS, and again Abingdon continues to punch above its weight and compete regularly with these larger establishments. The season started in December when a mixture of fourth, fifth and sixth formers ventured to San Sebastian for their pre-season tour. This was without doubt one of the biggest highlights of the year. Against fierce opposition that included a number of Spanish internationals the boys coped exceptionally well, matching them both in skill and determination. With other activities including learning to play pelota, surfing and having the most incredible pinchos, we were very lucky to be hosted by the fantastic Stuart Locke from MSG tours. On this trip it was brilliant to see the boys gel as a unit, not just within their respective teams but also as a club. The energy that went into every training session, tactical session and game was amazing and the boys were real role models for Abingdon School out there. There have been so many highlights throughout the season but there is no better place to start than the 1st XI. This year they went un-beaten in all their games in the Independent Schools’ Hockey League, scoring 20 goals and only conceding 7. They are the most successful team that the Hockey Club has ever had and I cannot thank all those who were part of the squad enough for being such superb ambassadors for the sport within the school. The most memorable match was the last match of the season against Bradfield. With the league already won, the boys needed the game to finish with an un-beaten season. With tension at its highest level, the boys proceeded to grind out a result after going 2-0 down in the first 10 minutes. The team came together as a unit and with a moment of magic from Freddie Smith, they were back on level terms at 3-3. With 5 minutes left, Abingdon managed to score a fourth leading to a 4-3 victory in the most wonderful match of hockey. Due to the monumental effort of the squad I have decided to list the names of all those that were involved in the team: George Simmons, Daniel Cooney, Toby Pratt, Tom Mills, Rory Mitchell, Nathan Hudson, Ray Prince, William Franklin, Freddie Smith, Thomas Shannon, Jamie Lawson, Edward Bury, Kipp Mainstone, Ollie Graham, Jayden Zamler, and George Siriwardene. The U16s continued to impress, with a strong year group and copious amounts of talented players. The U16 A and B team recorded some great winning blocks against Cheltenham and St Edward’s. With the boys entering the sixth form we look forward to them driving the club’s success even further next year. The U15 As and Bs have also had the most incredible season. After a tough season for the U15 As last season, the boys regrouped, worked hard and finished third in the ISHL league behind some very strong teams. The way that this group have come together is testament to their character. The U15 Bs recorded some great results including a great win against Wellington in the second game of the season. The U14 As and Bs had some