Three Titles Decided at Notts Sport Boys Champs Event in Nottingham

During a great day’s play, three trophies were awarded at Nottingham Hockey Centre in the Notts Sport Boys Schools Championships on Tuesday.

Three titles were up for grabs; Under 18 Tier 4, Under 16 Tier 3 & Under 14 Tier 2. 

Congratulations go to Yarm School for taking the Under 18 and Under 16 titles, and also to Under 14 winners Reed’s School.

Under 18 Tier 4 Finals
In the Pool stages, it was Hitchin Boys School who took top spot in their Pool, edging out Eton College by a single point. Hitchin’s 3-0 win over Eton proved crucial, Tom Spreckley scoring twice alongside a corner from Ben Bayley. In the other pool, Yarm won all three games including a pulsating 4-2 win over Richard Huish College.

Into the play-off matches, Cranbrook overcame Langley Park to take seventh, Bertie Barwick and Benji Bignell scoring for Cranbrook before a George Catton consolation. Repton won 3-1 against Richard Huish College to take fifth place, Richard Campbell, Sam Clarke and Barnaby Cann scoring for Repton while Jack Whatmough scored for Richard Huish.

Wirral Grammar School earned third place with a 1-0 victory over Eton College, Sam Fowlie scoring a dramatic late field goal to earn victory. Understandably the final was an equally tight affair, Yarm’s George Kitson getting the only goal in the 20^th minute to secure the title, with the trophy lifted by captain James Beck.

Under 16 Tier 3 Finals
Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School won all three games in their Pool to take top spot, while Yarm did the same in their group to set up an exciting final. With goal differences of +11 and +10 respectively, both sides certainly showed their form against tough opposition.

As the play-off matches got underway, Malvern College earned thanks to a 2-0 win over Bancrofts, Euan Mackellar scoring twice from penalty corners. Eton and Sedbergh shared fifth place after a 1-1 draw, Edward Bousfield scoring late for Sedbergh to level after Benji Bushnell’s opener.

Third place went to St Albans School thanks to second half goals from Dylan Warren-Cafferty and Freddie Kamasa, earning a 2-0 win over Nottingham High School.

The final was a thriller, Yarm going 3-0 up through Max Jones, Will Ferguson and Tom Graham, only for Jacob Edwards to get one back for Katherine Lady Berkeley’s just before half time. And when Edwards scored again to make it 3-2, the comeback looked a possibility but Yarm held firm to take their second title of the day.

Under 16 Tier 2 Finals
Pool A was won by Reed’s thanks to three straight wins, the most crucial being a 3-1 win over Loughborough Grammar School, coming from a goal down to win the Pool. On the other side of the draw, Chigwell School won two and drew one to finish first in a tight group.

Seventh place went to Altrincham Grammar ahead of Aldenham, Eric Evans and Josh Baxendell giving Altrincham a two-goal lead from corners before Theodore Green pulled one back. Monkton Combe took a 2-1 win against St Peters York to finish fifth, Rhys Goodman scoring twice for the victors either side of a Seb Long goal. Loughborough Grammar beat Lord Wandsworth 3-1 to take third place, Tiernan Maguire, Morgan Wimshurst and Oliver Mitchell scoring for LGS before a William Leyland consolation.

The final proved to be one of the tightest games of the tournament, and James Allsop’s penalty stroke on 22 minutes proved enough to give Reed’s the coveted prize against a hugely spirited Chigwell School.