Tuesday's Tribulations - Hockey and Netball

Date: Tuesday 20 January 2009

Junior and senior fixtures were on the programme for today, Tuesday 20th January. The Under 15 boys' hockey team played a second match in 24 hours as they entertained Sutton Valence at the UKC.

SV have a strong Under 15 side - a 2 - 1 win over Kent College is testimony to that - and we ran them very close to go down narrowly 2 - 3, after a hard fought game in which we came back from three down to leave them far less confident and composed in the second half. We lost the game because we switched off in the latter part of the first half, and conceded three in the space of five minutes, two from short corners.

But, a goal on the stroke of half time from Alastair Stewart, and a second from his stick early in the second half, restored self-belief, and encouraged an all-out assault on the SV goal. They held on, and probably deserved the win.

The junior girls netball VIIs travelled to Sandwich, and came back with two very narrow defeats. The Under 15s lost 3 - 6, with Grace Gale scoring our three; the Under 14s went down 3 - 5, with a better performance, but....

In the final match - the boys 2nd XI hockey - the Pilgrims, playing for the first time, and with players still in the stunned, post-mock examination mode, won the first half against Harvey G.S., with Will Marsh scoring from a short corner. But Harvey took the second, and ran out 2 - 1 winners. All credit to Henry Withrington who had a 'blinder' in goal, and was captain Nick Clapham's 'man of the match'. He may well need to do the same on Thursday when the Pilgrims travel to Sutton Valence.