8 Girls Hockey Tournament

The tournament was the final game the Year 8s would play prior to house hockey within school.  In a varied season with some good solid drawn games and defeats to the larger local secondary it was unfortunate that the St Kath’s side had been drawn in a really tough pool; against Gordano, Priory, Worle and Backwell.

St Kath’s 0 – 3 Worle

In their opening game, they faced their toughest opponents in Worle.  The Worle side passed the ball around well, with confidence and created plenty of opportunities throughout the game.  The defence of Chantelle Hawkes and Amelie Purvis had their work cut out against a strong Worle attack.  The St Kath’s side battled well and it wasn’t all Worle possession.  Molly Jackson made a great tackle to release Freya Barnett who used her pace to dribble past the Worle defence and giving herself a shot on goal.  The score line however was in Worle’s favour at 3 – 0 and player of the match was voted as Amelie Purvis.

St Kath’s 0 – 0 Backwell

Having faced Backwell in a recent fixture and narrowly lost, this was a game the Year 8’s were determined to do well in.  Anida Bonomo joined Amelie in defence and was tested immediately with a quick Backwell break.  She was supported well by Ruby Argo and Grace Newby on the wings who managed to release Freya Barnett, she ran the length of pitch past a number of Backwell defenders only to be stopped by their formidable keeper.  The game was a close one and the ball was constantly changing possession, with some tough tackling from both sides.  The final score was a goalless draw and player of the match was voted as Anida Bonomo.

St Kath’s 0 – 0 Priory

Always tough opponents, the girls next faced Priory, who are often winners of these KS3 tournaments.  Both sides started slowly, with St Kath’s expecting an immediate Priory onslaught, however this never came and the game opened up into one of mixed possession and chances for both sides.  Leah Milkins performed well on the right, pressuring the Priory defence into mistakes and giving Molly and Freya attacking opportunities.  The game was close throughout and the girls earned themselves an excellent draw, with player of the match voted as Molly Jackson.

St Kath’s 0 – 1 Gordano

In their final game the girls knew they needed a win to stand any chance of progressing to the next round.  However, the St Kath’s side found themselves under pressure immediately with Beth Edwards in goal pulling off a number of saves within the opening minute.  The game continued to be a battle in defence with Chantelle Hawkes putting everything into her challenges and even finding herself on the floor at times.  Beth continued to keep the Gordano side out, however in the dying seconds St Kath’s conceded a penalty corner which ended up in a goal, trickling over the goal line.  The final score was 0 – 1 and player of the match was voted as Beth Edwards.