OS LADIES’ HOCKEY TEAM NARROWLY MISS OUT ON WINNING DEAN CLOSE ALUMNI SIXES TOURNAMENT

Congratulations to the OS Ladies’ Hockey Team who performed superbly to finish second in the Dean Close Alumni Sixes Hockey Tournament at the Dean Close School in Cheltenham on October 27th.

This year was the third time the Old Sedberghians had been invited to participate in the special tournament, having made the final on their debut two years ago and also reached semifinals last year. This year, the format was modified to be exclusively round robin format with no elimination phases. This year the dream team comprised of: (from left to right) Tamsin Brown (L 11-14), Eliza Nelstrop (L 13-18), Jemima Cookson (L 14-19), Mel Sproul (L 13-16), Georgina Boyd-Moss (L 13-18), Ellie Thompson (C 13-14), Emma Richardson (Wood) (R 06-08), Laura Batty (R 10-15), Kayleigh Debil (L 03-08), Josie Coulthard (R 14-18) and Issy Chamberlain (L 14-19).

The ladies were consistent throughout the competition, but got off to a slow start by losing to Malvern College 1-0. They immediately bounced back by beating King Henry VIII School by the same score, but it was the third match against eventual winners Cheltenham College which would prove to be the decisive game. With the girls leading 1-0 with less than a minute of play remaining, a contentious decision from the umpire gave Cheltenham College a short corner which the hosts took advantage of to score in the dying seconds and tie the match.

After a hearty pep talk during lunch and a change of tactics, the girls finished the day strongly with convincing 6-0 and 4-1 wins over Malvern St James and Rendcomb College, but ultimately leaving them one point behind a deserving Cheltenham College who took home the trophy. Click here to see the the full results of the tournament and the photo gallery of the event. Well done to all!

A massive thank you also to sponsor James Robertson (E 87-93), Director of the London Steakhouse Co., which features on the front of the brand new OS hockey kit.