Taylorian

TAYLORIAN 2024

59 HOCKEY 59

U14A

highest values of Merchant Taylors’ sport, and they should be extremely proud of all they achieved individually and as a squad. Mr A. Hayes Squad: A. Kalaria, T. Ahmed, S. Patel, V. Rathod, P. Papadopoulos, R. Ahmed, L. Li, S. Sekhon, A. Shingala, N. Browne, A. Hofmeyr, N. Phethean, D. Olayinka, L. Chakravorty, R. Khan, P. James, S. Malli, A. Shinn.

P: 12 / W: 7 / D: 1 / L: 4 / F-A: 26-15 / GD: 11 This was a highly successful term of hockey for the U14A team. Coming together for the first time to play 11-a-side hockey, the squad gelled extremely well. A good attitude in training, and wholehearted buy-in to tactical plans, meant they won five of their first seven fixtures, including 3-2 and 2-0 wins in the Tier 1 National Cup. The squad also won three of their

four matches in the Hertfordshire County Tournament before a fantastic 4-2 away win in the third round of the National Cup vs Dr Challoner’s. Two extremely close 1-0 defeats were to follow, however, but this simply provided the squad with the chance to demonstrate the resilience and togetherness that was a hallmark of their season, and they recovered with an excellent 3-1 win over Magdalen College. Throughout this season and across the entire squad, boys demonstrated the

U14B P: 8 / W: 2 / D: 2 / L: 4 / F-A: 9-17 / GD: -8 Brand new to 11-a-side hockey, it was a tough start to the season for the U14Bs. The team struggled defensively but there were still plenty of positives in their play, and a narrow defeat to Aldenham School (0-1) proved to be a real turning point. After a rejuvenating half-term break the boys quickly established a new tone, earning a couple of decent draws against Eton and Magdalen; the team worked with tenacity to counter-press the opposition and create chances. The team then won their first match against Windsor in a show of physical dominance and tactical intelligence. Our final game was the highlight of the season – a 2-1 victory against a strong Bedford side which showed how far the boys had come since the start of the season. The lads finished the second half of the season unbeaten, and they are now well placed to produce a wonderful season at U15 level. Player of the Season: Eashan Pindoria Mr J. D. Richardson

Squad: J. Abrahams, D. Agarwal, E. Clifford, T. Dhadwal, A. Gill, K. Jobanputra, N. Kerr, M. Mitchell, S. Morrow, K. Patel, M. Patel, R. Patel, E. Pindoria, I. Saluja, M. Sen, R. Shaikh, R. Vadher, N. Vaidya, S. Varsani.