Taylorian

60

TAYLORIAN 2024 HOCKEY

U13A

U13B

U13C P: 9 / W: 3 / D: 1 / L: 5 / F-A: 17-16 / GD: 1 The U13C team had a mixed season, but a real highlight was the comeback from 1-0 down against MTP to win 2-1 with a last minute winner, which was a fluent team goal to boot. All players worked hard and made real strides during the season. Aman Sivanesan moved up from the D squad in the early weeks and grew into a confident and skilful defender. Hassan Faisal and Karim Morbiwalla developed their skills in the forward positions; Hassan’s subsequent call-up to the B Team was well-deserved. Max Zwiefka-Sibley controlled many of the games in the CM and CDM positions. Special mention must also go to Saayuj Shankar, who played excellently in goal every single match, and was a hugely positive influence on the team. Miss N. C. Rittey Squad: S. Shankar, J. Fitch, J. Hirani, K. Morbiwalla, A. Sivanesan, M. Zwiefka Sibley, A. Ramesh, J. Schofield, J. Janahan, S. Keane, A. Hinduja, N. Sritharan, V. Patel, E. Gao.

P: 12 / W: 5 / D: 1 / L: 6 / F-A: 36-32 / GD: 4

P: 8 / W: 2 / D: 2 / L: 4 / F-A: 14-23 / GD: -9 Although the win-loss statistics do not necessarily make for pleasant reading, they do not reflect the progress the team has made. Helped by their tour to Holland in October, the team really gelled over the half-term break to become a stingy defensive and potent counterattacking unit. The midfield developed the tactical awareness and fitness to get up the pitch and support the forwards, and a mean defence which included the consistently outstanding Dylan Mehta, Max Hopkins and Kavan Patwalia was made even more miserly by player of the season, goalkeeper Sahas Sharma. Centre-forward Eesa Affan finished as top goal scorer, and his final strike of the season was a thing of beauty – a reverse stick shot into the bottom corner. However, the fact that a small squad of eleven shared the goals around demonstrates the team’s cohesion and work ethic, most notably exemplified by Hassan Faisal and Ryan Sabour’s blistering midfield counterthrust against Kingston Grammar. Next year the boys will transition to 11-a-side hockey but, having seen them play so well on tour in Holland, I have no doubt that their transition will be smooth and successful. Miss E. K. Trafford Squad: E. Affan, S. Datta, H. Faisal, M. Hopkins, K. Hyttinen, S. Kormushev, D. Mehta, K. Patwalia, A. Pillai, R. Sabour, S. Sharma.

This was a fantastic season for the U13As. Playing in nine fixtures, they tallied 45 goals for and 30 against; tremendous attacking output was balanced with much-needed defensive discipline. Rishane Wijeratne was the beating heart of the side, so often rescuing the team when we lost defensive concentration. Defenders Aadam Merali, Kai Parmar and Anay Garg not only refined their defensive capabilities, but also added an extra dimension to our build-up through clever positioning and use of the ball. In midfield, the attacking threat of Rayaan Alibhai and Sehaj Sekhon was backed up by the tenacity of Benji Morris and captain Rishi Mehta, who consistently tracked back, won the ball, and turned defence into scintillating attack. Rohan Bist and Omkar Vaidya, meanwhile, were a constant goal threat, linked up well with their midfield teammates, and relentlessly pressed and harried the opposition. The highlights of the season are the twin victories over Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School and the tensely fought 2-2 draw away to Reed’s, coming back to almost win the game after conceding two goals in the opening minute.

Mr A. Hayes

Squad: B. Morris, A. Merali, R. Mehta, K. Parmar, R. Alibhai, O. Vaidya, R. Bist, R. Wijeratne, S. Sekhon, A. Garg.