Taylorian

Sport

Hockey

11 goals to our 1. This could have had a detrimental effect on the boys; however, the result only spurred them on to work even harder. With Mr Haynes running the coaching sessions, the boys worked tirelessly ahead of the return fixture against Reed’s, which took place just after half term. Taylors dug deep from the outset and took a 1-0 lead. The score was then evened up, until Taylors’ once again took the lead. Reeds again equalised. Both sides had chances to win the game, but time wasn’t on their side. A thrilling 2-2 draw demonstrated just how far this U12 side had come over the course of the season. They took this enthusiasm into the KGS matches and again matched the opposition for endeavour and skill, only losing 1-0 to a very strong side. Overall, this squad has done exceptionally well this term and really pushed themselves to improve. Mr J. O. Middleton Squad: R. Wijeratne, R. Mehta, S. Sekhon, O. Vaidya, R. Bist, D. Mehta, B. Morris, A. Garg, R. Alibhai, K. Parmar, K. Hyttinen, M. Zwiefka-Sibley. U12B Hockey was a new sport for most of the U12B team this season. Before half term, the U12Bs beat Merchant Taylors’ Prep 2-0, but after half-term they won 5-1; before half-term, MTS lost 3-2 to Sir William Borlase but won 1-0 in late November. It was a real pleasure to see this team make such progress, starting off with only basic skills at their disposal. Pleasingly, all the boys in the squad appreciated the importance of a team mentality and the benefits of rolling substitutions in hockey. This was epitomised in the 5-1 victory over MTP, which saw four different players score some excellent team goals for MTS, and when each goal was scored, all the players celebrated as a collective, appreciative of everyone’s contributions in the build-up. Good decision-making and a collaborative work ethic mean this team should be looking forward to a very successful second season of hockey next year. Miss E. K. Trafford

Our two goalies, Shayan Varsani and Armaan Daryanani, made an incredibly high number of saves throughout the season. A defence comprised of Nischal Vaidya, Ben Yang, and Maximilian Frenzel frequently put paid to opposition attacks, whilst Joshua Abrahams used his pace, decision making, and clever use of space to good effect in midfield. We had a wealth of strong attacking players who developed well throughout the season: George Davies, Lucas Li, Noah Kerr, Harry Prashad, Dev Agarwal, Saihaj Malli, and Anish Chatterjee. Whilst the whole squad has developed and honed their hockey skills, the most improved player was Harry Prashad, whose skills helped support a more technical and tactical way of playing. I wish them all the best for their full-pitch Squad: S. Varsani, A. Daryanani, L. Li, J. Abrahams, G. Davies, S. Malli, D. Agarwal, N. Kerr, A. Chatterjee, H. Prashad, M. Frenzel, B. Yang, and N. Vaidya. U13C The season was a success, with the players matches next year. Mr D. A. Westcott

putting in a great effort and representing their school with pride. The team played well, and demonstrated a strong work ethic and dedication throughout the term. Even in defeat, the team remained positive and showed great sportsmanship. Saif Al-Obaydi was vocal on the hockey pitch, organising the boys and ensuring we stayed in formation. Aadi Bose was ruthless in attack and caused a lot of issues for our opponents! It was fantastic season and all were truly a credit to Taylors’. Mr S. J. Reid Squad: M. Lazovic, M. Todd, R. Vadher, A. Bose, I. MacMillan, M. Klimin, J. Barratt, N. Vaidya, T. Dhadwal, R. King, S. Al-Obaydi. U12A The U12A had a fantastic term of hockey. Although only two of the students had played hockey before, they took to it like ducks to water. The side began with a few weeks of training before taking on Merchant Taylors’ Prep in their first fixture. The match was a close affair with chances at both ends, but we managed to win 2-1. This was followed by a much more challenging fixture vs Reed’s; they scored

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Taylorian 2023