During October half term, 35 students and 4 staff members spent a week on Hockey tour in Holland, in Utrecht & Eindhoven. The group was split into Junior and Senior sides made up of students from Years 9 to 13. Each team had four fixtures against strong Dutch Hockey clubs that would prove to be outstanding hosts. Hockey is one of Holland’s major sports and the facilities at each club certainly reflected that, with five or six astro turfs at each venue and an abundance of changing and hospitality rooms. The boys were magnificent on and off the pitch and the results reflected the camaraderie and togetherness of the whole group.
Both sides won each of their opening two fixtures, vs Lauren HC and Amersfoort HC in Utrecht, in matches that could have gone either way. In round three the Seniors drew 5-5 and the Juniors lost 4-3 in close encounters with Mierlo HC in Eindhoven. The final stop of the tour was south of Eindhoven where the Seniors won 3-1 at Helmond HC and the Juniors had a superb game with Gelle Zwart HC, which they lost 2-1.
The Hockey on the trip was interspersed with visits to a live Hooftclasse game, a canal cruise in Amsterdam, as well as an epic battle in the bowling alley and an impromptu 18-a-side indoor Football match vs Portsmouth GS, which the boys won 2-1. From start to finish the boys were magnificent, true ambassadors for their school and were a delight to be around for the week.
Results:
Seniors
vs Laren HC 4-1
Vs Amersfoort HC 3-1
vs Mierlo HC 5-5
vs Helmond HC 3-1
Juniors
vs Laren HC 4-3
Vs Amersfoort HC 5-2
vs Mierlo HC 3-4
vs Gelle Zwart HC 1-2
