We are enormously proud of how brilliantly the U13 boys played in the IAPS Hockey National Finals this week finishing 12th in the UK out of 140+ schools, and what a great representation of Walhampton Prep School sport they were! The boys showed determination, skill, passion and resilience against all the odds to achieve a well deserved 4th place in the Plate Competition.

Match Report

Drawn in a tough group alongside some well-known hockey schools such as, The New Beacon, Cheltenham and St Faiths, the boys made a nervous start losing only by a goal. Our opposition had most of the chances, but our stalwart defence, pushed them back creating opportunities for the forward lines to drive at goal. Following St Faiths, the boys took on The New Beacon School with a less nervous approach.

Walhampton played some great hockey, using our wing backs, Alex King & Chay Howell, to attack up the lines. Our ability to apply pressure early outside our defending circle spoilt The New Beacon School's attacking play. However, they managed to slip a shot passed Sam Honeyman-Brown our sterling GK to take the win. Cheltenham College provided us with opportunities to run at their GK and with Ollie Cullum & Toby Reed controlling the pace of the game, we scored two fantastic goals from Ivo Rees, taking the win 2-1.

Sedbergh had travelled from Cumbria and looked tired going into our final group match. Many chances were created with Ben Tucker & Krishna Patels's quality of passing but frustratingly to no avail, leaving Walhampton with a 0-0 draw. It was a tough gig with only 6 minute halves, requiring the teams to take advantage of every goal scoring opportunity. But we moved into the Plate Quarter-Finals, delighted to be in the top 16 schools. Penalty Shoot-Outs are always a nail biting element to any competition and in our QF we capatised on the training we had done, by mastering the art of scoring and saving, to win 2-1. Nervous of steel, carried us through to the Plate Semi-Final, where we lost 2-1 (Chay Howell)to the eventual winners, Framlingham.

Tired legs from Walhampton going into the third place play-off, meant we had to distribute the ball well and take risks. A goal fuelled 12 minutes (Sam Mason/Ivo Rees) kept the spectators on edge, with Cranleigh taking the win 3-2 to end our day. The boys left the field graciously with their heads held high in the knowledge that they are one of the top 12 teams in the country but more importantly a top group of ambassadors off the field for Walhampton School.