On Friday, the U12s hockey team went to Clifton College to compete at the IAPS National Finals. They had a positive start in the pool stages beating Culford 2-0 and a great performance against Westbourne House but couldn’t find a goal in a 0-0 draw. The girls then came up against a strong St Faith’s side who came out the blocks quickly, taking the Cheam girls a little by surprise. St Faith’s scored a couple of goals and Cheam couldn’t respond, resulting in a 2-0 loss. However, Cheam bounced back fantastically against Mount Kelly with a dominant 4-0 win, which would prove to be pivotal in terms of goal difference. Our final game of the group was against Millfield, where the girls really stepped up and played their best hockey of the day and came away with a 2-0 win. Because of Millfield losing and drawing a game too, it meant that Cheam finished 2nd in the pool due to having a higher goal difference, qualifying for the cup stages of the day.
Heading into the quarter finals after a long lunch break, Cheam came up against Hazlegrove with our girls continuing an excellent display of hockey. They took their chances early in the match, coming away with a 3-1 victory. They faced King’s College in the semi-finals immediately afterwards. Cheam didn’t make the most of the opportunities they created whereas the opposition did, meaning they sadly lost 2-0. The girls found it difficult to regroup from here for the 3rd/4th playoff, nevertheless finishing 4th out of 28 schools on the day. We cannot fault the tireless effort they have all put in this term in their respective teams, coming together and show what they are made of as a unit. They played some really impressive hockey and should be proud of where they finished.
10 Dec 2024 
