The girls played 160 external fixtures during the Michaelmas Term with progress and success across the age groups. Our Faulkner’s teams enjoyed a competitive fixture card with the A team playing in the England Hockey Cup, eventually narrowly losing out to Cranleigh, while the B team made it through to the County Finals showcasing the strength in depth within the year group.

The Shell teams progressed well throughout a season which saw the B team win six out of their ten matches and the C and D teams lose just one game between them; a fantastic effort. Kat (M) ably led the A team and her performances helped her earn a place in the Reading Talent Academy.

The U16s had a challenging season, and while not all the results went their way, showed resilience and real spirit on match days. Highlights for the A team included a battling 2-1 win against Dauntsey’s and the B team’s nine-goal thriller against Epsom where they won 6-3.

The Seniors enjoyed a busy term of fixtures and the 3rdXI and 4thXI often outplayed their opposition. The former, playing with energy and passion, scored 27 goals in their ten matches while their defence conceded only nine goals. 26 players featured for the 4thXI this year and they enjoyed an unbeaten run stretching all the way until the penultimate weekend when they lost to Tudor Hall 2ndXI. The 2ndXI also performed strongly in defence with only 11 goals conceded during their ten matches.

The 1stXI started the season strongly by winning the pre-season tournament in Nottingham. A successful Cup run followed beating Bedford Girls School, Tormead School, Redmaids and Pangbourne. The run was eventually ended away at Millfield in a competitive match but the girls have played with spirit and style. Boosted by five Fifth Form players, the girls scored a hugely impressive 46 goals in their 17 matches.

Jazzy (I) was selected to play for Reading Hockey Club 1stXI this term in the England Hockey Premier League while Jemima (M) has impressed in her debut year for the 1stXI and has been rewarded with an England assessment. Jessica (M) continues to impress for school and club and as a result represented England U16 in the Three Nations Tournament over Easter where the team won the series with compelling performances against Ireland and Spain. Jessica (M), who is also a member at Reading Hockey Club, has made superb progress this year moving through the Talent Academy pathway. The Bradfield 1stXI player has worked extremely hard throughout the season with the support of hockey coach Ben Hooper.

INDOOR SEASON

There were also opportunities for our girls and boys to be involved in an indoor programme. The boys’ U16 team made it through to the Regional Indoor Finals, eventually losing in the semi-final to a strong King Edward’s team, as did the U18 boys who have made significant strides in the past two years. They narrowly lost to Sir William Borlase.

The U16 girls’ team made it through a very competitive County round, beating Wellington to win the trophy, and progressed through to the Regional Finals. There the team showed a real willingness to learn quickly and work hard, eventually arriving at the final against a Wellington team seeking revenge for the earlier County rounds defeat. After playing under significant pressure in the early part of the game the girls came out on top with an impressive 4-0 win. They progressed to the National Finals at the beginning of December. There they acquitted themselves superbly to finish as the fifth best team in the country.

This is a hugely impressive achievement and was an exciting opportunity for the team to showcase their skills against the top eight schools in the UK. Well done to Daisy (K), Roanna (M), Jemima (M), Jessica (M), Emma (M), Ava (K), Emma (I), Tabitha (M) and Isabella (K).