1st Team vs Great Walstead School
A superb second-half performance saw the 1st Team recover from a goal down to run out deserved winners against a strong Great Walstead side.
While Digby’s hat-trick will rightly grab the headlines, it was the defensive work that proved most impressive. The team showed controlled aggression and excellent discipline to nullify a fast and skilful Walstead attack. Joel and Ethan were particularly outstanding in the way they dealt with a dangerous winger, combining composure with determination.
Well done to all the players for contributing to a thoroughly enjoyable and hard-fought victory.
2nd Team vs Great Walstead School
The boys’ 2nd VII produced a superb all-round performance to secure a well-deserved 3–1 victory over Great Walstead at home.
From the first whistle, the boys showed real intent, pressing high and moving the ball confidently through midfield. Their early pressure paid off when Ruben opened the scoring with a composed finish following an excellent team move. His intelligent positioning inside the circle allowed him to slot home calmly and give Holmewood a deserved lead.
Great Walstead responded positively and created several chances, looking to exploit our high defensive set. However, some outstanding goalkeeping from Grayson ensured we went into half time still in front.
Ruben added his second in the second half to extend the lead, before Great Walstead pulled one back to set up a tense finish. Just before the final whistle, Charles delivered the decisive blow with a well-taken goal to seal the win.
The 3–1 scoreline reflected a strong collective effort, built on disciplined defending, energetic midfield play and clinical finishing. A thoroughly impressive performance from the boys.
U13 Dragons & Lions vs Great Walstead School
The Under 13 Dragons and Lions played some wonderful hockey in their games against Great Walstead 2nds and 3rds. The Dragons had a fantastic game against Great Walstead 2s, finishing 2-2 thanks to two goals from Aaron. In the second game, against the 3rds, they, and Aaron, were again on superb form, winning comfortably.
The Lions won their first game against Great Walstead 3s, before falling to a heavy defeat against their 2nds in their final game. Despite some excellent work through midfield and their ability to create some good scoring opportunities, the away side were too strong, eventually running out 5-0 winners.
U11A vs Hurst Tournament
The U11A boys produced an excellent all-round performance at the Hurst tournament, competing superbly across six fixtures. The day began with a tight 0–0 draw against Cumnor, before a strong 2–0 victory over Cottesmore, with both goals confidently taken by Orlando.
Further goalless draws against Handcross Park and Seaford underlined the team’s defensive organisation and discipline. A 1–1 draw with Brambletye, thanks to another well-taken Orlando goal, demonstrated their continued attacking threat. The only defeat of the day came in a narrow 1–0 loss to Windlesham.
Throughout the tournament, the boys played with energy, structure and confidence, looking a constant threat while remaining resolute at the back. There have been clear improvements since the start of the season, and the squad can be very proud of their efforts. Well done, boys.
U11B vs Hurst Tournament
On a beautiful Spring day, with even some warmth in the sunshine, the Colts B had a mid morning departure, for a 1.30pm tournament start at Hurstpierpoint College. The format was to play each school, with each match lasting just 8 minutes. The standard was very high with some strong sides playing, such as Seaford College, Brighton College, Cranleigh and Hurst themselves, as hosts, but the boys stuck to the task, despite several key absences and were unlucky to lose three games 1-0. The highlights came towards the end of the competition with a 0-0 draw against Windlesham House and a fine 1-0 win against a strong Cranleigh team. A fun afternoon of hockey with plenty of matches and some areas still to work on but a pleasing effort by all. It was so lovely to see and chat to so many Old Holmewoodians in such good form.
U11C vs Great Walstead School
The U11C came up against a combined A and B team from Great Walstead and the game proved to be a close affair with both sides playing some good hockey. William scored 2 goals to give the team a narrow victory 2-1. Aleksey was tireless as he dominated the midfield and won countless tackles. There was some good running from Zenon and Torres to get the ball out wide which is something we need to focus more on in the future to gain greater success.
U10A vs UKSA Hockey Tournament
The U10 team — W. Edwards, T. Jennings, C. Johnston, G. Crown, F. Rowe, W. Macdonald, T. Manzi, F. Marks-Clee and L. Cook — performed superbly at the Burgess Hill tournament, finishing an impressive 4th overall – out of 9 teams.
They secured excellent victories against Skippers Hill (2–0), Danes Hill (1–0), Bedales (2–0) and Hazelwood (1–0), showing strong defensive organisation and clinical finishing. They also picked up hard-fought draws against New Beacon (0–0) and Hoe Bridge (1–1). Narrow defeats to RSM (0–1) and Great Walstead (0–2) did little to overshadow what was a highly competitive and determined team performance throughout the day.
Well played, boys, and best of luck for the rest of the season!
U10B vs Great Walstead School
On a wonderful, sunny afternoon, it was a pleasure to be welcomed to Great Walstead, and the boys were ready for a game of hockey against a challenging opponent. After a hard-fought match, the team were defeated 6–2. Our play was strong throughout, but we were unable to break through their defence or convert our chances.
The team’s work rate was excellent, and the players showed great determination from start to finish. Player of the Match was awarded to Callie for his consistent and outstanding defensive performance.
U10C vs Great Walstead School
This was a very strong team performance from the U10C side, who secured an impressive 3–1 victory. Charlie was outstanding down the wing, driving forward with pace and purpose to deliver three excellent assists. Liam finished superbly on each occasion, earning himself a well-deserved hat-trick.
At the other end, Max performed brilliantly as sweeper-keeper, making several important interventions to deny the opposition and maintain control of the game. A confident and composed display all round. Well done, everyone, on a great team performance.
U9 vs Cumnor House Sussex
All of the Under 9 boys took part in small-sided fixtures against Cumnor House and Lingfield at Holmewood. Playing 4v4 meant there were plenty of touches on the ball and excellent involvement from everyone throughout the afternoon.
It is clear that the boys are becoming increasingly confident with the rules and flow of the game, and their core skills continue to improve each week. There was great enthusiasm, teamwork and determination on display.
Good luck next week against St Ronan’s!
U8 vs Cumnor House Sussex
The U8s travelled to Cumnor House to take part in a small-sided hockey festival. The squad was split into four teams to play 5v5 matches, with each team enjoying two games against strong opposition.
Scoring proved challenging with the smaller goals, but this provided an excellent opportunity to develop accuracy and composure in front of goal. As the afternoon progressed, confidence noticeably grew and there were plenty of positive moments across all teams.
It was a valuable learning experience for the group, and we look forward to travelling to St Ronan’s next week.
