PUBLISHED 26 November 2021
A young inexperienced AKS U14 hockey team , which contained 9 players from Yr 8 & 7, represented Lancashire in the North West Regional Tournament and did so with great credit, finishing in a superb second place and just missing out on a place in the National Finals.
The first game of the tournament was against eventual winners Manchester High School and we went into an early lead when a great strike at a corner by Layla W found the net. Manchester High however were soon on level terms when three minutes later they scored from a well worked corner of their own to make it 1 – 1. Manchester grew in confidence and put us under a lot of pressure and a superb individual goal put them into a 2 – 1 lead just minutes later. Lifted by taking the lead the fast, skilful Manchester forwards put our defence under pressure but good defending by all the team and saves from keeper Sophie S prevented any further goals before the break. We started the second half well and won a corner early on but despite some great attacking play we could not find the net and a late goal from Manchester sealed their win.
The second game against Liverpool College got us back into winning ways with a 3 – 0 victory. Laura A opened the scoring after a great pass from Layla W and Anna V made it 2 – 0 before the break after another Layla pass. We continued to dominate possession in the second half and a final goal from Kirtika S secured our first points on the board.
The third game against King William College, Isle of Man saw us play our best hockey of the day. Laura A found the net in the 3rd minute with Layla W being the provider again and Layla got on the score sheet herself before the break with a superb driving run and shot that gave the keeper no chance. After the break the goals kept coming with Lisa P scoring before Layla made it 4 – 0 from a well worked corner routine. We started to play great passing hockey with Kirtika S, Lisa P and Layla W dominating in midfield and Amelia H, Laura A, Charlotte L, Lucy W, Camilla C and Anna V always a threat up front. A flurry of goals from Layla W, to secure her hat-trick, Lucy W and a fourth from Layla to make the final score an impressive 7 – 0.
The final game was against King’s School Macclesfield and we again started well winning several corners early on but Kings defended well to keep the scores level. Kings put us under pressure and good defending from Esther T, Lucy W, Sophia M and Georgia S frequently won back possession but a well worked corner saw Kings go ahead before the break. We started the second half on the front foot and Amelia H brought a super save out of the Kings keeper in the first minute. Anna V went wide a minute later and we deservedly got reward for our pressure when we equalised from a well worked corner routine in the 4th minute. The rest of the game saw both teams create chances but at the final whistle the score was 1 – 1.
The draw in the final game saw us claim runners-up spot in the tournament , and the claim of being the 2nd best U14 team in the North West , a fantastic achievement for our young