Tuesday afternoon saw our currently undefeated 7-a-side U16 hockey team go into battle with Thomas Telford and Sir John Talbot at the State School Hockey Finals held in Telford.
The first game was against Thomas Telford and the team were ready to dig deep to get the result they wanted. After beating them 3-0 in an 11-a-side friendly the previous week, the team knew exactly what they needed to do. Many shots were on target and saved by the TTS goalkeeper but, at half time, we saw BES go up 1-0.
Tom Whitehouse in the BES goal was exceptional and kept TTS at bay. Goal work from Josh and Eddie Sykes, as well as Amelie Maynard and Luca Simpson, meant Bridgnorth Endowed finished the game on a 3-0 win.
With one game to go, the team regrouped and talked tactics. They knew that playing Sir John Talbot would be an end-to-end thriller and all their efforts would be needed.
The second game saw BES score within the first four minutes of play, with excellent set-piece work from the forwards and midfielders. However, SJT came back strong and clawed a goal back. At half time, the score was 1-1. The BES team went into the second half knowing they needed to secure the win.
Not too long into the second half, BES scored a second goal, taking the game to 2-1. With minutes left on the clock, SJT scored a second but this was disallowed and a free hit was taken just inside the BES defensive half. The ball was driven hard into the circle and a penalty corner was awarded to SJT, with the full-time whistle blowing as it was awarded.
A mighty roar from Tom Whitehouse in the BES goal was heard, as he told his players to work back. SJT took the penalty corner and, although number one runner, Josh Sykes, was close to getting the ball, SJT converted it to a goal. The game finished at 2-2.
BES were aware they had secured even points to come joint first without knowing the other scores. However, BES were up by +1 goal difference, meaning they finished first overall. Josh Sykes shook the hand of the organiser as he was awarded the trophy and, as captain, he handed the well-deserved medals out to his team.
