TUNBRIDGE Wells Girls’ Grammar School’s under-14 hockey team were crowned champions of the 2024 England Hockey Notts Sport Schools Championship Finals, after securing victory in the closing minutes of the final match on February 5.
After winning the county and regional tournaments in October and November, the TWGGS under-14 squad headed north to compete in the national tournament taking place at Nottingham Hockey Centre.
The team stormed through their first match against King’s School Macclesfield, winning 4-0, and then conceded only one goal against Presdales School, finishing with a 3-1 scoreline.
Their toughest test in the heats was against Newcastle-under-Lyme School, but TWGGS secured a 2-1 victory in this closely-fought game.
Winning all three of their matches led TWGGS to the final against King Edward VI School from Southampton.
Their opposition appeared to have the upperhand in the first half, with TWGGS 1-0 down at half time.
However, TWGGS fought back in the second half, levelling the score at 1-1 thanks to the team’s top scorer in the tournament Anjalie.
She then went on to double her goals tally for the game, flicking the all-important winning goal into the net in the last seconds of the game, bringing the final score to 2-1.
This was the first time that the school from Tunbridge Wells had won the national tournament.
TWGGS PE staff, Di Scovell and Eirlys Withers, said: “We are unbelievably proud of the team. They have worked extremely well throughout the last couple of months attending additional training sessions.
“They came together as a team, showing great communication, determination and resilience.”
