National Champions!

Huge congratulations to the girls of the Wellington College U16 hockey squad who were crowned as best in the country following the National Finals held on Wednesday March 1st and Thursday March 2nd at The Olympic Park. This is the second time in twelve months that a national hockey title has made its way to the College following the U14 girls’ success in the same competition last year.

Day 1 saw the girls come flying out of the blocks with a fantastic 5-0 win against The Leys from Cambridge. The scale of the challenge ahead, however, became immediately clear when the girls’ second match against an incredibly hard-working Trent College side ended in a 0 – 0 draw. As the girls returned to their hotel they knew that they needed a win in their final group game to secure a place in the final.

Day 2. The first game of the day was a make-or-break, must-win fixture against King’s Bruton. They did not disappoint and, in what was arguably the girls’ best performance of the tournament, they emerged victors against a very strong Bruton side 2-0 to qualify for the final against Repton.

Repton have been the most decorated school over the past decade and boast a remarkable 33 national titles in recent history across all age-groups. The Wellington girls, however, were undaunted and, as is sometimes the case in finals, it was a very close affair with the score locked at 0-0 at half time. The crucial play occurred five minutes into the second half as the Wellington girls took the lead: an incredible tackle was followed by some slick passing and Kitty Baccanello eventually scored what was the winning goal. 1-0 at the final whistle and the girls secured the national crown.

The entire squad played their part in what was a massive team effort; all involved should be congratulated for both the spirit with which they played the games and also the way they conducted themselves over the two days. A special mention must go to Kitty Baccanello who not only scored the winning goal but also ended the two days as the tournament’s top scorer. What a way to finish an unforgettable season!