Wellington College Hosts a Fantastic IAPS Girls U13 Hockey Finals

A crisp and frosty morning greeted teams arriving for the IAPS Girls U13 Hockey Finals at Wellington College last Friday. The chilly conditions caused a brief delay to the start of play, but once the frost lifted, it revealed a stunning clear sunny day, perfect for an exciting day of hockey.

Schools from across the country gathered for a full programme of pool matches, knockout rounds and finals. Despite the cold start, the standard of play quickly rose to the occasion, with pupils showing remarkable teamwork, energy and skill throughout the day.

In their opening welcome, Directors of Sport at Wellington College and Wellington College Prep, Dan Pratt and Ian Jones, congratulated all players for reaching this stage, reminding them that they should be “incredibly proud” of their achievement. They also highlighted how the hockey pitch serves as a powerful environment for learning “teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship, all of which lie at the heart of sport.”

After a competitive morning of pool fixtures, the tournament moved into the Cup and Plate knockout stages, where the pace and intensity stepped up once again. The afternoon sunshine only added to the atmosphere, culminating in a lively and well-attended finals presentation at 3.30pm.

A huge congratulations goes to every player who took part from Dragon School, St Mary’s Melrose, Langley Prep, St Peter’s York, St Andrew’s Prep, St John’s College School, All Hallows, Junior King’s, Repton Prep, Lambrook, Hurstpierpoint College, Cheam School, Millfield Prep, Winchester House, Bromsgrove, and Wellington College Prep. Your skill, sportsmanship and determination were clear in every match, and you should all feel incredibly proud of your efforts.

We are also delighted that two of our top feeder schools, Dragon School and Lambrook, secured podium finishes. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the strength of their hockey programmes. We cannot wait to see some of these talented young athletes representing Wellington in the years to come.

We are also incredibly proud of Wellington College Prep, who finished in the top eight in the country, a brilliant achievement for our home team.

A special congratulations to Millfield Prep, who were the overall winners.

Wellington College extends warm thanks to all coaches, officials, staff and families who helped make the event such a success.