HOCKEY IN HOLLAND
A great week was had by all in Noordwijk, Holland during the popular October half term hockey tour organised by Warminster Sports Department. The week consisted of two large executive coaches, a ferry crossing, matches, plenty of training, a waterpark and many fond memories made along the way. Harley Pearce tells us more…
Our first match against Ypenburg was a bit of a struggle as we hadn’t played together as a team and we were sadly beaten, even though our goal keeper, Gabriel, was outstanding and well deserved his Man of The Match award. We worked on several set pieces in training and everyone put in lots of effort. Unfortunately, we took another loss in the following match, but we worked much better as a team and showed considerable promise.
Our third match of the tour was against a strong side and we were beaten again but we felt that we continued to improve as our match play increased. Everyone trained really hard and we finally pulled together and made our first win of the tour, 6-1. It felt fantastic particularly as we knew it was the result of putting the practice in and working as a team.
As a result we were full of confidence going into our final match and eager to finish the week with a result which reflected just how much we had learned as a team during the tour. We ended up with our best result, comfortably beating our opponents and playing our best hockey out of the five matches. There were an abundance of goals from our players and some outstanding performances from the whole team.
It was a fantastic tour and a great experience. I was very proud to captain the team for the whole week alongside Will Robinson and it will be a trip that we will always remember. Over 80 pupils attended and it was a great bonding experience too. Thanks to all the Warminster teachers and coaches who organised and looked after us all on the trip.
Harley Pearce, Year 10