It was a fantastic weekend for local sides competing at the England Hockey Indoor Championships held at various locations around the country.
HC Knole Park celebrated not one but two national titles in Wolverhampton as both their U16 and U18 girls won
The U18’s started with a 4-1 over Repton in their opening Pool D match before sinking Bowden 5-0 with two goals enough to separate themselves from Surbiton in the final group game. Their semi final against Marlow finished 5-2 after they were held 1-1 at halftime. In the final, they were matched up against Surbiton once again, with an identical 2-0 score line enough to lift the title.
The U16’s also made light work of their opposition. Drawn in Pool D, they beat Alderley Edge 14-0 in their opening match before dispatching Wimbledon 8-0 and Cambridge City 8-0. In the semi final they were drawn against Repton, and again stormed through to the final with an 8-1 win. The final was another match against Cambridge City, however this time, Knole Park managed 14 goals without letting one in.
On Twitter, HC Knole Park said: “What a phenomenal weekend and a phenomenal achievement for a club formed in 2019! Well done, girls! Everyone at the club is so proud of you! Thank you to our coaches, managers and supporters!”
Meanwhile in Telford, Sevenoaks’ women gained promotion to the Super 6s Premier Division after results went their way against some tough opposition. Sevenoaks started their second weekend at the indoor championships with a 7-1 win over league rivals Clifton Robinsons before closing out on Saturday with an impressive 4-0 win over Cambridge City.
Sunday started with an agonising 5-5 draw against Guildford. In a see-saw of a match which saw both teams taking the league at various points throughout the game, it was Maddie Thompson who secured the points with an equalising goal in the 37 minute. Oaks then faced off against their old foe Reading and were unfortunate not to come away with the points, finally going down 4-1 after drawing 1-1 at halftime.
However, the points stacked up for Sevenoaks and that means that they will now play in the Premier Division next season, joining their male counterparts.
Captain, Susie Rowe, commented on social media saying: “Promoted to the premier league!! One of the top 8 indoor hockey teams in the country!!! What a couple of weeks it’s been with this group of legends! So proud!”
Sevenoaks men’s captain, Chris Parker, said of the men’s campaign: “Naturally we are absolutely gutted not to finish in the top four and to qualify for finals night, but I cannot fault everyone’s effort. We gave it absolutely everything and went toe to toe with some of the best teams in the country.”