Kenton College Hockey Tournament

Last Friday, the U11 Boys Hockey team departed for Nairobi and the Kenton Hockey 7-a-side tournament. The plane landed at JKIA and we were whisked to BGE where we were staying the night. After lunch and a good training session, we set to work against two BGE Hockey teams.

Against their ‘A’ side, we initially struggled to play our game. The ball moved very quickly across the hard ground and made it hard for us to convert our chances. We went 1-0 down and, despite having the better chances and playing much better Hockey, we lost by a single goal to nil. The second game saw a massive improvement; we passed the ball around and involved our wingers much more. We scored two excellent goals through John Southward and came away as deserved winners. The boys used the win to gain some much needed confidence for the tournament the following day.

On Saturday, we departed for Kenton and in the first game came up against Banda, one of the favourites for the tournament. It was dramatic, end to end Hockey and both teams had chances to win the game, but Francois was superb in goal, reacting well to shots and attacks and clearing the ball from danger. The defence of Antonio and Alex was also strong, ensuring we kept a clean sheet. The midfield of John, Mikey and Arthur tackled well and moved the ball quickly up to Robin, who operated as a lone attacker. The game was great for the neutral fan, but nail-biting for the supporters of each team. It was a relief when the final whistle blew and we emerged with a fantastic draw. Final score 0-0.

Our next two matches did not go as well. Against a very good Hillcrest team, we were put to the sword and conceded two early goals. We fought hard to get back into the match but their goalkeeper thwarted Robin and John's goal-bound efforts. A final score of 3-0 brought the boys back down to earth with a bump. Up next, Peponi, who took a physical approach to the game and, despite the boys playing very well, we slipped to a 1-0 defeat. It was harsh on the boys who played extremely well against a school that had played far more Hockey this season. Our last game against Turi was a huge fight and could have ended up 3-3. Their goalkeeper was the difference between the two teams and they emerged victors by two goals to nil.

The highlight of the weekend was our first match against Banda. A draw against such a large and competitive school is a huge result for our boys and something they can all be immensely proud of. Their performances over the whole weekend were superb and I was very proud to have been involved as their coach.

Well done to all the team, especially Arthur and Malachi, the two U9 boys who played against boys 2 years older than them. Team: Francois, Alex, Antonio, John, Mikey, Arthur, Robin & Malachi.