CHS Junior School made the short trip up the A34 to Manchester Grammar School to compete in the U11 Boys Hockey AJIS Tournament 2020.
First up, the boys got their campaign underway against AKS Lytham. The message from Mr Ray-Hills and Mr Morais was keep it simple, protect the middle and attack with numbers. After a many chances created and a couple of good saves from Cian, a solid performance saw CHS run out as 1-0 winners. A good result to start the day.
Next up CHS were up against Kirkham Grammar. The boys were caught a little cold and found themselves 2-0 down early on in the game. After a spirited fightback, CHS clawed a goal back and were pushing for an equaliser but this left the defence exposed and Kirkham managed to seal the win in the last minute. The competitive game against a strong Kirkham Grammar side ended with a 3-1 defeat. Lessons learnt, on we marched.
On to the Grange. The message after the first 2 games was to continue the attack with width and stop the opposition attacking down the middle of the pitch. The boys were creating chances but needed to be more clinical now. That’s exactly what they were in game 3. Some great all round play saw us run out 3-0 winners.
On to a pivotal game vs Kings Macclesfield in game 4. This game would go a long way to deciding who would win through to the cup semi-final or the plate semi-final. The boys were ready to go. The match was an arm wrestle from start to finish. Chances were created at both ends with both teams getting chances to break the deadlock late on. Kings took theirs, taking the win 1-0. A tough loss but on we marched.
The last game of the pool saw us take on Westholme. CHS pulled out another clinical performance to run out 4-0 victors. A good way to shake off the loss in the previous game. In an outstanding show of sportsmanship, Oliver volunteered to play the match for Westholme as they were a player down.
On to the plate Semi-Final vs Bridgewater. Having shown steady improvement throughout the tournament, CHS were in confident mood. The boys had lots of possession throughout the match, create numerous opportunities resulting in lots of shots but unfortunately the ball wouldn’t go in. In the last 10 seconds Bridgewater passed a long ball to the top of the D and the Bridgewater player managed to pass the ball past the on rushing Cian to complete a smash and grab 1-0 victory. Heartache for CHS.
The tournament was played in a great spirit and the boys came away with a lot of hockey under their belts. They kept going until the very end must be credited with their hard work throughout the day. Well done boys.
Many thanks to MGS for organising a very enjoyable and well run tournament.
