Pupils are celebrating today after receiving an astonishing 43 offers from either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge – the highest number in the College’s history. We are immensely proud of our pupils - a huge congratulations!
In foggy and misty conditions, the girls started on the front foot, winning two penalty corners in the opening eight minutes. It was a re-award which gave Brighton the lead, with the ball smartly slipped at the top of the circle to Bel, who slapped the ball hard into the bottom corner of the goal. Despite creating the odd chance on the counter and one corner in the second half, it was our opponents who took the game to us, pressing effectively and making life very difficult for the girls to enjoy any period of controlled possession.
Wave after wave of attack came in the second half from the visitors, winning at least ten short corners in the process. However, Ruby, along with her penalty corner defence team, repelled all short corner variations to keep the opposition at bay and hold on for a nervy 1-0 victory. It was far from the spectacular performance produced by the girls in the previous round; however, the sheer grit and determination from the squad to hold on when all momentum was against them pays testament to the growing resilience this group is showing and the ability to win matches when we are up against it.
The girls will now compete for silverware at finals day, which is taking place on Tuesday, 6 February at the Nottingham Hockey Centre. The semi-final will take place at midday against Solihull, Clifton College or Reed’s/Alleyn’s, followed by a classification game at 3pm.
It promises to be a memorable day for the hockey club, making its first ever appearance at this stage of a national competition.