WHC Oracle Edition 69
2024-2025 New Season
Message from the Junior Chair
The season is up and running, and we are excited to see the impact of all the investments that we have made during the last few years. Everything that we have done has been aimed at furthering our twin junior section objectives, namely, to provide the opportunity for as many children as possible to play hockey and to stretch our more motivated and talented players to maximise their abilities.
As ever, the opportunities can only be provided if we have sufficient committed and talented coaches and managers. It took some time to get everything in place over the summer, but we are now delighted that we have top teams across all age groups, as well as in positions that span the junior section. Our massive thanks go out to all those giving their time and effort to support our juniors on and off the pitch.
We continue to offer more and more participation opportunities. Our on-going outreach activities have attracted a growing number of children to join the club, and we have accommodated this by restructuring our U10 and U12 girls groups. By splitting both into two sub-groups we have been able to increase the number of membership places and ensure that players are training at an appropriate standard.
Our Talent Development Group is up and running for the Autumn term, including for the first time a performance TDG group for the older players who are at county hockey standard or above. The additional high-quality training on top of their age group opportunities is really paying dividends, and can be seen in the standard of hockey being played across the section. Given the strength of our U10 players, for the first time we have entered both boys and girls U10 teams into the Hampshire U12 leagues, quite a stretch for them, but one passed with flying colours in the first round of matches. We have an unprecedented 47 players currently attending assessment for Hampshire age group selection, and a further 15 players who have recently been selected for 2024-25 South Coast Academy. Finally, special mention goes to Rory Jack & Tom Nolan who have been selected for England U16 assessment.
Tim Lander
U16 Girls
vs Alton - 4-0
Our first league match of the season saw the U16 girls away to Alton and a first chance to put our training into practice. Winchester made a good start with our defence turning over the ball from the opposition and the midfield combining well to set up numerous chances; any chance that Alton did have was saved by Lottie. However, the Alton goalkeeper kept their team in the game until Isla scored to break the deadlock so we headed into half time with a 1-0 lead.
After a half-time talk we again continued to dominate possession in the second half. As the Alton team tired from chasing the ball the chances kept coming and eventually we scored three second half goals from Orla, Fran and Ella, making the final score 4-0 to Winchester.
Players of the match: Lottie and Fran
U16 Boys
vs wimbledon - 1-2
There are some games that go your way, and some that don’t. The ones that get away despite a wonderfully committed team performance are the hardest to take, and this was certainly one of those.
The England Hockey centralised calendar was such that there was no opportunity for a warmup game, and the league draw threw the toughest challenge that our U16 boys could have faced in their opening tier 1 supra league fixture, against English hockey giant Wimbledon.
Despite the lack of game time, the boys have trained really well over the last few weeks, under the guidance of new head coach, Adam “Minor” Major. The patterns of play were evident for all to see, but most pleasing was the work rate and the seamless integration of the boys new to U16 hockey. Wimbledon had the better of the opening exchanges, as the younger boys took time to adjust to the pace of play but gradually Winchester’s confidence grew and by mid-way through the first half it was clear that the boys realised they could compete at this level.
As the game reached a ferocious level of intensity, Winchester started to take control, with Rory immense at the back and Tom terrorising his opponents in the midfield. A few half chances came and went, and a succession of short corners required solid saves from the Wimbledon goalkeeper. The half time break was needed more by Wimbledon, but there was no let up from Winchester at the start of the 2nd half. Continued dominance drew a succession of cards for Wimbledon and more short corners for Winchester, but crucially there was no breakthrough, and the game entered the final 5 minutes still goalless.
Finally, a clear-cut chance arose, as a turnover was quickly transferred to Tom who put Bertie away, still on the halfway line but clean through. He rapidly carried into the D but as he rounded the goalkeeper, was brutally felled before getting his shot away. The goalkeeper was instantly sent off and a penalty stroke awarded to Winchester. This was the chance to finally seize the initiative, but it was not to be as Tom’s flick cruelly rebounded off the left-hand post. Wimbledon were ecstatic and re-energised, quickly attacked and won a short corner. Winchester lost a player for an early charge, and this proved crucial as Ollie’s save re-bounded to a Wimbledon player who calmly stroked it into the net. A frantic finale saw Winchester pushing for a late equaliser, Wimbledon broke and scored again, before another penalty stroke to Winchester was slotted home by Bertie.
This was a game of fine margins between two strong, evenly matched teams. Despite the loss, Winchester can take many positives and will approach the rest of the season with confidence.
U14 Girls
a’s vs Marlow B’s - 7-1
Sunday took Winchester GU14 As on the road to Marlow for their first league game of the season. Previous encounters have always been quite close as Marlow regularly have a strong U14 squad. After a really positive training session on Friday the girls arrived in good spirits and well prepared for the match. The squad comprised of a mix of some experienced U14s from last season and new players who have just moved up from U12s.
The girls quickly gelled as the team dominating the match from the starting whistle, Venne slotted away an early goal after just seven minutes, shortly followed by one from Violet. Winchester made some great attacks, with Alice W, Lana, Aggie, Izzy and Emily all coming close on occasions. Winchester were solid in defence, with Poppy, Sophie, Flossy and Alice EH all ensuring any counterattack didn’t go far. After 20 minutes Winchester got their third goal with Emily persistently hassling the goalie to slip it in the net and then just before the half time whistle, Aggie got the goal she had been looking for. Half-time 4 – 0 to Winchester.
The second half saw Winchester continue their dominance, with some excellent work in the middle of the pitch from Charlii, Violet and Venne. And soon Emily popped away two more goals to score her hat-trick. With the score line at 6-0 the coaches started to switch players around and try out different combinations. This gave Marlow a few more opportunities, and fortunately Ella wasn’t caught napping and made a string of good saves until Marlow were awarded a short corner and managed to sneak a goal on the right post. In the final few minutes of the game Winchester found themselves back in attack and were awarded a short corner, with a fabulous well worked combination between Sophie and Venne, Sophie banging away a goal into the back of the net. At the final whistle Winchester had won 7-1, Marlow never gave up and chased and hassled to the end, but a great start to the season for the A’s. POM was awarded to Emily for her hat-trick and Violet for some amazing penetrating runs through the centre of the pitch.
B’s vs trojans b’s 5-0
Bar End was the location of the U14 B team’s first league game of the 24/25 hockey season and Trojans B were the opposition. The first ten minutes of the game saw a very evenly matched game but the deadlock broke when consistent pressure down the right hand side from Sophia led to a breakthrough goal from Millie after a perfect cut back assist by Agatha.
The first half ended 3-0, with Winchester forward Daisy’s first touch shot hitting the back board. Followed up in quick succession with attacking play down the left, midfield skills from Lilly and a well timed switch of play leading to Daisy’s second goal.
Trojans showed strength in the second half with strong forward play and attacking segments through their centre and right hand side. However the positional play of the defensive back line of Emily, Flo and Olivia shut down early pass attempts and strong ball dribbling. Turning defence into attack seems to be a hallmark of the girls U14 B side and so persistent interceptions from the press by Holly and Molly allowed for consistent pressure in the attacking 25.
Yet again, Daisy in the right place at the right time bagged a third goal. The score was now 4-0 to Winchester. Sophia’s outstanding skill in the D and consistent attacking play led to a Winchester short corner. With the routine freshly polished at training on Friday, Millie converted with a cricket like finish on the right post.
Special kudos to Georgia, Bea and Charlie for playing for the Trojans team and making the game possible.
U14 Boys
vs Haslemere - 8-1
The first league match for the U14 boys’ team was away to Haslemere. The team were prepared for a tough game given the change in players that occurs each year and now being in tier 1 league, having been unbeaten in tier 2 last year. Winchester won the coin toss and pushed back under cloudy but dry conditions.
Having worked hard on defending during training, it was clear this had been time well spent as Haslemere struggled to make connecting passes with Reid, Pope and Toby proving worthy of the defensive challenge. Winchester settled into the game and some lovely flowing central movement releasing the wide players saw Winchester go ahead.
This raised confidence, settled nerves and saw a solid press established which Haslemere struggled to break. Although there were a few breakaway moments dealt with, Winchester were the strongest side and finished the first half 3-0 up.
A few areas to work on in the second half saw great work rate from the team and even more goals with only one breakaway goal in response. The game finished 8-1 with 5 from Chris, 2 from Wingrove and 1 from Seb, but this really was a team performance with everyone engaged and playing their part.
U12 Girls
6 October 2024
Winchester’s top two U12 girls’ teams welcomed Trojans to Bar End for two 40 min seven-a-side matches. The purples ran out 8-0 against Trojans Bs with some strong driving into the circle and powerful finishing. Equally pleasing was the defensive pair making good line breaking passes.
Next up was Trojans A team and they put up a strong fight this week with Q1 being 0-0. Winchester Blacks created some good chances and raced to a 3-0 lead after half time. Trained patterns of play were evident with some unselfish passing in the circle. Trojans did create quite a bit in the last 15 minutes but the Blacks’ keeper made some great saves. 3-1 was the final score but a one goal win would probably have been fair as well.
The rivalry continues… next week Guildford are bringing six teams to Bar End which will be a difficult test.
22 September 2024
Winchester U12G Blacks and Purples played their first division 1 & 1B matches v Romsey and Trojans on 22 September. The Blacks won 6-0 against Romsey, who were last years Hampshire champions, and then defeated local rivals Trojans (who were missing a few) 6-1. What a great start.
New faces in the team augmenting the spine from last year bode well for the season. In the same vein the Purples won by an even bigger margin against the second string from Romsey and Trojans, 16-0.
Well done all.
U12 Boys
vs Romsey - 2-0
The U12 boys kicked off the first games at home this season with a great performance against Romsey. From the start the team showcased tremendous energy and skill. The players worked cohesively, creating good scoring opportunities. Their hard work paid off with two well-executed goals, securing a solid 2-0 victory. The defence and goalkeeping remained strong despite pressure on them in the second half.
vs Trojans - 1-1
In a thrilling second match against the Trojans, the boys displayed resilience and determination. After a tense first half, the team found themselves trailing 1-0. However, their relentless efforts paid off in the dying moments of the game, as they scored a deserved equaliser. The players demonstrated great teamwork and composure under pressure, finishing the match with a hard-earned 1-1 draw.
U10s
Salisbury Tournament - 22nd September
The first U10 tournament of the year saw Winchester take 21 U10s to a tournament in Salisbury which saw sunshine and torrential rain, yet all the children took this in their stride. With mixed opposition of varying standards our two teams showed character and confidence yet also highlighted areas to work on in training. Both Winchester teams displayed strong work ethic and the beginnings of connected play, longer distance passing combined with more spread-out pitch positioning - a positive feature so early in the season.
Overall, both teams lost a few and won a few but can leave proud that they did their best.
Other teams did have goalies so if your child (especially girls) is interested in trying this role please reach out and we can arrange for that to happen during one training session as a taster (all kit provided by the club).