Tim Pitman writes up the incredibly competitive matches from the Westbourne House Hockey Festival.
It was second time lucky for the rescheduled hockey festival, as OWs, parents and pupils were bathed in sunshine from arrival until match tea. A selection of photos is below and the full set can be viewed here.
The Teams
There were four Old Westbournian teams: OW Seniors, OW Young and OW 2019 Boys (bolstered by current 1st XI players) and OW 2019 Girls.
The current parents were represented by two strong and very competitive sides, plus we had two teams of current Westbourne House pupils.
The title holders, the Millenials, were sadly not able to make the rescheduled date to represent the early “noughties” vintage of Old Westbournian. They swear they will be back next year to recapture the trophy!
The Matches
The eight teams were divided into two groups, which were hard to seed, such was the standard of hockey.
The afternoon opened with a game between two teams of current Westbourne House pupils, promising players from Years 4 to 7. It was a swashbuckling encounter which ended in a 2-2 draw. I was very grateful to the young OW players who ensured that the game ran smoothly. Some of the current pupils graduated to play in the main competition.
The first round was a tense affair as the muscles of the aged began to regain their momentary flexibility. Young players filled their young lungs with air which fuelled explosions of energy. The old adage of experience winning over youth was true to an extent, especially in the first round.
As the afternoon progressed, the experienced players became less agile in body and mind. Despite this, the final was a battle of wits between WHS Parents 2 and OW Young, which ended in a golden goal period with the WHS Parents 2 side slotting home a winner as the dark clouds approached.
Match tea was on offer of course and the kitchens surpassed themselves and hands were warmed with hot chocolates and coffees. This is an event which embodies the 'Westbourne Spirit’ and it was there in abundance with parents, pupils - current and 'old' - and school coming together in a spirit of community, competition and good company.
A HUGE thank you to the team captains: a lot of hard work went in to organising the teams for this day and the captains did a marvellous job. We couldn't do it without you.
Thank you all for coming and look out for next year’s date.
Tim Pitman
