By: Jamie Kingstone, Head of Hockey and Assistant Director of Sport
On Thursday last week the 1st XI were crowned East Champions and qualified automatically for the National Finals in early March next year. The girls faced three games and began with a very fluent display against a Perse side who sat deep hoping to prevent the Framlingham side from scoring. A large amount of possession was enjoyed and a number of penalty corners earned and not converted until early in the second half Hannah De Selincourt overhead smashed a rebound into the goal to earn a 1-0 win.
Next came the Essex Champions, Felsted, and two early goals set the tone for what was a superb display of hockey resulting in 4-0 win, meaning a win or draw in the final match would be enough to win the tournament. Kent College started brightly but Framlingham went 1-0 up only to concede from a very well worked penalty corner goal. Two minutes before half time Georgie Cantrell scored a simply stunning goal flicking the ball over the oncoming goalkeepers shoulder from the baseline to send Framlingham into the lead – one that they extended minutes later to secure a fine win and the title of East Champions.
The U14’s were also in the East Finals and produced a gritty, determined display of hockey to beat Kent College 1-0 thanks to an early Olivia Buchannan goal and some desperate late defending, next to come were local rivals Ipswich and at 1-0 down with 10 minutes to go it looked a little bleak but up stepped Georgie Gardens who levelled things up before scoring an amazing solo goal to win the game in the final minute. The final match became a winner takes all game and despite some very determined play Sevenoaks won 2-1, it left Framlingham second and with a playoff match against another second placed team from either the North, East or West to secure a place at the national finals, a quite superb achievement.
