On Sunday 8 March, a combined Under-10 girls’ team from Gosport Hockey Club and Portsmouth Hockey Club took part in the Hampshire In2Hockey tournament organised by Hampshire Hockey Association at Wellington Sports Ground.

Getting to the venue proved to be something of a challenge, with many players, coaches and families caught in heavy traffic on the access roads due to a busy car boot sale nearby. Despite the difficult start to the morning, the girls arrived ready to play and showed great determination throughout the tournament.

The team played four matches in total, facing strong opposition from Romsey Hockey Club, Andover Hockey Club, Trojans Hockey Club and Winchester Hockey Club. They drew one game against Winchester to earn a well-deserved point, while narrowly losing the other three matches.

Although the team did not manage to find the back of the net, their defensive effort was impressive. Across the four games they conceded just four goals in total, two of which came against Romsey, who went on to be the overall winners of the morning’s competition.

Considering that the Portsmouth and Gosport players had never played together before — and in many cases had only just met — the girls put in a fantastic performance, working hard for each other and improving with every game. It was a super morning of hockey, and the coaches were delighted with how quickly the team gelled and the enthusiasm and teamwork they showed throughout the tournament.

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Also competing on Sunday 8 March at Wellington Sports Ground were the Gosport Hockey Club Boys Under-10s, who were kindly supported by a goalkeeper and an outfield player from Portsmouth Hockey Club. The mixed Portsmouth and Gosport side quickly showed great teamwork and determination.

Drawn in Pool A, the boys faced strong opposition from Trojans Hockey Club, Haslemere Hockey Club, Basingstoke Hockey Club and Petersfield Hockey Club. The team produced an impressive set of results, winning two matches, drawing one and losing one. That strong performance was enough to secure second place in their pool and a well-earned place in the semi-finals.

In the semi-final they faced New Forest Hockey Club, winners of Pool B. The build-up to the match included nearly an hour without hockey, which instead saw the boys enjoying themselves in the surrounding fields, making new friends and burning off energy — something that perhaps didn’t help their focus when it came time to play again. Despite their best efforts, the team were narrowly defeated and moved on to the 3rd/4th place play-off.

The final match was against Havant Hockey Club. The Portsmouth/Gosport team battled hard and delivered a strong performance to secure third place overall, finishing an impressive 3rd out of 10 competing Hampshire clubs.

It was a fantastic day of hockey, and both coaches and parents said the boys had a brilliant time. They were incredibly proud of the way the team played, showing teamwork, resilience, determination and skills well beyond their young years.

The Club are delighted our young talent was on show to all Hampshire Clubs.

Next weekend it's the Boys U12 at Basingstoke Hockey Club. Look forward to hearing all about that.