CHESHIRE SCHOOLS & YOUTH (BOYS) HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

                             Report for AGM           2007-2008 Season

A highly successful season culminating with six of our boys gaining International Honours with the England Under 16 and Under 18 squads and the County Under 15 team winning the National County Championships for the fourth time in the past seven years, a remarkable achievement.

The six International players are :-

U18    Richie Dawson-Smith                   (Bowdon HC)

            Peter Jackson                     (Brooklands HC  ex S.Cheshire HC)

            Tom Marshall                       (Brooklands HC  ex S.Cheshire HC)

            Henry Weir                           (Brooklands HC  ex Crewe Vagrants HC)

U16  Brendan Creed                      (Bowdon HC)

            Philip Roper                         (Chester HC)

Peter Jackson has also been training with the England Under 21 Development Squad and so was unable to play in the County U17 team.

The County Under 15 team began their campaign by competing in the Northern Counties Championships, a six County round robin Tournament

played over three days at Belle Vue. The Team won all their five matches, scoring 29 goals and conceding nil, easily winning the North Championship,  whom they then represented in the National Finals at Beeston, where they won three games and drew one, winning the Title by a clear 3 points from the runners-up, Hampshire.

During the season a total of  27  boys from 9 different Clubs and 15 different Schools played for the team, exemplifying the coverage the Association adopts in seeking the most talented players.

The Association wishes to thank the County Association for their financial support in competing in the National Finals

 In other age groups, competing in the Northern Counties Championships , the Under 17’s finished joint first with Lancashire, the defending National Champions, but lost the Title on a Penalty Stroke Competition.

The Under 16 team won the North Title for the second consecutive year winning all their games and the Under 14 squad finished as Runners-up to a strong Yorkshire team.

In an Event hosted by the Wirral Schools and Youth Association, the Cheshire Under 13 squad showed that more success is on its way in the future by winning all three games played, scoring 13 goals and conceding only one.

Other events held during the season were the Under 11 and Under 13 Mini-Hockey Finals which were held at Chester Hockey Club and organised by

Jim Ormandy, to whom we give our thanks.

The Under 11 Winners were Alderley Edge HC with Deeside Ramblers HC finishing as runners-up.

The Under 13 Winners were Birkenhead School with Chester HC as runners-up.

All four teams competed in the North Finals at Belle Vue but only Chester reached the semi-finals where they lost to the eventual Winners from Ben Rhydding.

The Man Group plc National Schools Cup competition for U14, U16 and U18 teams reached a conclusion in the County Finals at Belle Vue in January.

U14            King’s School, Chester            1    Birkenhead School            0

U16            King’s School, Chester            2    Weaverham High School   0

U18            Birkenhead School         3    Sandbach Boys School      2

The three County Winners then qualified for the North West Finals after winning their Semi-final matches against Schools from Lancashire and Cumbria.

U14            King’s School, Chester   2    Neston High School       1

U16            King’s School, Chester   3    Calday Grange GS     2

U18            Birkenhead School         1    Merchant Taylors’   1  (Won on PS)

The three Winning teams were then defeated in the North Finals by Schools

from Yorkshire and Durham.

In the HA Cup Tournaments, Timperley U15’s reached the semi-finals of the

Plate competition and Deeside Ramblers came third in the four team round

robin event for the National U15 title.

Our Congratulations go to the Bowdon squad which won the National Club’s

Under 18 title defeating teams from Beeston, Harleston Magpies and

Reading.

We also give our Congratulations to the Bowdon Senior team who will be

playing Beeston in the EH Cup Final  and to the Cheshire Senior team who

have qualified for the Finals in order to retain their National County

Championship title.

Finally we wish to thank the many volunteers who contribute so much of

their time to ensure that we remain one of the most successful Counties

in the Country.

Reg Price

11^th May 2008