U14 HOLLAND HOCKEY TOUR

During half term 15 U14 boys embarked on a four-day hockey tour to the hockey-mad country of Holland.

Day one saw the tour group fly out to the beautiful coastal town of Noordwijk where the boys had the chance to explore the town, taking full advantage of the glorious sandy beach and embarking on some beach football in the winter sunshine. They got their first taste of Dutch hockey that evening, with HC Noordwijk kindly lending us their superb facilities. The boys worked hard in chilly conditions and it was great to see them all trying new skills and tactics.

Day two saw the tour start their day with some yoga to prepare for a busy day ahead. Some sand sculpting on the beach saw the boys get their creative juices flowing whilst making best use of the wonderful beach and glorious sunshine. The afternoon saw the tour transfer to the very friendly and welcoming Alecto Leiderdorp Hockey Club. A high quality training session was followed by a pre-game dinner, ready for the evening game against Alecto. A hard fought game followed and seeing the boys take on board what they had worked on in training was brilliant. The boys enjoyed a post-game snack and had the chance to mingle with and learn from some of the Alecto players, sharing parts of one another’s cultures.

Day three started with more yoga and some video analysis which helped the squad see some of the things they had been doing well and some points in which they could improve. Their third training session then led on to another closely contested match, this time vs HC Noordwijk in which the boys worked hard and had the chance to apply the skills they had been learning that morning, showing that they were capable of competing with strong opposition. Crazy golf was to follow in the afternoon as the boys had a bit of down time after a busy three days, rounding the day off with a trip out for dessert at a local restaurant.

The fourth and final day started with the last match of the tour in The Hague, hosted by the friendly and accommodating HDM hockey club. Another high-quality match was played and it was encouraging to see that the boys were improving in each of the games and even had the chance to move around the pitch in a bid to learn and appreciate the demands of playing in different positions. The final afternoon was spent in Amsterdam. The team enjoyed a canal ride around the beautiful city, allowing them to see the city from the water and take in some of the local sights.

A big well done to all the boys who came on the tour, they all conducted themselves brilliantly and gave their all in both training and matches, and were a credit to the School.