TIFS Girls – 2nd Place
TIFS Boys – 3rd Place

Last Wednesday, our U13 girls’ and boys’ hockey teams played in the Hampshire Trophy at Southampton Sports Centre. It was a sunny but chilly afternoon to take on some of Hampshire schools’ best hockey talent.
The boys’ team started well with 4 successive wins, playing the ball around the whole pitch and passing swiftly, creating numerous chances which were finished superbly. A narrow defeat in their final pool game still saw them progress into the semi-finals as runners-up in their group. A hard fought semi final against St. John’s College from Portsmouth ended with a 2-0 loss, but our boys picked themselves up to defeat Westgate School, from Winchester, on penalty strokes and finished in a fantastic third place.
Likewise TIFS girls began with a couple of wins and a draw, losing their final pool game. However they had to endure penalty strokes to reach the semi-final, which they took in their stride and won, only to then have to repeat it at the end of their semi-final game to reach the final. The final match against Alton School was a tense affair, with both teams giving little away and eventually ending 0-0. A third set of penalty stokes saw TIFS agonisingly lose 1-2, but to finish as runners-up was a marvellous achievement and all the players should be proud of their effort and performance.
Later this term, our older boys’ hockey teams will also travel to Southampton to compete in their respective Hampshire Trophy competitions.