U11 IAPS Hockey Qualifiers 2025

Ten excited boys embarked on a short but important journey to Fettes for the IAPS Qualifiers. We knew we were in a tough pool, and securing a place in the final—our ticket to the National Finals at Framlingham College—was going to be a big challenge.

Group Stage Matches

Our first match against St Mary’s required a determined performance. They were a strong, physical team that played direct hockey, but we started brightly, taking an early lead. From there, we capitalised on counterattacks, scoring three more goals to make the perfect start to our campaign.

Next, we faced Sedbergh, a team we had played just the day before. Having watched their opening game, we knew they had made improvements. This match proved to be a real battle, as we struggled to move the ball quickly, often trying to do too much individually. Fortunately, Ethan made a brilliant diving save to keep a clean sheet, and, thanks to some sharp interplay from Harry and Teddy, we snatched a breakaway goal against the run of play. It wasn’t our best performance, but a win is a win.

A quick team talk refocused the boys, and we returned to our best in the third match against Craigclowan. Harry netted a superb hat trick, and with control of the game, we ensured all squad members got valuable playing time.

The final group-stage match was a must-win to secure top spot in our pool. The boys delivered, playing some excellent passing hockey to secure a 4-1 victory.

Knock Out Matches

In the semi-final, we faced a strong Aysgarth side that had won all but one of their pool matches. However, our hockey stepped up to another level. We dominated possession, created numerous chances, and delivered a commanding 5-0 victory, highlighted by a stunning strike from Daniel and an epic run from Tommy who ran the length of the pitch to score from centre back! More importantly, we had achieved our goal—securing our place at the National Finals! The excitement and relief were evident, and the boys fully deserved this moment.

The final pitted us against an unbeaten St Peter’s side, historically one of our toughest rivals. We played the better hockey and emerged as well-deserved one nil winners. The winning goal came just before halftime through some quick play from Tommy, who played a precise pass to Teddy. He turned smartly and found his brother and captain, Harry, waiting on the penalty spot, where he calmly slotted the ball past their keeper. We had further chances to extend our lead in the second half, but their goalkeeper was in inspired form, making several crucial saves.

Onto the National Finals!

With our place secured at Framlingham in Suffolk for the U11 National Finals, the question now is—can this team go one step further than last year’s silver medalists? We are simply thrilled to be there and are looking forward to reconnecting with Coach Cuan, who is now based at Framlingham.

There were some individual performances which deserve a mention – Tommy with his calm play at the back and excellent distribution and Teddy with his energy up front, either getting or setting up most of the goals including a terrific assist for the goal in the final. However, Harry, as captain, led the team by example – nonstop running, breaking up the flow of the opposition with his excellent tackling and moving the ball forward quickly and a scoring whole heap of goals. That said, this is a team game and so a huge well done to the entire team for their grit in tough moments, their winning mentality, and the outstanding hockey they played, which was widely praised by opposition coaches and umpires. A proud coach couldn’t ask for more—well done, boys!