Eight energetic girls left Lady Barn on the bus, singing and cheering loudly with excitement. Arriving at Terra Nova, our girls ran onto the Astro, eager to practise their hockey skills.

Our first game against Terra Nova was a superb start to the tournament. Fantastic passes from Saskia on the left, excellent driving down the middle from Parker, and confident finishes from the twin-pronged attack of Penelope and Isla gave us a brilliant 2-0 win. In the second game against St Mary’s Prep, our teamwork shone through. Bethany sent the ball out to the left from the back, Saskia switched play back to the middle, and Isla crossed into the 'D' for plenty of shots as we peppered their goal. With two goals from Daisy and one apiece from Parker and Isla, we posted a dominant 4-0 result. Suddenly, our third game turned out to be a much tougher test against Pownall Hall, and we had to start strong. Our best formation was set by this point, and with vocal encouragement from Shreya as captain, we found ourselves two goals up within the first couple of minutes, courtesy of Isla and Parker. We really hit our stride after that start, finishing with a final goal from Parker to secure a 3-0 scoreline. Our phenomenal goalkeeper, Sofia, stood up to the test in this game, as her agility and reflexes could not be faulted, keeping clean sheets throughout the group round.

We advanced straight into the semi-final and again were able to impose our game right from the start. We took aim at their goal with a few stinging shots, just missing by the narrowest of margins. Packwood was defensively solid with a confident goalkeeper, making for an entertaining but intense 0-0 stalemate for most of the game. Just as the final whistle loomed, Packwood engineered themselves a fast breakaway. Sofia's catlike reflexes saved an amazing shot, but one more shot from Packwood slipped through her legs, and with it went the game. We had to applaud Packwood for their tenacity and defensive play. A 0-1 finish but pride all round for every Lady Barn player after an outstanding game.

Mrs. Massam - Head of Girls’ Games