Westleigh juniors yet again turned up in large numbers for the latest county hockey tournament with over 65 players taking part supported by 10 coaches. This was the sixth tournament of the season for the Westleigh showing the Club’s commitment to regular tournament hockey. As usual it was freezing but the cold did not put off the U8s who were up first and played with the usual Westleigh grit and determination. Lots of goals were scored with some good new partnerships forming as the teams were mixed up for this tournament. All three teams played very well with one team scoring 25 goals and conceding zero. It was hard to keep up with all the action but the goals being scored by all the teams were mostly good passing team goals which is rare at U8 level and bodes well for the transition to U10 hockey.

Westleigh were able to field four U10 teams for the first time and the teams were split into development teams and experienced teams with a view to bringing on some of the older U8 players, with the more experienced U10s playing in the later group. All four teams played well but it was tough for the development teams – the best performance of the day was probably the boys development team only losing 3-0 to a strong Ashby team. Special mention to the girls U10 development team with some girls playing in their first tournament with only a few weeks hockey experience.

The older U10s teams were strong and played some great hockey. The boys in particular played with great respect and sporting behaviour as they didn’t over celebrate any goals and always instigated the three cheers at the end of the match scoring 18 goals along the way and conceding zero. The girls U10s had a tougher time playing against mixed and
boys team but they played well and scored some good goals.

The U12 boys and girls teams always provide top quality entertainment and they did not disappoint this time round. The boys had another epic match against our good friends at Charnwood Forest HC, this time Westleigh just came out on top. The girls U12s were very close to beating an Ashby boys team only to be held to a draw with the last shot of the game – it was a fantastic match for the girls though and Ashby played some really good hockey so the girls had to work very hard. Another first for the girls was to play against all girls teams from Ashby and Charnwood. Westleigh girls beat Ashby but then lost to Charnwood in a close game. It is encouraging to see other clubs entering girls teams now and it will only benefit the future tournaments.

One of the best comments from the day was from a parent who mentioned the large number of red jacketed Westleigh Coaches saying it looked like we were taking over the tournament! - some teams had three managers! The Club are very grateful for all their coaches and it means we can support so many hockey teams across all the ages. If anyone wants to help coach or manage teams please don’t hesitate to contact Dave, the more the merrier and we have an endless supply of red jackets!

Thanks to Leicester City HC for putting on a great tournament and of course thanks for all the support from the (freezing cold!) sidelines.