u11 iaps national qualifiers

An enthusiastic group of U11 boys sprang out of bed bright and early this morning in order to head north to take part in the National IAPS Seven-a-side Tournament. This year it was held at Strathallan and there were six schools participating.

 

Our first match was against Ardvreck who we knew was a decent side. It was a good game with both teams having a number of chances. The match ended with no goals being scored although they were sometimes only kept out by Ollie’s determined efforts in goal. I was very pleased with our performance. The boys held their positions well and everyone contributed.

 

Next up was Fettes and we took up where we left off in the previous game. The ball was spread wide at times to either Kit or Will and it was in the fifth minute that Will managed to slot one in for our first (and only) goal of the day. The rest of the match saw play moving up and down the field with neither team able to score. Angus, as our lone defender, did a good job and cut off a number of attacks. The match ended with us one goal up and with three points in the bag – things were looking quite good.

 

Our final match of the morning was against Loretto and we knew that they were a useful team. Jamie was given the task of trying to mark their danger man out of the game, a task that he performed admirably, but they had more than one good player. They used their right wing well and we were slow to get back and cover when they made a break. It was a fiercely competed match with tempers flaring at times and the occasional shove in the back. I don’t really mind this too much as I believe hockey to be a tough, physical sport. Charlie was involved in one or two disputes but to me this only shows his level of commitment and refusal to give up. Geordie, Will and Jamie also got stuck in, as did Hewie towards the end of the match. Unfortunately we didn’t always fall back quickly enough and Loretto did manage to score one goal – it was enough to secure a victory for them.

 

So to lunch.

 

And then back to the field to face Cargilfield. Unfortunately brains and guts were left behind in the dining room and this match proved to be a dismal performance by Belhaven. There were no positives to speak of. The Cargilfield boys could hit the ball hard and this seemed to terrify the Belhaven team. The tackling was insipid and half-hearted and the marking poor. Cargilfield had five penalty corners and did the same move each time; no-one adapted to do anything about it thus allowing them free shots at goal. Inevitably, even Ollie couldn’t keep them out and we allowed them to score five goals. What a mess.

 

After playing some good hockey in the morning, it would have been a disappointment to end on a sour note; but we only had one match remaining, against Craigclowan, a team that beat us last Wednesday, and the leading team in the tournament, to try to claw back some respect. I was asking for a herculean fifteen minutes. I got it.

 

Every single boy in the team played their best fifteen minutes of the season, possibly their lives. Unfortunately poor Tom, on the side, never got a run in this match despite having played some very composed hockey through the course of the day; I simply forgot about him in all the excitement. This was another fierce competition with an impressive display of total commitment. Charlie had to be cautioned once for some ‘over enthusiastic’ play but each of the boys was as determined as Charlie. Angus was big at the back and took control of the defence, closing down any breaks. The halves, Geordie, Hewie and Jamie fought for everything and didn’t stop running for a moment, while Will started to show some strength on the ball and started to run with it. Craigclowan came close but were somehow kept out. We had one or two good chances but couldn’t put them away. In the final seconds of the match, Belhaven were awarded a penalty corner – time would be called the moment it was over so it was a last chance to steal a win.

 

We didn’t get it, but boy, what a game! I think that it would be fair to say that everyone watching this match felt that it was worth the long trip up to Strath. if only for those fifteen minutes. Well done boys.