The Cranleigh Prep School U13 boys’ hockey team was crowned the IAPS National Champions yesterday during the finals day held at Merchant Taylors’ School.
They remained undefeated throughout the competition, demonstrating remarkable resilience against exceptional teams from across England and Scotland.
Cranleigh Prep began strongly with a 3-0 victory in their opening group game against St Peter’s School, York, scoring early and then defending resolutely to secure the perfect start. However, a game break did not favour the team, leading to a lacklustre first-half performance in their second match against the quality Durlston College team, resulting in a 0-1 deficit. A dominant second-half effort allowed the team to equalise, but they couldn’t find a second goal, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
With one match left in the group, a win was essential to secure a top spot and a place in the cup competition. The boys delivered their most complete attacking performance, winning 5-1 against King’s College Prep, which allowed them to advance to the semi-finals. Knowing they had made the top four was not enough; they started their semi-final against Gresham’s School by quickly scoring to take a 1-0 lead. Although they missed several chances to extend their lead, outstanding defence, particularly during penalty corners, kept the score unchanged, much to the relief of the players, coaches, and supporters.
All that was left was the final against Framlingham School, which turned out to be the highest-quality game of the day. Cranleigh took an early lead, but it was never comfortable against a talented attacking team from Suffolk. Framlingham hit the post from a penalty corner and came close on another occasion. Cranleigh also struck the crossbar before Framlingham equalised with only three minutes remaining. To their credit, the boys quickly overcame their disappointment and scored their best team goal of the day to take a 2-1 lead with mere seconds left on the clock, sealing a memorable and jubilant victory.
