The Under 16 Boys’ England Hockey Cup: possibly the most prestigious competition in U16 Boys’ Hockey, and almost definitely a global spectacle. For some who were playing, it was a lifelong dream come true, and for the more experienced veterans just another thing Kate had told them to do. The Marlow boys were missing key players, and Nick Winter, forcing them to bring in Elliot Killington from the reserves. They were under no illusion that it would be an easy game, with Oxford Hawks usually providing tough opposition, and showed this in the warm up, with every fine detail checked by the watchful eye of Kim-Jong Porter. The boys were motivated and ready to perform in front of the capacity crowd.

The game started with a prolonged period of Marlow dominating possession, with new signing Aaran Amin showing great composure alongside Ed Tyler at the back, patiently moving the ball back and forth. It didn't take long for Marlow to finally capitalise on one of their many penetrations of the Hawks’ circle. Marlow opened their account with a fantastic ball in to Cammybear Beasley-Clinical, who effortlessly deflected the ball high into the net. The Oxford heads went down, and the Marlow press was containing them effectively. It wasn't long until another recent signing made his way onto the scoresheet, with Joe Allnutt gliding past what must have been 7 players before successfully taking a reverse stick shot which hammered into the back of the goal. In midfield, Injury Sheldon was combining well with Karan ‘the Yob’, continuously feeding balls through to the forward line. The next goal came on the counter, with Will House scoring an exceptional tap-in on his first appearance in the competition, fulfilling a dream in the process. The Hawks were becoming Pigeons under sustained Marlow pressure. Not long after Will scored, the halftime whistle was blown, and both teams went to the shade to recover and prepare for another half of elite level hockey.

As the second half began, Marlow were lethargic, but some solid defensive performances kept them safe. It wasn’t long until Marlow stepped up again, being awarded a penalty corner, whilst looking to get the momentum back. This time it was Jared ‘No Sleep’ Moehl who scored, cheekily flicking the ball past the keeper from close in, showing his instinct for the back of the net even when the corner didn't go to plan. Marlow dominated again, penetrating the Oxford defence repeatedly, providing the opportunity for Cammybear to score his second. From here it went downhill for the Pigeons, Green Card, Yellow Card, Yellow Card, Yellow Card, (somehow none for Elliot). With around 15 minutes to play Jared scored what was perhaps almost possibly the greatest flick many of the crowd had ever seen. That made it a sweet six for Marlow. The Pigeons did flap their wings again, scoring one of their few shots of the game at a late penalty corner. The final whistle went and the Marlow boys were victorious after what can only be described as “a game of hockey”. With the end of a match comes teas and more importantly DOTD and MOTM nominations. After some mature debate it was decided that Aaran was MOTM, and Jared ‘Toenail’ Moehl was DOTD, meaning that he will be wearing a skort at training.

Match Report by Ed ‘More Literate Than Jared’ Tyler