Fresh from their win earlier in the term when they were crowned County Champions, the U13 Boys' 1st team successfully competed in the IAPS Regionals on 20 February and secured their place in the National Finals on 6 March at Cheltenham College. Assistant Director of Sport, Mr David Millward, commented, "The boys travelled to Bedford School with high spirits and plenty of optimism and were ready to work as a tight team. The weather forecast predicted that it was going to rain all day but this certainly didn't dampen the boys' levels of motivation."
The team started well against Old Buckenham Hall and Witham Hall, winning both games 1-0. A narrow defeat to Bedford Prep, the eventual runners-up and a 1-1 draw with Bilton Grange and an emphatic 3-1 win against Town Close House left the team second in their group. This position secured the team's entry into the afternoon's Cup Competition. The Quarter Final proved to be tough but six teams were able to qualify for the National Finals and the boys' following play-off match against Winchester House was essentially a final in itself. A win meant a place in the National Finals and a loss meant going home early. It took a period of Golden Goal extra time before one of the boys skilfully squeezed the ball across the line.
The day was rounded off with a win on penalty strokes against Westbourne House School which left the team finishing proudly in fifth with their place secured for the Nationals. Mr Millward commented, "It is a fantastic result for the boys to get through such a hard-fought tournament and a great experience for all of them."
