Pre-season Hockey Tour to Barcelona

Report by Sixth Form pupils Magnus Willoughby-Messer, Bertie Gowen, Sam Jackson and Ben Pearce

Day 1

An extremely early start did not hinder the passion displayed by the touring squads. The first drama of the tour hit us on arrival at the airport and, following a luggage mishap, we had to continue on without a goalkeeper kit and minus six sticks. After a quick lunch on arrival at the hotel, the 1st XI dominated the first three quarters of their first game against a well-drilled Club Junior 1917 HC side. They took the lead after a break away aerial left Jack Wood with a 1vs1, which he converted sensationally on his reverse, making the crowd roar. The second goal came from an improvised short corner which Sam Jackson finished with a reverse flick. The fatigue set in in the last quarter of the game, resulting in three goals conceded and a 4-2 loss. The MVP Awards went to Olly Gurney and Jack Wood. The squad then travelled to a welcoming Terrassa Hockey Club for the 2^nd XI’s fixture, with a beautiful backdrop of the mountains. Our two squads mixed in, with some of the the 1st XI  supporting and playing an entertaining game. MVP went to Bert Souter who scored the winning goal in the last few minutes.

Day 2

We had an early start before heading to Athletic Terrassa Hockey Club for a sunny morning on the hockey pitches. The 2^nd XI played in a nail-biting fixture, finishing 2-2 against a tough Spanish side with goals from Barney Villiers and Ed Adnitt. MVP went to Aubrey Cassell for his all-round performance at the back, with a special mention to Blake Maddox for a special half in goal. The 1^st XI started the morning training with a Spanish coach from the club which everyone enjoyed.  After a quick lunch, the boys spent some time revising before a busy afternoon. The 1^st XI spent the afternoon either swimming or playing padel before a 5.30pm pushback under the lights. The 2nd XI had a session in the afternoon before watching the match. The 1^st XI played a competitive match with a very strong adult side from Athletic Terrassa. Unfortunately, the Blues did not come out on top after a rough 60 minutes. Although they weren’t successful, the boys learnt a lot from their match, having incorporated a new way of pressing. The MVP was Ben Pearce.

Day 3

Once again we started bright and early with 9 o’clock training sessions under the lights at Terrassa. Our coach, Arnau, provided us with some useful advice as well as a good laugh. After the session, we ate lunch at Terrassa before travelling to our final fixture of the tour against Iluro HC. The 2^nd XI were up first and after a very strong first half performance they went into the half time break 2-1 up, helped greatly by some top saves by goalkeeper Hamish and great hockey from the whole team. Sadly, the side couldn’t get over the line after a late winner from Iluro and ended up losing 3-2. It was a very positive performance, nonetheless and MVP went to Hamish Miller-Edge whose triple save resulted in a counterattack goal. The 1^st XI were up next against a mixed men’s side from Iluro. Like all the teams that we played, they were well drilled and very technical, which proved a tough but exciting challenge for us. We were able to compete for periods of the game, but in the end the Iluro team were able to break us down. We did secure a goal in the second quarter thanks to a Toby Barlow ball across the goal, finished neatly by Jack Wood at the back post. This left us with a half time score of 6-1. At this point our team was extremely tired, so to keep the game enjoyable we traded three players with the Iluro team. This led to an exciting second half where we got to play with some extremely good hockey players and see some very good goals. MVP was shared between Toby Barlow and Nico, the Spanish U21 who joined us in the second half. After the match, Iluro Hockey Club provided some excellent food before we travelled back to our accommodation to use the swimming pool and padel courts before dinner.

Day 4

The hockey club’s tour of Barcelona concluded with a day of culture. The day began with a visit to the Sagrada Familia, a magnificent Catholic Basilica. After some free time in the city, the team visited the Camp Nou, the home of Barcelona’s La Liga football club, walking through the club museum and shop. Charlie Ferrett aptly demonstrated why he wasn’t in Milan with the footballers. With that, the hockey club headed to the airport, ending an enjoyable pre-season tour in which a great deal was learned, and significant progress was made.