Sevenoaks School U16 Girls' Hockey team successfully defended their title from last year with an impressive set of results at the County Hockey Tournament last Thursday.

The morning pool stage saw them put on a highly professional display, beating Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar 2-0 with goals from in-form strikers Claire Somerset and Ellie Desmond. They then thrashed Sir Roger Manwood’s 7-0 with a hat-trick from Lucy Lawson, 2 more from Somerset and 1 each for Desmond and Christiana Bickley.

The girls met Kent College Canterbury in the quarter-final whom they dismissed with assured authority of a 5-0 victory, captain Lily Elliott recorded a fine hat-trick, Lawson and Somerset adding to their tallies.

A frustratingly scrappy semi-final against Sutton Valence saw Sevenoaks eventually find the net with a great corner strike from Harriet Barker to set up the eagerly awaited final against Kings Canterbury. 

As ever, it was a tightly contested affair, both sides creating chances but no-one quite able to break the deadlock. A very exciting ten-minute period of extra-time followed with Sevenoaks taking a 2-0 lead through an Elliot corner strike and Desmond tip in. Kings managed to claw 1 back however some solid defending denied them the chance to level. This was the only goal Sevenoaks conceded all day, having scored 17 in total.

With the final whistle blown, Sevenoaks were delighted to be crowned U16 County Champions for the second year running and will go forward to represent Kent in the East Regional round in late November.

Congratulations to the squad: P Lambert, E Seeley, P Young, S Venables, E-J Gordon, N Wilkinson, H Barker, F Keevil, L Elliott, T Farrant, C Bickley, E Desmond, C Somerset, L Lawson, S Lesseps.