Sports: Report - Hockey 2020/21
Despite the obvious opposition of Covid, it’s been a hugely successful season for the M&Ms hockey team. With little hockey in either Michaelmas or Hilary, we arrived back in Trinity raring to go for the Cuppers/League replacement summer tournament.
A high-scoring match lacking a keeper for either team ended in a 7-4 triumph against LMH, getting us off to a great start. Before the next match we had the game-changing addition of an experienced keeper to our ranks in Vikaran, who would come to save us literally and figuratively many times in the season. One of the toughest matches of the season followed, in a feisty affair against a Lincoln side suffering from a collective case of small-man syndrome. With some especially brilliant battling in midfield from Ben, jabbing of the highest quality from Will, and one hell of a flair drag flick from Eloise, we claimed a deserved 4-2 triumph. A couple more straightforward wins against Hertford and Magdalen followed, before a nervy draw in our final game of the group claimed us top spot, and a place in the grand final (against the winners of the other group).
A David vs Goliath match it was, as the plucky M&Ms and their team spirit took on Queen’s and their five Blues players, but it was a neck-and-neck affair to the very last. Benedict took to clattering his University coach to the floor at every opportunity, which distracted him enough to result in a couple of goals, Hannah S swept in gloriously from 8cm, Christian tackled Blues players like his life depended on it, and all across the pitch players busted a lung chasing every ball to keep us in the game. With two minutes to go it was 3-3, and there were golden opportunities at each end, a penalty stroke for us and a short corner for them. Sadly in the crucial final seconds their clinical nature shone through and we fell to a cruel 4-3 loss in the most scintillating of finals. All in all, however, in a team without a single Blues player up against an entire league full of them, it was a phenomenal team effort to take home silver, and bodes well for the season to come.
Casual training open to all and socials were rather limited by Covid, but we’re looking forward to October and a resumption of regular service. By then our kit orders should be fully sorted as well, so keep an eye out for the soon-to-be-best-dressed-college-hockey-players-at-Oxford. Until next time, up the M&Ms.
Will Barker (2019), Benedict Yorston (2019), and Elysia Zdolyny (Mansfield, 2019)
M&M Hockey Co-Captains 2020-21