Ben Rhydding under-14 boys travelled down to Beeston in Nottingham last weekend to compete in the most prestigious tournament of the year – the National Finals.

The event brings together the top eight under-14 boys hockey teams in England.

The day saw some great hockey from all involved.

Rhydding were in a tough group with the first game being against Canterbury, who often feature at national level.

This was a difficult and exciting game which ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Rhydding boys then played Phoenix (Essex) in atrocious weather and lost 3-1 despite a spirited perform- ance.

The final group game was against Havant who already had two wins from two.

Against strong opposition the boys put in an excellent display to earn another 2-2 draw and commanded a lot of the play.

The fact that Havant went on to the final demonstrates how competitive this group was, and the high standard of hockey that the boys have now reached.

The group stages were so close fought that goal difference had to be used.

Rhydding were unlucky to end up playing for 7th/8th place. They romped home in this final game to a 4-1 win.

Once again, the boys can be proud of their efforts and to reach a National Final and to achieve two draws a win and a loss is no mean feat.

The boys in this team have played together all year and performed superbly.

Their record for the season makes impressive reading.

They have won 19 of the 22 games played, drawn two and lost just once.

The tournament will have added to their playing experience and no doubt they will be back challenging for national honours in the future, as they continue to develop as a group.