Rotherham junior school pupils toast of playground after hitting hockey hat-trick

The youngsters from Listerdale Junior Academy in Beech Avenue, proved themselves to be the best under 11 players in the region following their triumph at the South Yorkshire In2Hockey tournament last Friday, February 8. 

In2Hockey is a seven-a-side version of the game designed to be played on half a pitch, meaning that players get more touches on the ball, increased levels of physical activity and more opportunity for skill development.

The Listerdale team earned their place at the event, which was held at Hill House School in Doncaster, by beating all-comers from across Rotherham in a previous round.

This year they were the town’s sole representatives, taking on teams from Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster, in the shape of Hill House themselves.

The fiercely fought contest included a penalty shoot-out, but the under 11’s held their nerve eventually beating Hill House 1-0 in a tense final and will now go forward to the North-East regional next month.

However, their win is tinged with sadness because all of the boys, who are aged 10 and 11, are in their final year at Listerdale and will never get to compete wearing in the school’s colours again.

David Sills, a PE teacher at Listerdale Junior Academy, said: “The boys displayed great commitment, teamwork and talent to win the tournament against schools with much better hockey facilities and pedigree than our own.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and these lads are showing the rest of the school what training hard and working together as a team can achieve. They’re a fantastic group who deserve their place in the regional finals, where they’ll be very much going out on a high.”