Hertford Hockey Club Junior section rounded out a very successful season with great performances at the Indoor Hockey Jubilee Weekend Grand Slam at Derby Arena.

U14 Girls finished 10th in their championship, with strong defending from Eva Pidduck, Erin Evans, and Emily McKenna, Georgie Marsden outstanding in goal, Charlotte Head working tirelessly in attack, and Lois Quinn dazzling in midfield.

U14 boys, with a squad comprising 3 members of the Heard family – Saskia, Barney, and Roly - battled to 7th place, with elegant work in the midfield from Alex Lewis Martinez, Matt Burgess, and Will and Zack Thompson in goal. Their 4 matches ended in convincing wins over Wakefield and Lichfield and narrow losses to Cambridge City and Surbiton; creditable performances against some very strong opposition and beautiful goals from both set pieces and open play.

U12 boys finished 6th, with Elliot Vandyk pulling off some outstanding saves in goal, composed defending and distribution from Isaac Lewis and Thomas Holme, tenacity from Roly Heard and Hal Head in midfield, and Kitt Skillett and Thompson Brown always looking dangerous in attack, but the short match format proved challenging, and the boys struggled to find the back of the net despite their dominance, thus tying the majority of their matches.

U10 girls followed on from their bronze medal at Copperbox with a 4th place at Derby, battling hard but feeling the lack of a goalkeeper. Elsie Heard, Nelli Heard, Matilda Samuels, Lizzie Johns, and Hazel Pidduck worked well in midfield and upfront, especially in their 1-1 draw with Surbiton and 5-0 win over Amersham and Chalfont, with Sophia Pettengell and Isabelle Livings combining well in defense.

U12 girls ended the season in style with a gold medal and were dominant from the start, winning their first match against Wakefield 7-0 with a hat-trick for Florrie Pidduck and 4 goals for Olivia Holme who was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament. Convincing wins against Knole Park B, Surbiton, and Repton, saw Holme and Pidduck superlative in midfield with 2 goals for Scarlett Blakeney-Edwards and 7 more for Holme. Excellent defending from Cara Nolan, Scarlett Blakeney Edwards, Nancy French, and keeper Emily Perkins meant Hertford won their first 4 games, with 16 goals scored and none conceded.
A tightly-contested last group-stage match, ended 3-2 to Cambridge, with Hertford topping the group thanks to their hefty goal difference.

The semi-final against Knole Park A brought some beautiful hockey from both sides, with the talented Kent team well-drilled as always, but a penalty corner drag-flick from Olivia Holme and an audacious finish from Florrie Pidduck, who was sublime in midfield, saw Hertford into the final with a 2-0 win where they faced Cambridge again.

Hertford had a point to prove, and this they did in style, controlling the game from the whistle, and getting on the scoresheet straight away, with a well-deserved hat-trick for Harrie Shipton, and goals from Olivia Holme and Florrie Pidduck earning the gold medal for Hertford with a 6-1 win.