Taylorian 2020

94 Squad: K. Attar-Zadeh, E. Ault, K. Elvey, R. Goh, D. Lurie, M. Pattni, S. Siyyid, M. Thuraisingham, C. Zakharia, S. Zaveri. U12A The MTS U12A team have had a great attitude and made much improvement this term. Only one boy had ever played hockey before, so their development has been truly amazing. Despite results not going their way, the side has put together some strong performances. Their initial performance against Reed’s saw the side punch well above their weight. Coming up against a side where all the opposition had played hockey at club level could have been gruesome. It was the opposite: the side showed desire and fight, and scored three goals. Zac Tropper’s confidence has improved and he has made some great saves throughout the season. Rio Waddington and Atticus Ireland have been rocking at the back, and Theo Hancock has made some quite remarkable tackles while showing composure and skill in the defensive line. Hadi Adebisi has shown blistering pace on the right wing, as has Daniel Ashton. They have both worked up and down the pitch tirelessly. Toby has shown great skill on the left-hand side of the pitch, while Jake Bridge has stood out for his work rate and tenacity, acting as an extra man in the midfield. Aarav Duggal, who started in the U12B side, has been the most improved player, while Antoni and Morgan have led the forward line well. Mr M J Penny Squad: H. Adebisi, D. Ashton, M. Bartlett, J. Bridge, A. Duggal, T. Hancock, A. Hawkins, A. Ireland, Z. Tropper, R. Waddington, T. Whittaker. U12B This term has seen the U12B team make significant progress. At the first training session, the correct grip and stance were the focus; at the final match, advanced patterns of play were displayed with consummate ease. It is all too easy to forget that before the autumn, many had never played the game. I have been impressed with all who have represented the B team for their attitude in training and the passion that they have shown in the matches. This is a team which is capable on the counter-attack and relishes running hard at a backpedalling defence. This makes for an exciting brand of hockey which will only increase as they develop through the school. Most pleasingly, this team has become more cohesive as the term has progressed. It is now far more common for mistakes to be ignored and skill praised, regard. Creativity was sometimes in short supply though and goals – apart from one memorable period against Kingston Grammar School – were hard to come by. Kian Shah, Kush Vora and Kai Patel took much on their shoulders in this regard but cannot be left to shoulder the offensive burden themselves so often. Nevertheless, this group has a great deal of talent and were always a pleasure to spend time with. It will be exciting to see their hockey careers develop in the future. We will, boys, always have that glorious 7-2 thrashing of Kingston to sustain us through the long winters of rugby that stretch ahead! Mr M T Herring Squad: E. Ault, O. Costigan, D. Lurie, M. Montrucchio, R. Naismith, K. Patel, J. Rose, K. Shah, S. Sethi, B. Singh Gola, S. Siyyid, K. Vora, K. Weiler. U13D It was a difficult year for the U13Ds, who had to wait until the last game of the season to record their first victory. The year began witha cagey and tightly contested2-3defeat against Reed’s in which Taylors’ twice took the lead, which appeared to augur well for the upcoming season. However, a series of poor defensive performances in which possession was too easily given away from set pieces resulted in a series of heavy defeats and left the team suffering under the twin afflictions of being unable to keep a clean sheet and unable to score more than two goals in any given game. On the bright side, the constant pressure on his goal provided goalkeeper Shrey Zaveri a number of opportunities to shine, and his impressive performances saw him receive multiple man of the match awards. Pleasingly, however, the enthusiasm and desire to improve, both individually and collectively, remained undimmed through those dark days. This dedication culminated in a satisfying and deserved 9-0 demolition of KGS in the final match of the season, thereby finally overcoming the afflictions that haunted the rest of the season since the opening game. Mr P D Hoyle