Westleigh rolled up with excitement and enthusiasm to give it their all against the matches ahead and it was great to see our players get so much hockey. Noah enjoying his defensive duties and making a number of goal line tackles. Jessica in her first tournament played brilliantly with a number of strong runs. Milo and Meredith were both working in their usual manner getting up and down the pitch tirelessly. George was in place to provide some older experience. We thought they all had a great day and goals were scored in the first outing of the year.

U10s Boys

Our U10 boys went into the tournament with high expectations after an unbeaten run last season. Although we lost big players in Torby and Atticus, the squad is still looking very strong. With Simon away, James and Dave stepped in to lead the team, and what a display it was — goals, goals, and more goals!

A superb midfield trio of Freddie, James and Emmet, combined with new player Benny up front, meant the goals came quickly. Most came from James holding the play, with Freddie or Emmet running the channels and putting in super passes that Benny tucked away at the far post. At the back, Luca was outstanding, securing things alongside Toby, while Sam made some great saves when called upon. George also stepped up brilliantly, moving from the U8s to the U10s without missing a beat, and Dylan added real strength when he joined in.

It was a joy to watch the team play with such confidence and style. Emmet in particular stood out for his vision and passing, repeatedly finding Benny who finished superbly for someone only seven years old. The boys won all their games, showing great team play throughout.

For clarity, Gaynor Nash — hero of Leicestershire hockey — spoke with the players after the matches. When she speaks, you listen, and she was very impressed with their performances.

U10s Girls

Westleigh made the right call entering both a boys’ and a girls’ team, knowing some clubs would be entering mixed sides. The girls did very well, winning some matches and never letting their heads drop. Ellie was kept busy in goal and made some excellent saves to keep us in the games.

In defence, Juliet was brilliant — strong in the tackle and reading the game superbly — with Megan, Athena, Willow and Melody all working hard to keep the opposition out. Up front, Evie, Thea and Katya chased tirelessly and created chances, with Thea in particular never giving up and always pushing the opposition. Both Willow and Megan showed their versatility by moving between defence and attack when needed, making a real difference across the pitch.

It was a fantastic team effort from all the girls, who should be very proud of the way they played — and they all had lots of fun ?. Well done U10 girls!

U12s Boys

With so many players moving up to U14s, numbers were a little low, but the boys still put on a great showing. Solomon led the way with real class, ably supported by Clarke, while Jake Fletcher and Emmet stayed on to strengthen the side. Bentley was solid in goal, and the team was boosted by Teddy, who is still new to hockey, plus Evelyn from the girls.

Against Ashby the boys played some excellent hockey, but were denied a win by an inspired goalkeeper — the son of our new Men’s 1st team keeper, who will be joining Westleigh next season. Despite multiple shots, we only managed one goal, and Ashby equalised. The second game followed a similar pattern, with strong play but another draw.

The last game saw us lose narrowly to Charnwood Girls, who defended brilliantly with their top keeper and then broke away to score. Despite Bentley’s best efforts, they held on. Overall, the boys played some fantastic hockey and just need a couple more players to make the squad even stronger.

U12s Girls

This was a new look u12's girls team with most of last year's side moving up to u14's, but to look at some of the play you wouldn't have guessed. It was a tough start against a Charnwood boys team but the girls gave them a very good game and had opportunities of their own which unfortunately they couldn't quite put away.

Next up we were against an Ashby girls team, and a taster of what the County Championships will be like next year. The girls played brilliantly, winning comfortably and never looking threatened. Some really well worked goals and finishes show real promise for the year ahead.

To end was a game against an Ashby mixed team, albeit one with the majority boys. Megan and Evelyn were supporting the u12 boys, but the girls all played admirably in what was an extremely hard fought game.

Across all the games, there was some great work in midfield and up front by Varvara, Megan, Isla, Layla and Annabelle which led to some really nicely worked goals. Evelyn, Arianna, Elana and Heather all did some fantastic defending, with some great chasing back by Varvara and Isla, in particular, to support. A special mention to new Goalkeeper, Lucy, who made some brilliant saves throughout, but especially in the last game against Ashby.

Overall a brilliant team effort and a really promising start to the year!

⸻

? A brilliant start to the season for all our junior teams. Every age group showed real effort, teamwork and skill, and it was great to see so many goals, saves and smiles across the day. Huge thanks to Charnwood for hosting, and well done to all our Westleigh players — an excellent first outing of the season! And finally, a big thank you to all the parents for bringing the players, cheering them on and supporting them throughout the day — it makes a real difference.