St Wilfrid’s hockey team lifted the Peter Feasby trophy for the first time after beating Dunnington Primary in the final at Huntington High School on April 25.
The Monkgate team scored 24 goals in three games in the qualifying round at York High In March and didn’t concede a single goal.
In the finals, they scored 25 more goals in six games, only conceding two in the process.
St Wilfrid’s is a city centre school with no field and a small playground. However, they have a strong reputation when it comes to getting pupils active, giving children of all abilities the chance to play a wide variety of sports.
Dan Jones, Year 6 teacher and head of sport at St Wilfrid’s said the talented team applied the skills taught them in PE, on a tiny, bumpy concrete playground, against talented players from lots of York schools. The three training sessions at York High organised for the team ahead of the tournament paid off. St Wilfrid’s were also helped by a parent donation over the summer holidays, which allowed them to buy some new hockey sticks.
“They were incredible,” said Mr Jones. “It was such an impressive team performance and everybody played their part. Resilience, creativity, teamwork and excellence were all on display.
“Some of the hockey they played was unstoppable. What a talented team!”
Headteacher Helen Keith said she was very proud of the team and she thanked the staff for all their hard work.
The tournament started with four qualifying rounds earlier this year, with more than 20 schools taking part. Then eight teams contested the final round at Huntington.
The competition, which launched in 2006, is held every year in memory of former Robert Wilkinson Primary School head teacher and hockey enthusiast Peter Feasby, who died suddenly in June 2004, aged 48.
Dan Pybus signs a two and a half-year contract with York City FC, committing his future to the club.
