HC Knole Park added the England Hockey National League Division Two (South) championship title to their recent incredible indoor success! In the six-team competition, HC Knole Park were statistically the lowest ranked side, however they won all five matches and have now qualified for the National League Division Two for a chance to be promoted to Division One.
Knole Park scored 40 goals in the five matches and conceded just 12 times. Captain Amelie Allen was on top form as she top scored for Knole Park, as well as across the whole league with 19 goals. Lottie Bingham was second top scorer for Knole Park with five goals, and Josefina Hippe an Annabel Cheveley both scored four times.
In match one, Knole Park played St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Goals from Annabel Cheveley and Amelie Allen gave the girls the perfect start. However, St. Albans replied almost immediately with two goals of their own. Lottie Bingham restored the Knole Park advantage with two goals to make it 4-2 at the break. Olivia Breed then scored in the third quarter, before Josefina Hippe, Elen Nicholls and Allen completed the Knole Park scoring in the fourth quarter. The final score was 8-3 to Knole Park.
In match two, the team took on Marlow, Buckinghamshire. In an incredible first half the girls scored 8 times to take an 8-1 lead into the half-time interval. Hat-tricks for Hippe and Allen, as another double for Bingham was the perfect start once again. The second half was a more even match as Marlow put up more resistance, however goals from Cheveley and a third for Bingham meant it finished 10-1.
Into day 2 and match three against the other form side, Ipswich, Suffolk. Despite going a goal down to a remarkable drag-flick, the girls were in imperious form, and it was once again Allen who topped the scoring charts as her four goals put Knole Park 4- 1. Further goals from Summer Knight-Thompson and Nicholls gave the girls a fantastic 6-2 win!
In match four, Knole Park knew that a win or draw would secure them the title and they really stepped up producing their performance of the weekend! A superb 6-0 win against fellow Kent side Canterbury summed up what an incredible month of indoor hockey it has been for Knole Park. Alice Reeve in goal, and Betrys Galloni, Sasha Kelbrick and Elloise Paler were all excellent! Allen once again opened the scoring, before completing her hat-trick in the second half. Jessica Lewis was brilliant, and she also claimed a very well taken hat-trick in the win.
In the final match of the tournament, it was top v bottom as Trojans from Southampton, Hampshire, were the opposition. With the league placings sorted it was a free game for both sides and it was the Hampshire side that started the better of the two as they could have scored within 15 seconds as their effort struck the crossbar, and they had another chance hit the post! Thankfully Knole Park had Amelie Allen in form, and she scored four times for a 4-0 lead. Two goals just before half time gave Trojans reason for optimism and indeed it was exactly what they need as the score moved to 6-6 in the third quarter, with Allen completing her double hat-trick for Knole Park. Into the final quarter and it was Knole Park who stepped it up a gear and with goals from Allen, plus two from Cheveley (2) and one from Cordy Jones gave the team a tough 10-6 win!
A fantastic weekend and now Knole Park move to the England Hockey National League Division Two over the weekend of the January 22/23. Here they will face Canterbury and Ipswich again, as well as Beeston HC from Nottinghamshire, Stourport and Bedford HC.
HC Knole Park 13 Sevenoaks 6th 2
HC Knole Park’s Women’s 1st team were also in action outdoors as they restarted their league campaign with a rearranged match against Sevenoaks. Knole Park ran out comfortable 13-2 winners with Olivia Breed scoring four times in a blistering opening ten minutes. There were also goals for Charlotte Watkins (2), Lottie Bingham, Alex Sewell, Ruth Bingham, Lucie Jones, Amy Wakeham-Dawson, Alessia Turner, and Ines Gascoyne-Day. This win extends Knole Park’s lead at the top of Invicta Division Two.
Knole Park’s U10 Girls and U12 Boys were also in action on Sunday. The U10 Girls played Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells. Flo Muñoz scored three times, Elizabeth Abueita, Etta Jones, Grace Cheetham and Ruby Edwards all scored twice and Sylvie Moseling once in the matches. In the U12 Boys tournament they played Tunbridge Wells, Holcombe and Sevenoaks winning two and losing two to finish second overall.
• This weekend, Knole Park head to the National Indoor Finals with their U16 and U18 Girls teams. The showpiece event run by England Hockey to compete to be crowned the best side in England. Back home Knole Park will also have a full programme of senior and junior matches from U14 Boys & Girls through to Men’s and Women’s 1st teams taking place throughout the weekend.
