B A R B A D O S . . H O C K E Y
T O U R

Very early on Monday 10th July, seventeen  girls and three members of staff waited at Gatwick Airport for a flight to Barbados on Royal Russell School’s first ever girls’ hockey tour.

After arrival in Barbados we had a short time to acclimatize before training began.  In the first four days we had two training sessions and two games. The training sessions were vital as we had not played much together as a team before, because the tour team was made up of students from Years 7 to 13.

We made a nervous start to our first game.  The Bajan team attacked straight away and took us by surprise with their pace and skills.  Within the first few minutes they had scored twice.  The team didn’t give up, however, and continued to fight.  By the end of the game the girls had battled back with some good attacking play involving Jordan Bowyer O’Brien and Helen Foss;  the final score was 3 – 2 to the Bajan team. This was a promising start for us, considering the temperature and humidity.  Players’ Player was Jordan Bowyer O’Brien and Coaches’ Player of the Match was Ellie Russell.

The second match was played the next day, with little time for recovery. The team again made a bit of a shaky start and the Bajans scored in the first five minutes. The girls played some good hockey and worked hard to hold the opposition to 1-0 for the rest of the game, with some impressive defensive play from Charlotte Jennings,  who was Players’ Player and Coaches’ Player for this match.

The next few days were spent enjoying the island and the culture, with some valuable relaxation time. One of our excursions was to the Boat Yard. This was an activity station in the sea with rope swings, climbing pyramids and water trampolines. This day provided some valuable time for bonding between squad members. 

One of the highlights of the tour was the catamaran cruise around the island. The day involved snorkelling and swimming with turtles. Time was spent sunbathing, jumping off the side of the boat and generally having fun. The first stop after lunch gave us the opportunity to snorkel over a wreck. The team particularly enjoyed seeing Jamie screaming, because the fish were swimming too close and “they were horrid and scaly”.  As a result of her behaviour, she went on to win the tour’s Big Girl’s Blouse Award!

The third game took the girls by surprise. We arrived at the astro to see four girls and five boys waiting to play us! The team were a little scared at the prospect of playing tall, muscular males, but we weren’t going to let the boys get the better of us. We  played some impressive hockey and held the opposition to 0 – 0 for the first three quarters of the game. By the fourth quarter our girls were tiring, but the opposition were relentless.  Unfortunately two goals were conceded in the last quarter,  but the improvement of the team from the beginning of the week was remarkable. The Players’ Players were Franny Gallagher and Charlotte Bell, with Franny also getting the Coaches’ Player. 

The fourth game was preceded by an island safari, which showed us the diversity of the area. We were split into two jeeps, and immediately the girls’ competitive nature appeared. The whole day was spent playing practical jokes on each other and ambushing each other with water bombs.  We then went on to our last match.  Much to the delight of the coaches, the team hit the ground running and, from the first whistle, were immediately on the attack.  We worked together and helped each other out with excellent supporting play.  The score remained 0 – 0,  but in the half-time talk the team put their heads together and said, “Don’t give up --  we are going to win this game. “ Sure enough,  Jemma Hill took advantage of some messy defending and scored. The team secured a 1-0 victory and were delighted that all their hard work had paid off.  Having played seven years of hockey at RRS,  including hockey for the 1st XI ,  I can state that this was the best hockey that I have ever  been involved in.  The team worked together, every girl giving 110%.

The tour was a huge success.  Not only did the hockey improve, but the trip gave girls from different year groups the chance to mix, and many new friendships were formed. 

Charlotte Bell
(Tour Team Captain)