Grammar win from the spot

DIMINUTIVE goalkeeper Mitchell Le Tissier was the hero for the Grammar School Year 8 team which won the inter-schools hockey tournament. Le Tissier was not beaten in either the semi-final or final of the seven-a-side tournament, nor in the penalty flicks shoot-out which decided both games.

After he saved the third in a row from La Mare de Carteret in the final, he was mobbed by his Grammar B team-mates.

The keeper revealed that he had donned the pads, gloves and helmet for the first time just two weeks previously. 'It's good fun,' he said.

Le Tissier also revealed his penalty-flick secret. 'I wait until they hit it and just throw myself at the ball.

'It's a good game. I'd like to play a bit more but I prefer football,' he added.

There was plenty of enthusiasm for the tournament. Last year's winners, Les Beaucamps, found that standards of play in some of the other schools where hockey is a more regular part of the curriculum had overtaken them. They drew in the play-off for fifth and sixth place.

'Then it was down to natural ability. Now we need to have more practice, but we've nowhere to play hockey,' said Nick Roberts, acting head of boys' PE at Les Beaucamps.

The tournament concluded three weeks of intensive hockey for the schools, including two weeks of warm-up tournaments on the Foote's Lane astroturf.

In the semi-finals of the competition, Mare de Carteret beat Grammar A on penalty flicks and Grammar B somewhat surprisingly beat College A with a very late goal.

The final was dominated by La Mare, with rare breaks from Grammar, until Grammar scored with their first flick and Le Tissier did the rest.

La Mare were condemned to the runner-up spot for the second year in a row.

Mark Jones, head of PE, said it was important to try to keep the school's hockey heritage going. Pupils are able to play on the tennis courts there.