The Hockey Tour to Singapore & Malaysia was a huge success

The Hockey Tour to Singapore & Malaysia was a huge success...

Flickr album: Hockey Tour to Singapore & Malaysia 2024 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin

Whilst it already seems a long time ago, the hockey tour to Singapore and Malaysia was the most amazing experience, both from a cultural point of view, but also from a hockey perspective. Huge credit must go to all the pupils for being such wonderful ambassadors for King's Bruton, where their behaviour, enthusiasm and conduct was exemplary throughout. As ever, this would not have been possible without the humour, support and professionalism of the accompanying staff: Mr Crump, Mr Godfrey and Mrs Kingstone.

After a long flight from London to Singapore, we had a great day exploring Fort Cannon Park, Chinatown and a brilliant Singapore River Cruise, before getting an early night following a long day of travel. Day 2 of the tour and the final day in Singapore did not disappoint. A brilliant morning was spent travelling to Sentosa Island via cable car followed by time on Siloso Beach before the first matches in the afternoon. It was great to see both teams put in pleasing performances as they attempted to acclimatise to playing in the heat and humidity. It was nice also to see some goals being scored as the boys won 3-0 and the girls 5-0. Well done to Polly and Milo for being named players of the match. Day 3 was a travel day as we made the long coach journey from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, and it was brilliant to end it with a Chinese/Malay fusion banquet which was delicious.

Day 4 was another action-packed day, as a guided city tour was followed by two very entertaining and exciting matches vs KL Sports School. The girls lost 2-1 having conceded agonisingly in the last minute of the game, whilst the boys played out a high quality 2-2 draw. Well done to Emily and Ben for being named players of the match! A rest day at the Sunway Lagoon and Theme Park was a big success, whilst the visit to Chinatown for some shopping and dinner was also a hit. Day 6 may just have been the best of tour. It started with a fascinating trek at FRIM, followed by a trip up the 450m of the Petronas Twin Towers. After an outstanding Indian lunch, both teams played at the National Hockey Stadium, with the girls playing out a 1-1 draw, whilst the boys experienced their first loss of the tour, losing 3-1 to a very impressive side. Well done to Lucy and Harry for being named players of the match. We arrived in Ipoh on Day 7 of tour. It began with a visit to Batu Caves and Hindu temples, before arriving in Ipoh and checking into the brilliant Weil Hotel, after which we played game 4. The girls played some very good hockey on the way to a 1-0 victory courtesy of a goal from Ashtyn, and player of the match performance from Tilly. The boys found themselves up against a very strong side as they were defeated 5-0. Well done to Ronnie for being named player of the match.

Day 8 was another brilliant day in Ipoh as we had a quiet morning at the hotel followed by a tour of the old town. We then had two more tough, but entertaining games against the same opposition as yesterday with lots learnt ahead of our final fixture of the tour. Well done to Matilda and Tommy for being named players of the match. The penultimate day saw us travel to Penang where we had a walk around the UNESCO World Heritage site of Georgetown. We then checked into our final hotel on tour in a fantastic beachfront location.

The final day of tour began with a wholesome beach clean-up, which saw the whole group remove a lot of rubbish before being able to enjoy some time in the sea. We then travelled to Penang mainland for our final tour fixture, which was a great way to end the hockey as both teams were victorious. The girls won 4-1 with goals coming from Annabel (2), Matilda and Lucy which gave them an overall tour record of 3-1-1. Well done to Anstice for being named player of the match. The boys won 2-0 with Ben and Felix scoring the goals and George being named player of the match. This left them with a 2-1-3 tour record. After dinner we had the opportunity to reflect on a brilliant twelve days as we had a small presentation. Matilda won the photography competition, whilst Ben and Emily were voted as players of the tour by their teammates. Finally, Samuel and Tilly were chosen as the “people of tour” for their contribution both on and off the pitch. We then had the mammoth journey home, starting with a flight to Singapore before our connecting flight to London.

In all, the tour was a huge success with a brilliant group of pupils and exceptional staff all working together to make the experience an unforgettable one.

Henry Eriksson - Director of Sport

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