With Halloween almost here, the Academy Junior Boys’ hockey teams have shown their terrifying potential with a superb series of wins against Ulster’s finest opponents.

The U13’s ably led by Matthew Stevenson have played some scintillating hockey beating Regent House (5-0), Bangor Grammar (2-0), Grosvenor Grammar (8-0), Wallace High School (4-0), Campbell College (2-2), Killicomaine Junior High School (3-0) and Friends’ School (3-0). The squad under gurus Mr Walker and Mr Clarke are beginning to play fast flowing, attractive hockey. With a rear guard including Caleb Briggs, Lukas Moles, Tom Brown, Aaron Baxter and Joshua Cash, they are a difficult unit to penetrate.  This platform bolstered with Denver Golbey in goals has been instrumental in allowing the front six to constantly improve with squad rotation. The likes of Matthew Spence, Ben Walker, Stevenson, Jonah Lutton and Cormac McNally are now giving real potency to the attacking flair of Josh Brownlee, Daniel Reid and newbe Adam McKee.

In particular, the U13’s punchy set piece has seen Walker, Stevenson, Spence and Reid all grabbing important goals at crucial stages against their opponents. With the likes of Jonathan McCrum, Elijah Carr and Noah Lutton all rotating and adding to the tip of the spear, this side has been hugely impressive. Their recent attitude at “Cordner’s Boot Camp” has certainly galvanized this team’s cutting edge.

MONSTOROUS ACADEMY ACES IN FRONT OF GOAL

Walker 6

Stevenson 5

Moles 4

Brownlee 4

Spence 4

Carr 2

J Lutton 1

Reid 1

The U14’s led for the third successive season by Lewis Cousins and under the watchful eye of Mr Cordner, ably assisted by Bruce McCandless, are also playing some frightening hockey. This team seems fearless in their relentless dedication to succeed and boast plethora of outstanding players. The addition of Tommy Dobson and Spencer Collie has added a steely, yet skillful, point of attack to allow Matthew McKee, Ben Pollock, Jake Rainer, Matthew Stevenson and Ben Farson to run riot.  The potency of attack is matched with intelligence in midfield and no nonsense defending at the back.  The defense martialled by Joshua Moles includes Morgan Murphy, Simon Ferris and Tom Hamilton, and with Murray Corkin still to return, this is a formidable unit.  The midfield intelligence is abundance with captain Cousins linking with Dobson and providing early platform attack with Jake Rainer, Farson and Thomas Cunningham all enjoying their new dynamic this season.  Adding further quality is Connor Part, Conor Doyle, Tom Clarke and Adam Trimble who have all enjoyed pitch time and opportunities to get on.  With a busy strength and condition programme fully in place since July, this team will literally get faster, bigger and stronger.

The U14’s have enjoyed wins over MCB (3-0), Regent House (11-2), Bangor Grammar (9-0), Grosvenor Grammar (10-1), Wallace High School (5-0), Kilkeel Seniors (5-0), Campbell College (6-2) and Friends’ School (4-0). There only defeat arriving in Dublin against a talented U15 High School side (2-3).

MONSTOROUS ACADEMY ACES IN FRONT OF GOAL

Collie 11

McKee 10

Pollock 11

Stevenson 5

Farson 3

Rainer 4

Dobson 3

Cunningham 2

The U15’s under new skipper Charlie Keery are making devilish progress under chief coach Mr Miskelly. They have enjoyed wins over Regent House (1-0), Grosvenor Grammar (8-3), Wallace High School (2-1), Friends’ School (1-0) and last year’s Ferris Cup Winners Campbell College (2-0).  The squad contains strength and depth with the Ulster U16 trio of Charlie and Louis Rowe alongside Cody Large giving teams a real problem to solve defensively.  This squad’s set piece prowess has been utilized to killer effect, Large in particular living up to his name.  The squad will look to develop further on their defensive performances with Luke Watt, Charlie Keery, Kian Bingham and Jack McFarland all hoping to keep James Finlay in goals as quiet as possible.

With huge improvement from the likes of Seb Best, Matthew McKee, Ben Pollock, Daniel Reid, Thomas Urwin, Jordan Nummy, Josh Holden and Cameron McCombe, this team gives real optimism as the school defends the prestigious Ulster Schools’ Richardson Cup.

MONSTOROUS ACADEMY ACES IN FRONT OF GOAL

Best 2

Pollock 1

McKee 1

L Rowe 5

Large 3

Reid 1

Urwin 1

The senior 2^nd XI, under coach Mr Darrell Stewart, have had an excellent start to the Ulster Schools’ Prior Shield.  After an initial defeat to King’s Hospital Dublin 1^st XI (0-2) they quickly regained confidence with captain Benjamin Logan leading by example.  The forward movement of Ross Scott, Josh McAdam, Eli Baxter and Oren Shimmons was simply too hot for RBAI to handle (7-0).  This emphatic result was followed with a tightly contested victory over Kilkeel High School (1-0), a well deserved win over a plucky Royal School Armagh 1^st XI side at Ardmore (3-1) and a straightforward victory at home to Friends’ School (3-0).  This side is beginning their evolution from being part of a squad to important parts of a team. They will now continue developing their patterns of play in prepatation for the quarter final of the Prior Shield, targeting the coveted final that will be held in December.

MONSTOROUS ACADEMY ACES IN FRONT OF GOAL

Ross Scott 5

Josh McAdam 2

Eli Baxter 1

Oren Shimmons 1

Jamie McArdle 2

Benjamin Logan 1

Ben Ingram 1

Matthew McClimonds 1