The newest crop of national hockey champions was confirmed last month, as Wales’ best have battled it out to take the 2023/24 crowns across a range of age groups and competitions.
From senior men and women all the way down to U12 level, hundreds of competitors have demonstrated fantastic quality over the course of another great season.
A brutal knockout format for the senior sides concluded in the last six outdoor finals over a single weekend in May.
In the men's crop, Cardiff & Met continued its dominance as its First and Sixth teams won the Championship and Challenge titles respectively. Cardiff University claimed the middle tier competition between those two, the Men’s Trophy, while Cardiff & Met HC also took home the Men’s Indoor title.
The ladies’ top tier competition, the Championship, saw eight new teams enter for the 2023/24 season and, after a ten-year break from the competition, it was Swansea HC who won on home soil, also coming out on top in the Women’s Indoor competition. Elsewhere, Bangor City HC travelled south to claim the Women’s Trophy, while Fishguard & Goodwick HC earned the Women’s Challenge title.
At youth levels, eight fresh champions were crowned for 2023/24 following a process that commenced with regional qualifiers before the national finals.
Swansea HC took both the Boys’ and Girls’ U18 titles, while Whitchurch HC teams travelled back down the M4 to Cardiff bursting with pride, at U14 and U12 levels, the club’s sides took home both the Boys’ and Girls’ titles completing clean sweeps and not losing a single game.
U16 level saw Penarth HC claim the Girls’ title, while Northop Hall HC’s boys won the club’s first ever national youth competition.
There were also new champions in the schools competitions, in which over 200 teams campaigned through county finals and national semi-finals to earn their spots in the national finals.
Ysgol Botwnnog won the U12 Schoolgirls for a first national schools competition, doing so with a clean sweep and an undefeated record.
Ysgol Brynhyfryd left Cardiff’s National Hockey Centre with two new national school titles to its name, taking home the U12 Schoolboys title – doing so in style, without dropping a game – as well as the U14 Schoolboys.
The U14 Schoolgirls competition was won by Howell’s School, while Cardiff neighbours Cathedral School claimed the U16 Schoolgirls cohort.
The U16 Schoolboys and U18 Schoolgirls titles stayed down south, with Bishopston and Ysgol Glantaf claiming those respectively, while the U18 Schoolboys title went up to Colwyn Bay with Rydal Penrhos School.
A total of around 1200 spectators witnessed the breathless action, dazzling play, and various medal presentations over the course of the 2023/24 national hockey finals.
Diolch to everyone who showed their support, and llongyfarchiadau to all of our competitors!
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