The achievement marks a significant milestone and continues what has already been an extraordinary season for this talented cohort, coming just weeks after the U14 Girls from the same year group also reached their own National Final.

Competing in the Yorkshire and North-East Finals on Monday 23 February, the boys produced a series of outstanding performances to book their place on the national stage. They opened their campaign with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Ilkley Grammar School, before defeating Cundall Manor School 3–1. Confidence continued to build in their third group match, where a dominant display saw them overcome Scarborough College 3–0.

Their momentum carried into the semi-final against RGS Newcastle, where another impressive attacking performance secured a 4–2 win and a place in the final against St Peter’s. The final proved to be a tense and closely contested affair, with neither side able to find a breakthrough during regular time as the match finished 0–0.

The drama of penalty shuffles followed. After the first round ended 1–1, with Hill House converting their opening effort, only for St Peter’s to respond in kind. The next shuffle was calmly dispatched to give Hill House a 2–1 advantage. The decisive moment came when the Hill House goalkeeper produced a superb diving save to his left, keeping the ball out and sparking jubilant celebrations as their place in the National Finals was secured.

Head of Hockey Mr Joe Barker, who joined the school in September, said: “Since arriving at Hill House, I have been genuinely overwhelmed by the depth of talent and enthusiasm for hockey across the school and the quality of the coaching team. The standard these boys have set is a perfect example of that. They played some fantastic, fast-flowing hockey, attacking at pace and putting opponents under pressure right from the outset. I’m incredibly proud of the whole squad, to maintain that level of intensity and quality across two and a half hours of competitive hockey requires real physical and mental resilience. It was a tremendous team effort from all 15 players.”

With both the U14 Girls and U14 Boys reaching their respective National Finals in the same season, this year group has firmly established itself as one of the strongest in Hill House’s sporting history. The whole school community now looks ahead with pride and excitement as the boys prepare to compete on the national stage.