Over in the UK, two of the IOM Junior teams were playing in the semi finals of the England Hockey Tier 2 Knockout Championships.
The Isle of Man U14 boys took to the field for their semi-final clash against Oxford Hawks, having travelled the day before and arriving well-rested and focused.
Oxford Hawks opened the scoring around the 30-minute mark following a quick counterattack, capitalising on a loose clearance from IOM to take a 1–0 lead into half-time.
Despite the setback, the IOM boys showed great composure and resilience. They came out strongly in the second half and were quickly awarded a penalty stroke. Ryan C stepped up with confidence and slotted home the equaliser.
Oxford responded almost immediately with another goal, restoring their advantage. However, IOM refused to back down and continued to apply pressure. Their persistence paid off with 15 minutes remaining, when Charlie D found the net to bring the game level once again.
The closing stages were tense, with end-to-end action and both sides pushing for a winner, but the final whistle blew with the score tied at 2-2—sending the match to shuffles.
Oxford stepped up first but missed the target. Adam E’s effort was saved, but IOM goalkeeper Seth M then produced two outstanding saves to keep his team in contention. Harri L calmly converted his shuffle, putting IOM ahead.
A dramatic moment followed when Seth M made another crucial intervention, even after conceding a flick, somehow keeping the effort out and maintaining IOM’s advantage.
Ryan C then stepped up again, scoring confidently and converting the subsequent flick past the Oxford goalkeeper.
Oxford managed to score a high-quality effort to stay in the contest, but Chris C H held his nerve to score the decisive goal, securing victory for IOM.
This win marks a historic achievement—the first time any Isle of Man age group has reached a Tier Two Cup Championship Final.
In the U16 Girls Tier 2 Plate Competition, IOM U16 Girls faced Norwich City in the semi-finals of the EH Tier 2 Plate.
The match began brightly for the Manx side, who created several early chances and forced the Norwich goalkeeper into action. As the game settled, it became more evenly contested, with both teams winning multiple short corners but unable to convert. The Isle of Man then started to build pressure; however, against the run of play, Norwich capitalised on a counter-attack, scoring from close range to take a 1–0 lead into half-time.
The second half proved more challenging, with the Manx girls struggling to gain early control and conceding a second goal, putting Norwich 2–0 ahead. With 25 minutes remaining, the Isle of Man pushed forward with renewed intent. Amira C made several strong runs down the right channel, but the forwards were unable to apply the finishing touch.
Sustained pressure eventually paid off, as the Manx side won a series of short corners. One of these was expertly converted by Zara L, who struck a superb straight shot from the top of the D. With just five minutes remaining, the Isle of Man pressed hard for an equaliser but were unable to find the goal before the final whistle.
Although the result didn’t go their way, the team can be incredibly proud of their journey and performance in reaching the latter stages of the competition.
