A history-making season for Gosport & Fareham squad
It was a history-making season for a Gosport & Fareham Schools representative football squad.
In their first year together, the under-12s won the Hampshire League and cup double. For good measure, they also reached the final of the English Schools FA national cup.
Gosport & Fareham Schools have four age groups - from under-12s through to under-15s - who have been competing for many decades. This team is believed to be the district’s first to have completed the county double and reached a national cup final.
“For a little district like ours, with two small towns to choose from, it’s a major achievement,” manager Dave Taylorson told The News.
“We’ve been playing teams from Southampton, Basingstoke and Aldershot who all have far more schools.”
In the county cup, Gosport & Fareham defeated Aldershot 1-0 at the latter’s Recreation Ground, home of the town’s National League club.
In the national cup, they saw off Poole & East Dorset,
West Kent and Maidstone en route to the final.
Travelling to the Worcester Warriors rugby union ground, Sixways, for the showpiece occasion, they were beaten 3-2 in the final by Sefton from Liverpool.
Taylorson was assisted by Jon Shrive, while the chairman of the Gosport & Fareham association is Chris Collins, a teacher at the Fareham Academy.
Next season marks a significant step up to under-13 level, where matches will be 11 v 11 and 35 minutes each way as opposed to 9 x 9 and 30 minutes. Taylorson’s Gosport &
Fareham squad comprises players from seven different schools.
Oliver Spratt, Tobias Hutchison and Sam Robinson are pupils at Brookfield, while reserve keeper Blake Norris, Ronnie Hughes and Mani Adkins go to Bay House.
Skipper Landon Mackley and George Jacobsa attend Portchester, Sheriff Charty and David Yankey are from Crofton, and vice captain James Shrive and Ethan Naude are Henry Cort pupils. Leading scorer Aston Moxham and goalkeeper Leo Arnold attend Bridgemary, while Matt Ayre is Brune Park’s sole representative.