Cundall Celebrates Minnie’s Selection for the Junior Hockey World Cup

Cundall Manor is delighted to celebrate Minnie’s selection for the Junior World Cup with the U21 Women’s Hockey Team.

Minnie joined Cundall in Year 5 already playing club hockey for Thirsk Hockey Club, and it didn’t take long for her passion for the sport to flourish during Games at school. She soon began representing Cundall across multiple disciplines — swimming at the ISA Finals at the Olympic Pool, and competing in (and winning) both the Loretto Hockey Tournament and the ISA Hockey National Championships twice in succession in 2015 and 2016, finishing with a clean sheet across all six games.

She went on to reach the National Finals at Loughborough, where her team narrowly missed out on victory after a tense penalty shootout. In her final year at Cundall, Minnie and her teammates secured second place in the National U16 Finals — an outstanding achievement made even more impressive as they were an U15 side. Although her school hockey career was cut short by the pandemic, Minnie had already made a lasting impact.

During her time at Cundall, Minnie’s talent and determination propelled her rapidly through the England Hockey performance pathway. Alongside her club hockey for Thirsk, she earned selection for the County team, the Talent Academy, and ultimately the England U13 Lions and England U16 National Age Group Squads — all by the age of just 14. Her journey has since been echoed by current Cundall pupil Alistair Broadwith, now part of the England U16 set-up, along with two other pupils, Imogen and Molly, who are currently playing in the Sheffield Talent Academy squad.

After completing her A Levels at Repton School, Minnie continued her hockey journey across the Atlantic, joining the University of Virginia and representing the Virginia Cavaliers Field Hockey Team. She has since returned to the UK, studying International Media and Communications at the University of Nottingham while continuing to compete at an elite level.

Now, as Minnie prepares to take to the world stage in Chile for the Junior World Cup, the entire Cundall community celebrates her remarkable journey. Her dedication, resilience and passion for sport continue to inspire the next generation of Cundall pupils to follow their dreams — both on and off the field.

We look forward to welcoming her back to hear all about her World Cup experience, and we wish her every success as she proudly represents her country.