BEAUCHAMP STUDENT WINNER AT HOCKEY WRITERS’ AWARDS

Year 13 Beauchamp College student Yuvraj has been announced as the Boys’ Under-18 winner of the Hockey Writers’ Club youth and junior awards for 2021 after presentations were made at the annual awards lunch on Friday March 25th at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, Knightsbridge, London.

The judging panel sought information from coaches and regions to assess the four winners of 2021.  Yuvraj was described by his England under-18 coach Mark Bateman as having “excellent levels of performance” and that he has coped well with the transitioning between the two age groups, at under-18 and EDP level, showing solid commitment to the programmes.  

A young Yuvraj used to play basketball and initially started playing as a football goalkeeper. His hockey coach father, Harvinder, said that Yuvraj was “always getting nosebleeds in goal” due to his dedication to fight for the ball! He was invited to Leicester City’s football academy as an under-10, but he switched fully to hockey aged 14 as part of a successful Leicester HC side. He soon moved to Barford Tigers and has been playing in the National League since he was 15. The Tigers are on the cusp of promotion to Division 1.   

Last September, Yuvraj made his England under-21 debut against Malaysia at Lee Valley, and he now hopes to attend Loughborough University in September to study bioengineering. He also helps to coach alongside his father in the Leicester region, while Yuvraj’s older brother, Rohan, is a current EDP player.   

Associate Principal of Beauchamp College, Sally Wicken, said, “Everyone at Beauchamp College is extremely proud of Yuvraj's achievements, and winning this award is a reflection of his dedication over a number of years. It is no surprise to see that his levels of commitment have been praised and we wish him well as he continues to balance his sporting and academic successes.”