# Biba Mills Makes History: Inside the 42nd Hockey Writers’ Club Annual Awards

**By Petra Nowak**  \nPublished August 1, 2026  \nUpdated August 1, 2026

> Seventeen-year-old East Grinstead star Biba Mills has rewritten the record books, becoming the first player to win an HWC junior honor followed immediately by the senior player of the year award.

When the Hockey Writers’ Club convened for its 42nd annual presentation, the resulting honours list did more than merely catalog another calendar year of stellar stickwork; it captured a seismic generational shift. Scotland’s Struan Walker claimed the men’s senior player of the year award, maintaining a distinct Scottish presence at the summit of the game following Lee Morton's triumph the previous year. Yet the definitive narrative of the gathering belonged to 17-year-old East Grinstead forward Biba Mills.

Mills carved her name into the sport's ledger by capturing the women’s senior player of the year award for the 2025/26 cycle, besting a competitive shortlist featuring Amy Costello and Maddie Axford. In doing so, she accomplished a feat unprecedented in the four-decade history of the HWC honors: she became the first player to transition directly from holding a junior or youth category award to seizing the senior crown. The previous precedent belonged to Sophie Bray—another erstwhile East Grinstead standout—who secured her junior recognition in 2007 before claiming the senior women's prize twelve years later in 2019. Mills compressed that developmental timeline into a blur.

The analytical weight behind Mills' selection rests on a staggering volumetric output across both indoor and outdoor surfaces. During the 2024/25 campaign, she topped the women’s Premier Division scoring charts with 20 goals while simultaneously leading the indoor Super 6s. That predatory instinct translated directly to the continental stage, where she finished atop the scoring table at the indoor EuroHockey Club Trophy and repeated the feat with the England outdoor U18 squad at the European Championships in July 2025. Across the preceding three years, Mills accumulated upwards of 100 indoor and outdoor Premier Division goals. Remarkably, she secured the HWC’s highest individual accolade without yet receiving a full international cap, having initially stunned the domestic scene in 2024 by becoming the youngest-ever goalscorer in the Euro Hockey League at just 15 years of age.

Reflecting on his own recognition, men's winner Struan Walker emphasized the collective engine driving individual accolades. It’s very nice to have the recognition of playing well and I am very appreciative of the award, said Walker, who plies his trade in the Netherlands with Oranje-Rood, noting how success stems from a tight-knit team environment and daily preparation with Great Britain. Walker, 23, secured the honor over fellow nominees James Mazarelo and Nick Bandurak, ensuring consecutive years of Scottish representation at the top of the men's game following Lee Morton's 2025 victory.

Beyond the senior awards, the HWC committee confirmed the next wave of domestic talent through the 2025 youth and junior categories:

- **U16 Girls:** Ciara Beech
- **U16 Boys:** Alistair Broadwith
- **U18 Girls:** Beth Gardens
- **U18 Boys:** Jack StampMedia and digital contributions also received formal recognition during the 42nd presentation. Scottish journalist Nigel Duncan was awarded the Graham Wilson Award for Services to Media in memory of the late Daily Express writer, succeeding previous recipients such as Nick Irvine and Rod Gilmour. In the digital space, the Derwent Men’s Instagram account claimed the Digital and Social Media Award ahead of Phil Roper’s Lets Stick Together initiative for its relatable club content, while Helen Ritchie of Reading HC was named photographer of the year.

As Mills prepares for her next chapter playing in the Netherlands, her ascent serves as a stark reminder of how modern youth development structures are producing elite tactical operators capable of bypassing traditional maturation timelines entirely.

## Sources

- [Hockey Paper staff](https://www.thehockeypaper.co.uk/articles/2024/02/08/junior-quartet-join-illustrious-ranks-after-hockey-writers-club-awards) — original
- [hockeywritersclub.com](https://hockeywritersclub.com/awards/) — original
- [gotaction.com](https://gotaction.com/nhl/gb-hockey-writers-club-hwc-annual-awards/) — original
- [HockeyWorldNews](https://hockeywrldnws.com/gb-hockey-writers-club-hwc-annual-awards/) — original
- [englandhockey.co.uk](https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/media/news/lee-morton-and-sophie-hamilton-honoured-at-hockey-writers-club-annual-awards-lunch) — original