Women's 2nd XI vs Gravesend W2

For the last game of 2025, we were off to Gravesend. Fresh off a win against Holcs, we were in high spirits, if low on regular team members. A last-minute injury caused a little panic to set in, but thankfully we ended up showing up with 12 players.

With a couple of players on the field out of their usual position, we started brightly, with a lot of end-to-end hockey. Then Gravesend slipped one in at the 10-minute mark. There were a couple of defensive faux-pas, and it was far from a clean goal, but 99.9% of umpires would have seen their player have contact with the ball with the foot. Clearly disheartened (and a little bit ruffled) Ville pressed on, only to concede again 5 minutes later. Tempers were starting to fray and we knew this match was going to be more difficult than we originally hoped. A little shuffle of positioning (Cat, who was playing LB, came off to allow Hannah P up front, and Kryssi dropped in to LB) was the best decision. Some great link-up play with Vicki, Chloe, & Tracy moved the ball into the path of Hannah P who blasted it past their keeper. 21 minutes, and it was 2-1 to the home team. The visitors had some hope restored.Plenty of Ville pressure followed, but Gravesend were resilient (she writes, politely).

Half time, and the score remained 2-1. The team talk concentrated on our strengths, and some tactics. 0-0, we decided, and off we went.Ville put together some great hockey in the second half, when we weren’t being obstructed or shoved, showing potential for more goals. Short corners were being won at both ends, with some epic saves by Elizabeth to keep theirs out. Unfortunately, we couldn’t convert ours either.With tempers high, they finally put a short away. The first strike pinged upwards, struck Ineta, and an odd overhead hit put it past Elizabeth. We appealed for dangerous play, but the goal stood. Because of course it did.The game finished 3-1 to the home side, and that’s about all I can say without losing my temper.

Player of the Match - Vicky Donnelly!