Ladies 2nd XI
Matches
Sat 03 Feb 2024  ·  Women's Division 1
Wakefield 2
0
1
Newcastle Hockey Club
Ladies 2nd XI
Eye eye...

Eye eye...

Emma Cragg5 Feb - 17:01
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Is that 3 points I spy?

Saturday 3rd of February will go down in history for the ladies 2s. It was the day that everyone arrived in advance of the meet time. The only downside of this is more chance for mischief! This week, the main concern was that everyone could see straight either as a result of doubling up with two contacts in a single eye, imbibing tiger's blood or losing a lens from your glasses.

Somehow we managed to put all the pre-match mayhem out of mind and by all focus was on the game. Buoyed by our performances last weekend, if not the final results, we charged into this match on the front foot from the start.

Early chances came for Bobi and Lottie as the high forwards, who used their boundless energy to keep the Wakefield defence guessing. At the other end, a first sighter for Wakefield left both Jenny and Maggie sprawled on the floor. The ball deflected safely over the crossbar.

The breakthrough came almost out of nothing around the mid-way point of the half. Tiny emerged from a congested central area just inside our half and made a beeline towards their D. Forcing the remaining defender to commit to making a tackle she then released the ball to Bobi who scooped it past the keeper and into the net.

Wakefield almost immediately got back level, winning a couple of short corners on the bounce. Their basic routines were no match for our defence though and each time the shot was either blocked or forced wide.

Towards the end of the first half, our opponents changed formation. This gave us a little trouble as we got used to having an extra player come through the middle. However, not enough to change the scoreline going into half-time.

In the second half, Wakefield basically set up camp in our defensive half, putting all their efforts into finding an equaliser. Team D was valiantly supported in the defence of our slender lead by a midfield of Nikki, Emily, Chloe and Isla, plus Tiny coming back from top diamond to put her body on the line and ensure she was in contention for some player of the match votes for the absolute shift she put it. I feel for Anna, Bobi and Lottie who at this point could only watch on from their high positions and will us to stay strong.

Wakefield succeeded in winning a succession of short corners. However, due to a couple of crucial blocks from Zoe and Alice and excellent positioning from Maggie, that goal remained elusive.

In the dying minutes, a misplaced pass set up Wakefield with a final chance to equalise. From the middle of a melee of players around the P spot, Craggs came away with the ball and as the ball was cleared out to Isla on the right touchline the whistle went to end the match. Despite all the second-half pressure, we came away with three points and the bonus of a clean sheet.

Player of the match: Tiny

Match details

Match date

Sat 03 Feb 2024

Kickoff

13:30

Competition

Women's Division 1

League position

9
Wakefield 2
11
Newcastle 2
Team overview
Further reading