A thoroughly enjoyable day of hockey was experienced by players, coaches, and umpires at Reading Hockey Club on Tuesday 23rd Nov.
Although all three results did not go the way of the Bloxham girls, they showed improvement as individuals and as a collective unit as the day and games progressed.
The following report is given by U16 Coach, Mr Ford:
The day started with a postponement of our first game due to a frozen pitch which meant we played the toughest opposition in Lord Wandsworth school first. This was a tough ask as they had some very strong individuals and were very solid structurally. They ended up scoring 3 goals early in the first half, coming out 5-1 winners at the final whistle. Due to the late drop out of some teams, we played our next two games back-to-back, meaning we faced Holme Grange who were a competitive outfit. Too much play through the middle of the pitch meant we went behind early again and were forever chasing the game. Some strong saves by Emma B and Zara H and some direct dribbling by Flora M and Charlotte F-S kept us in with a sniff, but we ended up losing 2-1.
The final game was against the Abbey who had a strong spine to their team. We matched them in the battle with many of the Bloxham girls (Miriam B and Millie S to name a few) showing determination and skill. This was a much tighter game with the score line being 1-1 for much of the game. After a breakaway goal and a goal from a penalty corner after the whistle we unfortunately finished our day with a loss.
Overall, the girls could leave the tournament with their heads held high. The girl’s hockey showed huge development over the course of the three games, and they all now have a good understanding of the level of hockey at these regional tournaments.
Great effort and well done to all involved.
