Aluredian
57
T
he 2007 season was always
going to be one where the
emphasis was on rebuilding,
as there were very few
'survivors' from the previous
year's team. Participating in
the Sherborne tournament, we surprised
everyone by finishing second in our pool and
thereby qualifying for the semi-final. These
matches confirmed that we had two very
talented attacking players in Katie Vickers and
Tori Canning. Katie's speed and skill and Tori's
excellent finishing ability caused great
frustration among opposition defenders. It
came as no surprise these two finished as our
top two goalscorers for the season.
In an unbelievable defensive display, we managed
to keep Blundell's to a 0-0 draw and won the
penalty stroke competition, only to be beaten on
strokes in the final by Bryanston. Nevertheless a
promising start for this young group!
Against local rivals Queen's, Wellington and
Taunton School, we managed to secure two
very pleasing victories, and in the third
fantastic game we were denied by a couple of
late strikes from Taunton. In these matches
Hattie Cunningham stepped up to the mark
and showed what a skillful and talented player
she is, controlling the centre of midfield and
scoring some very useful goals. Mel Palmer at
the heart of defence played with great maturity,
and was excellent at organising the defence
and guiding the younger players around her.
The next couple of games were against Canford
and Bryanston. We got off to a bright start,
taking the lead in both games, only to allow
lapses in concentration to cost us in the end.
The game against Bryanston produced a
moment of brilliance from captain Katie
Vickers, in what I can confirm to be the best
individual goal that I have seen. Receiving the
ball on the half-way line, Katie beat a number
of defenders on her way to the top right of the
circle, where she struck the ball into the top
left-hand corner. An amazing finish! Alex
Wynn in goal also pulled off some brilliant
saves in keeping the opposition at bay.
Another well-deserved victory against Wells
Cathedral School was to follow, with Louise
Webber and Emma Clyde-Smith impressing.
Louise showed tremendous improvement as the
season developed and was very reliable in
whatever position she was expected to play.
A number of injuries made it difficult against
Sherborne and Blundell's, but in spite of this
we played some excellent hockey and showed
just how far we had come as a unit.
Alix Mason, when she was available, added to
our attacking force. Alex McKean and Heather
McKenzie played solidly throughout the season,
and the two other youngsters, Charis Elphinstone
and Rebecca Doyle, also made progress with
every game that they played. A special thanks
to our 'overseas player' Lola XXX, whose
enthusiasm and ability to float between positions
confused not only the opposition as to where she
was playing, but also her own team mates.
For me the highlight of our season came right
at the end, against Richard Huish, a very
talented side, who outplayed us in all
departments at the beginning of the season.
On our return leg, we outthought, outplayed
and dominated in all areas, a real measure of
how far we had progressed as a team.
A final 'thank you' must go to Matt Berry. His
enthusiasm and expertise certainly adds a lot of
value to our squad and is greatly appreciated.
I look forward to this squad going from strength
to strength in 2008.
Katie Vickers celebrates her
goal ? against Queen's
Girls
Hockey
1st XI
by
Andy Jones