62
A
lthough our season started brightly
with a well-contested 1-1 draw
against Wellington, we too often
found ourselves faced with stronger,
quicker opposition. But we made good
progress during the course of the term,
and played some excellent hockey a lot of
the time.
The Cheltenham game was a very evenly
matched affair in which we created plenty
of breaks and opportunities on goal.
However we were unable to find an
equaliser to an early Cheltenham goal -
player of the match was Katherine Smith.
We had plenty of possession against
Taunton School and consistently put
pressure on the opposition, but were
unable to find that crucial finishing touch.
Skipper Maddie Beaumont led from the
front in what was the best team
performance of the season to date.
We lost to a very competitive Sherborne
side, but then put on a spirited display
against West Buckland, taking the lead
with a deflection following a fierce strike
by Alex Taylor. West Buckland equalised
in similar fashion, but we piled on the
pressure in the second half, and were
rewarded with goals by Katy Smith and
Alex Taylor to win 3-1.
At Blundell's, we kept possession well
and created opportunities, but as the
game progressed the opposition began to
gain momentum. Lucy Hawkins showed
plenty of aggression, and it was a great
defensive effort from Emma Smith.
Taking a while to get the journey to
Bryanston out of our systems, we gave
them too much space and they scored a
breakaway goal. We gradually got going,
but they were too strong really.
To end the season, we just lost an
outstanding game of hockey against
Queen's. We conceded twice early on
through a lack of organisation in defence,
but in the second half came out fighting,
and scored two goals in seven minutes.
Queen's though had added their third,
and we couldn't find the equaliser despite
a nailbiting final few seconds!
W
e conceded early on in the Bs'
season opener against
Wellington, but finished the
half strongly. After half-time we scored
an excellent goal set up by Antonia
Garton-Sprenger and finished by Chloe
Smith, but Wellington were able to score
twice in the closing minutes. Player of
the match was Victoria Bell who put in a
very determined performance.
We then lost to a very strong Cheltenham
side, but the second-half performance
was a considerable improvement on the
first half - player of the match was the
indefatigable Felicity Hamilton. The
Taunton School fixture proved a
frustrating afternoon. Mollie Merchant
made some terrific saves, and Samantha
Loomie took up some great positions, but
we failed to convert our many chances.
We then encountered a very competitive
Sherborne side, and had a particularly
disappointing first half. Things improved
hugely after the interval, and we began to
play with more focus and grit.
But we were beginning to put into
practice lots of things that we were
working on in the week, and after losing
to Blundell's, we ended our season on a
real high. At home to Queen's, we pulled
off an excellent win, moving the ball
around with pace and taking up some
excellent positions. Player of the match
was India Bannister who rounded off our
season with a fantastic hat-trick!
Girls' Hockey
Under 15s
Celebrations as the Under
15s score against West
Buckland!