Saturday 7th February
Women’s 3s 0 – 3 Surbiton 5s
The ladies 3s have been on a fantastic run since Christmas, playing strong passing hockey and gaining some much-needed points. This weekend started in the same vein against Surbiton 5s; we dominated possession from the whistle, and they struggled to breakdown our quick passing. Issy and Freya attacking down the right pushed their defence hard and were stacking up the circle entries and shorts. Their keeper kept up a valiant effort to keep the ball out; despite us coming so close the score at halftime was 0-0. Team talk was to essentially keep it up but pass around the keeper, so it took us by surprise when the momentum of the game in the second half turned 180. Suddenly we were under continual pressure. They changed their structure to have more bodies in the centre of the pitch. We were too slow to catch on and let our marking slip and they had counter attacks that ended in our D and 2 on 1 with our brilliant keeper Hannah. They made the most of their circle entries and slotted 3 past us in quick succession. We were a bit shell shocked but rallied and kept going to the last whistle but couldn’t pull one back. We decided to focus on the play in the first half and maybe work on defending counter attacks!
Joint POMs were Alice and Freya for their determination.
Still all to play for and plenty of more great hockey to come from L3s this season.
Women’s 5s 1 – 2 Epsom L5s
Darcy was named Player of the Match after a hard-fought match, that showcased some excellent hockey against a strong oppo.
We scored as Darcy drove to the baseline and delivered a pinpoint cross for Bernie, who was perfectly placed to pop the ball into the net.
Hildegard was outstanding throughout, making huge runs that carried the team forward and kept the pressure on. We produced some great linking play, moving the ball confidently and creating lots of chances.
While the opposition managed to score twice from breakaway runs, neither goal truly reflected the overall balance of play. It was a strong team performance, full of energy and attacking intent.
Written by Sarah McKay
Saturday 14th February
Women’s 5s 1 – 2 Sunbury & Walton Hawks L3s
The match began on a gorgeous sunny morning at OCS and the L5s looked sharp from the opening whistle. The team displayed fantastic passing sequences, with the midfield working tirelessly to transition the ball.
The defence was a fortress, marking tightly and successfully denying the opposition any entry into the D. This collective effort was rewarded halfway through the first half when Zoe found the back of the net with a clinical finish, sending the OCs into half time with a well-deserved lead and high confidence.
The second half proved to be a test of character. OCs had a golden opportunity to double the lead when they were awarded a penalty stroke. Darcie stepped up bravely; while her effort was excellent, the Sunbury keeper pulled off a crucial save to keep the visitors in the game.
Sunbury capitalised on that momentum, leveling the score with a surprising, high-quality drag flick into the top corner from a short corner. Despite the setback, the OCs kept their heads high and continued to play lovely team hockey.
Sunbury’s pace upfront eventually told, as their forwards found a breakthrough to snatch a second goal. While the energy dipped momentarily, the OCs showed great grit to “pull it back” and fight hard until the final whistle.
The result was disappointing given the quality of the team’s performance. Onwards & upwards to next week’s game!
Player of the Match: Zoe Jones, for a dominant and tireless performance in the midfield.
Lola also received several votes for her incredible work rate throughout the game.
Written by Roz Clark
Puricrans 3 – 2 Southgate
Another unconvincing win with holidays and injuries affecting the squad stability that we had pre the break.
Nevertheless, we are still level on points with the two teams above us.
We were coasting at 2-0 with 30 seconds to go in the first half before we conceded a stroke unnecessarily that gave the initiative to Southgate.
Although we dominated possession we only added one goal in the second half and conceding a goal with about a quarter of the game to go. Southgate refused to lie down but could not prevent us from grinding out a win.
M o m Andrew Sanders
Goals Andy Macleod 2 and Knappy