Chilli the Puppy came for tea at the weekend and met the players after these games...

Ladies 2 2-3 Nottingham Trent uni

Today the ladies had the tough task of hosting top of the table Trent uni. The ladies had a nervy start conceding a short corner within the first minute, the pressure from the students told and soon they scored two quick goals. Saints had some good attacking play themselves but the uni had a strong defence that has rarely been breached this season. A further goal before half time left saints 3-0 down at the break. However, saints come out strong and had the students on the back foot for large parts of the second half, great play from all the girls without exception. The saints pressure came through and the ball broke to Elise Ramoo who struck with her reverse stick to open the score. Further intense pressure from saints resulted in only the second SC to the girls, which was beautifully struck by Katie Fidler to make it 2-3. The students were on the back foot for large portions of the game with the occasional necessary save from Ella Lewis. Man of the match votes went to Hattie Kendrick, Grace Moulton and Ella Lewis, however, the stand out performance went to Charlotte Fordham who defended brilliantly and distributed the ball so well, frustrating the feisty students all afternoon!

Massive win for the ladies ones 3-2 winners against Sutton Coldfield.

In a game that the ladies had to get points from and help with the relegation battle saints started very brightly and dominated a lot of the early possession finally being rewarded with a great goal from Dani Dowson. Saints continued to play with high intensity and work rate and doubled their lead before halftime.
Second half Saturn [sic!] came back into the game scoring one Saints continue to fight hard and when Dani Dowson breakthrough and set up Ruby Curtis Free for a one-on-one with a keeper. She finished with great power, Sutton managed to pull one more back  making for a very nervy finish to the game, but the girls kept playing hard and were finally rewarded with a well deserved win

Ladies 4s went to Rugby and East Warwickshire to play against their 4s. We started off the match extremely well with an early goal. However Rugby countered and managed to score 3 more before the end of the half. We came back on with a positive attitude determined to win. We scored 2 more by using the space, this then put us level. Unfortunately their forward line managed to get past our defenders and whilst the first shot was saved, our keeper (playing for the first time in that role) couldn’t get up and despite the Defensive lines efforts the ball trickled past the line. We lost 4-3 but everyone played their best and did well even though we were on bare 11. Great game and everyone played so well, MOM tbc and DoD Jasmine for not being able to get back up in the keeper kit 

M5s report courtesy of ChatGPT…

The Mens 5s played a tough game against the Mens 4s at Moulton College Sand Pitch. Despite the high level of competition, both teams played with great sportsmanship and showed impressive skills throughout the match.

In the first half, the Mens 4s took an early lead, but the Mens 5s didn't give up. Seb Pickering scored a stunning goal from a short corner to bring the score level 1-1, and the team rallied behind him. The game was intense, with both teams creating chances, however the Mens 4s managed to get a goal before half time 2-1. The Mens 4s held onto their lead going into half time.

In the second half, the Mens 5s continued to put up a strong fight, but unfortunately, the Mens 4s managed to score two more goals to bring the score to 4-1. Despite this setback, the Mens 5s kept pushing forward and managed to score another goal thanks to a lovely little dink from Tim Warburton.

Although the game ended with a 4-2 victory for the Mens 4s, the Mens 5s should be proud of their performance. They showed great teamwork and determination, and they created several scoring opportunities throughout the match.

Overall, it was a thrilling game of hockey, and both teams should be commended for their efforts. The Mens 5s can take away many positives from the match, and they will no doubt come back stronger in their next game.

And in real life…

M4s v M5s grudge match proved a torrid affair for the “home side” as the M5s played out of their skins to put up a fight against the divisions front runners. Missing three defenders and losing Man of the Match Dan Moroney with a shoulder injury in the second half, M4s lost their usual cool with some heated arguments over tactics during the game. Despite Chris Bryden getting carded for football though, M5s prevailed with two goals from Zac Cooley, one from Tom Stokes and one from Jonny “Just pass the ball!” Nash, to ensure top of the table status for this week.

And with apologies to Laura Wychgal, a report from a few weeks ago that I think I forgot to post…

Match report for Ladies 2 vs Atherstone Adders 25th February

On Saturday we played against Atherstone  adders. After we won 3-2 last time we knew they would be very keen to get those points. We started off fairly calm with many moments in our attacking half putting on lots of pressure towards the other team with Ella barely having touch on the ball. Unfortunately with a quick breakthrough Atherstone scored, unexpectedly.During half time we agreed we deserved to win so everyone came into the second half wanting it, we kept having chances repeatedly, eventually Harriet Fordham ran round many players and scored a great goal. When the final whistle was blown the score came to 1-1.  Considering our normal team wasn’t playing today our game went really well and we adapted to the circumstances very quickly. Well done to Felicity Hamilton, Khushi Praveen and Ruby Marris for stepping up. MOM went to Harriet Fordham for her amazing play and DOD went to Isobel Webb for forgetting her Astro’s