https://lansdownhockey.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/492/2025/03/Video-1.mov
| Team | Ladies 5 |
| Opponent | Bourton & Sherborne 1 |
| Date | March 15, 2025 |
| Result | Win |
| Score | 3 – 0 |
L5s vs Bourton & Sherbourne L1s – 15/03/2025
TL; DR: L5s WON!
L5s arrived for the penultimate match of the season at what was familiar ground to this resident traffic cone, to play Bourton & Sherbourne L1s. Once the team got over the shock of it being 23 years since I left the school (a good ten years before some of them were even born) and I’d got over the shock of the hand dryer behaving inappropriately towards me in the toilets pre-match, we set out with three aims.
1. Play our hockey, our way…enjoy it and don’t give up until the very end. Leave everything on that pitch.
2. Focus, focus, focus…step onto that pitch ready and raring to go.
3. Don’t let Jules get injured! (for context, whenever I’ve played here I’ve always left with an injury – including a dislocated shoulder at one point).
With the loudest ROARRRRRRRR yet, we took to the pitch against 10 player Bourton (which is always unnerving, especially when a team plays so regularly together), having commented on the lack of sunshine and then like magic……we were basking in the full beam of the sun!!! Unfortunately we hadn’t factored that into our toss up decisions.
The first half, L5s dominated play up front with our forward line of Eva, Seren, Liz and pseudo forward Gabby, who worked the ball around the D, got upgrades to short corners and had shots off against the Bourton keeper (who it has to be said is a brilliant shot stopper). Alas, we were kept at bay.
Bourton were dangerous on the counter attack with some quick runners and experienced players, causing the defensive line up of this resident traffic cone, Anwyn, Lottie and Flo to spring into action. Tiggs in goal made some brilliant saves to not only save my bacon but keep us level at 0-0.
Our midfield posse of Abi in a Daisy sandwich (Daisy C and Daisy R), Miya and Clemmie were making some brilliant runs and triangular passes Rich would have been doing cartwheels for. The pressure was building and with it, our confidence.
We went into half time with a team talk from Lucie and Shelley, helping us from the sidelines and advising us on some little tweaks to make to help us get the ball across the line, some sweets and oranges and a thirst to score as we set off for the second half.
And score we did. Within minutes of the restart, continued pressure built until from the very other end of the pitch this traffic cone squinted and watched the ball hit the backboard! Liz fired home the first goal. Energised by getting it into the back of the net, L5s played with a renewed vigor, conscious that Bourton as well are a well drilled side so not wanting to rest on our laurels.
Shortly after, some brilliant runs from Seren and Eva, with link up play with Daisy C and Abi, saw Liz get another goal! At which point Tiggs and I looked at each other with a knowing smile…..surely not….could we?
Later in the second half after many a shot, Eva was rewarded with one going into the back of the net whilst Seren narrowly missed what would have been a brilliant reverse strike, denied purely by the post.
Bourton kept on coming at us on the counter though and got the ball in the back of our net, only to be disallowed as it was struck outside the D.
The match finished 3-0 to L5s, much to all of our delight – we celebrated as hard as we did last season when we won the league! Finally we had been rewarded for our performance with points on the board.
Player of the Match saw nominations for Abi, Liz, Eva, Seren and Tiggs, with Liz taking home the glory for those two wonderful goals. (She also boldly predicted at half time we were going to win 3-0, so should have asked her yesterday who was going to win the gold cup).
Brian the Lion nominations were for Tiggs, Abi, Daisy C, Daisy R, Liz, Eva, Seren, Miya with Seren taking home little Brian (who’s back from his holiday with Luke).
Massive shout out and thank you to Lucie and Shelley who managed the sidelines today with subbing and coaching for us to help us focus on playing our best hockey. Huge thanks to our barmy army on the sidelines who came out in force this morning to cheer us on – this win is as much yours as it is ours. Finally a big thank you to our lovely, friendly opposition who played some lovely hockey and kept fighting to the end despite being a player down, it was a great game to watch and be part of.
One more match to go ladies……let’s enjoy it!