On a very miserable misty afternoon the under 9 girls welcomed a new fixture with Bow, Durham. Having had a lot of netball matches this term the girls were not as well practised in hockey as we would have liked.
The game got started and with an early goal from Bow it seemed to open the flood gates and the girls were struggling to stop their very talented striker from getting into the D and scoring. There was however some lovely play between Christabel and Poppy in midfield where they were managing to get the ball out from the danger zone. The girls were lacking in confidence and there was a feeling that their heads had dropped. At half time the score was 0-5.
We were lucky enough to have Mrs Glen on the side lines to offer some encouraging words and some valuable advice. This seemed to do the trick as the girls went back on the pitch and looked like a very different team with a new confidence. The forwards put pressure on the Bow defence and there was some lovely attacking play from Lizzie and Christabel in partnership that only just fell short to seal the deal. Emily Breese defended incredibly well with the support of Rachel Olympia and Lottie Green who put in some fantastic tackles. The girls now began to work as a team and they passed the ball out to the wings a lot more where Lottie Combe fed the ball well up to the forwards. It was pleasing to see Ellie and Georgina getting involved and having the confidence to tackle some girls who were physically bigger than them. Just before the final whistle Bow managed to sneak a last goal in leaving the score at 0-6.
The score most certainly does not reflect how the girls performed in this game and a lot of positives can be taken forward with the team as they practice more and have more games. Well done to all the girls and long may this fixture live and we look forward to going to Durham next term for another fixture.
A great effort girls!
Miss Shelley
