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Ladies Mid-Season Review

Ladies Mid-Season Review

Kate Costin2 Dec 2016 - 12:22
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https://www.bedfordhockeyclub.

At the half way point, I just wanted to reflect on where we are as a Ladies section highlighting some special performances & achievements so far...

Obviously no trophies are won at this stage of the season but it has been great to welcome so many new players to Bedford and enjoy a fantastic start to our league campaigns. A big thanks must go to all the captains and committee members who work so hard behind the scene’s to enable the games to take place and also our coaches Tom, Martin, Nick, Josh and more recently Dan for planning and delivering all the training sessions to a very high standard.

Collectively our record is very impressive with a league win percentage of 74%! Indeed there were two consecutive weeks where every single one of our 6 sides won which is unprecedented! We have scored 203 goals and only conceded 68 whilst the 1’s, 4’s and 5’s all sit top of their respective tables. On the social side, we enjoyed a sell-out quiz night and we look forward to the Christmas Party on the 10th December (get your tickets now!)

The ladies 1st team are targeting a return to national league and currently have a 7 point lead at the top of the table, having won all bar one match. We have scored the most goals (Captain Rachel Jackson has netted 7 goals from short corners alone) and conceded the fewest in the division PLUS there are still lots of improvements to be made! Sam Turner has settled in well after joining from Cambridge City and it’s been great to welcome back Elli Priston and Verity Mason-McLeod to the team.

YVY’s 2’s are well placed going into the Christmas break sitting in 5th place, but only 2 points off second place. Despite having a different group of players each week, the team has gelled really well with a special thanks to Pete Rattu and Jenny Harris for their match day support. Sherri Skene, Katherine Winger and Clare Bilham have all returned to add their skills and experience this season whilst u16’s captain Chloe Pigram has improved rapidly and nailed down a place. Captain YVY remains a predatory finisher, despite her back and knee injuries and she tops Bedford’s overall scoring charts with 10 league goals including two hat-tricks!! Class

The Ladies 3’s have been without several key players for much of the season but after a tough run of results at the start, they are now moving quickly up the 5 counties prem table and will be looking to establish themselves nearer the top of the league after Christmas. Ellie Scott was promoted after only a few games in the 4s and already has 5 goals to her name this season, whilst at the back Sue Phillips alongside captain Robbo have provided a strong defensive platform. We must also mention Emily Allen, whose performance in goal for the u18's in their first game this season was truly magnificent.

The Ladies 4s are flying! They are undefeated at the top of 5 Counties Div 3 and have scored 41 goals already. The team is a great mix of youth and experience with goals coming from a number of sources including 8 from Alexis Broadway, 7 from Georgi Rapley and 5 each from captain Naomi Stevens and Abi Norris. They have already surpassed their points total from last season and are well placed for promotion.

The Ladies 5's started the season in deadly form, winning their first 9 games without conceding a goal including the biggest win of the season so far 10-0! Despite 2 defeats in the past 2 matches, they still top the table and will be looking to get back to winning ways this Saturday. There have been some breakthrough performances with both Holly Smith and Alice Baker in the goals since moving up from the 6’s whilst Amy Lammin has 6 goals and Jaz Green 8! Many players have improved tremendously namely Charlotte Dowson, Gill Patman, Sally Olney and Emily Robinson and the team spirit has been fab. A special big thanks to ALL our goalkeepers for their hard work and flexibility … Sarge, Lucy, Anna, Emily, Hayley, Jean, Emily and Elouise.

Last but not least, the Ladies 6’s is a new team to the league this year and with Jenny Willson winning the award as the most organised captain in history ever!, the team is currently in third place and going well. A number of youngsters, especially Emily Ratcliffe with her great distribution skills and ability to cover all areas of the pitch, have impressed alongside some returning “Back to Hockey” players so the second part of the season will be an exciting one. We must also mention 1st Bedford goals from Jane Jafari and Deb Wilson!! It’s really great to see some mums and daughters playing alongside each other in the 6th team - well done the Peppiatt’s, Peacock’s and Willis’s.

Finally a small plug for the 035’s Masters … they have a big Investec Cup quarter final on Sunday 5th February against St Albans (a) – all support would be most welcome and the team will once again feature the return of prodigal goal scoring supremo, Hannah Scott!!! (Our U16’s also have their final championship game on that date too and can still mathematically qualify for the regional stages)

Training resumes on the 3rd and 4th January and 5 counties are straight into league fixtures on the 7th. As always please make a big effort to be organised with setting your availability and letting your captain know. Honestly it makes such a big difference to the time that selection takes each week if we don’t have to chase people! Have a great Christmas and see you back in 2017 and a big thanks to all players and supporters for their all their efforts so far this season.

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