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Whilst the Men’s and Ladies’ 1s, sitting 5th and 2nd in their respective leagues, are already enjoying their Christmas break, twelve of the Club’s senior squads and two Masters teams were in action over the weekend

Whilst the Men’s and Ladies’ 1s, sitting 5th and 2nd in their respective leagues, are already enjoying their Christmas break, twelve of the Club’s senior squads and two Masters teams were in action over the weekend

James Oakley9 Dec 2021 - 21:13
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Whilst the Men’s and Ladies’ 1s, sitting 5th and 2nd in their respective leagues, are already enjoying their Christmas break

Whilst the Men’s and Ladies’ 1s, sitting 5th and 2nd in their respective leagues, are already enjoying their Christmas break, twelve of the Club’s senior squads and two Masters teams were in action over the weekend.
The Ladies’ 2s 8-1 win away to Thurrock positions them only one point below top table Havering. They will be hoping to take more points next weekend when they travel away to bottom table Waltham Forest.

The Men’s 2s, having forced a 2-all draw away to St Albans will also hope to up their points when they head to Potters Bar this coming Saturday.

With several injuries, the Ladies’ 3s have struggled with two losses on the trot, this week going 2-1 down to Welwyn. They still hold 3rd place in their division, however, though face top table Stevenage on away turf next weekend.

The battle between the Men’s 3s and Harpenden 1s remained goalless in the first half. It was Bedford who opened the scoring in the second half, only for an ex-Bedford player to level the score-line. The team can expect another tough contest next week when Letchworth travel to Chester Road.

Second in the table Ladies’ 4s will have hoped for a win, away to Cheshunt, but had to settle for a 1-all draw. They travel away again next weekend to take on bottom of the table Saffron Walden, who are yet to win a match.

The Men’s 4s meanwhile demonstrated their force, away to Harpenden, with a 5-0 domination to have them sitting third in the table with a game in hand over the top two teams. Next week is likely to be a tougher match for the Bedford squad as Vauxhall host their fixture.

The Ladies’ 5th XI continue to show their strength, this week enjoying a 6-1 victory away to Letchworth to keep them top table. They have the prospect of a tough match next weekend, however, when they travel away to Stevenage.

Despite some determined play, the Men’s 5s continue to struggle to make a breakthrough, this week going 3-1 down to Southgate.

The Ladies’ 6s also had a testing time, taking on Stevenage and ending 2-1 down. They will be hoping to push the home advantage in their forthcoming fixture against Hertford.

A 1-all draw for the Ladies 7s against Berkhamsted & Hemel was a great achievement. Several of the young Bedford players were experiencing senior hockey for the first time and some of the team, new to the sport of hockey, had their first ever taste of match play.

Both the Men’s Vets and the Men’s 7s travelled away to Southgate, both unfortunately returning defeated, the Men’s Vets losing by 2 goals to 7 and the Men’s 7s, 3-nil.

Sunday brought the next round play-offs for the Women’s Masters Over 35s Cup. After the team’s 13-0 win in their first round, Bedford was hoping for another strong performance. Surely even they couldn’t have foreseen the 14-0 goal-flurry they realised against Shefford & Sandy.

The weekend also saw the inaugural match by the Ladies' Over 55s, after England Hockey added this new age category into their Masters Club Championships. With the first-round draw being against St Albans, a challenging match was a given. Despite a forceful display by Bedford, and them opening the scoring, St Albans forced the equaliser and then went on to take the win 2-1. The Bedford squad will now continue in the Tier 2 Plate play-offs.

Photo: A great performance by the youngsters playing Ladies 7s

Jean

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