Ladies 1st XI Vs Arnold 1

Report 18  March 2023  for club

South Nottingham HC   

Ladies 1  v  Arnold (A)

2-0 to South Nottm

Captain Eleanor Wallace led out our team on a wet early morning at Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham hoping that we would  hit  110 goals in this one-season-target . After our 100 goal target was reached, Eleanor remains a Successful  “Centurion”.  Vice Captain Jo ( Barrier of the Pyrenees) Shaw  remains the Successful “Sentry”.

Brisk usual pre-match pep-talk by Eleanor  (Rock of Gibraltar)  Wallace with an emphasis on developing and improving our inter-play. She re-emphasised our need to play wide.   Use our wing spaces to the full.  Our tactical plan must be to continue to create “possession hockey”. Clickety-click, short, accurate passes, keeping possession.  Arnold are always swift to pick up and chase a loose ball.  

Because of rolling subs, not everyone below, was on the pitch at the same time nor in the same position. This made it very hard for Arnold to deal effectively with player to player marking, in the driving drenching rain.

Stepping up as courageous volunteer today with the keeper’s pads was the valiant Jo (normally “Barrier of the Pyrenees” in defence but today also “They shall not pass”) Shaw.  If Jo, when padded up, scares her own side, we can guess how her opposition must feel!  The door to Jo’s goal was Firmly Shut.

In front of Jo  were Eleanor Wallace,   Steph (the Wall ) Hagerty,  and Freya ( the Meteor)  Beaumont.

Eleanor was calling and constantly guiding the team, as a captain should. Steph’s stick-work and ability to turn an opponent’s attack into creating one of our own, was notable. And Freya’s opponent must have been disheartened by Freya’s close-marking, effectively shutting down her opponent.

In midfield,  Sophie (Tiger) Runciman ranged wide and began to assert her capable control over the play-making. Whenever Arnold passed the ball across midfield, Sophie Tiger just “happened” to be there nearly every time to cut it off. Sophie Tiger’s “partners in crime” were Liz (the Fleet Footed) Foster, Sophie ( the Swift to Pounce ) Atkinson,  Fiona ( the Greyhound ) Sweetman  and Rose (the Crafty) Cartwright.

Fiona covered quickly an immense amount of ground and stuck limpet-like to her opposite number to neutralise her skills. Sophie A in midfield was Swift to Pounce on any loose passes and created many new opportunities.  Liz Foster’s clever reading of the game enabled her to be assisting in defence, in midfield to be shutting down attacks, and to be up creating opportunities in support of our forward line. Rose Cartwright’s thoughtful, dynamic, intelligent play showed her skilled field-craft.  Ceaseless, purposeful motion by all.

But Arnold did not surrender control of midfield to us; they contested every ball. Every time. And Arnold had an experienced defence, with very capable plans to try to stop us scoring.

Up front  we had Gemma (the Jet-Propelled)  Robinson, Ruby  (the Rocket)  Ryan, Alex  (the Spear) McCusker- Stephenson  and the inevitable Evie (Shooting Star) Bates.

The clever play of Rocket Ryan was as usual a joy to behold, absolutely Rocketing down the wing, cutting inside, and slipping the ball sideways to a hoped-for unmarked colleague, without slowing down or breaking stride. This caused mayhem in the otherwise solid Arnold defence, Brilliant. 

Alex’s powerful speed and ball-control skills are awesome, combined with her acceleration.

By half time, Evie was seen cleverly keeping drawing a defender by hugging the far post, lurking intelligently to enable another of us to be unmarked.  The speedy Gemma identified weaknesses in the Arnold defence. She jetted through on a loose clearance by Arnold and made no mistake, for us to go 1-0 up. Then Alex speared up with her scorching pace, into the heart of the Arnold  defence, un-noticed and un-marked, to rattle the backboard, 2-0  to South Nottm .

So far this season, we have scored 105 goals and conceded 10.  Goal Difference 95. Unbeaten, we stay top of our League Division.   We would surely like to see a Goal Difference of 100  in this season,  so to succeed,  that means we must win by 5 clear goals this coming weekend to make that Goal Difference.

Well done the Team