If you were looking for a dramatic afternoon of hockey then the Ladies 1's did not disappoint. Before the match even started it was clear there were going to be many twists and turns. Clara turned up without any astros (luckily Jen Romano was there to save the day), Bex forgot her shinpads and glove, and played bumper cars with a white post in the car pack and Cranie got a flat tyre. A great start! When the match began Maidenhead quickly scored 2 goals and it wasn’t looking good. However, Chiswick are not known for giving up easily, and after a short corner goal from Alex, were back on the hunt for a win. The opposition put up their best fight, but a wonder shot from the top of the D courtesy of Rhi Buchanan bought Chiswick back level for the half time whistle. After a rousing half time pep talk and reviving orange segments supplied by team chef Millie (off cuts from the delicious carrot cake that we all enjoyed after the game), a goal from tenacious Tee put Chiswick in front. But Maidenhead soon managed to level the score once again with a goal from a short corner. Determined to take home the three points and make the early start and long journey worthwhile, some swift passing and more silky skills from Rhi put Chiswick ahead once again to win the match 4 – 3. No Chiswick players were injured in the making of this game – apart from Tee who dislocated her finger and got hit by a number of body balls and Rhi who now has a dodgy looking thumb! Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 1s -4 Maidenhead Ladies 2s - 3 MOM – Rhi ‘goals glorious goals’ Buchanan DOD – Clara ‘who needs astros to play hockey’ Balfour
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Driving towards the BA Hayes pitch the ladies 4s could see the sky darkening and knew they were in for it. The heavens seemed to open right on the push back whistle, but with a stunning display of hockey it was harder to tell which was hotter, the hockey or the wet T-shirt display in the white ladies away kit!
The ladies 4s started ...as they meant to go on, with a goal coming just 5 minutes into the match. Albeit a somewhat scrappy goal, but Gemma McIntosh found the backboard to put Chiswick 1-nil up. The second goal was a lot more clinical, great play round the backs and up the wings gave Georgie Wilson a nice opportunity to finish off the work of the team. A nice touch on a tight angle saw the keeper beat and the ladies in white celebrating. Play didn't continue to be as one sided and with BA Hayes playing a long ball to an awaiting high player, Chiswick found themselves under a bit of pressure. A brilliant save from our debut goalie Alice Taylor-Bennet kept BA scoreless and with sensible play under pressure the defence got the ball safely back up pitch. With a two unsuccessful attacking penalty corners, the third goal of the half was yet again in open play. Georgie finding the backboard for the second time sounded so sweet and gave the ladies a great lead heading into half time. The second half began a bit lacklustre and almost flat, with no calling and the rain getting heaver the ladies 4s seemed happy enough with a 3-0 win. However when an opposition’s foot stopped Kate Cato’s shot on the line, a flick was awarded. Having already made some cracking diving saves (with the astro burn to prove it) Angela Li stepped up to take the penalty. It wasn't meant to be, and was sent wide, but it did provide a much needed boost in enthusiasm. Linking up well down the wing, Chloe Hole, Emma Milton and Kate Cato found the recipe for success. Quick passes up the line and into the circle, for a nice shot round the keeper, 4-0!! Then despite having her contact lenses almost washed out with the rain, Georgie Wilson had a final burst up the centre of the pitch, leaving her one on one with the keeper, and with a tidy finish, the ladies 4s ended with a 5-0 win. Retaining the TOP OF THE LEAGUE spot. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 4s - 5 BA Hayes Ladies 2s - 0 Man of the Match: Emma Milton for brilliant distribution and quick efficient play Dick of the Day: Jenni ‘no yellow socks’ Holman The season is off to a great start for the ladies sixes with another win on the weekend. The sixes went in as the under dogs this weekend against the fellow Chiswick 5s but we didn't let the whispers stop us from putting up a good fight. Being such a new team the 6s are starting to jell as each game goes on and this was obvious with Saturday's game. The passing and the run down the field was spot on, the 5s didn't know what we were going to do next. The first half started off a bit slow with neither team having much luck getting the ball through the goals. There was some nail biting times for the 6s as the 5s managed to grab a few short corners in a row but the pressure from the defence and the goalies skills were too strong. After we were able to clear the ball out of the D with no score the team lifted and as a resulted a late goal was scored by skipper Helen Lee by a quick hit off her stick.
The ladies 6s went into the halftime break with some fighting spirit that we could actually win this game but we knew that the 5's would hit back hard in the second half. The ball went up and down the field like a yoyo with no one having much luck against the goalies defence until finally another goal was scored by 6s team member Hannah Rudd in a scramble just in front on the goal. This goal sealed the deal for the ladies 6s and gave us the momentum to play right up until the final whistle. MOM- Gillian Kerr for outstanding running throughout the field, with gal seemed to be everywhere. DOD- Freya Crossley for being way too hangover to play a game of hockey. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s 2 - 0 PHC Chiswick Ladies 5s Coming off the back of a 3-2 win last week the Chiswick ladies 4s craved that winning feeling again, and were keen to boost their season campaign. With the fire in their bellies and realising goal difference can be everything, the Chiswick ladies were out to score against NPL Ladies 2s. A minor road traffic accident enroute did little to squash Chiswick's determination. Neither did the shock of seeing Angela turn up a whole 1 minute early, leaving keeper Nikki on the receiving end of a rather ambitious wager. Whiteboard wielding Co-Captain Chloe Hole managed the squad brilliantly from the side lines and was able to keep the ladies legs fresh right to the end, resulting in a goal frenzy from push back to final whistle. The first of the seven, came only minutes into the match, winning an early short corner. The first one wasn't to be but found an NPL foot resulting in another short, and gave our girls an opportunity to judge how the NPL defence were running out. Some quick observations led to a right slip from Georgie Wilson to Kate Cato, with a cracking shot on goal. The keeper found it, but Georgie pounced on the rebound to put Chiswick ahead. 1-0! BOOM! Chiswick continued to attack with new player Emma Milton linking up well with the rest of the mids and the forwards. Two more well executed short corners resulted in Chiswick being 3-0 up before the half time whistle. Jenni Holman, stepping up from defence to fill in as centre mid, drew choruses of oooooos and ahhhhhhs from the blue army as she found her inner striker. A stunning shot on goal very nearly resulted in her first goal for Chiswick...EVER. The universe was not to be upended however and the keeper managed to reach it, with only millimetres to spare. It was probably for the best, as the shock that would have surely resulted may have rendered us useless in the 2nd half. 3-0 at the half time whistle, Chloe "Alex Ferguson" Hole with her mighty white board gave a stirring half time team talk and set the ladies the challenge of scoring in open play. The ladies 4s are not one to shy away from a challenge, so we found the back of the net, not once but 4 times in open play. A goal apiece from Laura Bryant and our co-captain Gemma McIntosh, and 2 more from Georgie Wilson, saw Chiswick a whopping 7-0 up at the final whistle. Deal. With. That. Two weeks in and Chiswick are top of the league with no intention of moving. DoD went to Nicky "I'll drink my body weight in lager" Redding. WOman of the match...a 4 way tie between Jenni Holman, Georgie Wilson, Kate Cato and Emma Milton with the coveted crown eventually going to top goal scorer Georgie. Well played ladies! Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 4s 7 - NPL Ladies 2s 0 As we completed our sunrise trek to Wallingford, the team seemed ready to go, with final inspiration from our captain for the weekend, Bex Smith. "Let's beat them because they made us get up so early." The simple yet justified statement got us started, and Rhianna Buchanan opened up scoring early with some determined dribbling and reverse flick over ...the goalie. Rhi added another tally quickly after with a chance from the top of the circle. Dodging one defender to the left, Rhi swung reverse and nailed a shot echoing off the back of the goal. For the rest of the half, PHC Chiswick dominated time of possession, with Bex Smith controlling the middle of the field. Bex found some open space at the top of the circle and drilled a pass to Alex Earnshaw to tip into the goal and go into halftime with a three goal lead.
As the hockey competition was a bit one sided, Wallingford attempted some mental warfare by bringing us orange slices at halftime. Half delighted, half reminiscent of childhood, the team almost lost our focus. Almost. Luckily Alex quickly matched Rhi's goal count off a short corner, putting us up 4-0 early in the second half. Harriet Stevenson also wanted in on the fun, and attempted a trio of goals. Unfortunately only two went in, as the third ended in her sitting on the ball. Although missing Mary Gamble while she guest starred at midfield for the weekend, the defence put up another clean sheet, giving up only two corners and needing Millie Lang's stellar saves only twice. As a final compliment to the day, an opposing team's fan asked coach Pras if they could borrow our fitness coach. Luckily he asked Pras and not the players, as we may have gladly given her away if it meant no more shuttles on Wednesdays. Apparently the hard work is paying off, so we'll keep her around... Final score PHC Chiswick 6, Wallingford 0. PHC Chiswick Ladies 3s v Southgate Ladies 4s
Chiswick ladies 3s this week continued with their terrific winning streak and provide a lesson of persistence to Southgate...and finally filed a match report! Wahey! Southgate started the game ambitiously with a push back straight into the Chiswick half and towards the goal however Chiswick showed their great defensive abilities and quickly removed any danger. Southgate continued to apply pressure but Chiswick swiftly took the lead with a great link up of forward play between Dent and Denton (definitely works ha!). Denton calmly slotted the ball into the net and Chiswick showed dominance. Southgate continued to knock on the door but Chiswick showed resilience whilst Denton put Chiswick 2 ahead yet again with a collected finish. This is how the half ended with Chiswick having the lead but Southgate continuing to apply pressure. The second half saw great team play by Chiswick as the ball was moved around all areas of the pitch however Southgate’s ambition caught up with them and they got a goal back with a well-executed short corner. As ever Chiswick should determination and came back to improve the lead with a great piece of defence play bringing the ball all the way into the Chiswick 22” and scoring a great goal with defender Alex flying down the wing. To follow this came a casual masterpiece from Denton with a backward tap in the corner of the goal providing a comfortable 4-1 lead, Chiswick began to play it round the pitch and from great spirit and motivational advice from coach Carla managed to seal the victory with a final score of 4-2 – again another jammy goal from Southgate. Not only did we put in a great performance against a good team we also managed to remember who scored all the goals and what the final score was!! All in all Chiswick ladies 3s are having the season to remember.. 2nd in the league!! Waheeeeey. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 3s - 4, Southgate Ladies 4s - 2 PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s v Teddington Ladies 5s
This weeked was a turning point where all the hard work from training was put into practice and had paid off on the pitch to Norma's delight. We all played as one and as a team, with lots of short accurate passing, out to wing and up the pitch, which increased our opportunity to score. Chiswick were running into space, talking to one another ensuring that they dominated the 50:50 balls. Despite the opposition being granted a number of short corners, our strong defence were very successful in clearing the ball from the D and out to the wings. We had previously been pulled up for some stick hacking in the last game and Chiswick did a good job of putting pressure on the opposition, with lots of channelling going on, but with no foul play. Umpires provided a fair game. Despite a number of shots at the goal the score was still 0:0 by half time but morale remained high. Chiswick took their win with 1 goal in the 2nd half, scored by Carolyn Alsop and assisted by Helen Lee who hung high inside oppo's D after bravely returning to the pitch after a calf injury. There were also two injuries inside the defensive D in the second half of the match, one from our player and Co-Captain Katie Scott and also the opposition however neither were seriously hurt. The morale remained high during and after the game. Some of our players were injured and were not able to play but were keens as beans to cheer the team on from the sidelines, which really gave the team a boost of positivity and hunger to win. After a string of unfortunate losses, bagging this weekend's win, truly restored the fighting spirit and morale once again in the team. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s - 1, Teddington Ladies 5s - 0 Scorer: Carolyn Alsop MoM: Fay for strong defensive play and being absolutely everywhere on pitch DoD: Sophie for being late, arriving at the pitch 5 minutes before push back
But Coach Clare Ormerod really fired up the squad by letting them know that "our ability and skill is fixed for now, the only thing we can alter going into the game is our attitude, our desire to win and our fight for every 50/50 ball."
The match, however, started rather tentatively and it was clear the nerves were getting to the ladies in blue. For the first 10 minutes Chiswick spent the majority defending their own half, and seemed happy to play for a draw. Goal keeper Alice Taylor-Bennett kept the girls in the game with several brilliant saves, many in which she ran out to meet the approaching striker. With plenty of support from the sidelines and having not conceded under the pressure, the ladies in blue finally started to play with some belief. Angela Li made a fantastic break down the midfield and played nicely up to the forwards. Kate Cato cutting in from the right made a lovely drive into the circle, finding an oppositions foot and creating an opportunity through a penalty corner. As our first real chance to score, Chiswick were understandably excited.Yssie Richards came up from defence and pushed out to Chloe Hole, who stick stopped for Kate Cato. A slightly wide strike was saved by the keeper, but found Yssie on the left post, who with complete composure pushed the ball in round the keeper. GOAL!!!! Yssie’s first ever senior gaol couldn’t have come at a better time. The whole squad was beaming with pride, and started the match again with determination to keep the lead. Despite the determination, the match was nowhere near one-sided. Staines made several attacking plays, and kept our defence under constant pressure. Chiswick found themselves defending at least four penalty corners, but with excellent running out from Angela Li and Alex Joss, the 4s managed to defend the goal successfully. The half-time talk focused primarily on attitude - we had to stop acting like the underdogs and believe we could win this match! The second half saw growing support from the sidelines, players from the ladies 2s and 5s were present along with partners, in-laws and Dads. It was a great atmosphere, but you could still sense the pressure the team felt of maintaining the slender 1-0 lead. Emma Milton led by example through the midline, pressing every opposition hit out, turning the ball over and running the ball up the wing. Carina Carter and the rest of the midfield joined in with some excellent marking and really putting the pressure on with calling and aggression even from concussed Stacey Nevin linking up with newbie Renee de Lepper on the left. Debutant Grace Glendinning did a great job of finding space and almost scored another goal with a breakaway. Kate Cato also had a good chance saved by the keeper after some excellent play from Aussie Sophie Green. Controversy ensued when a Chiswick goal was disallowed but it really showed the effective pressure the Ladies 4s were applying to Staines. The oppo weren't giving up though and right to the very last minute they kept the attacks coming. On the final whistle Chiswick conceded a penalty corner and the team and supporters were really feeling the tension. Luckily the defence managed to rumble another Staines play and the game was finally over. Chiswick had held on to a well-fought 1-0 win and improved throughout the game. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 4s - 1, Staines Ladies 3s - 0 MoM: Chloe Hole for a brilliant fighting attitude and strength through the midfield, DoD: Angela Li for making Laura Murphy strip on the sideline to borrow her skort. WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE! PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s v West Hampstead Ladies 5s
West Hampstead scored very early in the first half, but a few minutes later, Chiswick responded, with a smooth pass up left wing from Anne Pentecost down to Helen Lee and a dribble and a pass later into the D, Mo Campbell scored an equaliser. The second West Hampstead goal went in quickly and Chiswick’s game started to wobble. Short, uncertain passing repeatedly gave the ball to the opposition, giving them many more opportunities on goal than Chiswick. A short corner to West Hampstead, resulted in a foot injury for Alex Cauchard – an unwelcome birthday present, but after an ice and a rest, Alex joined the match again in the second half. At half time, the score was 4 – 1 but it could have been more, had it not been for the phenomenal goal keeping of our Man of the Match, Sophie Cookson; a first time goalie, who made some amazing saves throughout. The second half saw a confident West Hampstead extend their lead by another three goals. Chiswick worked hard and didn’t once give up in chasing down the opposition, but those basic errors continued to plague their game, with 5 free hit opportunities in the oppo’s 25 metres being lost through direct shots into the D. Chiswick players individually played reasonably well but could not pull it together as a team, with basic errors unfortunately riddling their game. A disappointing match, against a better than expected opposition, continues their losing streak, but the team took it in their stride and have plenty to work on in practice on Tuesday. The afternoon was topped off at teas with a bottle of Prosecco and a sumptuous ‘gin’ cake, baked by our Captain and devoured by everyone, to celebrate Alex’s birthday. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s - 1, West Hampsted Ladies 5s - 7 Goal scorer - Maureen Campbell MoM - Sophie Cookson for some fabulous saves for her first time in goal. DoD - Talwyn - remember your match fees! PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s v West Hampstead 5s
West Hampstead scored very early in the first half, but a few minutes later, Chiswick responded, with a smooth pass up left wing from Anne Pentecost down to Helen Lee and a dribble and a pass later into the D, Mo Campbell scored an equaliser. The second West Hampstead goal went in quickly and Chiswick’s game started to wobble. Short, uncertain passing repeatedly gave the ball to the opposition, giving them many more opportunities on goal than Chiswick. A short corner to West Hampstead, resulted in a foot injury for Alex Cauchard – an unwelcome birthday present, but after an ice and a rest, Alex joined the match again in the second half. At half time, the score was 4 – 1 but it could have been more, had it not been for the phenomenal goal keeping of our Man of the Match, Sophie Cookson; a first time goalie, who made some amazing saves throughout. The second half saw a confident West Hampstead extend their lead by another three goals. Chiswick worked hard and didn’t once give up in chasing down the opposition, but those basic errors continued to plague their game, with 5 free hit opportunities in the oppo’s 25 metres being lost through direct shots into the D. Chiswick players individually played reasonably well but could not pull it together as a team, with basic errors unfortunately riddling their game. A disappointing match, against a better than expected opposition, continues their losing streak, but the team took it in their stride and have plenty to work on in practice on Tuesday. The afternoon was topped off at teas with a bottle of Prosecco and a sumptuous ‘gin’ cake, baked by our Captain and devoured by everyone, to celebrate Alex’s birthday. Final score: PHC Chiswick Ladies 6s -1, West Hampstead 5s - 7 Goal scorer: Maureen Campbell MoM - Sophie Cookson for taking one for the team and suiting up as our keeper. Some amazing saves for her first time in goal. DoD - Talwyn...remember your match fees! |
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