1sts battle to a 2-2 draw with Beeston

On Saturday Buckingham welcomed bottom placed Beeston to Stowe for what was a huge game. Buckingham started superbly, playing with high tempo and passing the ball with real accuracy. They created a number of very good openings in the first seven minutes, the last of which led to a penalty stroke. It looked as though this would be the dream start the home side were looking for, however, Jess Bloom’s flick was spectacularly saved at full stretch by the Beeston goal keeper.

Buckingham continued to dominate but surprisingly, it was the visitors who scored from their first real opportunity in the thirteenth minute. Some poor marking in the circle allowed an attacker to get free and she made no mistake from close range. To their credit, Buckingham were not deterred and continued to play flowing, attacking hockey, but despite creating a number of guilt edged opportunities, they could not draw level. They were finally rewarded in twentieth minute, when following two more fine saves from the visiting keeper, the ball struck a defenders foot on the goal line for Buckingham’s second penalty stroke. This time Bloom made no mistake from the spot as she dispatched her flick to draw the sides level.

The home side continued to carve out good openings and just four minutes before half time they deservedly took the lead. A fine passing move involving Zoe Shipperley, Amie Hone and Morag Mclellan resulted in player of the match Bloom sweeping the ball home past an advancing goal keeper to give Buckingham a 2-1 lead. Buckingham were unfortunate not to go into the break further ahead, when in the dying moments of the half Shipperley fired a rasping shot past the keeper, only to see it somehow cleared off the line by the last defender.

Once again the home side started the second period in a positive fashion but somehow failed to convert a golden opportunity inside four minutes as two players missed the ball as it flashed past the far post. Buckingham continued to create opportunities but could not convert and on forty eight minutes they were punished for not making the most of their chances. From an innocuous looking free hit, a miss hit cross bobbled its way across the circle to an attacker who was inexplicably left totally unmarked, to score on the far post.

This seemed to send the home side into 'panic mode’ as they turned the ball over almost immediately and only a fantastic save, with her helmet from Anna Searle, prevented the visitors taking the lead. To their credit, Buckingham played through this poor ten minute spell and for the remainder of the the match created more scoring opportunities. Bloom hit the post from a well worked penalty corner move with ten minutes to go but Buckingham found the visitors goal keeper in inspired form and despite some near misses and two more penalty corners in the dying minutes the game ended in a frustrating draw.

This week the side travel to third placed Holcombe and will be without captain Zoe Shipperley, who leaves on Saturday for Argentina, to represent England in the Champions Trophy, a competition that pits the top eight sides in the world against each other.