Buckingham 1 East Grinstead 4

On Saturday Buckingham took on East Grinstead in a battle of fourth verses fifth. The first quarter was an even contest as both sides sounded each other out. Both earning two penalty corners apiece. The home side probably having the clearest chance, when Katrina Nicholson found Lottie Porter who’s shot and rebound were both well saved.
The second quarter started in much the same manner as both teams battled for control. Yet, it was the visitors who took the lead on twenty-one minutes when a speculative ball that was played towards the D, took a deflection. This combined with some poor marking, resulted in the leagues top scorer Sophie Bray, tapping home from close range. The visitors had the better of the next ten minutes and Buckingham’s defensive unit stood firm at two penalty corners in that period and Buckingham seemed to be back in the game. However, the pivotal moment came in the thirty-fourth minute. Firstly, the visitors were awarded a contentious penalty corner. From the resulting flick, a penalty stroke was unbelievably awarded by the disengaged umpire and the visitors dispatched it to double their lead going into half time.
Buckingham felt incredibly aggrieved and frustrated during the break but they regrouped and channelled their aggression positively in the second half. They started really well, Eloise Laity coming close inside the opening five minutes. Buckingham remained in the ascendency for most of the quarter and created a number of other openings but could not find a way to reduce the deficit. On the stroke of three-quarter time Buckingham earned another penalty corner. The well rehearsed routine worked well but unfortunately Tash James’s back hand deflection flashed just wide.
Driven on by outstanding Player of the Match Rebecca Van Arrowsmith, it was the home side that continued to look the more likely to score in fourth quarter but once again they were unable to capitalise on their openings and a swift counter attack on fifty-seven minutes resulted in the visitors extending their lead. It was now a long way back but Buckingham immediately went on the offensive. Laity once again coming agonisingly close with ten minutes remaining. Buckingham were finally rewarded for their endeavour in the sixty-sixth minute when a Zoe Shipperley strike at a penalty corner made the score 3-1. Just two minutes later Buckingham earned another penalty corner. This time the runner’s foot blocked Shipperley’s initial shot but somehow either umpire did not spot the infringement and the visitors broke down the other end to score and seal the win.

“It was an incredibly frustrating afternoon. Once again, overall, I felt we played pretty well but ultimately we were undone by a combination of a couple of lapses in concentration, our inability to capitalise on the opportunities we created and certainly not helped by a number of major decisions that didn’t go our way. However, I am extremely proud of the girls, the character, spirit and resilience they showed and also in the way that we channelled our frustrations into the performance. Ultimately, our performance is all that we can control and we will continue to look to make the necessary adjustments and improvements over the next few weeks.”