1 - 1 Draw in hard-fought match

We had a hard-fought, hang-on-in-there match on Saturday against Sonning 5s with no subs, and came away with a thoroughly well deserved 1 - 1 draw to keep us ahead of Sonning in the league table.

We started off struggling to find our hockey legs, but luckily Sonning started off even more shakily and we dominated play for the first 20 minutes of the match without being able to find the back of the net. As the more experienced Sonning players warmed up the match became very even, and our girls began to find their touch. Without subs our energy flagged in the last few minutes of the half, and at half-time there was still no score. After a breather we went back on for the second half with increased focus and a better percentage both in finding the passes and making effective tackles to re-take ownership of the centre ground. 15 minutes from the end of the match a sudden Sonning break-away resulted in a goal to Sonning completely against the run of pay, but our girls responded with huge energy and within 5 minutes a thundering hit from Emily from a short corner injection whipped into the Sonning goal, deflecting off a Sonning defender in its path. Emily was voted Man of the Match by a landslide for her authority and energy both pushing forwards and helping secure the defence throughout the match, but votes for Clary, Izzie and Antoinette were all very much deserved for their increasingly secure and effective play.