Ladies League Hockey 5/4/08

Middlesex Premier

Mill Hill 1st XI 3 v Ashford 1st XI 3  For their last game of the season, Ashford Ladies1st XI had to make an early start to travel to north London to face Mill Hill 1st XI at midday last Saturday.  The Red & Blacks were without skilful regular squad members KATIE GREENE, LIV YOUNG, and injured defender SOPHIE SMART.  However, coach MANDY WAIN was able to welcome back key, star defenders EMMA HYNES and JACKIE PARSONS.  She also recalled defender KAREN FOWLER to the squad and called up forward HAILEY EAMES to make her first team debut.  The long journey didn’t seem to affect Ashford as they scored first, when STACEY KENWARD volunteered to take her first ever penalty flick for the Club, when the Red & Blacks were awarded one early in the game.  STACEY calmly stepped forward and put the ball high and to the right of the home team keeper to put Ashford 1-0 up.  Mill Hill soon hit back though to make the score even at 1-1.  Continued pressure by Ashford then led to several forays on the Mill Hill goalmouth which resulted in Ashford gaining a short corner.  A slightly different routine saw STACEY KENWARD being slipped the ball on the left and her strike hitting the post, but the ever alert, young midfielder ANNA PROTHEROE was on hand to strike the ball home and put Ashford in the lead again by 2 goals to 1.  Despite being ahead, Ashford were not playing very coordinated hockey and their rhythm and cohesive team work was missing.  At one stage, Ashford even managed to hit the right upright of their own goal, with one of their own clearances and thus almost scored an own goal.  Luckily the Ashford keeper SAM GRANT was in excellent form and thwarted many of the attacks Mil Hill were mounting with a series of excellent, nimble saves.   After the break Ashford were again not able to find their true form and the Mill Hill pressure saw them saw score a bit of a dubious goal to equalise shortly after the start of the half.  Once again the Red & Blacks hit back with some better hockey and telling runs and crosses from debutant HAILEY EAMES, which unfortunately were not converted in front of goal.  However, another short corner led to Ashford taking the lead once more.  A shot from hard hitting sweeper JACKIE PARSONS was once again swept home by the lively ANNA PROTHEROE to put the happy Red & Blacks 3-2 up.  Yet again Mill Hill hit back to score a good equaliser and they almost snatched a winner near the end, but aided by a full length dive across the goal by the brave EMMA HYNES, Ashford kept MILL HILL at bay and secured an away draw.  The result means that the Red & Blacks, after a poor first half to the season, finished in a respectable eight place in the League.  After a good second half to the season, coach MANDY WAIN is very optimistic that the team will be challenging for promotion next season.  

Team; S. Grant (GK), K.Fowler, E, Hynes, H Eames, K. Fry, A. Protheroe, J Parsons, P Worsfold, S McGinley, L. Samouel (Skipper), J Bashford, T Holland, S Kenward.