Ladies League Hockey 8th November 2008
Middlesex Premier

Ashford 1st XI 0 v PHC Chiswick 1st XI 3

After a one week break from hockey action, Ashford Ladies 1st XI faced the team directly above them in the League, PHC Chiswick at Short Lane on Saturday. The Red & Blacks were able to welcome back defender KIM FRY, who was returning to action after illness, but were without regular midfielders JACQUI BASHFORD and PHIL WORSFOLD. After a couple of torrential downpours, the Short Lane pitch was saturated but playable, although initially some players found the pitch conditions difficult to deal with. From the start of the game though, it was the visitors who settled first and played the better hockey with three of four core players in their team controlling their play and the game in general. Ashford meanwhile lacked cohesion and utilised sloppy tactics on occasions and were not supporting each other well as they usually do. The visitors not surprisingly took full advantage of the Red & Blacks poor form and were soon two goals to nil ahead due to some clinical finishing by their forwards when they got into the Ashford goalmouth. Moreover, whenever Ashford did get some moves going the visitors were able to break them up by reading the moves and decisively cutting out the passes. Thus with PC Chiswick so dominate, the score remained at two nil to PHC Chiswick until half time.

Unfortunately for Ashford things did not improve much in the second half, although they did not let their heads drop. They worked hard to try and play some fluent hockey, but the rhythm was not there and the forwards especially struggled to set up any constructive moves and threats on the visitor’s goal. Things were further compounded when the visitor’s Chiswick scored a third goal from a short corner midway through the second half. The ball was hit out well by the injector, and the receiver put in a good first time strike, but the ball went towards the left of the goal, where the injector was waiting to knock the ball home and put the result more or less beyond doubt and three nil to PHC Chiswick. Stalwart full back and Ashford Ladies club captain EMMA HYNES was voted the Ashford player of the match, in what was probably their poorest performance of the season. Coach MANDY WAIN was very disappointed with things after the game, as were many of the players, who realise that they have a lot of work to do to improve matters and get back work to winning ways and the good team work and fluent hockey they were displaying at the start of the season. Their next League game is next Saturday 15/11/08, when the Red & Blacks have to travel to Harrow, to play bottom of the league side Harrow 2nd XI. Coach MANDY WAIN and all the players will be striving to produce a better performance against them, and secure some more goals and league points.

Team; S. Grant (GK), E. Hynes, J Parsons, A. Neyton, H. Eames, M. Cavilla, L. Quinn (Skipper), S. Kenward, S. Smart, N. Benedict, O. Young. K. Fry, A Protheroe