U11 Girls’ Hockey v Highfields (A - Horncastle Hockey Club Astroturf), 2.15pm

Team: U11A&B

Venue: AWAY - Horncastle Hockey Club (Astro), LN9 6EA

Date: Wed 29th Sep

Coaches: Mrs Felton & Mr Mayhew

kfelton@st-hughs.lincs.sch.uk 

Change: Morning break, Sports Hall Changing Rooms

Lunch Time: Normal

Depart: 1.40pm

Start Time: 2.15pm

Estimated Return/Finish Time: 4.00pm

A - Angelina,Millie,Peyton,Poppy,Jemima, Florence, Amelia F, Mahreen, Isadora, Charlotte

B - Annabelle, Grace, Amelie, Megan D, Ela, Scarlett G, Lucia, Alicia, Kitty, Henrietta

GK’s - Sophie T & Ailsa F 

Notes: 

Water bottles and mouthguards are essential.Pack uniform into red bags if being collected from the venue - please check with your parents.

Spectators welcome (no facilities).

Match Reports:

U11A v Highfields

Result: Won 7-0

With an extremely busy day of fixtures, St Hugh’s played this match at Horncastle Hockey Club so we could benefit from playing both teams on the larger astroturf.  Some of our players were familiar with this pitch from club hockey but for others, it was a new experience and enjoyed by all.  We welcomed an U11A&B team from Highfields and played a game of four ten minute quarters.  With two larger squads, this allowed plenty of pitch time for all and it was great to be able to give players the opportunity to play in more than one position. Ailsa and Sophie played in goal this week having padded up a couple of times in training.  

The ‘A’ game, captained by Florence, got off to a positive start with St Hugh’s immediately putting pressure on the ball from a HIghfield centre pass. We quickly gained possession of the ball and attempted to push up into our attacking D. Two relatively early goals came from Florence giving St Hugh’s a 2-0 lead. The team worked hard in midfield and our backs began to support well as the game progressed. Highfields grew in confidence throughout the game and were eager to regain possession and take their chances when the opportunity arose. While there was not a great deal of pressure in our defensive circle, both goalkeepers showed good movement around their goal area. St Hugh’s won a number of short corners, which is something they have been working on in training. They worked together as a team and quickly responded to the umpire’s whistle. With a little coaching, Highfields learned how to defend these and became more adept at this over time. Our decision making at times was a little rushed but there were some super phases of play, which resulted in a number of goals being scored. Amelia found the backboard twice and Mille and Peyton positioned themselves well on the back post to get themselves on the scoresheet. While the game lost its shape a little in the second half, overall this was a pleasing performance by St Hugh’s. Well done to all players!

U11B v Highfields

Result: Won 3-2

The B game was a competitive affair from the first whistle with both teams playing the game in a great spirit. For the first quarter of the match, St Hugh's had the majority of the possession putting together good spells of passing hockey creating a couple of good chances which were met with equally good saves from the Highfields' goalkeeper. The second quarter presented a slightly different game as the team understood their positions, allowing the game to become more open and allowing better hockey to be played. The team had Henrietta, Kitty and Grace supplying great width to the pitch playing as our wingers which were used excellently to be able to create chances for other members of the team. The first goal of the game went to St Hugh's with Kitty finishing off a well worked off move with a bottom corner finish. St Hugh’s finished the quarter impressively 1-0 up with the majority of possession and attacking play. The third quarter showed the best hockey yet from St Hugh’s with great defensive play from all the players defending from the front against some strong attacks which Highfields presented. All this defensive work was then rewarded with another two goals for St Hugh’s coming in quick succession with the scorers being Annabelle and Megan. The final quarter of the game was a continuation of pressure from the Highfields team which St Hugh’s did well to defend against, with good saves from Alisa as well as good deceive work from Scarlet, Annabelle and Alicia kept Highfields at bay for a long time. However, eventually Highfields found a way past the St Hugh's defence and were able to score a goal to make the game 3-1 with five minutes remaining. HIghfields did not give up on their comeback and pulled another goal back with minutes to spare however, the hard work which St Hugh’s had put in earlier in the match was able to hold out and give them a 3-2 victory. Overall, it was a very competitive end to end game of hockey with an appealing outcome for the home side. Well done to all the players!