U13 Hockey v Witham Hall & Stamford (H) 2.30pm

Match Report

Result: W 4-3 L 2-1

A beautiful day for hockey as we welcomed local rivals Witham Hall and Stamford School for an exciting U13 triangular fixture. With plenty of spectators enjoying the sunshine, there was some excellent hockey on display. The fixture provided a valuable opportunity for the girls to prepare for Friday’s IAPS competition.

St Hugh’s v Witham Hall
A very strong start saw Eliza open the scoring after just three minutes, calmly finishing into an open goal. Witham Hall responded to make it 1–1, but Lilian restored the lead before half time, brilliantly slotting home a short-corner cross from Emily at the top of the circle.

Shortly after the restart, Verity made it 3–1 before Coco confidently swept home a rebound from the top of the circle to extend the lead to 4–1. As the heat began to take its toll, a couple of loose moments in midfield allowed Witham Hall back into the game with two quick goals.

The final whistle brought a crowd-pleasing 4–3 victory for St Hugh’s. OPOM: Coco

Stamford v Witham Hall
The second match finished 1–1 after another closely contested encounter.

St Hugh’s v Stamford
The final game was a very closely fought contest. Lilian and Coco produced some excellent play from defence, while Lilian continually stretched the Stamford defence with her strong attacking runs up the right wing.

As the midfield began to tire, Stamford took advantage of a loss of possession to open the scoring midway through the first half. St Hugh’s responded quickly, with Emily sweeping Verity’s cross beautifully into the goal to make it 1–1.

After half-time, the girls rehydrated and regrouped with a plan to attack down the left. Despite some determined attacking play, a very strong Stamford goalkeeper kept St Hugh’s at bay, and the visitors eventually regained the lead with just minutes remaining.

St Hugh’s found the back of the net in the dying seconds, but the goal was ruled out for an infringement at the top of the circle. The final score was 2–1 to Stamford.

A hugely valuable afternoon of competitive hockey and excellent preparation for Friday’s IAPS competition. OPOM: Lilian