Sunday 4th October (apologies this was missed last week!)

Womens O35s vs Bishop’s Stortford O35 - 4-2 loss

Alice who?

The Broxbourne o35s kick started their cup campaign against local rivals Bishop's Stortford on Sunday. Laura Wills resumes the captaincy role following her successful performance percentages last season (calculations based on Tor and Tara's high ratio of pitch to bench time).

Stortford were up to their usual tricks, following rumours of the long awaited return of talisman Lisa Banahan to the side. The two time player of the season had taken a sabbatical from vets hockey to further develop her drag flick in the Netherlands. Inconsequential players Gemma Wilkinson and Emily Wilkins joined Banahan in a separate team bus, only to be delayed by a Stortford player pretending a nail had gotten stuck in her tyre and required emergency transportation. Stortford's plans to delay Banahan’s arrival were quashed by some creative driving by Wilkins, her only positive contribution to the game.

Captain Wills arrived early to the fixture, ready to field the squad's queries regarding the absence of stalwart midfielder Alice Brown who had decided to stay home and redraft her fantasy team. Luckily, there was no need as no one noticed Brown's absence until after the game was over when there was an unprecedented amount of left over pizza from teas. Another team member to arrive early was Sue Thomas, who offered a completely random selection of players anti-wrinkle cream during the warm up.

The team put in a solid defensive performance, with Kim Hellery in goal making crucial saves in the first half. Gemma Wilkinson's stick blocking wizardry earned them a short corner in the first quarter and Banahan was the obvious choice as a strike woman. As the Stortford defenders shook with fear while Banahan put her drag flick routine in place, there was a last minute team decision for Banahan to flick directly at the keeper. Alas, they should have requested her top left corner stock flick instead as the routine didn't quite come off.

After this, some other inconsequential events occurred (not involving Banahan) and the Badgers sadly slumped to a 4-2 defeat after a closely contested game.

In the post match press conference captain Wills claimed to be delighted with the result, advising it was all part of her long term plan to dominate the tier 2 trophy competition. On Banahan’s drag flick she gave no comment.

Broxbourne will meet St Albans in the next round on Sunday 8th November at BadgerDen. Tickets on sale now (Meet & greet packages with Lisa Banahan remain in good supply)

Saturday 10th October

Home Fixtures

Ladies 2s vs St Albans 4 - 3-0 win
Goal scorers: Karthyn, Charlotte & Box
Assists: Isla, Sue & Millie
Player: Gemma G
Donkey: Isla

The match day started with a bit of confusion in the changing rooms, as Isla somehow managed to forget who Stan was… despite him literally being our coach. A worrying start, but thankfully Lisa stepped up and delivered an excellent warm-up, getting the team ready for the game ahead.

The first half saw us dominate with loads of shots on goal, but unfortunately, none found the back of the net. Despite the lack of goals, the team press was absolutely excellent, putting the opposition under pressure and showing just how much we wanted the win. We went into half-time still searching for that breakthrough, but the performance was looking promising.

The second half was where the magic happened! Kathryn stepped up and scored an absolute BLINDER, giving us a well-deserved 1–0 lead and sending the team into celebration mode. But before we could even catch our breath, just a minute later, Charlotte popped up on the post to slot home another goal, making it 2–0! As the league’s TOP GOALSCORER, she was simply doing what she does best. Clinical. Unstoppable. Iconic.

A few minutes later, Emily got in on the action and smashed in another goal to make it 3–0! The goals just kept coming, and the opposition were left wondering what had hit them. An absolutely brilliant second-half performance from the girls!

Meanwhile, Gemma decided that scoring goals and winning hockey matches wasn’t quite enough excitement for one afternoon, choosing the perfect moment to get into a row with an opponent. Never a dull moment with Gemma on the pitch!

The team saw the game out brilliantly, with the excellent press and determination carrying us through to a fantastic result. A massive team performance, three brilliant goals and a clean sheet to top it all off!

And, of course, we cannot finish without mentioning Isla’s bright, patchy orange legs, courtesy of a questionable fake tan decision. A look that certainly deserves its own match-day award. Thankfully, Charlotte saved the day with some absolutely gorgeous carrot cupcakes, perfectly matching the team’s orange-themed chaos.

Men’s 2s vs St Albans 4 - 6-1 win
Goal scorers: Jack x2, Baller x2, Sam & Dan
Assists: Dan x2, Browny x2, Sully, & Baller
Player: Sully
Donkey: Sully

Benching baller… surely not!
After a solid start to the season the blues were optimistic to continue the positive start to the season! As skipper Dan Henry read out the starting 11 out the room was left in shock as the news superstar baller was benched for perhaps the first time in his twos career. There were cries to go training that definitely stirred the pot. We could seeing the steam leave ballers head as this news sunk in and matters only got more serious for him as he realised fin was practicing his flicks in the warm up! Question was how would baller react!….
Brox started in there usual sluggish fashion filling st albans with hope, the pressure became to much in the early stages as a scrappy short corner was poked in at the back post. At this point emotions got the better of fresh as he took himself off the pitch giving baller his moment to shine! Brox pressured hard and sully found himself in an unusual territory pinching the ball at the top of the D gliding past two players, he swung so hard the force swept his feet of the floor and the ball did not move…. Sullys was truly humbled realising perhaps a couple of training season’s would hurt (bloody hilarious though). This did increase are instensity in the match and then it happened a short corner we all stood wondering would fin step up and speak up! But baller raised his head high prepared himself and unleashed a lighting bolt full of fury that nearly broke the netting of the goal top corner unbelievable stuff!
Patterns of play improved we were organised in the middle and the full backs were creating plenty of chances using the width of the pitch stretching our opponents. We won a second short corner and yet again baller fizzed the ball in this time picking out the bottom corner brilliant work from the superstar with his character building every second. Then the badgers added a third just before half time.
We were happy at half time but new we could improve so we continued to press using the width of the pitch and penetrating the goal on many occasions we continued scoring. We worked hard to win the midfield battles and being clinical in the D it ended 6-1 and we were happy to put 6 past a usual st albans side.

Men’s 1s vs Cambridge City 1 - 9-4 loss
Goal scorers: Tom DS, Hoppo, Eddie & Elliott F
Assists: Hen, Josh, Tom H & Elliott F
Player: Tomi & Tom DS
Donkey: Joe & Hen

Following last weeks long away day to Dereham, the men’s 1s returned home to face a Cambridge City side who had started the season unbeaten and with the knowledge that both games last season involved a lot of goals, particularly the 6-6 draw away at Cambridge.

The badgers were rocked on Friday night with the last minute omission of captain George Blemkin due to medical reasons, so the captaincy on the day fell to Stan Mason who aimed to galvanise the team with his pre-match team talk following recent difficult results.

With the first quarter underway, Cambridge had the majority of the possession before getting the first goal after about 5 minutes. Broxbourne did continue to improve as the quarter went on, getting a deserved equaliser courtesy of Eddie Silcock from a short corner. Cambridge unfortunately replied to the badgers goal soon after getting a second from an unfortunate deflection past goalkeeper Joe Wilkinson. The badgers continued to probe for another equaliser before the end of the first quarter and managed it just before the break with a rebound finished well by Elliott Francis from another short corner, making it 2-2 after the first quarter.

After an overall positive first quarter, the badgers aimed to go into the second quarter playing the same way they finished the first. However, it was almost the complete opposite in what can only be described as an onslaught from Cambridge with 5 quick fire goals throughout the quarter leaving the badgers with a mountain to climb in the last 2 quarters.

With some strong words at half time from Stan Mason and Josh Chapman, it was vital that broxbourne improved to try to reduce the deficit. The third quarter did bring some stability to the side, with the badgers playing a lot more like they had done in the first quarter. However, Cambridge still continued to come forward getting another goal before the third quarter ended.

The badgers continued to improve going into the fourth quarter playing with more intensity and putting Cambridge under pressure. This pressure culminated in an attack down the left side with Henry House firing a ball into Tom D-Arcy-Smith who expertly beat the defender and rifled the ball into the top corner with an upright reverse stick shot. Broxbourne continued to apply pressure to the Cambridge back line and managed to pull another goal back through Chris Hopson who converted from a rebound at close range. Unfortunately, the badgers could not pull any more goals back and ultimately ended up conceding a penalty stroke with about 5 minutes left to play.

With the full time whistle going, it ended in another high scoring game with Cambridge City with the badgers unfortunately being well beaten. Despite the loss, there were positives to take from the game with 3 out of the 4 quarters being well contested. Next week, the men’s 1s travel to St Albans with the aim of getting their season back on track following a string of tough defeats.

Ladies 4s vs West Herts 4 - 2-0 win
Goal scorers: Katie H & Imogen
Assists: Ella T & Fixy
Player: Kirsty & Ella
Donkey: Jaz

Let’s be real, this match was a masterpiece compared to the last one, though to be fair the bar was buried six feet under so even a snail could have cleared it. Two whole hours before pushback, Taylssa hit us with the urgent question of whether she needed new shoes, so naturally I consulted the one man who knows more about footwear than our entire team knows about actual hockey, which is my dad (Jaz is writing this incase u didn’t all know). His incredibly sensible advice earned the highest praise possible from Kirsty, who described it as the most mature thing I had ever said, which is brilliant considering I did not say a single word of it. Then just as I was ready to head out, I realised I had pulled a classic move and forgotten both the donkey hat and my socks, so my dad got drafted for a very special emergency delivery run. It was All About Ella Day, Lisa gave us a lovely speech about actually having fun, Fixy and Lauren were there saving the day, Perky Perks returned to goalkeeping glory, and we all agreed there would be absolutely no repeat of the cursed warm-up circles from the last match. We started brilliantly, passing well, talking to each other, and actually looking like we knew what we were doing. Then Kirsty decided she had had enough of boring running and attempted to defy gravity and literally fly, which went about as well as you would expect. She went airborne for approximately zero seconds, face-planted spectacularly onto the turf, and still missed the ball. EMBARRASSING. Imogen got us going in the twenty-fourth minute with a great deflection goal, which Ella instantly claimed the assist for because birthday rules are non-negotiable. After a half-time talk full of tactics and laughter, Fixy crossed the ball perfectly for Katie to deflect it into the net, making it two-nil to us, and Perky Perks shut down everything West Herts threw our way. Post-match tea got even better as we enjoyed Connie the Caterpillar cake, and there was Kirsty, fresh off her mid-air disaster, absolutely clinging to Alisha and begging for compliments. Ignoring the fact she had just re-enacted a dramatic seagull crash-landing she was asking for compliments on her running. Pro tip Kirsty if you want compliments try stay on your feet .Ella also came up with ridiculous rhyming nicknames, which include Meg the beg and thirsty Kirsty. I discovered West Herts are clearly my personal bad luck team as last time I forgot my shoes and now socks. In honour of Ella’s birthday they decided to play a game of how much we can drink. This is the type of game that only sounds like a good idea the night before. At the end of the day I was crowned Donkey (2nd week running) for my chaotic preparation skills, which is fair enough, and Player of the Match somehow ended in a tie between the girl who face-planted then demanded praise and birthday girl Ella. Honestly, it could not have gone to a more entertaining pair.

Away Fixtures

Ladies 5s vs Stevenage 4 - 5-0 win
Goal scorers: Tess x2, Rachel E x2, Milly
Assists: Daniela x2, Shannon
Player: Rachel E
Donkey: Tess

After another week of struggling to get players, we drafted in the reliable Rachel Ellis to give us 12 players.

Another early start and the 5’s heading to sunny but windy Stevenage, you could have mistaken it for a trip to the beach , with amount of sand on the pitch.

After a very quick warmup , the 5’s started well, with some great movement through the middle and lovely passes to the forward line, but unfortunately Daniela and Zara both seemed to forget how to hit the target. (That’s what happens when you have 3 years away). But after 11mins the 5’s managed to find the back of the next with a lovely pass from the Rachel through to Daniela on goal only to be denied by the keeper, for Milly to be on the rebound and slotted it passed the left post. Play continued with Broxbourne having most of the possession, which allowed Rachel to make a lovely run from the halfway line though about 4 players straight into the D with a lovely hit across the keeper, 0-2 Brox.
After a half time talk about going out strong and keeping the pressure on, Stevenage piled the pressure on instead, meaning Hannah had to make her 1st save of the game. Some great defending by Fiona and Sharon gave Broxbourne a hit out. With Lorraine looking to where to pass you could hear the frustrating calls from Rachel to pass right, but Lorraine decided to go left and unfortunately straight to a Stevenage player. You could hear the disappointment in Rachel's voice for a good couple of minutes, to be honest I think Lorraine just ignore it in the end! Although Rachel decided to remind us all during the journey home.
Broxbourne continued to press high moving the ball up both wings, some fantastic runs from Annie and Shannon saw some great balls through from Tess to the left post but it was Milly’s turn to fail to find the net.
With another fantastic run from Rachel again taking on the whole team (well at least 5 players) she drove into the D and from another fantastic strike made it 0-3.

Stevenage had another good run into the defence which saw some frantic defending from Caitlyn, Lorraine and Rachel, which resulted in Rachel's finger getting squashed between a few sticks, but that didn’t stop her drive the ball up into the attacking D and getting a penalty corner, only for her to release that her finger was bleeding, with shouts of blood, blood lots of blood, captain Daniela found an unused tissue in her sock to help stem the bleeding, only for us to get the game stopped so Rachel could get a plaster on. After the reset we tried a different penalty corner routine, Milly injected to Daniela who slipped to Tess who smashed into the back of the net 0-4 Brox.

With only 3 mins left to play Stevenage stole
the ball off of Caitlyn who had pushed up to help the midfield, with a bit of a nudge (more like a rugby tackle) Caitlyn appealed but wasn’t given anything so continued to chase down ball and with a perfectly timed challenge won a free hit. This was taken quickly by Rachel who found Daniela on the left side of the pitch she drove it down the wing and slapped the ball to the top of the D where Shannon was waiting, she made a fantastic pass to Tess on the left who went through about 6 defenders, and eventually got the ball across the line to make it 0-5 to Brox.

2nd win of the season and another great team performance.

Donkey was quite tight this week , 1 Vote for Zara(she did vote for herself), Milly had the next lot of votes for missing 3 chances on the post. But, you guessed it, Tess got donkey, various reason this week from trying to take a Stevenage long corner, nearly forgetting that the ball can’t go straight into the D from a free hit in the last 23, and our favourite reason ‘just because’.

Player was also a mixed bag , Sharon, Shannon and Annie got a vote , Caitlyn and Fiona got a couple but Rachel's fantastic solo runs and goals gave the her the majority.

Next week we have the late game again away at Saffron Walden for 2nd time this season. We will be joined by a few juniors with a couple of them playing their 1st adult game.

Mens 3s vs Southgate Adelaide 1 - 3-1 loss
Goal scorer: Harrison L
Assist: Cranners
Player: Luke H
Donkey: Hugh

Broxbourne travelled to Southgate Adelaide looking to build on last week’s win. The hosts opened the scoring after 15 minutes, but we responded almost immediately. Some simple passing split Southgate open, and Cranners found Harrison Lang, who finished brilliantly to make it 1–1.

Our joy was short-lived, as Southgate regained the lead a minute later. Scott then had to go off with a back injury, forcing a reshuffle. On the stroke of half-time, KP chased a ball down the end line and rolled his ankle. We went into the break 2–1 down and looking a bit like a hospital ward.

Despite the disruption, we started the second half well and controlled play for a good spell. We kept looking for an equaliser but couldn’t find the finish. Southgate made it 3–1 around the 55-minute mark with a disappointing goal for us to concede.

We kept plugging away, and the rest of the game was evenly contested, but we couldn’t find the back of the net again. Southgate took the points, while Broxbourne left wounded both physically and in spirit.

We didn’t disgrace ourselves and stuck at it until the final whistle. Thanks to Luke, Rich Mellor and Charlie in goal for helping us out on the day, and it was great to have Ruddy back. On to Letchworth next week.

Ladies 1s vs Braintree 1 - 2-1 loss
Goal scorer: Nads
Assist: Jess
Player: Hannah
Donkey: Az

A CYCLE OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

After an eventful week of players dropping like flies, match balls going missing (and thankfully being located before a police investigation was launched), and Captain Ellie entering the depths of her luteal phase, the Badgers arrived at Saturday’s fixture with the bare minimum of players and the maximum amount of hormonal instability.

The pre-match availability crisis could only be described as a collective menstrual breakdown.

* Skipp had pulled her hamstring, presumably during an overly enthusiastic attempt to practise her first dance ahead of the wedding. Unfortunately, her hamstring said “I don’t” before she could.
* Al was suffering from a sickness bug so violent that she’d spent more time on the toilet than the Badgers had spent in the opposition D all season.
* Cate, recently appointed Head Girl, was unavailable due to an emergency meeting with the school governors following reports that Year 7s had started vaping in the science block. Some people have bigger responsibilities than hockey, apparently.
* Hallie had seemingly mistaken her rejected annual leave request for a suggestion and continued dossing around New Zealand. HR have been informed. Extradition proceedings are underway.

PHASE 1: MENSTRUATION — THE SHEDDING OF PLAYERS

Changing room chat was surprisingly positive, considering we had fewer available players than the average secondary school PE lesson.

The team unanimously agreed that none of us should be trusted behind the wheel of a car, whilst Lara continued her ongoing campaign against wearing space buns. Unfortunately for Lara, Captain Ellie was experiencing a particularly aggressive hormonal fluctuation and was in no mood for negotiations.

Having already sacrificed her sanity, dignity and any remaining patience during the week, Ellie decided to sacrifice her chances of scoring a goal too, volunteering as tribute to play right back.

A brave decision from someone whose defensive experience consists largely of sort of channelling, missing the ball and hoping a more qualified adult will intervene.

Hannah was similarly forced into centre back, her only crime being too polite to tell Ellie to F off.

Thankfully, OG Badger and newly appointed mother Finch returned to the fold, ready to channel her maternal instincts into looking after 10 fully grown women with the emotional regulation of toddlers.

One positive: Ellie remains unbeaten in the pre-match coin toss. A record she is immensely proud of and would like to make clear has absolutely nothing to do with Lara’s lucky pants.

PHASE 2: FOLLICULAR — FALSE HOPE & QUESTIONABLE DEFENDING

Much like the follicular phase, the Badgers began the game with a renewed sense of optimism.

This lasted approximately three minutes.

Ellie, temporarily distracted by Lily’s undeniable beauty in goal, allowed Braintree to venture into the D, resulting in a short corner.

Another short corner soon followed after Hannah committed the heinous crime of what appeared to be perfectly reasonable defending.

Although, coming from a forward whose entire defensive philosophy is “stand roughly in the right area and hope for the best”, perhaps Ellie isn’t the most reliable witness.

Unfortunately, Vic decided that this was the perfect moment to remember she was injured and could no longer continue.

Rumour has it that the prospect of meeting her future husband later that day, and potentially becoming Ellie’s sister-in-law, had become simply too overwhelming.

Understandable. Who wouldn’t want Ellie at every family Christmas for the rest of their life?

This left the remaining Badgers with absolutely no rotation and approximately three working hamstrings between them.

Nevertheless, the Badgers survived the opening quarter and slowly began settling into their new positions.

For a brief moment, it appeared we might actually know what we were doing.

PHASE 3: OVULATION — PEAK PERFORMANCE & BABY FEVER

As we entered the second quarter, the Badgers began to find their rhythm.

But much like ovulation, there was a brief window of peak performance.

Inspired by the possibility of gaining a sister-in-law, Ellie discovered a burst of energy previously thought medically impossible and charged down the right-hand side.

A beautifully placed ball found Jess, who worked it through to Nads, who casually flicked it over the keeper and into the back of the net.

1–0 TO THE BADGERS! ?

Scenes of absolute jubilation.

For one glorious moment, 11 exhausted women genuinely believed they might win a Premier League hockey match with no substitutes, two injured forwards and a striker playing right back.

The delusion was magnificent.

PHASE 4: LUTEAL — IRRITABILITY, FATIGUE & AN INCREASINGLY LARGE BOTTOM

Unfortunately, as anyone familiar with the menstrual cycle will know, what goes up must come crashing down.

The Badgers entered their collective luteal phase.

Energy levels plummeted. Patience disappeared. Body batteries were flashing red. And Hannah’s backside was undergoing some particularly aggressive physical changes.

After taking not one, but TWO balls directly to the booty, Hannah was left questioning both the umpiring decisions and the structural integrity of her glutes.

Quite how neither ball was deemed dangerous remains a mystery.

The only reasonable explanation is that the umpires were being respectful gentlemen and had deliberately avoided looking at Hannah’s bottom, therefore missing the clear height of both balls.

On the bright side, Hannah left the pitch with a backside resembling a suspiciously cheap BBL performed in a backstreet clinic in Turkey.

Every cloud.

Meanwhile, the defensive unit of Meg T, Finch, Hannah and Ellie — a back four assembled with roughly the same level of planning as an unplanned pregnancy — continued to battle heroically.

Behind them stood Lily, the best keeper in the league and quite frankly the only woman on that pitch who looked remotely qualified to be there.

Despite some outstanding defending, Braintree eventually found a way through twice, turning our beautiful 1–0 dream into a 2–1 reality.

A devastating hormonal crash.

THE SURVIVAL PHASE — RUNNING ON PAINKILLERS & PURE SPITE

It would be unfair, however, not to recognise the absolute shift put in by the remaining Badgers.

Lydia, Lara and Darcy were everywhere, covering more ground than Ellie has during her weekly search for available players.

They supported the attack, bailed out the defence and somehow continued running despite their legs having officially submitted their resignations.

Up front, Jess and Nads worked tirelessly, with excellent support from Amy and Vic during the approximately five minutes her body allowed her to participate.

Vic even managed to put the ball in the back of the net, only for the umpires to cruelly disallow it.

An incredibly harsh decision considering it was quite possibly the only five-minute window in which she was physically capable of reproducing any form of athletic performance.

The Badgers continued fighting right until the final whistle, with Lily and the makeshift defence doing everything possible to keep us in contention.

Unfortunately, the final whistle confirmed a 2–1 defeat.

FINAL DIAGNOSIS: PREMENSTRUAL BADGER SYNDROME

Whilst the result wasn’t what we’d hoped for, there are plenty of positives to take from a game in which we fielded 11 players, several functioning on borrowed body parts, and a right back who had Googled “how to tackle in hockey” approximately 24 hours earlier.

The commitment, teamwork and sheer determination to survive 70 minutes without a substitute was genuinely impressive.

We may have lost the match, but we won the toss, Lara wore her space buns, Hannah got a free BBL, Ellie successfully completed her first shift as a defender, and nobody required emergency contraception.

So, in summary:

The Badgers started the week in their luteal phase, spent Saturday shedding players, briefly peaked during ovulation, and finished the game cramping, exhausted and desperate for chocolate.

A full menstrual cycle in 70 minutes.

Final score: Braintree 2, Badgers 1. Pregnancy test: Negative. Team spirit: Positive. Availability for next week: Still pending.

Ladies 3s vs St Albans 5 - 3-1 win
Goal scorer: Cerys x3
Assists: Hannah, Bob & Grace K
Player: Tara
Donkey: Grace K

The Ladies 3s and St Albans last met a couple of seasons ago, when the game was a closely fought affair. An unexpected promotion meant the two sides wouldn’t cross paths again until this season, following St Albans’ own promotion. And so, the Badgers arrived knowing they were in for a tough afternoon!

Playing away in the afternoon has never exactly been the Ladies 3s’ favourite time slot, but with most of the team arriving in good time, the warm-up got underway as planned. Well, almost everyone… Grace deserves a special mention for arriving just as the game was about to start, having become hopelessly lost in the labyrinth that is Oaklands College. Luckily with Captain Cerys as an employee of the establishment she was able to direct Grace to the correct location.

As play was about to push back, Grace could be seen calmly strolling towards the pitch, completely unaware of the impending deadline. The Paice prescription when she was informed by our CB of the need for speed. Thankfully, in addition to the call out, the umpire spotted her and hurried her through before shutting the gate. Talk about making an entrance!

With the game underway, St Albans were quick to try and assert their authority, pressing hard and chasing down every loose ball. The Badgers were put under pressure whenever they had possession, but they stood firm and refused to be bullied out of the game.

As the match progressed, Broxbourne began to work out the opposition’s strategy. Their coach was trying to push them high and overload the defence, but this left space at the back. Some excellent stepping on the ball allowed the Badgers to break through the St Albans press and move into the attacking half, where they made their opportunities count.

The first goal came through Cerys in the 8th minute, with the assist from Hannah and finish by the captain giving Broxbourne the breakthrough they needed.

If there was one thing this game demonstrated, it was that when an opportunity presented itself, the Badgers took it. It was a tough, physical and, at times, scrappy affair, but the team dug deep, worked hard for one another and refused to let St Albans dictate the outcome.

A special mention must go to the defensive trio of Lauren, Tara and Sharon, who put in an absolutely tremendous shift with no substitutes after the right-back went off poorly after just 10 minutes. A huge thank you also to Kirsty and Bob for stepping into the defensive fold and helping the team hold the line. It was a proper backs-to-the-wall performance at times!

Despite continued pressure from St Albans and a few missed opportunities from the opposition, the Badgers struck again, with Cerys finding the back of the net, assisted by Bob, in the 23rd minute to make it 2–0.

Even with a two-goal cushion, there was certainly no room for complacency. St Albans continued to knock on the door, earning a number of short corners and testing the Broxbourne defence. However, the Badgers’ discipline and determination shone through, with Tara and Lauren both clearing efforts off the line and Sharon producing an incredible mid-air block to keep St Albans at bay. Keeper Kim was also on the front foot to clear any danger. The defensive heroics were very much on display!

A late break then gave Broxbourne their third goal, courtesy of (you guessed it Cerys in the 58th minute. This time Grace provided the assist. The goal provided some much-needed breathing space, but St Albans weren’t quite ready to give up. They continued to push and eventually found a consolation goal, bringing the final score to St Albans 1–3 Broxbourne Ladies 3s.

A massive well done to the whole team! Tenacity, teamwork and sheer hard work paid off with another well-deserved win — and, perhaps most impressively of all, an afternoon away win!

Another three points for the Badgers and a home match next week.

Mens 4s vs Bishop’s Stortford 6 - 1-0 win
Goal scorer: Ollie W
Assist: Symon
Player: Thomas Webb

Broxbourne Men’s 4s travelled to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday afternoon and returned home with a deserved 1–0 victory after an excellent all-round team performance.

With the usual goalkeeper Ryan unavailable, Thomas Webb stepped into the goalkeeping position, taking on an important role for the side. Broxbourne also welcomed back Andy Harris following injuries and holidays, alongside Kieron O returning from babysitting duties. Together with Joseph, the familiar defensive line helped provide the structure and organisation the team needed throughout the match.

With a squad of 15, including four substitutes, Broxbourne were further strengthened by the support of Men’s 5s players Rory, Steve, Harry and Samuel, who stepped up to help the 4s. The additional players provided valuable cover across the pitch, allowing the team to maintain its energy and work rate throughout the afternoon.

Broxbourne started with Symon through the middle up front, supported by Ollie W on the right wing and Harrison on the left. Trev Mellor and Danny returned to their usual positions in midfield, with Ollie B adding further strength to the centre of the pitch. The defensive line, supported by the returning Andy Harris and Kieron O alongside Joseph, provided a solid foundation for the team.

The substitutes also played an important role, with Steve rotating into the forward line, Harry and Samuel providing cover at right-back and left-back respectively, and Rory coming on to add fresh energy on the wing.

Broxbourne started brightly, enjoying plenty of possession and creating numerous attacking opportunities. Harrison, Ollie W, Rory and Symon all threatened in the opening stages, although several missed chances meant the visitors had to remain patient in search of the breakthrough.

The decisive moment arrived around the 15-minute mark of the first half. Harrison drove the ball down the line towards the baseline before bringing it into the top of the circle. Symon collected possession and distributed the ball into the penalty spot, where Ollie W was on hand to finish and give Broxbourne a 1–0 lead.

The attacking play continued throughout the match, with Joseph and Samuel producing some lovely work down the lines to help stretch the opposition and create space for the forwards and wingers. Up front, Symon did an excellent job of holding up the ball and distributing it across to the other wing forwards, allowing Broxbourne to maintain possession and build attacks from different areas of the pitch.

In midfield, Trev Mellor and Danny helped control distribution and maximise attacking opportunities, feeding the forwards and wingers whenever space opened up. Ollie B also made an important contribution, putting in some great tackles, winning possession back and distributing the ball out wide to keep Broxbourne’s attacks moving.

Despite Broxbourne’s dominance and further chances to extend the lead, the score remained 1–0, meaning the team had to stay focused and disciplined until the final whistle.

At the other end, Thomas Webb proved more than equal to the task. Stepping in for the absent Ryan, Thomas produced a superb performance in goal, making several brilliant saves, including a couple of spectacular stops, to keep Bishop’s Stortford at bay. Nothing got past him, and his brilliant efforts between the posts earned him Player of the Match.

Broxbourne continued to threaten down the wings, with Rory, Harrison, Ollie W and Symon all creating some great opportunities through their movement and attacking play. Their work down the lines helped stretch Bishop’s Stortford and gave the team further chances to build on its lead. Combined with Ollie B’s strong tackling and distribution from midfield, the team showed plenty of attacking intent while maintaining the balance needed across the pitch.

As the final whistle sounded, Broxbourne could reflect on a thoroughly deserved away victory. From the defensive organisation and goalkeeping heroics to the midfield distribution, forward movement and valuable contributions from the substitutes, every player played their part in a strong collective performance.

The 1–0 result reflected a committed team effort, with Broxbourne creating numerous opportunities, working hard across all areas of the pitch and defending their advantage together. The whole squad could rightly head home with all three points.

Ready for Harpenden next week!

Mens 5s Dev vs Potters Bar 3 Dev - cancelled
Conceded by Broxbourne.

Sunday 11th October

Cup Games

Womens O45s vs Bishop’s Stortford - 8-0 loss

Match report pending.

Mens O45s vs Letchworth - 5-5 draw with 5-3 win on flicks

Broxbourne started brightly, moving the ball around well, but Letchworth’s direct approach caught us out. Two attacks brought two goals, and despite our early possession we found ourselves 2–0 down.

We soon woke up and began putting Letchworth under pressure. A great goal from Trev Mellor helped bring us back to 2–2 before half-time. After a chance to gather ourselves and get some drinks on board, we came out strongly and went 3–2 ahead.

Letchworth then sprang into life. They took control for a spell and turned the game around to lead 5–3. With ten minutes left, Broxbourne kept pushing. We pulled one back, then found an equaliser from Stapes in the final couple of minutes to make it an incredible 5–5 at the final whistle.

The tie went to flicks, where some great saves from Si helped Broxbourne take a 5–3 win and a place in the next round.

There were strong performances across the team: AJ, Fresh and Danny Copeus in defence; Will, A Law, Trev and Danny in midfield; and Rich Mellor putting in the hard yards. Lance and Stapes caused all sorts of havoc up front, while Si delivered when it mattered in the shuffles.

On we march to the next round!

Coming up next weekend…

Saturday 17th October
Home Fixtures

10am - Mens 5s Dev vs Luton Town 3
11.30am - Mens 3s vs Letchworth 2
1pm - Mens 4s vs Harpenden 4
2.30pm - Ladies 3s vs Rickmansworth 1

Away Fixtures

11.30am - Ladies 2s vs Shefford & Sandy 1
11.30am - Mens 1s vs St Albans 2
12pm - Ladies 1s vs St Albans 2
1pm - Mens 2s vs Rickmansworth 1
1.30pm - Ladies 4s vs St Albans 7
4.30pm - Ladies 5s vs Saffron Walden 5