Broxbourne 4s came out swinging this weekend to notch up our third win in a row, and we didn’t waste time making our mark. Just three minutes in, a slick short corner routine saw Jo fire a straight strike from the top of the D. It veered slightly off target, but Kirsty was lurking like a goal-hungry ninja on the post and slotted it home. 1-0.

Stevenage weren’t about to roll over, though. They dug deep and clawed it back to 1-1, reminding us that hockey is a game of grit, not just glory.

Broxbourne regrouped, refocused, and reignited. A second goal from Jo made it 2-1 minutes before half time, and the mood shifted from “tight contest” to “incoming storm.”

Badger Mode Activated
Big shoutout to Tors for her sideline wisdom and motivational magic. Whatever was said by her and Captain Lisa during the half time talk, clearly hit the mark, because Broxbourne came out for the second half like turbo-charged badgers on a mission to sniff out goals, swipe through midfield, and burrow deep into enemy territory.

We dominated the second half with a focus on playing “simple hockey.” Stevenage grew increasingly frustrated while we stayed cool, positive and relentless. The floodgates opened: Laura (x2), Calia and Imogen (like a badger in a bin full of leftovers) also found the back of the goal to add their names to the scoresheet.

Gumshield Glory
Time literally stopped when Kirsty attempted to score with her face instead of her stick. A short corner gone rogue ricocheted straight into her mouth. Thankfully, her gumshield took the hit like a champ – all teeth accounted for and no emergency dentist required. Coincidentally, the ladies club captains had just made gumshields compulsory for U18s this week. Talk about timely PR. Kirsty is now the proud poster girl for the #WearYourGumShield campaign. Smile intact. Pride slightly bruised.

Popley's Persistence Pays Off
Imogen was electric today, especially in the second half - slicing through defenders with dazzling solo runs and ending up 1-on-1 with the keeper more times than we could count. One effort looked destined for glory until a Stevenage _“I don’t want to be a defender”_ defender came from nowhere to pull off a miracle clearance off the line, defying the laws of physics. Credit where credit’s due, it was brilliant.

But Imogen doesn’t do giving up and minutes later, she finally got her well-earned goal. Imogen’s persistence: 1, Stevenage: 0.

A Breezy Finish
As the clock ticked down, Broxbourne kept the pressure high, and in the last 10 minutes, we were awarded more short corners than I’ve had hot dinners. With both umpires urging us to “get on with it,” we threw everything at the Stevenage defence but couldn’t quite convert any of them. Still, we weren’t done yet. In the final minutes, Ella played a beautiful ball from the halfway line, which was picked up by Laura, who breezed past some weary Stevenage defenders and slotted it home, earning a well-deserved second goal.

Final Score: Broxbourne 6, Stevenage 1
Goals: Kirsty, Laura x2, Jo, Calia, Imogen
Assists: Laura x3, Jo, Ella, Imogen
Player: Imogen for relentless runs, silky skills, and a sweet finish
Donkey: Kirsty for attempting to score with her face. Harsh but fair.

Special Thanks: To keeper Emma for coming to our rescue at the last minute and standing in for a poorly Alisha.

Next week, we tunnel into West Herts territory. With claws sharpened and gumshields in place, we are ready to dig deep and strike hard. Can we make it 4 wins in a row?

Mens 4s vs Bedford 7 - 4-0 loss
Player: Ryan BA
Donkey: Andy B & Andy H

Back at home this week and aiming to push on from our draw last week.

The M4’s after a squad reshuffle got off to a positive start against a very experienced Bedford side, pretty much level with us in the league.
Some good positive passing

Unfortunately for Broxbourne we couldn’t capitalise where Bedford did

2 goals from 2 unfortunate short corners gave the visitors a 2 goal lead at half time

Broxbourne came out positively again 2nd half
Pushing to claw one back, but it just wasn’t to be
Bedford grabbed 2 more before the final whistle

Unfortunately Andy’s Bourke and Harris picked up injuries

Proud of the lads for their efforts, but today was just not to be

We go again next week to hopefully get back to winning ways

Ladies 3s vs Berko & Hemel 1 - 2-1 win
Goal scorers: Cerys x2
Assists: Hannah & Grace K
Player: Isla
Donkey: Tara

It was a *Firework* of a match for Broxbourne Ladies 3s, who battled their way to a brilliant 2–1 win over newly promoted Berkhamsted & Hemel — despite being without two teammates who chose to spend their Saturday night with pop icon Katy Perry instead of on the pitch!

Even with a couple of absentees, Broxbourne proved they were ready to *Roar*.

Both sides had been *Hot N Cold* in their early season form, and with Berkhamsted also coming up from the league below, this was a game Broxbourne felt confident they could *Teenage Dream* about — another three points there for the taking.

The first half was a tense and well-fought affair, full of *E.T*.-level energy and determination from both sides.

Broxbourne showed some fantastic passing play, moving the ball smartly around the opposition — a real showcase of the *Chain to the Rhythm* teamwork Coach Em has been drilling into them at training.

Despite several close chances, the half ended *The One That Got Away*— still 0–0 at the break.
After some wise halftime words from Lisa, Broxbourne came out determined to *Rise*.

Their persistence paid off when Cerys unleashed an *Unconditionally* stunning strike, following a perfect assist from Hannah, to give the home side a well-deserved lead.

Berkhamsted, though, weren’t about to let Broxbourne have their *Last Friday Night* moment just yet. Their defence stood firm, and their goalkeeper made some *Wide Awake* saves to keep them in it.
Then, against the run of play, a 16-yard hit-out went astray — Tara’s clearance was intercepted by a Berkhamsted forward, who made no mistake in slotting home the equaliser to make it 1–1.

Did Broxbourne panic? Of course not. They showed true *Resilience*, proving they’re not a team to *Cry About Later*. With composure and confidence, they kept the *Rhythm* of their passing and pushed for the winner. Their efforts were rewarded when Cerys once again showed her *Dark Horse* magic — a textbook turn and strike, perfectly set up by Grace, to seal the game at 2–1.

It was fantastic to see Rach, booted up but smiling on the sidelines, cheering the team on — a real *Part of Me* moment showing the team’s spirit and togetherness.

Huge thanks also go to some of the Ladies 4s who stayed behind to lend their voices in support — proof that at Broxbourne, we’re *Never Really Over* when it comes to backing each other.

A *California Gurls*–level performance full of spark, heart, and teamwork.

Another three points, another step forward — Broxbourne Ladies 3s continue to *Roar*!

Mens 3s vs Southgate Adelaide 1 - 4-2 win
Goal scorers: Stu, Cranners, Harrison L & KP
Assists: Wyatt x2, Harrison L & Russ
Player: Wyatt

For the 25/26 season, the M3s finally returned home after a mixture of results away on the road. The Badger Field has been a happy hunting ground for the M3s in the past few years.
This week saw the return of familiar faces to the line up, welcoming back from M2s duty, Harrison, Kopsis, and Elliot B. With "club legend," Digger returned to the fold, and Hayden made his anticipated return from injury. We also welcomed Noah, who was drafted in from the M4s.
Both sides had very similar warmups - hit the ball at their respective keepers to get their eyes locked in. Someone managed to pick up an injury by just hitting the ball. I'm not mentioning any names, but I'm sure it'll be OK in a few days (and it didn't stop him scoring).
The game started with some uncertainty over the umpires, but M3s started to assert some dominance with some slick passing and movement off the ball.
It didn't take long for the first goal to come, having spent time camped in the opposition half. Wyatt managed to wriggle through a semi-solid back line with Harrison ready to convert with a solid strike.
As the game carried on the crowds, anticipation for another goal grew. Up stepped Kopsis, yes you are ready that correct, clearly feeling adventurous and wanting to break the chains of defence. Harrison worked the ball free to find Kopsis in the D unchallenged. The crowd almost bouncing ready to celebrate, and Kopsis delivered, slotting the ball tight into the corner. Someone may say stuff of legends. With the crowds calling it "sick" and "worldie".
Half time 2-0 Brox.
The restart saw a strong Brox press taking the ball back. Having learnt that you can't go through the centre back, you have to go round him, the ever reliable Wyatt feeding into Cranners and without any doubt slotted home. Proving the old boy still has it in him.
3-0 Brox. Southgate Adelaide, not wanting to be on the receiving end of a goalless game, decided we were not sharing enough of the ball and got one back. No one is really sure how it happened.
However, Brox was not finished and was awarded a short after a diving KP, more like Tom Daley on the 10m diving board, was given for a deliberate tackle.
The injection is perfect, the stop by Russ perfect, the shot by KP - rubbish. As it trickled to the keeper, who politely passed it back. KP, for some reason, with Red Mist decending, fired a shot straight back at the keeper, as though he had done something wrong, but it squeezed through. 4-1 Brox.
With the game all but sealed, Southgate Adelaide scored their second.
A long aerial caused confusion with both Russ and Kopsis missing the ball and everyone standing around laughing hysterically. The striker was the only one to react, with everyone asking who is "Russell"?

Mens 5s vs Berko & Hemel 6 Dev - 1-1 draw
Goal scorer: Ollie W
Assist: Ollie B
Player: Ollie W
Donkey: Browny

No match report.

Away Fixtures

Ladies 5s vs Stevenage 5 - 3-2 loss
Goal scorers: Milly x2
Assists: Tess & Caitlyn
Player: Tess
Donkey: Tess

The donkey moment came as soon as Tess walked into the changing room. We were all in blue kit but she was wearing pink!! Unanimous decision.
The match was definitely a game of 2 halves! Playing Stevenage in a bottom of the league clash we really wanted to win. It didn’t start well when their umpire started the game with only 10 of us on the pitch, Lorraine was getting our masks. We alerted him but he wouldn't stop the game and just said we shouldn’t of taken so long! Regardless of this we started well with lots of possession and accurate passing. Mostly an attacking half with good runs from Maisie, Mia and Olivia, the first goal coming after Tess passed the ball to Milly who scored from the edge of the D. Any Stevenage attacks were dealt with well by Lorraine, Sharon, Mumma B, Fran and Jazmyne. Teagan was providing lovely clearances up to the midfield and attackers.
After consistent pressure in our attacking half, we scored our second goal 5 minutes before half time. Passes in the D gave Caityn the ball who crossed from the backline across the goal for Milly to convert at the left post, a typical Milly Shand goal! All good so far. Pleased with our performance we went into the second half little expecting such a drastic change. Stevenage were much more determined; they thwarted our attacks and put the defence under much more pressure. If we won the ball we struggled to clear it, often giving it straight back to the opposition. They had plenty of short corners and Lorraine made an amazing save. Hannah, not having played for 6 months, made some saves to keep us in the game until they scored from a PC. Their other 2 goals came after some of our defence were pushing up to help with the attack, we were losing the ball to Stevenage who quickly passed it up the pitch leaving a single defender and Hannah to protect our goal. Despite some great play and distribution by Tess we had little time left to get another goal. We all left the pitch very deflated. We now need to pick ourselves up for next week's match.

Mens 2s vs Royston 1 - 4-1 loss
Goal scorer: Baller
Assist: Browny
Player: Baller
Donkey: Satwick

A day of misses!!

The Badgers disappointing start to the season continued with a loss at the hands of Royston. The match started in similar fashion to the previous 3 league fixtures with the Badgers dominating the early exchanges and using the ball well.
However, a rare mistake from veteran Fradley when trying to dribble out from the back was pounced on by the lively Royston forward and dispatched with ease. The Badgers dusted themselves down and set about trying to get back on level terms. Lance looking threatening when breaking from the back down the right hand side and linking well with the impressive Dyer who was producing some effective lead runs and holding the ball up well. Baller looking a constant threat produced some fine work in the D that was pounced on by young Elliott who’s goal attempt was cleared off the line by a foot. Up steps a confident Satwick to take the flick and maintain his 100% record from the spot, unfortunately he fluffed his lines and his effort was routinely saved by the keeper.

The badgers were then further rocked when young Finn Wilkinson making his 2nd team league debut was savagely struck down by his own keeper, a wayward kick from Stapes glancing the bridge of his nose. A temporary rearrangement of the backline whilst Finn patched himself up and we began to push on again. We were soon back level when the threatening Baller earned a short corner which he then dispatched with a fine drag flick from the top of the D.
A string of fine chances followed with strong work from the midfield and forward line creating a number of clear cut chances, the best of which fell to Jake, the ball came across from the right with the keeper beaten and an open goal beckoning rather than fire the ball into the net he managed to pass the ball off of the pitch!
This seemed to hand the impetuous back to the home side and they created a couple chances, one of which they capitalised on with another good finish. Trailing 2-1 the Badgers conceded a short corner on the stroke of half time and a well worked routine saw Royston take a 3-1 lead into the break. A half that we were on top we had somehow lost and faced an uphill battle in the second half.
The badgers pushed hard in the second half but in honesty despite a few good chances we were second best. Frustration crept in following Royston’s fourth goal a Satwick decided he had had enough for the afternoon and off he went.
An afternoon that started with promise ended with disappointment.

In summary the misses…
Baller MISSED the meet time.
Satwick MISSED the penalty flick.
Stapes didn’t MISS Finns nose.
Jake somehow MISSED the open goal.
Satwick MISSED his toys when dispatch from his pram.

We go again next week and try to open our account with a tough home fixture against St Albans 3’s.

Ladies 1s vs Bedford 1 - 2-1 loss
Goal scorer: Nads
Assist: Ellie
Player: Meg S
Donkey: Willsy

In classic Badgers fashion, the chaos started long before the first whistle. Bench’s car only just made pushback, delayed by an urgent 20-mile detour to Krispy Kreme. Priorities firmly in check.
Despite the frantic start, Willsy was all smiles, grateful for the chance to warm up and put her brand-new stick through its paces.
In a surprise twist, Em Wilkins was cleared for action at the eleventh hour, following some emergency physio on what can only be described as an extra chin. The team welcomed her return with cautious optimism.

First Half: Shaky Start

The Badgers were slow out of the gates, immediately put under pressure by a sharp and organised Bedford side. An early unforced error on the left flank gifted Bedford an opening, which they clinically tucked away for the first goal.

Gradually, the Badgers began to find their rhythm, growing in confidence and building structured plays from zone 1 to 4. Meg S looked threatening up front, dancing past defenders and creating space, but the final touch eluded her.

Defensively, the Badgers stood strong, with Bedford’s skilful forwards probing but ultimately being held at bay.

Half-Time Reset

A rousing half-time speech from Az “Alex Ferguson” Rais lit a fire under the team.

The Badgers came out with purpose in the third quarter, led by precise outletting from Becky Scarrott who linked up well with the returning Emily Wilkins.

However, despite the pressure, Bedford weathered the storm and extended their lead from a short corner midway through the third. 2–0.

Final Quarter: Badgers Bite Back

Determined not to leave empty-handed, the Badgers clawed one back with a well-worked consolation goal in the final quarter. Momentum was building, and with seconds on the clock, Em Wilkins came heartbreakingly close to grabbing a late equaliser – only to see her shot drift just wide of the post.

In the subplot of the day, Meg T was mysteriously subbed early, reportedly en route to a top-secret rendezvous on the A1(M). The team wishes her and her hamstrings the very best.

Looking ahead, excitement is building as the Badgers’ newest recruit, Darcie Chapman, is set to make her debut next week. Expect fireworks.

Player of the Match: Meg S

Special mention to Emily Wilkins – for battling through adversity (and extra chins) to make a serious impact on her return.

Quote of the Day: “We may have lost the game, but we won the doughnut run.” – Bench

Onwards and upwards, Badgers

Ladies 2s vs Bedford 2 - 3-1 loss
Goal scorer: Vic
Assist: Grace R
Player: Grace R
Donkey: Gemma

The Broxbourne Witches (Double Trouble)

The week started with witch Isabelle looking into her crystal ball seeking ways to wreak her vengeance on players who voted her donkey last week. Hannah woke up with green hair and needed an emergency hair dresser trip. Box’s car mysteriously vanished overnight (hocus pocus where’s that ford focus) so she had to make a last minute call to Sue for travel help. Next badger to be taken out was Vic, waking up with no fingernails needing a last minute dash to the nail bar. Baz nearly didn’t make the match due to a surprising translocation to the Isle of Wight. Abra-cat-dabra, materialised at Bedford station fortunately to be collected by Grace on her magic carpet. Sadly Grace C did succumb to the witchy power, we are worried about whether we’ll ever see her again!

Match day started without our management team, Millie away from the team to avoid the the full moon, Mystic Meg was at a conference about familiars, particularly cats, Lisa had to have treatment for her Dragon pox, hopefully they’ll survive their ordeals and return before Halloween

fangfully the journey to Bedford was smooth, even for those who spontaneously altered the comprehensive travel plan, bold of Hannah and Emily to accept a one way lift…. Perhaps their backup plan was nimbus 2000s

Sadly witch Isabel and witch Darcy were late due to witch Isabel needing to finish brewing her forgetfulness potion so that we wouldn’t notice she hadn’t brought the donkey cloak with her

The double header at the 2 pitch venue made for a spooktactular badgerfest in the changing room, with little Lydia entertaining us all with her hula skills

Some badgers who had failed to complete their homework were made to watch the special educational ‘press release’ from wizard Az (rumoured to have recently escaped from Azkaban)

Casper the friendly ghost (aka Vic) made her first visible appearance and stepped up to lead the warm up, when we could see her everyone joined in

The game started with Fairy Princess Gemma who was so excited to start the game (despite the efforts of the witchy duo) that she reacted to a false whistle and launched us into the game… only to be pulled back to the start by another whistle of exactly the same sound - spooky!

Evil witches Isobel and Darcy used this a cover to spread rumours about beautiful princess Gemma but luckily only some players fell under their spell

Princess Gemma and her fellow forwards, Casper the Ghost, witch Isobel and especially Vampire Jess were bloodthirsty to score and kept plenty of pressure on Bedford

In midfield BatBox flitted around the field, Spider Grace spun her web across the pitch, which Darcy played brilliantly and zombie Hannah stomped around the whole pitch chasing down the opposition.

In defence black Cat Catermole clawed at the opposition forwards, the oppo could not carve into pump-Kim’s goal, siren Rollins used her voice to mesmerise the forwards while skeleton Sue and mummy Gemma G were solid in defence and Banshee Baz used her voice to lift the ball over the press.

Unfortunately 2 mins before half time the Bedford side broke the spell and a sneaked a surprise goal against the run of play

Half time saw princess Gem sprinkle her fairy dust which saw Broxbourne start the second half positively which led to an inspirational pass from banshee Baz to spider Grace who sneaked the ball to Casper (unseen by anyone) who turned the ball around the keeper and scored!!!

Evil witch Darcy not happy with the celebrating badgers attempted to sabotage the celebration, Casper used her invisibility skills to take the witch down

The rest of the game the badgers worked hard to hold Bedford to 3-1

Player was Spider Grace R for creating the most perfect web of passes across the pitch

Thanks to the evil witches princess Gemma was voted donkey for succumbing to the early match starting hex

Mens 1s vs Bedford 1 - 4-1 loss
Goal scorer: Stan
Assist: Sam W
Player: Tom & Louis
Cards: Louis (green) & Tom H (yellow)

Following a difficult midweek game against Cambridge Uni, the men’s 1s travelled away for a late 4:45pm game against Bedford. Despite having a depleted squad due to injuries and unavailability, the badgers were still upbeat knowing they came away with 3 points the last time they visited Bedford. However, a very slow start to the game from Broxbourne allowed Bedford to dominate the 1st quarter going 2 goals up with very little reply from the badgers when going forward. The message from captain Sam Weissen after the 1st quarter was to use our voices and be louder, as everyone on the pitch was far too quiet and seemed to almost shy away from the game.

The 2nd quarter didn’t get much better for the badgers, with cards given out to both Louis Scarrott and Tom Hopson at different points in the quarter putting the team down to 10 and ultimately conceding another goal to put Bedford 3-0 up at halftime.

With words at halftime being very much the same as after the 1st quarter, Broxbourne went into the 3rd quarter hoping to try and salvage anything from the game. Despite having a lot more short corners and a larger share of the ball in the 3rd and 4th quarter, the badgers could only muster up a consolation goal scored from a well worked short corner routine by Stan Mason who grabbed his 3rd goal in 4 games. Unfortunately, the lack of subs and the damage done in the first half was too much for Broxbourne and with the game all but over, a penalty flick was conceded and subsequently converted with the last hit of the game to end the game 4-1 to Bedford.

With another tough away game to Blueharts to follow, the badgers will be hoping to bounce back and put in a much better performance to get their season back on track.

Coming up next weekend

Saturday 18th October

Home Fixtures
10am - Ladies 5s vs Bishop's Stortford 9
11.30am - Ladies 2s vs Letchworth 1
1.30pm - Ladies 1s vs Ipswich 1
3pm - Mens 3s vs Letchworth 2
4.30pm - Mens 2s vs St Albans 3

Away Fixtures
1.30pm - Ladies 4s vs West Herts 4
3pm - Mens 5s vs Potters Bar 3
3pm - Mens 1s vs Blueharts 1
3pm - Ladies 3s vs Blueharts 3
5pm - Mens 4s vs Saffron Walden 7

Join us for the annual Karaoke social in the bar from 8pm!