With a respectable 11.30am start time at the Badger Den we arrived well rested and in good spirits! We had a slightly redesigned team this week with some shuffling around within the 3’s, 4’s and 5’s. This meant we went into the weekend without Daniela, Mumma B and Hannah, together with Jaz having moved up to the 4s. Shannon was out with an injury from last week’s game and Mia was a question mark having also sustained an injury but was game fit. In the end, we had a team of 14 so a nice set of sub options!

Unlike last week’s match when the opposition fielded a player who was “returning to hockey” with skills more like one of our 2s and who dominated the match, scoring all of their 7 goals! Saffy Walds looked much more like a team from Division 6.

So far this season we haven’t managed to secure any points, despite leading at half time in a couple of games. So, we were keen to get some points on the board to get some of our motivation back…..

Here’s the game from 2 perspectives:

From the back – With Hannah helping out the 3s this week, Sharon was ‘volunteered’ for the role of GK. We had a large defensive squad of Teagan, Lorraine, Annie Q, Fran, Caitlyn and Aimee - a mix of experience, fire power and emerging talent – and solid midfield line of Imogen, Tess, Lloydy and Maisie.

The order of the day – mark, communicate and distribute. On the whole this was well executed with not very many chances for Saffron Walden in the D (Stand-in GK was very grateful!). Sharon made some decisive saves and commanded the defence which earnt her player of the match. The best chance they had (apart from the goal of course…) was cleared off the line at waist height by a lovely stick save from Lorraine. Their goal came from a well-executed short corner early in the second half, that was fired in the gap between Sharon and Fran on the left post. There was a slightly hair-raising moment when they struck it from outside the D which then came off Lorraine and Sharon and hit the backboard. Luckily the eagle-eyed umpires had this firmly under control and ‘no goal’ confirmed.

Well done to the team for working well together, improved communication, good passing and better distribution.

From the front - We started the match strongly with plenty of passing and moving the ball around, Tess and Lloydy making some lovely tackles and creative passes. The forwards of Katie, Mia, Milly and Maisie (when she wasn’t playing in mid, and earning player votes too) linked up well creating a few opportunities in the D but Saffy Walds managed to keep a clean sheet. 10 minutes from half time Broxbourne had a sideline free hit within the 23. Imogen’s hit across to the top of the D (just outside, which we often fall foul off!) was pick up by Tess who fed the ball to Katie on the right who neatly passed to Milly on the left to slap into the empty goal with the keeper been drawn to Katie. Lovely play shouted Em. So in the lead at half time, we said we had to start the second half with 100% effort, but sadly that was not to be! They had several corners early on and eventually made one of them count. After this we tried to regain our mojo and managed to put pressure on with penetrating play from Tess and Lloydy and Maisie. We had crosses into the D and a couple of short corners managing to put the keeper under pressure but sadly to no avail.

Thanks to Em for her support from the sidelines, it really does help us and we much appreciate it.

Final score 1-1 and a well-celebrated 1 point – We’re off!!!! Player was shared between Maisie and Sharon. Donkey was a tricky one as no-one did anything silly (eh Tess!), everyone turned up in the right kit (eh Tess!) and everyone went to the right pitch (eh Tess!!!) However, Lorraine secured a couple of votes for the ‘own goal attempt’ – harsh me thinks….

Onwards to next week when we face Potters Bar away at lunchtime – make sure you’ve had your Weetabix girls (other brands are available).

Mens 2s vs Shefford & Sandy 1 - 3-0 win

Goal scorers: Browny, Baller & Toby
Assists: Satwick, Sully & Toby
Player: Baller & Satwick
Donkey: Elliot
Cards: Sully (green)

Don’t Look Back in Anger

The Men’s 2’s had experienced quite a fall from grace since last year’s hockey. Fantasy managers up and down the club had been expelling 2’s players from their team in the weeks gone by as the Men had picked up loss after loss. Languishing at the bottom of the league table on zero points, Father of Fantasy Jack Price knew this week was a fixture to attack. The prime time slot against Shefford’s 1st Team beckoned as the now Not-So-Tricky 2’s attempted to recover some pride, and stepped outside onto Badger Field to find an almost summertime bloom, hopeful that they might yet find, that all the pains they had seen in weeks past, would slowly fade away.

Bouyed by the presence of Toby ‘Tomahawk’ House who was returning from a nasty head injury, which explained the bright pink Petr Cech headwear, the lads felt relatively positive. Recent performances had improved tenfold from the first few fixtures of this so far tough season, and although coming off the back of a frustrating 1-0 loss away to Welwyn (16 Years of being a Badger and I’ve still never won away to them), Captain Jack reminded the lads, strangely only after demanding to know where the Rum was, that if we dominated the game like we had done the week prior, goals would surely come eventually.

Shefford, seemingly unaware that something very Mighty can be contained in a small vessel, could be overhead saying ‘as soon as the small centre half gets the ball, we go full press’ before the first whistle. It wasn’t long before they were made to look foolish, as the steadfast young Hoppo Jnr twisted his way through the Shefford forward line with Technical prowess beyond his years on multiple occasions. Logic would dictate that if it didn’t work the first 5 times, a change of plan would be in order, but alas, as the Shefford forwards continued to look back in anger, Baller couldn’t resist but break into a wry smile.

Unlike in recent weeks, the Badgers started well, patiently moving the ball between the lines and looking to take advantage of quick transfers that often found either the Man of Versatility himself, Lance, or Fin ‘Composure King’ Wilkinson in acres of space. One such organised attack saw Lance rifle a pass towards the edge of the D. Toby ‘Tomahawk’ House picked up the pass, danced his way through several wayward tackles and found himself open on the reverse side (let’s not pretend anyone here is surprised) at the top of the D. True to his name, he unleashed a low powerful tomahawk strike that nestled in the bottom corner. 1-0 Badgers.

Half time came quickly without anymore goals. Broxbourne came close several times as they continued to test the Shefford set up, whilst maintaining a solid structure that consistently saw the men in Blue intercept Shefford attempts to build their own attacks. Captain Jack, Veteran Maestro Browny and Goal-Scoring Keeper Stapes all provided encouragement in the team talk as the 2’s proceeded to set up ready for what they knew would be a battling second half.

Shefford came out with a more aggressive press attempting to cut the Badger attacks at source, but German Stalwart Satwick cut through the defensive lines with his signature disguised passing. He expressed his disdain as Baller, who had been putting in a performance full of sloppy errors so far, battled with the seemingly large hole in his stick that was not visible to the naked eye as the Badgers looked to kill the game.

There was a brief calm to the storm as Jake ‘The Man of Many Assists’ Edwards suffered what looked to be a dislocated shoulder after an awkward fall and took a few minutes to get himself sorted. The severity of the injury is still yet to be determined, as I can confirm Jake did make a re-appearance towards the end of the game. Here’s hoping his recovery is as swift as Lance’s return from a broken elbow earlier in the season.

Cards then started to flow as Shefford became more and more agitated. Duracell Bunny Sully sat in the sin bin for 2 mins after a wayward pass and a questionable attempt at a ‘make-up for my error’ tackle. Shefford then decided to get in on the act, and subsequently went down to 9 men as two players got told to sit down for lip.

Pouncing on a Shefford Centre Half’s mistake on the half way line, Baller exploded with a burst of pace and found himself eyeing up the onrushing Shefford keeper. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Young forward, Electric Elliot Francis making a great run down the left foot of the keeper, and although a defender was in tow, Baller knew there was space to draw the keeper in and make a last minute pass leaving a open goal beckoning. Unfortunately young Elliot was expecting Baller to shoot himself, and pulled up just as the pass was made, leaving the ball to harmlessly roll off the end of his stick and the base line.

That attack seemingly caused Baller to wake up. After some slick midfield interplay from the Master of Consistency, Will Fradley, Baller drove down the left flank, picking out Toby at the back post. Seeing that Veteran Maestro Browny had found himself just yards from the Shefford goal line, Toby calmly picked out the Midfielder who slotted the loose ball into the back of the net. 2-0.

With the Badgers now in full control again after surviving a rare Shefford goal scare (controlled with a foot rather than a stick), Stalward Satwick found Baller on the left flank around the half way line with another defence splitting pass. With a new found air of confidence back in his lungs, Baller eliminated the defender and found himself experiencing deja-vu. Attempting to slip inside the eye of the keepers mind, Baller looked far post and shot near post, slotting the ball into the back of the net. 3-0 Badgers.

The final whistle came shortly after the 3rd goal as the boys in blue celebrated their first points and win of the season off the back of another encouraging performance.

One thing is certain, this week the Men’s 2’s don’t have to look back in anger… at least not today.

Ladies 1s vs Cambridge City 2 - 2-0 win

Goal scorers: Em x2
Assists: Paris & Meg
Player: Hallie
Donkey: Lara

Match report pending.

Mens 4s vs Old Haberdashers 2 - 4-3 loss

Goal scorers: Paul x2 & Ollie W
Assists: Trev x2 & Fresh
Player: Ryan BA & Ollie W
Donkey: Joseph & Paul Staples

Another Home fixture for the Men’s 4’s saw us take on table topping, free scoring Old Haberdashers 2’s

A good hiding was perhaps a polite way of expressing how we all felt leading up to the game

Yet another last minute squad reshuffle ( A few hours prior ) due to injuries, illness, firework displays, and a preference to going and watching the Spurs, we were as ready as we could be.

Losing Rich Mellor to injury in the morning 5’s game was a massive blow and Andy Harris, calling in sick, unable to shake what he called a “40 a day cough”

Thankfully, we were able to call upon a handful of the 5’s squad who had played in the morning. The ever reliable Fresh, along with “The Ollie’s” and Logan bulked up the squad, Shane stepped in to help and a Stapes doubling gave us the numbers we needed

Prior to the pre match warm up DOD awards were quickly issued. Both Stapes senior and Joseph G arrived for the game minus Astro’s !
This followed the previous week where a hockey stick was missing from a player’s inventory

A vision then appeared through the gate, a saviour, a super hero, a Mellor ! Trevor Mellor

Originally not down to play, came to our rescue

Umpires Stuart S and Kev House called in the captains. Captain Moorhouse failed to win yet another toss, so the visitors claimed push back

The game got underway - the pace of the game was set within seconds and we knew this was going to be a long afternoon

Brox held their own for what felt like an eternity
Breaking down the visitors pressure, but also getting chances of our own.

The first blow came in the 20th minute when the away team converted a short corner

Brox went again and managed to quickly pull one back 4 minutes later through a Paul Staples finish

There was a sudden confidence flowing through the team. Rich Mellor instructing from the side and a busy stand of support gave the boys belief

A few fine saves from Ryan BA helped rally the players

1 v 1 at half time

Trev Mellor gave the team talk with Fresh speaking from his view in the defensive line

Second half got underway, so positive stuff from Brox, but in the 40th minute, Haberdashers caught Broxbourne napping and took the lead again

Some fine dribbling and hard work saw young Ollie W bring the score level again 12 minutes later

Paul stapes made it 3 - 2 to the home side with a lovely flick into the roof of the opponents net

The stunned visitors didn’t know what was happening as they would normally be about 8 nil by now !

Unfortunately concentration dropped again, and the score was 3 - 3

Broxbourne, although chuffed with what would be a fantastic point against an unbeaten side, pushed again

But it was not to be. Ball onto a foot in the D with literally 2 mins to go, saw Old haberdashers earn a short corner. With the ball cleared only as far as the edge of the D, a shot came back in, and without noticing a white shirt managed to slip in behind and tap in at the post

A loss was a difficult one to take, especially after all the hard work put in by every Broxbourne player

A draw would have been a fair result - this claim was echoed by the away team captain, saying this was their best game so far because of how tight and competitive the game was.

Post match talk focussed on the performance rather than the result
We had given the league leaders a difficult afternoon and on another day perhaps could have come away with at least a point

Fantastic effort from everyone

Very proud Captain!

Away Fixtures

Ladies 3s vs Rickmansworth 1 - 2-1 loss

Goal scorer: Alice
Player: Alice
Donkey: Hannah

Broxbourne travelled to the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Masonic School for Girls this weekend to take on Rickmansworth, with the picturesque setting providing the perfect backdrop for a closely fought contest. We even needed an access code to enter the grounds.

With a few regulars missing, Broxbourne were grateful to those who stepped up, and even more thankful for the brilliant sideline support from Finch and Rachel, whose encouragement was hugely appreciated throughout.

The first 20mins saw Broxbourne dominate and clearly shock the opposti, who had perhaps underestimated the Badgers.
Rickmasworth built strongly and took the lead midway through the first half, capitalising on a short corner routine that found its way into the back of the net.

Broxbourne, however, refused to let the game slip away. Despite Rickmansworth’s early pressure, the team gradually grew into the match, creating several chances and defending with determination.
Just before half-time, Broxbourne found their deserved equaliser through Alice, who produced a goal far too good for a Ladies 3s match. Picking up the ball, she stormed down the wing, taking it all the way to the baseline before sweeping it beautifully into the goal — a fantastic individual effort and a definite highlight of the game.

The second half continued as a fierce, end-to-end battle. Both sides created opportunities, but despite Broxbourne’s persistence and several promising chances, it was Rickmansworth who managed to take theirs, edging ahead once again to make it 2–1. Broxbourne pushed hard for a second equaliser but were unable to find the finishing touch before the final whistle.

There were plenty of memorable moments off the ball too — Isla brought plenty of physicality to the game (blaming her dad for encouraging her to be “more physical” admittedly in football) and Aaliyah suffered a mid-match manicure disaster, losing a fake nail in the heat of play. Meanwhile, stand-in goalkeeper Hannah earned herself Donkey of the Day honours after managing to lose one of her shoes on the way to the pitch, narrowly avoiding a Crocs goalkeeping debut thanks to Tor’s spare trainers!

Despite the result, it was a fantastic team performance from Broxbourne, full of energy, effort, and positive play.

Player of the Match: Alice – for her fantastic runs and that superb solo goal.

Donkey of the Day: Hannah – for the missing shoe incident (we’ll let her off… just).

A big thank you again to everyone who played, supported, and cheered us on — especially Finch and Rachel. Onto the next one!

Ladies 4s vs Chiltern 1 - 4-1 loss

Goal scorer: Jo
Assist: Annie
Player: Jo, Jen & Kirsty
Donkey: Lisa

Broxbourne 4s travelled to Chiltern for a windy midday start — but even before the whistle, the team were on the back foot. Bewilderment set in early as the squad attempted a pre-match team talk while sharing a changing room with a county U16 cricket side. The constant sound of pad straps being undone proved a unique (and distracting) soundtrack to preparations.

Despite the unconventional start, Broxbourne began brightly, striking first within four minutes. Some slick work up the right between Rachael and Annie saw the ball played into the D, where Jo was perfectly placed to calmly slot past the keeper.

Unfortunately, the early promise was short-lived. Chiltern responded with direct play, firing long balls straight through to their forwards, and Broxbourne’s defensive lapses were punished. The sides went into half time level at 1–1.

The second half brought a few enjoyable moments — none more so than Lisa’s valiant running effort, which saw her gradually getting lower and lower in an attempt to stabilise herself, before finally succumbing to the inevitable and hitting the deck to the amusement of all.

While Broxbourne had flashes of attacking intent, Chiltern proved more clinical and made the most of their opportunities, eventually running out 4–1 winners.

Plenty to learn from — and a few laughs to take away — as Broxbourne look to regroup and bounce back next week.

Shoutout to Jazymne for making her debut with the 4s this weekend! And a huge thank you to the 5s players who stepped in to help us out — we really appreciate the support!

This weeks player(s) went to
Jo for her great shot from the floor
Jen and kirsty for their great runs

Donkey went to captain Lisa for her epic fall and for checking everyone had their water bottles but forgetting her own stick after the game.

Also if you missed it, the Ladies 4s pumpkin challenge was in full swing on Instagram.
Congratulations to Kirsty for winning with her brilliant badger pumpkin!

To see what else is happening within the team follow us on instagram (broxbourneladies4s)

Mens 3s vs Blueharts 3 - 7-1 loss

Goal scorer: Harrison
Assist: Stu
Player: Stu
Donkey: KP

Blueharts bludgeon Badgers

The M3s turned up at Hitchin for a bright lunchtime pushback, with optimism of getting something from the game, especially having been on a 3 game winning streak.
A very unusual occurrence meant that the boys had at least 15 minutes to warn up, although we still only managed to sort out the lineup with seconds to spare. The umpires gracefully asking us to get on with it.
Blueharts started with an intensity not seen by the M3s so far this season. The ball being played about like they had 5 extra men on the pitch and as though they had the pitch to themselves.
The short corner count was racking up at an alarming pace. However, some saves, blocks, and tackles kept them from scoring for at least 10 minutes.
Blueharts first goal, of many, came from a pass across the D which was finished at the back post.
Not long after, another goal came. It was rocketed, almost through Ruddy, straight into the top corner, with nothing that Simon could do about. Even Russ commended the striker on his ability.
Brox only opportunity of the half came from a Cranners smash into the D Only for KP to try and touch it in first time, which we can safely say was a bad idea, as he completely missed it.
Half time was definitely needed and couldn't come soon enough. But with some hope as it was only 2-0.
The second half was pretty much the same as the first half, only with a few more goals. An impending barrage of short corners and free hits being awarded to Blueharts. And with that, the goals came flooding in. 1 drag flick, 2 back post tap ins and 2 goals that made the defence seem invisible.
One stand-out goal was when a Blueharts attacker walked through 3 missed lunge tackles to square the ball for his fellow attacker to tap in.
The Brox highlight of the game came from a rare attack. A quick sideways ball found Kopsis, who weaved his way into the D. His strike at goal being converted by a stolen touch from Harrison.

Ladies 2s vs Saffron Walden 1 - 2-2 draw

Goal scorer: Jess x2
Assists: Gemma W x2
Player: Baz
Donkey: Isobel

Fresh from celebrating the Chapman wedding, Brox L2s arrived buzzing — partly from love, mostly from caffeine, and maybe just a bit from the previous night’s prosecco. The warm-up quickly turned into a strategy meeting for the newly proposed “Brox Dating Social,” which, let’s face it, could be the team’s most exciting event this season.

The Badgers started strong, with Jess bagging an early goal to put Brox 1–0 up at half time. Spirits were high, Gemma was already arguing with the umpire (again, captured gloriously on Insta), and Cat looked suspiciously shady behind her sunglasses — hungover or just effortlessly cool? Jury’s out.

Hannah took a ball to the head but somehow still managed to get told off by the umpire (tough crowd). Isobel, meanwhile, forgot the fines tin key and swiftly earned the “Donkey” award before we’d even hit the second half.

The team continued to dominate, and Jess struck again for her brace — clinical, classy, and just smug enough. But Saffron Walden, sitting pretty near the top of the table, weren’t going down without a fight. Two late goals brought it level at 2–2, and though Brox deserved more, a point on the road was a solid result.

Baz was named Player of the Match for rock-solid defending at right back. Grace made a welcome return, Sue smashed it in her guest appearance up front, and Kim was her usual brick wall in goal. Tors, freshly married and Dubai-bound straight after the game, proved that true commitment means squeezing in one last midfield shift before your honeymoon.

Special shout-out to Vic, who swapped shin pads for running shoes and was off smashing a half marathon instead.

So, a draw that felt a bit like a win — love was in the air, the Brox Dating Social was in the works, and the Badgers were back doing what they do best: looking great, playing great, and giving the umpire plenty to talk about.

#BadgerLove #ChapmanEffect #DatingSocialIncoming #BroxForever

Mens 1s vs Saffron Walden 1 - 6-4 win

Goal scorers: Stan, Henry, Angus, Sam W & Rob x2
Assists: Stan, Iain & Rob x2
Player: Rob
Donkey: Sam W & George
Cards: George (green)

After a tough spell for the M1s, the match against Saffron Walden was a vital game to get our season back on track. With a strong squad of 16 with newlywed Josh Chapman and an injured Sam Groves, we took to the field with determination and opened the scoring early on. After reminding the captain that he was in fact on the team sheet, Ed House stepped on to the pitch for the first time and the badgers doubled their scoring with a well-taken goal from Rob Schilling.
Despite a goal line clearance from Sam Weissen with his right shoulder (somehow missed by the umpire), the home side still managed to put the pressure on by reducing the deficit with a strike down the middle of the goal from top D. A flurry of goals in the third quarter saw Broxbourne lead 4-3 going into the last period of play with a trademark slap from Angus “Mitrovic” Scott and a well taken strike from Schilling.
Managing to handle the pressure Broxbourne managed to stay just ahead of the scoreline throughout with a fantastic team goal finished off by in-form Stan Mason. Henry House, finding himself in unknown territory at the centre of the attacking D, finally put the game to bed with a cool finish under the keeper to cement the win at 6-4. A massive step forward for the team and hopefully the start of a strong set of performances in the lead up to Christmas!

BIG BADGER NEWS!
Congratulations to Men's Club Chairman Josh & Ladies Club Captain Tor, the new Mr & Mrs Chapman who got married on Thursday 30th October. From all at Broxbourne Hockey Club, we wish you a very happy marriage and hope you have a wonderful honeymoon (back in time for hockey on Saturday of course).

Coming up this weekend...

Saturday 8th November

Home Fixtures
11.30am - Ladies 1s vs St Albans 2
1pm - Mens 2s vs St Albans 4
2.30pm - Ladies 4s vs Hertford 4

Away Fixtures
1.30pm - Ladies 5s vs Potters Bar 1
1.30pm - Ladies 3s vs Bishop's Stortford 4
2pm - Mens 1s vs Ipswich 1
4.30pm - Ladies 2s vs St Albans 3

Sunday 9th November

Home Fixtures
1.30pm - Ladies O35s vs Stevenage O35s
3pm - Mens O35s vs Chelmsford O35s