Broxbourne 4s returned to league action on Saturday morning, welcoming Letchworth 5s to Broxbourne for the first fixture of the day. Following a well-deserved break over half-term, the team arrived full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to get back out on the hockey pitch.

It was also a busy day for the squad, with six players offering to double up for the Men’s 5s team in their late-afternoon fixture away at Shefford and Sandy!

There were some welcome familiar faces returning to the squad, with our usual goalkeeper Ryan back between the posts. Broxbourne also welcomed back Rory and Samuel, who came in to help strengthen the squad ahead of their own fixture later in the day.

The team was further bolstered by Angus, Stu and Kev, who stepped in to add depth and experience across the defensive and attacking lineups. We also welcomed Martin Nash into midfield, making his return to hockey after a period away from the game.

The defensive setup saw Stu take up the centre-back position alongside Kieron O, with Kev regularly rotating into the position. Samuel and Joseph provided the options at full-back, helping to give the team a solid defensive foundation.

In midfield, Martin Nash, Danny, Harrison and Rich formed the central unit, with Rory rotating in whenever needed. Up front, Symon P and Angus provided the attacking options.

First Half

Broxbourne started brightly, putting together some excellent leads up the lines, with Rich and Harrison doing a great job of spreading the play and moving the ball up the pitch.

Danny and Martin Nash were distributing the ball confidently, finding the full-backs and wingers and helping Broxbourne maintain possession and build attacks. Symon kept the Letchworth defence occupied, while Angus was constantly darting into space, receiving the ball and delivering it out towards the wingers in the corners.

This attacking movement opened up plenty of space for Rich, Harrison and Rory to push forward, link up with the forwards and get into dangerous positions around the D. Broxbourne were moving the ball well, stretching the opposition and putting together some promising attacking passages, but unfortunately couldn’t quite find the finishing touch.

The team continued to work hard across the pitch, creating opportunities and keeping Letchworth under pressure. Despite the positive start and some encouraging attacking hockey, neither side managed to find the breakthrough before the interval.

Half-time: Broxbourne 0–0 Letchworth

Second Half

Following a positive half-time team talk from Rich and Jason, the team regrouped to highlight the positives from the opening 35 minutes, while identifying a few areas to improve. Broxbourne headed back onto the pitch ready to go again.

The second half started strongly, with some excellent hits from Stu and Kev finding our wingers and forwards, helping to stretch the play and create more attacking opportunities.

The breakthrough finally came in the 45th minute. Rich picked up the ball out on the wing, carried it forward and fired a dangerous ball across the face of goal. Symon was perfectly positioned to meet it, calmly dinking the ball into the bottom corner.

GOAL! Broxbourne 1–0 Letchworth – Symon P (45’)

With the first goal on the board, Broxbourne continued with the same confidence and determination.

Five minutes later, Letchworth received a green card, giving Broxbourne a short spell with a timed advantage. Broxbourne were quick to make the most of the opportunity, putting the pressure straight back on the opposition.

In the 51st minute, Angus picked up possession in midfield and drove confidently into the D before unleashing a shot. The Letchworth goalkeeper managed to get a stick to it, but could only parry the ball away, leaving Harrison perfectly placed to finish and send the ball into the bottom corner.

GOAL! Broxbourne 2–0 Letchworth – Harrison (51’)

With two goals now separating the sides, Broxbourne continued to press, while Letchworth picked up further cards as the game progressed.

The third goal came in the 61st minute following another excellent attacking move. Rory collected the ball out on the wing and drove forward into the attacking area before linking up with Symon. Symon played the ball back into Rory’s path, leaving him with an open goal to finish off the move.

GOAL! Broxbourne 3–0 Letchworth – Rory (61’)

Later on Angus managed to get a green card for ongoing conflict on the pitch.

With a comfortable three-goal lead, Broxbourne continued to control the game in stages. The team held onto possession well and created several more attacking opportunities, continuing to push forward in search of another goal. Unfortunately, none of these final chances found the back of the net, but it didn’t take anything away from what had been an excellent team performance from everyone.

As the final whistle went, Broxbourne could celebrate a well-earned 3–0 victory over Letchworth 5s.

Full-time: Broxbourne 4s 3–0 Letchworth 5s

A special thank you goes to everyone who came in to help strengthen the squad and make the fixture possible. In particular, Rory and Samuel for stepping in to support us, along with Martin Nash, Kev, Angus and Stu, who all came in to bolster the team. Their willingness to help out and support the club was greatly appreciated, especially with several players also offering to double up later in the day.

Man of the Match – Angus

Man of the Match was deservedly awarded to Angus for his outstanding all-round performance. His work rate across the pitch, ability to distribute the ball effectively and constant attacking threat, including several shots on goal, made him a standout performer throughout the match.

Final Thoughts

A fantastic performance from the whole squad, with huge effort, commitment and determination shown from the first whistle right through to the final whistle. The team worked hard for one another, created plenty of opportunities and, most importantly, kept a clean sheet while putting three goals past Letchworth.

A great way to return from the half-term break, with three goals, a clean sheet and three well-deserved points for Broxbourne 4s!

Ladies 5s vs Royston 2 - 0-0 draw
Player: Evalyn & Sienna
Donkey: Daniela

A lovely sunny morning at Badger’s Den, not a ghost in sight! In fact, the only clue it was Halloween was spectator, Rachael BA’s face which had been skillfully painted to set the scene.
Following on from the men’s 4s feisty game the ladies 5s brought some calmness back to the pitch and Tess was in the correctly coloured kit, so who might be donkey?
The Royston team were mainly very young, fit and skillful so we had a tough game on our hands. The play was fast paced and end to end, just what we didn’t need after a week’s break and little training. However, we upped our game to match theirs. The defence of Lorraine, Annie, Mumma B, and Sharon thwarted their attacks and Alisha in goal put pay to any shots that came her way. In midfield, Tess, Rachel E, Shannon and Sienna (in her debut adult match) proved equal to the opposition. They created some lovely passes and runs to feed the forwards, Daniella, Evalyn, Aimee and Milly. Unfortunately, Royston's defence were as good at thwarting us as we them. Not long before half time, we had a free hit which Tess lined up to take, planning to hit it straight into the D, a loud shout of “you can’t hit it directly in!” came from Daniella, to which we all looked amazed as Tess was not in the last 23m. Definitely a donkey contender.
We were very happy to have Tara coaching from the sidelines, and we all appreciated her words of wisdom at half time.
The second half was very similar to the first. We had a couple of corners but couldn’t make them count. It remained fast paced and with a few minutes to go Royston piled on the pressure, with a few corners of their own but Alisha remained in control and kept a clean sheet.
A point won and overall, very encouraging play from everyone. As Tara said, we created some lovely passes and moves, and we all fought to the end and didn’t give up. Let’s hope we can carry that forward to next week’s game against the second in the league.
Player votes went to Evalyn and Sienna for their confident play in a tough game.
Donkey, no-one could outdo Daniella’s comment to Tess, so she reluctantly took the award.

Ladies 1s vs Ipswich 1 - 3-1 loss
Goal scorer: Cate
Assist: Ellie
Player: Meg T
Donkey: Cate

The week kicked off with a literal bang thanks to Stan’s brilliant training-ground fireworks display, setting an appropriately explosive stage for Saturday. But the true terrifying vibes began long before the opening whistle, when Cate decided her pre-match warm-up would consist of surviving an actual car crash on the way to the pitch.

The match itself started in truly shaky fashion. The defense found themselves taking hit after brutal hit as the Ipswich ladies came out buzzing. Two sneaky deflections later, we were down and floating in spooky, dangerous waters, not helped by their forward's intense celebrations.Thankfully, Lily pulled off a series of absolutely insane saves to keep us afloat - we’ll forget about that flick….

Then came our moment of resurrection: Ellie saved the day by battling through the chaos and winning a glorious penalty flick! But despite a massive fightback from the squad, Ipswich managed to score again and even the umpires who let off many a stick tackle couldn't stop it going in. When the final whistle blew, Man of the Match went to Meg T—a spellbinding performance that was hella well-deserved!

Post-match, the emotional damage only continued. It was Lara’s final match before her big move to Canada (RIP Lara, we’ll miss you so much!). However, Lara chose her final moments on British soil to commit the ultimate act of betrayal: leaking the fact that Cate failed her driving test because of a senile woman—a topic that remains a VERY touchy subject. Al left too quickly to rescue baby darcie that we’ll never know if she is the real snitch. On the bright side, while Lara flies off across the Atlantic, her mum is still contractually bound as team physio and will be forced to watch every single match for eternity.

The squad wrapped up the afternoon watching the men's team match while waiting patiently for the night's spooky festivities to begin. Ellie was locked in as the Tinman, but did Lara step up as the Cowardly Lion before her flight to Canada? And more importantly... was there actually enough green eyeshadow in the Northern Hemisphere for Vic?

Mens 1s vs Pelicans 1 - 6-4 loss
Goal scorers: Stan, Sam x2, Eddie
Assists: Stan, Sam, Toby & Hal
Player: Eddie
Donkey: Elliott CJ & Ed
Cards: Ed (green, yellow), Elliott CJ (yellow)

A frustrating result in an important home fixture as we fell to a 6-4 defeat against Pelicans.

We made a great start, taking the lead early, but two late goals in the first quarter shifted the momentum. The second quarter proved costly, with a yellow card and two penalty flicks conceded as the game began to slip away from us.

The second half was a much-improved performance. Despite picking up two more cards and having to contend with some questionable umpiring decisions, we showed great character and fought our way back into the game, closing the gap to 5-4.

We created some big opportunities in the closing stages but unfortunately couldn’t find the equaliser, before conceding late on to make it 6-4.

Plenty to take from an improved second-half performance, with some excellent man-of-the-match displays from Eddie and Sam, as well as another well-taken goal from Stan. Ultimately, though, a disappointing result. Our focus now turns to next week and a must-win away fixture against Norwich. Time to regroup and put things right.

Ladies 4s vs Letchworth 4 - 2-1 win
Goal scorer: Zara x2
Assists: Jo & Alice W
Player: Zara
Donkey: Jaz

Well, if you think ghosts and ghouls are scary, try getting a hockey team together for a 4pm pushback on Halloween, and miraculously Lisa somehow managed to conjure up twelve players before kickoff which was honestly more impressive than any magic spell. To start things off in the changing rooms, Jaz and Imogen revealed their brilliant plan to ghost us last minute, apparently deciding Halloween plans were obviously far more important than turning up, though it turns out being one of the only people who actually bothered to show up does sort of matter, who knew? (Thankfully they both did turn up) Speaking of things that went missing today, Jaz forgot her shin pads, classic Jaz behaviour, so if you see her dodging tackles like her life depends on it, that is not skill, that is pure panic.

We eventually made it to the pitch only for the men’s 1s game to run ridiculously overtime, meaning we started late and Imogen naturally had to leave halfway through, just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse Jaz miraculously dug out a pair of shin pads from Cerys, so thank you for saving the day.

We warmed up with some Halloween tunes to pretend we were actually in the spirit, then the match got underway and we started pretty well, in the 14th minute Zara smacked one beautifully into the net with a great assist from Jo so we were one nil up, while Ems was running the sidelines like some sort of tactical mastermind shouting instructions and waving her arms around looking significantly more organised than the rest of us combined.

At half time we had a great team talk and headed back out, only for Talyssa to realise she’d hurt herself but she soldiers on and with Imogen gone we were down to a very bare eleven, then Lisa decided she’d take over in goal from Kate, and let’s just say Lisa, stick to what you know because goalkeeping is definitely not it. Letchworth got a penalty flick and scored in the 48th minute just what we needed, and as if things weren’t spooky enough Katie got hit on the knee with the ball and had to come off so we were down to ten players, proper Halloween nightmare material, but somehow that just made us even more determined, Zara scored another absolute cracker with an assist from Alice in the 65th minute so it was two one, and before long the final whistle blew and honestly, we did it, down to ten players and we still somehow won. Player of the match obviously went to Zara for those incredible goals, and the donkey award goes to Jaz, for somehow managing to forget her shin pads on Halloween of all days.

Ladies 3s vs Bedford 4 - 4-2 win
Goal scorers: Cerys x2, Fixy & Hannah
Assists: Hannah, Cerys & Em
Player: Hannah
Donkey: Cerys

There was certainly a spooky atmosphere surrounding Broxbourne on Halloween, although perhaps not quite the one the Badgers had planned for! Thanks to a jam-packed fixture schedule and a few late starters, the dreaded 5.30pm pushback gradually crept towards 6pm. Thankfully, Bedford were understanding, despite their lengthy journey and the prospect of a rather late departure from Broxbourne on this frightful night.

As the evening wore on, the crowds that had gathered for the earlier Ladies 1s and Men's 1s fixtures had gradually disappeared into the Halloween night, leaving the Ladies 3xi with a rather more select audience! Spectators were certainly few and far between by the time we took to the pitch, but a huge thank you to those hardy souls who stuck around to cheer us on. Your support was very much appreciated – even if the rest of Broxbourne had seemingly vanished into the darkness (and to the beer pong table).

The Badgers knew they had a frighteningly tough challenge ahead. Bedford had come down from the league above and were sitting second in the table, with just a single point separating the two sides. There was little room for any Halloween tricks if Broxbourne wanted to come away with the treats!

After a few last-minute squad changes (well done Finch for the late night logistical work) including the welcome addition of Kirsty, who decided she could leave Cornwall, wait a few more weeks until her next holiday and make an earlier-than-planned return, the Badgers were relieved to have a squad of 13. This was particularly important when Bedford revealed their rather more substantial numbers.

There was also the added pressure of following the dramatic last-minute winner secured by Broxbourne Ladies 4xi in the fixture before. Congratulations to the Ladies Fours for getting the Halloween celebrations off to such a cracking start. No pressure, then, Ladies 3s!

The whistle blew and the game got underway at a frightening intensity. Broxbourne came out with all guns blazing, taking the game to Bedford from the outset. Both sides showed plenty of physicality, determination and an appetite for possession, but some slick, swift passing from the Badgers began to expose gaps in the Bedford defence.

The first breakthrough came in the 11th minute, with a fantastic assist from Cerys finding Fixy, who made no mistake with a superb finish to send the ball into the back of the net. The Badgers had their first treat of the evening!

Barely three minutes later, Broxbourne struck again! The momentum was firmly with the home side as they found their second goal from Hannah, leaving Bedford with a mountain to climb and the Badgers firmly in control of the scoreboard.
Despite Bedford looking to claw their way back into the contest, Broxbourne held firm, defending resolutely and working hard across the pitch. The half-time whistle arrived with the Badgers sitting comfortably at 2–0.

Following a positive half-time team talk from Tara and Em, the message was clear: stick to the passing game, keep moving the ball, breakthrough the defensive ring and Bedford would struggle to get a foothold in the match. The Badgers took this advice firmly on board and returned to the pitch with exactly the same determination and tenacity.

It didn't take long for the scoreboard to change again, with Broxbourne striking just two minutes into the second half! A controversial goal from Cerys, saw the Badgers extend their lead to 3–0. Bedford were certainly not getting any Halloween treats from this particular defence!

The Badgers weren't finished there! Just three minutes later, Cerys found the back of the net for a fourth time, extending their lead to 4–0 from a short corner and putting themselves in a very comfortable position. With the game seemingly under control, the Badgers looked set to see out the remaining minutes without too much drama. However, Bedford clearly hadn't read the script...

In the final six minutes, Bedford decided to add a little horror to proceedings. A late tackle led to a defensive short corner, from which Bedford produced a fantastic deflection to get themselves on the scoreboard. Three minutes later, they found the net again, bringing the score to 4–2 and giving the Badgers a slightly uncomfortable final few minutes.

Thankfully, there was no full-blown Halloween horror story ending, and the final whistle confirmed a well-deserved victory for Broxbourne Ladies 3s.

It was certainly not a frightful end to what had already been a very long day for some of the team, particularly Tara, who had managed to coach the Ladies Fives, supported both Ladies and Men’s 1xi, umpired the Ladies Fours and then take to the pitch with the Threes! We're not entirely sure whether she deserves a medal, a large glass of something or simply a lie down!

A huge thank you must also go to our umpires, Stuart and Josh, who really did take on the graveyard shift (all Halloween puns intended!) by agreeing to umpire this late-night fixture. Standing out in the cold and darkness and postponing your Halloween celebrations so that we could play our game is no small ask, so hopefully the post-match pints went some way towards expressing our gratitude for giving up their evening. It certainly was appreciated.

Champagne Moment: Em, for her fantastic drilled ball from one end of the pitch to the other. An absolute beauty and certainly worthy of popping the bubbly!

The Badgers were absolutely thrilled to secure the win and maintain their position at the top of the table, extending their lead slightly in the process. Against a strong Bedford side, this was a result built on hard work, commitment and, most importantly, teamwork.

In fact, the teamwork was so evident that it was even complimented by both our coach and the umpires – praise which is always welcome and certainly does wonders for morale!

This match was proof that teamwork really does make the dream work. Four goals, three points and top of the table – not a bad Halloween haul for the Badgers!

Away Fixtures

Ladies 2s vs Letchworth 2 - 5-2 win
Goal scorers: Box x2, Gemma W, Amy & Charlotte
Assists: Box, Charlotte, Grace R x2, Bob
Player: Box
Donkey: Box

Broxbourne arrived at Letchworth with two games to play. One required teamwork, trust and loyalty. The other required looking your teammates in the eye as you prepared to stab them in the back.

Letchworth drew first blood with a suspiciously good goal. But Aimee stabbed straight back to bring us level. The team then completed the entirely unassigned mission of winning 57 short corners. Eventually, Graice R found Bocs for a cunning deflection. A successful execution at last.

Charlot (voted our most faithful player) was soon back to her usual tricks, with a goal assisted by Bocs. The spirit of Claudia then took over and missed two open goals. Thankfully, Charlot set up Bocs for her second.

Jem completed the scoring with an absolute blinder from a seemingly impossible angle. Rumour has it she was passing to Charlotte, but her true intentions remain a mystery. Eventually Letchworth’s fate was sealed with a 5–2 win for the Faithfuls.

Off the pitch, suspicions were mounting. Three players attempted a post-match jog before Baaz swiftly shut it down. An innocent warm-down or a clandestine turret meeting? Accusations flew. Ross Kempish paranoia was rife.

Claudia briefly forgot whether she was 27 or 54, as her Wikipedia bio suggests. Maintaining a double life was clearly taking its toll.

Meanwhile, Grayce C celebrated her birthday with chocolate cake. But as everyone tucked in, one question remained: had it been poisoned?

Today’s hockey may be over, but the game has just begun.

Mens 2s vs Hertford 3 - 4-3 win
Goal scorers: Baller x3, Jack
Assists: Sully x2, Sam S & A Law
Player: Baller
Donkey: Dan Henry

It was local derby day for Broxbourne as they made the short trip to Hertford, looking to bounce back following a slip week.

In a rare occurrence, there was no match scheduled before ours, meaning plenty of time for pre-match preparation, tactical discussions and a good warm-up.
Alex Satwick nearly found himself in the umpire’s book before a ball had even been struck, following a questionable choice of toilet. Thankfully, the umpire showed some leniency.

The game got underway in unorthodox fashion, with Broxbourne starting brightly, moving the ball around confidently and winning an early short corner. Drag-flick specialist Dan Ball stepped up and delivered a brilliant effort into the roof of the net, with Sully stepping up as the stopper today.

Hertford responded shortly afterwards, punishing some questionable defending from captain Dan Henry. Allowing his forward to drift past him before playing a ball across to the striker, Dan appeared to be operating with extreme vision, seemingly only able to make out the colour of the Hertford forward’s laces rather than the ball itself.

Broxbourne responded well and won another short corner. Baller and Sully combined once again, with the resulting effort brilliantly finding its way past the keeper to restore Broxbourne’s advantage.

Broxbourne looked comfortable throughout the remainder of the half, creating plenty of opportunities and keeping the Hertford goalkeeper extremely busy. Sam expertly picked out Dan Ball in the D, who continued his superb afternoon in front of goal and could arguably have finished the game with six. His finishing was once again top quality.

Half-time arrived with Broxbourne holding a comfortable 3-1 lead.

The captain then made the decision to substitute himself, citing fitness concerns. These were believed to stem from an extensive scouting mission of Hertford’s local establishments, most notably Jungle Bar, which had apparently continued into the early hours of the morning. The captain had clearly been working hard gathering intelligence on the opposition.

Broxbourne started the second half poorly and were made to pay, with Hertford scoring twice to bring themselves right back into the contest and set up a nervy finish.

However, Broxbourne gradually grew back into the game and continued to create chances. With just two minutes remaining, a brilliant piece of individual play from Sully saw him drive into the D before unleashing a tomahawk effort. Jack Price was perfectly positioned to provide the finishing touch with a deflection, sending the ball into the net and sparking celebrations.

Broxbourne had nicked it! Full time 4-3

The drama, however, wasn’t quite over for the captain.

Matters took another turn in the clubhouse, where he nearly managed to slip over and land in front of Sam while entering the shower. Following teas, he began to realise that his eyes were feeling particularly sore. A trip to the toilets to remove his contact lenses revealed the shocking truth: not only had he slept in the same pair of lenses he had worn on his night out, but he had also put another pair in before leaving the house for the match.

Suddenly, his questionable positioning, defensive awareness and apparent 5x magnification throughout the game all began to make sense.

A day to forget for the captain, who now finds himself on back-to-back D.O.D. awards, alongside some questionable defending and a particularly memorable run with his shin pads falling out.

Man of the Match: Dan Ball

A thoroughly deserved award for Baller, whose relentless finishing, attacking threat and overall quality made him the standout performer. A superb display from the forward, who could easily have walked away with even more goals.

Broxbourne now turn their attention to next week’s huge top-of-the-table clash against Bedford at home.

Mens 3s vs Bedford 3 - 5-0 loss
Player: Stapes
Donkey: Harrison L

A tough day at the office for Broxbourne away at Bedford. The hosts started on top and won a number of short corners. One struck Hugh on the line, resulting in a penalty stroke, but Stapes made a superb save to keep it out.

Bedford continued to have the better of the first half and went into the break 2–0 ahead. The second half followed a similar pattern. Our defence and midfield worked hard under sustained pressure, but Bedford’s quality shone through and they ran out 5–0 winners.

Luke, Cranners and Geezer battled away against a strong Bedford outfit, while Stapes made some excellent saves throughout. Thanks to Ollie Wilkinson and James Bouttell for helping us out with the numbers on the day. A difficult result, but everyone kept working until the final whistle.

Mens 5s Dev vs Shefford & Sandy 4 Dev
Goal scorer: Danny M
Assist: Joseph G
Player: Samuel F

Broxbourne started fast. Oliver tore up the right wing for an early chance, and it was so exciting that Harrison took a tumble just watching it unfold. The Shefford & Sandy keeper was busy straight away, keeping out three efforts in a row before conceding a short corner, which the hosts defended well.

S&S soon replied. A ball pinged in from the right wing found an attacker who missed by inches, and the crowd gasped. After an even spell, the hosts piled on the pressure, but Tom was masterful in the Broxbourne goal. He saved once, then saved again.

Broxbourne broke out of their own area in style. Oliver chased the ball down like lightning on the right and fired it into Joseph who sent it into the D, and **Danny M was there to smash it home. 1–0 Broxbourne.**

The visitors were enjoying themselves now. Harrison showed great skill to keep the ball in on the left, and the passing across the pitch was crisp. Rory took a long corner and Joseph fed it into the D, but the keeper held firm. Then came three short corners in a row. Rory was tackled on the retake, and on the third attempt Danny G got to the ball, but Danny M couldn't quite reach it. So close.

At the back, Ian took a tumble worthy of a stuntman. Ryan intercepted and sent an aerial into midfield, and Joseph found Oliver, who just couldn't get onto the end of it.

As the mist rolled in and the temperature dropped, S&S turned the screw. Tom produced one diving save after another, and Broxbourne clung on. Short corners kept arriving like buses, and Ian was a brick wall every time. Joseph then threaded the ball through to Oliver on the break, and his shot went narrowly wide. Oliver was so committed in the box that he lost a shoe.

After five minutes of yo-yo hockey, Danny G smashed the ball into the D but nobody could get a touch. At the other end Ian lost his stick, and S&S finally found a way past Tom for the first time all day. **1–1.**

S&S nearly went ahead straight away with a one-on-one, but Tom stood tall again. Danny was everywhere, covering midfield and defence, and Ian kept the ball out of danger. Danny found Joseph, who lofted a lovely ball to Oliver, but he couldn't quite finish, and another shot was saved. Just before the break, Oliver picked up a knock and hobbled off, leaving Broxbourne with ten.

Half-time: 1–1.

It was bitterly cold as the second half began, and Broxbourne started with ten. Joseph moved to the right wing. The hosts came out with early pressure and an early break, but Broxbourne kept them out.

On the right, the brothers Isaac and Joseph worked the ball down the wing together. Their nice interplay with Ryan moved it into midfield, and some classy passing followed.

A quieter spell followed. Broxbourne kept the ball out of their own D, and Harrison ran it up the pitch, but he couldn't get past halfway before S&S won it back. Then, to everyone's relief, Oliver returned to the pitch and Broxbourne were back to eleven.

The game was evenly balanced, but there was a bit too much pressure in the Broxbourne D for comfort, and the visitors found it hard to get up the pitch. Joseph changed that with a mazy run up the wing into the S&S area. Broxbourne began to dominate by spreading out and taking more care with their passing. Oliver pushed up to the right wing and Joseph moved back to attacking midfield.

By now the mist was so thick that visibility was very poor indeed. It felt properly spooky, and everyone hoped it wouldn't turn into a horror show for Broxbourne. With the ball almost impossible to see, it was a mystery how the umpire was following the play.

Danny G was everywhere in midfield. He sent a great ball to Oliver, who carried it into the D, and Broxbourne kept feeding it in without quite finding the finish. At the other end, a frightening S&S break was snuffed out by Ian, who kept his stick this time.

Broxbourne were playing with real intent now and pumped ball after ball into the D. Isaac was superb at right back, appearing from nowhere to win the ball with real skill. Danny M made a storming run the length of the pitch, and Oliver missed by a whisker. The play was frantic, with lovely skills on display from both sides.

Then S&S surged forward and won a short corner, the last thing anyone wanted in the cold and the mist. Broxbourne kept it out and played some nice hockey back up the pitch, but it went out for another short corner to S&S that Broxbourne didn't deserve to concede. A melee in the D followed. Ian went down, got up and went down again, and the ball went out for yet another short corner. This time it was kept out once, then hit straight back in. **2–1 to Shefford & Sandy.** It was absolutely gutting.

The final whistle blew, but there was still one short corner to play, a last chance for Broxbourne. The ball was injected and rebounded out to Isaac, whose shot couldn't quite find the target. That was the end of the match.

It was a disappointing result after a strong, spirited performance, with Tom heroic in goal and Ian a rock at the back. At least it finished in plenty of time for everyone to go trick-or-treating.

Player of the match was voted pitch side and went to Samuel F, for a solid performance!

Halloween Event
Great to see some excellent costumes at the club's Halloween Event on Saturday evening. Our next club social is 21st November, and the theme is wacky shirts! Would be great to have attendance from all teams and see you there for a few drinks!

Coming up next weekend...

Saturday 7th November
Home Fixtures
10am - Mens 5s Dev vs Hertford 7 Dev
12pm - Ladies 1s vs City of Peterborough 1
1.30pm - Ladies 2s vs Bedford 3
3pm - Ladies 5s vs Luton Town 2
4.30pm - Mens 2s vs Bedford 3

Away Fixtures
10am - Mens 4s vs Luton Town 3
1.30pm - Mens 3s vs Blueharts 5
2.30pm - Mens 1s vs Norwich City 2
4.45pm - Ladies 3s vs Blueharts 3
5pm - Ladies 4s vs Harpenden 3

Sunday 8th November
Home Fixtures
Women's O35s vs St Albans O35s

Upcoming Matches

Broxbourne 5 Development

Southgate M7 Development