Ladies 1st Team
Matches
Sat 16 Feb 2019  ·  Premier Division
Brom & Becks 1
1
0
Broxbourne Hockey Club
Ladies 1st Team
Bromley beckons great badger performance

Bromley beckons great badger performance

Laura Wills18 Feb 2019 - 21:11
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BromBecks 1:0 Broxbourne

By Lisa Banahan

Broxbourne travelled to Brom Beck on Saturday to take on the top of the table team , hoping to better their third place position in the East Premier League. The badgers were notably concerned that self proclaimed Best Defender the League Pip Evans was not on the team sheet due to snowboarding commitments. Regular wing back Lisa Banahan had big shoes to fill in the central defence role, but what she lacked in skill she made up for with her highly acclaimed beauty, the recent victor of a local beauty competition/dog show. Manager Georgina Green was unable to make sideline, having to attend a “How to park” refresher course at her local driving school following complaints at hockey clubs nationwide. With centre midfielder Alice Brown also under the weather following her week at flu camp, to raise some much needed funds, it was always going to be a tough encounter away from home.

The Broxbourne defence were under pressure from the starting whistle, and relied on Central Defender Becky Scarrott to make some crucial tackles. Scarrott had herself come under some pressure during the week, anticipating appearing in photos beside Banahan following her success in the Hertfordshire Beauty championships. Rumours that she had signed up to an online beauty course following the announcement of the beauty competition results, have been rampant in the media, but the defender has denied any such exploits, adding that she “Would like to confirm the category Banahan had been successful in". Lucy “Bob" Hoskins made a controversial statement after the game by her choice of clothing, with a photo of Scarrott displayed on the front of her t-shirt during the post match press conference. Banahan attempted to make light of comments suggesting that the rest of the team were dubious about the authenticity of her beauty competition victory, with many, as demonstrated by Hoskins, appearing to suggest Scarrott was more deserving of the title.

Keeper Kim Hellery was called upon a number of times in the first half to keep her team in the game, against a forward line keen to whip away early shots on their reverse. The Badgers were not without opportunities themselves, having won two short corners in the first 20 minutes, courtesy of some polished skills from Gemma Wilkinson, Kerri Marshall and Charlotte Skipp. The Badgers forced a save from a straight strike but couldn’t get a stick on the rebound. Brom Beck were well organised and keen to counter attack from the break down of the short corner, leaving Banahan, Stacey and Cattermole to deal with a 5 on 3 at the back. Banahan managed to make a tackle in the D but obstructed while doing so leading to the first Brom Beck corner of the game. The Badgers maintained their excellent defensive short corner record, with Laura Wills getting to the ball first from first runner position. Alice Brown remained positive while the Badgers struggled to find space from their 16 yard hits, with her dummy disguise sweep/kick manoevre proving difficult for the opposition press to read. The half time whistle blew with both teams not managing to have converted their respective opportunities.

The second half saw both defences stretched with numerous opportunities for both sides. The Badgers defended well, with Scarrott and Cattermole making a number of crucial tackles in the D. Kim Hellery made some excellent saves as the Broxbourne defence managed a dynamic forward line. The Broxbourne midfield of Laura Wills, Emily Wilkins, Kay Finch and Alice Brown worked exceptionally hard to get back to defend, and also managed to make attacking runs to create opportunities. The best of these fell to striker Kerri Marshall who was one on one with the keeper, but unfortunately the whistle blew for a previous foul on her, without her having an opportunity to capitalise on her advantage. Laura Wills again put Marshall through from a free from the left hand side of the D, but the whistle again blew, with Wills judged to have not travelled 5 meters before playing the ball in.

The only goal of the game however, came from a counter attack following a Broxbourne short corner, with the Broxbourne defense completely overloaded on their left hand side following a quickly taken 16. The finish left Hellery with no chance , the ball ending up in the top right corner.

The Badgers fought hard in the last ten minutes, with Emily Wilkins making a 75 yard run with the ball and Charlotte Skipp making an excellent run in front of goal, but the ball defecting on to her foot before she could get the shot away. It wasn’t to be for the visitors however, who had put up an excellent performance for the full 70 minutes, but went unrewarded points wise.

The Badgers have a week off to regroup and face Norwich City at home in 2 weeks’ time. Unfortunately they will be without the stick blocking skills of Gemma Wilkinson, who is attending the 70th birthday party of a school friend in Brighton. It is all to play for in the East Prem promotion battle, but the Badgers will need to secure a win to keep their promotion hopes alive.

Match details

Match date

Sat 16 Feb 2019

Kickoff

12:30

Competition

Premier Division
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