The Ladies 1s arrived in Ashford determined to start Sally’s birthday celebrations off in style. After a few weeks of disappointing score lines the ladies were keen to change the currently trajectory.

After a good warm up and some halloween haribo, the match started with great linking play in all areas of the pitch. Jilly, Vicky, Sally and Sue worked hard to create space and link up some great triangles of play. Sarah MB played a great role in leading the defensive players throughout the match, ensuring the opposition were marked. The game had a fair few short corners and unfortunately Ashford started the scoring with a well executed short corner routine which ended up seeing a deflection off an Ashford stick in to the back of the net. Blackheath defence agreed it was a great goal and quickly re-set.

At half time the team had a re-shuffle with the ever versatile Karen moving from the attacking line to the defence. Kathryn moved in to mid-field and worked with Jenna and Karen up the left side of the pitch, determined to pull back a win.

The tables turned and Blackheath soon earned themselves an attacking short corner. Karen stepped up to take the strike, after a great stop by Vicky the ball was fired to the left post, where Emma was perfectly positioned to deflect the goal in to the net. Blackheath had equalised in much the same way that Ashford had scored earlier in the match, the Blackheath ladies keen to show they were still very much in the game.

Later in the second half some great linking play from Jenny at the back, all the way through the midfield and up to the forward line of Emma, Jenna and Lucy put great pressure on the Ashford defence. Sarah Bancroft played a key role in midfield getting back to defend as well as putting great pressure on the Ashford attack in their attempts to move down the left side of the pitch. Jenna played excellently in the second half particularly, and within the space of a few minutes had made a great defensive run back to support Karen and Jenny to break down some Ashford attacking play. Then she was back in position in our attacking D to score a superb goal giving Blackheath the lead.

The team were happy to be celebrating Sally’s birthday with a win and hope that this marks a change in the fortune of the ladies 1s as they move in to the second half of the autumn term.

MoM was birthday girl Sally
DoD was Vicky for her naughty green card