Wednesday, 23rd November

Hockey v Vinehall
Under 11        Lost 0-6         
Wracked by illness, the team tried very hard this afternoon. Players ended up out of position, both forward and back and left to right. Unfortunately we reverted to making life difficult for ourselves by continually giving the opposition the ball and biffing the ball up the middle, instead of using the wings to create angles and opportunites.

The stars of the afternoon were Mollie Beale, who kept seizing what initiative there was and bolstered both defence and attack, and Georgie O’Brien, who ran like the wind, even after receiving an audible crack across the knee.  EG

Under 10        Lost 1-3          
This was a fantastic match to end the season. It was the best that the U10 girls have ever played. In the first third, Vinehall’s confidence shone through and with relative ease, they scored two early goals. Ashdown stepped up to the challenge and played some excellent hockey for the remainder of the match. As winter illness claimed Nastia, we were a little light in defence but Momoko’s tackling has really improved and she was totally involved in the game. Lucy worked hard too, clearing the ball with strength and accuracy. Scarlett scored a wonderful goal in the final minute. This was much deserved as Ashdown had a number of near misses earlier in the game. Man of the match: Scarlett Fox    VR

Wednesday, 16th November

East Grinstead U-13 Hockey Tournament

1^st VII 5th (DG)

Hockey v Marlborough House
Under 11 Drew 1-1

We played the first part of this match rather like a lot of headless chickens running around a farmyard, but not as organised. But then, bit by bit, the players learned their roles and  and tried to put our training to use in the match. Georgie and Chloe, in particular, developed a good attacking partnership which resulted in Chloe crossing the ball in from the right and Georgie scoring a text book goal. Unfortunately Elena, our new star find in goal, just lifted her foot at the wrong moment and the opposition scored. This was probably a fair reflection of a well-balanced, enjoyable match.  EG

Thursday, 10th November

Copthorne U-13 Girls’ Indoor Hockey Tournament

1^st VI 5th
Ashdown made the perfect start to their first match. Tilly Butcher passed the ball from left back to Katerina Mathison playing centre, who turned strongly and passed the ball off the boards to Lily Innes who beat the defender with pace and crossed for Grace Chatty to score a simply outstanding ‘text book’ goal! Brambletye however have decent indoor credentials and scored two very good short corners and one field goal and deservedly won 3–1. At six minutes per match the games came fast and furious. Next opponents were the hosts. A cracking match ensued and finished 0–0. Holly Allen played particularly well at left back and Aimee de Havas made two crucial saves. The final pool match was against a strong Hurst side. It was possibly our best match and we created the more clear cut chances but could not score. The game ended rather frustratingly 0–0 once again. Having finished third in our pool the final game of the evening was for overall 5^th or 6^th place against Cumnor House. It was another excellent match with both teams creating a few good chances. The winner came with just one minute left on the clock as Lily Innes finished a lovely passing move between Katerina and Grace. A deserved win made all the more enjoyable having lost quite heavily to Cumnor in the outdoor match last week. 5^th position out of the 8 schools was in fact an excellent result. Well played girls. DG

Wednesday, 9th November

Hockey v St Bede’s

1^st XI Lost 0-5
We played this match at the senior school, and in thirds to benefit from more feedback between sessions. St Bede’s are always strong, so we would have to work hard. It was therefore a bit of shame that we didn’t to start with; but the players hadn’t been in this format before and one or two were in unfamiliar positions. We made life difficult for ourselves by initially handing the ball back to the opposition. But, throughout the afternoon the players learned to play more expansively, guard the ball and pass hard and accurately. Aimee de Havas kept the scoreline down in goal, and special mention should go to Grace Chattey for listening to advice and doing the right things. EG

Under 11 Lost 0-5
St Bede’s made a quick start and were soon 2 – 0 up. Ashdown struggled to transfer the ball successfully from the defence into the midfield and found themselves under immense pressure. The half time score was 5 – 0. Chloe Yorke and Georgie O’ Brien worked tirelessly in the second half and Mollie Beale made a few vital interceptions. Final score 6 – 0 after a much better second half. DG

Under 10 Lost 0-6

Wednesday, 2nd November

Hockey v Cumnor House

1st VII Lost 1-6

Cumnor scored first in a closely contested first third that ended with s superb run down the right by Katerina Mathison who crossed for Lily Innes to score the equaliser. The second third saw Cumnor control the mid field and create more opportunities. At the end of the second third they were 3 -1 up. Holly Allen and Tilly Butcher defended well and cleared the ball with more confidence. The final third was a fairly close affair and the difference was that Cumnor simply took their chances with more composure. DG

Under 11 Lost 3-5
We played this match in thirds (as did the 1st VII) so that more feedback could be given to the players. We won the toss and came out strongly, but lost shape towards the end of the third. Confidence dipped a little in the second third, and this resulted in a corresponding loss of form and organisation. Despite this, though, Chloe Yorke and Mollie Beale (our former goalkeeper!) scored a goal each. Scarlett Fox and Elizabeth McCarthy had come up from the U10s, as had our star defender, Lucy Hargrave. CH were relentless at times and could have scored more goals.

The third third was a different story. We regrouped and played with purpose and tenacity. Not all the passes came through, but this was still a vast improvement on what had gone before – in fact as it should be, our best hockey yet. Georgie O’ Brien scored our final goal. EG

Saturday, 15th October

Hockey v Brambletye

1st VII Lost 0-5 (DG)

2nd VII Lost 0-4

The 2nd VII were not at their strongest against Brambletye and they did well to hold the opposition to only four goals. The first half was spent entirely in Brambletye’s attacking ‘D’. Georgie made some excellent saves, using both her feet and stick. She came out of the goal to threaten Brambletye’s centre forward and she made sure to block the ball before kicking. A fantastic effort from an inexperienced goalkeeper. Ashdown could not keep possession of the ball but they worked tirelessly in defence.

In the second half, Ashdown had three or four opportunities to score. Each time, Libby managed to send the ball deep, where it was received by Helena and taken quickly into the ‘D’. She was supported well by Bota and Sasha but, lacking confidence in their hits, they took the ball too close to the defenders who tackled efficiently. In pushing up the field, spaces were created in our defence. Alexandra and Libby struggled against a strong attack. Brambletye scored three more goals, two of them in the last five minutes. A good effort against a strong side. Man of the match: Sasha Nikolaeva VR
Saturday, 8th October

Hockey v Holmewood House
1^st VII Drew 1-1
Ashdown was involved in a cracking match with Holmewood and the 1–1 scoreline reflected a close contest between the two sides. Tilly Butcher and Georgie Higson-Smith were superb at the back and well supported by Annabel Hickson in the mid field. Grace Chatty showed great progress throughout the match at left mid field and took up fantastic supporting positions in attack. Katerina Mathison proved very effective on the right and was crucial to our attacking pattern. It was, rather fittingly, one of her crosses that Lily Innes finished to score our goal. Holmewood came back and levelled and, had it not been for a few excellent saves towards the latter stages of the match, we may have lost this one. So all in all a fair result. Well played girls. DG

2^nd VII Lost 0-6
Considering how depleted we were, this was really a third or fourth team. That said, they put in a gutsy performance, even as the goals came in against them. The second half was much better as players learned their roles on the job in unaccustomed positions. We even had a couple of opportunities at the HH goal, but do not yet have the experience or skill level to capitalise on them. The main thing is that every player learned something from the afternoon and walked off the pitch a better player than when they walked on. EG

Under 11 Lost 0-1
This was a closely-fought contest between two well-matched sides. The ball travelled up and down the pitch, as the game ebbed and flowed. We were still quite central and need to use the wings more, but there was lots of hard running and improved stick work. EG

Under 10 Lost 0-3
This was a fair result against a strong Holmewood House side. The U10 girls have made great strides since the start of term but, today they found it hard to apply their new skills in a match situation. Our defence was held together by Lucy Hargrave who made some strong clearances. Nastia Nikolaeva showed determination in her tackling. Elizabeth McCarthy made some excellent saves. However, too often, Ashdown sent the ball into the centre of the pitch. The girls drifted out of position and there was some confusion over left and right! As a result, Holmewood House had no problems intercepting and they were given plenty of space to run towards their attacking ‘D’. A very good effort, girls. The more matches you play, the more confidence you will have. Man of the match: Lucy Hargrave. VR

Wednesday, 5th October

Hockey v Great Walstead
Under 11 Lost 1-3
On an overcast afternoon during which they were setting up the floodlights, we won the toss and pushed off first. The game was fairly balanced to start with, but we made a few errors of judgement – such as giving the opposition the ball more often than not! We ran hard but needed to spread out more to be able to pass more effectively. The best thing about this coaching game was that the players all learned from their experience on the pitch: whom to pass to and when, and holding one’s position. Two players new to the game who stand out in this regard were Violet Mackintosh and Seoyong Jeong. Mollie Beale was the star in goal. EG

Under 10 Lost 2-5
The U10s played their first competitive match and made good progress as the game went on. We played three thirds and found ourselves 2–0 down after the first 12 minutes. The girls showed considerable improvement in the second third and Emily Bland controlled the game with more composure from centre half. Annabel Naylor gave fantastic support and scored our first goal after a fine cross form Scarlett Fox. Great Walstead scored two more goals and were thwarted on a number of occasions by Elizabeth McCarthy who was superb in goal. The final third brought about our best hockey and Momoko Eliot combined nicely with Izzy Sayer on the right. Lucy Hargrave looked far more comfortable at left back making some excellent tackles and Annabel’s tenacity was rewarded as she scored again! Well played and well done for the improvement that took place during the match. DG

Wednesday, 28th September

Hockey v St Andrew’s
1^st VII Lost 1-8
Playing the consistently strong St Andrew’s 1st and 2nd teams early in the season is always a challenge and this was no exception. They led 4–0 at half time and we were struggling to maintain any form of possession. This meant we never exerted any extended pressure on our opponent's defence and they in turn controlled the game. Annabel Hickson and Katerina Mathison were superb at the back, ably supported by Holly Allen. The second half was a similar affair and our hosts scored four more times. We managed to get on the scoreboard when Lily St John calmly finished a good cross from the right hand side. Final score 1-8. DG

2^nd VII Lost 3-4
On an unseasonally warm afternoon we took on the Thirds for the first half. Given the amount of practice we have had, the players exceeded expectations. We held on, defending with gusto, but with not much firepower up front to start with. Tilly, in goal, defended some hard shots, then let in a couple of soft ones whilst sunbathing..! We did manage to mount several attacks, passing and moving quite effectively – and scored three goals, one of them almost textbook! As always, there is much to work on, but it was quite gratifying to see that there is much to work with, too. EG

Wednesday, 21st September

Hockey v Christ’s Hospital
1^st VII Lost 2-6
The first game of the season unfolded on a superb astroturf, with blue skies and sunshine overhead. The game matched the conditions and proved to be an enthralling encounter. Christ’s Hospital had the early possession and only a resolute Aimee in goal kept the attack at bay. The pressure eventually told and they scored four times! Despite the challenge the Ashdown girls battled on and Annabel H scored a superb goal just on the half time whistle. The second half was a closer affair. This time Tilly B scored and it was pleasing to see the improvement in our passing and channelling.

Final score 6–2 to Christ’s Hospital. Well played to all the girls for a fantastic match. DG

2^nd VII
Today’s fixture was the perfect chance for our less experienced hockey players to practice their skills and to learn from more experienced opponents. Rather than a competitive match, we held a training session and mixed-team training match with the girls from Christ’s Hospital. The teachers began by demonstrating an ‘Indian dribble’. The girls practised this by dribbling around cones and pulling the ball away from defenders. Next, the girls learned how to tackle and they practised this in small 3 v 3 games. To finish, the girls played a 7 minute match, in mixed teams. The Ashdown girls were very impressive. Throughout the training session, they listened carefully and worked thoughtfully. Some of them experienced their first hockey injuries, squashed fingers and bruised ankles, but all returned to school with a smile! Well done, in particular, to Paz Sanchez-Arjona. She showed great potential and I look forward to watching her progress this season. VR

Ardingly Under 11 Hockey Festival

The team: Mollie Beale, Elizabeth McCarthy, Tori Burgoyne, Chloe Yorke, Scarlett Fox, Georgie O’Brien, Emily Bland

This is proving to be a valuable and enjoyable annual fixture. Although not all the teams play each other, the teams still play six matches throughout the afternoon. The emphasis is very much on coaching and improvement with help from the umpires and coaches themselves. There were also fun challenges like keepy-uppies, penalty flicks and speed-dribbling.

Under 9 1-1
The U9 team played their first ever game of indoor hockey and a tense ‘to and fro’ match finished 1–1. Hatty Innes was tenacious at left back and received great support from Lucy Hargrave at right back who timed her tackles to perfection.

Elizabeth McCarthy was strong in the mid-field and played an important role in attack and defence. Momoko Eliot played well on the difficult left hand side of the court and Scarlett Fox showed real determination going forward and scoring the Ashdown goal. Emily Bland was busy up front and showed good strength on the ball throughout the match. DG

Hockey Results Archived

Wednesday, 9th February

Hockey v Brambletye
Under 11A          1-8           
This was a six-a-side match in their sports hall. Because of the numbers we tried various combinations, which sometimes resulted in girls playing in an unaccustomed position. Ironically, when that happened, we more or less held Brambletye for the first half, and for the first minutes of the second, we actually looked strong!

Under 9              1-1            
The U9 team played their first ever game of indoor hockey and a tense ‘to and fro’ match finished 1–1. Hatty Innes was tenacious at left back and received great support from Lucy Hargrave at right back who timed her tackles to perfection.

Elizabeth McCarthy was strong in the mid-field and played an important role in attack and defence. Momoko Eliot played well on the difficult left hand side of the court and Scarlett Fox showed real determination going forward and scoring the Ashdown goal. Emily Bland was busy up front and showed good strength on the ball throughout the match.  DG


Wednesday, 24th November
Hockey v Vinehall

1^st VII              0-3               
We were hosted by Vinehall for our first match experience on their astro turf. The first thing that struck us was the short distance between the two Ds (about 10m).

This made for a considerably more congested midfield and a lack of space to play with any real width. Vinehall played close together in the midfield and took up good positions in our D in general play and set pieces. We struggled to play our usual pattern and the final score of 3–0 to Vinehall.  It could have been much worse had it not been for some brilliant keeping by Vicky Watson. The lesson here is you have to adapt a little quicker to new circumstances to remain competitive.  DG

2^nd VII             5-2               
This was, and always is, an enjoyable fixture. The teams appeared to be quite well matched but, for some reason, things clicked for us early on. Elena showed deft stick-work on the left, and Gabi produced some terrific clearances. Jasmine and Rosemary combined very effectively on the right, both carrying the ball and distributing it. Thalia and Cesci proved to be the axis of attack up the middle, and Sophie kept us out of trouble in goal…

We scored first quite early on, and then again. They retaliated. I had to point out at half-time how positive things were; but this was a match we had to win… So immediately after this stirring exhortation we went to sleep and they equalised. Hmm. Fortunately, the prospect of a draw or a defeat  was enough to wake everyone up, and we started getting things right again, in both senses: the crosses came in and were hungrily pounced on. My favourite moment was when Cesci received a cross from the left, let the ball come onto the stick, and with the goalie and a defender coming at her, hurled the ball just inside the right-hand post. She did this knowing that she would go over and take a knock – very brave.

Lara came on to give Elena a rest, then moved into defence to let Gabi attack. Then Gabi went off and Lara and Elena took over the left-hand side. We moved the ball around kept the pressure up, and got ourselves, at last and with a degree of style, safe. What an enjoyable game.  EG

Wednesday, 17th November
East Grinstead U-13 Hockey Tournament 

1^st VII            Plate runners-up
The key to enjoying a tournament at this stage of the year is having fun, playing well and keeping warm! I’m not sure if we managed all three of those objectives, but we did play well at times and have some fun along the way.

Ashdown played a strong, well drilled Burgess Hill side in the first match and lost 2–0. The same result against D.P.S. sent the message out loud and clear. In matches lasting just 10 minutes it was vital to make a better start and we did just this against Worth. We came agonisingly close to scoring and were a little disappointed with a 0–0 draw. Our final group match against Sutton Valence could have gone either way as both teams had numerous opportunities. Our opponents scored in the last minute of a tense match. After enjoying some warmth in the club house and a cup of hot chocolate (thank you Mr Watson!), we found ourselves in the plate draw. We

faced Vinehall first and suddenly started playing with more confidence and we finally enjoyed scoring two goals (Aimee de Havas). The semi-final was against Millais and once again it could have gone either way. After many close calls we went to penalty strokes. In the cold and the rain, under the glare of floodlights, two years of 1^st team goalkeeping and lots of hard work paid off as Vicky Watson made two great saves. Laura Kendall and Aimee held their nerve and both scored to see us into the final.

Sevenoaks were always going to be tough opponents and we gave of our best but it was one bridge too far and they won 2–0. The loss could not detract from the excitement and tension of the day and the obvious satisfaction on the girls' faces when they received their runners up medals were evidence of this. Lastly a big thank you to the parents, who went far and beyond any reasonable expectations to stay for the entire tournament.  D.G.   

Hockey v Marlborough House

Under 11A           0-1, 3-0              
The girls played two short matches against Marlborough House’s A and B teams. It was great to see the girls utilizing the skills they had worked on during training in the actual match and our standard of play has really improved! Most girls put in a lot of effort and should be very proud of the results.

In the first match against the As the standard of play was very close and the final score was 0-1, a loss for us. The next match was against the Bs and we continued to work really hard, winning the match 3-0.

A special mention must go to Alexandra Mathison who played with great determination and intelligence for both matches.  Well done girls, keep up the great work!  KB

Under 10               2-8            
This match was played in the Sports Hall at Marlborough House, – just as well: it was freezing! - hence the practice in the Barn yesterday. The umpires agreed to talk to both teams evenly so that the players learned as much as possible from the afternoon. They learned about what the positions were, and about the importance of holding them. The tricky part is the implementation thereof..!

Everyone tried hard to the best of their ability. Particularly useful were Claudia Grace, Chloe Yorke and Georgie O’Brien.  EG

Wednesday, 10th November
Hockey v St Bede’s

1^st XI                 0-4            
The days of 8^th to 13^th November will not be remembered kindly. They were extremely wet, cold and windy. That is except for Wednesday the 10^th. On this day it was simply cold. Having made the journey to Eastbourne Sports Club, the 1st team watched the U10 and 11s before taking the field themselves. The first half was a frantic affair. The St Bede’s side were well drilled and put us under immense pressure and we seemed to panic on the ball.  0-3 down and half time gave us the opportunity to reflect;  after re-establishing roles and responsibilities we prepared to improve on the first half performance. The second half was a resounding success. St Bede’s scored once more but we played considerably better and should have converted one of our chances. The defence did not commit in the tackle and won considerably more possession. The mid-field played with more vision and kept the ball in a strong position and the strikers made more diagonal runs making them easier to link up with.  The whole team deserves to feel very proud of a fine second half performance.  Great effort!  DG

Under 11A        1-8             
I wouldn’t want to cheer anyone up by using words like unthinking, sluggish and dire – this was our worst match. The opposition did deserve to win – they were a good side, all of whom play club hockey – just not by so much. We made things so easy for them. Let’s hope this has been a massive learning exercise…  EG

Under 10          2-6             
Ashdown made the long journey to Eastbourne and faced a strong St Bede’s side who made by far the better start scoring the opening 4 goals ! Chloe York battled hard and was rewarded with a goal after a good individual run. Georgina O’Brien always looked dangerous when she got the ball in space. The second half was a closer affair and Chloe scored her second of the game. Final score 6 – 2.  DG

Saturday, 6th November
Hockey v Brighton College Prep

2nd VII           4-2           
Brighton actually made the better start in this encounter and scored first. This seemed to galvanise our rather ‘sleepy’ midfield and we started to control the ball much better. Leah Mellor was superb at the back and well supported by Kate Brockman. Alex Bluck gave us great width on the right and scored two goals (one great individual effort from a self pass at a short corner!). Francesca Burgoyne worked tirelessly as did Thalia Merryweather and they both deserved the goals they scored. Lara Murray’s positional play improved during the match and Sophe Sood was excellent in goal. Brighton did score a second but it was not enough and Ashdown finished deserved 4 – 2 winners. Well played !  DG

3^rd VII           0-3           
For logistical reasons this match happened at a school in Burgess Hill. The team consisted of Ailsa Moon, Nurshat Izbassar, Flora Koska, Dana Saulabayeva, Lusha Zharova, Imogen Heath, Hatty Miller and Maria Espinosa. Most of these girls had not played in a hockey match before…

The start was shaky, to say the least: we were reacting to their attacks rather than anticipating them; we insisted on making life difficult for ourselves by always turning into a defender’s strong side with the ball, and trying to biff our way up the middle of the pitch – very slowly.

But, as the four ten-minute quarters went on, players learned for themselves the role of the position they were in, and others’ too, because several players were rotated through positions. The good thing was that they improved throughout the afternoon, and, above all, never looked like losing heart. Special mention should go to the defence: Lusha and Imogen did anticipate and communicate well. And as for Hatty Miller, even the opposition umpires commented on her gutsy performance, having never played in goal before!  EG

Saturday, 16th October
Hockey v Brambletye

1^st VII                 0-7           
“There’s something wrong with our guns today” said Admiral Jellicoe after not destroying the German fleet after the Battle of Jutland. The same could be said of us today, except of sticks, skills, tactics, awareness and drive. We were outplayed by a better team, but we certainly made things as difficult as possible for ourselves.  Onwards and upwards..!   EG

2^nd VII                7-1           (DG)

Saturday, 9th October
Hockey v Holmewood House

1^st VII            1-3         
The first half of this tough encounter saw the game flow quickly from end to end with both teams creating scoring opportunities. It was in fact Ashdown who scored first through Aimee de Havas and held on to the lead up to half time. Millie van Grutten, Alexandra Bluck and Laura Kendall combined well down the right hand side and proved a real threat to the opposition. Holmewood came back with two clinical short corner set pieces and went on to win 3–1. This was a good effort by the girls and they are developing more of an understanding with each match they play.  DG

2^nd VII            1-1         
Occasionally lacklustre, sometimes determined and cohesive, the Seconds played a well-matched Holmewood side. What was quite a good thing at this stage was that a few players were playing out of position; but versatility is no bad quality to develop.

Sophie Sood was stalwart in goal, bailing us out many times. Lusha Zharova responded to the challenge of defence with some fearsome tackling. Rose-Marie Sage and Elena Breeze combined well on the right-hand side, sometimes overlapping positions. Kate Brockman made a pretty decent job of working out what the centre-half’s job is, and Cesci Burgoyne, pouncing up front, scored our goal.

As ever, there are things to work on, but that was not a bad start to the season.  EG

Under 11A     1-1         
I think the cliché is “…a game of two halves”, the first being very much 'Just Got Off The Bus'; the second 'Now We Mean Business'. Grace Chattey showed some deft touches and foresight on the left wing. Susannah Watson shot when possible. The two Helenas, Foord and St John, played with determination and increasing confidence. Allie Mathison worked hard and with vision in the mid-field. The star of the show was Camilla Wilkins in goal, who was kept on her toes throughout the match and defended relentlessly – a fine effort for her second go in that position.   EG

Under 10       1-5          
The U10 team played their first competitive match against Holmewood House. Ashdown managed to score first courtesy of a fine individual effort by Georgina O’ Brien. Holmewood seemed to have the better balanced team and soon scored a few goals themselves. The learning curve is very steep at the moment but it was nice to get a feel of proper match conditions for the girls. DG

Wednesday, 29th September
Hockey v St Andrew's

1^st VII              0-5     
St Andrew’s are usually our toughest opposition over the season and when they went 4–0 up inside 10 minutes it all looked pretty ominous. Sometimes a team plays at its best when the result is not in question. By half time the score was 5–0 and we were in that position. The girls seemed to relax and were far more pro-active, making themselves available for passes and generally getting stuck in. Vicky Watson once again was superb in goal making numerous save throughout the game. Laura Kendall and Alexandra Bluck played well having gained promotion to the first side. Final score after a much better second half, 5 – 0.  DG

2^nd VII             3-0      
WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! 
After fairly hesitant starts from both teams we managed to increase the pressure around the St Andrew’s goal mouth, and Rose-Marie Sage slotted a goal in. This generated the confidence to move the ball around and deny the opposition possession. They did, however, make a few dangerous runs but ran into some stalwart defence (Leah Mellor and Jasmine Bradley, and Sophie Sood in goal). Elena Breeze and Gabi Skinner were fast and determined on the left wing. Cesci Burgoyne was opportunistic and aggressive up front. Isobel Stevens distributed the ball intelligently

This was a terrific game to win – St Andrew’s are always excellent. We played with composure and a great team spirit.  EG

Wednesday, 22nd September
Hockey v Windlesham House
1st VII           4-0

The first game of the season is usually a little disjointed and normally it takes a while to establish a visible shape to the game. This was certainly the case for this game.  Windlesham made the better start and led 3–0 after the first third. We struggled on quite a ‘heavy’ astroturf and found passing quite difficult. The second third was much better and the defenders, Kate Brockman, Millie van Grutten and Isabelle Stevens, all improved as the match progressed. Our mid field made more passing options available and we had more possession. Despite having more of the ball we couldn’t manage to score. Well played Vicky Watson who was superb in goal.  DG

2^nd VII            1-2          

In the first third of this close game there was no score as both teams defended well to restrict each other's goal scoring opportunities.  The breakthrough finally came from Ashdown when Laura intercepted a pass on the halfway line and then raced half the length of the pitch to score an impressive opening goal. Windlesham responded a few minutes later with a well taken goal of their own to level the score. This seemed to really inspire them and Ashdown then had to save a number of shots in quick succession with our goalie, Sophie, playing fabulously. Unfortunately a misunderstanding between Sophie and Jasmine resulted in a soft goal for Windlesham and the score remained at 2-1 in the last third with Ashdown coming closest to getting an equaliser in the final minute. Girl of the match was Laura who was tireless and all of the girls worked hard on what was a very warm day. JU

Ardingly Hockey Festival
Under 11A