Ladies 1s 0- Shefford & Sandy 1

As the pre match preview mentioned, it was very early start for a long journey to Shefford and Sandy at the weekend.

The team had an excellent start and in the first 10 minutes, it appeared that we would have a good amount of possession. Natalie Gilder and Lisa Payne, from the back line, were able to find direct balls to the forwards, Lauren Blackburn and Bev Simmons. The pressure resulted to a few penalty corners for Brentwood but no goals as a result. Beth James and Izzy Wiltshire worked hard in the midfield to link up play between the defence and forwards.

The tables turned, the home team put lots of pressure on us, closing us down quickly in possession of the ball. They also has a few penalty corners, one of which got passed round first runner, Emily Walker and a flick at a very awkward height for the defence to keep out. The home team continued to press and seemed to have an overload come through the middle but Francesca Hayden-Sims and Anna Guida were quick and strong to pick up any more attacks. Brentwood were relieved for the half time whistle and a bit of a re-set.

The second half was a bit more even, and despite some potential frustrations, Brentwood remained calm throughout the game. Mia, Emily, Lisa and keeper, Lorna Parsons, stayed strong and worked well to defend the attacks from Shefford and Sandy. Lizzie Tyler, Lauren and Bev worked continuously at their defence and had another spell of penalty corners. Unfortunately, Brentwood could not find one to equalise the score and it resulted in a very frustrating and disappointing loss.

Man of the match went to Lizzie Tyler who took every opportunity to run at the oppo’s defence, keeping possession for her team. Votes also went to Emily, Fran, Nat, Beth and Lisa.

Dick of the Day went to Lauren Blackburn for leaving her shin pads at the side after the game. She may argue that it could have gone to Hayden-Sims for suggesting we wear wimp tops (still in October) as she is a “delicate flower”. Guida also got a couple of votes for a little talking to by the umpire during the game. We also managed to panic Mrs Parsons who called us to “play to the whistle” during the game when the rest of the team stopped in the dee as the whistle has actually gone!!!

Onwards and upwards to next week