Another early start after nightmares of being involved in defensive shorts and the realisation that this might become a reality. This Saturday was mix-up day for the L2s with most of the defence, bar the loyal Hannah, taking a break away from the pitch or from the backline - Serin continued to stick to her guns and was primed to take up her spot on the frontline. The journey to Oundle was slower than hoped due to a pile up on the A14 and so our car arrived with less than fifteen minutes to the whistle. Ten minutes later, with still no sign of the remainder of the team (being driven by the VC) we all received a WhatsApp from said driver asking if their car was the first to arrive?! Three minutes to the whistle and they finally managed to find us, arriving on the pitch with mere seconds to spare (somehow this avoided a Lemon vote!)

So the game began with a rather strange feeling echoing through the ranks, with Dani and Lou G (Walker) joining Hannah on the backline and Serin leading the pack at right forward. Oundle took first pushback but it didn't take long for South to get to grips with the new formation and to turn over the ball. However, Oundle didn't back down and as they made a sprint toward our D, there was a tad bit of confusion as we all worked out how to handle our new roles. However, South rallied round and Hannah sent the ball back down the side line to find Katie, who skilfully dribbled it up the pitch and a few passes later Serin was able to deliver a strong hit and the ball found its way into the back of the net (possibly with a little help from Lauren, or this may have been a later goal…it's a little difficult to see from centre back).

The first half continued in similar fashion, although Oundle did make some promising breaks and there were some interesting clearances from the new defensive team, but with encouragement and direction from Emma in goal and Hannah we were able to fend off their attempts. South dominated for the majority of the half and were able to jump ahead with some more fab goals, with Emma-Rose and Kate working hard to keep the ball moving up the field.

As the first half drew toward a close, Oundle made another feisty break and their forward made a gallant run into the D with Hannah hot on her heels. Unfortunately her balance overtook her and, with Hannah diving out of the way, she took a nasty fall and sadly had to be helped off the pitch and on to hospital with a suspected wrist fracture. But not before Emma had delivered some handy nursing skills, much to the relief of the umpire, who had managed to call a short, despite the injured player admitting she fell over her own feet. However, in the friendly spirit of the game, South were happy to play out the corner and thankfully to keep the goal safe. The first half finished with a clean sheet and a happy team of South players.

The second half started as per the first, with Cath and Eimear moving the ball around the pitch and up to Naomi, Lauren and Serin at the top. More goals were scored and it looked like the new defensive unit might walk away without too much trouble, but alas some panicking in the D led to Lou and Dani trying to clear the same ball, ending with Dani taking the ball to the shin pads off Lou's stick, so we all got another go at defending a short! There was more drama to come with Emma-Rose also taking a fall and a nasty knock to the shoulder - again, nurse Emma was happy to assist!

Then, with some luck for Oundle, an ill-timed swipe from Dani took an opposition player off her feet in the D and whilst we all pulled ourselves up and waited for the short to be called, a sneaky Oundle player pushed the stationary ball, waiting in front of the goal line, into the net. The short was never called and the goal stood, to the surprise of all on the pitch, including the goalscorer. Thankfully the rest of the game was injury free and the final score was five-one to South with Serin taking home a goal, Lauren with two successful strikes, and Katie and Eimear with a goal apiece.