Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me happy birthday to me happy birthday to me. Here is your present: lemon [Ed - bitter?]

UAE or UEA? Ask Alice. She got confused, probably explains the erratic driving. Multiple lemon votes acquired.

Yellow shirts or yellow dresses? You tell me. See figure 1.

You know when you’re told not to do something, and so you do it? Yeah that was us in the first half. Don’t pass through their sticks? What a challenge, let’s try it. Very slow start indeed. However some composure settled in. Balls here, balls there. Lots of turns and burns producing the first goal of the game from Jas. Do we hold this? Do we take risks? Idk but a lovely transfer round the back, pass to Alice at top D, a pass to Jas and goal number 2.

Hockey rules are an interesting one and sometimes there are different rules for different teams. It’s a fine line between purposely clearing the ball off the back line and accidentally doing so. Some questionable short corners were given out but I’ve not done a umpiring course so what do I really know. Fear not however, we love practising shorts and our defence is strong, obviously all we’re saved and Loopy only touched the ball once.

Jelly babies eaten, water drunk, motivation injected.

Second half entertained much better hockey, stick to stick, short passes, nice balls up the line from Annie and Tamsin. Transferred a lot more. Settled into some good old fashioned hockey. This produced Izzy’s first goal in of the game. A drive into the D, a slap into the far corner, a huge amount of excitement and was that a tear of joy or sweat? The former some would say. More hockey, great distribution from Alice and Kate in the middle as per the whole game. Jas wanted a 1vs1 with the keeper so we let her and the keeper decided to take her out completely. Flick given. Cheeky flick from Izzy an inch above back board height, right of the keeper, saw the 4th goal of the game. More hockey. With some great runs, Lucia had a close one and got the post. A sweet ball from Kate in the centre mid to Annie running the line. She ran into the D, a little spin and aggressively put it on a foot, bounce off said foot and through the goalies legs. What an accidental goal. Wish I could say it was some fancy work.

A little later Kate decided she’d had enough, it was hot, she’d run far, so when the next girl ran into her, she hyperextended her elbow and had a 20min (+/- 19min) lie down on the middle of the pitch. Good time wasting.

Game ended 5-0. The L1’s biggest win all season. Dragons drew on Saturday leaving us 3rd in the league.

In my opinion, the best showering facilities we’ve been too this season.

Classic British, sunny afternoon? That calls for a match tea picnic, make your own sandwiches, Pimms and sit on the grass among the daffodils by the SU. Jess loved this daffodils so much, she had to pose in them. Stunning. See figure 2. With a colour festival going on beside us, there was a big atmosphere. To top it all off, Izzy made the most beautiful birthday I think I’ve ever seen, thank you so much! See figure 3.

[Ed - images to come soon]