The team turned up to St Neots ready to bring a good fight to a team that hasn’t lost a match yet this season. After a few bumbling moments (“where is Anne-Marie?” – answer: at work and not expected to be here) we took to the pitch (more like a beach really) with a plan to come out hard. …sort of…

A St Neot’s push-back quickly led to two opposition forwards coming into our D and a fumbling push past Zoe towards goal. Speedy hero Emily M managed to get back to save the ball on the line but sadly the ball just managed to trickle over into the goal. The most anticlimactic goal ever in the first 30 seconds of the game. Time to wake up.

The following 69.5 minutes show-cased some fantastic hockey from two evenly matched teams and South created some great chances. A few short-corners were won but sadly no goals. However, the team kept in good spirits and worked really hard all over the pitch. Our tireless defence (as evidenced by the many POM votes for the defence, see below) prevented St Neot’s from ever truly looking dangerous again.

For a good portion of the second half we were all over St Neot’s D. A ball across the face of the opposition goal from Jess was a nail biting moment but sadly no cigar. Next, an enthusiastic tackle from Jess got her sent to the naughty corner. However, the team adapted well to being a player down, Izzy and Emily B communicating brilliantly to adapt the press and we even had a couple of chances at goal.

The game finished with St Neot’s desperately trying to run down the clock (the umpire pointedly stopping time while a St Neot’s defender adjusted her skirt before taking a hit-out) and South hounding the St Neot’s D with everything we had. Again and again South’s forwards valiantly left our usual holding press in the 16s to collapse on the St Neot’s centre back and win the ball quickly. Sadly, time waits for no-one and the final whistle blew with the score remaining 1-0 to St Neots.

Nevertheless it was a great game between two even sides and we can’t wait to take on St Neot’s again back at Long Road Fortress.

POM votes for speedy-speedy Anna on the wing, Emily Morris for some out of this world picks, Jenny for her beautiful aerials which managed to find Sophie’s stick every time with unerring accuracy, and Rhian for lovely play up the line. However, queen POM went to Mollie for her tireless efforts and fantastic interceptions in CDM.