Arrived at Long Road bright and early and armed ourselves with ice packs. A move that proved prophetic given the number of bumps and bruises in today's match turned dodge ball game. Perhaps the more superstitious reader would say that we jinxed it by restocking the ice packs... guess we'll never know! 

In the Peterborough changing rooms, Emily M's apple-induced bathroom emergency, Izzy's goal enthusiasm, and my confession of week-old smelly kit sparked pre-game hilarity. Lemon secured.

Playing against the blinding sun proved a challenge, trying to decipher a purple vs red silhouette puzzle. Despite the struggle, Emily B's left-corner magic gave us a well-deserved goal at the 11-minute mark. 

Peterborough's short-corner attempt had us in "squeaky bum time," but a high shot into the net saved us – phew! Then came the injury saga: head bump, dead foot, swollen finger, and an egg on the head. What a day! Good thing we had those ice packs on standby.

Amid the chaos, Anna saved a goal on the line... with her back. A penalty stroke was awarded and deftly saved by hero POM Zoe, despite facing the blinding sunlight. 10/10 goal keeper. Would recomend to a friend.

Despite the injury-induced drama, South showcased impressive teamwork, marked by strategic plays and a textbook short-corner strike from Jess (our only attacking short-corner of the game). Notably, we defended eight short corners, proving that good things come to those who defend.

The second half got a bit spicy when the umpire gave a warning for elbows, and tackling from the wrong side/shoulder barging. Some would call that good old-fashioned Fens-style hockey really. But in any case the umpire wasn't impressed and warned that the next bad tackle would be a card "and i don't care who it is".

So of course 3 minutes later Steph did what was probably her first stick tackle of the entire game and whoops. Yellow card secured. I think we can definitely call that one a team card!

Yet, a player down, we attacked relentlessly, with Jess scoring our third goal.

Victory secured. Some nail biting moments but we got there. "Three cheers for... South"? Whoops. Oh well... No harm done – self-affirmation is vital. (Double lemon secured).

Despite injuries and cards disrupting our formation, south had a great game with POM votes scattered like confetti among Anna, Immy, Steph, Jess, Rebecca, and Emily M, with Zoe catching the rest. A team effort indeed, with Zoe's crucial save keeping us afloat.

Teas were a culinary triumph – cheesy pasta bake with baguettes that L6 Rate My Teas should definitely evaluate. And kudos to Emily for the cake!

Onwards to face St Ives next week, hoping for fewer cards, more goals, and definitely fewer ice pack emergencies.