Ladies 1st XI

Match Report

🎄 LESS THAN 100 DAYS ‘TIL CHRISTMAS! 🎄

Pocklington 2–2 Slazenger Ladies 1s | Away

With less than 100 days until Christmas, the Ladies 1s clearly decided it was still far too early to be out of bed on a dreary Saturday morning! 🎅🏼☕ It took Slaz a little while to wake up, and Pocklington wasted no time taking advantage, scoring two goals in quick succession.

Thankfully, the 1s eventually found their Christmas spirit! WOOP – Gemma was back between the sticks! 🥳 She pulled off some fantastic saves to keep Slaz in the game while the defence regrouped. Emma, Nicci and Marissa brought plenty of experience at the back, shutting down further Pocklington attacks and giving Slaz the platform to push forward.

Despite battling a rather festive-season cold, Eliz put in a great performance, while some excellent passing through the 16-yard area between Emma, Amelia and Frankie released Lou, who finished brilliantly from a tight angle to get Slaz back into the game. 🎄

From there, the team found their rhythm and started to play some lovely hockey. The juniors showed that Thursday training is clearly paying off, with some excellent cutting, movement and skills to work their way past the Pocklington defence. We may just need a small Christmas reminder to get our feet around the ball and stop it on our open stick! 🎁

Ruth, Millie and Lou linked up well defensively, while Melissa worked tirelessly to connect the midfield and attack. Frankie put in a huge shift throughout the game, helping to control the midfield alongside Lucy, Amelia and Melissa.

At half time, the focus was on improving the press and making sure we took quick free hits. Marissa listened to the brief and delivered, taking some excellent early free hits and putting Pocklington under pressure. 👏

The second half brought plenty more determination from Slaz. Amelia produced one of the runs of the game, picking the ball up on the 25 and driving all the way into the opposition D. She earned a free hit just outside the circle, which was played through to Rebecca.

Rebecca showed some silky skills to work her way into the D and win a short corner. The initial effort was saved, but Amelia was quickest to react to the rebound and fired it home! 2–2! 🥅🔥

Costa earned! ☕

From 2–0 down, Slaz fought their way back to secure a well-earned point. There were plenty of positives to take, particularly from the juniors, who showed some brilliant skills and development from training.

A slow start, a strong comeback and a point on the road — not a bad Saturday morning after all!

🎅🏼 Christmas countdown: 96 days…
🏑 Final score: Pocklington 2–2 Slazenger Ladies 1s

Player: amelia
Tart: frankie

Match Report

On a glorious sunny afternoon that practically screamed ice cream weather, the Ladies 1s travelled to Pocklington hoping to scoop up some points. After an essential pre-match photoshoot featuring the full age spectrum of the squad — from the youthful 13-year-old to the experienced 41-year-old — the team decided it was probably time to warm up and actually play some hockey on what turned out to be a very bouncy pitch.

With Eliz and Emma holding the defensive sundae together at centre back, flanked by Tilda at right back and Marissa at left back, Slaz looked solid early on. The back line made several good tackles and clearances to keep Pocklington at bay as the game began, supported by some good early saves from Ami in goal.

Slaz started brightly with plenty of early pressure. A short corner earnt by Alys led to a shot that was well saved by the keeper — the first scoop nearly served. In midfield, Zoe, Frankie, Amelia, Lucy and Becca worked hard to move the ball around and build attacks, while forwards Coops, Alys and Jess — making her Ladies 1s debut — looked to create opportunities up front. Despite the early pressure, Pocklington struck first to make it 1–0, after a shot wasn’t closed down quickly enough. Slaz continued to push forward though, with Frankie driving strongly into the D, but the attack melted away before a clear chance could form. At the back, Eliz and Emma stayed composed while Tilda and Marissa made several important tackles and strong clearances to stop further chances developing. Ami was also called into action again, making a couple of good saves to keep Slaz in the game.

Pocklington then added a second when an attacker was given time close to goal to strike, making it 2–0. Slaz responded with some lovely play down the left, Zoe and Amelia combining beautifully before pinging a ball into the D. The third goal came from a short corner, with the shot taking an unlucky deflection off a Slaz defender and trickling in. Slaz kept pressing though. Emma stepped forward to take a shot which earned a short corner, but the effort went just wide. Half time: 3–0

After a stern but motivating team talk from Hannah at the break, Slaz came out for the second half like a team promised unlimited ice cream. The defence of Eliz, Emma, Tilda and Marissa continued to put in solid tackles and clearances, allowing the midfield unit of Zoe, Amelia, Lucy and Becca to push higher and control much more of the play. Early pressure earned Slaz a short corner which Pocklington defended well, followed by another soon after.

Jess then produced a brilliant run up front but was taken down by a Pocklington defender, who was shown a yellow card. Slaz continued to press. Jess worked tirelessly up front and earned a free hit after a quick counter attack. The ball found Frankie who fired a first-time shot into a defender’s legs to win another short corner, again defended by Pocklington. The second half saw some of Slaz’s best hockey. Frankie produced some skilful play to win yet another short corner, but the keeper made a strong save. Jess continued causing problems for the defence, turning a defender inside out before being fouled to stop the attack.

Coops then spun sharply and fired a quick snap shot that flashed just wide — a near scoop of success. Emma also had the final effort of the game, just missing the target. Despite dominating much of the second half and playing some excellent hockey across defence, midfield and attack, Slaz couldn’t quite find the goal their play deserved.

Final score: 3–0

Player of the Match: Jess – a brilliant Ladies 1s debut, working tirelessly in attack and causing constant problems for the defence.
Tart of the Match: Shared between Alys and Coops for stepping into the D at a short corner, meaning poor Amelia as injector had to trot all the way back to the halfway line. With the sun still shining and spirits high despite the result, the team finished the day in the only appropriate way — stopping for some well-earned ice cream. Next week the Ladies 1s return home for the final game of the season, where they will be hoping to finish on a sweet note against Harrogate.

Match Report

The Slippery Fields of Slazengers

On a cold and gloomy day in the kingdom of Horbury, our brave young hockey heroes set out onto the enchanted field. A hard winter breeze swept across the turf, carrying whispers of challenge and adventure. An early ominous sign of gloom bestowed its self on the Slaz heroines as Millie attempted the push back from the wrong line. Before they had even settled into their battle lines, a mischievous early strike from the opposing clan slipped past our defenders—catching our middle lines out of position and pushing them back from the wrong magical boundary. By the time the sun hid behind the clouds again, the scoreboard read 2–0 at half-time.

Following a tough & frustrated team talk, The horn called the heroes back for the second half and our chosen ones started much stronger, every quest has its champions, and Frankie was first to rise—darting up the wing like a swift woodland sprite, weaving through cold air, stunned defenders and gloomy shadows. Hannah, though frustrated, fought on with the fire of a woodland warrior. Millie & Alys harried the front line and the overworked defence bravely, standing firm like a stone pillars of the ancient ruins.

Attention wavered at times (even heroes can be distracted by swirling winter magic), but when they focused, the team strung together long passes and quick little spells that shimmered across the frosted turf. Amelia burst forward with excellent runs, as though guided by enchanted boots. One bright moment came when Millie dashed forward and sent a clever pass to Frankie, forcing the rival keeper into a scrambling dance to protect their goal. The team worked tirelessly—never giving up, even as the cold tried to slow their spirits.

In the defensive circle, our heroes attempted a short-corner spell, but the magic fizzled and the ball rolled straight through our warriors to the enemy attacker. The opposing team were well-drilled—almost as though trained by ancient forest guardians—and they took full advantage. At 4–0, even the bravest hearts felt the chill but “Play well, heroes—and raise your heads. Every quest leads to the next adventure.

Yet despite the wintry hardship, our squad showed courage, improvement, and the spark of future triumphs. The final message from the enchanted field was clear: Defeated heads shall be raised, The Slaz fight and spirit shall return, dust yourselves down brave hearts. This team will raise from the ashes of defeat, thou shalt triumph once again and conquer the hallowed fields of Harrogate.

Match Report

Slazenger Ladies 1’s travelled to Pocklington with a point to prove, fired up after a controversial match report written by Pocklington. Determined to let their hockey do the talking, Slaz started slow in the muggy conditions and were swiftly punished, conceding an early goal. However, the response was immediate. Slazenger regrouped and took control, slotting home two quick goals. The first came from Frankie, who delivered a pinpoint left slip from a short corner, placing the ball perfectly past the keeper. Not long after, she was at it again, firing a shot goalward—only for Coops to get the decisive touch, securing the lead.

The second half saw Slaz dominate possession, linking up well and controlling the tempo. But in the spirit of keeping things interesting, they generously allowed Pock back into the game, conceding an equaliser. With 10 minutes to go, the pressure was on. Step up Mol. Cool, calm, and composed, she unleashed a phenomenal tomahawk from the top right of the D, sending the ball rocketing into the back of the net. A stunning goal that sealed the victory for Slazenger and wrapped up the 2024/25 season on a high.

Player of the Match: A joint award for Zoe, whose blistering runs kept Pocklington on edge, and Mollie, whose relentless attacking efforts kept the scoreboard ticking. Tart of the Match: Hannah, for failing to mention the lack of changing rooms—leaving half the team to change beside some particularly fragrant portaloos. With the season now officially over, attention turns to the EOS Presentation evening. Keep an eye out for the Slaz Ladies swapping their hockey kit for something a little more glamorous…