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Hertford U12 Girls Win Bronze Medal at National Finals

Hertford U12 Girls Win Bronze Medal at National Finals

Nik Bentley9 May 2022 - 07:39
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Staying Unbeaten for the Season

Hertford U12 girls Lionesses put in a fantastic performance to win bronze medals at the In2 finals on May 7th at the National Hockey Centre in Nottingham.

Qualifying as East region champions, the girls remain unbeaten all season.

The first match, against Northwest champions Alderley Edge, who had previously not conceded a goal, saw Hertford win 3-0 with a clinical strike by Harrie Shipton, a tomahawk by Florrie Pidduck that wowed the crowd and a typically sharp finish by Ruby Milburn sealing the victory. Cara Nolan was exceptional in defence.

Hertford followed up with a 3-1 victory over a combative Beeston side, with 2 goals from Florrie Pidduck and a great driving run from defence and a textbook finish from the edge of the D by Scarlett Blakeney-Edwards.

The final group game, against Surbiton, was a nail-biting affair, with Hertford falling behind after 2 minutes. Florrie Pidduck quickly levelled the scoring, with Hertford launching attack after attack against a disciplined Surbiton defence. Surbiton took the lead again after a penalty corner in the second half, with Olivia Holme pulling a goal back straight away. The game then flowed end to end with Emily Perkins in the Hertford goal making some outstanding saves and the girls also coming close at the other end, but the game ended in a 2-2 draw, which meant Surbiton topped the group on goal difference and so qualified for the final, with Hertford going into 3rd/4th place play-off against Clifton Robinsons.

Although disappointed to lose out on a final place due to goal difference, the girls showed great determination and resilience to win the bronze medal. Their West Country rivals had impressed all tournament with Clifton's India Kandavanam-Lovell (top scorer in the tournament) and Caitlin White standing out for their superb stick skills. Goals from Olivia Holme, Ruby Milburn, Harrie Shipton and Sienna Goodfellow gave Hertford a 4-0 lead at half-time. Clifton scored two goals straight after the break, before Olivia Holme made it 5 for Hertford. Clifton pulled one back at the death, but Hertford held on for victory.

The Lionesses can be very proud of their achievement and of the quality and creativity of their game. Their 3D play caused their opponents tremendous difficulties with Olivia Holme's long-ball aerials opening-up the attack.

Scarlett Blakeney-Edwards and Cara Nolan's resolute defence and accurate distribution kept the forwards well-served, with Harrie Shipton, Ruby Milburn and Sienna Goodfellow chasing every ball down and maintaining a constant attacking threat.

Nancy French was composed and elegant in defence and Emily Perkins as GK showed great reflexes and good judgment throughout.

Olivia Holme and Florrie Pidduck were dominant in midfield, and both were among the tournament's top scorers, with 6 girls in total getting on the scoresheet for Hertford, a testament to the talent and collective effort of the Lionesses and the team spirit they have shown all season.

The team received a lot of accolades from other clubs/supporters for the style of Hockey that they produced over the day.

Squad: Emily Perkins, Scarlett Blakeney Edwards, Cara Nolan, Olivia Holme, Florrie Pidduck, Harrie Shipton, Ruby Millburn, Sienna Goodfellow and Nancy French

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