Author name: Colleen Burns

I’m feeling rather philosophical this week as I write up this match report. Another Saturday came and went, hockey was played, goals were scored (not by us, ahem!), bruises were gained, expletives were uttered but fun was had and friendships were solidified. Oftentimes after a loss (5-0 to be exact to top of the league Towcester 2s) there can be a mixed bag of emotions. We endeavour to be gracious in both defeat and victory and always give credit to our opposition when first class hockey has been demonstrated as it was this weekend. One of the challenges faced by Captains in particular is picking up the team (figuratively not literally) after a loss, but Captain Ruth Trolove may be the most ‘glass half full’ person I know. Straight on the group chat after matches with feedback and encouragement :’’A lot to be proud of though! We were up in their end quite a bit, we had some real success on the break and at times we moved the ball around like pro’s!’ It was great to have the men playing straight afterwards this week because there were noticeably a lot more people present at the final whistle and after a tough battle of a game, there was a really heart-warming cheer from the ‘crowd’ which certainly lifted the spirits. We are lucky at Oundle to have an array of support for the club. Spouses, partners, parents, kids, siblings and dogs often cheer us on from the side lines. Just as importantly their support also includes driving players to games, assisting with club and match fees, holding the fort at home to let the wives and mums play, and picking us up after a loss. It doesn’t go unnoticed. Some legendary moments of support this season include; Caitlin Isaac’s mum Keri bringing donuts to a tough away game and without sounding dramatic, that donut saved my life! Kat Barnes’ mum, Christine is a regular on the side-line and only very recently hung up her skort for retirement. A couple of seasons ago she was still stepping up to play when we were short. Another Mum of a player (and somewhat Mum to the entire club) is Helen Belcher. She chauffeurs players to games, she does the buying/cooking/coordinating of post match teas for all 3 teams and is only semi-retired from playing because she still packs a skort and pair of socks away in the glove box in case of emergencies on game days. (I missed the Mother’s Day boat last week with all this mum appreciation!) To mix it up from the fabulous mums, Ben Smith (Husband to Helen and Dad to Hattie) may be our top male cheerleader most weeks. He’s come to know most of the players by name as well as their strengths and offers some great insight to our games. Hearing a voice from the sideline can be a real boost when fatiguing in the game. We were at post match teas this week when he sent Helen a wonderful message that I asked to share: ‘You played so well. Please congratulate the girls. It was really exciting to watch. I can’t believe you didn’t get a couple of goals. You really deserved to! I noticed they (the oppo) weren’t half so chatty in the second half, when you started putting some pressure on them. You looked dangerous then.’ Charli Elphinstone took player of the match this week, she was unstoppable and pretty much single handedly stopped at least 4 short corners going in. We also wish Hannah Postlethwaite all the love and happiness for her upcoming wedding to Jack in May! We are looking forward to welcoming the new Mrs Allen to the 2024/25 season.

Oundle Ladies 1s travelled to Leicester this weekend to face Leicester City 4s. The sun was shining in a much appreciated contrast to last Saturday. Sadly it was a 2-0 loss despite some superb hockey, however the write up this week has taken a poetic turn in tribute to Hattie Smith. A demon on the pitch, and a sweetheart off it. She is soon to be spreading her wings to pastures new and university life later in the year so this was her last game with Oundle ladies for some time. We wish her all the best in the months to come and look forward to her making an occasional appearance for us on the pitch in the future. Unsurprisingly yet fortuitously Hattie was also voted player of the match today, another reason to sing her praises. Sonnet 1 – Shall I compare thee to a hockey day? An Ode to Hattie SmithBy Colleen Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a hockey day?Thou art more humble and more skillful;Rough oppos do shake the darling elements of play,And hockey’s season with you hath all too short a date;Sometimes too hot your hockey prowess shines,And never is your beautiful complexion dimm’d;And every good thing like time with Oundle HC declines,By chance or a university illustration course untrimm’d;But thy eternal hockey love shall not fade,Nor shall we lose possession of our love for thou ow’st;But Falmouth/Cambridge may brag they have you next,And we are eternally grateful for your time thou grow’st:So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives our appreciation of you, and this gives life to thee.

Oundle ladies 1s faced off against Leicester 1s at home today on a very drizzly and grey Saturday morning. Think I speak for the nation when I say everyone is ready for some warmer and brighter weather. We had smiles on our faces despite the rain and some quality tunes playing for our warm up. Our team were struggling for a Goalie this week but I offered to give it a whirl only to be met with the song ‘I came in like a wrecking ball’ as I rocked up to the pitch. Whether this was coincidence or planned I’m not sure, however ‘I came in like a rusty spade’ might have been more apt. Through absolutely no authority whatsoever, I henceforth now declare the first Saturday in March as Goalie Appreciation Day. Often the unsung heroes of our games and a few have been committed to the club for many years despite family commitments, educational demands, health and injury setbacks. Playing in goal certainly provided a new perspective of the game this weekend, and probably the most pressure I’ve experienced. Despite the defensive players working as a team, every goal that came over the line felt a little heart-breaking which I’m sure Goalies can relate with. In addition, there’s a rapid emotional rollercoaster of euphoria to despair when saving a shot on goal only for the opposition to get the rebound 3 seconds later. The elation quickly followed by the feeling of utter disappointed weighs heavy. My emotions have never been so volatile or my language so fruity during those moments. Effin rebounds!!! A big shout out to our squad of Goalies; Liv Belcher, Karen Darrington, Persia Khairandish, Lana Leeson and Lizzie Furber as well as several other players who have stepped up to the role in recent games; Jude Robinson and Meg Purdie. Our opposition this week were Leicester 1s, who were well drilled and quick to react. They were ready to attack once in the D and they were masters at the rebound. We really pushed the counter attack, and had a lovely reverse stick goal from Tasha Darrington. But sadly 2 short corners didn’t go our way and one goal was disallowed which would have made the games score a lot closer. As always the mid-fielders had a blinding game. Issy Gorely, Charli Elphinstone and Hattie Smith in particular are an impressive trio, supporting every element of play. Abbie Hodgson-Jones had some beautiful moments down the left wing, facilitating some great passes and being relentless in her attack. An unfortunate loss this week but we’re looking forward to final few weeks of the season and bringing the best hockey we can. Keep calm and hug your Goalie!

Issy ‘Phwoar-ly’ Gorely, Oundle HC’s very own wizard on the pitch because ‘everything little thing she does is magic’. (Read into the rest of the lyrics as you please but that line works perfectly!) What a woman and what an athlete she is. Endurance ✔️ Speed ✔️ Skill ✔️Smile to melt a thousand hearts ✔️. Issy (The Wizard) is typically not one seeking the limelight and far too modest but I’m afraid you’ll have to buckle in as things might get uncomfortable for you as I sing your praises this week. Oundle ladies 1s travelled to Moulton College today to face Northampton Saints 3. They were a strong opposition and from the first whistle you could tell they meant business. Credit is always given where it is due, and Saints 3s really had us on the back foot in the first half from their sheer power. They were particularly strong in their midfield and forwards forcing Oundle to play a heavily defensive game. It’s fair to say that the ball was largely in our defensive half of the pitch for the first 35 minutes of the game. But we kept fighting, made a few breaks but didn’t quite match their 3-0 score by half time. Issy, who was positioned as a right wing mid was involved in almost all plays and manoeuvres on the right hand side of the pitch (and sometimes the left.) She was superb at driving the ball forward, but the opposition were quick to intercept meaning the ball was quickly back in our defence. Issy would double back and become a defender every time. As well as deflecting shots on goal, she also facilitated play into our attacking D. She was phenomenal and didn’t appear to tire. Liv Belcher, aka ‘The Holy Goalie’ because she is an angel on and off the pitch, was fast on her feet as the opposition had many more attempts on goal. She made some amazing saves but Saints were prepared for the rebounds. At one stage they realised they couldn’t get round Liv in goal so they tried going over her head a few times but Liv but a stop to those tricks too. Half time came, and we had the pep talks of all pep talks from Captain Roo. The score line and power from the opposition did cause us to become flustered at times and lose the focus from our game. As a team we really benefited from the half time pause in play to collect ourselves and regain our focus. The second half was a completely different state of affairs for us. The whistle goes, Queen Hannah (Postlethwaite) makes an astounding run and gets the ball into the attacking D and a shot on goal within 30 seconds. Their goalie save this shot but it was a first class example of what Oundle can do. Queen Hannah was in her trusty right forward position but again she was supporting all plays from all angles and at one point seemed to apparate from the left defence to make a startling interception. Mrs Miyagi (Vicky Catt) striked again with a sterling hit out to our Wizard on the right wing who forward passed to Hannah allowing her a rapid entry into their D, a shot on goal and score!! We were now 3-1 and play was much more evenly spread over the entire pitch. Kat Barnes and Charlotte Webb made a cracking due on the left. Has anyone seen the classic Robin Williams film ‘Flubber’? Because I can only conclude that Kat uses this on her stick to explain the sheer force she has with hit outs! Some really excellent plays from Kat, getting the ball into our attacking half. And Charlotte never stopped working. Making runs, applying pressure, and always keeping position on the left mid wing. The opposition didn’t get a goal in the second half which is a testament to the entire team. Once again, yours truly gave away about 4 short corners in the second half but a round of applause for the defenders in general including the mids who doubled back, because they didn’t even come close to scoring again. Final score was 3-1. We’re already looking forward to next week, let’s hope we bring a little more magic to the pitch. P.S. Happy Birthday to Helen Smith who came to play instead of being pampered and waited on by her nearest and dearest.

Greetings avid readers and welcome to 2024 and the second half of our season. Before we get down to business, I have a public service announcement to make.  Former  Ladies 1s Captain Hannah Postlethwaite (and Queen of the right wing) is getting married this year to the lovely Jack. I mention this because before the game today she had a meeting with their vicar who must have a put a good word in for us. I’m not a religious person but the Gods were shining down on us today and saw a whopping ‘S Club’ 7-3 victory for our Ladies 1s. We will have to add a quick Hail Mary to our warm up routine from now on!  Prayer time over, let’s ‘Bring it all back’ to Hockey and cheesy pop songs. Our second innings are now well underway and today Oundle Ladies 1s and 2s returned to their home turf for the first time this year with mince pies and turkey now a distant memory. Oundle 1s faced Long Buckby 1s for the second time this season. We narrowly got the win back in September so we were eager to demonstrate what we can do on our home pitch.  It would seem that a few of our Oundle Ladies have got their eye on the ‘Top goal scorer’ award for the season as they came out fighting this week.  We saw a hat-trick from Oundle Legend Tasha Darrington as well as Striker extroadinaire Kerry-Ann Graham, and the final goal going to the one and ‘Holy’ Hannah Postlethwaite.  The game was a masterclass in goal scoring. We showed off brilliant assists from Charli Elphinstone down the left wing before handing off to Tasha. Hannah as always strong down the right wing. There were reverse stick flicks and the pièce de résistance from Kerry was a textbook short corner strike just before half time. This undoubtedly contributed to her getting player of the match this week. Charli and Emma Aubury had a superb game, almost certainly covering the most ground of all players this week. And H.Smith x 2 continue to be a dependable duo on the pitch, always where they should be and hardly let play pass them.  Let’s hope this win boosts our confidence for the remainder of the season. A very Happy New Year from Oundle Ladies, here’s hoping 2024 brings all our players, supporters and families a year of health, wealth and happiness.

I have two words for you this week – Emma Aubury. The guardian angel of Oundle Ladies Hockey, and in keeping with the musical analogies, my my did she ‘Set fire to the rain’. Before the game even started, some tough decisions had to be made by Oundle Ladies 1s this week: to bother with a brolly on the walk up to the pitch? to wear a base layer or not? when to commit to the warm-up and inevitable drenching and step out from the dug out??? To wee or not to wee? that is ALWAYS the main question!! Despite being soaked to the core we got off to a flying start and were awarded a short corner almost immediately.  This was perfectly executed and Tasha Darrington (Oundle Legend) scored just 2.5 minutes into the game. This was also her first touch on the ball and what a touch it was. This boosted our confidence from the get go and during the first half we appeared to dominate the play. Hannah Postlethwaite (Queen of the right wing) and Issy Gorely appeared to cover the most ground this week, switching seamlessly from defensive to attacking manoeuvres. I’d be interested to see their match day step count! Helen Smith hardly let a ball get past her with her hamstrings of steel and ground-level blocking skills. And Hattie Smith, once again making some superb runs to support the defenders (despite a few cheeky Cinzano’s the night before!) We kept the ball largely in our attacking half and had more attempts on goal but sadly these were halted by the opposition or just a fraction off target. Rugby and East Warwickshire 3s were a commendable force and optimised a break in our game, a strong strike from the top of the D and they scored making the score at half time 1-1. R&EW must have had a killer half time pep talk as they considerably upped their game in the second half. Play was a lot more evenly split between both ends of the pitch and Oundle felt the pressure. Mid-way through the second half, R&EW took full advantage of a break and demonstrated a tactful play, outnumbering the defenders and got their second goal. Praise for the defenders is due this week as Captain Ruth Trolove made some superb tackles and clear outs and despite the opposition having a few short corners awarded, they didn’t score from any of them.  This brings me to Emma Aubury, our player of the match this week and someone who probably prefers to stay under the radar so I will try and sum up her worth succinctly. Her one-handed reverse stick blocks are equitable to Thor laying down his hammer, unmovable. She can out-manoeuvre any opponent, and if by chance they do win the ball, she can double back with speed and finesse and win it back. And just for fun, she can travel the ball the length of the pitch and make a shot on goal very nearly giving us our equaliser with minutes of the game to spare but sadly just missed the mark. She is one helluva player. Some very close calls and very close losses these past 3 weeks but the team is looking forward to our next game in Leicester in a weeks time.

Darkness falls across the Pitch The midday hour makes us twitch Players crawl in search of the ball To terrorize you to the core And if the Keeper stands her ground When given a card for getting loud Must stand and face the Refs of Hell And rot inside the shin pads smell The foulest stench from the battle fought The funk of forty thousand ‘shorts’ And grizzly ghouls from every club Are closing in to seal your subs And though you fight to win the game Your body starts to shiver For no mere hockey player can resist The evil of the thriller AH HA HA HA HA HA HA….’ The spirit of Halloween was in the air this weekend as the match against Wellingborough 1s saw phantom fouls and out of body experiences… Wellingborough started strong and really used the width of the pitch well putting Oundle under pressure. We quickly got the measure of them, pulled our socks up sharpish and retaliated with speed and strength to meet their play. Our midfielders today; Issy Gorely,Charli Elphinstone and Kat Hughes were unrelenting with their interceptions, tackles and ability to drive the ball forward. I’ve previously championed players on the left wing but today was Hannah Postlethwaite’s turn to shine. Queen of the right wing! The speed at which she can out-run players and still control the ball is phenomenal. Midway through the first half came the first challenge from Wellingborough on goal. It was a very busy D and unfortunately the ball collided with an Oundle foot.  A flick was awarded to Wellingborough as the umpire felt the ball would have gone in. We did challenge this call based on where players were situated but ultimately as a club we do endeavour to respect umpires and their decisions. As passionate players this is not always easy when we feel an error has occurred but equally umpires have a tough job on occasion. Wellingborough swiftly scored from this opportunity. Not long after, Wellingborough were back making another attempt on goal which was expertly halted by Karen Darrington (GK) but Karen and the forward from Wellingborough both ended up on the floor. A short was awarded to Wellingborough which was rapidly escalated to ANOTHER FLICK by the umpire at the OPPOSITE end of the pitch!! AND our GK being sent off… spookily good eyesight or phantom apparition? The argument for this being that the umpire felt our GK took the player out and didn’t touch the ball… Now, Hattie Smith had an incredible game this weekend. She is a strong, skilled player who is always optimising her position on the pitch and supporting all plays and passes. Extra praise should go to Hattie as she admirably stepped in as ‘Goalie’ with only a face shield to defend Wellingborough’s second flick. But once again they scored from this questionably awarded penalty. Understandably, as a team, we were perturbed by these 2 awarded flicks but we were not deflated by them, and quickly had our own shot on goal facilitated by Oundle Legend Tasha Darrington and the talented super power that is Evie Hurst who got the touch in. Leaving the score at half time 2-1 to Wellingborough. A quick pep talk by Captain Ruth and we were back on for the second half.  The defenders were on fine form this weekend with Ruth Trolove, Kat Barnes, and Emily Burdett in particular making some excellent clear outs from our defensive lines. Emily was quick to apply pressure and as a result Wellingborough didn’t have any clear shots on goal in the second half. This was Emily’s debut for Oundle 1s this season along with Ivy Lee, whose quick ball skills and directional changes left the opposition in a daze. Congratulations for a great game Emily and Ivy, and thank you for stepping up. Player of the match was quite rightly awarded to Charli Elphinstone for the second time this season. She never seems to tire and oozes class on the pitch.

From Lionel Richie to Nirvana as the title to encapsulate this weeks game is ‘Smells like team spirit…’ Oundle ladies 1s travelled to play Towcester 3s on an unusually warm October day. Illness and injury affected availability this week but the 1s and 2s merged their impeccable forces to ensure our game could go ahead. A huge thank you to players who stepped up and met the double challenge of a change in their usual position coupled with less familiar team mates this week. Further injuries during the game and no subs meant players were asked to change positions mid match and cover multiple positions. One such player was Hattie Smith, who undoubtedly covered the most ground in the game today. She was asked to play as an attacking midfield but in the blink of an eye was back making interceptions and clear outs from our defensive D. Additionally, Jude Robinson held her position perfectly today playing wide on the right wing. She consistently provided a strong option when our defence had a 16 or 23 yard hit out and was reliably able to carry the ball forward. When play was outside of either D, it’s fair to say that both teams were equally strong and the game was fast paced spreading the length and breadth of the pitch. Oundle had a few chances on goal in the first half but the opposition were able to swarm on any attempts at a strike on goal. In contrast, Towcester were awarded many short corners throughout the game. Most of them justified as my feet in particular were magnetic for the ball today. And credit where it’s due, Towcester had a strong short corner play up their sleeve and scored their 4 goals as a result of these. Talking of credit where it’s due, Oundle never stopped fighting despite being 4-0 down with 10 minutes of the game remaining. Helen Smith made a spectacular interception in our defensive half, and travelled the ball into attack. Helen then made a textbook pass to Kat Hughes in the centre midfield who carried the ball half the length of the pitch into the D. Training paid off this week and Kat led the GK wide to the back line before passing the ball toward the penalty spot where Grace Vanbergen was waiting to get the goal! Another one to add to her goal tally but with a beautiful assist from Kat and Helen. Whilst on the subject of Grace Vanbergen, she may have the most speed and skill to carry the ball on the left wing with a one handed reverse stick that the club has ever seen. To say I’m in awe is an understatement. Towcester had the substance today winning 4-1 but Oundle can certainly take the win for style in their performance.  Both ladies teams are back on home turf next weekend with the 1s playing Northampton Saints 3, and the 2s playing Grammarians.