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 Smith
By 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.
