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.
