CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Southend, home, league, Saturday 1st April
Won: 3-2
Scorers: Lynsey Askew x3

Thanks to a stunning hat trick by Lynsey Askew, Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s are now officially CHAMPIONS of East Division 1 South!!

Having beaten Southend convincingly in the away fixture, we were certain that we could reproduce a similar result but this time they proved to be a much tougher opposition and threw everything they had at us for the full 70 minutes. We managed to go 2-0 up in the first half, both goals courtesy of quality finishing by Askew but in the second half Southend pulled a goal back early on and left us reeling on the back foot for a while. However, the back 4 of Chris McNeill, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps and Amy Marvel were all sublime and did an impressive job of deterring Southend’s 2 very pacey wingers! After a few panicky minutes, BromBeck broke quickly and Askew completed her hat trick with yet another perfect finish to swing the game back in our favour. We knew that for the final 10 minutes we had to retain possession and I just have to quickly mention how professional we looked when we were switching the ball round the back for a good solid couple of minutes – looked superb from the forward line but also a little tiring for us having to run across the pitch continuously ;o) When Southend eventually managed to regain possession, they made the most of it by converting a short corner to leave for a frantic remaining five minutes. BromBeck class shone through though and the final score was 3-2.

Apologies for such a naff report but I’m absolutely shattered from 3 nights of beer, a stomach bug and 2 games of hockey – my brain is officially defunct this morning!! All that needs to be said though is that WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!! GET IN!!!!

Man of the match: Lynsey Askew – Hat Trick Hero – what else is there to say?!

Squad: Alison Fox (GK, Capt), Chris McNeill, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Amy Marvel, Lucy Shepherd, Sophie Davies, Lynsey Askew, Jess Riley, Emma Shepherd, Sarah Crosley, Emma Greenway

On a final note, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to Scott for all your hard work with coaching us this season. I know that we’re probably not the easiest team to coach at times but I think you’ve done a terrific job and have been instrumental in helping us getting promotion. So on behalf of the team, THANK YOU.

So, that’s it, all over for another season – what am I going to do at work on Monday mornings now!?! – roll on September and the challenge that awaits us in East Premier … could dreams of National League perhaps become a reality??!!

2nd League Loss of the Season

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v St Albans IIs, league, away, Saturday 25th March
Lost 0-2

Having met at the club at 11am for a 1.30pb, we were sure that we’d left ourselves plenty of time to get to St Albans. Alas, sadly not as the M25 lived up to Chris Rea’s lyrics and really was ‘the road to hell’. 2hrs and 40mins later, we finally rocked up and St Albans kindly agreed to change the start time to 2pm. A very quick warm up ensued and before we knew it we were on the pitch and the whistle blew for the start of the game.

Any cobwebs from the journey were quickly blown away as straight from the push back we forced a short corner. Unfortunately we were unable to convert and it ended up being one of only a few chances for us throughout the game. Having survived the early pressure, St Albans quickly regrouped and were soon challenging our defence. However, Hannah Westcar in the centre of defence was making some particularly strong tackles to keep them at bay and Alison Fox was as always, on fire in goal with several superb diving saves. It wasn’t all one-way traffic though and we managed to create a few half-chances and a couple of clear-cut chances but were sadly unable to finish off the job.

The score remained at 0-0 as we went into half time and to be honest, we were probably more pleased with that than they were. We had a good chat with coach, Scott Falconer, and it was agreed that we all needed to take a bit more time on the ball, not relinquish possession so easily and to make sure of our passes on the slow playing surface.

We went out at the start of the second half with renewed vigour and energy, holding onto the ball better and generally looking more composed. We began to cause the St Albans defence a few more problems but they held their nerve and made several sound tackles to prevent us troubling the keeper too much. It was following one of our forays forward that they regained possession and quickly broke and took the lead. I have to admit that I was right up the other end of the pitch and didn’t actually see what happened until the ball was in the back of the net! 1-0 to St Albans but our heads did not go down. There was still plenty of hockey to be played and we pressed forward, searching for what eventually proved to be, the elusive equaliser. With 8mins left on the clock, (I know this as I asked the umpire!), St Albans doubled their lead having seized upon a rare lapse in concentration by us. For the remainder of the game, we threw everything we had at St Albans, including a barrage of short corners towards the end, but it was not to be our day. Final score 2-0 to St Albans.

A disappointing result for us as we would have been champions if we won! However, we have to be positive in the fact that we all worked really hard, gave 110% for the whole game and didn’t give up until the final whistle had blown. We have one league games left next weekend – at home to Southend – if we take 3 points from this then we are officially East Division 1 Champions! We have a 3.30pm push back at Langley and any supporters would be more than welcome.

Man of the match: Alison Fox – once again, proved that she’s worth her weight in gold with several stunning saves to keep us in the game.

Squad: Alison Fox (GK, Capt), Chris McNeill, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Amy Marvel, Lucy Shepherd, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Lynsey Askew, Sarah Crosley, Emma Greenway, Emma Shepherd.

PROMOTED!!!

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Brentwood, league, home, Saturday 18th March
Won: 4-1
Scorers: Sophie Davies x2, Emma Greenway, Emma Shepherd

After our fantastic result and performance last week, everyone was keen to carry this forward into our fixture against Brentwood on Saturday. Having been given a good run around by them earlier in the season and having lost our influential midfielder, Sarah Bentley, to injury, we knew that this was going to be a good test of character for us.

The start of the game didn’t go as planned as Brentwood started strongly and forced us into making errors, one of which resulted in a short corner. Brentwood failed to capitalise on this early unsettlement though and were later made to pay. With ten minutes gone, BromBeck suddenly seemed to remember how to play hockey. From then on the performance was almost faultless and no one was surprised when we took the lead. Youngster, Sarah Crosley, was instrumental in the build up to the goal as she put pressure on their right back who conceded possession to her. She then drove towards the base line and crossed for Emma Shepherd to shoot. The keeper did well to save but the rebound fell to Emma Greenway who lifted the ball over her into the bottom right hand corner. Get in! Our lead was doubled shortly afterwards when man of the match, Sophie Davies, converted a short corner after a delightful little one-two with Lucy Shepherd left Brentwood’s defence bamboozled. Despite several more chances to increase the lead, the score remained 2-0 at half time.

Our half time team talk was extremely positive – goalkeeper Alison Fox said that she was bored which is always a good sign for the rest of us – and we were determined to put the game beyond reach early in the second half.

With 5 minutes played, Emma Shepherd made it 3, calmly slotting home a short corner rebound from close range. BromBeck continued to dominate and Sophie Davies eventually scored her second of the game to give us an unassailable lead. This was again through a short corner (very pleasing as we have struggled to score from these this season). Davies belied her young years to use a silky bit of skill to skip past the ‘number 1 running person’ (don’t know the technical term I’m afraid!) and then struck the ball powerfully into the corner to put the score to 4-0. Brentwood kept fighting though and finally got a consolation goal to finish off the goal tally for the game. Final score 4-1 to BromBeck.

Yet another positive performance from BromBeck and we are now officially PROMOTED TO EAST PREMIER for next season. We found out during the week that 2 teams actually get promoted this season as opposed to just the one 1 team which we originally thought. We’re 10 points clear of 3rd placed Folkestone and with only 2 games left now, it’s impossible for them to catch us. Well done us!! Next week we have a crunch match against 2nd placed St Albans. If we win this then we will get promoted as champions, even though there’s still one game left after this. BRING IT ON!!

Man of the Match: Sophie Davies. Had a fantastic all round game in the centre of midfield and capped it with 2 good goals, showing what a promising 16 year old she is.

Squad: Alison Fox (GK, capt), Chris McNeil, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Amy Marvel, Jess Riley, Lucy Shepherd, Sophie Davies, Lynsey Askew, Emma Shepherd, Emma Greenway, Sarah Bentley

Fantastic Game Results In Win

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Folkestone, league, away, Saturday 11th March
Won: 1-0
Scorer: Lynsey Askew

On a bitterly cold Saturday, Bromley & Beckenham 1’s travelled to the South East to play Folkestone. This was going to be fiercely fought contest giving the fact that having played them at home it was a 3-3 draw. After a good warm, our spirits were high and we ready to go into battle! For the first 20 mins, there was good goal mouth action at both ends, although Folkestone had the better of it with more short corners. There was strong play down the middle with Sarah Bentley playing a pivotal role switching the ball to both the left and right wings. For the last 10 mins of the first half, Folkestone put the Bromely&Beckenham defence under pressure, but with some smart defending by the back four, Amy Marvel, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps and Chris McNeil, and a couple of saves by Alison Fox, kept the score at 0-0 at half time.

A good half time team talk, and the ladies were ready again. However, the weather turned against us all on the pitch and it began to snow. Despite the bitter cold, Bromley & Beckenham certainly came out the strongest in the second half and there were a number of short corners, which unfortunately we could not convert. Finally, our strength of hockey and character showed through, and the only goal of the game came from a neat flick in from the post by man of the match, Lynsey Askew. Although there was still 15 minutes left to play of the game, we kept our cool, defended well, and the score remained at 1-0, and 3 points well deserved for Bromley & Beckenham.

A great game of hockey that was played in the right spirit by both sides. Good luck to Folkestone for the rest of the season (although obviously not too much hehe)

Squad: Alison Fox, Chris McNeill, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Amy Marvel, Lucy Shepherd, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Emma Shepherd, Lynsey Askew, Emma Greenway, Sarah Crosley, Jess Riley

By Alison Fox

Welwyn Wilt

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Welwyn Garden City, home, league, Saturday 4th March 2005
Won: 3-0
Scorers: Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Sarah Crosley

With the determination to forget the last couple of games, Bromley and Beckenham ladies 1’s took on Welwyn Garden City at Ravensbourne on Saturday. Having won the toss, BromBeck started well, and it was only 5 minutes into the game, when Sarah Bentley picked up the ball in midfield stormed up the pitch, playing a neat 1-2 with Emma “Man of the Match” Greenway, to receive the ball back at the top of the D, to strike first time past the WGC keeper. This spurred on the rest of the team, and there was some great hockey played, with the girls making use of the speed of both wingers. However, not to be outdone, WGC did have a spell of about 5 minutes where the BromBeck defensive team had to be on their toes, and there were some fine saves from Alison Fox, to keep the scoreline as it was. With newly promoted Amy Marvel into the Ladies 1’s, the defensive team played the ball around the back with Sarah Phelps picking up Emma Greenway on the wing, for her to sprint down to the baseline, a mistake in the D by WGC gave BromBeck a short corner. A superb individual effort by Sophie Davies, saw the WGC keeper sprawled on the floor again 2 - 0.

Half time and the team talk was very positive and everyone was upbeat and ready for the second half. BromBeck looked comfortable and there were several chances for them to go further ahead, with Lynsey Askew, Emma Shepherd and Sarah Crosley all making the WGC defence work hard. The hard work was rewarded, when yet again, Emma Greenway picked up the ball on the right wing split the WGC defence in
half, slipped the ball back for Sarah Crosley to score neatly into the WGC goal.

The final whistle blew and another 3 points for BromBeck. There are now only 4 games left in the season, with 2 tough games away for the girls who must win all 4 to win the league and gain promotion. Any support would be greatly appreciated.

Man of the Match: Emma Greenway for her scintillating, defence splitting runs down the right wing, and setting up two of the goals.

Squad: Ali Fox, Chris McNeil, Sarah Phelps, Hannah Westcar, Amy Marvel, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Lucy Shepherd, Emma Shepherd, Lynsey Askew, Emma Greenway, Sarah Crossley

By Alison Fox

Back To Earth With A Bump

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Old Loughts 2s, away, league
Lost: 1-5
Scorer: Sophie Davies.

We were awful, they were good and fully deserved to win. The End. :o)




Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s vs Burnt Ash, home, league, Saturday 25th February
Drew 2-2
Scorers: Lisa Powell x2

After a heavy 5-1 defeat to Old Loughts last week, BromBeck knew that a win against Burnt Ash was essential to get their confidence back and to continue their push for the league title. Unfortunately for us, this didn’t end up how we had planned.

Both teams started strongly with some lovely hockey being played but as the game went on, this began to change and it became more of a battle of will and strength than of hockey. Both sides cancelled out each other’s attempts at passing and the first half showed little in the way of fluency.

We were pleased when the whistle went at half time as this gave us a chance to re-charge our batteries and revise our game plan.

We began the second half a lot stronger than we’d finished the first half and within 5 minutes had taken the lead courtesy of a flick by Lisa Powell. Instead of Burnt Ash relenting at this point, they came at us with renewed vigour and I don’t think many were surprised when they equalised though a well-worked short corner. Unlike last week’s game, our heads didn’t go down and we continued to fight for everything. It wasn’t pretty at times but we were determined to give as good as we got! Our determination eventually paid off with Powell getting her second with around 15mins left. A good run and cross by Sarah Bentley down the right found Powell who kept her composure to put the ball in the back of the net. Still Burnt Ash kept going though and with just 5 minutes left in the game, they scored what turned out to be the final goal of the contest. BromBeck had a short corner in the dying seconds but it was not to be their day as Burnt Ash bravely defended and cleared the ball away from danger. Final score 2-2.

Another disappointing result in a game that we should really have won if we’d put away our chances. However, a point is a point and we’re still top of the league – we just need to make sure we get 3 points next week!

Man of the match – Emma Greenway, Sarah Phelps and Amy Marvel all got 3 votes each (I actually got 4 but was unfairly (?!) accused of influencing Wiz’s vote so have retracted it!! hehe)

Squad: Alison Fox, Chris McNeill, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Lucy Shepherd, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Lynsey Askew, Lydia Greenway, Lisa Powell, Emma Greenway, Natasia Wiz.

Super Hockey Makes Southend Suffer

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s vs Southend, league, away, Saturday 11th February
Won: 5-1
Scorers: Lisa Powell x3, Lucy Shepherd, Lynsey Askew

An 8.30am meet saw a somewhat bleary-eyed BromBeck side travel to Southend for their re-arranged league fixture against them. Once we arrived there was no danger of anyone sneaking a quick forty winks as the fresh sea air quickly woke us up. After a good warm up and rousing team talk, BromBeck were ready to go.

As soon as the whistle blew it was obvious that BromBeck were in a positive frame of mind and began to play some of the best hockey they’ve played all season. Southend’s defence were put under immediate pressure as BromBeck dominated and it wasn’t long before their resistance was broken. Following a good build up with some slick passes, Lucy Shepherd kept her cool to slot the ball into the back of the net from a tight angle. As has sometimes happened in the past, BromBeck didn’t get complacent after taking the lead and it was not long before their goal tally was doubled. This time Sophie Davies got herself on the score sheet with a powerful short corner strike from the top of the D. Again and again we continued to batter the Southend defence and it wasn’t surprising when we scored another 2 goals in quick succession. Both of these were courtesy of leading goal scorer, Lisa Powell. The first goal was a classic Powell strike from the top of the D. The second was the result of another silky move by the midfield with Lucy Shepherd threading a perfect ball through which left Powell 1-on-1 with the keeper. Powell used her experience to drag the ball across the keeper who was left stranded, and hit the ball into the back of an empty net. This completed the scoring rout for the first half, leaving the score at 4-0.

Our half time talk was extremely positive as we’d been playing some fantastic hockey and fully deserved our lead. However, we knew that to rest on our laurels would be dangerous and that we’d have to try and maintain this level of play for the final 35 minutes.

Although BromBeck continued to play the better hockey in the second half, Southend found their fighting spirit and pulled a goal back early on. This was unlucky for Alison Fox in goal as prior to this she made 3 amazing consecutive saves within the space of 30 seconds. However, almost straight from the re-start, BromBeck re-established their 4 goal advantage. Lynsey Askew made a driving run from the right of midfield before drawing the keeper out and slipping to Lisa Powell to put the ball into the back of another empty net to complete her hat-trick. The rest of the game was end-to-end stuff with Southend throwing everything at BromBeck’s defence and BromBeck in turn breaking quickly and having several half chances at the other end. For the final few minutes, BromBeck’s tiredness from only having a flat 11 began to set in and we were happy when the final whistle blew with the score at 5-1.

A wonderful performance by BromBeck and a result which means we are now 7 points clear at the top of East Division 1 South. Southend did well to fight back in the second half but in the end we were just too strong.
Man of the match: This was very close this week with more or less all the team getting a vote each! Sarah Bentley was the eventual winner as she controlled the game from the centre of midfield with several good runs and passes.

Squad: Alison Fox (GK, Capt), Chris McNeill, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Lucy Shepherd, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Lynsey Askew, Emma Shepherd, Lisa Powell, Emma Greenway.

Battling Performance Earns Points

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s vs Upminster, home, league, Saturday 4th February
Won: 1-0
Scorer: Lynsey Askew

After a week’s break from the league, BromBeck ladies 1s were keen to get back to winning ways by taking 3 points from Upminster and that is exactly what we did.

BromBeck started the game strongly and were dominant for the first 20 minutes or so. The pressure we were putting on the Upminster defence was rewarded when Lynsey Askew kept her cool to lift the ball over the keeper from close range to give us the lead. We continued to push forward looking for a second but Upminster defended well to keep the score at 1-0 going into half time.

We all agreed that a 1-goal lead wasn’t really enough as when Upminster did break, they were doing so very quickly and our defensive 3 had to be on full alert to clear the dangers.

As expected, Upminster came at us hard right from the re-start and we had to defend in numbers to prevent them from scoring. We had several chances ourselves but it was Upminster who looked more eager to score. Alison Fox in goal was outstanding as usual and made several brilliant saves. As the pressure began to show, tempers began to fray and with 15 minutes remaining, 2 of the Upminster players saw yellow and were left to play with 9. Rather than ceasing the advantage of this, we started to flap for some reason and Ali again had to be on her toes. For the final few minutes, BromBeck were well and truly under the cosh, relying on quick breaks to try and increase our advantage and were unlucky not to do so on several occasions. However, it was Upminster who had the best of the chances but a super-human stop from Ali (I don’t know how she stopped it as the ball was flying but she somehow managed to get her neck/chest in the way!) in the dying minutes, ensured that BromBeck finished victorious. Final score 1-0.

A battling performance by BromBeck to give us a deserved victory.

Man of the Match: Alison Fox – once again set a captain’s example with some absolutely amazing saves to retain our lead.

Squad: Alison Fox (capt), Sarah Phelps, Hannah Westcar, Chris McNeill, Vicky Ives, Lucy Shepherd, Sarah Bentley, Jess Riley, Sophie Davies, Lynsey Askew, Lydia Greenway, Emma Greenway

1s Back To Winning Ways

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Old Loughtonians 2s, home, league, Sunday 21st January
Won: 2-1
Scorers: Sophie Davies, Vicky Ives

On Sunday we had a re-arranged league game against Old Loughts and everyone was keen to make up for our draw on Saturday. We again started the game well but it was Old Loughts who broke quickly and got the first short corner of the game. Fortunately our defence were slightly more awake than some of us and managed to clear the danger effectively! For the rest of the half, both teams had their fair share of chances but it was BromBeck who took the lead. Sophie Davies keeping her cool to slam the ball into the back of an empty net after their keeper had over-committed.

The score remained at 1-0 going into half time but we knew that we’d have to work very hard in the second half to retain our lead. In the end I think tiredness and varying degrees of hangovers got the better of us and Old Loughts dominated.

They had several chances, which were either well cleared by our defence or superbly saved by Alison Fox in goal. However, I don’t think anyone was particularly surprised when our barriers were eventually broken and they scored from a good short corner strike. For the next ten minutes or so, Old Loughts were in complete control and it was only through more fantastic diving stops from Ali that we didn’t concede. Having survived the barrage of shots, we seemed to get some extra energy and renewed confidence from somewhere. We had a couple of half chances before being awarded a short corner with 5 minutes left. A Sophie Davies strike was saved by their keeper but only as far as Vicky Ives who proceeded to bundle the ball into the back of the net from close range to restore our lead. The last few minutes were frantic with Old Loughts throwing everything they had at us but try as they may, they were unable to find the elusive equaliser. Final score 2-1 to BromBeck.

If we were unlucky not to win on Saurday, I think we were a little lucky to get 3 points today. However, it’s swings and roundabouts and sometimes these things happen. I’m personally happy with the results and we're still 4 points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand. We don’t have a game next weekend but we’ll all be looking forward to the match against Upminster on the 4th.

Man of the match: Alison Fox – set a captain’s example with several amazing saves from shots that looked like certain goals.

Squad: Alison Fox (GK, capt), Chris McNeill, Vicky Ives, Sarah Phelps, Jess Riley, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Lucy Shepherd, Emma Shephered, Lisa Powell, Emma Greenway, Lynsey Askew, Lydia Greenway.

1s Drop Points in 0-0 Draw

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Bishop’s Stortford, home, league, Saturday 21st January
Drew: 0-0

On Saturday, BromBeck ladies 1s dropped points for only the second game this season by drawing 0-0 with Bishop’s Stortford. We thought that it was going to be a tough game as they’d given us a good run for our money earlier on in the season and we were right.

BromBeck started well and for the first 20 minutes or so we played some of the best hockey that we’ve done so far this season. Our passing was fluent, 50-50 balls were ours and the skills were silky. However, we were unable to capitalise by taking the lead. For the rest of the half, Bishops’ Stortford began to get more involved in the game but were having difficulty breaking down our back 3 who were working well together.

We weren’t too disheartened at half time as we were all positive that if we carried on as we were it would only be a matter of time before we took the lead. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Despite having many opportunities we just could not put the ball in the back of the net. We hit the post twice and had one saved off the line and I think we slowly started to realise that it was just going to be ‘one of those days’. We didn’t give up though and continued to try and find a way through right to the end but it just wasn’t going to happen. Bishop’s Stortford’s defence were a well-organised unit and everyone worked hard for each other, 2 facts which seemed to belie their surprisingly low league position. Final score 0-0.

It was obviously a shame not to win this game as we’d played some superb hockey but we weren’t too disappointed as we knew that we’d been unlucky and at least we didn’t lose!

Man of the match: Lynsey Askew – had a fantastic game at Left Mid. Was very influential in a lot of the moves going forward and also tracked back to help in defence when required.

Squad: Alison Fox (GK, capt), Chris McNeil, Vicky Ives, Jess Riley, Sarah Phelps, Lynsey Askew, Sarah Bentley, Sophie Davies, Lucy Shepherd, Emma Shepherd, Lisa Powell, Emma Greenway

HA Trophy Sees First Defeat For Ladies 1s

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Sudbury, HA Trophy (2nd round), Sunday 15th January
Lost: 2-0


On Sunday, Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s experienced their first loss of the season with a 2-0 defeat to Sudbury.

Having had a bye in the first round, BromBeck were given the toughest draw possible as they played Sudbury who were top of East Divison 1 North and also undefeated in the league. However, we'd played them in a friendly at the start of the season and drew 2-2 so we knew it was going to be a close game.

In the first half both teams played some lovely hockey but we cancelled each other out and the half time score remained at 0-0. BromBeck probably had the best of the chances with Sudbury's keeper making some good saves, notably from a penalty flick.

The 2nd half looked like offering more of the same as chances went begging at both ends. However, it was Sudbury who took the advantage with a well worked short corner routine. BromBeck's heads didn't go down though and we pressed forward again, looking for the equaliser. It wasn't to be though and Sudbury gained another short corner which they again converted. The next few minutes saw BromBeck panic for the first time in the game and the defence had to work hard as we gave the ball away a lot, leaving our back 3 exposed. They dealt with the pressure calmly though and no more goals were conceded. As the game wore on, BromBeck continued to try and score but in the end the Sudbury defence were equal to our efforts and the final score was 0-2.

Very disappointing to be knocked out so early in the competition but Sudbury were a very good oppostion and I wouldn't be suprised if they go on to win the competition so good luck to them.

Man of the Match: Lynsey Askew - made some good driving runs towards goal as well as tracking back to help with the defensive duties.

1s Winnin Run Continues

Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 1s v Bromley and Beckenham Ladies 2s, league, Saturday 14th January
Won 5-0
Scorers: Lias Powell x2, Emma Greenway x1, Sophie Davies x1, Lynsey Askew x1

In the first league game back after Christmas, BromBeck Ladies 1s faced BromBeck Ladies 2s. Having beaten Gore Court 5-0 in a friendly the previous week, the 1s were feeling confident but we also knew the 2s were determined to get a good result against us and that we'd have to be on our toes from the start. This proved to be the case as for the first few minutes both sides played some lovely hockey with chances appearing at both ends. However, it was the 1s who showed their caliber by taking the lead with 10minutes on the clock. This seemed to knock the wind out of the 2s' sails for the rest of the half with the 1s capitalising on this by scoring 2 goals from short corners. Firstly Sophie Davies' straight strike was deflected into the goal witha good touch from and secondly Emma Greenway's strike from the right unluckily hitting a foot and somehow getting bundled into the goal off of the defender (I'm still claiming it though!)

The second half was a different story as the 2s came back with a vengeance, showing great determination and fitness. Their passing was superb and they had several chances and short corners which they were unable to put away. Alison Fox, the 1s keeper was our man of the match so I think this says something! However, it wasn't all one-sided as the 1s held their nerve well in defence and scored another 2 goals on the break to put the game out of the 2s reach. Both of these were courtesy of classis Lisa Powell strikes from the top of the D. We had a chance to make it 6 when we were awarded a penalty stroke but unfortunately Lisa hit the post. The final score was 5-0. A great game of hockey that was played in the right spirit. I personally think the score-line was a little hard on the 2s - maybe 3-1 would've been a fair result but yet again, another brilliant result for the 1s. Let's hope that we can take this result into next week and that the 2s can notch up a victory against Welwyn Garden City.

Man of the match for the 1s: Alison Fox - made some brilliant saves and nothing looked like getting passed her.
Man of the match for the 2s: Rachel McMillan - made some fantastic tackles in the centre of defence to prevent the scoreline being higher

Bromley and Beckenham vs St Albans, Saturday 3rd December, league, home
Won: 4-2
Scorers: Lisa Powell x2, Lynsey Askew, Sophie Davies

On Saturday BromBeck took on 3rd placed St Albans in a near top of the table clash. The day was indeed much warmer than the previous week's and the BromBeck team were in high spirits due to the prospect of the fancy dress party the same evening . It was felt that a win would help facilitate the festivities of the night !

The game started off with BromBeck playing the ball nicely around the back using Hannah Westcar as the pivot player- it was almost poetry in motion and St Albans did not really feature in the first 15 minutes of the game. BromBeck were fluent in their passing and it was hardly a surprise when the first goal was converted by Lynsey Askew who used a great bit of individual skill and kept her calm under pressure from the St Albuns goalkeeper to push it easily into the back of the net. A second goal followed shortly after to put BromBeck 2-0 up, scored by Sophie Davis, from a slick short corner routine. St Albans, however, retaliated and scored a goal back from what appeared to be a momentary lapse of concentration from the defenders. A second goal from St Albans was to follow with a well struck short corner to bring the score level at half time.

Despite the level score, BromBeck kept calm and in the second half continued playing their passing game, with Sarah Bentley distributing the ball well in the centre of midfield and Vicky Ives having a solid game as sweeper. About mid way into the second half this style of play was rewarded by a goal, scored by lisa Powell, who struck the ball sweetly from the top of the D for a classic centre forwards goal. St Albans tried to offer a fightback but were unable to score. The icing on the cake came with the last short corner of the game where Lisa Powell deflected a straight strike into the roof of the net to make the score 4-2. BromBeck remain unbeaten and secured a 3 point lead at the top of the table.

Squad: Alison Fox, Chris McNeil, Hannah Westcar, Sarah Phelps, Vicky Ives, Sophie Davies, Lucy Shepherd, Sarah Bentley, Jess Riley, Lynsey Askew, Lisa Powell, Emma Shepherd, Emma Greenway

By Vicky Ives