Long Buckby is where……….

As dawn broke sleepy heads found themselves in cars being transported to the furthest out post of Warwickshire Hockey, Long Buckby, for the latest encounter. With a number of the squad exhausted after a couple of weeks back at school and needing a holiday coupled with the club captain off partying this had the hallmarks of being a difficult affair. But the team bonded together, assembled a squad and readied themselves for the encounter.

The game started brightly enough with Sils having the majority of possession and assailing the Buckby 25 although not making any real goal threats as time went on Buckby did manage to move slowly forward with their more agricultural style and as the chopping of stick on stick was clearly heard they at last managed to smash a ball through the defensive line, as luck would have it the ball reached their only really dangerous offensive player who had the speed to evade some rather lethargic attempts to tackle her and the ball somehow found its way into the net against the run of play. Now Sils are used to going behind a habit that is not supposedly to be a norm but they were starting to succumb to Buckby’s simple plan of smash it and see whilst working a few one two’s where they could and within five minutes they were once again raining down on Sils goal but this time the shot was calmly booted back up to the half line by Joanne Brett.

Sils rallied themselves with Jessica Jecketts explaining the error of their ways and Ruth Dovey and Claire Robinson starting to exert some control at the back. Short corners were starting to be won and shots were on target with the Buckby defence at full stretch to keep Sils at bay. But it wasn’t long before Ruth found the space needed to find Francesca Levey on the right who advance forward to feed Amy Stainton who sprinted away with the ball before smashing the ball through the keeper for a deserved equaliser. Within 5 minutes Sils took the lead, following a short corner Tamara Majevadia was once again in the wars diverting an oncoming stick away from the ball by her finger allowing Levey to hammer home for the second goal and to take the lead.

As half time came the coaches explained the need for more confidence, greater intensity and quicker passes which for once was taken on board by the team as a whole.

The older Buckby defence was now having a torrid time against the Sils forwards with good linking play on the left with Levey and Lauren Hobday whilst on the right Majevadia was equally backed up by Moly Sullivan with Amy Stainton feeding off any loose balls.
As yet another attack flourished Amy decided that the best course of action whilst running away from goal was a reverse stick shot whilst pirouetting on one foot, needless to say one forward goes splat and the ball is on the way to the moon, forwards got to bless them. With attacks mounting Sils were in the ascendancy but a lone attack from Buckby and some rather ineffective defending allowed them to run forward to score the equaliser. With ten minutes remaining on the clock good interchanges between Amy, Lauren and Molly fed Frankie who slammed a shot in from close range to claim her second goal and to ensure that the Sils superiority got the deserved result.

This was a good all round performance and if concentration could be held for the whole game things would be far easier for all. But the forwards are growing in confidence some great partnerships are developing and the speed up front is starting to cause opposing defences problems. Whilst at the back Sils are starting to play the ball through the midfield whilst maintaining, most of the time, a solid defensive line.

MoM: Lauren Hobday, who linked well with the forwards all day, worked hard and is developing a great partnership with Frankie down the wing.

DoD: Amy Stainton, for her audacious attempt of a reverse stick shot when easier options were available.