The U10s had a great afternoon of hockey, playing two long halves against a big Sandroyd squad. We took an early lead, rather battering the opposition goal, despite some good saves from the goalie. At this point, we made some swaps to the team in an effort to balance the game and ensure that everyone was involved, on both teams. Sandroyd popped an extra player on the pitch and we traded our front line to get the defence stuck in. This made a difference and both teams had some great attacking runs, with the score standing at 5 - 4 at half time.

The team talk focused on looking for a good pass, and making sure that sticks were low, ready to block and defend more strongly. We also looked to use the width more effectively and here, Hettie really shone, being beautifully positioned for pacey runs up the right, as well as firing in some cracking crosses and shots. With the changes to our team, the defence came under more pressure. Penny W, with her stick almost horizontal, was a pivotal player today, showing pace, brilliant turning skills and a powerful sweep of the ball away from danger. Penny A had some excellent touches on the ball, making neat passes away from danger as well as venturing into the attacking D. Sara made some good blocks and, again, looked to make the simple short passes well. Isla faced some tough play today and showed guts in a busy goal-mouth, especially when she was left on her own against two or three attacking players at once. Beata is getting more and more used to getting her stick down, ready for those crosses into the D, and Marta's feisty tackling is always entertaining to watch: the hockey equivalent of being in the middle of a rugby scrum! Polly and Violet played cohesively in both the mid-field and up front, with nifty stickwork and great strikes on goal.

These girls are making great progress, both as individuals and as a team, and today's match was a cracking display of hockey. Sandroyd chose Polly as Girl of the Game; FSM's Coach and girls selected Penny W for reasons mentioned above. Well done!