Ipswich HC U14 Girls 1st Team
After a successful second half of the season in the regional T2 leagues, Ipswich HC U14G 1st Team travelled to Saffron Walden for the Regional Finals. They had been on a good run in the build-up, not losing for some time, and had trained hard for many weeks under Head Coach Peter Wright.
The girls worked hard in their first game against the hosts; however, they did not have their passing game hat on and carried the ball too much, leading to a 1-1 draw when it should really have been a win. The coaching team of Peter Wright and Pete Bale had a few minutes to rectify this before the next game against West Suffolk.
The Ipswich team dominated the next game, and once they got their passing game going, they started to see the fruits of this with a 5-0 win. It was a very strong performance, with the girls really starting to move the ball around the pitch well. This included, at one point, completing five passes with just two touches on each pass—it was like watching them in a (very good) training session, a real pleasure to witness!
After an hour’s break and a refuel, Ipswich faced Bishop’s Stortford’s 2nd Team. This was more of a challenge, but the team stuck to their new method of passing the ball rather than running with it and secured another win, including a brilliant reverse-hit goal from Millie H.
The team then moved on to their final game to face Bishop’s Stortford’s 1st Team, who were top of the table, having not dropped a point yet. This match turned out nicely for the tournament organisers as it became the tournament final. It was a tight game for the first half. Ipswich had a lot of possession, but thanks to the coaching, the girls trusted their process, quickly passing the ball around. They scored twice, both great goals from skipper Maisie D. The brilliant defence and goalkeeping kept the opponents from scoring, which was key in Ipswich HC securing the win and taking 1st place in the tournament.
Well done to all the girls—you have far exceeded the club’s expectations of what you could achieve 18 months ago. You have won the T2 Regionals, but more importantly, you have all progressed so much and have helped our U14 age group grow in numbers. This also helps set the club up for the long term, as we have a great number of U12s joining the U14s next season too. Many of our current U14s will hopefully continue their age group hockey with Ipswich HC and create a highly successful U16 squad next season.
Well done to everyone involved, and thank you to the parents for your support too!
Ipswich HC U14 Boys 1st Team
With a U16 team and two U14 teams playing today, subs were in short supply, but with three back-to-back games, the U14 A’s worked hard as a team throughout. With four U14 players playing U16, other players took the opportunity to step up and show what they could do.
Looking down the pitch, there were comments about how much bigger some of the opposition teams were, but this didn’t deter them. A tight first game saw two goals in the first half against Blue Harts to win 2-0, followed by a very tense second half.
Next up was a well-supplied Saffron Walden team with a full squad, who had just drawn with Magpies. Ipswich made them work for their 2-1 victory, creating several opportunities that, on another day, would have found the target.
Finishing the day off was the game against Magpies, which was battled to the finish, ending 4-2 to Magpies—but the scoreline made it look less close than it actually was.
With a hasty bit of maths to work out the finishing order, Coach Oli initially had us in 4th place, but here are the full results, with Ipswich securing a credible 3rd place.
Match Results:
Ipswich vs Blue Harts – 2-0
Magpies vs Saffron Walden – 2-2 (?)
Ipswich vs Saffron Walden – 1-2
Magpies vs Blue Harts – 2-0
Ipswich vs Magpies – 2-4
Saffron Walden vs Blue Harts – 1-3
Final Standings:
🥇 1st – Magpies (6 points)
🥈 2nd – Saffron Walden (4 points)
🥉 3rd – Ipswich (3 points, -1 goal difference)
4️⃣ 4th – Blue Harts (3 points, -2 goal difference)
All the team worked their socks off, fuelled by chocolate, Haribo, and a good dose of Ipswich heart. No Player of the Match awards today, as every player played an equal part.
A huge thank you to all the parents for their support and for braving the icy wind on the sidelines! ❄️👏
