SONNING 3 - 1 GERRARDS CROSS
9th February 2008

When we arrived at the pitch we were a bit worried that the game wouldn't go ahead as it was frozen, but Gerrards Cross did a great job with salt and brooms to get the pitch playable.

Sonning started poorly, still half asleep it seemed for the first 10 minutes of the game but somehow we managed to keep them out of the goal. When we eventually woke up, it was nice to put some of Mei's ideas from training into practice. Kristina hit a lovely ball into the D to find Brozza, who deflected the ball past the keeper. 1 - 0.

Sonning kept up the pressure and coverted a great short corner routine: Marie pushed out, Brozza stopped, Yasmin took a strike and Marie finishing with a deflection off of the post. 2 - 0 up and Sonning's tails were definitely up! Shortly after the second goal, Yasmin cleaned up after a save from the keeper to calmly slot in our third goal.

3 - 0 at half time and it was fantastic to have Geoff giving us some advice. We started the second half aiming to keep up the intensity but perhaps being in an unusually comfortable position, we relaxed a little. Then, Mei stopped a shot (slightly) illegally on the line (!) and Gerrards Cross were awarded a penalty flick, which Rose saved brilliantly stretching to her right.

Gerrards Cross did get one goal back in the second half, but had plenty more chances so the final result could have potentially been closer.

Reference should perhaps be made of a bit of a rugby tackle from Marie, who appeared to be in training for the 6 Nations at one point ... and well done to Yasmin, for managing to conceal a massive hangover - well, at least until after the game!

Final score was 3 -1 to Sonning and another precious 3 points, moving us from 6th in the table to 4th. Well done to the whole team and many thanks to Geoff for his calming words at half time.
 

Team: Rose Scales; Mei Jones; Caroline Smith; Beth Savory; Claire McEwen; Lizzy McCann; Gemma Holmes; Marie Tiltman; Vicki Clark; Briony 'Brossa' Croft; Yasmin Williams; Kristina Einarsson.

Players of the match: Marie Tiltman & Vicki Clark.
Muff of the Day: There was really only one choice today ... It had to be Yasmin, who had been sipping 'lemonade' since midday on Friday! Although it didn't appear to affect her hockey, she was regularly missing from the table at teas - apparently surveying the décor in the Ladies loo!!