Bretforton Ladies 2nds 2 Stroud Ladies 2nds 1
West Clubs Women’s Hockey League Severn Division Two
BRETFORTON Ladies 2nds made the perfect start to the second half of the season with a hard fought victory over Stroud on Saturday.
It may have been cold but this performance from the Pink Ladies was positively sizzling as they excelled as a team.
The hosts put Stroud under pressure from the start through superb play on the right from Amy Ball and Amy Pinkney who drove relentlessly into the D to create opportunities for forwards Rosie Zubek and Lisa Davis.
Bretforton opened the scoring when midfielder Rosemary Logan burst along the right before crossing the ball into the D and, with the Stroud defence in a muddle, Lucy Cole was quickest on to the loose ball to slip it neatly past the keeper.
However, a lapse in concentration allowed Stroud to catch Bretforton on the break and, despite two fine blocks from keeper Linda Bell and Andrea Cole on the line, the ball ended up in the hosts’ goal.
Bretforton applied themselves to the task in hand and regrouped, with Emma Lowe and Logan taking a grip in midfield.
The home side’s efforts were rewarded early in the second half thanks to some swift passing from Lowe, Lucy Cole and Logan which moved the ball into the Stroud D. The visitors failed to clear and Ness Dufty made no mistake in pushing the ball home.
With Bretforton continuing to press, Lucy Cole was unlucky not to score when her shot hit the post, and then from a short corner Andrea Cole was also a whisker away when her shot flew just wide of the post.
Teenager Ball, Nat Benwell and Jen Badger all had outstanding games in defence for Bretforton, showing great composure on the ball and providing essential support to the midfield.
Stroud did have chances, but some excellent goalkeeping by Bell preserved Bretforton’s lead.
The final ten minutes saw the home side put under the cosh but, inspired by player of the match and captain Andrea Cole, they kept the ball out of the D thanks to numerous tackles and some fine clearances.
The Bretforton team thank umpires Tess Lewinton and Chris Vince for their services on a bitterly cold day.
Bretforton Ladies 2nds are at home again on Saturday when they host Gloucester 4ths.