Enigma Vs Potters Bar 2nd XI

Saturday 13th February 2010

Potters Bar Ladies 2nd's played away against Milton Keynes Enigma. Their home ground at Tattenhoe was new terrain for Bar as they found themselves playing on a water based pitch with no water. This meant that the hockey was slow and the ball often bounced, making the style of play seem quite old school.

So without the old school ‘bully off’ to match the experience, Enigma had first push back which gave them an advantage as they were used to playing on this pitch. Bar looked a stronger team on paper but the first 15 minutes were frustrating as players’ passes and stops seemed to drop a couple of leagues, and in places Bar was struggling which caused them to narrow the game and limit the width. Even experienced keeper Glenys Chiswell gave away a short corner by a bobbling strike from the home team, where Chiswell had no choice but to kick it away above heads.

Bar’s determined defence stopped any early conversions and it wasn’t long before Bar started to get used to the terrain and started to dominate possession. The team started to work better together by forcing more talking. A push forward saw Katy Francis pick off a combined Chris Field and Liz Finding cross to place the ball past the keeper. Francis achieving her first goal of the season and putting Bar in the lead.

The rest of the first half saw Bar win 2 short corners over Enigma but they were unable to score on both occasions, and at half time Bar were still 1 - 0 up. A day before Valentines day ironically saw no love loss between the two teams and the second half became even more old school, as desperate attempts to win the ball created a few more knocks and bruises than usual. Midfielders Kerry McCann, who dribbled finely through Enigma, and Shelley Farmer who challenged any advance and often intercepted wayward passes, both suffered from injuries. Even Nicola Holland, who worked well to defend Enigma’s best player out of the game, had a few scrapes and tumbles.

In the last 5 minutes Enigma were eager to equalise and dominate Bar’s defensive circle. However, Laura Cullen won the ball at the end of a sequence of Enigma long corners, and used Farmer who passed the ball back into the path of Cullen who then drove up the left wing. Cullen passed the ball in the path of Finding, who took her defender on and gave a slick push into Lotti Pickup, who had teared up the right wing to accept the pass in the ‘D’ and smash it past a bewildered Enigma keeper.

Bar cemented their lead at 2 - 0 and they will be confident when they meet Hertford at home next week who beat Bar away on their last meeting.

Lady of the match: Lotti Pickup

Goal scorers: Katy Francis and Lotti Pickup

Team: Glenys Chiswell (GK), Esther Strous (Captain), Shelley Farmer, Chris Field, Katy Francis, Kerry McCann, Liz Finding, Charlotte Sayers, Michelle Lewis, Charlotte Pickup, Gronia Morley, Nicola Holland and Laura Cullen