MATCH REPORT

t was a rather chilly start to the morning at Glen Park. The U12 contingent were out in force however and Sutton were able to field three teams with three children making their debut for the club. With tough opposition in the form of Spalding and Bourne Deeping it was clear that the teams were all going to need to work hard for each other and have their hockey brains switched on. The A team were to play Spalding twice and despite showing how resilient they were and how determined they succumbed to the more powerful side. Spalding had some slick routines and made use of their attacking overload to capitalise on every opportunity. Despite the best efforts of Josh Smith, Jake Simpson and Ben Hales and the ever energetic Alfie Braginton Spalding kept hitting the back board. Games against Bourne deeping were much more hotly contested and it is testament to the team that they kept picking themselves back up to eek out a draw against BDHC. Martha Hoyles looked for every opportunity but it was Ollie Taylor who managed to smash one home. Emma Markillie was like a terrier at times just doing enough to get her stick on the ball and change the path of the ball to disrupt play. With the majority of these players in this league for another year they should be confident moving forwards. The B team remained the same from the trip to Horncastle and took to the pitch more confidently and self assured. Their games were again very tight other than one against Spalding. With Mia Wilson making defence her own she began to read the game as the day went on and started to make some timely interceptions that allowed Libby Hoyles and Sam Skate the chance to break away. Sam has worked further on keeping his width and made several useful runs down the wing throughout the day. Edward Hales started to link well with Sam and the B teams only win of the day came from a Skate drive and cross to Hales who shot from the top of the D to see it saved by the keeper. Logan Jarvis pounced and struck the ball firmly home. The delight of the team was clearly evident. Harley continued to impress in only his second tournament and was once again working hard in every position he was asked to play. Brad Coley had a full on day helping out with several other games too! The C team was a mixture of experience in the form of Amelia Norey, Ailish and Jacob Jenner and Troy Croxford. The Jenners provided calm and control at the back and as the day progressed and the newcomers found their feet were able to press forward to create more scoring opportunities. The C team were consistently solid in defence holding two teams to a 0-0 draw and only losing their other games 1-0. Amelia Norey was let lose in midfield where she ran, and ran and ran. unlucky not to be rewarded with a goal she made midfield her own. Troy provided strength in the middle and a level head to drive forward into space. Despite taking several knocks he always got back up and carried on! Our newest team players went from strength to strength. Reece Wright is as fast as a greyhound down the wing and each game saw him conquer a new skill. His pace outstripped everyone on the pitch. Jobe Burton made some timely tackles and his positioning throughout the tournament improved as he started to see the gaps and feed the ball through them. Finley Coleman struggled to stay on his feet initially but once his confidence grew he was solidly tackling and tapping on the ball to Croxford and Norey. As always huge thanks to parents for their continued support as well as other players from the club who came to cheer our youngsters on. Some proud coaches today, winning is only half the story, the hard work was put in today that will see the rewards in the future. Special thanks to our willing umpire Harry Braginton too.