L1A: Reading 7 Maidenhead 1

With a break in South League fixtures this weekend Reading 1a’s hosted Maidenhead at the Reading Uni pitch in a friendly match.

Reading attacked well in the opening part of the match but Maidenhead battled well to keep in the game and try and break down the Reading attacks. However it was Reading who opened the scoring following a fine flowing move up the pitch which Nicky West finished off to put the 1a’s 1-0 up.

Chiara Clarke made it 2 before half time and with Reading having the edge over the opposition they looked comfortable for most of the 1^st half. Maidenhead had limited chances but these were successfully dealt with by the back 4 and guest Keper Jess who pulled off a couple of saves to keep the ball out of the goal.

Maidenhead narrowed the gap shortly after half time when a corner shot took a deflection off a Reading stick. With the ball looping out of reach of the keeper and dipping in just under the crossbar the 1a’s lead was cut to 2-1.

This spurred Reading back into action and they began to show some superior hockey, combining well all over the pitch. Alison Pope had plenty of space in the centre of midfield to keep the ball moving, and the forwards rotation and movment was too much for the Maidenhead to deal with, leaving them free to apply the pressure on the Maidenhead defence.

Chiara Clarke scored her 2^nd and Readings 3^rd when another flowing move saw Nicky West diving to pass the ball to Clarke, who duly dispatched it past the keeper.

And it was 4-1 when Chloe Lyons sent an absolute rocket of a shot into the top corner, with Clarke on the back post narrowly avoiding losing her head!

With Reading determined to break the recent habit of only winning by a single goal they continued to push forward and apply the pressure. With all players working hard to add to the goal tally Maidenhead struggled to get back in the game and it was one way traffic for the reaminder of the match.

A hit out from Kirsty Reeman found Chiara Clarke high up the pitch and following a neat passing move Clarke completed her hattrick for the day.

Chloe Lyons was determined to keep ahead of Clarke in the seasons top scorers list and added her 2^nd of the day, another uncercut shot from the top of the D.

Hayley Munt completed the scoring after she received the ball in the D, turned strong and sent the ball past the keeper, leaving the final score 7-1 to Reading.

Reading achieved some key aims in the game, with better play extending for longer periods of the match, and all goals coming from some really good team play. Most importantly they kept going once they had the lead and did more than enough to finish off the game – something they hope to repeat this coming Saturday as they host a struggling Rover Oxford side, 1.30 pushback at Sonning Lane.

The weekend does not end there for the 1a’s, as Sunday sees an away trip to Bath for the next round of the England Hockey 2XI Cup.

TEAM – Jess, Helen Ritchie, Kirsty Reeman, Rachael Marriott, Pippa Massey, Mel Lennard, Alison Pope, Alex Marshall, Nicky West, Hayley Munt, Chiara Clarke, Lauren Woodwiss, Chloe Lyons

BEST PRE-MATCH PREP – Popey getting changed in her garage surrounded by boxes

FAVOURITE ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK – Moving house with both Popey and Mel being on the move

Date – 31/10/09

Opposition – Maidenhead 1’s

Result – Won 7-1

Scorers – Chiara Clarke x 3, Chloe Lyons x 2, Nicky West, Hayley Munt