L1: EHL Harleston 0 Reading 2

L1: EHL Harleston 0 Reading 2
Claire Kerr FG 35
Jenna Woolven FG 40

Reading finally resumed their EHL campaign after a break of nearly ten weeks this weekend. The indoor season saw Reading gain promotion in the EHL Indoor league, so the squad was filled with confidence after that success but due to the inclement weather had only had a limited amount of time to readjust to outdoor hockey. Snow had also delayed their league restart when the game against the University of Durham last week was postponed, meaning that the side faced a round trip of 750 miles to fit two games into this weekend.

On an unseasonably warm Saturday Reading faced Harleston Magpies, a side who remained bottom, but who had picked up their first points of the season by winning their previous two games against Sutton and Loughborough. The game started evenly as it took Reading a long time to adjust to the slow pace of the turf and get their passing. Reading enjoyed most of the possession however, although Harleston posed a constant threat with their tactic of hitting long balls for their pacy forwards to chase on the counter attack with Angie Wheelhouse a particular threat, but one successfully contained by Marianne Hood and Alison Pope in the Reading rearguard.

Reading sagged back conservatively as they reacted to the tactics of Harleston rather than imposing their own shape so opportunities were few and far between but they made the breakthrough on the stroke of half time when some great work from Vicky Bryant at inside right got her around the back of the Harleston defence and she slid the ball across the D for Claire Kerr to dink over the keeper.

Harleston struggled to recover from this in the second half and Reading began to impose themselves on the game more encouraged by their coach Rhys Joyce to step in front of their players and take command of their game. Their reward came five minutes into the half when they scored their second. The goal originated from a penalty corner that was well defended but Alex Smith followed up with a reverse stick cross shot, which although going wide was picked up by Jenna Woolven on the far post who couldn’t fail to score from a yard out.

Reading now took command of territory and possession spending long periods camped in the Harleston half trying to find further goals. The result never really looked in doubt, although Harleston were still able to threaten occassionally on the break with Lucy Stevenson pressed into a few saves. Reading have added variation to their penalty corner routine over the winter break, and they had several opportunities to try out their new moves. That they didn’t extend their lead from any of them was due less to their execution and more to some outstanding saves from Lucy Hayman in the Harleston goal who pulled off a string of outstanding saves to keep Reading at bay.

Pleased to have picked up 3 points from the first half of the weekend Reading then hit the road for 5 hours to travel up to Durham, although their England U18 juniors Erin Ruxton and Jenna Woolven returned home to prepare for their England selection camp this week.