The Ladies finished their season with a very well deserved third place in the Playoffs after being in the bottom half of the table at Christmas and sneaking into the Playoffs at the very last minute of the season.
They were determined to show the hockey crowd and supporters what a solid and determined team they are.

It is fair to say, that they were the only team that have pushed the League winners Surbiton close to a defeat this year, and were unlucky not to win in their first semi-final.

Contary to popular belief, the 3rd/4th playoff is no "dead-rubber", there was no way that the Ladies were going to walk off the pitch with anything less than third, and they put their heart, sole and in Sarah, Kate and Leah's case, bodies on the line to come away with third place.

This season has been tough for them, with a slow start, unavailibilty at the beginning of the season, the disappointment of not getting to the Indoor finals and a new coach, but they showed that their oppositions should never write them off and they are a team to be feared!!

Congratulations to Susie Gilbert who won Performance Player of the Season.

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Match Reports by Dave Wright
Reading Chronicle

Semi Final 1 v Surbiton (2-2) 2-4 on penalty shuttles

Helen Richardson- Walsh showed what an asset she is to Reading when on Saturday when she scored two second-half goals after her side had come from 2-0 down to draw level with Surbiton.

The unbeaten Premier Division winners outclassed Blues in the opening quarter, scoring through Julia King, from a seventh-minute penalty stroke, and Sandra Frankland five minutes later.

But Reading, who had finished 22 points behind their Surrey rivals in the league table, gradually worked their way back into the game.
Helen, help from other other half, Kate, pulled a goal back in the 41st minute and then finished off a smart team move to equalise after 61 minutes.

This took the game into a penalty shuttles with players having eight seconds to take the ball into the circle in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Emily Maguire cancelled out Georgie Twigg's opener, while time ran out for Susie Gilbert between the ball leaving her stick and rolling over the line.
Blues keeper Sarah Ellis denied Tibble before Helen made it 2-2 with about a 10th of a second to spare.
Ellis just failed to stop Abi Robinson getting a third for Surbiton, but her opposing number, Ali Walker, prevented Blues skipper Emma Thomas from scoring and it was left to Julia King to make it 4-2 to put Surbiton into the final.

3rd / 4th Place Playoffs v Clifton 3-1

Reading went into the third-place play-off with Clifton, who lost 2-1 to Canterbury in the other semi-final.
They started strongly and forced a succession of penalty corners, but could not find a way past keeper Caitlin Jeffries.

It was the Bristol side, who had finished third in the table with 13 more points than Reading, who broke the deadlock through Liz Sinton from a penalty corner in the 26th minute.

In trying to keep the ball out, Ellis suffered an injury to her kneecap and was replaced by reserve keeper Grace Lawes.

Blues continued to force more corners, but it wasn't until the 39th minute when they deservedly levelled the scores. They were awarded a penalty stroke and Thomas finally got the ball past Jeffries.

Reading took the lead when Ellie Cockburn (whose goal celebration was a joy to watch! ) finished off a good team move just before the hour mark.

And after Wiz Hunt had been denied by Jeffries, Blues put the issue beyond doubt with a goal from Helen on 63 minutes.

After the game Thomas said: "Yesterday was really disappointing, but to come back from 2-0 down to get to shootout was a real achievement for us.
"The end of the season has gone really well and we had a lot of momentum coming into this finals weekend, so it was disappointing to not be in the final today. We knew we wanted to finish our season on a high, we scored three fantastic goals and are really pleased with the performance. It’s a great foothold for us going into next season."
Reading were rewarded with a £750 cheque for third place.

The Ladies 1st would like to thank everyone who has helped them this season, including the club members, supporters, ball patrols, Colts section and all the volunteers - everyone helps to make the team a success.

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Congratulations to Helen Richardson-Walsh who scored three vital goals as Reading finished third in the Investec Women's League play-offs last weekend.
She netted twice in the 2-2 draw with champions Surbiton on Saturday and then added the third goal in the 3-1 win over Clifton on Sunday.
Those goals, along with her impressive performances, takes her another step on the long road back to the international scene,
Her career in recent years has been dogged by a back problem, which has required surgery more than once, and she admits she may never make a complete recovery.
But she has still a great deal to offer, at club and hopefully international level, as she showed at Lee Valley last weekend.

The European Championships in August at the same east London venue may come too soon for her, but the prospect of another Olympic appearance in Rio next year remains a major target for the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist.