Ladies 1s
Ladies 2s
Ladies 3s
The L3s finished a very respectable 8th in division 2SW in their first season having been promoted last year. 33 players have contributed to the team over the season and 10 have played in excess of 20 matches (Catters, Ali M, Jemma, Lydia, Eryn, Katy, Ali C, Jen, Charlotte & Issy G). Jen Pearce finished as the teams highest goal scorer on 9 goals
Ladies 4s
Ladies 4s Season Summary
Having been promoted into division 2SW for the 2023/24 season the Ladies 4s were in for a tough season. The squad remained fairly similar to the season before albeit with a new captain, Lori McLeish, vice-captain Rachael Hickman and a new sponsor, Hytek Fuel Transfer Solutions.
The first half of the season was an uphill battle with the team struggling to adapt to the pace of the new league and the speed at which decisions had to be made and executed. The standard of play was much higher than the previous season with most of the teams in the league being either 1st or 2nd teams for their respective clubs. By Christmas the team were ready for a break having played 11 matches of which they lost 8 and won 3. The team started the second half of the season in high spirits and with a couple of new members but unfortunately their tight bond, high hopes and fighting spirit weren’t enough to stem the tide and they ended the season in 12th place. They will be relegated back to division 3SW for the next season.
Altogether the team won 4 games, drew 2 and lost 16. The team only managed to score 17 goals all season with Zoe Barford being the highest scorer on 5. Pippa Bull got 4, Hannah Wynne and Zoe Bovaird got 2 apiece, and Paula Frenzel, Karen Jones, Lizzie Roberts and Jessica A-Green scored 1 each. The makeup of the squad fluctuated throughout the season as new players joined the club, senior members got injured and players moved up or down from adjacent teams. Overall, 26 people played in the 4s over the season with a core team of 11 having played 15 or more of their games.
Despite the difficulty of the season the team can be commended for their positive attitude going into every game. The losses were brushed off and the wins and draws celebrated within a culture of care, hard work, and team spirit. Everyone learned a lot from the experience and the younger players especially have gone from strength to strength as the season progressed. The player of the season was a difficult choice with several names in the hat including Kess Levy and Racheal Hickman, but the eventual well-deserved winner was Rafaelle Roberts.
The team would like to thank Hytek Fuel Transfer Solutions for their generous sponsorship over the course of the season. The Hytek shirts have been well worn with pride and gratitude.
The team would also like to say a huge thank you to Tom Frenzel for his inspired coaching this season. His infectious energy and constant positivity made practice really fun as well as incredibly worthwhile. We look forward to having him back next season.
And lastly, but definitely not least, the team would like to say how grateful they are to all the volunteers that make the season happen with a special thanks to our umpires Colin Harker, Matt Sharman, James Nash, Paul Tomlin and Alex Kirton.
Ladies 5s
Ladies 6s
Ladies 6s Season Summary
Ladies 6s played in division 4SE after being promoted the previous season. The team saw quite a few changes with some players moving up, some down to 7s and 7 remaining from the 22/23 league winning team. With the new season came a new Captain, Claire smith, who had seen success in 22/23 in her first season of captaining a side and winning the league with the ladies 5s who played in division 5SW. Claire made the decision to move down to 6s for this season, whilst previous 6s captain, Naomi Holloway also decided to drop down a team to 7s.
Throughout the season a total of 42 players helped the 6s gain promotion, with a core squad of 16. Having no regular GK the 6s had 7 different keepers play for them, mostly from a pool of youngsters. Izzy J featuring the most and being key in 6s success.
6s not only had success with promotion, we also had the club’s top goal scorer Hannah W who scored 22 goals. Also playing for the team was Lois Wright who followed Hannah closely with a total of 21 league goals.
The team secured first place in division 4SE 3 weeks before the end of the season so enjoyed the remaining games without the pressure of having to win, (although they continued to do so). 6s finished on 59 points, winning 19 games, drawing 2 and losing just 1. They scored 106 goals and only conceded 20 giving them an impressive GD of 86. 16 players contributed to the 106 goals.
Ladies 7s
Season Summary
Having been promoted into 5SW for the 2023/24 season the Ladies 7s reformed significantly in 2023/24. A new captain, Naomi Holloway, brought Charlie Woodrow, Emma Cox, Savannah Taylor, Kim Foster and Lis Foote with her from the 6s. They were joined by 7’s stalwarts Denise Clark, Lexi Baird, Emily Wood, Kaitlin Range, Kim Durbin and Sarah Tough. Vice Captain Mel Dummet, and Scout Neville had both played across a number of teams in 2022/23. Laura Batchelor and a few weeks in Martha Trist came up from the 8’s and Grace Gladen in her first adult season, plus Beth Metson moving from the 6s in the second half of the season made up the eventual squad of 18. A further 18 players joined us for between 1 and 5 matches giving a total of 36 players contributing to the outcome, with Mary Sanders (5 matches) scoring 8 goals and Elizabeth Clune (1 match) scoring 1 goal. .
The team finished in 8th place on 28 points, winning 8 matches, drawing 4 and losing 10.
55 goals were scored (21 by Emma Cox from 11 matches) and 48 conceded leading to a 7 goal difference. Emily Wood contributed 8 goals to the total.
Thanks go to the many umpires and in particular Ange Durnin who turned out for all but 1 home match.
Ladies 8s
BSHC Ladies 8 Season summary
Ladies 8s have played in division 6SW for the 2023/24 season following a surprise move up by East England Hockey from last season due to change in participating teams and an additional division being added.
As a team, they entered the new season with a number of changes and challenges. A new captain in Megan Twigg, who was benched before the season began due to pregnancy. They also saw a number of players leaving the squad due to being promoted up across teams, including one to Ladies 1, and had no appointed keeper.
With the New Year came new changes, a change of captains, with Megan Twigg stepping down, Kerrie Chapman stepping up to Captain, with Sally Lowe stepping up to the challenge to become Vice Captain. A switch in training night, with a new coach, with higher teams, which the team adapted to. Plus the team also saw the loss of Martha Trist as she was permanently promoted to Ladies 7s as well as a benched forward in Eileen Adams due to a skiing injury. With a number of the core squad having Saturday school, selection continuing to be a challenge. Ladies 9s captain Sandra Figg provided key support with players.
Ladies 8s is defence heavy, which proved an asset throughout as only 10 of the 20 games played across the season were played with a keeper. Although thanks to Lis Foote and Ella Draper who doubled up at times to support and helped where they could.
The team lost out to 3rd place by one point, ending the season in 4th. A conceded game due to lack of lighting at Hockerill in October half term contributed to the challenges of the season. But Ladies 8s finish the season feeling strong and positive with the way they have conducted themselves in play. A truly nurturing team, that enables confidence to grow as skills are built upon.
A total of 21 goals came from top scorer (and player of the season) Megan Lawes. Jemima Osmond came in second on 9 and Eileen in at 3rd on 6, having been benched prematurely due to injury. Contributing to our score sheet this season was Charlie Woodrow (Ladies 7s), Emily Wood (Ladies 7s) and Wanatsa Dumbura (Ladies 9s).
Ladies 9s
