1’s v Ipswich
3-2
Table topping and unbeaten Ipswich were the visitors and Bishop’s Stortford ladies knew they had to be at their best to get anything from the game, and what a game it was with 5 goals and 4 green cards.
A feisty, competitive match also showcased high levels of skill. Stortford`s “Hunger and Desire” was evident after they suffered an early set back with the visitors scoring a well taken opening goal. Katherine Langridge finished superbly from a text book short corner to level things and that is how it remained until early in the 2nd half when Stortford repeated their scoring feats from 2 more short corners. The 1st tucked neatly home by Jemima Carr and the 2nd saw Captain Kate Flintoft bravely dive into the danger zone to poke the ball home!
Ipswich showed why they are top of the table as they came back fighting and scored from a well-rehearsed short corner themselves. The Stortford defence was put under immense pressure but defended superbly to hang on to a well-deserved victory, that puts them just 1 point behind Ipswich in the table in 2nd place.
The match was not for the faint hearted and Stortford Ladies will have gained so much confidence from such a fine all round team performance.
2’s v Crostyx 1’s
1-1
Bishops Stortford traveled to Crostyx for an exciting encounter that ended in a hard-fought draw.
After a brief warm-up, both teams showcased their skills in a fast-paced first half.
The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Bishops Stortford won a short corner. A
powerful strike from Emma Hynds found its way past the diving keeper, taking a deflection from
Daisy Fox on the post. This gave Bishops Stortford a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
The second half saw Crostyx come out with renewed energy, and they quickly leveled the score
after a frantic scramble following a short corner resulting in a well-placed finish.
As the match neared its conclusion, Bishops Stortford’s goalkeeper, Ali Martyn made a series of
outstanding saves, keeping the score level and securing a crucial point for her team.
Sophie Higgins was named Player of the Match for her tireless work rate and commitment
throughout the game.
3’s v Bedford 3’s
3-1
The Ladies 3s team made the journey to Bedford, prepared for a high-stakes clash against the co-leaders at the top of the league. After a delay to the start, the match kicked off at a blistering pace.
The opening goal was a moment of hockey brilliance.
Following a failed Bedford short corner, Stortford launched a swift counterattack, with crisp, one-touch passing. Annie initiated the play, sending the ball upfield to Jemma, who quickly relayed it to Zoe. Zoe, positioned on the right wing, delivered a pinpoint cross into the D, where Hollie was ready and waiting to strike a superb reverse shot into the net.
After halftime, Bedford responded with a scrappy goal, levelling the score. But Stortford refused to back down. Rallying together, they crafted another beautiful goal: Lori Mac sent a precise cross into the D, finding Jemma poised at the back post to confidently slot the ball into the net.
As Bedford tried to mount a comeback, they found themselves thwarted by Stortford’s formidable goalkeeper, Charlie, who made a series of crucial saves to keep them at bay. Tensions ran high as midfielder Meghan received a green card for her rapid play, which left a Bedford player grounded. In the final six minutes, Charlie herself had to take a brief enforced timeout after offering some unsolicited advice to the umpire, receiving a green card in the process.
Down a player, Stortford showed resilience and grit, soon winning a penalty flick at the other end. Hollie stepped up confidently to bury it in the net, sealing the victory for Stortford.
It was a phenomenal team effort, demonstrating hard work and unity. Annie earned a well-deserved Player of the Match for her relentless presence all over the field.
4’s v Stevenage 2’s
4-0
Stortford set some good play from the offset, with some effective passes up to the forwards. The
first goal came from Yolande Notley after a strong assist from Hannah Witchells and Jess
Ashford-Green, at 20 minutes. The forwards and attacking midfielders demonstrated great
hockey. A second goal came from Yolande 31 minutes after a strong strike into the D was
deflected into the goal. Stevenage gave stortford some pressure but this was shut down by a
great save by Summer McGowan after a short corner.
After a constructive team chat at half time, with position changes and re-strategising for the
second half. Some solid defence kept the opposition out of the D and short corners were swiftly
dealt with. At 13 minutes after some solid passes from the back, up the wing and into the D for
Scout Neville to score the third for Stortford!
To round of the game, a collective effort from Lois Wright and Yolande Notley lead to another
goal at 25 minutes.
Against a good opposition, the 4s put out a solid team effort for a great result of 4-0. Scout
Neville was awarded POM
5’s v Royston 1s
4-3
After a couple of challenging weeks, the Ladies’ 5XI came out strong from the start. Dominating
possession and pushing the attack, Laura McBride’s drive into the opposition’s D set up a
perfect pass for Jo Newman, who secured the first goal just 14 minutes in.
Stortford continued their relentless pressure, and Grace Gladen scored with a brilliant run and
reverse shot at 23 minutes, extending their lead. Confidence was high, and despite Royston
intensifying their defense, Stortford earned a penalty corner at the 29-minute mark. Jo Newman
delivered with a powerful direct strike, hitting the backboard and taking the score to 3-0.
However, Royston responded with determination, pulling one back before halftime, ending the
first half with Stortford leading 3-1.
The second half saw Royston come out with renewed energy, but Stortford’s defense, with
goalkeeper Sarah Bucknall making crucial saves, managed to hold them off. Royston eventually
found a way through, narrowing the scoreline to 3-2.
Undeterred, Stortford pushed forward again. Strong leads from Lea Gillespie and Savannah
Taylor created space, allowing Laura McBride to battle through a packed defense and claim
Stortford’s fourth goal. Despite heavy pressure from Royston in the final minutes, Stortford’s
defense held firm, with standout performances from Lily Shillito and Olivia Figg. Royston
managed one last push, scoring a third goal, but it wasn’t enough.
Final score: Bishop’s Stortford 5XI claimed a narrow 4-3 victory in an intense and competitive
match.
Player of the Match: Lily Shillito
6’s v Waltham Forest 2’s
10-2
POM Ava Igbon-Wood & Jemima Osmond
Hat trick for Ava Igbon-Wood
The ladies 6s played at home against Waltham Forest 2 on Saturday with a team of thirteen players including 8 juniors. Six players from the 7s stepped up in support to make up numbers. Having never played together as a team previously, the players pulled together well and gelled quickly.
The first half began with a Stortford pushback and after 5 minutes, Jemima T had successive shots on goal but with no success at this point. Waltham Forest won two free hits, both resulting in the balls splitting in half and having to replaced! With a more robust ball in play, at 8 minutes Stortford won a short corner. One Waltham Forest defender broke too early and was sent back but sadly Stortford were unable to take advantage and Waltham Forest began a counterattack. Stortford fought hard to win back possession which resulted in three goals in quick succession with Jemima T assisting Ava to make the score 1 – 0, followed by a goal for Jemima O assisted by Sarah and then, within a minute, a goal for Jemima T.
Some lovely teamwork between Sophie and Freya on the right gave Stortford another attack and, at 21 minutes, Jemima O provided a lead and assist for a goal for Karen to make it 4 – 0 with a second goal for Karen following 7 minutes later. At this point, Jemima T, who had played such a pivotal role so far, had to leave for a party but Stortford continued to push. Just before half time, Stortford won two short corners in a row but failed to convert.
In the second half, there was some early pressure from Waltham Forest, but Stortford intercepted the ball and the counter attack resulted in a shot from Freya followed by another short corner after 8 minutes but with no conversion. A few minutes later, Ava took an impressive run and offloaded the ball into the D resulting in a goal from Jemima O to bring the score to 6 – 0. Unfortunately, Jemima’s luck was not to continue as she took a ball to the head and had to be subbed off for the rest of the match. There was a bully to restart the game, won by Waltham Forest who quickly mounted some pressure and won a short corner. This was calmly defended by Izzy but resulted in a long corner.
At 15 minutes in, Waltham Forest snuck a goal in behind Izzy to make the score 6-1. Stortford restarted quickly with Ava making another run up the pitch and setting up Freya for an impressive flick goal to make the score 7 -1. Stortford continued to press and after Sarah won back a 16 and crossed to Freya who pushed it to Ava for a shot that went just wide. More pressure from Stortford resulted in the ball travelling high off Freya’s stick, crossing the front of goal and being slipped in by Sarah to make the score 8 – 1, swiftly followed by another goal from Ava, 9-1.
Waltham Forest responded with an attack and shot on goal which was stopped by Izzy and cleared by Nula. A Stortford attack followed, with some pairs work from Gemma and Sarah, a pass to Karen who crossed to Ava in the D. Advantage was played for a Waltham Forest foot which resulted in a hattrick goal for Ava to take the score to 10 -1. Another Stortford short corner was followed by a second Waltham Forest goal with the final score an impressive 10 – 2 to Stortford.
7’s v Stevenage 4’s
4-1
PoM Nyla Smith
Goals: Megan Laws (2) Lianne Warnell (2)
Ladies 7s took the last home slot for a faceoff with Stevenage 4s who sat on equal points in 5SW, both teams needing a win. Stortford settled quickly, frustrating the visitors who were unable to break a strong defensive line into the D. Stortford applied attacking pressure which paid off at 16 minutes when Jo Hall thread the ball through to Megan Laws who kept her head in a 1-on-1 with the keeper, winning out with a goal angled in behind the keeper. Stortford didn’t relent, keeping Stevenage busy in their defensive half, and Stortford were rewarded again with a goal from Lianne Warnell just ahead of half time.
Buoyed with their performance thus far, Stortford were looking for more. Warnell took her second goal at just 4 minutes into the 2nd half and it looked like 7s good form would continue. However, following their half time talk, Stevenage had come out battling with Stortford’s defence having to work harder and a number of saves needed from the 7s keeper, Lis Foote. Stortford kept their heads with great runs from Chloe Allmark and Emily Woods supported by cohesive play from the midfield. A second goal for Laws with a well-timed strike at 30 minutes put the home team ahead 4-0. Stevenage netted a consolation goal at 33 minutes as the ball deflected over the line. With an impressive team performance across the pitch and a 4-1 win, any player could have taken the POM, but Nyla Smith’s tenacious performance in midfield earned her the accolade.
8’s v Letchworth 4’s
0-1
Stortford were unlucky to come away without at least a point from this game, going behind to an
unlucky goal they went on to dominate the match but couldn’t find the net.
10’s development team v Luton development team
6-1
