1’s v Chelmsford 1’s
3-3 ( Lexie Guthrie, Libby Knifton, Fiona Mulder)
On a blustery Saturday afternoon, Bishop’s Stortford hosted Chelmsford in a match that shifted momentum as quickly as the changing weather.
Stortford made an ideal start, taking an early 1–0 lead from a short corner. The strike, credited to Lexie Guthrie, took a decisive deflection off a Chelmsford defender to beat the keeper. The advantage, however, was short-lived as Chelmsford hit back swiftly to level the score.
Much of the first half unfolded in the midfield, with Stortford defence holding strong being led by Molly and Malli—later named Player of the Match—were outstanding, breaking down attacks and keeping Stortford composed at the back.
Chelmsford regained the momentum and moved ahead with their second goal, but Stortford responded with determination. Libby Knifton drove decisively into the D before being brought down by the keeper. She showed composure under pressure, stepping up to take the resulting penalty flick and converting cleanly to make it 2–2.
The fourth quarter brought one of the game’s standout moments. Louisa, surrounded by three Chelmsford defenders inside the D, managed to slip the ball through to Fiona on the penalty spot. Fiona executed a smooth swivel and pushed the ball past the goalkeeper to restore Stortford’s lead.
Stortford continued to push forward in search of a decisive advantage but couldn’t quite close out the match. Chelmsford capitalised late, scoring near the end to bring the game level once more. After an intense final spell, the match concluded in a hard-fought 3–3 draw.
Both sides showed grit and creativity, but Stortford will feel they were close to securing all three points.
2’s v Bedford 2’s
2-4 (Emma Hynds, Lori McLeish)
The Ladies 2s conceded in the first few minutes against Bedford 2s to put themselves on the back foot. Undeterred they fought back to level the scores through a penalty stroke, calmly converted by Emma Hynds, to make the score 1-1 at half time.
The second half started evenly but it was Bedford who broke the deadlock to go ahead, despite some timely tackles from player of the match, Grace Grindrod. BS continued to create chances but it was Bedford who scored a further two goals of their own, before BS got a consolation goal through Lori McLeish with 5 minutes to go. Final score, 4-2 to Bedford.
3’s v Bedford 4’s
5-0 (Zoe Barford x 3, Scout Neville x 2)
Ladies 3 travelled across the county to play Bedford on Saturday. We had a terrible journey and everything felt a bit rushed but the aim of the day was to ‘have some fun’. We started really well and won our first penalty corner within minutes which was calmly converted by Neville. We then settled into the game and more opportunities came before Barford found the back of the net to bring the score to 2-0. Stortford continued to press and some lovely passing of the ball across the pitch opened up two more opportunities for Barford who calmly scored her hat trick of the game. Bedford had a couple of chances, but Rich was on her toes to clear them nicely away. Still time for one more goal from Neville to end the game 5-0.
4’s v Saffron Walden 3’s
2-2 (Lois Wright, Katy Motson)
Ladies 4s came out strong from the first whistle, settling quickly and taking control of the game. We scored our first goal early on after some brilliant build-up play, catching Saffron Walden on the break and setting the tone for the half. Confidence grew, and we continued to press high, creating multiple chances in the D and keeping their defence under constant pressure.
Our strong start paid off again when we doubled our lead before half-time, giving us a well-deserved 2–0 advantage going into the break. Saffron Walden did have a golden opportunity to pull one back with a penalty flick, but it was pushed wide.
In the second half, both teams came out determined. Despite us continuing to create chances, Saffron Walden managed to find a way through and scored twice, bringing the game level at 2–2. The final minutes were tense, but neither side could find a winner.
Player of the Match was a well-earned three-way tie between Kate Cullinan, Lois Wright, and Elizabeth Reay for their hard work, composure, and impact on the pitch.
A solid performance with plenty of positives, especially the attacking threat and the numerous chances created in the D. A great effort from everyone!
5’s v Berkhamsted and Hemel 2’s
0-3
The Ladies 5s put in a strong and determined performance against Berkhamsted, with the final scoreline not reflecting the perseverance, teamwork, and effort shown throughout the match.
Berkhamsted came out quickly in the first half, taking multiple early shots on goal, but our defence stayed composed and resilient. Strong interceptions, excellent tackling, and disciplined marking kept us firmly in the game. Despite the pressure, we held them to just one goal before halftime.
In the second half, the team grew in confidence and began to play some of our best hockey of the match. We created several promising opportunities on the break and linked up well through the midfield, showing real improvement in possession and structure, with several opportunities for a goal. Unfortunately, Berkhamsted capitalised on two further chances, extending their lead despite our increased control and work rate.
Although the match ended 3–0, the performance was full of positives. The team fought hard from start to finish, demonstrating real progress.
Player of the match went to Anoushka SHAW for her hard work through the game staying strong in defence and clearing the ball
6’s v Old Southendian 2’s
0-3
PoM Zara Thompson
6s close out the first half of the season with work to do
Whilst Old Southendians had the first push it was Stortford who came out attacking with a short corner awarded in the first few minutes. Unable to convert the advantage proved costly as Old Southendians applied pressure gaining a short corner decision at 12 minutes with the goal disallowed on height grounds. Not disheartened the opposition kept the pressure up going 1-0 up at 18 minutes. Stortford kept the pressure on with the young midfield of Zara, Annie, Emily, Nyla and Savannah breaking through however Southendians ability to intercept the passing thwarted our attacks. Meanwhile the heavens opened and everyone was soaked right through to their skin.
The second half started with a strong Stortford attack however a fast breakaway against the run of play took Old Southendians 2 ahead in the first 5 minutes. A thwarted Old Southendians short corner 16 minutes into the second half gave the home team 20 minutes to get even however at the Stortford end Lis was kept busy making some great saves hoping to keep the 6s in the game. Stortford created some good chances on goal with Mia and Annie sending the ball across the goal, shots going just wide and Marni literally throwing herself at chances but in the closing minutes Old Southendians scored a third and the game closed out at 3-0.
As we go into the second half of the season the 6s are sitting low in the league table but with some great foundations to build on for all the return fixtures.
7’s v St Albans 7’s
1-0 (Megan Laws)
The ladies 7’s were fortunate that the rain cleared in time for our match.
The team started out strong, and early pressure resulted in a decisive goal at 4 minutes for Megan Laws.
Continuing to dominate the 7’s won some early short corners but were unfortunately unable to convert. St Albans were strong on the counter attack and Stortford’s early dominance waned a little, with some solid saves near to half time from PoM Elsie.
The second half was a much more even affair. Some solid defending and quick breaks through the mid from both teams saw the ball travelling end to end.
The final quarter saw St Albans up the work rate and a flurry of key saves saw the half finishing without any further goals.
Another great team effort for the 7’s, with them retaining their top table position going into the last game before Christmas.
Shout out for the amazing sideline support and fabulous match notes
8’s v Broxbourne 5’s
5-1 (Natasha Atkinson, Esme Woods x2, Yvonne Monk x2)
Bishop’s Stortford Ladies 8s were away this weekend to Broxbourne for a rather rainy game.
Opening up play, Broxbourne were keen to make their mark and they broke through the defence to score in the first 10 minutes. Stortford were determined to come away with the win this week, and they turned the game around almost immediately with some excellent back passing & switching of play, which allowed Stortford to create an equaliser 9 minutes later from a great goal off Natasha A.
Keen to add to the score line was Esme W with a 2nd goal minutes later before Yvonne Monk added a 3rd goal, taking Stortford to half time 3-1 up.
Broxbourne come out fighting in the second half, applying pressure immediately and were awarded 2 back-to-back short corners, but the Stortford defense held firm. Amy Stiles showed fearless dominance on the short corners, stopping the ball at the top of the D & working in sync with a calm and well-positioned keeper; Olivia H.
Stortford continued to control large spells of play with strong movement, communication, and precise passing across the pitch allowing Esmee to gain her 2nd goal of the game. with minutes to go, Yvonne assisted for the 5th and final goal of the game. The final whistle blew with the score 5-1 to Stortford. A truly fantastic team effort this week.
POM was awarded to Amelia B & Melissa Sharman.
9’s v Saffron Walden 5’s
4-0 (Jenna Flanagan x 2, Lily Dodd, Jane Deans)
Bishops Stortford Ladies 9s secured a fantastic and highly convincing 4-0 victory against Saffron Walden 5s at a rain-soaked Beldham’s Lane, maintaining control from start to finish. Despite the unpleasant conditions, the home side showed complete dominance throughout, though they were frustrated by a goalless first half
The second half, however, saw the team’s quality shine through as their persistent pressure finally paid dividends. The deadlock was broken following a superb run by Jenna down the left, providing the assist for Lily, who was on hand to slam the ball home.
Jenna then quickly converted her own brace, continuing a brilliant run of form after her hat-trick last week. Her first was a lovely, clinical finish, followed by a fiercely well-struck shot from a short corner routine. The final goal provided a moment of magic when Jane brilliantly finished an aerial ball, capping off a day where she caused the Saffron Walden defense problems at every turn.
While our defensive unit were quieter than usual, they were alert and focused in the wet conditions, quickly snuffing out any attacking threats. It was a superb all-around team performance, proving that BS Ladies 9s might actually thrive in the rain!
The team’s Player of the Match, voted by the squad, was the tireless Lucy Ayodele, who brilliantly marshalled the midfield, never hiding and seemingly being everywhere on the pitch to link defense and attack.
10’s development side v Saffron Walden 6 development
0-5
On a cold, wet afternoon, Bishop’s Stortford Ladies 10s Development Squad battled through tough conditions in a hard-fought fixture against Saffron Walden Ladies 6s. Despite the challenging weather and fast pace of the game, Stortford showed determination and persistence throughout, especially in their attacking phases.
Saffron Walden applied early pressure and managed to break through Stortford’s defence three times in the first half, giving them a 3–0 lead at the break. Stortford responded with renewed energy in the second half, pushing higher up the pitch and creating several promising attacking movements. Their persistence kept the opposition under pressure, but Saffron Walden capitalised on two further opportunities, bringing the final score to 5–0.
Although the result didn’t go Stortford’s way, the squad demonstrated real progress, improved teamwork, and impressive resilience in difficult conditions. A valuable learning experience and a performance full of effort and spirit
