1’s v Chelmsford 1’s
1-1 (Libby Knifton)
Stortford finished their season with a well-earned 1–1 draw away at Chelmsford in the sunshine on Saturday.
They started brightly, moving the ball with pace and patience, immediately putting Chelmsford under pressure. An early short corner created a big chance, with Titch’s deflection falling kindly to Libby, who somehow managed to put it wide from close range — one of those moments that’s harder to miss than score!
Stortford didn’t let that slow them down. Their positive play soon paid off from a well-worked long corner. Molly delivered the ball in, Titch struck it first time into the D, and Libby reacted quickly — turning her defender and calmly slotting the ball under the goalkeeper to give Stortford the lead (and nicely marking her birthday).
At the other end, Ali was in outstanding form, pulling off a series of excellent saves. The defence of Mali, Locke, Lexi, Erin and Molly were solid throughout, dealing well with Chelmsford’s attacks. In midfield, Lou, Sophie, Titch and Beth worked tirelessly, showing great skill and control to keep Stortford on the front foot. Up top, Dutchie, Libby, Amelia and Daisy caused problems all game with their movement and energy.
Chelmsford found an equaliser in the third quarter, but Stortford stayed composed and continued to battle until the final whistle.
A strong performance to end the season — well done everyone!
Final league position: 4th
2’s v Bedford 2’s
2-3 (Hollie Mathieson, Liv Smerdon)
Bishop’s Stortford fell to a narrow 3–2 defeat against Bedford in their final game of the season, in a match that ultimately had no bearing on either side’s league position.
Bedford opened the scoring early, with captain Suzanne delivering a dangerous ball into the D that was neatly deflected home by Hollie. Stortford kept fighting and soon found themselves in front after Hollie turned from scorer to chaos-creator, tackling the goalkeeper and forcing the ball loose for Liv to finish smartly.
The lead didn’t last long, however, as Bedford struck again shortly before half time to level the game at 2–2 heading into the break.
The second half was evenly contested, with both sides creating chances but struggling to convert. The decisive moment came when Bedford produced a strong attacking run, cutting through the Stortford defence and finishing simply to secure a 3–2 victory.
Despite the defeat, Bishop’s Stortford end the season in 8th place and will look to build on their performances as they aim to climb higher next year.
Final league position: 8th
3’s v Bedford 4
2-0 (Elizabeth Reay, Lizzie Roberts)
Final game of the season saw Stortford L3’s play Bedford 4’s. We had nothing to play for so just wanted to go out and have a good game! We had a strong warm up and started the game well. Within 10mins we had scored our first goal and things started to settle down. We applied lots of pressure and had a mountain of opportunities but just couldn’t convert to goals! After 5 mins we managed to find the net again and took the score to 2-0. Bedford had a couple of breaks and corners, but the defence was solid with Wootton saving two off the line. The game continued and we had lots more opportunities but just couldn’t increase the scoreline. It was a great game to finish on
Final league position 7th
4’s v Saffron Walden 2
2-1 (Chloe Wright, Charlotte Range)
Two goals in the closing minutes of the game saw Stortford grab all 3 points. Stortford conceded early but went on to dominate possession and the game, despite constant pressure they were unable to convert their chances until the final moments Chloe Wright bringing Stortford back level before Charlotte Range netted the winner with just two minutes to go.
Final league position TBC one game still to play
5’s v Berko and Hemel 2’s
2-0 (Vicky Randazzo)
Bishops Stortford 5s played Berkhamsted 2s for the final game of the season.
Stortford went out full of energy from the first whistle.
Putting all their training and teamwork into practice played dividends at 22 minuets when Vicky RANDAZZO scored our first goal of the match.
It was a match of many short corners at both ends. Stortford were strong in defence defending short corner after short corner, with greats saves from Sarah BUCKNELL.
The half time whistle blew and we were winning 1-0, the team talk had great feedback with all players working hard both on their own but more importantly as a team. There was all the play for and Stortford 5s wanted the win.
Berkhamsted came back stronger and more determined, once again with many short corners against Stortford, defended excellently with none getting through the defensive line.
Stortford didn’t slow down pushing back and attacking hard to secure a win for their final game. This paid off at 59 minutes with another goal from RANDAZZO, bring the scoreline to 2-0.
A final win for Stortford 5s, truly deserved through hard work, teamwork and determination throughout not only the game but the whole season.
Player of the match was awarded to BUCKNELL for her great saving during the game and a clean scoreline for the final game.
Final league position 11th
6’s v Old Southendians 2’s
0-6
PoM Emily Osbourne Worcester
Bishop’s Stortford fell to a decisive defeat against Old Southendians in the final game of the season, in a game that wouldn’t impact the Stortford league position regardless of outcome.
Stortford started hard surprising Old Southendian’s by dominating the play for the first 15 minute but failing to convert a couple of early short corners proved costly when a Old Southendian’s short corner was converted through switching the ball a couple of times to take the opposition ahead. As Southendian’s found their rhythm in the final 10 minutes of the half Keeper, Elsie Lowe came under further pressure making fantastic clearances to keep Stortford in contention. The Southendian’s keeper did exactly the same to thwart Stortford and a swift Southendian’s break just before the half time whistle saw the defence being largely out run to take the score to 2-0.
Old Southendians started as they left off with great team work, fast passes and danger players getting into the right spots, despite hard work from the defence a further Southendian’s corner was converted just into 40 minutes, the rebound narrowly missing a ducking Ange Durnin, and the match beginning to slip away. Sustained pressure from the oppo resulted in 3 more goals in 5 minutes and the scoreline was 6-0 by 55 minutes. Stortford kept fighting with Lianne Warnell and Hannah Wynne both having near misses, Sophie Cowell making a great stop to a short corner strike and Elsie making another great save just before the full time whistle.
The end of a tough season, once again some fabulous hockey on display – the U18’s will surely look back on this experience as “character building” – the fighting spirit of the entire squad has been second to none.
Final league position 11th
7’s v St Albans7’s
3-3 (Emma Cox x 2, Amelia Bernie)
The ladies 7’s travelled to St Albans for a match which determined the opposition’s promotion chances for the season. Despite being secure in their league victory, the team was prepared for a determined opposition, the previous leg of the competition had been a very close match.
Predictably St Albans came out strong and pressured from the off, winning some early short corners and taking an early lead.
With a new line up Stortford found their form and started to play some great passing hockey and Emma found the back of the net 20 minutes in. The latter part of the first half saw Stortford commanding much more of the play with everyone playing hard in the warm conditions. St Albans countered scoring a goal right in the top corner, but Stortford rallied with PoM Amelia and Emma also scoring just before the half time whistle leaving the score 3-2.
The second half saw the play go from end to end, with everyone continuing to contribute across the pitch. St Albans bagged a goal 10 minutes after the restart and shortly after keeper Lis made an excellent call leaving a short corner when the ball hadn’t left the D. With only a few minutes to go play was stopped when one of the opposition players took a stick to the face. The last few minutes was uneventful and the game ended 3-3. A fair result from a competitive game against a good St Albans team, well played all!
Final league position 1st
8’s v Broxbourne 5s
1-3 (Victoria Thompson)
The Ladies 8s welcomed Broxbourne to our home pitch for the final game of the season, with plenty riding on it for the visitors who were fighting hard to avoid relegation. It was also our first home fixture in several weeks, and despite another week of late adjustments to the squad, spirits remained high. The team went out onto the pitch positive, determined, and ready to enjoy the occasion.
Broxbourne opened the scoring early in the match from a well-executed penalty corner, putting immediate pressure on our defence. However, the 8s responded brilliantly, showing resilience and teamwork to find an equaliser from Vicky Thompson who brought the score level. At half time, the score was locked at 1–1, with everything still to play for.
In the second half, Broxbourne capitalised on their chances and managed to add two more goals. Despite continued effort, determination, and strong passages of play from Stortford, we were unable to regain control of the scoreline. The final whistle blew with the result standing at 3–1 to the away team.
A special mention goes to Isla Brown, who was deservedly named Player of the Match for her outstanding performance, effort, and commitment throughout the game. Making her birthday weekend all the sweeter.
Well done to the whole squad for their positivity and teamwork to close out the season.
Final league position 8th
9’s v Saffron Walden 5’s
A Sunny Finish for the Ladies 9s!
The Ladies 9s wrapped up their season in spectacular fashion this Saturday with a trip to Saffron Walden. Bathed in beautiful spring sunshine, the team arrived early, energised, and looking sharp in their yellow away kits.
The first half was a masterclass in sustained pressure, earning us an incredible nine short corners. In the 16th minute, Kim Guthrie broke the deadlock with an absolute rocket from the top of the D—undoubtedly her best strike of the year. The momentum stayed with Stortford, particularly with some fantastic attacking runs down the right wing. In the 22nd minute, Lilly Dodd provided a perfectly timed assist for Simret Gill, who capped off a sensational performance by firing home our second goal.
While Saffron Walden managed one dangerous attack and a short corner, our defense held firm, with Nikki making a crucial save to keep the clean sheet at halftime.
The second half followed a similar pattern of dominance. In the 39th minute, Amelia pushed up from left defense to slot home a thoroughly deserved field goal, sealing the 3-0 win. While we couldn’t quite convert our second-half short corners, the “defensive wall” of Addie, Sophie, and Amelia were superb, leaving Nikki with little to do but enjoy the view! Up front, Jane, Lilly, and Simrett kept the pressure high until the final whistle.
Players of the Match: It could have been the whole squad today, but special mentions go to Addie, Amelia, and Kim.
What a commanding, happy, and successful way to end the season. Well done, everyone
Final league position 5th
10s development side v Saffron Walden development side
1-4 (Sarah Webber)
