Womens
1s v St Albans 2’s
The Wrong Turns, by Speed Humps & Winning Streak Begins! 😂🏑
After several wrong turns, a questionable sat-nav performance and enough speed humps to test everyone’s suspension, we eventually ALL made it to the game! 🚗💨
Miraculously, the match could begin!
1st Quarter
Stortford came out flying and were firmly on the front foot, creating chances but apparently leaving their shooting boots in the car park. 😅
2nd Quarter
We stepped it up, pressing the St Albans defence and earning a couple of short corners. Molly Brooks stepped up and converted one beautifully, opening the Ladies 1s scoring for the season! 🎉🏑
3rd Quarter
St Albans decided they fancied a turn at attacking, putting us under pressure. But Stortford soaked it up brilliantly before hitting them on the counter, with Libby Knifton smashing home a reverse shot! 🔥
4th Quarter
Back to patient passing and keeping our heads. Another fantastic breakaway saw Scarlett Blakeney-Edwards find Evie Chidgey, who linked up with Fiona Mulder to finish the move and put another one in the back of the net! 👏
FULL TIME: Stortford WIN! 🥳💙
A brilliant team performance, and our first league win of the season!
3 points in the bag, smiles all round, and hopefully everyone managed to find their way home! 😂🏑💙
Luton Ladies 1s 6–2 Bishops Stortford Ladies 2s
Division 1 South – Away
It was a challenging afternoon for the Stortford 2s as we travelled to Luton for our Division 1 South fixture, eventually returning home on the wrong side of a 6–2 scoreline — although there were plenty of positives to take from the game.
Luton came out strongly in the first half, with two of their star players proving particularly effective in and around our D. They were clinical when opportunities arose, including two well-executed short corners, and took a 4–0 lead into half time.
The slow, sticky pitch made for some difficult hockey and moving the ball quickly wasn’t always easy. However, once we adapted to the conditions, we started to find our rhythm, with some lovely short, sharp passing and good passages of play coming together.
There was also some fantastic defending from Stortford Player of the Match, Sian Rees, at right back. Sian remained composed under pressure, made some excellent defensive interventions and provided plenty of attacking opportunities down the right-hand side.
The second half started with Luton adding two further goals to make it 6–0, but Stortford weren’t going to let the scoreline dictate the rest of the game.
Following a rather overenthusiastic tackle from Claire Farley, Stortford found themselves temporarily down to ten players with a green card. However, we responded well and soon earned a penalty corner. Emma Hynds stepped up with a straight strike that found its way through the goalkeeper’s legs and into the goal. 6–1.
That goal gave us a lift, and we followed it up with some lovely open play and a composed finish from Jemima Tasker, bringing the score to 6–2.
From there, we continued to battle hard and showed plenty of character to keep pushing right through to the final whistle. Luton took their chances well and ultimately came away with the points, but there were some encouraging passages of hockey from Stortford, particularly in the second half. A tough result, but a good reminder of the resilience in this team. We go again next week.
Final score: Luton 6–2 Stortford 2s
3’s v Saffron Walden 2’s
0-1
Player of the Match: Claire Holmes
Bishop’s Stortford 3s narrowly lost 1-0 to Saffron Walden 2s in an entertaining, end-to-end encounter, with chances created at both ends throughout the match.
The only goal came in the 15th minute when Saffron Walden were awarded a penalty stroke, which they converted to take the lead.
Stortford continued to compete well and produced a much-improved second-half performance, creating several good opportunities as they looked for an equaliser. However, they were unable to make the most of their chances, with the Saffron Walden defence holding firm.
There were strong performances across the Stortford side, with defender Claire Holmes named Player of the Match for her excellent work at the back.
Despite the narrow defeat, Stortford can take plenty of positives from a competitive performance and the much stronger second half.
4’s v Rickmansworth 1’s
3-2 Kate Cullinan x2, Tory Foot
POM Kate Cullinan
A real team performance today shown by 6 different players getting votes for player of the match. Great initial intensity saw Sachi drive down the right and shoot where potm Kate Cullinan got a nick on the ball to give Stortford the early lead within 5 minutes. Unfortunately Rickmansworth levelled it up going into half time. Stortford continued to work hard and a beautiful ball into Kate at the top of the D led her to calmly slot it away for her 2nd of the day. Minutes later Rickmansworth once more levelled the score. The winning goal came from a beautifully worked move that came straight from the training pitch. Passed back, worked round to create space where Tory Foot scored an absolute screamer into the side of the goal. A superb team effort.
5’s v Royston 1
1-1 Karen Leach
POM Elsie Lowe
Stortford 5s started the game with no substitutes and a windy pitch against Royston 1s, so it took us a little while to settle into the game. However, the whole team soon started to gel and find a good rhythm.
Elsie LOWE made countless fantastic saves early on to keep us in the game, while our defenders and attackers worked tirelessly, particularly when defending short corners, with everyone making the effort to track back and support.
Christie ANSELL came close with a great chance, while Stortford continued to attack strongly. There was some excellent movement and passing from midfield, helping us work our way through the opposition and create opportunities.
Just before half-time, at 29 minutes, an unfortunate goal gave Royston the lead.
A positive team talk was given by Karen LEACH at half-time, encouraging everyone to keep their heads up and come back strong. After a disallowed goal for Royston, we quickly turned the game around, with LEACH producing an amazing strike from the top of the D to level the score.
With no substitutes and no breaks, everyone continued to fight incredibly hard. Poppy DITTRICH showed great skill carrying the ball all the way down the pitch for Stortford through Royston.
The game finished as a really hard-fought draw. A fantastic team effort from every player.
Player of the match went to LOWE for her hard work and determination working tirelessly in goal.
6’s v Letchworth 3’s
1-1 Emma Cox
Bishop’s Stortford 6s battled to a 1-1 draw against Letchworth in a closely fought encounter.
Stortford took the lead in the 21st minute when Emma Cox found the net to put the home side ahead. Stortford worked hard to maintain their advantage, but Letchworth came out strongly after half-time and quickly found an equaliser.
Both sides continued to compete for the winning goal, but neither could find a breakthrough, with the points ultimately shared after an evenly contested match.
7’s v Southend & Benfleet 3’s
1-0 Vicky Thompson
PoM Lucy Ayodele
A quite anti-social 10am pushback with a 75 minute journey – well done team for all being on time. Stortford had the pushback and made a crisp start with the forwards working hard and the right linking up to Ange’s 16’s via Mimi, Clio and Yvonne. After the successful defence of a short corner Juliet took the ball up the right found a high Vicky (playing Defensive Mid!) who decided to take a straight strike smashing it past the keeper to take the team 1-0 up at 14 minutes.
The middle period of the first half saw Vicky and Holly working well together and being unlucky not to complete a number of shots on goal. The midfield group, with Lucy pulled up from the 8s, Mimi playing mid rather than defence, Juliet playing her first game worked well together distributing across the width. S&B kept dangerous pressure on with, including hitting the backboard from outside the D with the defence leaving well alone and Lis making some great saves.
The first half closed out with Stortford ahead, having a number of unconverted chances but the play being quite end to end.
S&B started the second half with purpose making a concerted effort on goal after 10 minutes. Picking up a rebound off Lis, then a deflection off Sally but being thwarted on the line by Naomi getting a stick to the ball. Juliet and Clio came back with pressure, whilst Yvonne sent the ball across the D with Jenna and Holly working hard to try and convert. Meanwhile the S&B midfield kept up the pressure requiring a tenacious Tabby to work hard with channeling and the defensive back three of Sally, Ange and Naomi working hard in the D.
The game closed out with the lead successfully defended, a hard fought win showing grit and tenacity to the end.
8s v St Albans 8’s
3-0
The Bishop’s Stortford Ladies 8s were up bright and early for the first home game of the day, welcoming St Albans 8s for a 10.15 push back.
St Albans had the first push, and what followed was a fastpaced and competitive first half. Both teams worked hard, with plenty of movement and some good passages of play, but neither side could find the breakthrough. The half-time score remained 0–0, with everything still to play for.
The second half was a different story.
Just two minutes into the half, Ava found the breakthrough in the 47th minute, giving Stortford the lead and providing the perfect start to the second half.
The team continued to work hard together, with Addie and Izzy particularly effective with some lovely one-two passing. Their movement and link up play helped keep Stortford on the front foot as the game progressed.
Then came goal number two in the 67th minute. A ball from Addie met an opposition stick bouncing into the goal.
There was barely time to celebrate before Ava struck again just a minute later to make it 3–0.
The final score reflected a strong second half performance from the whole team, but the real highlight was the teamwork throughout the match. Everyone contributed, worked hard for each other and kept the pressure on when it mattered.
Player of the Match: Izzy, whose excellent work rate and link up play helped drive the team forward.
A great team performance, three goals and a winning start to the home fixtures
9’s v Saffron Walden 4’s
0-7
Bishops Stortford Ladies 9s put in a determined performance against Saffron Walden 4s, but the visitors proved too strong on the day, taking a 7–0 victory.
Saffron Walden opened the scoring after eight minutes before adding further goals in the 28th and 42nd minutes. The Ladies 9s continued to battle, working hard across the pitch and refusing to let their heads drop, but Walden added four more after the break on 54, 58, 60 and 62 minutes.
The scoreline certainly doesn’t tell the whole story. Goalkeeper Matilda Beckitt was outstanding, facing relentless attempts on goal and producing save after save to keep Bishops Stortford in the contest. Her determination between the posts was matched by the effort of the whole team, who fought hard right until the final whistle. Some great play from midfielders Adeline Chan and Etta Inman who covered every inch of the pitch. Etta was voted joint player of the match alongside goalie Matilda.
It wasn’t the result the Ladies 9s wanted, but there was plenty of resilience and commitment on display against a strong Saffron Walden side.
Mens
1’s v Old Southendians
12-1 Jamie Brooks x4, Ali Charlton x3, Keir Ansell x2, Jack Wheaton, Frankie Bell, Ossie Bannister
Bishop’s Stortford Men’s 1s produced a dominant display to record a comprehensive 12-1 victory over Old Southendians.
Stortford were in control from the start and took a commanding 4-0 lead into half-time, with Jamie Brooks scoring twice alongside goals from Alistair Charlton and Ossie Bannister.
The second half saw Stortford step up the pressure further, adding eight more goals in an impressive attacking display. Charlton completed a hat-trick and Brooks adding another two to take his tally to four, while Keir Ansell also struck twice. Jack Wheaton and Frankie Bell completed the rout.
2s v Stevenage 1’s
3-2 Vernon Brown, Rich Turner, Mark Taylor
Stortford Men’s 2s secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Stevenage following a disciplined team performance.
Stortford worked tirelessly throughout a closely contested match, with both teams trading goals, Vernon Brown and Rich Turner finding the net before Mark Taylor scored the decisive goal to seal all three points.
3’s v Shefford and Sandy 1’s
0-3
4’s v Royston 2’s
2-1 Collin Sharp, Adrian Smith
Stortford 4s secured a 2-1 victory over Royston 2s in a closely contested match.
All three goals came in the second half, with Colin Sharp and Adrian Smith putting Stortford 2-0 ahead. Royston pulled a goal back to set up a tense finish, but Stortford defended well and saw out the game to secure the win.
5s v Saffron Walden 6s
2-5 James Nash, Kenny McLeish
Stortford 5s faced a difficult afternoon against Saffron Walden 6s, falling 4-0 behind before mounting a spirited comeback.
James Nash and Kenny McLeish struck within two minutes of each other to bring Stortford back to 4-2 and briefly raise hopes of a dramatic turnaround. However, Saffron Walden scored again in the closing minutes to end the comeback and secure a 5-2 victory.
6’s v MBDA 1
4-2 Tim Gillott, Mark Vasey, Ben Jones, Duncan Laws
Locked and Loaded: Stortford Fire Four Past MBDA to Make It Two From Two
Home advantage at “Fortress” Hockerill. Second win in a row. The opposition may build guided missiles for a living, but it was Stortford who were on target for the win today.
There’s a certain irony in facing a team whose day job is precision engineering and, in terms of keeping one’s bearings and maintaining tolerances, finding you have them beat on both… and in under 10 minutes… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Squad news arrived with a pleasant shock this week. After last week’s “fine wine,” this week’s group approaching a sprightly 31 meant a veritable Lambrini-like dash of effervescence across the pitch. The favour-calling continued also, sadly with “only” two goalkeepers required to make the journey outfield this week, practically restraint by recent Stortford standards, the goalkeepers’ union were nevertheless sated by the offering.
However, alongside this, perhaps a touch of pre-match nerves, with last week’s rollercoaster still fresh in the legs and MBDA an unknown quantity on paper… but, as it turned out, the unknowns didn’t stay unknown for long.
MBDA came out of the blocks quickest, working the ball forward with a series of sharp counter-attacks that had Stortford briefly on the back foot. Between the posts, Thomas Pickford made sure the visitors left with nothing to show for it, producing a string of smart saves accompanied by an equally strong set of vocal instructions, the kind of performance that’s heard as much as it’s seen.
But, against the run of play, it was Stortford who drew first blood. In the 7th minute, Tim Gillott’s effort on goal took a wicked deflection that wrong-footed the MBDA defence and their keeper alike, not the cleanest exocet ever struck at Hockerill, but as any coach will tell you, the scoreboard isn’t asking for style points. 1-0.
MBDA pushed for an immediate reply, but found Andy Faiers and a returning Will Maxwell in no mood to be moved, enforcers defending with calm assurance and strong out-letting, helping keep Stortford out of too much trouble.
The lead was doubled in the 20th minute, and in some style. Daniel Neofytou, making his club and hockey debut, ghosting in like a storm shadow down the left wing before slotting home, the sort of dream start that gets written into after-dinner speeches for years to come. 2-0.
Five minutes later, it was Ben Jones adding to the tally, a meteor hit from the top of the circle finding another deflection to help it on its way past the MBDA keeper. 3-0, and Stortford well in the ascendancy.
And then, just before the break in the 34th minute, a penalty corner routine straight off the training ground, the ball slipped left to Captain Duncan Laws, who spear’ed it goalwards, ricocheting off the MBDA defence into their own backboard.
So, 4-0 at the break, but with a genuine health warning for the second half. Nothing unravels a good lead faster than complacency.
MBDA reorganised at the interval and came out swinging, laying siege to the Stortford D for long spells. The visitors’ pressure ultimately tolling in the 53rd minute, with a quick break catching Stortford’s defence overextended and punishing it clinically. 4-1.
However, Stortford continued the push to restore the cushion, including Tim Robson, Stortford’s usual 4th XI goalkeeper, catching the selectors’ eye with a stunning right-wing run and strike across the circle… although also with some distinctly unorthodox one-handed stickwork, that may give away where he normally spends his Saturdays.
The second half waning, both the weather and Stortford’s fortunes turned. With a downpour arriving in tandem with tiring legs across the pitch, MBDA sensed their opportunity. A penalty corner in the 67th minute finding the target to make it 4-2, setting up another nervy final few minutes.
However, to their credit, Stortford found enough in the tank to see out the closing minutes, holding a two-goal cushion to the final whistle and banking a second straight win of the campaign.
This week’s training-ground takeaway, delivered with rather more colourful language on the night than it appears here, was simple: “scrappy goals win games.” And from today’s performance it felt clear that the lessons were sinking in, with some great movement into the D making all the difference versus looking for polish on the finish. There was definitely a fair amount of luck on Stortford’s side too… but you don’t get lucky without being in the right place first.
Special mentions for Daniel Neofytou, whose debut brought both a goal and some key short corners, a start some players spend a season chasing. And also solid work from Jared Foote, whose reverse clearances and solid work down the left kept MBDA’s right-wing threat quiet for a large part of the game.
But overall, another solid team performance that required everyone to put a shift in to get a deserved result. Four goals, another team debut, and a second win on the bounce. If Stortford can keep finding a way when the pressure’s on, this campaign is shaping up nicely.
Onwards and upwards, Stortford
