The U14 girls travelled to the Cambridge City ground on Wilberforce Road, to take part in a 7-a-side tournament on Sunday. It was a round robin format where the Newmarket team were up against teams from Saffron Walden, St. Neots and two teams from Cambridge South. Each game was 14 minutes long.
There was a dangerous looking glint in the eyes of the Newmarket players during the warm up period. A steely determination was palpable in the atmosphere as they prepared to face St Neots in the first game. There’s a little bit of ‘history’ between these teams and Newmarket were taking no prisoners. They dominated throughout, playing with grit and passion scoring two excellently worked goals while keeping a clean sheet at the back.
Newmarket 2 – 0 St Neots
The second game was against Saffron Walden, a much bigger club than our own, currently fielding 7 men’s teams and 6 ladies teams! Undaunted, the Newmarket fillies played with vim and vigour sprinkled with a splash of panache. Annabelle H. was excellent throughout at centre back. Her fixed jawline sent shivers down the spines of anyone approaching the Newmarket ‘D’ as it sent a very clear message; “not today ladies!” The team again combined well, playing some excellent hockey and netting three times.
Newmarket 3 – 0 Saffron Walden
Match three was against the first of the Cambridge South teams, again a much bigger club than Newmarket and perhaps a little more physical than the previous teams. Sadly for South, the Newmarket girls were on a roll and nothing was going to get in their way, not today! Newmarket matched South in their physicality and their dogged spirit wasn’t to be deterred. They closed the South players down so quickly they barely created any momentum, but once Newmarket had the ball on the end of their sticks, there was some clinical passing and frequent penetrations of the ‘D.’ There was one heart stopping moment when South were faced with an open goal after a perfect cross from the left of the pitch. The Newmarket fans were heard to gasp as the ball shot across the face of goal but the South striker was unable to connect with it and it went harmlessly by. Newmarket, however, were clinical at the other end and converted three times to win the match.
Newmarket 3 – 0 Cambridge South A
In the fourth and final game of the afternoon, the coach botched several decisions around formation and asked some players to play in positions that were new to them. Momentum and structure suffered but there was something in the air that day; an unspoken word, a glance that passed around the players, a certain inexplicable something that united the team in the knowledge that they were not going to concede any goals. And so it remained a nil nil draw leaving Newmarket unbeaten and the best performing team on the day.
Newmarket 0 – 0 Cambridge South B
The girls looked and played like a proper team and represented the club in style. Congratulations to the whole squad!
The Squad; Liv W, Beth W, Megan W, Chanel A, Amelia T, Annabelle H, Cosi B, Beth L, Amber S, Sophie B