2s lose and remain mid table

Witham 2nd XI - 3
Southend & Benfleet 2nd XI - 2 (Anna Winfield, Hannah Daish)

The Super 2s faced second in table Witham on Saturday and, missing several key players, knew they would have a tough match ahead. Anna Winfield scored first, quite against the run of play but, before long, Witham made it level. Isabelle Williams and Aimee Cole, brought up from the 3s for this game, showed they can cope with Div 3 level hockey, both putting in impressive performances and neither were intimidated by the higher level play.

The second half started with another goal for the hosts and saw S&B defending an onslaught of penalty corners which the defence dealt with amazingly - Anne Johnson and Michelle Arnold organising the defence while keeper Carly Winfield had another busy afternoon, pulling off some impressive saves to keep S&B in the game. Captain Kerry Payton was voted player of match for, amongst other things, the number of times she ran out first to defend short corners, blocking the majority of shots. Witham managed to squeeze a shot in making the score 3-1 but heads did not drop and the final quarter saw several chances for the Seasiders. A penalty corner for the visitors in the dying seconds saw Hannah Daish blast a late consolation goal making the final score 3-2.

The 2s remain comfortably mid table, but with a game in hand. They host 9th place Old Southendians this weekend.