S&B are no strangers to meeting an Upminster side on the hockey pitch! The two teams have battled many times over the years, today merely the latest chapter in the rivalry!

With the season now underway, both sides seemed well prepared and eager to play this fixture and go for their first win!

Watching the first half of the game, you’d have thought it was more a tennis match than a hockey fixture! The ball travelled up and down the pitch so often and it was inevitable goals would start to appear for the two sides. And they did.

Captain Naomi Barker opening up the scoring by striking a lifted ball into the top left corner and giving S&B an early lead. Upminster soon came back strongly and to S&B’s dismay, managed to squeeze two goals past the S&B’s defence. The first half finished with a worrying 2:1 lead to the home side.

The second thirty-five would prove to be a different ball game altogether. S&B started the second half confidently and had an equaliser in their sights. But again, to their frustration they went down by ANOTHER goal to Upminster who now had a 2-goal lead.

Could S&B turn this game around you ask? Well, with some incredibly fast paced attacks by midfield players, Lily King, Emillie Burton and new recruits Anna Tutton & Hollie Wakeman, the tide turned in favour of the determined S&B side and Burton scored her first goal of the season from a nifty assist by Neve Harrison from the left.

With the clock now ticking down, S&B put all their strength into making some final runs towards an experienced Upminster defence to try and get something from this match. Anna Tutton, who has only just joined the second eleven, showed why she earned her place in the two’s. Collecting the ball at the top of the D, she pushed a perfectly placed strike past the keeper to score her debut goal and bring the game to a 3:3 draw.

Defenders, Kerry Amos, Michelle Arnold, Aimee Cole, Claire Moy and keeper Denise Rogers passionately defended their D to ensure Upminster no path in to score their winner.

Finally the whistle was blown and the action-packed game came to a close finishing 3:3, which meant S&B had their first point of the season.

For her fast paced runs up the middle of the park and scoring a wonder goal in the first half, Captain Barker was awarded this week’s player of the match, and rightly so. Her determination to get the ball into the Upminster D along with her fellow team mates meant S&B would get off to an optimistic and strong start to the season.
Player of the Match: Naomi Barker