Final score: 1 - 2

Whatta game, whatta game, whatta game, whatta mighty good game!

Oundle ladies 1st team took on Kettering 2s this afternoon. The team were in the fortuitous position of having a sub this week and the squad looked strong.

Sophie Rookes was on her ‘A’ game today scoring her first goal of the season within 60 seconds of the starting whistle!

Kettering 2s went on to keep us very busy in mid field but Laura Pakenham and Emma Aubury were a superb duo as always today keeping the ball away from the defensive D.
 
Towards the end of the first half, there was a clash in our defensive D in which a Kettering player lost their stick.  Some say the stick was dropped, others say the Kettering player was disarmed unfairly....The umpires however were particularly scrupulous toward the Oundle side today and as a result awarded a flick to Kettering who subsequently scored and brought the score to 1-1 at half time.

The second half saw some serious mileage of the ball up and down the pitch.
Throughout the game, Kettering were awarded at least 7-8 short corners, quite often in quick succession, but Karen Whatley-Darrington was on top form as were the defensive line and together they didn’t let a single ball in. A key moment still sticking in everyone’s mind was Colleen Burns victoriously saving the ball mid air on the goal line, showing her true determination to the game. With perhaps 10 minutes of play left, Oundle were awarded their only short corner of the game and Sophie Rookes scored again off a rebound bringing the final score to 2-1.

Sophie had an outstanding game as well as scoring twice and was player of the match today with nearly all the votes!

Final score: 4 - 2

Oundle ladies first team faced Saints 2’s this week in Moulton.

Welcome back to Emily Wagstaff for her first game in 2 seasons! The game got off to a fast paced start with both teams reaching their attacking D within minutes.  There was strong defensive play today with some outstanding interceptions by Lucy Belcher and Nikkita Welman.

Saints 2’s were well drilled and by half time had scored 3 goals. Early in the second half, Saints 2’s scored their 4th goal but Oundle came back fighting in the second half with goals by Hannah Postlethwaite and Kerry-Ann Graham.  The game concluded 4-2 to Saints this week but it was a fantastic match all round. Special mention this week to Karen Whatley-Darrington who was on fire saving more attempts on goal by Saints and also to Sophie Rookes whose skill on the ground and in the air is second to none.

​Player of the match this week went to Colleen Burns.

Final score: 1 - 6

About 200 days without a competitive hockey match, the men of Oundle Hockey club were the visitors at Melton Sports Village, and eager to get back to hockey.

Without access to the Oundle School pitches, the team has been restricted to fitness training and a few warm-up games against Northampton Saints. So the team were champing at the bit, despite the unsavoury weather conditions.

A strong 15-man squad made the short trip over to Melton, including the lesser-spotted captain, Tristan Ashby, who has been plagued with injuries over the last few seasons, having seemingly run over a black cat, whilst walking under a ladder, and smashing a mirror.

After a rousing team-talk, the Oundle team set out to make their mark on the league from the off. Things didn’t go to plan, and even with the words of Ashby ringing in their ears, it was Melton who took the early lead. A lapse in midfield and defence allowed the ball to travel to the edge of the circle, leading to a short corner. Maybe the rustiness was showing, maybe the lack of pitch-time was a contributing factor, but the sloppy defending was punished from a well-worked short corner that put the home side 1-0 in front.

Would Oundle react positively, or would their heads drop and Melton go on to dominate? Thankfully for Oundle, it was the former and the goal seemed to snap them out of their malaise. Within a few minutes, and after some good link-up play and sharp passing, Oundle worked their way into the Melton circle to win a short corner.

After a brief, and socially-distanced huddle, Oundle unleashed the world-famous author and tractor driver, George Martin, who dispatched the ball into the bottom left corner like Ben Stokes notching up another boundary at Lord’s.

​Oundle could now smell blood, and stepped their game up, with some great movement from the forwards and good passing interplay from the midfield.

The next breakthrough came when another short corner was awarded after some good Oundle pressure. This time Oundle looked to their second ginger option, and Oundle’s Eastern European star, Adrian Milanovic, who skilfully put an unstoppable drag-flicked shot into the top corner that the defender on the post could only watch sail by his head.

Oundle didn’t let up, and a period of flowing, passing hockey resulted in a debut goal from debutant Ed Weatherhead on his debut, who calmly dispatched Oundle’s third.

Mark ‘Macca’ Herickx, returning to his old stomping ground had a chance to add a fourth, as he sprinted into the circle, rounded the keeper, but could only fire wide from the tight angle.

The respite for Melton was short-lived, and George R. R. Martin, showed Macca how it’s done, with a brilliant individual move that saw him nutmeg a defender near the halfway line, and run on to take it round the keeper, coolly slotting home his second and Oundle’s fourth.

At this point it was clear Oundle were dominating the match, and some sustained pressure saw the unintelligible John Pickstone cleverly find space at the top of the circle, where he showed his usual patience, composure and accuracy to find the back of the net.

The half-time whistle was welcomed by Melton who were now looking at damage limitation.

The second half saw fewer opportunities, but did see arguably the best goal of the game. Starting in Oundle’s half, a breakaway opportunity saw Pete Wilson run 60 yards to get on the end of some fine interplay between George Martin and Ed Weatherhead, to slot home what would be Oundle’s 6th and final goal of the game.

There was some disappointment for Martin, who saw a fine goal that would have given him his hattrick, and the match ball, cruelly ruled out by VAR operated by the Melton defenders.

​The final action of the game saw Oundle’s player-coach, Peter Ellis, sent from the pitch with a yellow card for a savage ‘ball and all’ challenge, with the umpire clearly unaware of who he was.

​A very promising start overall by this Oundle team that blends youth and experience, and a hope that promotion might be the reward at the end of the season.

Final score: 4 - 0

Subject to change, and some fixtures yet to be confirmed.

Final score: 4 - 2

Oundle ladies first team faced Saints 2’s this week in Moulton.

Welcome back to Emily Wagstaff for her first game in 2 seasons! The game got off to a fast paced start with both teams reaching their attacking D within minutes. There was strong defensive play today with some outstanding interceptions by Lucy Belcher and Nikkita Welman.

​Saints 2’s were well drilled and by half time had scored 3 goals. Early in the second half, Saints 2’s scored their 4th goal but Oundle came back fighting in the second half with goals by Hannah Postlethwaite and Kerry-Ann Graham. The game concluded 4-2 to Saints this week but it was a fantastic match all round. Special mention this week to Karen Whatley-Darrington who was on fire saving more attempts on goal by Saints and also to Sophie Rookes whose skill on the ground and in the air is second to none.

​Player of the match this week went to Colleen Burns.

Final score: 2 - 1

​On the 26th September, Oundle ladies first team were led into battle for a second season by Captain Hannah Postlethwaite in their first league game against Earls Barton. Despite some restrictions with pre season training, Oundle quickly settled into their stride and confident formation. The teams were evenly matched with equal possession of the ball, distance covered on the pitch and attempts at scoring. Tasha Darrington scored for Oundle in the first half as did Earls Barton meaning the score at half time was 1-1. Early in the second half, Kerry-Ann Graham also scored for Oundle raising the stakes to maintain this lead. Karen Whatley-Darrington deflected several strong attempts on goal by Earls Barton in the second half maintaining their lead and seeing Oundle win 2-1. Player of the match went deservedly to Laura Pakenham who didn’t appear to tire at all during the match and provided consistent support to defensive and attacking play

The 2020/21 season kicked off on the 19th September with a friendly for Oundle ladies first team against the recently promoted Kettering 3ʼs. After a particularly long break this summer, Oundle were raring to go. A socially distanced warm up blew off the cobwebs and they hit the pitch. At half time, the score was 1-1 with Tasha Darrington scoring for Oundle. The opposition had stamina and kept us busy but the second half saw a further 3 goals by Tasha Darrington who makes a strong start in defending her title as top goal scorer. The match was won by Oundle 4-1 and special mention to Charlotte Rainbow who made her debut for the first team. Her energy and skill led her to an almost unanimous player of the match.