After a successful game away at Bedford last week, Broxbourne were ready for clean sheet number 2. With their no.1 keeper (Lily) off to Norwich to play for the 1s, they called on keeper Kate to help.

Everyone arrived to the changing rooms on schedule (apart from Bench who was late but made it for the start). The line up was discussed and everyone was kitted up ready for Baz’s warm up. Unfortunately, due to leaving her skort in the taxi, Ella cannot comment on the warm up however she's sure it was brilliant.

After swapping sides, Broxbourne set up ready to play. As soon as the whistle blew Broxbourne passed the ball swiftly up the pitch and were awarded a short corner. A straight strike unfortunately didn’t make its way into the goal however Broxbourne didn’t give up. With Jess’ speed we won the ball and a pass to bench saw a beautiful deception sweep hitting the backboard.

4 minutes into the game and Broxbourne were already 1-0 and still dominating Hertford. With Hertford not quite settling Broxbourne went on the attack again. A fast ball down the line from the back 4 (Lisa, Sue, Millie and Bench) opened up space for Jess to run into the D. A quick pass to the skillful Gemma saw another goal for Brox, making it 2-0 12 minutes in.

Brox did not stop there, they continued to make passes between them as a team, utilising the transfer round the back. With players making fantastic leads, Brox were able to move the Hertford press shooting a ball into the D. Due to injury the game was delayed (hope she’s okay!!). Brox used this to their advantage by having a quick drinks break and tac tic talk.

With Hertford’s strong CB, Brox were unable to create something from it. To Brox’s advantage Hertford were struggling to get anywhere near Broxbourne’s D, another attack was imminent. Another ball into the D saw Hertford fumbling and Ella picked up the ball on the baseline, passing to Beth on the P spot to finish the attack. Leaving the score 3-0 at half time.

The half time talk, as always, was full of constructive feedback and positive comments. With everyone dipping into the sweets and having a drink we were raring to go again.

Hertford came out fighting but could not get it past the Broxbourne defence. Forwards Vic, Beth, Gemma and Jess continued to put pressure on the Hertford Stags. A ball across the D from Bench saw Vic with a goal opportunity unfortunately missing by narrow margins. But this didn’t stop them. With everyone running back to help out, Hertford couldn’t get through with their breaks. Broxbourne found themselves defending more until they got a breakthrough and ran it up the pitch. Passes between Lyds, Millie, Lauren and Baz saw the ball moving quickly to our attacking end. A pass to Gemma in the D and her quick dribbling and footwork saw another short being awarded. Injected by Isobel, the ball came out quickly and a pass to Bench on the left saw the ball hitting the backboard to end the game 4-0 to Broxbourne. Another clean sheet to add to a fantastic start to the season.

Honorable mentions go to Lisa for her skinny jeans and Gemma’s hair dye. Thank you to Kate for helping us out. Thank you to Grace and Charlie for helping with subs on the sideline an good luck to Lily in Norwich! Player of the match this week goes to Lyds for excellent play and movement off the ball. Donkey this week goes to Ella for leaving her skort in the taxi. Don’t forget to check out our instagram page for the most recent “Bets on” by Jess.

Mens 3s vs Luton Town 2 - 6-2 win

Goal scorers: Russ x2, Nick x2, Wyatt x1, Elliot x1
Assists: Russ x1, Rhys x1, Jake x1, Bobby x2
Player: Thomas
Donkey: Scott

Brox disjoint Luton

11.30 push back, thank you very much!!
Everyone turned up for the meet on time, scotty does his own thing so that's always good.

The lads turned up switched on ready to dominate. Asserting dominance and control of the ball, taking the lead after 11 minutes, shrek coming back into the squad and showing the finest of strikes to beat the luton keeper.
Pressure kept on coming for Luton defense and brox was awarded a flurry of shorts, finally Russ got himself on the score sheet with a deflection after a lose shot from Bobby, finding the bottom corner.
Corners kept coming and Luton bottled the pressure conceding a Flick (obviously argued against that) which was the scored with a confidence like no other.
Brox then scored again with another shrek goal, geezer supplying the ball from wide ready for the finish from shrek. 4-1 half time.

Second half as standard we stepped of the gas and made it difficult for ourselves, Luton managed again to pull one back, not sure how but they did.
Brox again found some pace in the legs with Russ playing assist this time to an open wyatt with a lovely reverse stick. Wyatt composed took a touch and found the goal..
5 mins later after a melee of plays from brox, we found ourselves with the simplest of tap ins for elliot. Bobby managed to beat his man, find An opening which the defender handles well, but he wasn't ready for Elliot to stay composed, and touch it in.

Final score 6-2 win.

Another solid performance and another 3 points in the bag.

Mens 2s vs Luton Town 1 - 2-0 loss

Player: Will
Donkey: Joe & Lance

Broxbourne Bow Out.
Broxbourne suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Luton in their latest hockey match, with an early injury to Dan Ellis setting the tone for a frustrating afternoon.
The home side were dealt a blow within the opening two minutes when Ellis twisted his ankle, forcing him off the field and leaving Broxbourne to reshuffle their defence. Despite the setback, the team dug in and withstood intense pressure from Luton for the first 20 minutes.
Joe, the Broxbourne goalkeeper, made a series of impressive saves to keep his side in the game. Will Fradley also put in a strong performance in midfield, battling hard to win back possession and break up Luton's attacks.
However, Luton's relentless pressure eventually paid off as they managed to find a way through the Broxbourne defence and take the lead. Some of the team think Joe should of saved the very,very, slow shot but unfortunately Joe said he was unslighted, or was it the 4am finiish the night before?
The visitors added a second goal late in the game to seal the victory and leave Broxbourne with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Despite the defeat, there were positives to take from the match, with Joe and Fradley showcasing their talent and the team demonstrating their resilience in the face of adversity. Broxbourne will be hoping to bounce back from this setback in their next match.

Mens 4s vs Bedford 7 - 3-0 loss

Player: Ryan

Match report pending.

Ladies 4s vs Hertford 3 - 3-1 loss

Goal scorer: Lisa
Assist: Marina
Player: Ella
Donkey: Lorraine

With a poor result from the first game of the season, the Ladies 4s were keen to turn things around on Saturday afternoon, although waiting around all day for the 4pm slot didn’t help. Hopes were high, with a good result against Hertford 3s in the pre-season game. Unfortunately, despite some good defending and attacking play, Broxbourne conceded 2 goals in the first half. Following the half time team talk, the Ladies 4s started the second half keen to score a couple of goals. End to end play continued. There was some intensive action near the goal line and Hertford got the ball over the line, despite the goal scorer’s feet kicking the ball first!! A goal was awarded. Broxbourne protested, the Hertford player owned up - and the goal was disallowed. Unfortunately, with Hertford’s pressure continuing on the defence, they went on to score another goal. With the full-time clock counting down, Broxbourne's attacking play increased and they were awarded a penalty corner. Captain Lisa decided to join the forwards on the D, received the ball and scored!! (How many points is that for a defender in fantasy hockey?). Broxbourne were awarded another penalty corner, Lisa joined the forwards again, received the ball but this time the ball went too high and was disallowed. A much improved team performance over last week’s game but still a disappointing result with a 3-1 defeat. Player went to our new team member Ella for some good runs and donkey went to Lorraine for her second own goal of the season (infact the ball hit her foot on the way into the goal). Special thanks to Baz for umpiring for us and for Hannah for stepping in & being our GK.

Big thanks to Frankie Glover (Instagram @fmgphotography) for taking so many photos on Saturday - we're looking forward to seeing our potential new profile pictures and know oppos were asking about pictures too!
If anyone else is a budding photographer and wants to practice on a Saturday - let Vic, Jack or one of the club captains know!

Away fixtures

Ladies 5s vs Hertford 4 - 2-1 win

Goal scorers: Milly & Daniela
Assists: Iris x2
Player: Iris
Donkey: Teagan

So officially the 5’s 1st game of the season as last week we got a walk over.

After a record breaking week at training 17 players attended, the 5’s were itching to play . After a switch around of keepers the 5’s were ready to face Hertford @ Queenswood school.

With a newly laid pitch , which was very bouncy, the 5’s started their season off, with 2 juniors making their senior appearances Maisie Popely and Francesca Smith, both fitted in perfectly.

The 1st 10 minutes saw the 5’s having most of the possession and passing the ball around with ease. With help from the Reed sisters Broxbourne push forward and a lovely pass from Iris found the ball to Daniela just outside the D who managed to get round a player and hit the ball through the keepers legs, 0 v 1 after 13mins.

Broxbourne kept the pressure up moving from left to right with some amazing runs from Rachel and Katie in the wide positions.

With some players missing this week we had a move around in defence, Mumma B, Teagan and Ivy with the addition of new junior Francesca, played a fantastic part of supporting the midfield to help with the 2nd goal which again was played by Iris in the midfield out to the left, where Milly drove into the box and got a deflection of a defenders stick to get the 2nd goal at 30 mins.

After a team talk , the 5’s came out determined to score more goals, the weather seems to be warming up which didn’t help. After conceding a short corner that was defended brilliant , Ivy found herself running towards the 23 yard line with her mask still so decided to launch it off to the side narrowly missing it going over the fence .

The 5’s continued with most of the possession and having just missed a goal that went wide of the post , Daniela passed the ball to Shannon upfront who found herself in the wrong side of the defender.

With the weather not helping and only 6 minutes to go Hertford managed to get the ball up through our midfield and defence and score, deflecting off a stick , 1 v 2.

With only a couple of minutes to go the defence worked really hard to keep the lead .

This weeks player was Iris reed for her amazing runs and for her 2 assists x

Donkey this week went to Teagan for a spectacular fall.

Next week game is 10am @ home to Stevenage.

Ladies 1s vs Norwich City 1 - 3-2 win

Goal scorers: Alice, Charlotte & Ellie
Assists: Alice, Martha & Darcy
Player: Nads & Martha
Donkey: Hannah

Under the sun, on a warm autumn day,
We journeyed to Norwich, so so far away.
Through countryside roads, with fields rolling wide,
We passed endless farms, surrounded by pigs on both side!

Before the match started, we huddled as one,
Tor led the warm-up, with a stretch and a run.
With tactics discussed and spirits held high,
We knew we were ready to give it our best try.

The whistle blew sharp, the game was alive,
We had it from the start, BHC controlling the drive.
In defence, Tor, Charlie, Finch and Skippy stood tall,
No Norwich attack could make them fall.

In midfield, we fought with strength and with skill,
Lara, Em, Al, Hannah, Darcy and Martha, they knew the drill.
The forwards, Nads, Ellie and Charlotte ran with energy, grace,
Their hunger for victory set the match pace.

Norwich struck first with a scrappy attack,
But we kept our heads and soon hit back.
Lily, our keeper, a wall at the back,
Made save after save, keeping us on track.

Just before halftime, Al levelled the score,
A brilliant goal, shaking Norwich to their core.
A short corner, the perfect smash, Al sent it in clean,
Our comeback began with fire from our team.

At halftime, we gathered, a group in a ring,
Discussing the first half – a debriefing.
With tactics refreshed and energy fed,
We hit the field hungry, with victory ahead.

Charlotte’s moment came, after a chaotic scrap,
Right on the goal line, she found a small gap.
A quick little flick—into the net it flew,
Broxbourne’s second goal brought cheers through and through!

But Norwich was tricky, and not always clean,
Their next goal came from a kick, unseen.
Their tempers flared, their tackles were rough,
But we kept our cool and showed we were tough.

Hannah got rugby-tackled, down with a thud,
Came up with a bruised eye, and a bit of blood.
Darcy got stuck she stumbled, caught off guard,
Her knee took the brunt, very very hard!

Then a second goal from Norwich brought fire in their eyes,
"Do you want to go?" they shouted in rise.
Em didn’t get it, but she played along,
And when we scored back, she echoed their song!

With 2 mins to go, Ellie ended the game with flair,
Three goals for Broxbourne, winning in the air!
The journey was long, but the victory sweet,
A 3-2 triumph that couldn’t be beat.

Player of the match decisions were tight,
But a joint decision for Martha and Nads felt right!
For Martha's great runs down the right side line,
And Nads technical skills, they were so fine!

Let’s not forget Skippy’s great tackle, a sight to behold,
She got a vote from the umpires, for being so brave and bold.
Hannah got Donkey, of the day,
For forgetting her pants—oh, what can we say?

Next week we’ll clash at the Badger Den's gate,
Against St Albans, we’ll show them their fate!

Ladies 3s vs West Herts 4 - 7-1 win

Goal scorers: Cerys x3, Hannah x3, Olivia x1
Assists: Laura x2, Jane x1, Cerys x1, Hannah x1, Isla x1, Olivia x1
Player: Cerys & Hannah
Donkey: Freya

The 3’s took on West Herts 4’s away this week in the depths of Watford.

Looking to continue their positive result last week, the game got off to a blistering start with Hannah opening the scoring just 3 minutes into the match. This was necessary due to the fact she had to get the goal early, as she was leaving for a 9 course taster menu experience at half time (what a captain!). A swift and well-executed attack saw Fixter deliver a perfectly timed pass, allowing Hannah to finish clinically and give her team an early 1-0 lead.

The pressure continued, and in the 16th minute, Hannah doubled her tally. Cerys provided a precise assist, threading the ball through the defence to find Hannah, who made no mistake in finding the back of the goal, making it 2-0.

Just past the half-hour mark, the duo struck again, but this time it was Cerys who got on the scoresheet.
In the 34th minute, Hannah turned provider, setting up Cerys with a clever pass, and Cerys finished calmly to extend the lead to 3-0.

Our queens in defence, Tara, Grace, and Sharon put on an amazing show of skill, blocking attack after attack and not letting West Herts near our goal. It does appear the pressure of the fantasy hockey league is taking a hold!

As halftime approached, the opposition managed to pull one back, but the score remained 3-1 at the break, with the momentum still firmly in Broxbourne’s favour.

The second half began much like the first, with a flurry of attacking play. The midfield team of Kirsty, Laura and Freya brought it out of defence to the attacking end to help Hannah complete her hat-trick in the 37th minute after a well-timed cross from Isla. Hannah’s lethal finishing made it 4-1, continuing her dominance on the pitch. Hannah then made her swift exit teeming the game a ‘job well done’.

In the 58th minute, Cerys added her second of the match after a great bit of skill from Laura after another well timed pass by Alice. A neat exchange between the 3 players saw Cerys slot home another goal, making the score 5-1.

Late in the game, Olivia joined the action, netting a goal of her own after yet another brilliant assist from Laura. Olivia’s finish added a sixth goal to the tally and further sealed the result.

The match was capped off with Cerys completing her hat-trick in the final minutes. This time it was Olivia assisting Cerys to bring the final score to an emphatic 7-1.

The captain, despite not staying for the entire match was pleased with the outcome and even felt it necessary to share with the team her position on the fantasy league table!

Player this week was shared between Hannah and Cerys for their great attacking play.

Donkey went to Freya for ‘losing’ her keys at training…

The team hope to continue their positive start next week at Home against Harpenden and also look forward to the return of Tors, as this week donkey Freya was subbed in for match report duties!

Mens 1s vs Saffron Walden 1 - 3-0 loss

Player: Josh & Hoppo
Donkey: Ryan & Stan

The badgers made the relatively short away trip to saffron Walden this weekend and were cheered on by the masses of supporters (6) who made the trip too.

The first half started well with lots of play in the Walden end, unable to take any chances the badgers were put under a barrage of aerials from the CB, Brox went 1-0 down after the tenth aerial went over the top and a remarkable bit of play from the attacker who managed to lob a stranded goalie from the baseline on his reverse stick put the hosts 1-0 up, brox were quickly 2 down when a strange umpiring decision about a deviating ball led to a short corner which was dispatched in to the corner by the flicker. Brox responded well creating more chances and from back to back short corners the Injector somehow missed two open goals from the goal line.

In tot he second half and the badgers continued where they left off, dominating the play and the chances, new boy P Law thought he had scored and when he peeled off celebrating, his teammates had to calm him down and let him know he's actually scored in the goal that was off the pitch. Walden went 3-0 up with another route one ball down the middle that bamboozled a couple of the defenders and left Ryan stranded. This didn't stop the badgers pressing forward for some goals, more chances and more short corners gave them hope, but this would ultimately lead to some break away chances for the hosts, luckily these were foiled by the pacey CB Chapman who raced back from a short corner leaving the sluggish Groves in his dust to get back and stop what looked like a certain goal as Ryan had decided to go walkies with Otis in the D.

3-0 final score, back to the den to host blueharts next week.

Fantasy Hockey League

With over 65 teams entered, our new fantasy league is the hottest thing since Rudd's vintage fleece order.

Squad of the week: Kim Hellery - 137 points
GK of the week: Kate Burton-Osmond - 10 points
Defender of the week: Russ Gilbert & Becky Scarrott - 18 points
Midfielder of the week: Martha Ker, Alice Brown & Olivia Kent - 11 points
Forward of the week: Hannah Fixter & Cerys Edwards - 23 points

We're all eagerly awaiting episode 2 of the fantasy league podcast, hosted by Lisa & Al.

Coming up next weekend...

Saturday 5th October
Home fixtures
10am - Ladies 5s vs Stevenage 5
11.30am - Mens 1s vs Blueharts 1
1pm - Ladies 1s vs St Albans 2
2.30pm - Ladies 3s vs Harpenden 2

Away fixtures
10am - Ladies 4s vs Stevenage 4
10.30am - Ladies 2s vs Harpenden 1
12.15pm - Mens 3s vs St Albans 5
1pm - Mens 2s vs St Albans 3
1.30pm - Mens 4s vs Hertford 7