Stevenage scored twice again through sharp play (we won't talk about that, it isn't their match report) leaving brox with next to nothing to answer for!! Then stepped up a slowly waking young trio!! Wyatt, Harrison and Elliot F, realising that passing the ball makes the game easier to score.

A brilliant ball down the flank, collected in midfield, found the stick of Wyatt who laid the ball sweetly to Harrison to Square it to Elliot F for another goal!! (He is slowly getting very good at this scoring idea)

Before half time, stevenage managed to find the goal, not through the sharpness of Super Simon in goal, what a machine he is between the sticks, taking ball of the head, chest and legs, looking like a well seasoned keeper.

Half time was needed, and brox veterans didn't disappoint with pointing out that we were not doing the basics.. talking, passing, marking.. all the 'ings'

Second half began a bit more positive, we didn't conceed for a while at least. Defensively we stood firm, like we knew what we where doing. The two youngest in the squad, standing out and making a nuisance of themselves. Finn and Thomas made sure they kept the stevenage attack at bay.

Unfortunately stevenage had different ideas. They scored again, from a penalty corner...

Brox needed to retaliate to this and lift their heads, they did in fashion. Ball from the back, through the middle with a bobble and ever reliable KP found himself with a jumping keeper, completely unaware what was happening, to hit the back board.

A lot of balls from brox penetrative of Stevenage D went begging.

Stevenage then scored again making the result 6-2... final whistle, job done for them, bad day in the office for us.

The 3s have no game next week, so it'll be time to reflect and make some tough decisions on how we want to fight back from defeat.

Ladies 2s vs Stevenage 1 - 5-3 win

Goal scorers: Emily x2, Jess, Ella & Baz
Assists: Emily, Lauren, Ella & Gemma
Player: Baz
Donkey: Vic

The day started well with a pre match team talk consisting of Vic and Ali detailing their Friday night antics at the Quiet Man. It might be known for its cozy atmosphere but on Friday night, they had one thing on their minds: getting the attention of some boys.

After scanning the room early on in the night, Vic spotted two guys on a table while wingwoman Ali pulled out a pack of matchsticks from her bag to begin a game — apparently this is not a well-known strategy to get male attention, but perhaps it should be going forwards.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, you pile a pack of mini matchsticks on the bottom of a glass and attempt to blow them off one by one. Surprisingly Ali is the one in the relationship, it clearly worked on Martyn.

A star appearance from Sam Groves made the men intrigued (some may say jealous), encouraging them to join Vic & Ali at the table for a game (or six) of matchsticks.

A few hours & drinks later the four had agreed to a sauna date the following week, which the team were very excited (and concerned) about, forgetting that we actually had a game of hockey to be concentrating on which could have possibly been a factor in conceding a goal in the first 15 minutes of the game.

A number of short corners for Brox but none were to be converted, however after some great attacking play Ella levelled the playing field to make it 1-1 just ahead of half time, with a tap in on the post.

The rush of sugar kicked in for the team as the second half began, gracefully defending some play from Stevenage to find Ella on the 25. With almost the whole stretch of the pitch ahead of her, she sprinted ahead with the support from trailing Brox players and one particular Gazelle to pass to at the top of the D. A flick over the goal keeper found the ball in the back of the goal….. for BAZ! Yes you read it right, we couldn’t quite believe our eyes. A roar from the stadium and the whole team was the motivation we needed to finish securing the 3 points.

A flurry of goals, with 2 following soon after from Jess & Emily, with Stevenage also getting a couple through our strong defence line.

The game finished 5-3 to Brox with the Ladies 2s continuing their reign at the top of the league.

In the post match interviews, manager Lisa, who just about found enough breath to answer said “it was a convincing win but if I’d have been playing we might have got a clean sheet”.

A well-deserved player of the match went to Baz for an exceptional game and donkey went to Vic, who continues to be the team’s source of entertainment. When questioned about her intentions in the sauna, she answered “no comment”.

Next week the Ladies 2s face second placed Bishop’s Stortford for a top of the table clash in what’s guaranteed to be another entertaining watch.

Mens 2s vs WGC 1 - 4-0 win

Goal scorers: Jack, Kav Jnr, Baller & Riggers
Assists: Riggers x2, Baller & Sully
Player: Riggers
Donkey: Baller

Broxbourne Put to Rest Ghosts of Season’s Gone Past

On the back of Halloween festivities only a couple of days prior, the mens 2’s, having been promoted under the guidance of El Capitan Kav last season, found themselves looking to rack up their 3rd win on the bounce with a prime time fixture against Welwyn Garden City, a team who had notoriously been somewhat of a bogey team for the Positivity Patrol in seasons gone by.

However, the 2’s had undergone a mid-season Captain change. El Capitan Kav had 2 weeks warm weather training in Cyprus so Jack ‘Father of Fantasy’ Price stepped in to cover. With wins against Shefford and Bishops Stortford (3’s) under his belt, and Kav having to take an extended leave of absence to address personal matters, Price looked to make it 3 from 3.

Mark ‘Riggers’ Rigby brazenly announced himself as an early DOD favourite by letting the team know he would be late, because and I quote ‘running a bit late trying to find my neighbours cat’. Many would think thats DOD sorted, done, finito, but the 2’s vote is rarely decided so easily, and Baller, unknowingly and unwillingly, would be damned if he was going to let that tradition be broken.

The light pitter patter of fine rain set the scene as the mens 2’s took to the pitch for warm up, and having witnessed the ladies 2’s finely dispose of Stevenage in the fixture before, felt confident they could grab all 3 points if they stuck to El Capitan Kav’s integral principles of play.

Bouyed by the presence of Mens Head Coach Mark ‘Panners’ Pannell, the 2’s started brightly. The pre-match talk of making sure we pass round the experienced oppo rather than dribble into flat sticks seemed to actually hit home, as the lads set about dismantling the Welwyn press by building play across the pitch.

The first half was dominated by Broxbourne. Welwyn’s infamous tall striker who plays more like a football forward was quiet and surprisingly unthreatening as the defence of Ruddy, Stu, Will, Satwick as well as defensive sub Lance, back from an ankle injury, calmly kept any attack at bay, providing the platform for the midfield and forwards to produce some slick interplay.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Tricky Two’s as possession didn’t result in goals. The men went close from a Baller Flick at the first short corner of the day, but the post-man managed to keep the effort out. With over two thirds of the half over and the score 0-0, Brox started to wonder if this was going to be a typical Welwyn game, low scoring, frustrating and normally on the losing end. This was compounded by Baller’s first DOD shifting action. A goalmouth scramble resulted in the ball falling to the back post 6 yards out. There was a slight bounce but surely all Baller had to do was keep his focus and slot the ball into the net, but alas, with his knees weak and palms sweaty, a poor connection nicking the edge of the ball resulting the effort rolling agonisingly wide.

Spurred on by such a clear cut chance, only a few minutes later, Duracell Bunny Sully worked his way to the baseline, looked up and perfectly found the Father of Fantasy running in on the P spot. Showing Baller how it’s supposed to be done, Jack roofed a volley into the top left, 1-0.

With the momentum now firmly in Broxbourne’s favour, the men had a short corner shot from Jack go close past the post, and a couple of minutes before the end of the half, Baller earned a 3rd shorty. Straight flick was the call as Baller stepped up once more. As the injection came in from consistent performer and fan favourite Will Fradley, Baller wondered if he would capture this moment, or was he going to let it slip? (that’s the last reference I promise). With power akin to a freight train, but one still in the train-yard, the Welwyn goalie stood unmoved as the Flick ricocheted into the top right corner off his helmet. 2-0 going into Half-Time as Baller sheepishly wheeled away in muted celebration.

The team talk was delivered in a clear and concise fashion that was familiar under Head Coach Panners as he articulated tactical feedback expertly. More of the same within our build up play, but with some extra movement and height from the forward line. He was certain more goals would come, we just had to be patient.

Broxbourne continued where they had left off in the first half, dominating possession and creating plenty of chances. Jack found himself 1-on-1 with the last defender but unfortunately got picked at the last moment, browny had a speculative diving deflection go once again agonisingly close, and was also unfortunate when Kav Jr couldn’t quite adjust himself to pick out the Veteran Midfielder at the back post. Marauding defensive midfielder/full back/striker Lance then also had an effort go close as he danced his way into the D and unleashed a powerful low reverse stick effort that was unlucky not to hit the target.

In one of the rare Welwyn forays forward, an opposition player found himself free of the Broxbourne defence as he drove towards the D. Goalkeeper Joseph decided to take control and looked like he was about to steamroll the Welwyn forward as he charged out of goal, but having misjudged the urgency of the opposition player, slammed on the breaks and found himself in no mans land at the edge of the circle. Welwyn worked their way round the sprawling young Joseph, but Satwick, freshly back from watching Borussia Dortmund’s head coach Nuri Sahin deliver a masterful defensive display against dogged opposition, St Pauli, in the German first division, stayed calm and expertly dispossessed the welwyn forward, saving a certain goal.

The 3rd and 4th goals finally came mid-way through the second half. Cat whisperer Riggers played a key part in both. Unable to keep up with his lightning quick hands, the Welwyn defence could do nothing but watch in awe as he danced his way through 4, maybe 5 players on the right sideline. He ended this fantastic run with a perfectly placed pass into the D where Kav Jr had made a darting run across the goal. In one smooth motion, Kav Jr deftly deflected the ball behind his back into the bottom corner. 3-0.

The 4th and final goal came after Baller forced a mistake from a Welwyn defender and stood ready over a Broxbourne sideline free hit. He looked up to see that a corridor of space had opened itself up in the welwyn backline, and Riggers was ready to lead into that space for a chance at goal. Baller played a pinpoint pass into Riggers who hit a first-time slap into the bottom left corner. 2 touches, 1 goal. 4-0 to the boys, thank you very much.

With the final 5 minutes of the game approaching and Brox looking to see out the result, Baller received a pass on the left sideline. With the slick pitch underfoot giving him second thoughts on taking on the defender having been feeling off balance for most of the game, the decision was simple, retain possession, pass back to Lance who was in acres of space and move on to support the transfer. In theory and in Ballers head, it was a foregone conclusion, but as I mentioned earlier, unknowingly to the young forward, dark forces were at play, determined to sow the seeds of doubt into the surely already decided DOD vote. It was at this moment that Baller, and this is describing it nicely, ‘miss-placed’ the pass back to Lance. He watched as he had missed his teammate all together, and had instead played a wonderful through-ball down the line for the opposition to latch onto. It was only the defensive prowess of the 2’s backline that kept this from breaking the pending clean sheet, something I know Fantasy Podcast Co-Host Lisa would have been extremely disappointed to see. Baller was relieved to see nothing come of the chance, and was also sincerely apologetic to Veteran Midfield Maestro Browny, who had made a gut-busting run from deep in midfield to support the attacking phase of play.

It wasn’t long before those dark forces intervened once more, throwing the DOD vote into complete disarray. Frustrated at missing a simple jab tackle and not being happy with his overall performance, emotions got the better of Baller as he deliberately kicked, yes, kicked the ball off the pitch on the left sideline. He was quickly issued a green card and told to take a long hard look at himself for 2 minutes in the sin-bin. Reports have now come out that Satwick, our resident card acquirer, was seen having a discussion with the umpire after the game, apparently asking why his teammate had only received a green, as he felt very strongly that it should have been a yellow, in line with his own deliberate kick only a few weeks prior. Satwick has been advised by his solicitors that an appeal to the league to get Baller’s card upgraded would most likely be unsuccessful, but is still said to be seriously considering writing a formal letter of complaint.

You’ve probably guessed it by now, but with news of the Neighbours cat being safely recovered, and with what certainly felt like tactical voting that didn’t plan out, Riggers avoided being voted DOD, as that honour fell to yours truly. A success story of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory if you would. It just goes to show that you should always be careful, as while you may think the DOD vote it pre-determined, even scriptures written in stone can be worn away.

A shout-out goes to Bobby and Jake for once again showing consistency in their good play while still adjusting to the step up to the 2’s.

A shout-out also goes to anyone not specifically mentioned in the above report, you certainly played large part in getting all 3 points, so a big well done to all.

Mens 4s vs - 5-0 win [walkover]
Opposition have withdrawn from the league.

Ladies 4s vs Bedford 6 - 1-1 draw

Goal scorer: Frankie
Assist: Jess
Player: Jess & Kat
Donkey: Jess

This week Captain Lisa gave a quick pre-match talk because unfortunately the men’s 4 game had been cancelled and the ladies 4s were able to get onto the pitch a bit earlier to get warmed up and practice some bits before the game.

The 4s were short of players this weekend and just about managed to get 11 players so thank you to club captains, Kat, Rachael and Mumma B for helping to field a team.

With the extra warm up the 4s were ready to go as they knew this was going to be a tough game as Bedford are sitting near the top of the table.

During the first half Broxbourne made a break into the oppositions 23 after a very back and forth game, we had a short corner which ended in a goal, which started of with Frankie pushing out to Jo, who then did a straight strike from the top, Jess deflected it and Frankie helped it across the line.

However Bedford were determined to not let this goal defeat them and straight away put the pressure back onto Broxbourne. With some great saves being made by Kat and the defence doing a great job Bedford managed to get another corner which just made it into the side of the goal.

After the positive half time team talk we were ready to try and get a win.

Broxbourne showed their determination by continuing to try and score another goal and worked well as team building the play. Although they were unable to get another goal and neither did Bedford. So the result ended in a draw 1-1.

The whole team all put in 110% effort and this showed by the result. A big shoutout to Kat who done a number of amazing saves and kept the score even.

Photographer shots!
Kevin & Kelly Jennings spent most of the day at Badger Field on Saturday, taking pictures of the Mens 3s, Ladies 2s & Mens 2s games. For anyone that would like to see them and download any of themselves, you can see all the images here:
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B22Grq0zwjd30Z

Away fixtures

Ladies 1s vs Upminster 1 - 3-2 loss

Goal scorers: Charlotte HG & Martha
Assists: Willsy & Martha
Player: Skipp
Donkey: Lily & Willsy

This Saturday saw The Badgers make the wet and windy trip around the m25 to north London rivals Upminster.
The heat from this bitter rivalry still burns fiercely since the bully-gate incident of 2019. Unfortunately on this occasion the Badgers were unable to right previous wrongs and succumbed to a close 3-2 defeat.

The badgers were missing Weatherwoman Hannah Baker who is attending COP29 in Azerbaijan. The badgers hope the research will improve her weather predictions as this week more than one of the team members was left with trench foot after unpredicted rain.

Prematch preparations were less than optimal as several of the more senior badgers arrived only a few minutes before pushback. Group spokeswomen Wilkins defended her tardiness in favour of her pregame nutrition program, blaming the early game time as incompatible with her BigMac requirements.

The Badgers got off to a slow start, finding the sandy pitch and physicality of the north London side difficult to manage.

Despite a hard fought battle in the midfield the opposition capitalised on the Broxbourne desire to score, attacking on the break to create an overload which left keeper Lily Hawthorne too much to do and the home side with a 1-0 lead.

The lead was doubled a few minutes later from a well worked long corner. An unfortunate deflection into the d left the defence wrong footed giving Upminster an easy finish to make it 2-0.

A passionate half time team talk from captain Welsh regalvanized the subdued Badgers and they entered the arena fired up for the second 35.

It wasn’t long before the badgers capitalised on this momentum, winning a short corner.
A perfectly orchestrated routine resulted in Wills slapping the ball across the goal from left to right to be tapped in by Martha Ker at the back post.

A second goal shortly followed, after another shot from gen-alpha star Ker rebounded and was collected by savvy centre forward Charlotte Hartwing-Green who made no mistake in finding the net.

Bored from so little action in the second half, keeper Hawthorne decided to test the cardiac function of the more senior members of the team by passing to the Upminster centre forward. Fortunately she followed this up with a stunning right footed save, avoiding the need for the defib.

For a while it seemed the teams were destined to share the spoils. Both sides had their chances, a great save on the line by Kay Finch denying the home team before Welsh narrowly missing a tap in on the back post for the Badgers.

However, minutes from the final whistle a strong tackle on centre back Finch resulted in the Upminster centre forward gleaning a one on one with the keeper. A clinical finish resulted in Upminster stealing the win in a final score of 3-2.

Post game celebrations were muted; however, not to be deterred by the loss, more senior members of the team were last seen in a champagne and oyster bar before going to a gig in Hackney. Their transfer application to more boujee molten brown loving club Wimbledon is expected by Monday.

Next week the Badgers take on newly promoted Bury at home and are looking for a big 3 points to scrape them off the bottom of the table. Pushback 1pm at BadgerField.

Ladies 5s vs Blueharts 7 - 1-0 win

Goal scorer: Daniela
Assist: Aaliyah
Player: Aaliyah
Donkey: Aaliyah

Broxbourne Ladies 5s v Blueharts Ladies 7s
We were already running a little thin on the ground this week, so minor panic ensued when Hannah decided to pick a match day to be poorly. Emergency GK alert was put out. Thanks very much to Emma for stepping in to help us out – we are very grateful!
The first half started very strongly. Broxbourne dominated the play and had some really good runs through mid field. We had a bit of position re-shuffle for the week as (amazingly) we were super-defense heavy. We welcomed Lorraine to the team who, as always, provided a really solid performance. This meant that Teagan got to get her running legs on and made light work of pushing up the pitch and sending some really solid balls forward. Sharon was released from defensive duties for the week and took up the right forward position. The youngsters of the group took up midfield.
On the whole we were passing well and the ball was moving around the pitch. Despite the ball being in the D on a lot of occasions, a number of short corners and Maisie clocking up a whole load of baseline runs from the right, we went in to half time 0-0 which was disappointing.
The 2nd half started somewhat differently when Daniela pushed back to Aaliyah who then proceeded to do a beautifully unchallenged run towards goal. Unfortunately, not the one we were attacking. She finally realised when she reached the D, found Lorraine and proceeded to ask what she should do…. Well earned and unanimous Donkey!
It also seemed that Blueharts had some weetabix (other brands are available) at half time as they came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. We were caught on the hop a little by this and it took us sometime to regain our composure and settle back down.
We then started to create some better play and, again, had lots of opportunities and short corners. Daniela converted a lovely cross from Aaliyah that the defender missed and slotted the ball into the right corner taking us 1-0 after 57 mins.
Bouyant from the goal the team pushed on. Daniela had a lovely strike sending the ball in to the corner again, only for the umpire to blow literally as she struck it to indicate a short corner as it had hit a Blueharts foot in the D. Goal disallowed ☹️.
The game ended with a 1-0 win. Player went to Aaliyah for her fantastic work rate and great runs. As mentioned she also took donkey!
Well done everyone – great game!

Mens 1s vs Pelicans 1 - 5-2 loss

Goal scorers: Charlie & Ethan
Assists: George & Hoppo
Player: Mitch
Donkey: Ryan & Charlie

After a week off for the team for the international break, the Badgers travelled to Norfolk for a tough away test against top of the league Pelicans. There was lots of excitement in the group onboard the minibus with the prospect of a memorable away day. Despite the early arrival to Pelicans, Charlie Frederick had forgotten most of his kit and therefore had to make a swift trip to a sports shop to get a replacement shirt! This did not deter the group who were ready to go after a lengthy warm up.

The game started brilliantly for Broxbourne with some slick passing and several outcomes from attacking positions. Unfortunately they were unable to capitalise from short corners and other significant chances. The momentum in the game shifted as the home side Pelicans grew into the game and pressed well to put the Badgers on the back foot. This culminated in a counter attacking move where Pelicans were able to deflect the ball into the corner of the goal to make it 1-0. The game continued to ebb and flow for the remainder of the half and the game was in the balance at the break.

As the second half began, there were many chances created by both sides as they tried to assert their authority on the game. With more short corners squandered by Broxbourne, Pelicans were able to seize on a loose ball and step in front of Charlie Frederick and finish clinically to make it 2-0. The Badgers responded incredibly well with some great passing down the right hand side between Sam Groves and George Blemkin who managed to slide a ball to Charlie Frederick who flicked the ball through the keeper to make it 2-1. Broxbourne continued to apply pressure and soon equalised with a great strike from Chris Hopson which was deflected cleverly by Ethan Fox who bagged his first goal of the season.

At 2-2, the game could have gone either way but Pelicans used their speed up front to break away quickly and their captain finished with a clinical reverse stick strike to the bottom corner. Broxbourne were still creating many opportunities and were unlucky not to level the game with Reggie Hopson deflecting the ball onto the post. This was followed by a contentious moment as the umpire awarded a penalty flick for the Broxbourne goal keeper Ryan Thomas impeding the Pelicans forward. The flick was calmly converted and made the game difficult for Broxbourne who now had to overturn a 4-2 deficit. The game continued to become stretched as Broxbourne pushed to get back into it. Unfortunately Pelicans were able to take advantage and put the game beyond doubt with a well worked counter attacking goal. The match finished 5-2 but the Badgers were still able to enjoy the minibus journey home!

The Badgers look forward to two consecutive home games at Badger Field and will be eager to pick up some points at their fortress.

Ladies 3s vs St Albans 5 - 3-1 loss

Goal scorer: Cerys
Assists: Grace
Player: Grace
Donkey: Hannah

After a mid term break the ladies threes travelled to St Albans, hoping to continue their good form.

Upon arrival to the match, most of the team had taken heed of Al’s warning on the podcast about the size of the showers and decided with the lateness of the match and the late pushback time, that they would head straight home after the match. However this did not stop Lauren and Tors trying them out fully clothed (‘Hannah, take a photo of us in the shower’)

Whilst we knew the 4:30 start was not favourable, we were not prepared for further delays to the match start time due to the game before playing on way past the planned finish time and involving quite a lot of unnecessary behaviour, including a St Albans player being physically pushed over unprovoked by the opposition - the players were of an age that this should not be happening!

From the off it felt that this was going to be a tough game. There were some good passages of play but it was not always linking as it had done in previous weeks.

A number of key players from St Albans put pressure on the Broxbourne defence and this was dealt with well. St Albans were first to get on the score sheet from a shot outside of the D but this was disallowed when Grace questioned the decision that it had to be touched inside the attacking D for it to stand.

Broxbourne were unable to capitalise on chances despite some good attempts and considerable amount of penalty corners and eventually St A did get their goal through a rocket from the top of the D.

Goal two for St Albans came from a lifted ball on a short corner and despite protestations from Brox, both umpires agreed it should stand.

Broxbourne did get a goal back via Cerys with some great passages of play and there were many missed opportunities, including one where Hannah actually took the ball out of the goal despite Alice’s ball going inside the post - feel free to rip her apart for that one Alice!!

The third goal for St Albans was another frustrating one, whereby the game came to a standstill due to a whistle which both teams believed to be the umpires on our match, and with no intervention, St Albans sneakily slotted a goal past Emma.

With opportunities not being taken this frustrated Broxbourne and the final score ended 3-1 to St Albans.

Player of the match went to Grace for some fantastic dominance at top of the diamond.

Donkey (on paper) went to Hannah for a number of missed goal scoring opportunities, including stopping Alice’s goal going in, missing a couple of hit ins, and having a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper and rather than taking a shot or passing to Sharon as intended, passed it straight to the keeper’s feet.

Our stars at the Masters World Cup!

We are wishing the best of luck to legendary club member Annie Thomas and Ladies 1s goal keeper Kim Hellery who are in New Zealand ahead of the Masters World Cup.

To keep up with their fixtures and results:
O55s (Kim) - https://masters.altiusrt.com/competitions/347
O70s (Annie) - https://masters.altiusrt.com/competitions/350

If you'd like to live stream any games (for a fee), you can watch via: www.hockeymastersworldcup.tv

Mens's club coach Panners is also heading out to NZ to coach the Men’s O60s - best of luck to him & his squad for the tournament!

Coming up next weekend...

Saturday 9th November
Home fixtures
10am - Ladies 5s vs Letchworth 4
11.30am - Mens 1s vs Bedford 1
1pm - Ladies 1s vs Bury St Edmunds 1
2.30pm - Ladies 3s vs Bedford 5

Away fixtures
10am - Mens 4s vs MBDA 1
12pm - Ladies 4s vs Saffron Walden 4
2pm - Ladies 2s vs Bishop's Stortford 3
3pm - Mens 2s vs Bedford 3

Club social - Our most popular club social is back for the third consecutive year! Join us for karaoke from 7.30pm in the bar!