Match Reprots for Boys' Hockey against Longridge and Girls' Netball against Cargilfield
Belhaven Hill's Boys' Hockey against Longridge and Girls' Netball against Cargilfield match reports
Wednesday, 8th February 2023
Boys' Hockey
U13 b & c
U13b Belhaven 3 - 2 Longridge Towers a
For periods of this match we were up against it somewhat, as we lost our goalkeeper at the last minute so had to play without one. This handicap was evident as Longridge went in at half-time one goal up with their only shot on target. I advised the boys to get the ball wider so that we could get around the slightly wooden tackling of Longridge. This didn’t work, at first, as we conceded a second shortly into the second half.
Nonetheless we persevered and through a right-to-left midfield, left-to-right striker move we got a goal back by finishing off with an incredible flick from Saw, beating the opposition keeper high to his left. Soon after we had parity, a keeper’s error allowing Wilf’s shot to squirm underneath him. So it remained until 90 seconds from time, when Charlie and Wilf linked nicely to set the latter up to sweep home. A deserved, if tight, win.
Man of the Match: Tom Watson for always having an eye on own (goalie-less) goal.
U13c Belhaven 6 - 7 Longridge Towers b
It’s always frustrating to lose a high-scoring match narrowly and so the boys felt as they came off the pitch having lost by the odd goal in thirteen. Fernando scored four times, Eck got a brace but ultimately Longridge slightly got the rub of the green and edged us out. Never mind, these days happen.
Man of the Match: the clinical Fernando.
U11A
The wind was howling through Hallhill this Wednesday and it was rather chilly. We knew that our opponents might not be as tough as our last few matches but the boys needed to focus to make sure that they could practise their skills and game play.
The boys enjoyed having a chance to play a range of positions and even Harry (our usual goalie) got two goals under his belt. Geordie did brilliantly to sweep two goals in from crosses from Charlie. The double Ts in defence, Tommy and Tristan, created a solid wall, not letting anyone past into the D. Charlie was key in making sure the ball went wide and ran it down his wing. Hamish could be heard over the wind making sure the boys didn’t hold onto the ball too long and to keep in positions. It was a fun match and was great to see Ollie, Wilbur and Hector all scoring hat-tricks.
Boys' Hockey U11A against Longridge
Goals scorers: Ollie 3, Wilbur 3, Harry 2, Geordie 2, Hector 3
Man of the match: Ollie
U11B
The Belhaven boys seemed a little low on energy as the whistle was blown to start the match. The harsh winds hampered effective communication, and the team seemed to lack its usual sharpness. Longridge made the most of this, and quickly scored two, before Belhaven rallied and managed to get one back. In the last few minutes of the first half, the boys started to look much more organised and efficient. Attacking runs by Arthur, Ouday and Noah created gaps in the Longridge defence, and some excellent defensive play by Lukas, Aubrey and Fergus kept their forwards at bay. Longridge pushed hard, however, and manage to squeeze past the Belhaven defensive line to score a third, but this was answered by some excellent passing by Jack on the right wing, which allowed the Belhaven boys to score two more. The first half finished 3 - 3.
After an encouraging team talk and some movement in formation and positions, the Belhaven boys looked a new team. Fergus played in a more forward position, which caused Longridge significant problems – his passes were incisive and accurate, which pulled the Longridge defence out of position. Shots on goal by Belhaven came thick and fast – a loud ‘clink’, as the ball hit the post, was heard again and again. The Belhaven efforts were rewarded, for 3 more goals were scored. Longridge responded and managed to score one more, but other attempts on goal were thwarted by the Belhaven defence, with Kaspar making some outstanding tackles. Bertie had a strong end to the game, as he seemed to be all over the pitch – tackling in defence, and then running forward into space.
At the end, the boys felt that this was probably their most challenging game yet. While frustration was in the air at half time, the boys discussed what needed to change, and implemented the game plan brilliantly. Most of all, though, they had a huge amount of fun, and came away with a hard-fought win. Well done!
Boys' Hockey U11B against Longridge 2023
Final Score: Belhaven 6 - 4 Longridge
Girls' Netball
U9s
This week the U9 netball teams had their first away fixture of the season at Cargilfield. Having two games this week was again fantastic, and gave all players the chance to represent Belhaven.
Game 1:
The A team match saw the players play their best netball so far this year. They were dominant in possession and moved the ball accurately into space. What was most pleasing was the work-rate when defending to get the ball back. Each quarter was a well-contested affair with both teams having attacking opportunities, but Belhaven slowly increased their lead, winning each of the first three quarters by a goal to nil. The last quarter saw a flurry of action as Belhaven stretched their lead out to 5 - 0 with only two minutes to go. However, to Cargilfield’s credit, they quickly scored three goals in response, threatening an unlikely comeback. Belhaven, though, secured the win with a final score of 6 - 3.
Player of the match: Anastasia
Game 2:
The B team took to the court with enthusiasm, but this was to be a real test of their character against a good Cargilfield team. In the first quarter Belhaven just couldn’t get a foothold and Cargilfield raced into a 5 - 0 lead. However, a focus on development throughout the game saw the second and third quarters become tighter affairs. Cargilfield were restricted to three, and two goals respectively. The last quarter saw the best of the B team as they attacked more effectively, creating at least one good scoring opportunity as well as defending more assertively. There was some quality in this match but putting all the good patches together is something to work on. Final score 0 - 14.
Player of the match: Lara
