Driffield certainly stormed London this weekend !

On Saturday our hockey players travelled down to Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre @ Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to play St Albans in the Ladies O/55 Championship Final.
St Albans fielding a 16 strong team from a club listing nine ladies teams; the Wolds Ladies were anxious!
Push back was 3pm and St Albans started fast and hard pushing six players into our quarter of the pitch. With solid defending Driffield Ladies were able to find their form and focused on accurate passing around the team until gaps could be opened up in the St Albans defence.
20 minutes into the match and Susan Bratt scored for Driffield from a penalty corner. Deflecting the shot on goal into the corner of the goal.
Loud encouragement from the St Albans supporters fortified the Southern Ladies and boosted their play. Despite spirited defence and fast reflexes from our GK Debs Nelson, St Albans were able to equalise by half –time.
Temperatures at Lee Valley reaching 19oC and only 2 substitutes to rotate into the team, Driffield Ladies had to dig deep going into the 2nd half.
St Albans battled hard to break through our back line and their brutal persistence payed off when 10 minutes into play a hard strike from the top of the “D” smashed into our goal. A second goal was disallowed on Appeal to the Umpires who agreed there had been a St Albans foot in the “D”.
Driffield now running on adrenaline put everything into the last few minutes of the game and Yorkshire determination resulted in winning a couple of penalty short-corners. Sally Hunt received and struck the ball solidly, equalising the score to two all.
The final whistle was blown and both teams now faced a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. A penalty shoot-out is best of five penalty strokes with sudden death if scores are level after 5 strokes.
This is where Driffields own “Maddie Hinch” otherwise known as Debs Nelson had to hold her nerve.
Driffield Ladies have been trying for many years to win this Competition and came so close in 2015 losing 5:6 and then again in 2017 losing in a shoot-out.
Fiona Tuplin, Sally Hunt, Helen Holdswoth, Fiona Green and Mieke Davison took the penalty strokes and the extraordinary result was 2:2.
The pressure was unbearable and no-one wanted to be in Debbies position.
Fiona Tuplin stepped up again scored, keeping the strike low and wide. St Albans just managed to equalise with Debs getting her stick to the ball, but the momentum just took it over the line.Mieke Davison was next and again kept the ball low and wide. Driffield 2:1 in front and then St Albans to take the penalty stoke..
Debs Nelson, our totally amazing, humble GK saved the flick and Driffield Ladies were victorious.

Thank you Ladies for finally winning this Competition, hard work and team work won the day.

Sarah soanes ( Capt)

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