TBC

Bracknell started strongly, despite the absence of key players for the Ackroyd wedding party. A revised team had given a lot of thought to the game ahead, knowing Bracknell wanted 3 points to stay safe from relegation. 
 
The first half brought end to end action, with solid defence from Debbie Jackson, Alison Eatwell, Marcia Clapson and Suzy Hardingham. The midfield worked hard to support and create opportunities to drive forwards. Neither team had many opportunities to score in a very tight game.
 
Despite a nasty injury to Holly Bentley, Bracknell started the second half with the same resolve. The dynamic trio in midfield of Dash Heaver, Libby Mound and Katie Oliver created more attacking opportunities, but on a counter-attack by City, a questionable penalty corner led to a goal for them on the third attempt, after superb keeping by Jen Sawyer and defence from Jackson. With only 8 minutes left on the clock, Bracknell fought as hard as they had all season. They played with passion and composure, but it was not to be their game. Just one game remaining the following day to prevent certain relegation back to Trysports 3 Counties league which would be a disappointing end to a great second half of the season.

In their second game of the week end, Bracknell ladies 1st XI knew that they needed a win against Banbury to ensure a place in South league 3A for next season. Tensions were running high during the warm-up and Bracknell knew they were going to have to give 110% to take 3 points from Banbury. Unfortunately Banbury came out hard as soon as the whistle blew and Bracknell found themselves 1-0 down within the first 2 minutes of the game. This only served to motivate every member of the team to work as hard as possible and Bracknell fought back with some excellent attacking play. Player of the match, and captain Holly Bently led the team from the front creating some great opportunities in front of goal as she levelled the game halfway through the first half. Bracknell kept fighting hard throughout the rest of the half with some strong tackles from the defence, in particular Debs Jackson who was sadly playing her last game as she is hanging up her stick and Astros after more than 20 years with Bracknell.
The home side had some excellent attacking opportunities in the second half and dominated the game, winning a string of short corners in the first 20 minutes, however couldn't convert the opportunities into goals. Bracknell played some of their best hockey of the season in the second half of the game which disappointingly ended in a 1-1 draw. Coach Lorna Goodwin who was also in charge for her last match  said that the team could not have given any more - they did every thing she had asked of them on the day. Unfortunately the only hope of staying in South league now rests on the results of the National league play-offs in May. If a South team is relegated then Bracknell also are relegated - a tense few weeks await the final outcome.

A crucial game for the Ladies Firsts proved bitterly disappointing when they lost 2-1 to visitors W Hampstead.  Bracknell desperately needed 3 points from this game to keep them out of the South Div 3 relegation zone - but sadly it was not to be and with only 2 games left, both to be pl;ayed next w/e, their chances of staying up are dwindling - although not impossible!! Much may depend on the results of others as well as the team grit and determination which has often been displayed since Christmas .  They will not relinquish their S League status without a fight!
After allowing Hampstead  a 2-0 lead, Bracknell stepped up a gear in the second half and began to cause a few problems for the visitors - particularly on the break. Solid tackling from man of the match Suzy Hardingham on the left and tight marking in defence denied Hampstead any real goal scoring chances in the second half.  Bracknell manufactured  a few chances of their own but unfortunately left it too late and despite a spectacular deflected goal from a penalty corner set up by Dash Heaver, Libby Mound and Yellie Powley for top goal scorer Doris Percy the points were lost and Bracknell will have to toil again next week for those elusive season saving points.

Bracknell started the game well and their determination was rewarded with an early penalty flick which unfortunately they could not convert. Very soon afterwards there was a second decision for a penalty flick which went Sonning's way. Great news for Brackenll as Sonning also failed to convert their opportunity. The game continued with opportunities both ends, including Lyndsey Towse hitting the post, but as the half drew to an end it was Bracknell who broke the deadlock. Dash Heaver hit a long penetrating pass through to Towse who was waiting on the back line. She drove strongly forward and shot from a near impossible angle to score the first goal. Bracknell went in 1-0 up at half-time. 
After a positive team talk Bracknell believed they could get points from this game but it was Sonning who proved stronger in the second half having changed their game plan by making the most of their quick passing to get around a tiring Bracknell defence. Despite great effort in midfield from Dash Heaver, Holly Bentley and man of the match Libby Mound, Sonning were not to be denied - in quick succession they scored three goals from which Bracknell failed to recover. Despite rallying and stemming the flood the Bracknell side just did not have the legs to convert their chances despite a couple of shots going just wide. Another goal from Sonning made it a disappointing result which Bracknell need to put behind them and start afresh next week on their quest for the elusive points which could save them from relegation.

Bracknell’s marathon week of fixtures finally came to an end with a home match against Southgate. With only one league position between them it was always going to be a close encounter. Both teams set their stalls out very early in the game wanting to keep possession, however it was Southgate who retained the ball whilst Bracknell did well to soak up the pressure. With relatively few chances for either side it was Southgate that took the lead. In the second half Bracknell came out fighting and with many unfair challenges going unnoticed it looked like the opportunity may be slipping away. However a resilient Bracknell took advantage of some great build up play with Holly ‘The Tank’ Bentley finding the back of the net whilst under immense pressure in the opposition D with only two minutes to go. Dash Heaver was voted man of the match, but it was a brilliant team performance all round. With four games left there is still all to play for in Trysports Division 3A where Bracknell are fighting to stay above the relegation zone.

The first game of another double header, for Bracknell ladies 1st team, saw them face West Witney on home soil and gain their first point of the week-end. A 4 - 0 defeat earlier in the season, and a poor result last week against Oxford Hawks, should have been incentive enough for the home side to go hard from the first whistle. However in took them 20 minutes to get themselves into the game and start playing how they know they can. During that first period the defending had to be solid to keep out the advancing visitors. Towards half-time, Bracknell created more opportunities, and won several short corners. West Witney must have had inside knowledge of the home sides success at shorts, because they defended them well, and at half time the scored remained 0-0.
The second half saw Bracknell advance further and hold possession for most of the period. Within that time they had more opportunities, but failed to capitalise on each occasion. The play from the home team became better as the half progressed, and they were unlucky not to take all three points from a difficult opposition.
Bracknell would have taken a draw at the start of the game, but felt that a win would have been a more deserved result at the end. A solid performance from man of the match and captain Holly Bentley, and her team, meant a good start to the week-end. They can take the positives into Sundays game against Southgate.

TBC

This Saturday saw Bracknell Ladies 1's travel away to bottom of the league Oxford Hawks. Still holding 2 games in hand, and on the back of last weekend, Bracknell wanted to build on their strong work rate and communication from the weekend before to take 3 points. This was going to be a hard task with 3 of their usual squad not available. Hawks started strongly and were well organised scoring their first goal from a deflection into the back of the goal. Their possession and pressure broke down Bracknell's attacking play, and eventually Hawks were awarded a short corner which resulted in a 2nd goal before half time. After the break, Bracknell re-grouped and came out stronger and sharper in the second half. Bracknell battled hard against a determined and physical Oxford Hawks, but failed to score off their few opportunities in the Hawks circle ending the game a disappointing 2-0 down.  Bracknell have a busy week ahead with a midweek re-arranged game against top of the league Wycombe and 2 more at the week end from which they hope to steal some points.

Warming up for the 2nd game of the weekend, a game postponed as a result of snowy conditions, Bracknell could feel the effects of yesterdays tremendous work rate and to make matters worse the home side were heading into a game against one of the toughest oppositions in the league.  Nonetheless their spirits were high and they hoped to build on their success and take 6 points from the weekend’s action.
The start of the match went well for the home team taking the game straight to the Oxford side, putting them under immediate pressure and Bracknell’s defence put in a spectacular performance sweeping up any play created by their opposition. Unfortunately a quick break against the run of play put the Bracknell team on the back foot and City took a reverse stick strike which bobbled in minutes before half time.
Minutes into the second half the City side's good luck and skilful play continued and a free hit from just outside of Bracknell’s defending D was slipped right and struck cleanly into the Bracknell goal taking it to 2-0.
 Still determined, Bracknell continued to fight hard creating many more good chances but unfortunately just couldn’t find the back of the net. The game finished 3-0 to the City of Oxford when a pin point shot just made it’s way past the Bracknell keeper. A disappointing score considering Bracknell had put in such a solid defending game with all of the whole Bracknell defence being nominated for man of the match, a title awarded to Ali Eatwell for an outstanding defensive performance.

Bracknell headed into the weekends double header with a mean feat ahead of them playing the leagues 3rdd placed team Teddington on the Saturday and 2nd Placed team City of Oxford on Sunday. Luckily for Bracknell the Saturday game was the first in quite some time where injuries haven’t prevented them from fielding their full 1st team squad.
The whistle sounded and home side jumped straight into action with a clear intention of putting an end to Teddington’s long unbeaten run since their first meeting with the Bracknell squad at the start of the season. Their hard work clearly paid off when Bracknell were awarded a short corner in the first 4minutes of the game. A slick injection from Dash Heaver saw Lyndsey Towse calmly stop the ball allowing Yellie Powley plenty of time to precisely and powerfully strike the ball into Doris Percy, ready to pounce on the post. She expertly deflected it into the back of the net taking Bracknell 1-0 up. 
The determined Bracknell team continued to attack and chip away at the Teddington defence and soon the home side were reward with a second corner in the 6th minute. With the strike from Powley through to Percy bringing the Bracknell squad much success in their first corner, their coach made the call to try and reap the rewards once again. A decision which paid off when Percy slotted another past the Teddington keeper.
Bracknell continued with the same grit and determination in the hope bagging more goals but the Teddington side stayed strong and holding the 2-0 score going into half time.
The second half was more evenly matched with some good chances from both sides but thanks to an superb diving save from Bracknell’s keeper and man of the match, Jen Sawyer and a incredible goal line save from Deb Jackson, Bracknell held Teddington to a 2-0 victory.

Bracknell Ladies went into their home fixture against Staines determined to avenge their 5-0 thrashing from earlier in the year. With a different and as yet untried formation for the season and a number of players playing out of position, Bracknell started encouragingly well. They were duly rewarded 15 minutes into the first half when in their opening corner of the game, Doris Percy proved as reliable as ever putting the home team in front from a well rehearsed routine. This gave them confidence to push forward and to press home their advantage as the half wore on. Man of the Match Percy who looked lively all afternoon posed a continuous threat to the Staines defence and having picked up a ball from Libby  "I ve still got the legs to play midfield " Mound, Percy made no mistake in slotting the ball passed the goalie to give Bracknell a very welcome 2-0 half time lead.
 
Staines were not giving this one up without a fight and came out strongly at the start of the second half, seizing an early opportunity to get back in the game and put themselves on the score sheet. Bracknell clearly having learnt from mistakes earlier in the season, showed great character and self belief and were determined not to allow this one to slip away. Percy continued to ask questions up front and deftly went round a Staines defender to send an inch perfect pass into Holly  "please let me play upfront"  Bentley. She was being tightly closed down by two defenders, but still managed to slot the ball brilliantly through the keeper s legs to give Bracknell a timely 2 goal cushion and take them 3-1 up. This seemed to set the cat and mouse trend for the second half and a slight misunderstanding in the Bracknell defence shortly after, saw Staines convert one of their own corners to close the gap and the score-line changed to 3-2. Again Bracknell rose to the challenge and a wel
 l taken sideline by Jessie Towse to Bentley, saw her slip the ball to Yellie  "I ve swallowed a golf ball"  Powley at the top of the D, who hammered it just inside the post and put Bracknell two goals back in front again. Staines though were not finished for the day, adding another goal to their own tally 10 minutes later bringing the score to 4-3 and keeping them in contention. With the clock running down Bracknell showed great composure, and with Jen  "jinking" Sawyer leading by example and holding firm between the posts, Bracknell played a solid and intelligent possession game in the dying minutes to come out deserved winners. 
 
This secured them a very welcome 3 points and although there is a long way to go yet, two very promising performances in as many weeks has given the team great confidence to carry forward into the games ahead of them. Next weekend promises to be a tough one as they face a double header trying to catch up on the backlog of recent weather affected fixtures. 

Bracknell were coming back from eight weeks without a game to face Hampstead and Westminister. Missing so many games has seen them fall into the relegation zone and in need of taking points from similarly placed opposition. Bracknell started well with their new look defence holding firm led by Marcia "MOM"Clapson. A number of good attacking chances came to nothing as Bracknell were not quite as clinical in front of goal as normal. Hampstead and Westminster took the opportunity to score from a short corner despite Jenny 'Sat Nav' Sawyer blocking the first two shots. Unfortunately fairly shortly after this H and W then broke through a number of tackles and scored their second goal.

Bracknell were not despondent and after a jinking run and great cross from Holly 'Thomas' Bentley Bracknell scored through fearless Bianca 'Facebook' Chalk. They then calmed down and played some solid hockey holding the game at half time to 1-2.

After the break Bracknell were up for taking the game to H&W. Getting into the oppositions D, they started to play some really good hockey with excellent work from Sam Hall and Dash Heaver. Against the run of play H&W scored their third goal giving them the two goal cushion back. This was frustrating for Bracknell and shocked them back into gear again. Several short corners later and some amateur dramatics from Alison ,Ronaldo' Eatwell saw Bracknell pull one back through Holly Bentley.

The determination was back and the belief started to show in Bracknell as they penetrated the 25 yard area with the shot of the season from Lyns 'inside of post, Towse. The ball was hit with  ferocious speed at head height, smashed into the upright and deflected away to the far side of the pitch to cries of disappointment from Towse. Bracknell  did however try and give H&W the two goal lead back but Jane "Birds of a Feather" Martin, making her 1st team debut, cleared the ball off the line with confidence. Making hard work of it, Bracknell tried to generate some more chances. In the last minute a cross from Doris "I'm nervous" Percy was met by Holly Bentley and despite challenges from the goalie she safely put the ball away. Relief from the team as the final whistle went and Bracknell earned a deserved draw with their favourite 3-3 scoreline.

TBC

TBC

Bracknell had both ladies teams playing away at Witney, and with supporters going each way, both teams were looking to build on their strong performances from the weekend before, despite being stretched by injuries. 
 
Bracknell knew Witney would come out hard, and from the first whistle, the defence were under pressure. There was hard graft across the back, but eventually several penalty corners bolstered the home team to score twice. Bracknell sustained consistent pressure from the Witney attack, and were kept in the game only by some amazing saves by the Bracknell Goal Keeper Jen Sawyer going into half time.
 
It was a rough game and Bracknell came back stronger in the second half, creating more attacking chances,and winning a couple of short corners. With shots from Holly Bentley, the Bracknell Man of the Match, and Lyndsey Towse narowly missing the goal, it was not to be Bracknell's day, and Whitney came out comfortable winners 4-0 

Oxford Hawks were the visitors as Bracknell looked to capitalise on their positive performance from the week before. Despite the wet and windy weather conditions Bracknell looked the brighter side and piled pressure on the opposition holding the majority of the possession and making positive runs into the D. However, against the run of play Oxford Hawks scored first giving them the confidence they needed. This did not deter the Bracknell side who have become accustomed to going a goal down in recent weeks. Yellie Powley made some brilliant individual runs down the left as Bracknell continued to push forward, resulting in them winning a succession of short corners leading an equaliser, which was coolly put away by Lyndsey Towse. The second half was evenly matched with both teams fighting to be the next to score. With time ticking and the final whistle approaching Bracknell stepped up a gear switching the ball well and playing long balls up the pitch but they were unable to capitalise on their chances, narrowly missing in front of goal on numerous occasions. Oxford Hawks made a last push in the dying minutes but some tough defending by the Bracknell defence ensured that the score line remained 1-1. The ladies can once again take confidence from their performance.

Bracknell travelled to Teddington with the aim of winning 3 points and putting in a solid team performance in the wake of a disappointing defeat at Staines a fortnight ago. Within 2 minutes of the starting whistle being blown Bracknell went 1-0 up through a confident piece of attacking play from Dash Heaver who set up Holly Bentley to deftly beat the Teddington keeper with her reverse stick. Bracknell's confidence grew and they dominated for a further 10 minutes with Bentley and Doris Percy creating some excellent attacking opportunities, one of which was skillfully converted into a goal through a fantastic strike from Percy into the top corner of the net.
At 2-0 down Teddington came back strongly but Bracknell held them off for the majority of the first half, led by some stong defensive play by player of the match, Libby Mound. Teddington broke the deadlock through a short corner strike a few minutes before the half time whistle.
Bracknell found their attacking form again in the second half with Doris Percy deflecting the ball past the keeper at the far post after a well worked short corner. Teddington fought back to make it 3-2 after following up the rebound from a lifted shot. Bracknell defended well throughout the second half and wrapped up the game towards the end of the second half when Percy scored a fantastic goal from the top of the D to earn her hatrick. A well deserved three points from a convincing team performance which sees Bracknell move up to 6th position in South Div 3a.

TBC

Bracknell headed off to Staines hoping to further their success from the previous week and bag another 3 points. Despite missing a number of key players Bracknell were confident  and aimed to capitalise early in the game.

The whistle sounded and Bracknell’s defence were put under immediate pressure by some strong attacking Staines play. Despite valiant  hard work Bracknell went behind within minutes after failing to defend a Staines short corner. The whistle sounded for the second time and it quickly became obvious that Bracknell were going to be in for a tough ride as Staines capitalised for the second time from another short corner.

Bracknell composed themselves and had faith in their newfound ability not to be un-nerved by going behind. Again Bracknell headed to the halfway line to start the game for a third time and started playing some composed hockey, creating several attacking chances and forming a strong defensive line with man of the match Libby Mound leading by example.  Midway through the second half it became clear that luck definitely wasn’t on Bracknell’s side as Staines were awarded a questionable penalty flick. Thankfully Bracknell had more than luck to rely on, as GK Jen Sawyer performed an outstanding save to keep the away side in the game.   

Both teams battled hard but it clearly wasn’t going to be Bracknell’s day as Staines took the score to 3-0 before half time. The second half started and instantly the away side were again put under copious amounts of pressure. Unsettled by the score line and some questionable umpiring decisions, Bracknell dropped another 2 goals, the 4th a fantastic strike from Staines from the top of the D. The 5th came as keeper Sawyer was forced to make a fantastic save, Staines seized upon the chance for another strike and forced another phenomenal save, this time from Mound but inevitably Bracknell were unable to clear the loose ball and Staines pounced on the chance and took the score to 5-0.

With only 2 points from their 1st 3 league games, Bracknell ladies 1st team were under pressure to put points on the board as soon as possible. Confidence was still pretty high though, because despite the low points score, Bracknell have been playing well. Knowing also that todays opposition were struggling for points, gave them added impetous. A rousing team chant just before the whistle had the desired affect. Bracknell started the game putting immediate pressure on Hampstead & Westminster forcing mistakes from their defence.The home team capitalised with a short corner. Despite it`s break down, Bracknell held the ball in the opposition's 25 and as a result a probing cross from Man of the Match Lyndsey Towse was collected by Holly Bentley on her reverse stick, and slotted home over the on rushing keeper.
The second followed in just a few minutes, when a break from the left had Holly Bentley pick up the ball inside the 25, a big shout from Dash Heaver charging on to the top of the D, allowed Holly to pass her the ball where she showed great composure in slotting the ball into the far corner. 
Bracknell then dominated for the rest of the 1st half, consolidating their position.
The beginning of the second half, saw a couple of changes for the home team, but a little confusion allowed Hampstead & Westminster to string a few moves together. This wasn`t to last however, and it was soon 3 - 0 when latest recruit Doris Percy capitalised after persistent play from fellow forward Katie Oliver on the baseline, to poach a typical strikers goal.
Bracknell then for a few minutes let their defensive guard down, allowing the visitors to claw back a goal. Undeterred, the home team pushed on not letting this minor setback spoil a great performance. As a result, increased pressure from the whole team once again forced the opposition into errors, Doris Percy was on hand to force home her second goal and Bracknells 4th.
Finally Bracknell had a result to match the performance, perhaps they can now push on up the league to where they deserve to be, with a similar performance at Staines next week.

In an exciting game, where the lead changed hands several times and both sides spent some time with only ten players on the pitch, Bracknell were unlucky to suffer a narrow defeat 3-2 to Banbury.

Due to injuries, Bracknell started the game with an untested defence and were not  allowed to settle by a menacingly sharp Banbury attack.  While Bracknell were still finding their feet Banbury pounced and were awarded a short corner.  Despite GK Jen Sawyer saving the first shot, she was unable to stop the Banbury attacker putting the ball away at the second attempt for a 1-0 lead.  This season Bracknell seem to have found the welcome ability not to  be un-nerved by going behind.  The team began to pull together and made inroads into the Banbury defence. Reward came when a weighted pass from Katie Oliver was picked up by Dash Heaver, who, despite being rocked by a crashing attempt at a tackle, battled through to make her shot which bounced off the left hand post and into the goal. 1-1 at half time.
Soon after the break Bracknell piled on the pressure and were rewarded by a short corner.  The hitout was stopped by Lyndsey Towse and slipped to Holly Bentley. Bentley completed the move by playing a neat one-two with Doris Percy, the ball popped up into the air, spun round, bounced on the goal line and span over the line much to the Bracknell attackers delight!

With Bracknell leading 2-1,  Banbury started to get tetchy about some umpiring decisions and their captain was shown a yellow card leaving her team with only ten players.  Shortly afterwards, Instead of capitalising on the overload, Bracknell also  were down to ten after Yellie Powley was shown a yellow card for deliberate obstruction.  Powley's industry in midfield was missed and Banbury capitalised on the break. Their attacker eluded 2 Bracknell defenders, her shot was saved by Jen Sawyer, but only for it to land at the feet of another Banbury attacker who put it in the left hand corner to retrieve a 2-2 scoreline.  Banbury now seemed to be on top  mounting attack after attack. Marcie Clapson, Ali Eatwell, Sam Hall and Libby Mound repelled the invaders repeatedly but finally conceded a third goal despite all efforts and sadly saw the points vanish. 

Bracknell went into their first home league game with high hopes of building on last week’s solid start. Visitors Wycombe began much the stronger side and caught the home team half asleep, seizing on two early breaks to go 2-0 up inside the first 5 minutes. This thankfully seemed to give Bracknell a much needed wake up call and they began to press forward, attacking down both flanks and were soon rewarded with a couple of corners. Despite not being able to convert either, the home team continued to apply pressure and an opening came when Yellie Powley passed the ball into the D to captain Holly Bentley. The resultant shot fell to a defender who tried to clear it, but the ever present Doris Percy popped up on the left hand side and swept it goal bound, putting Bracknell on the score sheet. Goal two followed shortly after when good interplay between the forwards saw Lyndsey Towse slot the ball home sweetly to bring the scores level.
After this much needed fight back, Bracknell were now right back in the game. They continued to press forward and were somewhat aggrieved not to have been awarded a third goal when Yellie Powley took a quick free hit, drove into the D and drilled the ball home, only for it to be disallowed. Despite their disappointment, Bracknell responded brilliantly by putting the Wycombe defence back under immediate pressure. Dash Heaver slipped the ball inside to Towse, who fired a shot towards the goal and despite a good initial save, the Wycombe keeper was unable to stop the ball going airborne and Bentley pounced on the rebound to reverse stick sweep it into the back of the net, taking Bracknell into the lead for the first time in the match.  Both teams continued to press forward, but Wycombe finished the stronger of the half when they capitalised on some more sloppy defending by the home team to level the scores at 3-3 going into the break.
The second half saw both teams with further opportunities to score, but with Bracknell showing greater signs of fatigue they were unable to sustain it for any great period and Wycombe looked the more threatening on the break. Despite some tireless running by Dash Heaver and man of the match Yellie Powley who both soaked up the pressure in midfield tackling and supporting well, the game ended with honours even. Libby Mound as ever reliable in defence, kept things steady at the back.
Bracknell play away to top of the table Banbury next week knowing they must improve on their lapses in concentration, if they are to realistically compete at this level and start winning matches.