Oke Ladies battle Bert and Lions

With most sport cancelled due to Storm Bert, Okehampton Ladies Thirds Hockey Team took on the almighty challenge of a trip to Plymouth Lions.

One of the roles of the thirds is to support young players just starting senior hockey, hopefully assisted by the grizzled veterans trying to keep up with them. Therefore, the thirds was a team of 11 who had never played together before, several in new positions, and with an age range from 12 to 66.

Facing the 11 was a squad of 15, mostly young adults and the Plymouth Lions put Okehampton under pressure from the off but Oke rose to the task. Captain Alex Collins played a blinder as centre half (she is normally top goal scorer) with effective tackling and accurate, powerful hits feeding Okehampton’s attack.

Meanwhile, behind her Kirsten Drake, Melanie Pike and Mel Priday fought hard in defence with brave work against some bruising attacks. The Lions scored first but the forwards took up the challenge; dynamic siblings Megan and Zennor Tucker worked the ball up several times ably assisted by the intelligent hockey of Viv Weatherington.

An attacking short corner was awarded, which Viv converted with her customary skill to equalise the score.

In the second half, the availability of subs and largely younger legs of the Lions began to show their advantage over Okehampton. As both teams battled through the wind and rain of Storm Bert, Okehampton’s defence increasingly found itself outnumbered.

Sienna Watts (player of the match) had stepped in as goalie at the last minute, never having played the position before and blocked several strikes with some impressive saves.

Olive Leslie played a determined and skilful game at right half, and gave Okehampton several chances to score. However, when the Lions broke through, as they did increasingly, Okehampton found themselves unable to cover all attackers.

The Lions scored twice with cannon ball shots from the edge of the circle and also from unmarked players. The final score did not reflect the fun had by all following a game played in good spirit.