Sedgemoor one

OKEHAMPTON LADIES’ SECONDS 3

EXE LADIES 6

THE first game after the festive break brought Exe Hockey Club to play hosts Okehampton seconds.

Despite playing with a much-changed team due to injuries and unavailability, both sides started the game well with even play and chances at both ends.

The deadlock was broken with a scrappy goal early on in the game to make it 0-1 to the visitors. However, shortly after Oke forwards Alice Luke, Emma Wiseman and Lesley Bingham kept pressing the defence and a great strike from the top of the D from Bingham levelled the game at 1-1.

Further chances from both sides came and went until Okehampton conceded another goal midway through the first half. This seemed to galvanise the home side and they equalised with a cross from the right, which was finished off by Maddie Davidson, for 2-2.

Excellent work from the home defence Debbie Pritchard, Carol Taylor and Izzie Thomas and some superb saves from Jennie Humphry meant that the opposition did not score again in the first half. Another goal followed for Okehampton scored by Joey Drake with a good move seconds before the end of the half, leaving the half-time score 3-2 to the hosts.

However, the second half for Okehampton did not go according to plan as they conceded early on, making the scores level.

Okehampton started to lose their shape and Exe capitalised on the mistakes. Failing to take their second half chances, Exe went on to score three more goals near the end of the game.