Petroc two

Okehampton ladies’ thirds 2

Teign ladies’ thirds 1

OKEHAMPTON ladies’ third team were determined to end their run of draws and were looking for a win against bottom of the table Teign thirds.

After winning the toss, Okehampton took possession of the game. Central midfielder Viv Weatherington, superbly distributed the ball wide to Eleanor Marvin who ran the ball down the wing. However, Teign’s defence stood strong and prevented the visitors from scoring.

Oke’s chance came when Emilia Bazeley used her speed and stick skills to outmanoeuvre the Teign players; she smacked the ball into the circle and Sandy Houston was perfectly positioned to tap the ball into the goal. The opposition were not going to give up. They took advantage of a swiftly taken free hit to catch the Okehampton players unprepared and beat the goalkeeper bringing the score line to 1-1.

The Oke players then gathered momentum and played with great determination. Sarah Marvin ran tirelessly to intercept numerous Teign passes and kept the central midfield area covered. She was ably partnered with Sophie Mugliston who was equally as determined to chase down and tackle for any ball she could. Wing players, Eleanor Marvin and, player of the match, Annie Strawbridge, used their speed to run the ball down the wing, outwitting several Teign players.

The team’s perseverance paid off when the ball was passed out of the circle to Jane Jones waiting at the edge. Without hesitation, she move forward and struck the ball into the back of the goal.

In the second half, Teign started to put pressure on the Oke defence. This required defenders Izzy Rowlands, Joey Drake and Lisa May to put their block tackles into practice. On the occasions when the ball was able to get past them, goalkeeper Ella Kay was able to clear the ball from the D. Kay also made a spectacular diving stick save to hold back Teign once again. However, it was the Okehampton young midfield players who presented the Teign defence with wave after wave of running attacks towards the goal. Despite Sophie Mugliston and Emila Bazeley pouncing on every rebounded ball, Okehampton were unlucky not to score again.

This was a well deserved three points for Okehampton’s third team.