Match Reports Compiled By:- Paul Graham 22/1/12 The U14 girls travelled to Doncaster on Sunday well depleted with 5 regular players unavailable due to west Yorkshire trials. However the remaining team members adopted an excellent attitude and dominated all 3 games even if the results didn't show this. With better finishing all 3 games could have been won. A last minute goal on a rare attack saw the girls suffer a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield and it was similar against York when 2 late goals against the run of play resulted in a 2-1 defeat. Corrie Jackson scored the teams only goal with a superb strike from a penelty corner. In the final game, the girls just could not buy a goal and it was a0-0 draw against Ben Ryhdding. sasha Penny Ward and Leigh shared the keeping duties and both pulled off some fine saves. Zenah Amber Penny Ward and Sophie Kaney put in a good defensive display with well timed tackles and good distribution of the ball. Player of the tournament Corrie Jackson controlled the centre of midfield and was well supported by both Molly Midgley and Lizzie Mayland who worked tirelessly in all the games. In attack rebecca Kendal created several chances but was unable to finish them off and U12 player Robyn Fawkes in her 1st 11-a-side game did really well to come close to scoring on 3 seperate occasions. The coaching staff were very proud of the girls efforts as the passed, tackled and supported each other really well, perhaps at the next training sessions some work on finding space in the shooting D and finishing practice will be a priority. Well done to all the team. 08/01/12 The Halifax U16 girls team travelled to Pocklington for their latest games in the Yorkshire leagues. 5 short games were played and it prooved a competitive morning with 6 good teams in the tournament. Results V harrogate lost 1-0 V Thirsk 0-0 V Hull 1-1 V Sheffield 0-0 V Ben Rhydding lost 2-1 all the games were close but the team should have won the matches against Harrogate and Sheffield with alot of chances being created. Molly Midgley scored the goal against Ben Rhydding with good stickwork with Ellen Campsall scoring against Hull with a superb strike from the top of the D. Sasha Penny Ward is ever improving as the teams stopper making some excellent saves and Laura Walker, Cara James and Lucy Hollingdrake were strong all morning in defence and made good tackles and got forward to support the midfield. Laura Neimantas read the game well and snuffed out many attacking moves from the opposition with well timed tackles and good distribution. Ellen Campsall and Corrie Jackson held the team together with strong displays in midfield supporting the attack and covering the defence. Philippa Wilkinson and Rachel Hoyle carried the ball well in attack creating alot of chances with Grace Ramsden working tirelessly to win the ball. Rebecca Kendall held the shape of the team on the left using the space well and supporting the attack from wide areas. Molly Midgley used her good stick skills to create space and worked well with Rebecca on the left side of attack. All the girls showed good determination and if they carry on with this attitude the results will improve. 12/12/11 Congratulations to the following players who were selected to represent calderdale at recent West yorkshire trials U13 Girls - Lizzie Mayland, Katie Illingworth, Robin Fawkes, Hetty Walker and Caroline Bell U14 girls - Cara James, Beth Connell and Laura Neimantas. Grace Ramsden has been preselected to the West Yorkshire assessments due to her successes last year. These players now await to see if any were successfull and selected to attend West Yorkshire JAC assessment and development sessions in the new year. Paul Graham 08/12/11 U16 Halifax HC Girls Injuries and illness left Halifax with only 8 players, having managed to borrow a player to take their numbers up to 9 their steely grit and determination was admirable but it was always going to be a battle against the other teams who were fielding full sides. On top of which severe wind, rain and winter hail stones made the playing conditions really difficult. Game 1 Halifax 0 Rotherham 1 This game was very evenly matched with solid defending from goal keeper Sasha Penny-ward, Molly Midgley, Chloe Bush, Sophie Kaney and the loanee player keeping the Rotherham forwards at bay for most of the game. Halifax had their fair share of a ttacking play with the midfield of Rachel Hoyle, Becky Kendall and Corrie Jackson providing several good through balls to centre forward Grace Ramsden. With low team numbers the defence stepped up to support the attack and Rotherham took an opportunity to break and score just before the final whistle. Game 2 Halifax 0 Huddersfield 0 Another well fought match with the Halifax 9 proving difficult to contain throughout the game. A swift start caught the Huddersfield team napping and Halifax took an instant lead only for it to be disallowed after a false start was declared and the game had to be re-started from scratch. Only exceptional keeping form the Huddersfield goalie thwarted the Halifax players and the game finished evens. Game 3 Halifax 3 Selby/Pocklington 0 Halifax pushed hard from the off giving the Selby/Pocklington side a lot to do to keep them at bay. A strong run through the midfield section by in form Rachel Hoyle and a good pass cut through the Selby defence for Corrie Jackson to put the ball away to give them an early lead. Hoyle continued to tear the opposition apart and sent another fine pass to Grace Ramsden for an excellent strike into the net. Further pressure ensued with the Halifax side pushing right forward and defending from the half way line. A good cross from Corrie Jackson and determined play from Rebecca Kendall and Grace Ramsden resulted in the Selby side putting the ball into their own net to give Halifax a very deserved 3 – o win. Game 4 Halifax 1 Leeds 0 Once again Halifax attacked from the off, determined to put the opposition under pressure despite only having 9 players. The game was end to end with some excellent tackling from Chloe Bush and Molly Midgley to keep out the Leeds forwards. Sophie Kaney pushed forward to support the front line and following some dogged determination from Ramsden Kendall and Jackson the Leeds defenders were stretched to the limit keeping the Halifax forwards marked up. This alongside some excellent stick skill and control of the ball by Rachel Hoyle opened up the opportunity for Hoyle to slam the ball home and a second victory for the Halifax youngsters. Game 5 Halifax 0 Slazengers 1 Slazengers put on some early pressure and despite great defending particularly from Molly Midgley and several saves from goalie Sasha Penny-ward, the opposition took advantage of the 2 man overlap and piled players forward to overwhelm the Halifax defence and take the lead within 5 minutes. Halifax continued to defend solidly despite further pressure and some excellent through balls gave Halifax several attacking opportunities but sheer numbers kept them out of the opposition ‘D’. Ferocious wind, rain and hail stones bombarded both teams and an early finish gave both teams a well earned rest after a hard fought game. The Halifax players gave a sterling performance in appalling conditions and the club is extremely proud to have them representing Halifax Hockey. Well done to all of them. Sunday 20th Nov 2011 halifax U16 girls played 5 games in their latest Yorkshire league tournament. 2 wins 2 defeats and a draw was a reasonable return from the games with defeats to the big clubs understanadable as they have so much more strength in depth. sasha penny Ward is improving nicely as the teams stopper as are Cara James, Laura walker and Lucy Hollingdrake who were solid in defence in all the games timing their tackles well and keeping possession more consistently.Youngster Laura Neimantas played more maturely than her years and read the game well to make some excellent interceptions. Ellen campsall and Corrie Jackson were both strong in midfield and were ably supported by Rebecca Kendal on the left and Sophie Kaney on the right(both these girls are carrying the ball more confidently). In attack, molly Midgley provide our 2 main strickers with plenty of ball and it was these 2 strikers who provided all the 11 goals scored in the games as they showed good 1 on 1 skills and accurate shooting. Results Lost 2-0 to York A Drew 1-1 to York B Beat Pocklington 6-0 Lost to Doncaster 2-1 Beat Wakefield 3-0 Sunday 21 March 2011 at Leeds Adel. In the last Yorkshire league tournament of the season, the Halifax U14 girls were playing playing Wakefields 3 teams (A, B and C) wakefield having an amazing 3 teams entered in the league and all pretty good with their A team one of the best in the North of England. The halifax girls were a little slow out of the blocks in the 1st match against wakefield C team and just couldn't find the final pass to create many scoring opportunities 0-0 draw. The 2 nd game against wakefield B was a good end to end game with the girls passing much better. Philippa Wilkinson scored from a well struck shot after good work from Molly Midgely and Rebecca Kendall. Chloe Best made some good tackles in her 1st games for the team and Sophie Kaney and Lucy Hollingdrake controlled the game well down the right hand side preventing the Wakefield players from creating any chances from that side of the pitch. Wakefield scored an equaliser late and despite some determined play by Beth Connell on the right wing, halifax were unable to get a winner (1-1 draw). The 3rd game V Wakefield A team was a excellent defensive display to hold them to a 0-0 draw as this team have won nearly all their games this season. Sasha Penny- ward made several great saves and the combined work of Laura Neimantas, Cara James and Ellen Campsall thwarted all wakefield had to throw at them and it was an exciting game. They also had the ability to keep possession and start some counter attacks but never really threatened to score. A 0-0 draw was a fine reward for their superb team effort. Well done to them all. Sunday 7th March 2011 Halifax girls U12s travelled to Leeds Met Uni on Sunday morning March 6th to compete in the National Mini hockey tournament (West Yorkshire section). They were in a pool of 6 teams with the winners of the pool progressing to the next stages. Coach Stephen Fawkes felt that the girls had turned up still in their nighties clutching their teddies and it took them two games and a few words of wisdom before they got going. Unfortunately the slow start to the competition by Halifax meant that the 2 wins, 2 defeats and a draw was not enough to progress into the next stages. Ben Rhydding 1 Halifax 0 Halifax struggled to find their feet against well disciplined opponents, They made life hard for themselves with poor passing and never really threatened the opponents goal. Regan Midgely made some good saves in goal but a defeat was inevitable. Halifax 0 Wakefield 3 Halifax showed some slight improvement with their passing but were caught on the break numerous times and were unable to clear the ball from defence successfully. The pressure told with their opponents scoring 3 times. Huddersfield 1 Halifax 1 At last Halifax started to wake up and play as a team, despite conceding an early goal Halifax dominated the game with good work from Lizzy Mayland & Jess Manning in mid field. Eventually Halifax earned a short corner, Lizzy received the ball at the top of the 'D' & slipped it left to Robyn Fawkes who's raised shot just clipped the top of the back board leaving the keeper stranded. Chloe Baines defended well as sweeper. Leeds Adel 0 Halifax 1 Halifax were now in their stride and passing the ball with confidence, good work down the right hand side of the pitch by Jess led to a long range shot which beat the keeper at the far post. On the rare occasion that Leeds Adel attacked Amber Penny Ward was solid at the back with great tackling & good distribution. Wakefield B 0 Halifax 4 Halifax totally dominated this game with Wakefield penned into their own half for more or less the whole game. Good work in mid field by Lizzy, Jess & Katherine Webb made possession tell with Katie Illingworth opening up the scoring. Two further goals quickly followed both scored by Katherine at close range. Chloe Baines sealed the game with the fourth goal. ??? Halifax Hockey club U14 Girls team have a good morning in their 2nd of 6 Yorkshire league tournaments. With influential playmaker Ellen Campsall missing from the 1st game due to holiday jet lag, the team struggled to get out of the blocks in their 1st game and lost 2-0 to a strong Rotherham team. Sasha Penny-Ward in goal did her best and made some good saves and Jo hare had a good game. The team were back to full strength in the second game against Driffield with Cara James and Laura Neimantas dominant in defence, both these 2 tackled well and spread the game with accurate passes. Laura Walker also is improving marking and reading the game much better. Driffield were restricted to few chances and scored their solitary goal after 3 fine goals from the Halifax girls. Philippa Wilkinson bagged 2 and Rachel Hoyle 1 in the 3-1 win. Throughout this game Ellen Campsall controlled the midfield with able support from the skillful Molly Midgley who was able to outwit her markers and find space. Grace Ramsden played at right midfield and made several strong runs down the wing and was able to link up with Beth Connell who showed a good turn of speed to create several chances. Lucy Hollingdrake played on the left and her good control skills allowed her to give the ball regularly to Jo Hare who played as the target centre forward. Jo was successful in spreading the ball wide to penetrate the opposition defences. The 3rd game was a rout against struggling Northallerton with the girls showing more confidence after their previous win. Their passing and moving was excellent and they were beginning to communicate so much better as a team. Goals were scored regularly with Rachel Hoyle on target 6 times. Ellen Campsall, Beth Connell, Grace Ramsden and Philippa Wilkinson scored 1 each with Cara James stepping up from the back to score twice. Sasha Penny- Ward was a mere spectator! (12-0). Sunday 17th October 2010 The U14 girls travelled to Ben Rhydding for their 1st Yorkshire league games and played 3 matches. The team were missing 2 influential players but despite this were unable to really get their passing game going and it turned out to be a poor morning in terms of results. 2 defeats against Ben Ryhdding(2-0) and Sheffield (3-1) plus a draw 2-2 against Hull. Rachel Hoyle was on the score sheet twice with Rebecca Kendall finding the net in the 2-2 draw with Hull. Hoyle’s goal against Sheffield perhaps the highlight of the morning after a great cross from Philippa Wilkinson. Ellen Campsall was always influential in mid field and Laura Neimantas and Cara James strong in defence but the team will need to work on strengthening their passing game so as to spread the game out and create more space. The U12 girls travelled to Leeds University with a young team largely composed of players still U11 or U10 but despite their lack of experience, they played well and competed in all of there 5 matches. 1st up was Sheffield and this proved to be an even contest. Robyn Fawkes opened the scoring after good work from Anabele Delaney but Sheffield struck back immediately with a well worked move. The game could have gone either way but a 1-1 draw turned out to be a fair result. 2nd game was against a very strong Huddersfield team and once again Robyn Fawkes open ed the scoring smashing the ball home after a good pass from Lucy Maidwell. Huddersfield then dominated the game and despite some good saves from Regan Midgley, Huddersfield managed to equalise in the closing minutes. (1-1) 3rd game against Harrogate saw Jess Manning playing well against some strong players from North Yorkshire. She was powerless however to prevent them scoring in the late stages of the game and a1-0 defeat resulted. 4th game was a skilful game against Wakefield- Manning controlled the midfield and Chloe Baines was strong in defence and just when the game looked like heading for a draw, new player Katie Greenwood(in her 1st matches) passed to Lucy Maidwell who got a quick shot off which surprised the Wakefield keeper and found the back of the net. Katherine Webb made a terrific save to deny the Wakefield centre forward right at the death to register a 1-0 win for the team. 5th game against Leeds who had won all 4 of their games was always going to be difficult but the girls defended stoutly and only conceded 1 goal for a 1-0 defeat. . Katherine Webb made 4 excellent saves in goal, Annabele Delaney played well at the centre of defence with Regan Midgley also having a good game. A good mornings hockey –well done to the team. Halifax Hockey Club – Junior Academy The following junior players have been successful in reaching the final trials for the West Yorkshire JAC(Junior Academy Centre) squad sessions. U13 Girls – Ellen Campsall, Philippa Wilkinson, Lucy Hollingdrake and Molly Midgely. U14 Girls – Charlotte Rowbotham, Stephanie Jones, Rachel Hoyle and Sasha Penny-Ward U15 Girls – Annalea Staples, U16 Girls – Katie Love, Alice Young, Charlie Moss and Hannah James. U17 Girls – Hannah Oxley, Lucinda Dickens and Stephanie Hoyle. The girls trials will take place at Leeds Grammar School on January 10th – you should have the times etc via your school. Good luck to all these players at the trials in Leeds in January 2010. We hope several of these will be successful in the selection for the West Yorkshire teams. Sunday 6th December U14 girls (3 wins out of 3 – tremendous stuff) Playing at home the young U14 team found themselves with 3 goalkeepers in the squad. Annalea Staples was asked to show her versatility by playing at left back. She had a really good 3 games allowing very little space for her opposite wingers to work in. Game 1 V Bradford was more comfortable than the 2-0 scoreline suggested. As in all the games Ellen Campsall bossed the midfield and was ably supported by Jo Hare on the right and Lucy Hollingdrake on the left. These 3 were able to link well with the forward line and supply centre forward Rachel Hoyle with some good passes. Indeed Rachel got on the end of 2 of these moves to score a brace with Philippa Wilkinson providing the telling pass for the 2nd goal from the right wing. Game 2 against a very strong Brigg team saw the defence called into action with Charlotte Rowbotham outstanding in taking care of the strong and skilful Brigg centre forward. Sophie Sismanovic was also strong in the centre of defence making good clearances when required. Sophie Kaney is improving greatly at left back and her tackles were strong and well timed.The Halifax girls pinched the game with a well worked move started by Campsall who fed a nice ball to Hare who in turn found Hoyle unmarked in the D, she was calm and slotted the ball into the far corner of the net to seal a fine win. Game 3 against Huddersfield was similar to the 1st with the Halifax girls controlling the game but struggling with the final pass and few chances were created. The winning goal was a deflection off a defender after good work by Rebecca Kendal on the left wing but a deserved win. Sasha Penny – Ward and Lucy Pattinson must be congratulated on keeping a clean sheet during the 3 games. Sunday 22nd November U14 girls made the long trip to Hull and while they suffered 3 defeats , the team played well and considering that 8 of the squad are still U13, it was not such a bad morning. The strength of the opposition was a telling factor in all the games. Against very strong Hull and York teams two 2-0 defeats were suffered but the games were competitive with Charlotte Rowbotham excellent at sweeper putting in a number of good tackles. Bethany Beeby, Annalea Staples and Rebecca Kendall all worked hard and marked their opposite numbers with determination. Ellen Campsall was influential in midfield covering a lot of ground and provided some good link play to the forwards. The 3rd game against Leeds Adel was much more even and with better finishing, the girls could have got a positive result. Phillipa Wilkinson, Lucy Hollingdrake, Sophie Kaney and Rachel Hoyle all worked hard to get the ball into forward positions and both Hoyle and Campsall came close to scoring. A late goal from Adel was a little harsh on the team. Sophie Sismanovic and Jo Hare were solid in the middle of defence and both tackled strongly as well as showing good distribution of the ball. Sasha Penny-Ward as the Halifax Keeper made several excellent saves and her kicking has improved considerably. There were clearly some good signs for the future. On Sunday 25th Halifax HC had 2 U12 girls teams playing in the 2nd round of Yorkshire league matches played at Park lane High Astros. Despite the showers and everyone getting wet, the girls had a good morning of playing hockey and improving their skills and game awareness. The B team These girls are largely the younger and newer players to the club with a couple of more experienced players to help them. They played 4 games losing 2, drawing 1 and winning 1. V Hull lost 1-0 V Driffield won 1-0 V Sheffield lost 2-0 V Leeds Adel draw 0-0 Very much a learning experience for many of the team with both Lucy Maidwell and Katherine Webb making excellent debuts showing tenacity and some good technical touches. Rebecca Kendall worked tirelessly in midfield and was supported well by Annabele Delaney. Sophie Kaney scored the teams only goal after good work from centre forward Robyn Fawkes. Regan Midgely was excellent in goal positioning herself very well and making several really good saves. The team deserve alot of credit for their attitude and improvement. The A team. Playing in division 2 of the 4 Yorkshire leagues, the Halifax girls did really well and with the results from other games going their way, they may have gained promotion to the premier division of 6 teams for the next set of matches. Game 1 V Huddersfield Draw 0-0. After a slow start with Huddersfield dominating, the girls fought back in the 2nd half of the game and could easily have won the game with several chances being created. Game 2 V Leeds Adel Win 1-0. Once again a very even game with Chloe Baines having a solid game at sweeper. Just when we all thought it was another 0-0 draw Jess Manning popped up at the far post to squeeze the ball in from a narrow angle after the Adel defence failed to clear. Game 3 V Driffield lost 3-1. Driffield were a very strong team and the halifax girls were 2 goals down within the 1st few minutes. Molly Midgely pulled a goal back after good work from Laura Neimantas who had another good tournament showing tenacity and good tackling technique in defence and distributing the ball well from midfield. The team never really looked like getting a result and Driffield made it 3 near the end. Game 4 V Thirsk won 4-0. This was an outstanding team performance with Lizzie Mayland, Midgely, Grace Ramsden and Neimantas dominating midfield with good movement and passing. Manning scored the 1st goal with a crisp strike with Ramsden scoring soon after. Mayland dribbled through the Thirsk defence before using a cheeky reverse stick push to wrong foot the keeper. Perhaps the last goal was the best with Midgely finishing off a sweeping move down the right involving good interpassing from Neimantas and Ramsden. Game 5 V Ben Rhydding draw 0-0. Both teams played some good hockey but were unable to create many chances and in the end the Halifax girls were happy with a draw against a very good team. Well done to all the girls ___________________________ Sunday October 18th 2009 – Yorkshire Junior Hockey leagues The U16 girls travelled to Brigshaw High School Astro and played 3 matches We dominated the !st game against Selby but failed to convert pressure into goals and the team were woken up when a rare Selby attack resulted in Alice Buckle having no chance with a low powerful shot shot. That goal spurred the team on and Alice Young and Lucinda Dickens did not allow the Selby attack to have another chance. Charlotte Grabowski scored with a great strike to equalise after good work from Nikki Clarke. Katie Love was always a threat down the wings but Halifax were unable to get the winner. The 2nd game against the North of England champions was a completely different matters and despite playing well as a team, it was backs to the wall as the Wakefield forwards scored at regular intervals. Ami Campsall had a good game as did Harriet Wood but the final score was 8-0 which was a little harsh. The girls were not downhearted and in their last game against local rivals Huddersfield, they played their best hockey. Charlie Moss and Hannah James were outstanding controlling the midfield with skill and athleticism. This allowed the forwards to have more space and Danielle Parker was more influential setting up the 1st goal for Grabowski. The team continued to dominate and sealed the victory when Graboski scored her 3rd of the morning capitalising on a mistake in the heart of the Huddersfield defence.