The 1st XI were one of 28 teams at the St George’s Sixes. The girls knew it was going to be a long and challenging day in a competitive group. As games were only six minutes each way, Epsom had to play with intensity and strike opponents early.
After a slightly slow start, the girls sprung into action and showed some excellent passing talent to win their first game 3-0 vs The Perse. This great form continued as the girls protected a clean sheet with brilliant defensive work from Delphine Ayitey- Hammond (Rv), Emma Tyson (R) and Tabitha Evans (M). Epsom also continued to share the goals across the team with a 6-0 win vs St Teresa’s and 4-0 win vs Alleyn’s.
After this strong start to the tournament, the girls had a slight dip in performance and had to battle hard against a resilient Wellington side, the game ending in a 2-2 draw. With only a 15-minute break and eager to put things right, the team bounced back to face Kingston Grammar School. They stepped up and found the ‘Epsom way’, executing crisp passing and showing determination in defence to win 2-0. Motivated to finish the group stages on a high, Epsom racked up six goals in the final group game vs St George’s College B team, finishing top of the pool and through to the semi-finals in style.
The semi-final vs Cranleigh was a tough game. Caught off guard, Epsom were hit with an early goal. Struggling to gain confidence and get back into the game, they found themselves 0-2 down at halftime. The game finished 0-3 with a penalty stroke conceded on the final whistle. Although the girls were quite deflated, they took comfort from their overall performance, playing some fantastic hockey throughout the tournament. The statistics show the great strength and selflessness of this impressive team: scoring 23 goals in seven games with eight different goal scorers; securing five clean sheets and only conceding five goals overall.
Player of the Tournament: Jessica Dyson (Wh) – for showing unwavering resilience throughout the competition, scoring 12 of the 23 goals spanning across six out of seven games.
vs The Perse WON 3-0 [Long, Dyson x2
vs St Teresa’s WON 6-0 [Dyson x2, Liebenberg, Ellis, Nienow, Millard]
vs Alleyn’s WON 4-0 [Dyson, Burke x2, Nienow]
vs Wellington Drew 2-2 [Evans, Dyson]
vs Kingston Grammar School WON 2-0 [Dyson x2]
vs St George’s College Bs WON 6-0 [Ellis, Burke, Dyson x4]
Semi-final vs Cranleigh Lost 0-3
