Honiton Summer Hockey League

Ottery Crickets 0

Okehampton Ladies 5

Okehampton Ladies Hockey team played their first games in the Honiton Summer League last week

The games were 30 minutes long with teams of seven playing on a full-size pitch - with Okehampton having to play two matches on the first evening! 

Team play and fitness were the key points to successful hockey and, under the guidance of captain Jo Moppett, Oke rose to the challenge.

The first opponents were a young Ottery Crickets side.  Oke took a while to settle into this different style of play but used rolling substitutes wisely so that midfield players Sarah Jones and Carol Taylor were always full of running.

Oke's tactics to play with one attacker always pressurising the opposition's defence soon paid off when Jo Moppett outwitted Ottery's full-backs and opened the scoring.  Moppett was 'on fire' and soon added another goal to her score sheet.  Kim Davey shared the role of attacker with Moppett, again utilising the rolling substitute rule, and she skilfully netted another goal.

The wing halves kept their width across the pitch creating space to attack.  This lead to Sophie Cunnington being perfectly placed to slot the ball into the Ottery net.

Moppett rounded off this game by scoring her hat-trick giving Oke a comfortable win of 5-0.

Chard Ladies 1

Okehampton Ladies 4

AFTER a short break the Oke team faced Chard Ladies in their second game of the evening. 

Oke began in the same attacking style and their play was rewarded when a pass from Moppett was expertly placed past the Chard Keeper by Amanda Sim for Oke's first goal.

Oke's defence was a combination of youth and experience with Brieze Read and Jane Jones combining well to thwart the Chard attack.  Oke's goalkeeper Jennie Humphrey was forced to make a critical save when two Chard forwards worked together to give them a shot on the Okehampton goal.

Grace Thorp, playing a wing half, battled hard and fed Jo Moppett with good quality ball leading to two more goals for Moppet.  Kim Davey also added to her score sheet before Chard got a consolation goal after a goal-mouth scramble.