Plym Valley ladies 1

Okehamkpton ladies’ thirds 5

DESPITE an early start on a frosty morning Okehampton were in good spirits as they won the toss and immediately put the Plym Valley defence under pressure.

Assertive play in midfield from Lucy Wiseman, Joey Drake and Nicky Strawbridge allowed attacking Okes’s players, Sandy Houston and Viv Weatherington, to keep the Plym Valley players on their toes. Finally, after skilfully passing around the D, Viv Weatherington passed the ball to Nicky Strawbridge who scored the first goal.

Oke lead 1-0 at half-time but knew they needed to continue to work hard to maintain their lead. Experienced goal keeper turned midfield player, Lucy Wiseman, intercepted pass after pass by the home team. Assisted by midfielder Joey Drake, they made their way into the D; Drake took a strong shot on goal and, before the defenders could block it, Weatherington got her stick to the ball, deflecting it into the goal. Immediately after the restart, the visitors quickly regained possession. Following a free hit by Jane Jones, Oke skilfully passed the ball around the right hand side of the circle. Strawbridge took the ball along the baseline and fired a strong shot at goal from a tight angle. The goalie thought she had saved it but the ball sneaked through a small gap between her and the post.

Okehampton continued the pressure. Defender, Anna Luxton, moved higher up the left side of the pitch to assist the midfield players and intercepted any balls which Plym Valley tried to pass down the line. The home side were desperately trying to defend and, as a result, conceded a short corner. It took seven successive short corners before Oke could convert their hard work to a goal. A slick pass into the D from Lucy Wiseman to Viv Weatherington enabled her to score the fourth goal for Okehampton.

Plym Valley then started to put the pressure on the visitors’ defence. Central defender, Rachel Hammett, confidently managed her defenders Anna Luxton and Lois Rowlands, so that the opponents were tightly marked. After a scuffle in the D, the home team won a short corner which they converted to a goal when one of their players lifted the ball over the defenders and into the goal.

With renewed resolve, Oke pushed forward again. After a foul in the D by the home team, they were awarded a penalty flick, which they were unable to convert.

In the final minutes, Melissa Pinfield continued her strong play along the right side – switching with ease from attacking to defending – tackling several balls away from Plym Valley’s possession. This enabled the ball to enter the D once again. While the Valley goalie was drawn out to the play, Sandy Houston struck the ball into the goal to make the final score 5-1.