Blueharts Hockey Club round-up including photos from the 2nds’ game against Upminster

Silver for Emma

Blueharts Hockey Club’s Emma Baxter won a silver medal at the weekend after being selected to play in the prestigious Futures Cup Tournament at Cannock.

This event is used as an England trial for the top 60 hockey players in the country who formed four regional teams.

Emma played for Saxon Tigers U18s, who reached the final to win a silver medal.

Emma plays for Blueharts Ladies’ 1sts and started playing for the club at the age of five as part of the highly successful Blueharts mini hockey and academy.

She is the first player from Blueharts to reach this level and the club expects more to follow.

Blueharts Ladies

Across the club there were seven wins and four defeats with three teams top of their leagues, while there was another win for the U14 boys.

Wins for the ladies’ 2nds and 3rds put them both at the top of their leagues.

The 2nds travelled to Broxbourne and took the lead with a well-worked short corner goal scored by Claire Dainton.

Any Broxbourne counter-attacks were stopped by a strong Blueharts defence, while Sam Vaughan was also on target to secure a 2-0 win.

The 2nds are back top of Five Counties Division One. Players of the match were Katie Ross and Tamsin White.

The 3rds continued their undefeated season with a 5-2 win at home to Saffron Walden, despite injuries and going 1-0 down.

They battled back to level 1-1 after a Niamh Kirshman goal before Gina Joseph and Amanda Donnachie then scored to make it 3-1 at half-time.

The opposition hit back for 3-2 with 20 minutes to go but Donnachie and Olivia Marsh were on target to make the final score 5-2.

It is a result that elevates the 3rds to top of Five Counties Division Two with a game in hand. Player of the match was Sally Mack.

The 1sts were away to City of Peterborough but fell 2-0 down early doors.

Blueharts retaliated with a succession of quality passes, and a cross in from Molly Kerr-Barr saw Jay Livermore reverse hit into the backboard.

Despite solid defending, led by captain and player of the match Caz Kumar, they conceded again.

As the game was drawing to a close Blueharts won a short corner, and a drag flick by Livermore made it 3-2.

The 1sts host Bedford this weekend at midday.

The 4ths had another successful weekend with a close game against Welwyn clinching a 4-3 win.

There were some outstanding performances by talented youngsters Mia Koh, Izzy Davies, Lilly Sidey and Corrine Russell, while there were goals from Hannah Ross (hat-trick) and Susie Murray.

Blueharts Men

The 1sts had a mixed bag of results with some big wins and losses.

After the highs of last week the 1sts sunk to a crushing low as they failed to bring the points home from Cambridge University.

A poor first half left them 4-1 down, a solitary Luke Camilleri goal providing light relief.

The second half saw more resilient hockey, but despite Scott Marsh’s goal Cambridge added two more to make it 6-2.

Blueharts host Cambridge City this weekend at 1.30pm.

The 2nds held on to top spot in East Men’s Division 2S with another convincing win, this time against a visiting Upminster side.

The Blues were under a huge amount of pressure from the start with Upminster taking the lead.

They didn’t panic and found their normal flowing game with a through ball into the D for Graham Burr to deflect in.

Harry Samson then scored, making it 2-1 at the break.

Into the second half the Blues controlled the flow of the game, despite Upminster equalising from a short corner.

Austin Ephgrave calmly slotted a goal past the keeper to make it 3-2 before a short corner in the final minutes was dispatched by Paul Buckland.

The 3rds’ goal machine smashed it again with another double digit score line, this time 11-3 against a visiting Bishop’s Stortford side.

A counter-attack goal from Harri Connelly started the tally with further goals coming from Dominic Lloyd-Williams, Anthony Hunt (two), Steve Gaunt, Rob Clark (two), Craig White (two) and Tom Wallis (two).

The 3rds are now sitting second from top of their league having scored 45 goals this season, 31 of which have come in their last three matches.

The 4ths faced a strong Luton side at home. Luton took the lead from a well deflected drag flick before a goalmouth scramble resulted in a stroke for the Blues, coolly tucked away by Ben Philpson.

Luton came back to take the points in the second half by scoring two more goals.

The 5ths held their own against Bedford Vets, eventually winning 4-3.

An early lead from an Ashley Hammond short corner put the Blues ahead but Bedford came back after half-time to go 3-2 up.

A penalty flick converted by Chris Slack equalised for the 5ths before Ashley Hammond fired home the winner as Blueharts took the points.

The 6ths had a tough battle away at Winchmore Hill & Enfield.

Johnny Martins opened the scoring but by half-time Blueharts had allowed the home side to come back and lead 2-1.

In the second half short corners were not converted and Blueharts got caught on the break, conceding two more.

Geoff Edwards scored a consolation short corner goal as the match finished 4-2 to the opposition.

U14 Boys

The boys were 4-2 winners at home against a Crostyx U14s side previously unbeaten in the Mercian League.

The Essex side led 1-0 at half-time but a superb break from Ben Guest at the start of the second half set up Danny Henderson for a first time finish.

Constant pressure resulted in Blueharts taking a 2-1 lead as Tom Russell was on target.

Crostyx equalised but Blueharts responded positively with Guest beating the keeper for 3-2.

A Russell short corner goal sealed the victory.