 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ladies Second XI News
|
06/02/2011 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd IX 2 - 3 Taunton Civil Service After a two week break due to the recent adverse weather conditions Shepton ladies traveled to Taunton for their second fixture against Civil Service. Shepton were slow to start conceding an early goal from a Taunton break but as Shepton settled down the attack was against Taunton and with great linking play from the midfield of Botley, Fry, and Bately supported a hardworking forward line of Manly, Ponfield and Legg who were ultimately rewarded with a equaliser. The game ensued and the play was end to end with Shepton having the upper edge, or so it seemed as Taunton put away a sneaky impossible goal just prior to half time. Shepton felt equal to the task ahead and worked immensely hard with a lot of pressure on the defence of Squire, Dauncey, Green and Thorner. The effort put into this game was astounding and with a fast and furious second half in play Taunton yet again broke away beating the shepton defence and slotting the ball home past keeper Ward. Shepton went up a gear and ploughed into the Taunton half pushing and pushing and with some excellent support from Botley, Bately was able to pull Shepton back into the game. Squire pushed up to help with the pressure on the Taunton defence but despite the extra help Shepton were unable to get a point from this as the final whistle put paid to what was Shepton’s best game this season. Well done ladies. Phillips tyres players of the match Bridget Green and Emma Ponfield.
|
22/01/2011 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 0 - 7 Taunton Vale 4th XI Following on from the disappointment of last weeks defeat to a strengthened White Eagles saw a similar scenario this week. Shepton saw the welcome return of Manders in midfield who worked well following a season away. Vale were extremely slick and Fry, Legg, Ducheazeau and Manly were unable to break through their defences despite valiant efforts and work rate. Batley, Botley and Fry were tireless in midfield dealing with a barage of attack from Vale. Ward had a mammoth task on her hands with Vale taking every single chance to break the veteran back line of Thorner, Green and Squire. Half time saw Shepton down by four but spirits were up and we knew that only the same style play would keep us in the game perhaps even giving us that elusive goal to squeeze us back into this hard battled match. Thorner, Green and Squire linked well with the midfield giving them as many opportunities as possible putting Vale themselves on the back foot but Shepton just couldn't find the back of the net and conceeded a few more to boot finishing up an outclassed seven nil down. A supreme effort against a classy side well done ladies. Phillips tyres player of the match Bev Squire
|
20/11/2010 Shepton mallet ladies 2nd XI 2 - 4 Burnham On Sea Shepton had a really early start for this seaside fixture and were only travelling with a squad of 10 players as opposed to the basic 11 so a hard game was expected. Shepton were caught out from the very first push as Burnham's centre forward took on the whole team and hammered home a resounding goal for the home side. Shepton needed to take stock quickly with this early setback but within minutes burnham had struck again and Shepton were well on the back foot. Shepton then began to find their feet and the back line of Thorner, player of the match Dauncey, Squire and Ward had their work cut out just to stem the tide that was. The play didn't all Burnham's way with some great linking play from Fry, Bately, Manley and Bolton causing some serious concern in the oppositions circle. Botely and Legg were also key in these movements but despite these valiant efforts and some amazing saves from Ward Shepton went into the half time break four goals down. Potentially Shepton knew they had the makings of a goal as in previous games the scoreline did nothing to confirm the exceptional play. Just before half time Shepton gained an extra player (another Fry!) who then was key in the support of the foward line and the second half proved to be Shepton's half. Bolton constantly hassled the Burnham defence and from the many goalmouth scrambles that ensued gained a penalty corner. Squire moved up to push out and Manley received shot and picked up the rebound. Burnham had not had this pressure previously and the movements that ensued showed Legg giving Shepton a well deserved goal. Shepton then continued to attack with fervour pushing forward with Squire covered by Thorner and Dauncey. Good communication and excellant teamplay then gave Shepton their second goal that nudged them closer to Burnham. Time was not on Shepton's side but despite not scoring again they came away feeling extremely proud of a worthy performance. Phillips tyres player of the match Rachel Dauncey.
|
13/11/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 1 - 6 Bridgwater Ladies 2nd XI Shepton were under pressure from the start in this home game following no fixture last week due to a mix up in start times. Shepton only had a straight eleven which may ultimately have made the difference in the final scoreline. Shepton's defence of Ward, Squire, Thorner, Hardwick and Dauncey had the bulk of the play in the first half constantly fending off a fiery Bridgwater side, short corners coming left right and centre, but Shepton held on and then a break out of defence found Green who passed to Legg on the left and a quick pass into the Bridgwater circle found the waiting stick of Bolton to give Shepton a surprise goal against the run of play. Bridgwater were straight back into the driving seat with an equaliser and a nudge in to the lead as the half time whistle blew to take them 2-1 into the lead. Shepton were pleased with their first half performance and knew that they could hold Bridgwater and even equalise or more so a slight change in players positions ensued. The second half showed Shepton with more attack and some short corners but despite their efforts conversions did not happen and constant breaks were made with Bridgwater making the most of these moments to increase their lead. Shepton did not in any way deserve the end result as all players worked extremely hard and the midfield of Fry, Bately and Botley had more than most to do to keep Shepton in the running but ultimately beaten by the stronger side as only goals can win this frustrating game. An early start next week with the hope to break the cycle of losses. Well deserved Phillips tyres player of the match was Emily Bolton
|
23/10/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 1 - 7 ECVH Shepton mallet 2nds had an early morning start and travelled to Cullompton, Devon, yet another unknown adversary following Shepton's promotion this season. Shepton started the stronger side with all the play in the first 15 minutes culminating in a well deserved goal for Bolton following good linking play from Fry, Manly, Batley and Knowles. Shepton's goal jerked ECVH into action and the retaliation was swift with a goal conceeded within minutes of Shepton taking the lead. From here on in Shepton had to fight to hold on but the play did spread evenly giving Legg, Bolton and Batley plenty of work to do up front. Shepton Mallet had a fair few chances to equalise but ECVH had the uppper hand and continued to pummel the defence. Dauncey, Squire, Thorner, Ward and Green attributed themselves well in defence but even with Ward's excellent saves Shepton conceeded a further 6 goals. Shepton played well without exception and even the opposing umpires said the scoreline was not justified by the game played. Phillips tyres player of the match Meg Ward. |
16/10/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 1 - 3 Taunton Civil Service This was Shepton's first fixture against this side this season and started off with Shepton noticeably with the upper hand with good linking play from Manley, Fry, Bately and Hennah feeding the keen forward line of Legg and Bolton. Shepton's defence were rarely pushed but following an early short corner conceeded a rebounded ball and went one nil down. Shepton were 70% on the attack but went into half time extremely positive despite the scoreline. The second half showed more of the same with Hardwick, Dauncey, Thorner and player of the match Squire feeding the midfield and forward with good opportunities. Green gave a good account of herself fitting into any position on the pitch. Some great linking play and a storming run up the wing from Bolton found the waiting stick of Legg who brought the scoreline to level pegging. This was short lived with Taunton converting another penalty corner. Shepton's energy levels began to wane but despite this they continued to battle to take the lead. this was just not going to be their day and with a burst through midfield Taunton gained a final upper hand with a third goal putting the scoreline out of Shepton's reach. An undeserved result but great work girls. Well done all. keep it up
|
| 20/03/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 0 - 2 Somerset Gryhons Shepton ladies 2nds were back home for this their penultimate game of the season. They knew the game would be hard as the previous meeting had been a draw and they had proved to be the hardest adversary pre christmas. Both teams were up for this and the game proved to be fast and furious but a goalmouth scramble produced a short corner for the visitors and was easily converted from a slick routine. Shepton went into the half time break and put plans in place to thwart the away team to try and pull back an equaliser at the very least. Unfortunately despite some tremendous play from the whole team Gryphons managed to pull another goal in open play following a quick break making it virtually impossible the local ladies to come back. Shepton were disappointed with this result being their first loss of the season but had put up a valiant fight and did not disgrace themselves in any shape or form. well done ladies. a well earned man of the match to kay thorner
|
| 13/03/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 3 - 0 Winscombe 3rd XI This was an interesting fixture which due to circumstances could have started off extremely stressfully.Shepton took some time to get into their stride but eventually the stalemate was broken and Green got the first goal of the afternoon which helped Shepton to settle down. The game felt pretty even at times but Shepton's momentum had improved and they had got to grips with the pitch condition and started to play their own hockey. Half time showed Shepton just the one goal to the good which wasn't enough with the way the play was going. Woodland, Thorner, Dauncey and Ward had their work cut out but were ably supported by Fry, Knowles, Brooker and Bately and on the odd occassion the forward line of Squire, Legg and Green pulled back to help out when needed. The tempo picked up and with the Shepton forwards pressuring the Winscombe defence. Knowles took advantange of a goalmouth scramble to build a safety net for Shepton. Shepton were really harrassing the defence now and with some good movement from the forward line allowed space for Woodland to get the final goal. This proved to be the final result and this gave Shepton not only the victory of the day but confirmed that they had won the league title for promotion next season. Well done girls lets look forward to our final 2 fixtures and enjoy. Thankyou from your very grateful captain!
|
|
27/02/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 3 - 1 Taunton Vale Ladies 5th XI Shepton were on the attack from the off in this morning fixture. Constant pressure on the Vale keeper proved valuable when a free hit outside the D from Squire found Ponfield who fed a waiting Legg the perfect opportunity of the first goal of the morning. Fry and Hunter connected well on the right putting in great crosses that just missed picking up the waiting sticks of Squire, Knowles and Brooker. Vale broke free on several occasions pressuring the Shepton defence of Thorner, Green, Dauncey and Ward but an outstanding game from Thorner meant that the first half showed Shepton with a clean sheet and a goal to the good.
The second half was a mixed bag and Squire succeeded in producing a shot from the D giving Shepton a bit of a buffer but Vale fought back and with gusto. Shepton's midfield had to up the work rate with Vale constantly changing positions with 3 extra players rolling causing extreme concentration and good communication from the visitors. Shepton then got another goal with Legg picking up a rebound from the goalie's kickers and putting Shepton well into the lead. Vale made a punishing effort to pull this back and following a confusion in the Shepton D Vale found the back of a surprised defence with an appeal in place that was overruled. This upped the pace and Vale battled hard with Shepton having to keep their wits about them to hold this deserved lead. The end result showed Shepton as victor's but well fought from both sides. Player of the match went to Knowles.
|
| 13/02/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 2 - 1 Taw Valley 2nd XI This was a match delayed from pre-Christmas due to weather conditions plus a postponement due to snow earlier this year so it was third time lucky. It was a bitterly cold day so activity from all was a necessity. This game proved to be one of Shepton's biggest challenges as despite appearing to dominate the first half Taw scooped their goal just prior to half time. Shepton had chances on goal but were regularly denied with tight work from the forwards of Legg, Squire and Green ably supported by the midfield of Fry Hunter Brooker and Knowles. The game was real end to end stuff but to go into half time one goal down was not a true reflection of the play. Coach Brooker gave today's team talk and Shepton made a few adjustments to the line up and proceeded to take the game to Taw Valley. The play was fierce and frenzied with no rest for either forwards or defence. Thorner,Dauncey, Woodland and Ward had their work cut out with probably the most defensive play they have had to contend with so far this season with one exception. The second half did show a change of fortune with Brooker converting a short corner and bringing this game back on our terms; Ward worked well on the wing ploughing the tiring Taw defence. Squire came back into the game and linked well with midfield to find the waiting stick of Green who took Shepton to front runners. Taw attacked straight back but with good defensive play by the local girls were unable to capitalise before the final whistle gave victory to Shepton. Player of the match went to Verity Brooker
|
|
30/01/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 3 - 3 Taunton CS 2nds XI The local girls had quite a change in line up in this fixture but were up against a changed opposition from the previous meeting so this game was a definite unknown. Shepton went into the lead within minutes of the whistle starting this game, Taunton had started short of players and suffered for it following a shot from Ponfield. Taunton at full strength then retaliated with a quick reply making the scoreline level. Shepton had many short corner opportunities but just couldn't find the magic to capitilise. This game went from end to end with neither side breaking down until Legg sneaked another, shepton were now 2-1 up. Taunton weren't taking this lying down and minutes later responded with another of their own taking the scoreline to 2-2 at half time. Squire made a few strategic changes and Shepton went back out fighting determined to take this which the general play told them they should. Hunter having been part of the changes took her chances and gave shepton the lead but yet again Taunton came fighting back and equalised. Shepton did not give up and the game became ever more frenzied but shepton could not get past the solid taunton defence and had to come away with a draw. Good end to end stuff but not the prettiest of games.
|
| 23/01/2010 Shepton Mallet Ladies 2nd XI 5 - 1 Mid Somerset Ladies 2nd XI Shepton travelled just down the road to Wells for this local derby. Mid Somerset were fielding a stronger side than on the previous meeting so the work rate was going to be high. Both teams started well with the play going end to end with neither team breaking the stalemate until Knowles picked up a cross from Hunter and slammed home her contribution to this fixture. This appeared to open up the game and Legg soon joined the scorers working well down the left ably supported by Brooker, Ward and Bately. Shepton were on a roll and Ward soon added another. Ward in goal was challenged on more than one occassion but defence of Thorner, Hardwick and Wickham kept their heads and kept Shepton in the game. Fry and Hunter combined well with the spread of play kept even. Brooker finished the first half with one of her own putting the Shepton lasses in a commanding lead of 4-0. The second half showed a very determined Mids who battled hard beating back any threat Shepton may have and were rewarded eventually with a goal of their own against a tiring shepton. With no more than ten minutes left Legg pulled off yet another goal to put this game in no doubt of Shepton being the victors. A good hard game with great play from both sides.
|
|
Shepton Mallet 2nd XI 3 - 0 ECVH 3rd XI This was Shepton's first fixture following a long spell dormant due to weather christmas etc so it was going to be tough. The previous meeting with ECVH had ended up in stalemate of 1 - 1 which had been a good result as shepton had gone out with a depleted side of 8 instead of the normal squad of 11. Shepton started with fervour fighting for each and every ball with most work being done at this stage by the midfield of Fry, Batley, Brooker and Knowles. ECVH were a stronger side than previously remembered and therefore no quarter was given Shepton finding themselves on the backfoot as much as their worthy opposition. Dauncey, Man of the match Thorner and Wickham gave a good account of themselves as required, which was often on the back line although goalie Ward was not under too much pressure at this stage. Shepton just had the edge and Brooker picking up a prime opportunity in a goal mouth scramble put the local girls into a tentative lead. Knowles a veteran of the first meeting was awesome in work rate and was well rewarded following a run from one side of the pitch to the other taking advantage of a wrong footed ECVH defence to slam the ball home off of a rebound of her first attempt to put the local girls into a more comfortable position at the half time whistle. The second half showed much of the same although the shepton attack became more involved and an out of position Hunter dropped back at Captain Bev Squire's request to cover the ECVH playmaker who had caused the defence issues in the first half. Legg worked well on the left picking up the ball and causing mayhem in the opposing defensive line linking well with Knowles which ultimately resulted in Jess Pratten getting what turned out to be shepton's final goal. Both teams were tiring and the game became a little sluggish but Shepton did not back down and even though Ward had a lot more to do in the second half she kept a clean sheet. An awesome performance ladies - well done and thankyou.
|