Match Report by Emma Postings

On Saturday Team Bath Buccaneers made the journey to Trent Park, home of Southgate Hockey Club for a bottom of the table clash. Heading into this game TBB sat on 7 points and in 8th place, with Southgate bottom of the league with just 3 points. An important win up for grabs for both teams as the balcony filled with supporters.

The first quarter remained pretty uneventful with Southgate maintaining most of the possession and a sense that they were the team on top. The team in red won their first short corner of the game in the 9th minute but could not convert. Their second short corner led to a real scramble resembling a game of ping pong. TBB were able to keep the ball out of the goal and the score remained 0-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Southgate began the second quarter with an injection of energy, winning possession back straight away and dominating the game. In the 5th minute, Ellie Robinson dribbled into the D for a shot on goal but was denied by a lunging save from Polly Oakman, the TBB goalie. Lorna Cruickshank was quick onto the rebound and slotted the ball bottom left corner. 1-0 Southgate. In the 11th minute Bath won their first short corner of the game. A brilliant number 1 defensive run from Charlotte Burrows stopped the straight strike with Flora Walker able to clear it wide. Southgate quickly counter attacked winning a short corner, but the score remained 1-0 heading in to half time.

Bath had a stronger start to the second half with a crash ball fired in to the Southgate D. A deflection looped the ball over the defenders heads, past Louisa Bray in goal and into the top corner. With a look of pure bemusement from the Bath forward, we can only presume it was unintentional. 1-1 and game on!

Southgate immediately responded with a shot over the crossbar and with some silky skills by Helen Cathcart troubling the Bath defence, a ball across the face of goal was narrowly missed. In the 10th minute Georgie Brownhill placed the ball on a defenders foot, winning a short corner for the home side. A deflection through the goalkeepers legs by Brownhill put the home team up 2-1 to a rupture of applause from the home fans.

Bath unsurprisingly came out fighting in the fourth quarter, winning a short corner within the first few minutes. A miss trap at the top of the D meant the reds could see off the threat from a reverse stick shot. Southgate regained possession and created some great chances going forward, narrowly missing the goal on multiple occasions with some great saves from the TBB goalkeeper. Bath tried to claw their way back into the game and in a tense last few minutes they subbed their goalie to allow 11 outfield players, highlighting the importance of the points available in this game.

The score remained 2-1 to Southgate, lifting the home team to within one point of TBB and off the bottom of the table. An important three points for the reds.