Report by Alastair Whatley
Photos by Lucy Sheffield
Southgate W1s pulled off a big 3 points victory over the Bristol Firebrands on Saturday afternoon in a 7 goal thriller of a contest on a chilly afternoon in Trent Park.
The game proved a battle for the mid table with Surbiton, Firebrands, Southgate and Sevenoaks in a pitch battle for supremacy in the last game of 2025.
Ronan Casella’s side took the confidence from a good performance away at Exeter into this game in front a buoyant home crowd and it showed from the first whistle.
Lorna Cruickshank opened the scoring in the 21st minute from a PC and that was followed by Caltin Polley’s second goal in two games from a stroke which beat Alice Neville in the Firebrand goal to give Southgate a two goal cushion. Yet that cushion was enjoyed for just 3 minutes as Meghan Duncan got the Firebrands back into the game with a well taken PC in the 27th minute.
After half time Southgate came out strongly and it was CB Emma Postings converting her second goal of the season, both against Firebrands and both from deflected PC routines who gave Gate back their two goal cushion which was extended to three after Maisie Riley scored the goal of the season with a magnificent finish to ignite the balcony and send Southgate into the final stages of the game with a 4-1 advantage.
It was the day for CB scoring as Ellie Halliday followed her playing partner with the 3rd PC goal for Southgate in the 62nd minute- a 5-1 rout only stopped when Lizzie Cook continued her goal scoring form with a fine goal for the visitors to leave the final score 5-2 for Southgate.
It means Ellie Robinson and her players enter the second half of the season in 7th place hot on the heels of the Firebrands 3 points above them and a tightly packed bunch of teams in 3rd-5th all well within reach. The W1 re-start their season ay Holly Bush lane on the 31st January.
