Sarah Thompson sparkles in 4-2 win for Danby Ladies against Newcastle Uni 7s
Danby Hockey Club Ladies 1s earned a 4-2 win against Newcastle University 7s on Saturday.
Danby, led by Pippa Middlemas, got off to a flying start.
Right from the whistle, they looked sharp and full of intent, constantly threatening to score.
Some fantastic interplay through the middle from Kath and Rosie Hogarth led to Danby being awarded an early short corner. A superb injection from Chloe Orrell found the powerful sweeping stick of Sarah Thompson, who placed the ball cleanly into the centre of the goal.
With Pippa Middlemas controlling things at the back and Danby encouraged by their strong start, their ball movement and passing were flowing nicely.
Unfortunately, Newcastle were able to exploit a bit of open space in behind and slipped the ball past a frustrated Danby defence to level the score.
At 1-1, Danby knew it was time to step up and they did exactly that.
Issy Hogarth played some killer balls into the D, creating great opportunities for Lilly Harland, who looked dangerous every time she got the ball, though luck wasn’t on her side this time.
Catherine Adamson showed huge determination to keep Newcastle from finding another, while Grace Brown and Pippa Middlemas worked the ball out calmly from the back, feeding Claire Stringer who linked beautifully with Sarah Thompson down the left.
After some scrappy play in front of goal, Danby earned another short corner. Up stepped Plum Sweet - a recent addition to the side - who showed real composure to slot the ball past the Newcastle defence and restore Danby’s lead.
Kath Hogarth’s dominance and control in the centre shone throughout, linking up superbly with the wide halves as Danby pushed forward. A slick passage of play led to a dangerous cross from Lilly Harland, which found Chloe Orrell at the top of the D. Her shot was brilliantly saved by the Newcastle keeper, but Bronwyn Hodgson reacted quickly to meet the rebound and tap the ball home around the keeper.
Despite Danby’s confident play, Newcastle managed to pull one back with a quick counter-attack, narrowing the gap once again. But Sarah Thompson, who was simply outstanding all match, wasn’t finished yet. She capped off Danby’s scoring with a stunning long-range strike from a perfectly executed long corner by Kath Hogarth.
The score ended 4-2 to Danby. It came as no surprise that Number 39, Sarah Thompson, was awarded Player of the Match a well-deserved for a standout performance.