23rd July England v Germany

This was the last game of the championships for the Team and it was important to go out on a high. The team started very well with good early possession that was rewarded immediately with an early goal! A well worked move ended in the Germany goalie making a good save only to see the rebound knocked in by Beth Cook. This made the German side up the tempo. Only to be frustrated by some very passionate defence with a lot of shots being blocked, especially by Clare Curry, and some exceptional goalkeeping by Rachel Joy. Just before half time the only real mistake of the half came in defence and led to a German goal. Half time score 1-1. The second half was very good to watch with England’s team play creating a lot of chances. The English defence stayed determined and the game finished with a draw.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall the championships were a success with England finishing 5th. The team on the whole played very well both in attack and defence. The team showed a huge improvement from when they began training a few months back. The future looks promising for a possible medal!! The French team won the championship for the first time. When asked what they had done to improve their play, the reply was simply that they have been playing National Division 1 in France against men! This is an example which could probably be followed here to improve our already promising team.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A proposal will be sent to the NRHA executive to permit the inclusion of the England Ladies Team into National Division One.

A Ladies Championship is to be played by regional teams (North, Eastern and South) over one weekend and then the top 2 teams will play on the Cup Final Day.

An England Ladies Weekend has been approved by NRHA and will take place over the weekend 24th / 25th September.

Carlos Amaral
England Ladies Head Coach

More info:
Reporter: Aileen Barker