Hockey Ely 2 Spalding 8
It was a tough start to the new year for Ely ladies as they lost out to table-topping Spalding.
Ely went down 11-0 when the two sides met in Lincolnshire back in September and the team knew Saturday’s encounter was going to be every bit as testing, with 12 wins and 34 points between the two teams.
Spalding were clinical with their passing from the outset and scored in the first phase of play from push back.
But Ely remained positive and tightened up on Spalding, in a bid to blunt their attacking play, with Flix Remmy and Sarah Sutton doing a good job in midfield.
Ely’s first goal came thanks to dynamic forward play from Jess Haw, who found Jo Rayner to sweep in a clever goal. The second saw Pamela Clarke break through from midfield into the D and from a strong strike from the edge of the area.
Ely’s defence was pushed hard in the second half, with a continual wave of attacks and subsequent short corners awarded.
Captain Fiona Bartley put in a sterling performance, with strong tackles along with fellow defenders Ali Woods, Rachel Carpenter and Emily James stopping two goals on the line. Player of the match was Flix Remmy.
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