Weekend Round up - Its a family affair 🎶
On the surface, it was just another Saturday of hockey. But digging deeper, for several families it was quite the occasion, with debutants across different levels of the club.
In the Badgers, we had two new faces keeping up the family traditions, the daughter of former Men’s 1st team player Mark Jarrett took to the pitch, alongside the younger sister of one of our Ladies 2s regulars. In the Ladies 1s, Freya W made her full debut alongside sister Tula, capping off the game with an assist before turning out for the Ladies 2s later in the day.
And in the Ladies 2s, we saw probably the most long-awaited debut to complete a true family affair for Redditch Hockey Club. Joe Baggs is a true legend of the club, joining Redditch back in 1978 and lending his name to our Junior Clubman of the Year award. His son Stuart went on to represent Redditch, along with grandchildren James and Katie (currently playing for our Ladies 1s), and even Joe's son-in-law Chris Young captains our Men’s 2s. But until Saturday, Joe’s daughter Sarah had managed to avoid playing! Having joined us through the summer for Rock Up and Play, it was a proud day for the family with members cheering her on from the sidelines, and we're all really proud of her too.
Here is how the games unfolded:
*** Ladies 1s 2 – 2 Harborne 3s The Ladies 1s went down to an early goal against Harborne in a hard-fought first half. Going into the second half, Redditch started much the stronger. An impressive run from internet sensation Jo Reaney and a quick one-two with debutant Freya W resulted in a well-earned goal, with an emphatic shot from Reaney beating both the keeper and the crossbar to level the score. With momentum truly in Redditch’s favour, a second goal shortly followed with Dawson stabbing the ball over the line. Redditch continued to look the stronger side, but chances kept falling to the visitors. After a missed Harborne penalty stroke, Redditch looked to have secured all three points, but a penalty corner in the final few minutes saw a familiar name, Sunburk, pop up to deflect the ball into the net and close out a 2–2 draw.
*** Men’s 1s: Hampton-in-Arden 2s 1 – 0 Redditch 1s The Men’s 1s threw everything at Hampton, but the home side's resilience won out on the day. *** Men’s 2s: Worcester 3s 4 – 0 Redditch 2s A result that won’t make the highlights reel, but a performance that just might. Facing an unbeaten Worcester side, the Men’s 2s played some excellent hockey and arguably deserved far more from the game. A few debatable moments swung the scoreline away from us, but the lads can take plenty of confidence from a display full of energy, skill, and determination.
*** Men’s 3s: Redditch 3s 0 – 9 Rugby & East Warwickshire 8s Playing with only 10 men, Redditch faced a very youthful Rugby group supported by a few older players to guide them. While outplayed on the day, the nature of the game was fantastic, true grassroots development hockey at its best, with everyone supporting each other, brushing off mistakes, and congratulating individuals for moments of brilliance, whether a goal, a tackle, or a save. Talking of saves, Fletch was class. Conceding nine might sound tough on paper, but he saved more than double that and was clearly Player of the Match for the Reds.
*** Ladies 2s Development: Worcester 4s vs Redditch 2s Dev Another great development runout away at Worcester, getting valuable minutes into the legs of our newer players and returning faces alike.
*** Badgers: Redditch Badgers 1 – 2 Bournville & Kings Heath Badgers 🦡
Another fantastic game from the Badgers this week! With two new players joining the team, making it six new faces in three weeks, it was great to see everyone working together so well. The teamwork, encouragement, and support could be heard from all sides of the pitch, showing just how much this team spirit is growing.
We created some excellent chances in front of goal and managed to make one count. The pressure was firmly on the opposition throughout, and the effort and determination shown by every player was fantastic to watch. You are all really starting to come together as a team and should be incredibly proud of yourselves, your coach and the parents supporting you every week certainly are.
Remember: don't see a defeat as a loss, see it as a learning opportunity. Every game teaches us something new and gives the coach plenty of ideas to work on in training. Keep working hard, keep supporting each other, and keep believing in yourselves. The results will come! 🏑
Thanks as always to the drivers, umpires, coaches, and parents who make each weekend possible. We go again next Saturday! 🏑
