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Bubbles' Blog
Hi! I'm Bubbles, mascot of the Under 11's team. With all my outfield players moving up from the under 9's team to the under 11's I've been promoted as well! We'll be playing in the Eastern Counties league and the Southern Counties league. Some of my players will hopefully be representing the club in the National Cup and playing for Southern counties team in the Inter Regional Tournament.
My first important job is to introduce you to the team. They are: Tom Barton, Charley Bassom, Connor Botting, Luca Commentucci, Britany Dyball, Jarod Dyball, Jocie Greenwood, David Martindale, and Jamie McVey. Tom, Charley, Connor and Jocie all have several years' experience in Eastern and Southern Counties leagues while Luca, David and Jamie all played in the Southern County league for the first time last season. Britany and Jarod are both new to Herne Bay United teams and Jarod is our new goalkeeper.
Throughout the season I'll be reporting from all of our matches to let you know how the team get on.
My paws are crossed for a fun and enjoyable season.
Our final Eastern Counties tournament saw us travelling to Kings Lynn again and for the second tournament running we only had five outfield players so the team were working hard again. Our first game was against Kings Lynn B and Charlie was captain. We started strongly with several shots early in the game and David took the lead with only a minute gone! Although we were still getting a number of shots at the Kings Lynn goal they also started to shoot as well and the team had to defend for a while. Kings Lynn equalised with seven minutes left in the half. Connor got back our lead with four minutes to go and we went in to the break with the 2-1 lead thanks to some more good defending from Britany and Jarod although Connor and David were trying to add to our score. Kings Lynn equalised again soon after the break but Connor got us back into the lead again soon after. Unfortunately after that Kings Lynn started to work their way though our defence more often and were able to score five more goals although the whole team was working hard in defence as well as taking their chances at the other end. It was a good first game so it was a bit disappointing to lose 7-3.
Next we faced Norwich and Connor was captain. We didn't start this game very well as Norwich scored within 30 seconds and it took five minutes before we equalised though David. Again the team were making lots of chances; David, Luca and Connor all shooting with several hitting the metalwork, and there was some good passing up the rink. Despite our team having most of the possession Norwich were able to take the lead just before half time but we started the second half determined to take the lead. Luca and Connor had a number of shots on goal while Charlie and Britany cleared everything from our goal area. Unfortunately an unlucky deflection off a stick meant we scored an own goal but David soon got us another goal to keep us in with a chance. With three minutes to go Norwich scored again and although we tried hard it looked like we were not going to pull back. However, we were awarded a penalty for kicking in the box and David scored from the spot. Unluckily there were only 30 seconds left and we didn't manage to get the equaliser so we lost 3-4 but it had been a very tight game.
Our next opponents were Cottenham and David was captain this time. We were mostly in defence to start with and Cottenham managed to score two goals during a long period of pressure on our goal. However as the half came to an end we managed to start working breaks into the play and David scored with five minutes to go from Connor's pass - an excellent team goal. Cottenham scored again before the break so we were 1-3 down. The second half alternated between Cottenham scoring and then us scoring, our goals from Connor, Luca and David. We eventually lost 4-7 but we had more possession in the second half and there was some good team play.
Our final game was against Kings Lynn A with Britany as captain. We got off to great start when Charlie scored with just over a minute gone although Kings Lynn equalised soon after. The match was now end to end with all of our team excelling themselves with their efforts, we had shot after shot quickly followed by some great defending. Their hard work was finally rewarded with a cracking shot from the edge of the box from Connor a few minutes before half time to give us a 2-1 lead. The second half was again end to end with the team totally worn out but just keeping going, it was a joy to watch how well they did. David finally got us a two goal cushion with two minutes to go and although Kings Lynn pulled one back the team did enough to enjoy a thoroughly deserved 3-2 win. This was the best game of the season and was truly fantastic to watch.
This tournament was great, despite being exhausted after the last match the team all came off happy and smiling, they had done brilliantly and several people from the other teams commented about their performance in the last game. Well done team, a great end to the Eastern Counties season. We are still in 5th place but there is a tournament next month which might affect our final placings.
Bubbles' Scorers: David (7), Connor (4), Luca (1), Charlie (1)
Bubbles' Player of the Tournament: All of them, it's impossible to pick one, they were all so good!
Due to other committments I only had a small team at Cambridge's home tournament at Burwell - just four outfielders, so luckily we could call on Charlie again to help out! Our first game was against Ely and Charley was captain. We had to work hard in defence for all of this game but depsite our efforts Ely scored three goals in the first five minutes. Then we started to get a few more chances to break; Connor, Britany and Charley all having good shots on goal. Unfortunately none of them went in so we were still 3-0 down at the break. Ely got a quick goal right after the restart but the team continued to press with Luca and Charlie now trying shots. There was some good passing during this half and they worked hard on their defence but Ely got another two goals so we ended up losing 6-0.
The second game was against Norwich and Connor was captain. We didn't get off to a very good start as Norwich scored within the first minute but the team pushed forward and were rewarded with an equaliser from Charley and another from Connor just over a minute later. Although we still had to work in defence the team continued to make breaks and Connor scored a second when he connected with Charley's rebounded shot. All the players were now shooting but with no results. At the end of the half Britany's high ball in the box was penalised with a penalty but Jarod saved it so we were 3-1 up. The second half started fairly evenly but Norwich pulled one back after a couple of minutes. Connor restored our lead from the restart but then our defence crumbled and Norwich got two quick goals to bring the scores level. The play was now end-to-end with both teams hitting the post or bar. Connor finally got one in off the post to put us back in the lead but Norwich equalised again. The final few minutes were quite frantic as first Charlie put us in front again but then Norwich scored three to win the match 8-6. However, the Norwich team had an over-age player so the game was classed as a friendly and we were given a 9-0 win which the team deserved.
The final game was against Cambridge who are the league leaders and Jarod was captain. We took an early lead through Connor but Cambridge equalised a short time later. We had another penalty given against us as Jarod was judged to be holding the ball against the goal post but he saved it again! We had a few shots on goal but in our eagerness to score our defence collapsed completely and Cambridge scored five goals in two minutes which was disaster. Athough the team got themselves in order again we were 6-1 down at half time. The seocnd half was much more even with more goal-scoring chances for our team. Cambridge scored first but Connor replied soon after with a goal in off the post - a replica of the one against Norwich. Charley, Charlie and Connor were firing shots at the Cambridge net but their opponents were next to score although Connor got another in reply soon after. However, we lost 8-3, although if they hadn't lost their concentration in the first half it could have been a different story!
The team did well apart from the defence collapse against Cambridge especially as there were only five outfield players so they had to work extra hard. We need to work on keeping tight at the beginning of the half and from the restart after goals as we seem to lose a lot of goals that way. Still, it was a good tournament and we are 5th in the league. Our final tournament is next month when we travel to Kings Lynn again.
Bubbles' Scorers: Connor (7), Charley (1), Charlie (1)
Bubbles' Player of the Tournament: Jarod - two penalty saves, fantastic!
We started the year with the first of our two long trips up to Kings Lynn but luckily the tournament didn't start until noon so it wasn't an early start! We were only missing Tom this time, still recovering from his fracture, so Charlie came to help again.
Our first game was against Ely and it didn't go too well! We held them to one goal in the first half and we only got a couple of chances to score ourselves. Unfortunately things got worse in the second half as Ely scored four more. We did have a few chances of our own again with David just going wide and Charlie hitting the bar being our best but we just never made the most of our opportunities.
Next we faced the strong Cambridge team again. They had already beaten Kings Lynn A 10-0 and Kings Lynn B 14-3 so were looking for another high scoring game. They made a good start as well when almost their first touch of the ball went in after just 15 seconds. However, after this shaky start the team rallied and some good work in defence and quite a bit of luck meant that Cambridge only scored another two in the first half. We had no chances at all to score! The second half brought another three goals for Cambridge amidst a load of bumped heads - I think during the course of the tournament everyone in my team injured themselves somehow! We had a short spell where Charley, Connor and Jamie all had shots on goal but eventully Cambridge scored another two goals and we lost 8-0. The team shouldn't be too disappointed though as this was the lowest number that Cambridge got at the tournament.
Our final game was against Kings Lynn A and we didn't have Jocie for this game as she couldn't play due to an injury from the Cambridge game. The team finally seemed to wake up for this match with Luca and Jamie having early shots on goal before Charley put us in the lead halfway through the first half. Sadly our lead only lasted for about 30 seconds! We had a penalty given against us for Luca knocking into a Kings Lynn player in the box but it was definitely accidental so it was unlucky for us as Kings Lynn scored. Charley tried to get an equaliser but it was Kings Lynn who scored the other goal of the first half and went into the break 3-1 up. The second half started with David taking lots of shots on goal and we saw the best play of the day. Kings Lynn scored half way through and after that all of our shots started going high or wide. There was a slightly comical moment when David's shot seemed to trickle over the top of the net and both teams stopped playing, expecting a whistle. They all looked around blankly and when the whistle didn't come they all took off again! Kings Lynn scored the final goal in the last minute and we had lost 1-5.
It was a disappointing tournament and I think everyone was suffering from a lack of training - due to the Christmas break no-one had played for at least two weeks. Maybe it was also due to too much Christmas pudding and chocolate! Whatever the reason the team seemed to have forgotten much of their training although there were times when it was going well. Hopefully with two months until the next Eastern Counties tournament they will back to the good form of last month!
Bubbles' Player of the Tournament: Jamie, the only one who didn't seem to have eaten too much!
Bubbles' Scorer: Charley (1)
My next report will follow the Southern Counties tournament at the Pier on 1 February.
We had an early start for our second Eastern Counties tournament as our first game was at 9am! We were missing Tom, Luca and Jamie so again Charlie from the Adders came to help out. This was our home tournament.
Our first game was against Kings Lynn A and Charley was captain. David and Connor had the best chances of the half and David got our only goal about halfway through. Despite some excellent keeping from Jarod, Kings Lynn managed to get two. The second half was very even with our team working well in defence. It looked like we were going to lose the match but right at the end Charley sprinted up the rink and slotted the ball in from a tight angle. There were just two seconds left to go!!
With Britany as captain our next match was against a very strong Cambridge side, I think they might well win the league this year. We struggled to contain their attacks and we were 4-0 down at half time. Luckily Jarod was doing really well and he saved a penalty too. Unfortunately the second half was much the same as the first although David and Charlie got a couple of good shots in. We ended up losing 9-0.
Connor was captain for the third game against Kings Lynn B and now the team were really starting to work well together. Charlie and Charley were getting lots of shots on target but Kings Lynn seemed to have scored first. From our view over the goal the ball appeared to go in and then come out again through a hole in the net. Luckily for us neither of the referees had seen this so the goal wasn't given. Then the bad luck turned our way and shots from Britany and David which appeared to have crossed the line were disallowed. After that the goals were given, Kings Lynn B getting four and Charlie getting one for us before half time. The second half started well with Connor scoring in the first minute after connecting with his rebounded shot. Kings Lynn B scored again before Connor claimed another two. The final five minutes were very exciting as the team kept trying to score the equaliser. Unfortunately there wasn't going to be a last second goal again so we lost 4-5.
The final game was against Cottenham with Jocie as captain. Now the team were playing excellent hockey, strong in defence and putting some good passing moves together up the rink. Although Charlie hit the post in the first few seconds it was Cottenham who scored the first goal. After that, though, there was no stopping our team. Britany scored the first two, her second just sneaking in under the goalie. Connor then scored, before David got two more and we were 5-1 up at half time. The second half was played with the same enthusiasm and Charley scored in off the post before Connor got our final goal of the day. We used Jocie to man-mark the Cottenham player we saw as the strongest and she did really well - he wasn't able to take any shots against us or make many passes. Cottenham eventually scored two more goals but we had done enough to win 7-3 which was great for the team's confidence. Credit goes to Cottenham through as their proper keeper was sick so the rest of the team were taking it in turns and they all did well.
This tournament went really well for us, the team is growing in confidence and is really starting to work well together. I can't wait to see how they get on next time! The results from this tournament put us in 2nd place.
Bubbles' Player of the Tournament: Charlie - for her work rate and determination, closely followed by Jarod for some excellent goalkeeping.
Bubbles' Scorers: Connor (5), David (3), Charley (3), Britany (2), Charlie (1)
My next report will follow our tournament at Kings Lynn on 3 January.
My team are competing as the Pythons in the SECRHA Under 13 league this year as there is no under 11 league. With David and Britany playing for the Cobras we were joined by Lewis from the Vipers for today's tournament.
Our first match was against the Cobras and Jarod was captain. We couldn't have got off to a better start when Connor scored with less than a minute gone. Charley, Lewis and Connor were getting in lots of shots but it was Davd who scored next to equalise for the Cobras. Only a minute later Jamie's shot was blocked but Lewis scored from the rebound and we were in the lead again. Charley was very solid in defence and she also kept trying to score and was finally rewarded with a goal. David scored again a little before half time but we kept a 3-2 lead into the break. The second half was even for the first five minutes with no side able to take advantage of their possession. Finally Adam got his shot in, immediately followed by Lewis again, before the Cobras pulled ahead though two goals from David and one from Adam. Lewis did get us another goal but despite a great effort from the team we narrowly lost 6-5.
Our second game was against the Adders, still with Jarod as captain. Everyone was trying really hard but the game was deadlocked unitl almost halfway into the first half when Lewis opened the scoring. Unfortunately he was given a yellow card shortly after that. Just before half time Max and Luke both scored so we went into the break a goal down. The team didn't give up though and Jamie equalised not long after the restart. Then it was back to deadlock again until Kier and Max got two for the Adders. Luke also got a yellow card and it didn't seem that there would be any more goals despite all the effort from both teams. However, with just 15 seconds left Jamie scored and I was willing the team to get an equaliser. It wasn't to be though and Luke put the result beyond doubt when he managed to score in the final two seconds of the match. The final score was 5-3.
These matches were really good experience for the Pythons; playing competitively against older players is much harder than just training with them! The team did really well and put together some great passing moves and did well in defence. A great start to this league.
Bubbles' Scorers: Lewis (4), Jamie (2), Connor (1), Charley (1)
Bubbles' Player of the Tournament: Charley
My next report will follow our Eastern Counties tournament at Burwell on 6 December.
Before the big European League match the under 11's entertained the crowd with an exciting and close fought game. All of my team were involved along with Max, Sam and Michael who play in the under 13's but are still under 11, and Rhys who played his first competitive game as goalie.
The Blues took an early lead through Max, then Jamie got their second. The scores stayed the same for quite a while but eventually Max scored again giving the Blues a three goal lead. However, the Whites were determined to get back in the game and Charley and Tom each scored, Tom's in the last 30 seconds of the half, meaning Whites trailed 2-3 at the break. Max scored his hat-trick at the beginning of the second half but the Whites got two more goals through Tom and Charley to level the scores. Everyone wanted to win so there was a very determined end the the match. Finally Max scored the winner with two minutes to go; final score Blues 5-4 Whites. It was a great game to watch and was enjoyed by the crowd.
Blue team: Britany, Connor, Jamie, Jocie, Max, Michael, Rhys
White team: Charley, David, Jarod, Luca, Sam, Tom
Scorers: Max (4), Charley (2), Tom (2), Jamie (1)
We played our first tournament of the season at Cambridge Regional College and Cottenham were our hosts. There was a viewing balcony where I could get a good view of the rink apart from the bit immediately below us which was hidden by the design of the balcony! We were three players short for the tournament so we roped in Charlie from the Adders to help us out. Although she is over 11, Eastern Counties rules mean that she can play in an Under 11 team during her first year as an Under 13.
Our first game was against Norwich with Connor being the captain, and the team took a little while to get used to playing together - this being the first time they had done so competitively. The team had to work in defence but Jarod was doing well in goal and the others were all working hard too. We didn't get many chances to score in the first half but Jocie, David and Luca all had a go. The second half gave both teams plenty of opportunity to score but it was a bit disappointing that Norwich did first. However we followed it with a well-worked team goal, Charlie finishing to score our first goal of the season. Norwich then got two more but then Charlie got us another, helped into the net by the goalie's stick! Connor, Charlie and David tried hard to score an equaliser and Britany and Jocie were keeping our defence strong but at the end of the game we'd lost 2-3.
Next we faced Cottenham who seemed to have much bigger players that we did! Luca was captain this time and it was a much faster game. There were guite a few chances for both sides but Cottenham scored first. A penalty was awarded against us but Jarod saved it. Unfortunately Cottenham were able to score from the rebound and finally the team's excellent defending slipped and a third was scored while all of our players raced to get back from Cottenham's half. Jarod saved a shot off his helmet and David had several good attempts at goal but we were down 0-3 at half time. The second half started with Jarod making lots of saves and keeping us in with a chance. Cottenham scored two more goals, one where there was a total lack of defence again. The team kept pushing though and were finally rewarded when David scored near the end of the game. Unfortunately there wasn't much time left to score any more so we lost 1-5.
Our third game was against Ely and they have four over-age girls in their team so they were definitely much bigger than most of our players! Jocie was captain this time and we had a great start to the game when David scored after just a few minutes. A while later Ely took a shot at goal which was partly stopped by Jarod and then flicked out of the goal by Connor. From where we were watching it looked like the ball had crossed the line and they later admitted that it had! Luckily the referee hadn't seen this so we remained in the lead. This game was very evenly matched and was played from end-to-end the whole time. The team were becoming more confident with their passing and defending but they were still finding it hard to finish their shots. We still led at the half time break and had several close attempts at goal in the second half; Luca's shot hit the goalie's helmet and Charlie's hit the post. Ely had several shots go wide and we had to have a quick time-out to untangle Jarod's skate from the net! Then one of the Ely players' stick got wedged in Luca's skate. Right in the very last seconds Connor nicked in a goal and we won our first match 2-0, also getting us two points in the league. We almost didn't get both of these as the timekeepers had given our second goal to Ely. Luckily one of the referees spotted the mistake but it gave everyone a lesson that when they are captain they should check the scoresheet before they sign it!
The final game was against Kings Lynn B and it started disastrously for us when they scored in the first few seconds. However, with their increasing confidence the team got stuck into the game and had a number of attempts before Luca scored and David followed with his third of the day. Kings Lynn scored again to equalise but the near the end Britany's shot was stopped but Luca was able to slot home the rebound so we finished the half 3-2 up. In the second half the team dominated the play. We had a couple of shots into the side netting but David scored again when his shot bounced in off the goalie's stick and Connor wrapped up the game and the day's scoring with his second. Britany and Jarod ensured Kings Lynn were unable to add to the their total so we ended the day on a high with a 5-2 win.
Despite the hesitant start the team did really well. You could see the way they all improved as the matches went on and they were working together as a team. We finished the day in fourth place - level on points with two other teams but not with such a good goal difference. It was a great first tournament and I can't wait for the next one in December.
Bubbles' Player of the Tournament: To be annouced
Bubbles' Scorers: David (4), Charlie (2), Connor (2), Luca (2)
