Ladies' 1s Progress to Indoor National League Div 2

While many in the club were enjoying the delights of the Christmas season, GHC Ladies 1s turned their attention to indoor hockey. Their first competition in mid-December saw them playing in the Southern Counties Regional Finals, a tournament the Ladies won the Gold without losing a game.

The reward for a top-two finish was entry into England Hockey’s Super 6s competition in the South Division 2. Over the weekend of 4-5 January, twelve teams from across the country played in two pools - South and North; the top two in each pool would progress to the National League Division 2, taking place 18-19 January in Nottingham.

In the EH Super 6s South Div 2 Pool, Guildford had their work cut out for them against five other teams, three of whom play their outdoor hockey one or two leagues above (Ipswich and Chelmsford in Conference East and Trojans in EH Div 1 South).

Game 1: Wapping 0 - 6 Guildford

The games were played at Whitgift School and Guildford were involved in the opening game against Wapping. Guildford took the game to Wapping and with an early attack took the lead. The intensity surprised the opposition and soon Guildford added a second. The second quarter saw another 2 goals and Wapping were struggling to find a way past the Guildford press. Indeed the few occasions they did, the defence held strong denying them scoring opportunities. Guildford scored two more, one in each of the third and fourth quarters, and took this game 6-0.

Scorers: Julia “JJ” Blackstock 1, Emma Stewart 2, Kerryn Swanepoel 3

Game 2: Guildford 3 - 4 Ipswich

This game started much more evenly matched than the first, but it was Ipswich that gained the early advantage with a couple of early goals. Guildford settled down, but had been clearly rattled and found themselves down at half time. The third quarter saw Guildford believe in themselves and over a 5 minute period scored three goals with the forwards being completely unstoppable. Ipswich were glad of the break after the third quarter and came out in the final quarter to score two more goals to win 4-3.

Scorers: Anja Atkin 1, Kerryn Swanepoel 2

Game 3: Bristol Firebrands 3 - 6 Guildford

Day 2 and the first game was against Firebrands. Guildford enjoyed a lot of possession and were moving the ball around the court well and it was not long before they opened the scoring to take 1-0 lead at the end of the 1^st quarter. An exciting second quarter saw both teams scoring 2 goals. Firebrands sniffed an opportunity and came out in the second half sharper than Guildford and were awarded a penalty corner which they converted to bring the scores level. Guilford reacted and turned the pressure on and in an 8 minute spell scored three more goals to take the victory 6-3.

Scorers: Maddie Richardson 3, Kerryn Swanepoel 1, Kelly Taylor 1, Hannah Bodoano 1

Game 4: Guildford 7 - 2 Chelmsford

This was decider for both teams, a Guildford win would ensure qualification, yet Chelmsford would still have a chance of qualifying if they beat Guildford. The game started with both teams having opportunities and Chelmsford took the lead with a penalty corner. Guildford equalised at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw an exciting 4 minute spell where Chelmsford scored once and Guildford twice. Guildford took control in the third quarter and scored two more. Chelmsford threw caution to the wind and took their keeper off in the final quarter, but Guildford broke their defence twice and scored on both occasions. Final score 7-2 to Guildford.

Scorers: Kelly Taylor 1, Kerryn Swanepoel 2, Anja Atkin 2, Maddie Richardson 2

Game 5: Trojans 2 - 1 Guildford

The final game: both teams had secured a top-two spot and qualification for the next tournament, but the victor would win the group. This game was played at a high pace with both sides creating opportunities. But neither side were able to score until the Trojans found the net at the end of the 3^rd quarter. This lead to an exciting final quarter when two minutes from the end when Trojans extended the lead. Guildford took their keeper off and 6 outfield players applied the pressure to allow Guildford to force a penalty corner. With seconds remaining Guildford were in the Trojans D but the final attack was unable to find the net. Trojans won 2-1.

Scorers: Kerryn Swanepoel 1

The weekend squad of 11 had a great time, scoring more goals than any other team and also having the South Div 2 top goalscorer, Kerryn Swanepoel - who scored in all 6 Guildford games! The top-two result means Guildford Ladies have qualified for the Super 6s National League Division 2 and will be heading up to Nottingham Trent University on the 18^th and 19^th January playing for promotion to the Super 6s National Division 1.

Squad: Julia Blackstock [Captain], Lara Vincent {Vice Captain] Alice Cobb, Anja Atkin, Stephanie Smith, Hannah Bodoano, Maddie Richardson, Emma Stewart, Kerryn Swanepoel, Libby Leadbeater, Kelly Taylor.

Coach: Shay O’Connell, Manager: Andrew Fergusson.

To learn more about how the England Hockey Super 6s competition and league structure works, see the EH link or paragraphs below:

England Hockey Jaffa Super 6s Championships Latest Info

The top two teams from the National Division Two will be promoted, with clubs finishing third and sixth qualifying for the Division Two North and Division Two South again the following season. The six teams who failed to qualify for the National Division Two will all be relegated back to their respective regional leagues the following season. Regional HA qualifying tournaments are held prior to the Super 6s Championships in December [GHC Ladies won this tournament 15 December 2019]. Six teams qualify and participate in Division Two North or South. This is the five Regional winners plus 2nd in the Region with most entrants.