This was a tough opener for the 2nds as the Ladies leagues have been reshuffled somewhat this year. The Peterborough team were playing in the league above South last year, so a cup match against them looked to be a tricky test at the beginning of the season.

The team has lost a few key players but some great new people have joined up to fill the gaps and the team set out on Saturday to begin their 08/09 campaign in style. This they certainly did, posting a 6-1 win on the day.

The new faces included Tracey, who stepped up to fill the keeper’s boots, and did a fantastic job in goal. She pulled off some really important saves and was a key member of the defence. Leonie and Carla also played their first match for South and did a great job in defence and in the midfield pushing forwards. We had Jenny and Sam, new recruits to the club, who were dominant in the midfield both playing a defensive role and releasing the forwards with some excellent balls through. Nicky also played a superb game in defence for us. Regulars Vicky in the sweeper position, AI in her customary defensive centre mid, and the forward trio of Bex, Mel and Charlie completed the line up.

South started well with some fluid movement and the first goal soon came from a smooth attack, with Mel slotting the ball home. Then a confident strike from Jenny saw the score at 2-0. We were playing really good hockey with some excellent linking play from the midfield to the forwards. A goal from Charlie completed the trio in the first half. Peterborough did catch us on the counter attack to put one away before half time – going in to the jelly baby break (South's secret weapon!) though with a 3-1 lead we were very pleased with how we were playing.

Unfortunately, we lost Jenny for the second half and battling with ten players proved rather more challenging. However, our defence and Tracey did a cracking job and despite some really good breaks from Peterborough, they could not get through our players. What was also satisfying was when the ball was cleared upfield, a lot of chances were taken. Bex slotted away a goal to start her tally for the season, with Mel adding another to hers with a great strike. An excellent Mel-Bex link up, with Bex putting the ball home, completed the 6-1 victory.

Peterborough put up a good challenge and they were certainly threatening in the second half. It was a highly enjoyable match, played in good spirits against a relatively young side – the highlight was perhaps Mel ending up completely squashing Peterborough’s keeper – one for the photo album! A great start to the season for South. We travel away to Sawtry next weekend for a second cup match – hopefully our winning streak will continue. Our new members fitted seamlessly into the team’s style of play and formation and the match today bodes really well for the season ahead.