There was a time on Saturday when Morpeth did not look like reaching this game due to the orienteering challenge, which was the route from the changing room to the pitch. They passed some llama, through a nature trail and at least one circuit of the KC stadium where they suffered a few illusions of grandeur, before spotting the dreaded cannons on the water based pitch. All did not bode well.

Any concerns were quickly dismissed when it was clear from the first whistle this was to be Morpeth’s day.

Magnificent Moore was majestic against some young inexperienced defence. She comes into her own in matches against weaker opposition and often her team can stand back and admire. For the first goal she was uncharacteristically generous. She drove down the right flank at pace crossing the ball toward the penalty spot. O’Brien had made a dashing run from the left into the middle and her arrival at the spot was beautifully coincidental with the pass. She swept and undercut the ball into the goal. A welcome confidence boost for one of the new recruits.

The second goal Moore kept for herself. She received the ball from Cockburn at the top of the D. She struck fiercely into the bottom left hand corner and the ball hit the backboard and ricocheted out. It was the start of something.

At 2-0 up Rose was forced to make a save with the tip end of her toe nail and had she trimmed them the night before the game could have taken a very different twist but luckily for the team she is a very low maintenance lass. So it remained the same score until half time.

The talk at half time was about playing the ball around better and practising tactical manoeuvres, which could be adopted against stronger teams. But who can resist the lure of a goal? Not Moore.

Moore’s mazy run into the D passed several defence was not quite what was meant but it looked good. As she approached nearer and nearer to the byline she had left herself what seemed like an impossible feat of scoring but somehow she shot and managed to slip the ball between keeper and post.

Addy had been brought on as a substitute as a right half and was finding her feet more and more the longer she played there. Half way into the second half she dribbled into the D and for some reason the defence did not come to her. She wound up to shoot and struck with a power, which defied her size. The ball rocketed into the bottom left hand corner to bring the score to 4-0.

Grant had a wonderful opportunity to score not long after. She and Cockburn had linked up for a Scottish 1-2 which left Grant in front of goal. As she swept the ball and the congratulations were on the tips of tongues, she managed to quite spectacularly miss the goal by some distance. This doubled with her textbook example of an air shot seconds from the end won her a team award – unfortunately possibly not the one she’d have liked.

Moore however was more clinical and determined to score her hat trick. She must have fancied varying the style because this time headed one on one with the keeper and when the keeper committed she slipped it with regal ease passed her and into the goal.

Glass then made some tactical changes. Henderson was brought on at left back – the look of panic on Rose’s face was visible from the sideline through her visor – and Wardle at right wing – inspirational. With about her first touch she slotted the ball, some may say luckily, through the legs of the keeper. Just desserts for her tireless runs and earlier disallowed, although perfectly valid, penalty corner goal.

Team list: Janice Rose (GK), Karen Hindmarch, Jenny Pattinson, Lynn Watkins, Marian Simpson, Nikki Bowler, Emma Cockburn (capt), Sarah Henderson, Katie Wardle, Lindsey Moore, Fiona Grant, Charlotte O’Brien, Nikki Addy

Man of the Match – Katie Wardle

Match sponsored by Kit and Sticks