Ben Rhydding are historically difficult opponents but Morpeth were confident about the game after the fantastic results of last weekend. However maybe they had been lulled into a false sense of security annihilating one of the weakest teams in the division and now facing one of the toughest.

Morpeth started very positively and were rewarded early on with a goal resulting from a newly rehearsed penalty corner. Cockburn stopped the ball and slipped to Bowler who shot. Moore was running towards the penalty spot and deflected the ball as had been intended. However the Rhydding keeper made a save and slipped the ball to her right where Wardle was waiting on the post. She passed the ball across the face of the goal and her ball was met by Dixon who hit the target. Possibly a more complex penalty corner than had been intended but effective nevertheless.

Dixon and Moore both had more chances in the first half with both of them beating the defence and finding themselves one on one with the Rhydding keeper. She was not easily drawn however standing tall and strong and they failed in their task of getting round her.

Rhydding’s equaliser came towards the end of the first half and was the result of a flick – the ball having hit Hindmarch on the line not once but twice. Rose powerfully sprung into the air diving full stretch to her right but the shot was just inside the post and had goal written all over it.

In the second half Rhydding started very strongly, attacking in force, which had been Morpeth’s plan too but they were pushed onto the back foot straight away. They absorbed a lot of pressure as Rhydding’s playmakers began to come to life. The gap between Morpeth’s defence and attack widened and they struggled to get the ball out of their half.

Inevitably Rhydding scored. They attacked the right of the D and their player wasn’t closed down. She crossed, Rose missed and Wardle was easily bundled off the ball for the girl on the line to slip the ball in.

Morpeth heads dropped as the pressure mounted. They gave away possession too easily and conceded penalty corners with alarming frequency. It was from a penalty corner that Rhydding eventually hammered a nail into the Morpeth coffin. Rose made a good save from a strike, the ball bounced off Pattinson’s stick unfortunately into the path of a Rhydding player.

Morpeth’s play became frantic and they utilised the long ball too often, neglecting the short passing game which has been the focus of a many a recent practice. Realistically they looked nothing like scoring in the second half and were beaten by a better, stronger team.

Next week they face the daunting task of travelling to Wakefield but hopefully the game will have a better outcome.

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, Nikki Addy, Lucy Dixon

Man of the Match – Nikki Bowler

Match sponsored by Kit and Sticks