Morpeth Ladies Hockey First Team Saturday 9th February 2008
Morpeth 5 Newcastle Ladies’ 0
This fixture is usually played very much as a local derby and historically has produced close and gritty battles. Surprisingly to Morpeth this was not at all the case. Morpeth played some very good team hockey but in all honesty Newcastle hardly turned up.
Morpeth were on the front foot from the first whistle and came close to scoring within the first two minutes. They found it easy to break Newcastle down when they had the ball and themselves passed freely forwards, backwards and square, with players working effectively on and off the ball.
Inevitably Morpeth’s first goal did not take long. Moore won them a penalty corner. O’Brien injected to Cockburn who decided on a straight strike. Good decision! Her blistering shot deflected off the stick of a Newcastle player and flew into the goal.
The second goal began with a ball from Bowler, who won the ball back on the right time and again. She won a long corner. Wardle and Cockburn made an inspirational switch at the top of the D confusing their defenders. Cockburn was free to receive the pass and slipped the ball to Moore who shot reverse stick and scored into the bottom right corner. The right side of the pitch played brilliantly today with Bowler and Pattison having space and linking telepathically.
The third goal originated from build up play on the left demonstrating Morpeth’s improved distribution to both sides of the pitch. Henderson delivered to Cockburn who dribbled on her reverse stick and passed it on to Moore. She silkily pulled the ball round the defender and left herself one on one with the keeper. The mood she was in the keeper stood no chance.
Moore secured her hat-trick and Morpeth’s fourth not long after. Again the ball came from the left and Henderson. This time the marvelous O’Brien was involved and gave Moore a perfect ball. She struck and the ball rolled under the keeper’s pads. She does like to score.
O’Brien’s reverse stick strike is truly something to behold and is more powerful than anyone else on the team’s open stick strike. She was cruelly denied a goal for the second week running. Her strike was heading into the top right corner only for the keeper to make a magnificent save. The strike made up for her injuring two players in the half.
Morpeth’s first half was a textbook demonstration of ‘sexy’ hockey and the fans on the sideline were suitably impressed. They kept their shape and passed the ball around with confidence, accuracy and pace.
The second half wasn’t quite as exciting an affair. Being 4-0 down Morpeth were expecting Newcastle to come out with fire in their bellies but instead they sat back and made it trickier for Morpeth to break through. The half was fragmented by Newcastle’s injury breaks.
Eventually Morpeth added to the score with a lovely one - two passing movement upfield by Wardle and O’Brien. Wardle struck goalwards – unlike Moore scoring really isn’t her thing - and luckily Moore was there to pick up the fluffed shot and guide it into the goal.
Newcastle did not seem keen to score. Rose was forced to make one save only with her stick during the whole game and at one point the ball was hit through a gap in the Morpeth defence but no Newcastle player chased.
It was a gorgeously sunny spring day and Morpeth started and finished the game in fine mood. And the sun had undoubtedly been shining directly on man of the match O’Brien.

Man of the Match – Charlotte O’Brien and her amazing mid-winter tan
Team: Janice Rose (GK), Karen Hindmarch, Nikki Addie, Jenny Pattison, Lynn Watkins, Sarah Henderson, Emma Cockburn (capt), Nikki Bowler, Katie Wardle, Charlotte O’Brien, Lindsay Moore, Lucy Dixon, Fiona Grant