Wilmslow Ladies 1's began their season with determination and enthusiasm after the great achievement of being promoted to North Hockey Division 2.
This is a first time accomplishment for Wilmslow Hockey Club. It was always going to be a challenge for the team, especially as we had lost valued players to further education.
Training started much earlier and with more intensity than seasons gone by as the squad became more determined to succeed in the new division.
This early hard work at training combined with several summer friendly matches proved their worth with the girls starting their season with a bang.
The ladies were runners up in the Cheshire Tournament at the very start of the season, providing them with the confidence that was much needed. They then went on to have 6 league wins and 1 draw in a row, which saw them sitting pretty at the top of the division for an amazing 5 weeks in a row.
The ladies then had a slight mid-season set back after being beaten in the quarter final of the Cheshire Cup to a very well drilled Timperley 1s team who play 2 divisions higher than our ladies.
This slight drop in form led to them drawing three and losing two games. They found their feet soon after though and rallied with 3 wins in a row and eventually ended the season a well-placed and highly respectable 3rd in the league! An achievement that all the players are proud of.
They rounded off the season as runners up at the Cheshire 7s, a fun tournament that saw some lovely hockey from our junior development and vets teams also.
Captain's Choice for the season was awarded to new team recruit Rachel Hull, who amazed us all with her snap shots at goal which also earned her top goal scorer for the ladies section (and beating the men's section top scorer, might I add!).
The team voted another new member - Ruth Walters - their Players' Player of the year this year. Ruth brought a wealth of experience with her which all the team benefited from, including when she came to coach during Saturday games despite being injured and unable to play herself.
Photo: Ladies first team in their away strip.
Post by Noelle Hennessy.
