Success at the Repton Cup for HC Knole Park!
HC Knole Park’s U12 Girls played in a six team competition at the Repton Cup* at the weekend. Three wins and two loses in the group phase saw the girls into the Cup Final where another close match with hosts Repton HC saw the girls win the silver. Emily B top scored for HC Knole Park with five goals.
In the indoor tournament the girls won four of their matches and drew twice against Repton HC and City of York HC respectively. Once again the girls qualified for the final which would be played against Repton HC. The girls produce the performance of the weekend to run out 4-0 winners! Mali top scored for KP with six goals.
In match one the girls played Belper HC from Derby. The game started well as Liliya burst through from defence to give Bea the easiest of tap-ins to open the scoring. 1-0. Belper equalised at the start of the second half, but two goals from Emily B, including a very special 1v1, and a banger from Mali meant the match finished 4-1.
In match two the girls played the hosts Repton HC. In a really competitive match the girls were superb. Emily scored a great strike from a penalty corner, however Repton equalised almost immediately. The second half was very close once again. Repton took the lead, however Liliya dribbled through to equalise before Repton then scored at the end to make it 2-3 to Repton – a great game!
In match three of day one the girls played Sheffield HC. In a one sided match the girls just couldn’t find the net. A well taken breakaway goal from Sheffield saw the girls lose for the second time in the day. 0-1 it finished.
----
With three good performances already in the bag the girls were focused and keen to replicate their performances and to score some more goals! Against Ben Rhydding HC from West Yorkshire the girls did exactly that!
In match four, first Liliya dribbled through to set-up Annabel. Liliya was once again the supplier, this time for Emily to tap home from an acute angle after the goalkeeper had saved her first shot. Liliya made it a hat-trick of assists as she brought the ball up from defence to set-up Emily to score her second of the match. The second half was more competitive, but Bea stole the show with a super backhand strike into the bottom corner! 4-1 to KP.
In the final group match the girls faced City of York HC. In a very close match the superb goalkeeping from Lilian, the tenacious defence of Darcy and Farrah and the girls new found goal-scoring was the difference. Mali smashed in a penalty corner to make it 1-0, before Emily stole the ball in midfield and passed the ball to Elisa to coolly slot home – 2-0 and the girls had qualified for the final!
On to the Final and a rematch with Repton HC. In another very close match the girls played very well. Repton took a first half lead with a penalty corner strike. They double their lead early in the second half after a rebound fell to the unmarked striker in front of goal. Mali halved the deficit with minutes left to play, which gave the girls renewed hope, but despite the girls best efforts that’s how the match finished. A well-earned silver medal that the girls can be very proud of. Well done to Repton who were excellent in all our matches!
The Indoor Tournament followed a similar structure with everyone playing everyone over the two days.
In match one the girls played Belper HC. A smart finish from Annabel gave the girls a 1-0 lead at half-time. The second half was excellent as the girls pressed home their advantage and a penalty corner from Mali and a superb individual goal from Emily gave the girls the perfect start to the tournament: 3-0.
In match two the girls stormed into a 4-0 lead against Ben Rhydding HC. Goals from Mali (2), Annabel and Farrah were fantastically well-taken. The second half was a little stickier as Ben Rhydding raised their performance and scored to make the final score 4-1.
In match three the girls drew 1-1 with Repton HC. Some good play and finish from Repton saw the girls go 0-1 down. However Elisa pulled a goal back just before the end of the match to make it 1-1. Lilian in goal was once again busy, as was the Repton goal as Emily hit both posts on two separate occasions! A super match!
In match four the girls were able to avenge their outdoor defeat to Sheffield with a great 3-1 win. Goals from Emily, Annabel and Georgie sealed the victory! The Sheffield goalkeeper once again proved to be an excellent shot stopper!
In match five City of York were the same stern test as they had been outdoors. In a very even match City of York took the lead – 0-1. Chances came and went for both sides and it wasn’t until the final whistle that the girls managed to rescue a 1-1 draw to book their place in the final. Mali’s penalty corner skills once again came into good use as she flicked the ball into the bottom corner to earn the girls a 1-1 draw and a place in the indoor final!
With the second final of the day being against Repton HC the girls were excited for another good match. Indeed the quality of the two sides were reflected in the quality of the four matches between the girls. Having lost the outdoor final earlier in the day you could tell that the girls were determined not to let another match get away from them.
In the performance of the weekend the girls were superb! Liliya was re-energised and ready for action and it was her tackling and assists that gave the girls a great platform to play from. First Liliya put in Georgie who finished well. Then Emily picked up a loose ball in the D to make it 2-0 at half-time. The second half was more of the same as Mali scored twice. Once from a Liliya assist and the other from a penalty corner. Cue scenes of celebrations as the girls were over the moon! After a tough fixture-less season, this was the perfect way to end a great weekend!
Thank you to Repton School and Repton HC for being such great hosts throughout the weekend. We look forward to playing you over the next few years!
*The Repton Cup is an invitational tournament held annually in Repton School, Derbyshire. Teams are invited from across England for the two-day U12 tournament and four-day U14 tournament.
