Yate hockey-round up by Diana Pugh-Hudson

All Yate ladies teams were at home last Super Saturday.

Yate Ladies 1st team welcomed City of Gloucester 2 in the mid-afternoon sun on Saturday.

There was a strong first half for the home side, Zoe Vale scoring early from a penalty corner - that's now 4 weeks in a row!

Glos re-grouped in the 2nd half and fought back. Yate held on and went two up with superb deflection from Millie Vale-Webb. Unfortunately, Yate couldn't keep a clean sheet as the visitors scored soon after, which led to a nervy end. Yate held on, however, for another 2-1 win and another 3 points.

Sophie McLain was the well-deserved Player of the Match.

Yate Men's 1s didn't manage the result they were hoping for, losing 5-2 away at University of Bristol 3. Dom Chambers and birthday boy Matt Child scored Yate's goals.

Yate Ladies 2s kicked off super Saturday with a fixture against the newly relegated Bristol and West Jaspers 1s.

Yate started strongly and created some good chances, but were unlucky not to convert these into goals, Darcy Sullivan's deflected effort being one of these.

Yate found themselves increasing gly defending in the second half and eventually the visitors scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the match. So an unfortunate 2-0 loss despite hard battling from the whole Yate team. A strong defensive performance from Di Pugh-Hudson and fantastic play in midfield from Saoirse MacDonald saw them win a well-deserved joint player of the match.

Men's 2s Newly promoted Yate Men's 2s started their match against Old Bs 4s with some nervousness, as each game represents a step into the unknown. This resulted in some wayward passes and missed scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. However, the team quickly demonstrated its comradeship and with supportive comments being made on the pitch Yate settled into the game.

Nerves were finally settled by Martin Morrissey who showed off some Gaelic magic, spinning at the top of the D to smash in the opening goal (with a little deflected help from an opponent’s shin). This was quickly followed up with a goal from Captain Chris, who reminded the team how deadly he is 10cm from goal!

The second half began with a bit of end-to-end play, but the Yate defence showed its many years of experience to prevent Old Bristolians from scoring.

This set the platform for player of the match Martin ‘Parrot’ Ashley to show off some dazzling stick skills. The squawking forward mesmerised the opposition with a dribble at the top of the D before unleashing an unstoppable shot. Ashley then limped off the pitch, but was he finished?… oh no this parrot wasn’t pining for the fjords, back he came to score his second goal just after Morrissey had also bagged his second. Final score 5-0 to Yate.

Yate Ladies 3s opened the scoring against Wick 2 within the first two minutes of the match, with a goal from Sharron Bates. A great start which gave Yate confidence.

The score remained the same until after the half time break when Bates put Yate further ahead. Wick then found the net and came one back.

Yate did not allow Wick to get back into the game and when Alexandra Bessex took the ball to the back line, Angela Turner received the pass and slotted the ball into the net for Yate's third.

Wick were not prepared to give up and scored again but Yate finally sealed the win when the ball was again taken to the back line and passed to Bessex, who found the net for Yate's fourth.

Player of the match votes went to a good spread of players, but the award went to Carly Bryan for a strong defensive performance throughout the match.

Other strong performances came from goalkeeper Nikki Ashley and defenders Emma Smith and Jeanette Seaville.

At this early stage in the season, Yate are top of the league but with lots of tough matches to follow, none of the team take this position lightly.

Yate Mens 3 came up against a very experienced Old Bristolians 6's team on Saturday. Yate played some great hockey and showed once again signs they are gelling into a quality team .

There were some fantastic performances from the younger players , Matt HH especially with his runs, and Che and Zac battling constantly on the left and never looking put off by the size of the opposition.

Yate's midfield was a strong presence again and Simon did some great runs up front and was unlucky not to score. However, the home side emerged victorious 7-0.

Yate 4’s 5 - 0 Westberries 6’s Bringing the First Ladies Super Saturday to a close were Yate Ladies 4’s, when they hosted Westberries 6.

Yate opened the scoring after 23 minutes with Heidi B slotting it straight past the Westberries keeper after some great movement down the pitch. Chloe T then got her first goal 2 minutes later. The Yate defence was tested at a couple of penalty corners, well defended by LG. Then just before the whistle for half time Olivia M chipped the ball over the line to put Yate 3-0 up.

Yate started the second half with the same vigour and determination, new member Caroline MacDonald showing great determination linking up with daughter Saoirse MacDonald and creating some great movement. Westberries had a couple of chances, showing great resilience in the D, but the ball was cleared calmly by Yate defence Nikki Ashley. There were chances at both ends but unfortunately for Westberries there were a couple of own goals as a result of Yate's relentless attack on goal. Thus the game ended 5-0 to Yate to reward the cheering supporters.

POM votes were spread across the team but the deserved overall winner was Caroline MacDonald after a great debut league performance.

On Sunday Yate sent a ladies team to the Avon 0ver 40s Tournament at Clifton college Sports Ground.

Each match was fast paced and the 'experience' of the players was evident.

Yate won three and lost two matches, with some lovely hockey and equally lovely goals scored by Angela Turner, Sharron Bates, Ruth Belcher (2), Nicola Bruce and Alexandra Bessex. A mix-up with the timings caused Yate to unfortunately concede a goal from a penalty corner and ultimately lose the game to the eventual winners of the tournament. Despite this, Yate had an enjoyable day of hockey and socialising and finished third.

Special thanks go to all the umpires who make it possible to play, including Mike Chaney who stepped in last minute.

If you are interested in playing hockey, Yate welcomes players of all ages and abilities. Visit Yate hockey.com to find out more.