Winscombe ladies 1st XI enjoyed a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Taunton Vale.

WINSCOMBE LADIES 1st XI 2

TAUNTON VALE LADIES 2nd XI 0

WINSCOMBE recorded an excellent victory over Taunton Vale with goals by Gabby Richardson and Hannah Taylor.

The first-half saw Winscombe press well during the game, preventing many of Taunton’s hits from breaching the players waiting. The more attacking players, namely Sarah Holland and Kelly Clark, maintained their positioning and continued to work hard throughout the game.

Player of the match, Jade Barry, held her positioning well and provided an outlet when players found themselves in sticky situations, using great skills to her advantage.

The beginning of the second half started extremely well for Winscombe, with Richardson scoring almost immediately and soon after, Taylor scored another fantastic goal.

Taunton Vale came back strongly forcing numerous saves from joint player of the match, goalie Kate Walker. Winscombe’s defensive line, including Juju O’Sullivan, worked tirelessly to keep a clean sheet, sweeping across the defence to clear the Winscombe line.

The match ended with a fantastic 2-0 win to Winscombe after an exciting game, played at a great tempo and with many chances for each team and stalwart defending by both sides.

The John Hodge Solicitors’ joint players of the match were Jade Barry and Kate Walker.

Taunton Vale Ladies IV XI 2

Winscombe Ladies 2nd XI 1

IN difficult weather conditions and being under pressure from the start, the seconds had to battle from the off.

The back line of Charlie Phillips, Jo Horwood, Lucy James and Georgie Savage quickly found a good rhythm and kept Taunton out for sustained periods of play, while keeper Vicki Pagett stood strong and was only beaten by quick break.

Midfielders Chloe Brown and Hannah Hussey worked well together and often found Trudie Lynham in good space in the attacking D.

Winscombe stepped up the pressure in the second half with Chantelle Miell and Amy Knapman making space for Imogen Marsh and Alice Sloman to attack the ball with conviction.

Taunton scored another, but with a player of the match performance, Phillips lifted the midfield who all worked together to pressurise the Vale defence. From a resulting short corner, Lynham calmly slotted home to bring Winscombe back into the game.

The back line stood strong and with some clearances from Pagett and Savage, the weather worsened and Winscombe ran out of ideas.

John Hodge Solicitor’s player of the match was Charlie Phillips.

Winscombe Ladies 3rd XI 1

Frome Ladies 3rd XI 0

THIS mid-table clash saw Winscombe thirds net a significant win to leapfrog Frome and go fourth in the table.

With the ball travelling from end to end, Winscombe stand-in keeper Heather Batchelor was called upon to make some critical early saves as the first-half finished goal-less.

It was a different Winscombe team that took to the pitch in the second half, with Sarah Kempster leading the way with a player of the match display.

One such move from Kempster found Whitehead, who passed onto Emma Caney. Caney showed great skill and composure to find Becky Mathews in the D, who won a penalty corner.

A super injection by Jo Hann saw Matthews crack home the first and only goal of the match. Katie Bowskill, Rachel Wallace, Katie Semple, Molly Roberts and Helen Sinclair battled tirelessly, while Jo Sawtell defended strongly.

The John Hodge Solicitors’ Player of the Match was Sarah Kempster.