Winscombe ladies defeated Cheddar to retain the Kirkup Memorial Trophy.

Winscombe Ladies 3

Cheddar Ladies 1

WINSCOMBE ladies opened the new season with their traditional annual club day which involved player trials, Vixens match and an impressive win for their first team over Cheddar as Winscombe retained the Kirkup Memorial Trophy.

The day began with selection trial matches with mixed third and fourth team players, followed by a Vixens match between Winscombe and Cheddar.

Vixens is a team of junior players (Under-12s) with four senior players. It was the first time that some of the juniors had the opportunity to play a proper match on a full-sized hockey pitch.

All the youngsters coped well and showed some good skills on the ball. Both clubs can be proud of the pool of talent that they are developing, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw.

A record number of players, parents and supporters from both clubs looked on as the day culminated in a final match between the first teams, as they competed for the Kirkcup Memorial Trophy.

It was a closely fought match, with quality hockey being played by both teams. Exciting, end-to-end hockey saw Winscombe take an early lead. Cheddar fought back hard, but sustained pressure on the Cheddar goal soon resulted in two more goals for the home team.

Cheddar pulled a goal back in the last few minutes of the match, but it was Winscombe who ran out the winners as they retained the trophy, which was presented by Brian Kirkup.

Winscombe has four league teams and a thriving junior section. New players are always welcome. The club trains on a Thursday evenings and offers two free taster sessions to new players.

Find out more at www.pitchero.com/clubs/winscombeladieshockeyclub