On Sunday the charity organisation H4H brought together 20 of their female players from across the country, to partake in a series of games to test the endurance of their squad. Bromsgrove arrived on the afternoon for the last match of the day, with a team of 11 female players picked from across Bromsgrove’s 5 ladies teams, including an Under 16 Goal Keeper, plus a mix of players from ages 14 to 44.
Bromsgrove Captain Dawn Tomlinson said, “We showed up to the school not sure what kind of opposition awaited us and were totally awe-struck by the line-up, which included the current captain for Scotland Nikki Alexander-Lloyd, as well as ex-GB player Melanie Clewlow.
“We knew it was set to be a tough game, but also a great opportunity for our players to share the pitch with these outstanding women, as well as contribute towards a great cause. I was proud of every one of our players who all came away smiling, in spite of our loss.”
The match was played as four 15-minute quarters. Despite being 3-nil down in the 1st quarter, Bromsgrove defence prevented any more goals in the 2nd quarter and came out charging in the 3rd with exceptional forward play by Charlotte Twedell and Ria Ratansi, but they were unfortunately thwarted in their scoring attempts. For a February afternoon, it was surprisingly sunny and the 16⁰C heat became an added challenge for the players. H4H benefitted from extra substitutions and bounded back over the final quarter with skilful goals, to finish 10-nil up.
H4H CEO Joel Forrester commented, “Bromsgrove were a highly-spirited opposition and our ladies were really impressed by the tenacity of their players in the face of a more advanced opposition. After the game, we presented special awards to their youngest player Ria for her determination on the pitch, and also to Bromsgrove’s GK Lola Bryant for doing a remarkable job having kept out more goals than were let in.”
Bromsgrove Hockey Club hopes to host both Men’s and Ladies H4H squads again at their home-ground later this summer in a special Hockey Weekender. Follow @BromsgroveHC on Facebook for more information and how to get involved.
You can also head straight to @HockeyForHeroes to follow the charity’s next big challenge, ‘Operation Olympus’. They’ll be climbing to 17,600 feet on the Annapurna Range in Nepal and attempting a Guinness World Record for the ‘Highest altitude game of hockey’. You can send donations to help them reach their £10k fundraising target to justgiving.com/hockey-for-heroes.