Hockey Fjordhus Reivers
SATURDAY saw Fjordhus Reivers Ladies 1s crowned Scottish Hockey’s Women’s National League winners.
Heading into the final weekend of the league, one point separated the Borderers and league-leaders Dundee Wanderers. Wanderers had been unbeaten all season until the final three games of the league where they dropped points by losing to Grove Menzieshill and drawing with both ESM and Stirling University.
The two draws and a loss saw the Reivers Ladies, after back-to-back wins against ESM and Grove and a 5-2 victory on Saturday against Perthshire, leapfrog the Tayside outfit on the final day. This was an exciting end to the season which has seen the Fjordhus Ladies lose only two games.
The Ladies have a few experienced old heads in the squad, but also a wealth of exciting young players coming through including U18 players Ella Mundell, Izzy Molneux, Aela Thomson, Luisa Brown, Katie Royan, Jozlin Gibson, Ellie McLaren, Maartje de Zoeten, Lily Byers and Zara Wood. This is a credit to the club player pathway which prides itself on producing home grown talent and it has been fantastic to have players
returning to the club, many of whom have returned after university.
It has been many years since the club have played in the top tier and there is excitement about the challenge that lies ahead next season.
Many thanks must go to Emma Pate and Emily Newlands who have been inspirational in driving this group forward and to the other coaches who work tirelessly in the youth section to develop players to meet the requirements of this standard of hockey. Another thank you to our long-term sponsors Fjordhus, who are invaluable in helping the club meet the overheads, and to Clubsport Ettrick and
Lauderdale, who are continuous supporters.
Fjordhus Ladies 5s v Waverley Inveresk 2s (Reivers win 2-0)
AT the other end of the club structure the young Ladies
5s, many of who are aspiring to reach the Ladies 1s in the following years, played out their penultimate league game in East Div 4. It has been an exciting year for the younger members of the club as for many this has been their first year in senior ladies’ hockey. The game on Saturday demonstrated the progress they have made through their hard work and effort on the training ground and applying this to the 11-a-side game. They were up against much stronger and more senior players, but created some excellent ‘connected’ hockey, creating some great forward flowing hockey. Goals came in the first and third quarters from Tess Renwick and Kerris Douglas.
Head coach Janet Jack is delighted with the recent successes as the domestic league season draws to a close. Collectively in their squads, all five women’s teams and the men’s Reivers team have had highly successful seasons.
There have also been a number of individual successes, with four young players capped for their country and representing Scotland over the Easter break – Ella Mundell, Izzy Molyneux, Luisa Brown and Aela Thomson.
Some more experienced players represented Scotland at Masters, with Janet Jack and Sue Mitchell W55s winning bronze in the Indoor World Cup in April, beating the Netherlands 7-0 in their third-place play-off game.