Petroc division one

Exe 3 2,

Dartmouth 0

If the game went on performances, Dart­mouth would have won this encounter by a country mile.

Sarah Barrett, Lucy Pillar, Ellie Malley, Mandy Servan, Jamie Rendle, Lauren Rogers, Sam Webb and Hannah Pillar all gave it everything they had but came away with nothing.

Sometimes games like this can take more than they give.

Relatively new players Ellie Langman, Charley Langman and Alice Wall did their best and gave them another game under their belts. Darcey Wall, Freya Bradley, Becca Squires and Alisha Wadeson are one game away from putting in a full league game.

Dartmouth are desperate for a training pitch and it showed last weekend.

Exe have the luxury of three pitches to play on, whereas Dartmouth have little in the way of facilities to call on.

One thing you can’t take away from Dart­mouth is their grit and determination and their will to perform.

Don’t forget Dart­mouth were playing away and they still had 15 players, with most teams happy with 12 players for an away game.

That, ladies and gents, shows how much they love this game. These ladies go out week after week, enjoy their hockey and deserve better then what they’re getting at the moment.

Dartmouth started well, defying Exe’s position in the league, with Lauren Rogers going close along with Lucy Pillar.

Ellie Malley kept Dartmouth in the game with a brilliant double save, but Exe went ahead from a breakaway goal with 20 minutes gone.

Dartmouth kept pressing for the elusive goal, but on the stroke of half time Exe scored again from another breakaway move.

Lisa Hunt made a few changes at half time, taking off Freya Bradley for Becca Squires and Alisha Wadeson for Darcey Wall.

Dartmouth started strongly again but couldn’t penetrate the stubborn Exe defence, with match going end to end.

Ellie Malley, yet again helped Dart­mouth by saving two goal-bound shots and palming away a third.

Dartmouth just couldn’t get any further than the last third into the opposition’s half, more substitutions from Lisa still couldn’t upset the opposition and the score at full time remained 2-0.

The match was kindly sponsored by Mick and Kathy Chambers, the landlord and Landlady of the Seale Arms.

Sarah Barrett received the player of the match award from a member of the public, Mr Webb.

Mr Webb said Sarah covered every inch of the astro turf and deserved a drink or two after a great performance.

Sarah was also voted player of the match alongside Sam Webb and Lauren Rogers.

Dartmouth will lick their wounds from the last two games and will hope to dish out a goal fest against Dart 2 this Saturday at Kings­bridge Community College.

Dart will be no pushover, but Dart­mouth will go out with their usual guts and determination and put on another good display of hockey.

Push back is at 12.30pm, so come and see the Dartmouth ladies in action and cheer them on.