Petroc division one

Okehampton 7,

Dartmouth ladies were back in action on Saturday to get their league fixture under way with the worst possible start.

Straight from the pushback Okes were one goal to the good with just seconds on the clock.

Usually that would stir Darts into action, but stunned by the quick start, Okes pounced again with goal number two. Dart­mouth then got their hockey heads on and started to play some mouth-watering hockey.

Becca Squires and Mandy Servan dominated the mid left and left wing positions, with Alisha Wadeson, making her left defence starting debut this season, along with Phoebe Eyon–Lewis and Freya Bradley.

Lisa Hunt, Chelsea Rendle and Jamie Ren­dle kept the right flank tight with Jo Rendle and Hannah Pillar being run ragged in the centre.

With Dartmouth now pushing for gaols Oaks hit Darts on the counter and were awarded a flick penalty, Ellie Malley stepping up to the mark and thwarting that effort.

Dartmouth were not perturbed and Mandy Servan got the score back to 2-1 before the half-time whistle with a good pass from Jamie Rendle to Lucy Pillar.

Pillar glided the ball into Mandy’s path and Mandy slotted the ball past the Oaks ‘keeper.

With the half-time team talk over, Dart­mouth rolled their sleeves up and gave it their best shot.

However, Okehamp­ton struck again with 10 minutes of the second half gone to make it 3-1, before Dart­mouth hit straight back with a well-worked goal.

This time Mandy Servan provided Lucy Pillar with a golden opportunity to keep the score to a single goal, with Lucy pouncing on the helpless Oaks ‘keeper.

Dartmouth decided to ring in the changes, giving the younger members of the club a chance to shine.

On came Freya Bradley for Lisa Hunt, Phoebe Eyon-Lewis for Lucy Pillar, Elisha Wadeson for Sarah Barrett, Lauren Rogers for Jamie Rendle and Julie Pillar for Chelsea Rendle.

Okehampton seized their opportunity and pounced, getting a goal shortly after the chan­ges to take the score to 4-2. Okehamp­ton continued to pile the pressure on and made it 5-2 with 10 minutes to go.

Sarah Barrett came back on and Okes made it 6-2, but only the honesty of Barrett gave Oaks the goal.

The ball came in to Dart’s D and it looked like Barrett had saved the ball on the line, but she held her hands up and told the umpire it had just crossed the line.

On the stroke of full time Okes scored again. If it wasn’t for the cat like reactions of Ellie Malley, the score could have been more than the seven Oaks scored. Ellie picking up player of the match for her heroics.

Other players should be mentioned for their hard-working shifts; Hannah Pillar didn’t stop running the whole of the match and Becca Squires played out of her skin, making the left mid position hers and linking up with Mandy Servan like they’ve been playing in that position for years.

Wayne Duffy, a local Dartmouth builder, kindly sponsored the match.

Dartmouth are in action again on Satur­day morning, with a 9.30am push back at Kingsbridge Commu­nity College.