BackSat 27 Sep 2025 · Division 4 South West
Letchworth 3
Women's 3rd XI
3
0
"Kate Expectations"
Annamarie Wagner
Battle scars, spiders, birthday sticks and a new Kate on the block...
Berko Ladies 3s turned out in fine force this weekend with Hetty between the posts, a back line of Katie V, Annamarie, Riggers and Kate B, midfield engines Katy H, Erin, Lauren and Sophie LG, and a front three of Abby, Maddie and debutant Katie Bunce.
The first half was a full-on defensive workout. Letchworth arrived in a sea of green and launched wave after wave of attack. We held firm for a while, with Hetty pulling off some brilliant saves and the defence throwing themselves into tackles, but by half-time we were 2–0 down. Along the way came a few battle wounds: Kate B’s forearm took a thump, Annamarie’s ear met an unfortunate ball from a short corner deflection (thank goodness for face masks), and new Katie picked up a hip injury on debut. A tough introduction to Berko hockey, but she battled on bravely!
After regrouping at half-time, we switched things up to put more legs and links into midfield. The change paid off, Abby and Maddie started to cause trouble up front, Abby firing teasing crosses into the D while Maddie and Sophie won us short corners. Midfield covered miles. Riggers was hungry for goal and joined the attackers for shorties. We didn’t quite use the right wing enough, but there was no shortage of heart and running.
Special shoutouts go to:
• Lauren, who unveiled her shiny new birthday stick and used it to brilliant effect in midfield.
• Gillian (Lauren’s mum), who heroically managed sub timekeeping in the dugout while fending off a family of resident spiders. True commitment to the cause!
• Kate & Tash, our formidable mother–daughter duo who bossed the middle of the pitch.
• And of course, Hetty, deservedly Player of the Match, for a string of outstanding saves that kept us very much in it.
And finally, the "Kate situation". With four of them on the team sheet, confusion was guaranteed. Thankfully, Vausie, Brads and Hydes came to the rescue as hockey nicknames, while new Katie has proudly kept her full name in the game. We’re delighted to welcome her into the Berko family.
So, no points this week, but plenty of positives, resilience through knocks and bruises, and some real laughs along the way. Berko 3s are on the up and next time, maybe fewer spiders, new hockey nicknames and captain Helen to build on the lessons learnt.
The first half was a full-on defensive workout. Letchworth arrived in a sea of green and launched wave after wave of attack. We held firm for a while, with Hetty pulling off some brilliant saves and the defence throwing themselves into tackles, but by half-time we were 2–0 down. Along the way came a few battle wounds: Kate B’s forearm took a thump, Annamarie’s ear met an unfortunate ball from a short corner deflection (thank goodness for face masks), and new Katie picked up a hip injury on debut. A tough introduction to Berko hockey, but she battled on bravely!
After regrouping at half-time, we switched things up to put more legs and links into midfield. The change paid off, Abby and Maddie started to cause trouble up front, Abby firing teasing crosses into the D while Maddie and Sophie won us short corners. Midfield covered miles. Riggers was hungry for goal and joined the attackers for shorties. We didn’t quite use the right wing enough, but there was no shortage of heart and running.
Special shoutouts go to:
• Lauren, who unveiled her shiny new birthday stick and used it to brilliant effect in midfield.
• Gillian (Lauren’s mum), who heroically managed sub timekeeping in the dugout while fending off a family of resident spiders. True commitment to the cause!
• Kate & Tash, our formidable mother–daughter duo who bossed the middle of the pitch.
• And of course, Hetty, deservedly Player of the Match, for a string of outstanding saves that kept us very much in it.
And finally, the "Kate situation". With four of them on the team sheet, confusion was guaranteed. Thankfully, Vausie, Brads and Hydes came to the rescue as hockey nicknames, while new Katie has proudly kept her full name in the game. We’re delighted to welcome her into the Berko family.
So, no points this week, but plenty of positives, resilience through knocks and bruises, and some real laughs along the way. Berko 3s are on the up and next time, maybe fewer spiders, new hockey nicknames and captain Helen to build on the lessons learnt.
Further reading