Over the weekend the hockey season began and various sides from HC Knole Park were in fine form as they registered their first wins of the season. The Women’s 1st and 2nd teams both won comfortably, and the U14A, U16A and U18A Girls were all successful too. On the men’s side it was narrow defeats for both the Men’s 1st team and U16A Boys in two very competitive matches.
In the U18A Girls first match they ran out 6-1 winners beating Epsom HC. After losing last season this was always going to be a tough opening fixture, however captain Amelie Allen was in superb form as she netted four goals. Polly Brownlow scored the opener and Celia Foster added the sixth for a brilliant 6-1 win.
The U16A Girls were also in great form beating Sevenoaks HC 7-1. The girls were superb from start to finish and played some outstanding hockey. The goals came from a hat-trick from Summer Knight-Thompson, a brace from Biba Mills, and singles from Evie Smith and Boadicea Cannon.
The U14A Girls hosted Old Georgians and it was Emily Bingham who inspired the girls to victory. Two excellent finishes in the first half gave the girls a 2-0 lead at the break. Mali Nicholls then scored a second half hat-trick and Bea Foster netted to make the final score 6-2.
The U16A Boys took on Canterbury HC. In a brilliant game of junior hockey, it was Canterbury’s counter attack that once again caught the boys out as they lost 0-1. Despite the defeat, the boys are definitely getting closer to their rivals and look forward to the rematch later this season.
In the adults section all three sides had been promoted so it was unpredictable as to what would happen. In the Women’s 1st team, it was a brilliant 9-0 win! Evie Smith scored the first goal of the season as she roofed a backhand into the goal. Summer Knight-Thompson doubled the lead, before Charlotte Watkins fired in a rocket of a drag-flick to make it 3-0. Josefina Hippe and Mackenzie Ward both scored before half-time for a 5-0 lead. The second half was more of the same as Hippe scored from the spot, before Talya Harvey netted after good work from Smith. Amelie Allen and Smith completed the scoring for an opening day 9-0 win!
The Women’s 2nd’s beat Burnt Ash 12-0. Mali Nicholls and Farrah Hilden both scored hat-tricks, Emily Bingham and Evie Whitehead got two each, and Cara Gould and Lucie Jones singles in the win.
In the Men’s 1s team, the team got off to a good start as an Isaac Dale double got the team 2-0 ahead. However, a series of lapses in defence meant that Tunbridge Wells took a 3-2 lead into half-time. A super finish from Louis van den Rijse soon after half-time brought things back to 3-3, but again two sloppy goals meant the men had to succumb to an opening day 3-5 defeat.
Next weekend, the Men’s 1’s host Sittingbourne 3rd’s, whilst the Women’s 1’s travel to Beckenham to face New Beccehamians 1’s. The Women’s 2’s have received a walkover from Cliftonville 2’s. In the junior section the U10 and U12 Boys and Girls season’s start with their first matches.
