Ystrad Mynach - 0

Abergavenny - 5

ABERGAVENNY Hockey Club's U15 girls team recently played Ystrad Mynach and showed they are a true force to be reckoned with.

The two sides were well matched, with the home Sue Noake team looking very well organised, but with Alannah Williams relishing her position of a pivotal centre midfield role, she could start to move the ball away from the busy central area of the pitch.

Williams, together with teammates Natasha Morgan and Meg Smith alongside her, took great effort to move the ball wide, in particular finding Sian Phillips on the right on numerous occasions.

Phillips could then thread her way around her opposite defender and deliver great powerful crosses in. Nia Johns and Megan Nicholls playing up front for Abergavenny, were thriving on such service and a number of chances were created.

Rebecca Hoyle and Ellen Johns playing in their regular positions at the back, found themselves

involved in the game a lot. Having confidence in their own, and their team-mates, ability, they

pushed right up to snuff out any breakouts early. Superb presence of mind, saw them

look to each other to release the ball, and also move the ball laterally to wing backs Fran Cavalli, Ellie Lewis and Kayleigh Jones.

With Lizzy Griffiths and Carys Turley maintaining a great position wide out on the left it meant that the central players could look to both wide flanks, safe in the knowledge that players would be making space available for themselves.

Playing on the left wing in hockey is sometimes a tricky affair, but when you have intelligent support play coming from your wing backs, moving the ball through the text book triangles becomes a simple solution.

Hoyle and Johns commanded the central position and the speed at which they moved the ball to the wings when required, was impressive.

Aber opened their account when a pass from Hoyle to Philips saw the recipient

wrong foot the defender and drive the ball wide down the line. The power of the initial pass was matched by the incoming cross and the rasping first time strike from Nia smashed the ball into the backboard to applause from all sides.

A confident Aber applied more pressure, resulting in short corners, which

didn't quite hit the target. Still, half time arrived with the visitors two goals to the good, courtesy of a score by Meg Nicholls.

In the second half Johns (3) and Nicholls (2) made the game safe by bagging three more goals between them to nothing in way of reply from the homeside.

The U15 (years nine and 10) girls section of Abergavenny Hockey Club train at the Leisure

Centre Astroturf at 7pm on Thursdays. All newcomers, regardless of experience or ability, are

welcome to come along and give it a go.

Check out the website http://www.abergavennyhockey.co.uk">www.abergavennyhockey.co.uk for all activity at this busy club.