Ladies 1s see off local rivals

It was the home team who started the game well, having a firm hold of the possession and playing with a high intensity from the off. Despite being camped in the Sonning half for most of the first period, Henley struggled to get a clear sight of goal and the game fizzled out towards half time following a head injury to one of the opposition.

In the second half, Sonning started to get more of a grip on the game and had chances of their own, but halfway through the half Georgie Metcalfe found Sophie Hoskins in the middle of the D, whose touch allowed her to then slot the ball into the bottom corner for her first goal of the season. Sonning didn’t let this affect them and they hit back immediately, going straight down the other end and winning a short corner. From this, a shot from the top of the D proved too powerful for the Henley defence to stop and Sonning were back in the game. The match may well have completely swung in Sonning’s favour had it not been for some outstanding saves from the Henley goalkeeper Hannah Lavis

The hosts cranked up the pressure and a goalmouth scramble which saw the ball roll across the Sonning goal line left Henley contemplating whether it would be their day. However, with 10 minutes to go, the Henley pressure finally paid off. A short corner was controlled at the top of the D by Hoskins, and Rachel Herbert hit a strong shot that deflected up in the air, only for the Sonning goalkeeper to tip up and over her defenders on the line. The last moments of the game were played mostly in Henley’s 23, but the strong defence held off one last wave of attack to cling on for an overall deserved victory. This game now sets up a hotly anticipated fixture next week against top of the table Marlow, which the Henley ladies can certainly go into knowing they are fully capable of winning.

Man of the match was Sophie Hoskins.