Henley Women’s 2s travelled away to face Banbury 1s, who were sitting third in the league table - a well-drilled, physical side, Henley can be pleased to come away with a hard-earned point.

Despite their league position, it was Henley who started fast, taking the game to Banbury. Passing play leading to attacking threats, however it was Banbury who took the lead in the first half when their skilful centre midfielder weaved her way past several Henley players from inside Henley’s 25-yard area, dribbled into the D and calmly slotted the ball home.

Banbury continued to apply pressure and created plenty of opportunities, but fortunately for Henley, several shots went narrowly wide of the posts. Keeper, Georgie Grocock, was kept busy throughout the game, producing numerous excellent saves to keep Banbury at bay and prevent the scoreline from becoming a much more difficult challenge for Henley and enabling them to find an equaliser around the 45-minute mark.

Amelie Bayfield drove down the right-hand side and took a shot at the goalkeeper. The rebound fell back to Amelie, who showed great awareness to pass the ball to Chloe Lyons. Finding space by stepping onto her back foot, Chloe finished superbly into the bottom-left corner.

With end to end play, it was Banbury who regained the lead through a short corner. Their first attempt was stopped after a player broke the line early, resulting in the injector being sent back to halfway. However, they made their second short corner count, converting to put themselves ahead once again.

Henley however refused to give up and continued to battle against their physical and organised opposition. With just six minutes remaining, defender, Rachel Herbert, played the ball quickly out from the back to Hayley Munt in midfield, who found Amelie Bayfield in the centre of the pitch. Amelie once again drove down the right-hand side, using her pace. Clearing the defender, she passed the ball to Lyons in the D. Chloe once again found the bottom-left corner, completing her brace and securing a valuable equaliser for Henley.

Overall, this was a pleasing performance from Henley Women’s 2s who showed character, determination and attacking quality to earn a 2–2 draw away from home. A great team effort and a valuable point for Henley!

A special mention goes to Aglae Jean Jean (cousin of Lucy, Emma and Charlotte), who has been playing for Henley since September. This was her last match for Henley as she returns to her homeland after her English adventure. We would like to thank Aglae for being part of the Henley squad and for her contribution to the teams during her time with us. As she returns to France, we wish her all the very best with her hockey and future endeavours.

Merci, Aglae, and all the best from everyone at Henley!