On a bitterly cold Autumn afternoon on the Bournbrook pitches, Birmingham lay hosts to rivals Durham in what promised to be a tasty fixture. The Birmingham girls know that on their day they are simply in a league of their own and they oozed class and confidence throughout the seventy minutes, as one would expect of the reigning BUCS champions. After a feisty encounter, Birmingham ran out eventual 3-0 victors.
The score-line somewhat flatters Birmingham who although looking the better team for most of the game were made to work very hard by a resolute Durham side who showed at times some real quality. Birmingham attacked the Durham goal from the outset and their positive play was rewarded with the opening goal of the game after just two minutes, when the ball broke to the onrushing striker, who fired past the onrushing keeper, before wheeling away in celebration.
The rest of the first half played out as a midfield scrap as both sides failed to breakdown the opposing defence. Livy Paige impressively broke up any promising breaks Durham could muster, while also controlling the pace of the game with a relative ease.
As legs began to tire in the second half and the game opened up, Birmingham’s tricky players got to stretch their legs, with Hannah Martin proved devastatingly effective on the left flank. Her quick hands and mesmerising stick movement drew a number of fouls from the increasingly frustrated Durham backline. This proved costly as the referee, seemingly fed up with all the infringements, produced a handful of yellow and green cards.
Birmingham effectively went about their business against a team that played the majority of the second half a player light and found the net twice more before the final whistle. Durham will take heart from their performance but their lack of discipline will be of immediate concern.
Ultimately Birmingham’s class shone through against a tough Durham team who fought for every ball. Birmingham will be gunning to retain their BUCS title and few would bet against them doing so.
1st XI Womens Hockey vs University of Durham by Burnfm_Sport on Mixcloud
Sam Bernard
