The events leading up to The Pride’s game were far from ideal. The weather was biblically poor, forcing delays in the start of the match due to waterlogged pitches. The game would have been cancelled had it not been for the fact that the opposition were already inbound from the third world of Wales and demanded that the fixture not be postponed. It was the business-end of the term, with exams looming and deadlines on the horizon, but that didn’t seem to distract any of the players from putting in a scintillating performance. The hockey could only be described fluid. The ball was being spread to very corner of the pitch, with everyone (bar Zaki) getting a touch. The passing was simple yet affective, and Lancaster held the ball for large spells of the first half. The jet-lagged opposition were easily dismantled with some quick-fire goals from The Pride, giving the home team a comfortable 5-0 lead at halftime. Gale had made it clear to the opposition that she had a zero-tolerance policy on talking back, having given their captain a phat yellow card in the middle of the first half for giving her lip. The team had a great opportunity to make it 6 to the good from the P-spot, but Pugh, being the gentleman that he is, decided to show mercy, and floated the ball to the keeper at the ideal height to be batted away. The second half was much the same as the first, with Bangor looking bang average when compared to the army in red. Lancaster were in fact so in control that no one even noticed that for fifteen minutes they’d only been playing with ten men, having started the half with one too many players on the bench. Lancaster showed much of their quality in the final quarter of the pitch, dispatching the majority of chances that fell their way. The talismanic forward of Mackerel, who so happened to be celebrating his birthday on the day of the game, was gifted three glorious opportunities by the team in green, all of which he capitalised on in style, completing the hat trick with a cheeky shimmy round the keeper and shot at a tight angle. Both Cam and Matty H scored two a piece, Matt’s second goal being a Ramires-esc lift over the keeper. Rocket Rory also scored with a mega biff from the edge of the D, but was also sent off twice during the day for violence against the opposition. Tracey and King Kobe ran the defence ragged, bumping up the goal tally by a further two. 10-0 was flattering to the opposition in all honesty - their best player by far was their keeper. All in all it had been a great game by The Pride and was a good way to finish the term. It had definitely been an up and down term for the threes, with a handful of disappointing results cancelling out a few stellar performances. Hopefully a break for Christmas will give the team time to reflect and regroup for an important second term of fixtures. Roses is now on the horizon and it is vital that the team go into the game with momentum and confidence.