Three U13 teams enjoy an afternoon of hockey in Lancashire Tournament

PUBLISHED 06 February 2024

The big AKS U13 squad enjoyed a great afternoon of hockey as three teams played in the Lancashire U13 Tournament.

The A team started the tournament well against Lytham going ahead early in the game when Isla C found the net after good driving run by Olivia W. A hat-trick from Olivia before the break saw the team go in to half time 4-0 ahead. The second half saw Lytham defend more resolutely but a goal from Camilla W sealed the win and the first points on the board. The second game was a closer affair against Kirkham but AKS dominated play with Olivia W and Camilla W a constant threat but we could not find the net. Kirkham had chances of their own but good defending from Lauren M and Emiley F and some great saves from Jenay G kept the scores level and at half time the teams could not be separated. The second half went the way of the first with AKS attacking at pace only to see their shots fly wide of the goal and it was Kirkham who found the net half way through the half. AKS continued to push for an equaliser but time ran out and at the final whistle the score remained 1-0 to Kirkham. The final game against Westholme saw AKS back to their clinical best and playing their best hockey of the tournament. Camilla W opened the scoring early on and this boosted confidence and the team started to play a more passing game . Another Olivia W hat-trick saw the lead stretch to 4-0 and with Camilla also more clinical in front of goal the final score was 5-0 and so the team finished as runners up.

With a big U13 Squad AKS fielded two teams in the B team tournament and all the girls played some great hockey and improved with every game. The B team started with a close game against Lytham High. AKS went ahead in the first half through a goal from Elsie T and then great defending from Annie L thwarted the Lytham attacks in the second half to get their first points on the board with a 1-0 win. The AKS C team had a nervous start to their first tournament playing against Kirkham B team who capitalised on this to score several goals in the first minutes of the gam . AKS did improve as the game went on but by the final whistle Kirkham had scored more goals to seal their win. The second B team game was against Kirkham B it was just as close with the teams being separated by one goal. Kirkham started the better of the two teams but again some great defending and some good saves from Kathryn S in goal kept the scores level going in to half time. After the break Kirkham’s pressure told and they found the net to take a 1-0 lead. AKS continued to work hard and attack down the right but a strong Kirkham defence kept them at bay and the score remained the same at the final whistle. AKS C team faced Lytham B in their second game and a much improved performance saw the team start to pass more accurately and mark players more effectively to limit the Lytham scoring but again they came out on the losing side. The final game of the tournament saw the AKS B team face the AKS C team and it was the C team, who had improved game on game and grown in confidence, who took the spoils with a 5-2 victory. The C team passed the ball well and Casey McC was a constant threat up front and got her first goals of the tournament.

Overall a superb afternoon of hockey enjoyed by a large number of the girls which saw many grow in confidence and improve their skills and they now look forward to the remaining matches of the season