WARRINGTON Hockey Club’s Women’s Development team braved the wintery conditions to secure the club’s first win of 2024.
As most games were cancelled due to frozen pitches, Warrington donned their leg warmers, de-iced their cars, and made the trip down the A49 to Whitchurch.
Whitchurch took an early lead but soon found themselves behind to a flurry of Warrington goals. Captain Katherine Parker’s on-target strike from a penalty corner found Frankie Dunn who was able to sweep home an equaliser. The lead for Warrington came shortly after, a slick move in midfield culminated in Louise Unsworth slaloming through the defence before finding an assured finish past the Whitchurch goalkeeper.
A third goal was added before halftime, Parker grabbing her second assist of the day with another effort which was deflected home thanks to great positioning by Daniella Sutton who was delighted to add her name to the scoresheet.
The second half started like a mirror image from the first with Whitchurch grabbing the first goal and adding some pressure to the Warrington defence. Dunn then scored her second of the game in what was a carbon copy of her first, capitalising on a loose ball following an attempt on goal from Parker. The final goal of the game went to Kara Doyle who finished a fluid passing move with a composed finish past the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.
The 5-2 win was an amazing way to start the New Year for the Development squad with every player putting in a fantastic performance. One of the Junior players, Aditi, put in an excellent performance at centre back facing off against much more experienced players and coming out on top.
Warrington Men’s sides and the women’s 1st team will be back in action next week if weather conditions allow.
