MINEHEAD Ladies travelled to Barnstaple to play against North Devon 2s in their final game of the season on Saturday.

It was a hot day and with no subs Minehead braced themselves for a busy and challenging game.

The match began promisingly for Minehead, who applied early pressure and earned several short corners.

Their efforts paid off when Kate deftly tapped an overhead ball into the net, giving Minehead an early lead.

However, North Devon 2s responded strongly, initiating a period of end-to-end action.

North Devon were awarded a penalty flick, which they converted despite Jan’s best efforts in goal.

North Devon then capitalised on some lapses in Minehead's defence, scoring a second goal to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.

The half time break provided a crucial opportunity for the depleted Minehead side to regroup.

Captain Amy delivered a motivating pep talk, inspiring the team to return to the pitch with renewed vigour.

The second half mirrored the first, with both teams engaging in a fiercely contested battle.

A beautiful passage of play, involving a slick link-up between Amy and Hannah, culminated in Zoey slotting home the equalizer, bringing the score to 2-2.

The final stages of the match saw a flurry of short corners, but neither team could find a decisive goal, resulting in the game finishing in a 2-2 draw which was the fair result on the balance of play.

This result secured Minehead an 8th place finish in their first season following promotion, a commendable achievement in a new and competitive league.

Minehead Team: Jan (GK), Sue, Tracey, Charlotte, Jess, Amy (C), Sarah, Kate, Elsie, Zoey, Hannah.

Minehead Ladies Hockey Club will be hosting a club day on Saturday, 29th March, open to players and spectators of all ages and abilities.

MINEHEAD First XI hosted Yeovil and Sherborne 2nds last weekend and secured their second place spot in the league with a convincing 5-1 win to see them sitting three points behind leaders Tiverton.

And with only two matches left in the campaign there is still the chance to win top spot and promotion.

Goals from Luke Barker, Nick Jones, Josh Hooper, Lawrence Taylor and skipper James Weetch saw them through comfortably.

The Second XI visited second-bottom placed ECVH at Cullompton, and played another seventy minutes of controlled hockey to see a one-sided performance result in a good 3-1 win with goals for Pete Cole and two for John Clegg.

Both teams played hard and in the kind of sporting competitive spirit that Minehead are known to favour, emphasising fun over win at all costs, ably umpired by Cullompton’s officials who kept good control throughout the match.

The seconds now sit safely in 9th position and safe form the drop this year.

The Third XI side hosted North Somerset 2nds, and were on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat.

With two matches remaining they need to win at least one to stay in the safe zone of the league.

This Saturday, 29th March sees the firsts visit Taunton Vale 4ths, the seconds host high flyers Bridgwater 2nds, and the thirds open proceedings with their last home game of the season against South Gloucestershire starting at 12 noon.