Junior Girls Training 2011-12
Training starts week commencing 5th September and the training nights are as follows:
Wednesdays 6.00 to 7.30: Under 14 girls, beginners, and Goalkeepers for whom we are looking to appoint a specialist goalkeeper coach.
Thursdays 6.00 to 7.30: Under 16 and Under 18 girls.
For those Under 16s and 18s who are playing on a Saturday for a Ladies side then they will be able to train with their respective Ladies side on a Wednesday which is Ladies club training night. In this way the Under 16 and 18 players will get two training sessions a week.

Registration Form
Click here to download a registration form, please fill this in and bring it to the first training session. Joanne Rogers will be posting out the subs and training fees to you seperately. Please make sure you fill in both the registration form and the subs form.
I have emailed everyone I have a current email address for if you know anyone else who might be interested or that I have missed please forward this email on to them. Paula.

U12 Mini Hockey
Mini Hockey coaching sessions resume on Sunday 11th September 2011. Due to the large number of children attending last season the timings of our coaching sessions have changed slightly to ensure everyone has adequate pitch space to train.
Little Stars (School Years 1 to 3 inclusive) - 9:30 til 10:30am.
U10’s (School Years 4 & 5) – 9.30 til 11.00am
U12’s (School Years 6 & 7) – 10:30am til 12 noon
The coaching sessions on a Sunday morning are available to both boys and girls in all school years listed above. We provide hockey sticks, balls and skills tuition.
Helen Minion email: hcarterhelen@btinternet.com

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Belper Hockey Club Junior Code of Conduct and Rules
• Code of Conduct for Parents/Guardians/Spectators
• Code of Conduct for Club Officials and Volunteers
• Belper Hockey Club Equity Policy
• Safeguarding and Protecting Young People
Click here for details...

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Belper Under 18 Girls qualify for National Indoor Finals - Sunday 11 December, 2011
The Under 18 girls team successfully qualified for the national indoor finals after coming runners up in the Midlands regional competition held at Kidderminster.
This year’s competition pitched 5 of the strongest clubs in the Midlands together. Belper knew that it would be a hard task to qualify this year with no easy matches. The first game was against last year’s national champions Beeston. The game was of the highest level with both teams demonstrating great skill and control. During the first half both teams had chances from penalty corners. Nat Tipper nearly scored from a rebound following a Kathryn Lane drag flick that the keeper parried high near the post. Mid way through the 2nd half with the score still at 0-0 Beeston were awarded a controversial penalty flick following a short corner, the ball having struck the Belper captain Kim Wilson on the line but on her hand which was holding the stick not as the umpire thought her body. From the resulting penalty Charlotte Howarth in goal guessed correctly but couldn’t keep the ball out. The game continued to be tight and tactical ending with a series of penalty corners for Belper which they could not capitalise on. Now Belper knew that they had to win their next 3 games to qualify for the national finals in January.
Next up were Leicester and the girls got off to a terrible start, conceding a goal from a simple penalty corner routine. Going into the 2nd half Belper needed an early goal but try as they may it did not come. Brie Parkin and Hannah Glenn were making excellent runs up front but the Leicester defence was holding on. With only 3 minutes left the coach Andy Ible decided to switch Kathryn Lane into the centre and drop Nat Tipper into defence and this was the turning point. A fantastic run by Becky Hawkins and change of direction in the circle saw Belper awarded another penalty corner. This time after the initial shot was saved by the keeper Nat Tipper was on hand to force the ball over the line. With the score tied at 1-1 and only a minute left on the clock Kim Wilson drove down the boards on the right and fired in a low shot that beat 2 defenders and the keeper to crash into the boards and give Belper the lead. There was still time for Leicester to win a penalty corner in the final seconds but the defensive team kept them out to register what would turn out to be a vital win.
West Midlands rivals Stourport were next up knowing that another win would go a long way towards qualification. Unfortunately the match before had seen the Belper U16 boys have 3 players sent off by some harsh umpiring, finishing their match against Beeston with only 2 outfield players on the pitch. Perhaps this was still in the umpires’ minds when the girls took the pitch - we will never know. Kathryn Lane fired the girls into a first half lead from a penalty corner and early in the 2nd half hit the post following an excellent move. With the clock running down Belper appeared set for another win but from an attacking penalty corner the Stourport captain broke up field and slipped a pass eliminating Charlotte for a team mate to score making it 1-1. Shortly after Nat Tipper was sent off for a minor stick tackle and moments later Kathryn Lane was also sent off for not retreating 3 metres. So Belper were left to play the last few minutes with only 3 players. Still trying to secure a victory the girls pushed forward only to be punished again by harsh umpiring that resulted in the award of a Stourport penalty corner. Becky Hawkins got out well to the slipped pass but yet another questionable penalty corner was awarded now in overtime. With 2 players having to watch from the sideline this second penalty corner finally beat Charlotte to dash our hopes.
Thinking that we were out everyone was very down. Only after 20 minutes and a lot of venting did we all realise that we could still qualify if we could manage to win our last game against Cannock. Our outstanding performance against Beeston earlier in the day meant that we had far better goal difference than both the other teams in the running for second place.
Going into this last match both teams knew that a win would see them qualify. To add extra spice to the game one of our former players Jess Horn now plays for Cannock and we knew we had to stop her playing and scoring if we were to stand a chance. Both teams had early chances but Belper appeared on top controlling possession from the back. Mid way through the half a quick break from Cannock saw them take the lead from a goal mouth scramble. Belper needed to answer this goal quickly and they did an excellent move involving all 5 outfield players which saw Becky Hawkins skill the last defender at the top of the circle, draw the current England U18 keeper Gemma Brookes to pass for Rachel Griffiths on the left post who slotted the equaliser into the open goal. Moments later Nat Tipper drove forward from defence beating 2 Cannock players only to be body checked violently in the circle resulting in a Belper penalty flick. As Kathryn Lane stepped up to take the flick Belper supporters could hardly watch. The powerful flick beat the out stretched stick of the England keeper but went agonisingly wide of the left post. During the quick half time break Andy told both the forwards - Charlotte Middleton and Rachel Griffiths - to keep going and making the darting runs up front. Mid way through the second half yet another umpiring controversy hurt Belper. This time Kathryn Lane scored a perfectly good goal from the top of the circle only to see the awarding umpire over ruled by the other umpire who felt the ball was not shot from inside the circle. Video evidence after the game confirmed what the first umpire thought and the goal should have stood. With only a few minutes left on the clock and after a series of Belper penalty corners had been excellently defended, Nat Tipper smoothly injected to Kim Wilson who instantly executed a perfect low powerful drag flick inside the right hand post giving the keeper no chance. All Belper had to do now was hold out for the remaining minutes and run down the clock. Not easy when the umpire was intent on awarding a penalty corner to Cannock for any fouls in our half. The final action saw Charlotte Howarth make an excellent save with her foot to break Cannock hearts and win the game for the Belper girls.
Coming from behind in both the games that they won the girls qualified yet again for the national finals alongside the U16s. This performance was testament to the character as well as the fitness and skill of all the players. Special mention must go to Becky Hawkins who suffered a very nasty hand injury in the game against Stourport, being hit on the same finger she broke earlier in the season yet she insisted on playing through the pain in the final game against Cannock. Thank you to Andy Ible for coaching the girls and a huge thank you to all our supporters who kept us going right to the final whistle. Have a great winter break from hockey you have deserved it!
U18 indoor squad: Charlotte Howarth (GK), Kim Wilson (Captain), Nat Tipper, Kathryn Lane, Becky Hawkins, Rachel Griffiths, Brie Parkin, Hannah Glenn, Charlotte Middleton.

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Belper Under 16 Girls qualify for National Indoor Finals - Sunday 11 December, 2011
The Under 16 girls team successfully qualified for the national indoor finals after coming second in the Midlands regional competition held this Sunday (11th Dec) at Kidderminster.
Despite only 3 teams entering this year’s tournament Belper knew that it would be a tough competition. The opening game was against Cannock and the first half was very tight with chances at both ends. The breakthrough came 9 minutes in when Nic Hartley picked up a loose ball, drove into the circle and calmly finished with a low shot into the bottom corner. This goal seemed to settle Belper’s nerves and the team started to play a lot more fluently. Cannock were starting to struggle to clear their lines and with Maddie Wood now dominating the middle the chances flowed – Maddie scoring 5 goals in a row. The final and seventh goal being scored by Niamh Cahill on her indoor debut. It was a great team performance with all nine players contributing.
Familiar rivals Beeston were next up and having lost narrowly in the EH outdoor competition to them, this was a chance to get even. The game was played at a high intensity with both sets of defenders and goalkeepers working hard to stop the forwards scoring. It was Beeston that scored first and as they found their rhythm they went 3-0 up. With 3 minutes on the clock it looked as though the game was going to end in disappointment but Belper did not give up and a powerful drive forward from Niamh Cahill saw Beeston give away a penalty corner for bringing her down outside the circle. This set the scene for a tense finale when first Nic got one back for Belper quickly followed by Ellen Horner slotting home to score her first of the competition. 3-2 with 30 seconds to go and with Belper’s Captain Ellie Miles driving her team forward Beeston were panicking, unfortunately the hooter went before Belper could get a third. A spirited fight back from the Belper team that saw them qualify for the national finals behind Beeston.
Under 16 indoor squad: Ellie Miles (Captain), Carrie Brewell (GK), Maddie Wood, Alex Smith, Nicola Hartley, Charlotte Gale, Niamh Cahill, Ellen Horner, Elspeth Varley.

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Belper 1 – Beeston 3. Belper U18 girls give it their all in EH cup. 6th November, 2011.
Scorers: Becky Hawkins 3c
Squad: Charlotte Howarth, Sorcha Cahill, Ellie Miles, Kim Wilson, Kathryn Lane, Louise Hobbs, Nat Tipper, Maddie Wood, Becky Hawkins, Brie Parkin, Rachel Griffiths, Lucy Holmes, Hannah Glenn, Sophie Woolands.
Belper U18s took the field knowing that beating a very strong Beeston team was going to take a great team effort. The match began brightly for the girls getting the ball forward into the Beeston circle and being awarded a penalty corner. The first strike from Maddie Wood was well saved by the goalkeeper but Becky Hawkins was first to react to the rebound and lifted the ball high over the prone goalie into the net. Belper’s first attack and they were 1-0 up after only 3 minutes. Going behind seemed to shock the Beeston girls into action and they began to play some excellent hockey, pushing higher up the pitch and not allowing the Belper girls to build any passing moves in midfield. A series of penalty corners were awarded to Beeston due to the constant pressure that the Belper defence were under but Charlotte Howarth in goal was unbeatable, saving every direct strike. When Beeston tried slipping the ball, Kim Wilson was in position on the key spot to prevent any deflections and Kathryn Lane was on hand to clear off Charlotte’s pads. When the Beeston forwards did get through to the backline, Charlotte came off her line timing her sliding tackles to perfection. It seemed like only a matter of time before the pressure would result in a goal for Beeston but as half time approached the score was still 1-0. The tireless efforts of Nat Tipper in midfield led to a green card when one of her tackles was deemed illegal. On one of the rare forward moves that Belper made just before half-time, a Beeston player prevented the forward pass reaching Rachel Griffiths by using the back of her stick. Unfortunately this happened right in front of the Belper coach Wayne Madsen who enquired of the umpire why the offending player didn’t receive a yellow card. Passions were running high as the half time whistle blew.
The main point Wayne wanted to make to the girls at half time was that they had defended well and played for each other as a team, that Beeston were going to come out strong in the second half and that they needed to keep going. The defence and midfield were under incredible pressure and the forwards needed to help out. All of the high forwards - Lucy, Brie, Sophie and Hannah knew they had to drop deeper this half.
The second half continued where the first ended with Beeston on the attack with an early award of two penalty corners. The first was struck powerfully by Megan Byas just wide of the left-hand post. At the next one, Charlotte was finally beaten by the deflection towards the right hand corner only for Ellie Miles to clear the ball off the line. The game was now being played in the Belper half as Beeston became more and more anxious with the passing minutes. With ten minutes of the second half gone Charlotte pulled off the most amazing double save from a penalty corner. Having saved the first shot to her right the rebound broke kindly for a Beeston forward who struck the ball powerfully back to Charlotte’s left only for Charlotte to throw out her left foot and push the goal-bound shot wide of the post.
Finally on 48 minutes Beeston got their break through. It took a piece of inspired magic by Beeston’s best player on the day, Meg Byas who collected the ball at the top of the circle, beating two Belper defenders before firing a low reverse shot past the keeper. The relief was evident as all her team mates rushed to hug her. The chances continued to come but for a moment it looked like Belper could weather the storm. However with only 14 minutes left, Meg Byas scored a truly outstanding goal worthy of this encounter of two great teams. The ball was crossed in from the right wing to the top of the circle where she rifled in a first time shot low into the bottom right corner beyond Charlotte’s outstretched foot. Belper’s heads didn’t drop and Beeston continued to press forward. A penalty corner strike on 61 minutes hit the bottom of Louise Hobbs’ stick rebounding up painfully into her arm and falling perfectly for a Beeston forward to hit home the rebound to make the score 3-1. With time now running out the Belper players tried to push forward to get a goal back. In the final minutes Kathryn went on a forward run beating several defenders with her stick skills only to have her shot blocked. The final whistle went with the ball deep in the Beeston half.
The two teams left the field with a mutual respect for each other. Beeston deserved their win but they certainly knew that they had been made to work very hard for it. We wish them every success in this competition; they have a lot of very talented players. As Wayne gathered his Belper players around him after the match he told them they had made him proud, and that they could leave this match with their heads held high.
Many thanks to coach Wayne Madsen, umpire Jerry Sharp, and all the supporters.
Malcolm Wilson

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U14 girls make an encouraging start to full pitch, 11 a side hockey. Sunday 16th October, 2011.
Last Sunday a squad of 16 girls started the National U14s Cup competition on a sunny afternoon at Beeston. The afternoon should have been a two match affair but with one team unable to make it there was just one match to play. Before our game on the sand pitch was the other National match between Beeston & our opposition, Peterborough. As one would expect from Beeston, the standard of hockey was high, with fluent skilful play from both teams. Beeston ran out winners 2–1.
Watching some of this match gave our girls some insight into playing full pitch “adult” hockey, as opposed to 7 a side mini hockey played up to now. Equally it was quite a daunting sight, given the obvious teamwork, experience and structure of both teams. Match preparation took the form of some explanation and hopefully succinct tips for the defence, midfield and attack to enable them to compete at a level previously untried.
Our match against Peterborough started at a good pace and our Belper team quickly started to settle into a routine of good quality hockey. The play was end to end with chances for both teams. The coaching team were delighted to see the style of play on the pitch. Some really good movement of the ball around the whole pitch showed a maturity and experience over and above what had been actually coached! Despite the hot day the energy levels and commitment displayed by the girls was great and the balance of the open play started to swing in Belper’s favour. A lovely flowing move between Hannah Davey, Helena Skinner and Lucy Cooke down the right wing enabled a thumping cross to break through the Peterborough defence which was beautifully collected by Phoebe Collier who scored a lovely goal with a clean strike. 1–0 at half time.
The second half saw more substitutions which injected fresh legs and enabled the team to carry on the match at a quick pace despite the relatively high temperature. Peterborough pressurised the Belper defence who resisted well but there were a number of good shots on our goal, which were all very ably saved by Lucie Gale. Another good piece of passing hockey up the field resulted in Lucy Cooke taking a great shot to goal extending the lead to the final score of 2–0.
What a really encouraging start to 11 a side hockey. Great passion, commitment, skill, and a developing understanding of match play. Well done girls, and really look forward to 13th November for the next round matches.
Players player was voted as Phoebe Collier.
Liz, Nigel & Wayne

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U18 girls off to convincing EH cup start. West Bridgford Monarchs 0 - Belper 28. Sun 16th Oct, 2011.
Scorers: Rachel Griffiths 1f, 34f; Kathryn Lane 3f, 18f, 28f, 57f, 58f; Lucy Holmes 5f, 30f; Ellie Miles 8c, 25f, 39c; Nat Tipper 13f, 58f; Hannah Glenn 16f, 49f; Maddie Wood 21c, 31pf, 40f; Sophie Woolands 36f; Kim Wilson 43c, 51f; Becky Hawkins 52f, 56f, 68f; Louise Hobbs 47f; Yasmin Clough 65c; Brie Parkin 69f
Squad: Charlotte Howarth, Ellie Miles, Kim Wilson, Maddie Wood, Louise Hobbs, Nat Tipper, Kathryn Lane, Becky Hawkins, Brie Parkin, Rachel Griffiths, Lucy Holmes, Hannah Glenn, Yasmin Clough, Sophie Woolands.
Belper U18s began their challenge for the national title with a record breaking 28-0 victory away to West Bridgford Monarchs on Sunday in the first round of the England Hockey Cup. The previous highest score for the girls was a 15-0 win against Southwell Brincliffe back in 2008. With every one of the 13 outfield players scoring, this has to be another first for the club. Belper were always in control of the game, so much so that goalkeeper Charlotte Howarth only touched the ball once. One of the stars of the show was Kathryn Lane who netted five times. Two of her open play goals were beautifully struck reverse stick shots from the top of the circle.
Rachel Griffiths opened the scoring in the first minute with a close range effort following some clever passing from the Belper push back. Constant pressing and controlled passing and clever movement led to further goals by Lucy Holmes, Ellie Miles, Nat Tipper, and Hannah Glenn. From one of the many penalty corners being won by the forwards, Maddie Wood scored the first of her hat-trick from a slick routine. The power and pace of the Belper passing tore the home defence apart at regular intervals. Just before half time Belper were awarded a penalty flick after a mesmeric run from the halfway line by Maddie that saw her round the keeper and have her shot blocked on the goal line by a defenders foot. Maddie calmly flicked the penalty high into the roof of the net. Having opened the scoring in the first half Rachel Griffiths added another goal in the 34 minute to make the half time score 13-0.
Credit must go to the outstanding performance by the West Bridgford Monarchs goalkeeper who made a string of great saves to keep the score down. The team talk at half time stressed the need to remain focused on retaining possession, moving into space and sharp passing. The team were told to go into the second half as if the score was 0-0 again. One thing that made all the girls laugh was when Louise Hobbs asked if she might be able to go on a “cheeky run” forward as she had never scored a goal.
The second half picked up where the first ended when Sophie Woolands completed a flowing 9 pass move that encompassed 6 players to leave the West Bridgford Monarchs defence stranded. After further gaols form Ellie Miles, Maddie Wood and Kim Wilson it was time for Louise Hobbs to attack down the left get into the circle and score her cheeky goal. Becky Hawkins who has only just recovered from a broken finger now demonstrated why she is such a dangerous attacking midfielder by scoring a quick fire hat-trick. The goalkeeper was given no chance by Becky as she smashed her shots high into the roof of the net. With the score at 25-0 and with five minutes left to play the team realised that only 2 outfield players had not yet scored. So both Yasmin Clough and Brie Parkin were sent on with clear instructions to get by both the posts. Yasmin slipped the ball under the diving keeper moments later. So with 60 seconds left a superb attacking run by Kathryn Lane drew the keeper enabling her to slip a pass through to Brie on the left post so she could score the final goal.
Praise must go to the West Bridgford team who kept going for the entire 70 minutes and played with a lot of spirit and courage against a young Belper team of which 10 players went to last years National finals in Canterbury. Many thanks to coach, Wayne Madsen, umpire, Kath Holt and all the supporters.
Malcolm Wilson.

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U16 girls enjoy day in the sun! - Sunday 16th October, 2011.
Sunday saw Belper host the first round of matches in their England Hockey Under 16s regional league. It was a lovely sunny down at the Meadows and the crowd witnessed 4 competitive matches from the teams involved – Belper, Matlock, Burton, & Lichfield. The first game of the day saw Belper take on Lichfield. Belper started brightly but gradually Lichfield took control and went in at the half time break 1-0 up with Carrie Brewell making some excellent saves to keep Belper in the game. The second half saw Lichfield get a second following a goalmouth scramble only for Belper to reply with a very good individual Charlotte Gale goal beating the keeper low into the corner. Belper threatened to get a second only for Lichfield to get their third and take the game out of reach. Belper worked hard but could not quite match the power of Lichfield. Final score was 4-1 to Lichfield.
Belper’s second game was the final game of the afternoon and was against Burton. Belper started the match at a much higher intensity, keen to get something out of the day. They soon had Burton on the back foot with Abi Hithersay rampaging down the right wing and putting in some really good crosses, all it required was a Belper stick to be on the end of them. With the defence playing really well, ably marshalled by Alex Smith (captain) surely it was only a matter of time before Belper scored? The goal finally came after good work down the left, the keeper saved the first shot but Abi was on hand to put away the rebound. At the break it was 1-0 and Belper urgently needed a second goal to establish their grip on the game. It was Elspeth Varley who made the breakthrough, picking the ball up in her own half she accelerated past 4 defenders and fired home to make it 2-0. The Belper supporters could breathe more easily now as Niamh Cahill and Charlotte Gale established their dominance in midfield and the team were able to get the ball quickly into the forwards. With Abi getting away down the right the third goal saw her cross in to the circle for Charlotte Gale to slot home. With the midfield and forwards now interchanging passes at pace, Ellen Horner got the fourth and then Nicola Hartley rounded the match off with a fine finish to make it 5-0.
The next round is on 13th November and sees Belper take on Ashbourne and Beeston.
Andrew Hartley (Coach)

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Junior England international hockey experience for Belper girls
With so many girls experiencing junior international duty in the last few years it is sometimes easy to be a little blasé about Belper girls representing their country. This success has undoubtably been down to the superb Belper Hockey junior club organisation especially coach Tim Barlow and the thankless behind the scenes work of Jackie Sharp and her helpers.
Over Easter 2011, whilst Tim was with a Belper U16 Girls team in Valkenswaard, Holland (tour report on junior girls page) Anna Toman and Kathryn Lane were flying to Valencia in Spain for the four nations U16 / U18 girls hockey tournament (Spain, Holland, Germany and England).
The initial selection process had started back in summer 2010 with the England Hockey single system JRPC training sessions at Highfields, Nottingham. From these sessions players were selected for a Mercia Lynx team (approx Midlands area) to play other England regions at the Futures Cup Competition in October, 2010. From this weekend a group of approximately 40 players at each age group were initially selected for England training days/weekends and throughout Autumn and Spring 2011. These groups of players were reduced to a core of 24 players selected for the England Hockey programme summer 2011. To Anna and Kathryn’s huge credit both were selected in a squad of 18 players (at both U16 and U18 levels) to play in Spain Easter, 2011.
Thankfully, the weather on the east coast of Spain was pleasant for playing hockey (and spectators), it even rained a little, whilst back in northern Europe and especially in Valkenswaard it was unseasonably hot!
Having only arrived late on the Thursday evening the U16 girls were up against tournament favourites Holland, 10am on Friday morning. 0-0 at half-time might have lulled the England team in to thinking ‘piece of cake’ this international hockey. 0-5 at the end of seventy minutes firmly put this out of their minds!
Not long to regroup as next up on Saturday morning were hosts Spain. A 0-2 defeat but it was a much improved performance. “It was a much more controlled performance,” said Assistant Coach Kevin Johnson. “We maintained better possession and the girls achieved some of the objectives we set them. “They played with a tremendous work rate, and just need to be more clinical with our core skills.”
After conceding two early goals, England Under-16 Girls battled back in to the match against Germany on Easter Sunday, but eventually lost out 2-3 to their rivals. This result meant England played Germany again in the third/fourth play-off match on Easter Monday.
The England U6 Girls missed out on the bronze medal despite a strong performance against Germany losing 0-1 in their final match of the Four Nations Tournament in Valencia, Spain, on Easter Monday.
“The girls worked incredibly hard, but struggled to finish in the circle,” said Team Manager Jackie Sharp. “Positives to come out of this week are that they have improved a lot from their first game, and it’s given them a good introduction to international hockey.
The England U18 girls had a similar pattern of results to the U16 girls losing 1-4 to Holland, 0-1 to Spain and 1-3 to Germany in their group games before an extremely competitive bronze medal play off game against Spain finished 4-4. The result was decided on penalty flicks which the England girls frustratingly lost 1-3.
Despite these results it was a great hockey experience for these girls playing against the best hockey playing countries in Europe. The England U18 girls are now preparing for the Euro Hockey Youth Nations Championships at Utrecht, Netherlands in July with Anna Toman a key member of the England midfield.

The U16 girls continued their introduction to international hockey with two games against Scotland in Glasgow over Spring Bank Holiday 28-31 May, 2011. Squad rotation meant 8 new faces were introduced to the players who had played in Spain.
However, hockey and life itself were put in perspective with the awful news that Emma Broad who had played for England U16’s in Valencia had tragically died in her sleep the previous weekend. It was therefore a difficult week for all the girls and England Hockey coaching staff and as a mark of respect, the players observed a minute’s silence before Sunday’s first match and wore black ribbons on their shirts in memory of Emma.
In their first match, despite a majority of the pressure by England, it remained 0-0 until the first minute of the second half when the visitors opened their account. This goal lifted the England girls confidence, and thereafter played some fine hockey and scored at regular intervals to finish 4-0 winners.
On Bank Holiday Monday the England girls were up and jogging at 7.15am preparing for their 10am game at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow. Again, England were in the ascendency throughout most of the game finishing 3-0 winners. Well played England and well played Kathryn who was a steadying influence at full back.
Ian Lane

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Belper Girls represent Derbyshire at U17 JAC Midland Tournament - 15th May, 2011
A slow start to the season meant that the Derbyshire U17 Girls arrived at the Midland Tournament without a win in friendly fixtures or even scoring a goal. That didn’t seem to concern any of the players as they set off at a cracking pace to take three wins out of four in pool A. Worcs topped the pool but Derbyshire qualified for the semis as runners up and took on Warks, the winners from pool B. The girls stepped up a gear and beat Warks 1 – 0 in a tight match. There was then a lull in proceedings whilst Worcs and Notts decided the outcome of their match with flicks. Worcs emerged triumphant and so it was a rematch. It was a thrilling final with Worcs constantly pressurising the Derbyshire defence but they held firm and time and time again sent the ball back up the pitch. The one real opportunity that Derbyshire had to score was from a penalty corner and they made no mistake. A beautiful shot from the top of the D smacked into the backboard. Worcs continued to press but as the whistle blew it was 1 – 0 to Derbyshire and the girls claimed victory as Midland champions.
Eight U17 Belper girls competed at the tournament and everyone in the team, without exception, rose to the occasion. Leading by example was the Derbyshire captain Livi Rafferty who had a superb day as she guided her team with skill and confidence. It is worth noting that the 1994 birthdates in this team have won the Midland Tournament at U13, U14, and U15 and twice at U17. That is a remarkable achievement. Congratulations.
At the recent JAC presentation evening Nat Tipper received the Players’ Player award and Livi Rafferty was presented with the JAC Midland Tournament trophy and the award for Coaches’ Player of the Season.
The Belper Girls representing Derbyshire were - Rachel Griffiths, Becky Hawkins, Louise Hobbs, Ellie Miles, Cerys Parkin, Olivia Rafferty, Alex Smith and Nat Tipper.
Liz English, Manager Derbyshire U17 Girls

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Belper girls represent Derbyshire in Midlands County Tournament - 15th May, 2011
Sunday saw six Belper under 14 players represent Derbyshire at the Midlands County Tournament in Wolverhampton. The players were Nic Hartley, Niamh Vallack, Carrie Brewell, Elspeth Varley, Charlotte Gale, and Niamh Cahill. It was a very competitive tournament with 9 counties taking part. Derbyshire had high hopes of doing well as they had a strong side and the warm up games had been very encouraging. The team topped their pool in the group stage, drawing against Shropshire and Warwickshire and beating Leicestershire. The semi-final was a 1-0 win to Derbyshire. A closely contested final against Shropshire ensued with the scores level at 0-0 after normal time. Drama as the teams were still level at the end of the best of 5 penalty flicks, only for Derbyshire to lose on sudden death flicks. The Belper players acquitted themselves extremely well and were a credit to both Club and County.

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Belper Girls U14s finish creditable 3rd at Beeston 7 a-side tournament - 8th May, 2011
Belper’s U14 girls entered Beeston’s traditional end of season tournament on Sunday and finished a well deserved 3rd out of 7 teams losing only to Beeston the eventual winners in the round robin competition. The team were lucky with the weather and enjoyed a great afternoon of good competitive hockey. The opening game was against Lichfield and despite almost constant pressure from Belper, the team could only manage a 1-1 draw, Lichfield scoring from their only attack. Charlotte Gale got Belper’s equaliser saving the team’s blushes.
Rutland were the team’s next opposition and Belper cruised to a 3-0 win courtesy of 2 Charlotte Gale goals and a shot from top of the circle by Nic Hartley. The next game against Beeston proved to be of a different order with Beeston having numerous chances in the first 3 minutes but only managing to score one goal. A quick tactical reshuffle to the team saw the Belper defence start to contain the fast Beeston forwards and with Niamh Vallack outstanding, the team fought their way back into the match narrowly being denied a short corner chance as the whistle blew for full time. Result was 1-0 to Beeston.
Bowdon were next up and this game was very close – Belper seeking to avenge their Midlands finals defeat in April. Bowdon scored first and again Belper showed great character to stay in the game, a Niamh Vallack cross being put into Bowdon’s net by one of their defenders – Niamh is claiming the goal! 1-1 final score. Beeston B’s was the penultimate game and Belper got back to winning ways scoring from a Nic Hartley short corner shot. The final game saw Belper beat Peterborough 2-0 to cement 3rd place behind Bowdon and the winners Beeston. Charlotte Gale got both goals – a well taken penalty flick and for the second goal an excellent finish to a flowing team move.
It was a really good afternoon out and the team did very well and were well captained by Niamh Cahill. This was the team’s last run out as an Under 14 side as next season the majority of the players step up to Under 16.
Andrew Hartley.

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Belper U16 girls Valkenswaard, Holland, Easter 2011. Tour report
Belper HC were the first team to appear on the HOD HC Under 16 International Tournament website in October as confirming their entry and it was with growing trepidation that they watched the participation list grow during the winter with international, international selection and regional squads but with a distinct lack of similar club teams.
However, it was with excited anticipation that the tour party set off on Wednesday April 20th at 5.30am in their mobile sauna – the heating pipes in the non air-conditioned coach were unable to be turned off and weather proved to be the hottest Easter for 60 years! Further concern manifested itself 10 minutes into the trip on the outskirts of Derby as the driver proceeded to turn north up the A38 to junction 28 of the M1 at Mansfield when he should have been proceeding south towards Dover for the ferry! Thoughts that this could be the original tour from hell began to circulate amongst the passengers, who were already 2lbs lighter in their involuntary weight-loss programme.
Having finally reached Leicester Forest East services an hour late to pick up an increasingly anxious Jess Horn, the party were then confronted by the overhead gantry signs informing them of long delays on the M1 near London. Plan B was executed with a swift exit at junction 15A to take the A42 towards Oxford and the M40. It was an uneasy race against time around the southern section of the M25, notorious for its hold-ups, then down the M20 to Dover. The 11.50 sailing was made with 10 minutes to spare but with a loss of at least half a stone through anxiety and heat exhaustion from most of the passengers.
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U16 girls off to Valkensward, Holland at Easter, 2011
Belper Ladies Under 16 team are participating in the prestigious HOD Valkenswaard HC Under 16 international tournament near Eindhoven over Easter. Belper were invited to be England's representatives in the competition because of their outstanding record in junior club competitions in England where they have been national champions in a variety of age groups, a total of 16 times in the past 7 years.
Amongst the teams that have entered this competition are the national squads of the USA and Ireland, three Dutch regional teams, regional sides from Belgium and France plus top club teams from The Netherlands and Germany.
Belper will play two warm-up matches on Thursday and Friday, vs HC Eindhoven and Ireland respectively prior to the weekend tournament.
In addition to the tournament, Belper will make a visit to the women's European Club Championships being held at Den Bosch HC over the Easter weekend. Slough HC & Leicester HC are England's two representatives in the competition but Belper will want to watch the Den Bosch team who have been European Champions 11 times. Their squad contains six of the present Dutch national side who are both World and Olympic champions.
Belper Head Coach, Tim Barlow said. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our young players to be exposed to international competition at an early age. Playing against and watching top performers will greatly enhance their own skills and understanding plus helping them to move up the development ladder in England in their aspirations to be the best that they can be."

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U18 girls in England Hockey National Finals at Canterbury - 9th & 10th April, 2011
Squad: Annabelle Church, Charlotte Howarth, Charlotte Middleton, Kathryn Lane, Louise Hobbs, Ellie Miles, Natalie Tipper, Jess Horn, Rachel Griffiths, Amy Davies, Becky Hawkins, Naomi Cotterill, Brie Parkin, Cerys Parkin, Maddy Wood.
Without their injured England Under 18 international, captain and talisman Anna Toman, the very young Belper Under 18 team were always going to find life difficult against their experienced opponents in the EHB’s National Under 18 finals, sponsored by the MAN Group at Canterbury HC at the weekend.
Three losses: 3-0 to Surbiton; 1-0 to Firebrands and 2-1 to Wakefield, are the bare statistics but they hide the tremendous effort put in by the players to come close to achieving some surprising results. With only Amy Davies from the outfield players out of the age group next year and injured Kim Wilson to come back in, all the players are eligible for 2011/2012 and many the year after that. That this young side achieved what they did – getting to the last four round-robin final and nearly causing a couple of upsets – says a great deal about their ability and attitude.
In game 1 vs Surbiton it was a tense and tight affair until the 19th minute when a horrendous umpiring error allowed an opponent to kick the ball past a Belper player in the midfield and the subsequent passing move led directly to a goal. This was a big setback, as Belper now had to be more attacking to try to salvage at least a point. In a much improved second half, where Surbiton managed to gain only one penalty corner, Belper had a much better percentage of the game. Alas, with a more attacking shape Surbiton exploited the gaps in the Belper defence to add two more goals before the final whistle.
The next match vs Firebrands saw a hugely improved performance from the Belper side. With no score at half time, the Nailers were scenting an upset but a soft goal immediately after the break put the Bristol based side ahead. This stimulated a Belper onslaught where they attacked the Firebrands' goal almost non-stop and the opposition only survived by the skin of their teeth with several last-ditch goal-line clearances as they struggled to cope with the unrelenting Belper pressure but the ball would not go over the line to gain Belper at least a point.
Belper’s last game was against old rivals Wakefield, who they had beaten in the last two previous finals. A solid performance in the first half saw no score by either side and 5 minutes after the break Belper went ahead when Rachel Griffiths deflected home a penalty corner. But the Nailers could not hold a resurgent Wakefield team and their inexperience of how to play the game after going ahead, led to conceding two goals within five minutes after scoring their goal. Belper believed they could still get a point and in the overtime penalty corner, inexperience again led to a key player not being in the correct place at the set play and the opportunity was lost.
If all the players can take onboard all the information assimilated and experienced gained, then they will be a formidable U18 team for the next two years. To go so close, with only one outfield player at the top age band, means that they should be able to challenge for the top award for some time to come.

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Belper Ladies Junior Girls 2008-2011
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