The second weekend of the league fixtures saw victories for both the Men’s and Ladies 1st XI and very impressive draws for both of our 2nd XI’s. However the big highlight for this week was the long awaited return of a Badgers team to Old Hales.

Men’s 1st XI vs Worcester
A well-earned victory for the Men’s 1st XI saw them work incredible hard as a team to walk away with all 3 points against Worcester. A well struck reverse-stick chop from C. Palmer and goalkeeper W. Oakley pulling off an incredible stick save from a penalty corner, plucking it from the top left corner of the goal were the difference makers. Captain Adam Banks said “It was a great first 3-points on the board against a physical opposition. We showed that we wanted it more than them and that was evident in the 3 cards we received during the game as well as the result. Great effort from the lads fighting till the very end”
Result: 1-0; goal from C. Palmer
Player of the Match: P. Woodall

Ladies 1st XI vs Edgbaston
A solid game from the ladies who were equally matched in the first half with the score being 0-0 at the break. After an inspiring half time team talk, a cheeky short corner goal from I. Elliott broke the deadlock. With their morale high, the ladies started to dominate, and two further goals came shortly after courtesy of M. Kelly.
Result: 3–0; goals from M. Kelly (2) & I. Elliot
Player of the Match: O. Turner

Men’s 2nd XI vs University of Birmingham
The Men’s 2s brought a renewed spirit to this weeks match against a UoB team who themselves brought a solid 16-man squad determined to go home with 3-points. Old Hales were disciplined from the start and took the lead inside of the first 10 minutes who later equalised. The home side battled back to take a 2-1 advantage with just 12 minutes to go. Unfortunately, the legs of old hales started to fade and superior numbers of UoB made the difference as they scored an equaliser with 5 minutes left to go. Captain Nick Brindley said after the match ‘It was a Strong effort from the lads and something we all should be proud of. Hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come over the next few weeks”

Result: 2-2; goals from J. Moroney & O. Myers
Player of the Match: A. Pritchard

Ladies 2nd XI vs Worcester
At Old Hales we love a sporting cliché and this match really was a game of two-halves. The less said about the first half the better but the team came out after half time with a 3-goal deficit to overturn. Lead by Captain Jess, they came together for the best second half performance that they have ever produced, not only to level the game but almost threatened to score a winner. Jess said post-match “One of the most exciting games I’ve ever been part of. The team listened to each other at half time and took on board everything and produced an excellent end result. I could not be prouder of the team!”
Result: 3–3; goal from N. Walder (2) & M. de Bechi
Player of the Match: N. Walder

Men’s 3rd XI vs Barford Tigers
A much changed 3s line up struggled to match Barford in the early stages and found themselves 2 down early on. However, a tactical shift saw Hales grow into the game, and 2 well taken goals by debutant S. Takhar saw the team back to level. As the saying goes though, the next goal was crucial and unfortunately for Hales it was Barford who got it. They secured the win with a 4th goal late on. Captain Steve Charlton was quick to praise B. Hughes who padded up after a late enforced change and made some great saves in goal and also to youngsters Josh P and Ethan R making their 3s league debuts. The team player of the match however went to M. Oakley who's probably still on the pitch now running from one end to the other - unreal effort from the man!
Result: 2–4; goals from S. Thakar (2)
Player of the Match: M. Oakley

Men’s 4th XI vs Bridgnorth
I think captain James Davies is claiming all 5 goals for himself after Bridgnorth conceded the match this week.
Result: 5–0; match Conceded by Bridgnorth

Badgers XI vs Evesham & Badsey
After 4 seasons, a badgers team finally returned to Old Hales and enjoyed a fantastic first match. Coach T.Bolton has spent weeks preparing the team for their first game and it was clear from the start just how hard they have been working. The talented host team threatened to score early on, but it was the organised Old Hales team who broke the deadlock through Tim B. Hales threatened the goal several times and won plenty of penalty corners but failed to convert another chance in the first half. Second half goals from Tim B and Anoushka M increased the scoreline but the teamwork and technical skills on display left every spectator (and assistant coach L. Davis) very proud. Massive shout out to Evesham who were fantastic hosts and played the game brilliantly. Team Manager Amy Ryan said post-match ‘Our team were amazing and worked so hard to get a draw today. You could see just how much fun everyone had on the pitch today and that’s what badgers hockey is all about”
Result: 3–3; goals from Tim B (2) & Anoushka M
Coach’s Player of the Match: Tim B
Player’s Player of the Match: Ava T