IT was a busy weekend of hockey for Thirsk, with under 14 girls, and ladies firsts and thirds among the teams in action.

After three wins in three games, it was down to earth with a bump for the first team against Newcastle, an experienced, physically strong, well drilled and a very tactically aware team.

Thirsk played well in patches but not consistently or for long enough. The strong performances of previous weeks were diluted, and long, raking, through passes and neat close stickwork were unpicked by some aggressive play. Despite this, Thirsk battled well and there was some excellent play from all areas of the pitch. Poppy, Frankie, Kat and Eve were on good form with Chelsea having an outstanding game in goal. Millie's speed and tenacity were missed and the game finished 4-0 to Newcastle.

A disappointing result but with plenty to take away to work on in training. Thirsk’s player of the match was Chelsea Perrett.

Meanwhile, the young players of Thirsk's third team came up against a different style of hockey as the more mature Pudsey side stood firm against Thirsk’s fast attacks. The game started very evenly with some end to end play and some slight panicking in midfield but Thirsk eventually settled down and took control.

Lwle, Lily, Aimee and Alice played some great link up passes and Bev ran down the wing to cross the ball for a couple of chances. Thirsk finally went ahead with a play through midfield by Lwle and a pass into the D which Jo took beautifully. At the other end of the pitch Megan, Melissa and Daisy made a strong defence and managed to thwart Pudsey when they pushed forward.

Pudsey eventually equalised with a shot that pinged around between players and Rikke in goal before finally ending in the back of the goal. 1-1 at half time.

Pudsey got a short corner about 15 minutes into the second half which due to a recent sub change saw Thirsk with not enough defenders in the goal. The corner was taken before Thirsk could rectify this and Pudsey scored.

Both teams continued to work hard, which saw an increasing amount of whistle action from the umpires and finally resulted in a green card. Final score 2-1 to Pudsey. Player of the match was Melissa.

On Sunday, the under 14s enjoyed a fabulous day of hockey. The girls developed well through their first match against Harrogate, finding their feet and understanding positions and working as a team. The defence was amazing and Mary did a sterling job in goal, but they just couldn’t quite get the ball in to their own half to put Harrogate under any sustained pressure. Final score, 2-0 to Harrogate.

Thirsk were a little more confident in their second game against Leeds, who raced into a three-goal lead. Thirsk scored a consolation goal in the final seconds of the game.

In the afternoon, Thirsk faced another Leeds side. An early goal settled the team well, and then all the pressure was on Leeds for the whole game. Final score 2-0 Thirsk.

The final match against York proved end to end, with neither team prepared to give in or concede. There were lots of great interceptions and great pressing of the ball in all areas. The pass of the day was a beautifully timed effort from Katie Wilkinson, who showed great vision. Final score 0-0.