By Tammy Snowsill

BUDE Hockey Club’s junior teams were in action on Sunday, January 19 across Devon and Cornwall.

The under 8 teams travelled to Exeter for the third tournament of the season where the squad split into two teams and played four games each.

The Bude Stars had a tricky start against some giants. They battled hard but were unable to find a goal.

Second game Joss definitely got his grr on, making a great tackle in defence and then burning it down the wing to find a goal.

This opened up the flood gates for joss's tournament with many more goals to follow.

Sonny did some great chasing down up front and creating so many goal opportunities and was decisive, making quicker decisions of when to pass or dribble.

Sophie was super solid at the back and used the space well at times with some good passing around the back and moving into space. Sophie also pushed forward to support play and create a great goal.

Poppy and Nellie the dynamic duo, no ball shall pass. They grew with confidence even heading up pitch to support play. This team had tough opposition but they play so well together in defence and creating team goals.

After watching the Stars’ first game, the Maroons were on it from the whistle with goals galore and non-stop tackles.

Aubrey and Rex worked tirelessly in midfield and up front to score, while Mila the pocket rocket, ran continually to support play, score goals and help in defence.

Elowen was solid in defence but also ventured up front to help score more goals. This team grew with strength and game play knowledge.

One slight problem was ‘Bambi on Ice’ effect where players were hitting the floor with regularity, but thankfully nobody was injured.

Thanks were expressed to all parents for driving them down to Exeter and their brilliant support as always. Thank you to Robin and Grace for coaching and support.

The Under 12s made the long trip down to Penzance for three games which were against Falmouth, Bodmin and the host club.

First up was the toughest challenge against Falmouth, which we know is always a tight encounter. Bude started well and should have gone ahead but the keeper made a huge number of excellent saves to keep the scores level then Falmouth broke away during the rolling subs to score.

Bude never recovered and three more goals late on meant it was a flattering 4-0.

Next up was Bodmin and again a solid first 10 minutes was undone by another counter attack goal but Bude grafted hard as a team and with everyone getting stuck in and contributing, this meant they were able to provide a stunning comeback.

First with a lovely penalty corner goal then with a precision pass from the defence to the striker was fired home to make it a deserved 2-1.

Everything fell into place for the final game against Penzance Seconds; with a great open play field goal early on, the confidence and passing were spot on and this led to a penalty corner goal before two more open play goals.

Bude got caught out late on as they continued to attack at every opportunity, but this did not detract from an excellent game and overall tournament.

It’s great to see the adaptability of the whole team playing in strange formations and positions at times, there is still more to come from both the team and me as a coach as we continue to grow and learn together.