Better late than never

In a fitting final encounter; one which saw the last game under the inspirational captain Mary Shakesheff, the ladies 4th team were unrecognisable to the team that lost 11-0 in the reverse fixture at Town Fields back in November.

There were a few eyebrows raised when it was revealed, at short notice, that the fixture was to be played at 7pm on a Wednesday at the non-floodlit pitch at Ecclesfield School in Chapeltown; and even with a few of the usual regulars unavailable they still managed to get 13 players there!

Straight from the push-back it was apparent that Rotherham weren't going to have it all their own way and Doncaster kept them tight all over the pitch. Even with their silky skills and stick work, Rotherham just couldn't find a way through the resilient Doncaster.

Possession-wise Rotherham were dominant and even with a succession of penalty corners they were still unable to break down the plucky Doncaster defence, with Gemma 'Woody' Greenwood and Julie Harrison cool, calm and coming away with the ball time after time with Rotherham becoming increasingly frustrated.

It wasn't all one way traffic as Doncaster had a few forays into the opposition's half; Bev Deakin providing her usual invaluable experience and Lou Madeley's runs creating a few scares for the home team.

The breakthrough finally came just an agonising 30 seconds before half time with yet another (and possibly contentious) Rotherham penalty corner. And although they probably deserved the lead it was harsh for Doncaster to go behind so close to the break.

As the players returned to the field for the second half the light was fading by the minute, and it was no surprise that the game was abandoned 15 minutes later with only 50 minutes of the match played. With no change in the scoreline it was an admirable overall performance by Doncaster in the light of their 11-0 defeat in the previous encounter.

A deserving player of the match award went to Mary (Shakesheff) but the whole team should be proud of a magnificent display.

[As the game didn't exceed 60 minutes the final result will be adjudicated by the league committee - we'll keep you posted]