It was an evenly fought contest on Saturday as Doncaster Ladies 1s were held to a draw against Sheffield Bankers.
The game began with a frustrating setback when a mis-trap at a short corner unfortunately deflected into Doncaster’s own net, gifting Bankers the opening goal. However, Donny showed great resilience to regroup and work their way back into the game. Their efforts were rewarded when Lucy converted from a well-worked short corner, drawing the sides level.
From that point on, Doncaster grew into the match and by the final quarter were firmly on top. They dominated possession, created chances, and piled pressure on the Bankers’ defence, but couldn’t quite find the decisive finish to claim all three points.
Scarlett was outstanding in midfield, dictating play with energy and creativity, and deservedly earned Player of the Match.
The result means Doncaster remain in third place in the league table — a solid position as they look ahead to next weekend’s clash with Lindum, boosted by the return of Ellie to midfield, whose presence and short corner expertise will be a welcome addition.

L2
Doncaster 2 v Leeds 4
0 : 1

Doncaster ladies 2’s were at home today against Leeds Ladies 4’s and were looking to build on last weekends play and result.
Doncaster played extremely well and showed some excellent play with great passing through all channels of the pitch. Doncaster pressed well to stop Leeds breaking through the pitch and were quick to cut off the passes as Leeds were trying to make to move forwards. Doncaster secured some short corners in both halves of the game and were unlucky not to convert any of these. Leeds did manage to break through Doncaster's solid defence on a couple of occasions to win short corners but Doncaster kept these out and Keeper Caitlin made some excellent saves.
It looked to be a very tight match with neither team managing to score. But Leeds made a break against the odds and won a short corner and from a well worked routine they managed to score in the bottom right corner of the goal from a deflection.
Doncaster were not deterred and continued to push forward, putting Leeds keeper and defence under pressure but just couldn't find the back of goal! Leaving the score at 1-0 to Leeds. Excellent game by everyone on the pitch just missing out on the points.
MOM went jointly to Esther and Eleanor.

L3
Doncaster 3 v Grimsby
3 : 4

This weekend the ladies 3s faced Grimsby at home. Doncaster started very strong with a great goal after just 3 minutes from Holly. However Grimsby were quick to react and equalised 2 minutes later. The Doncaster team was a young side with lots of juniors who are in their first season of ladies hockey who all dealt brilliantly with the experienced Grimsby side. After 22 minutes Doncaster got a penalty corner which was fantastically converted by Paige. The Grimsby side continued to put pressure on the Doncaster side and managed to get a couple more past us however, they were denied a chance just before half time with a save on the line by Gemma. After half time the ladies came out equally strong and persevered despite the growing tension on the pitch . In the last 5 minutes Doncaster earnt another penalty corner which Paige fired in. Final score was Doncaster 3 - 4 Grimsby.

L4
Dronfield v Doncaster 4
2 : 0

Doncaster made a slow start and found it hard to penetrate the Dronfield half with purpose. Their forwards, on the other hand, made frequent forays into the Doncaster circle. Heather was called upon to make several saves and the defence cleared well from deep defensive positions. Kerry, Jill and Grace were in constant action but held firm. It wasn’t until 15minutes into the game that they were in a position for a clear shot and scored. Heather was able to stop a solo run and certain goal by standing firm and making a great stop/save. 5 minutes later another goal came from open play so Doncaster was ready for half time with the score 0-2.
The second half saw Doncaster with more ball possession and attacks. Priya and Lauren were busy in central positions and were able to find Sophie, Pat and Sue up front. There were some good attacking moves and solo runs but Dronfield defended well and were able to clear the ball out of danger. Brick walls and blind alleys spring to mind! In spite of winning a spate of short corners, Doncaster could not find the back of the net. Rachel and Sofia were effective as wing halves and worked hard to keep the Dronfield forwards out of the game. Although Doncaster couldn’t find a goal in the second half they can be proud of the improvement in their play. A 0-2 defeat, but a game of 2 halves to reflect upon!

M2
SUBHC v Doncaster 2
10 : 1

The 2s travelled to Sheffield with the help of young lads stepping up to fill roles left of 9 unavailability's. Sheffield moved the ball well, making the most of their fresh legs and full squad, but Doncaster’s defence initially held firm. However two goals from Bankers saw them go into the half-time break 2-0 up, but Doncaster were still in the contest.
The third quarter proved decisive. With tired legs setting in and no subs to rotate Sheffield capitalised ruthlessly, racking up several quick goals to put the game beyond reach.
There was a silver lining when Fearny stepped up to calmly convert a penalty stroke — a deserved reward for Doncaster’s perseverance and one of many bright moments in the game for the away side.
Sheffield, however, continued to pile on the pressure into the final quarter, adding more goals with no further reply from donny.
Despite the final score-line, credit goes to Doncaster 2s for their grit and determination in tough conditions as we can take many positives away from the game into next weeks clash away at Lindum.

M3
Leeds 4 v Doncaster 3
0 : 0

Doncaster Men’s 3s travelled to a potential top of the table Leeds 4s team who are currently unbeaten. Having been heavily raided by the 2s we went with 12 knowing a big shift was in order.
Leeds were well drilled and had a squad of 14 giving them the immediate advantage.
Leeds pressed from the off and had the majority of the ball. Doncaster defended well and were able to break down the Leeds' plays and gained the occasional breakaway chance.
Leeds had numerous short corners but the closest they came to scoring was a disallowed corner with the ball being just above the backboard from their strike.
The game finished 0-0, it was hard fought taking a point away from home against a strong opponent . Leeds will have felt they were robbed of the win but their lack of a clinical finish was their downfall on the day.

M4
Doncaster 4 v Slazenger 2
0 : 1

It was an early start for Doncaster Men’s 4s as they took on Slazengers on a bright and warm morning in Doncaster.
The first half proved to be a tightly contested affair, with both sides creating chances. Doncaster maintained a solid structure throughout, working hard to nullify the Slazengers’ attacks while producing some excellent passing hockey of their own. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t quite find the finishing touch, and the teams went into halftime level at 0–0.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Doncaster continuing to look composed in defence and creative going forward. Their efforts had them slightly on top for much of the half, but against the run of play, Slazengers converted a well-taken short corner to take the lead.
Doncaster continued to push right until the final whistle, showing great determination and teamwork, but were ultimately unable to find the equaliser their performance deserved.
Final Score: Doncaster Men’s 4s 0–1 Slazengers.

M5
Doncaster 5 v Scarborough 2
3 : 3

Ying and Yang was the initial post-match impressions of the men’s 5th team home game against last seasons high fliers Scarborough 2. At times Doncaster showed flare, fluidity and teamwork that tore apart the Scarborough midfield and defence, however, this was counterposed by head in hands periods of play that left Doncaster ruing a missed opportunity to take all three points.
On an unseasonably warm day that left both teams flagging, first half was a tight fought battle that saw Scarborough go ahead against the run of play. Doncaster rallied and through well worked play down the flanks to the forward line an opportunity to pull one goal back ended with a penalty corner to the home team. The ball was injected at speed and slipped left for C Palmer to score a well-deserved equaliser. The team now buoyant after the initial set back, worked well together to carve out several opportunities, the pressure pressing Scarborough back into their own half. The effort paid off with A Hussain slotting the ball home from a tight angle into the far corner. A well converted goal.
The second half started with Scarborough pushing hard for an equaliser, but it was two gifted chances that allowed them back into the game and ahead in the tie. Determined to get something out of the game the home side pushed on and a scrambled effort with a shot hitting the post, two saves from the keeper before the ball fell to C Lewis who managed to slot the ball home for a 3:3 score-line. The last few minutes were tense with tempers frayed and pressure from both sides to get the decisive 4th goal. Neither side managed to find the breakthrough and the score ended in a draw. An enjoyable close fought match, but the team came away feeling the opportunity was squandered for a home win.

Sunday 12th October

M1
Doncaster 1 v Oxton
6 : 2

A foggy old start to Sunday morning, but the haze soon lifted and the sun was shining for our second home game of the season against Oxton HC. Despite their slow start to the season, we’ve never had a straight forward game against the visitors so it was key that we started the game well.
Unfortunately, that didn’t quite go to plan as Oxton raced into a 2-goal lead through a couple of well-taken goals. Doncaster yet again starting slowly and leaving themselves plenty to do to get the 3 points.
Oxton were stubborn in defence and dangerous on the counter, but eventually Doncaster did get their reward through a converted penalty corner after 27 minutes. The home side were trailing at the break, but momentum was shifting in the game and 3 goals for Doncaster in a 5-minute spell in the third quarter (including arguable the goal of the game from the big South African) put Doncaster in the ascendancy.
A further two goals were added for good measure and despite a rocky opening quarter, Doncaster controlled the game and deservedly took all 3 points with a 6-2 victory.
A really great feeling to string a couple of wins together in the North Conference - an early away trip to Durham beckons next weekend where we will try to keep the good run going into the slip weekend.
The side-line was superb as always, so thank you for your terrific support.

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