COLCHESTER 4

BEDFORD 0

East Women's Hockey League division one north

COLCHESTER completed their division one north season with a convincing victory over Bedford, at the Garrison.

They have finished seventh in the table, after getting back to winning ways and ending the campaign on a high note.

Captain Lorraine Fitch said: "The result was a brilliant end to the season, showing what Colchester is capable of.

"We are a very strong team and are looking forward to building on this performance for next season to ensure we play to our full potential throughout the season."

Colchester commanded the game from the start, passing around Bedford and closely marking each player.

With continuous communication from the back from Anna Marie and player-of-the-match Liz Pope, Bedford were denied access to Colchester's D.

And quick reactions and excellent distribution from Beth Probert and Katie Irwin, the ball was efficiently passed up the wings for quick breaks.

On the few occasions that Bedford did manage into Colchester's D and won short corners, keeper Emma Painter pulled out her usual great keeping skills to keep a clean sheet.

Colchester's first goal came from some beautiful play between Sophie Bendon and Libby Knifton which bamboozled the Bedford keeper.

And they added a second when Jemma Rix slotted past the keeper, following a well-worked short corner.

Colchester felt content with their first-half display at half-time but remained cautious of Bedford's ability to break through.

However, Pippa Garbutt continued to show her speed and skill up the left flank, out-manoeuvring the opposition and linking up with the ever tenacious Karen Harris.

With the midfield duo of Harris and Sarah Rose distributing the ball wide quickly to Irwin and Frankie Harley into space, Colchester dominated the majority of play.

Their final two goals came from great interplay between Bendon, Knifton, Helen Scott and Ellie Benfield, who made a fantastic debut as centre-forward.