Brighton and Hove HC under-10 girls made a brilliant start to the season by winning the Enid Saunders Tournament at Burgess Hill on Sunday October 13.

Catherine Wynne reports: "On a wet and windy October weekend, the under-10 girls’ team played in their first tournament of the season. It was a great success as they were the tournament winners, so were delighted to come away with medals.

"Following advice from Wendy, the girls played in a variety of positions, although some gravitated towards their favourite spots! The first match against Lewes was a test for Ivy in goal, who made some fantastic saves, not allowing any goals in. Alice played superbly in midfield and was rewarded by getting the first goal. Genevieve was constantly pressurising the opponents and was unlucky not to score.

"The team went into the second match in confident mood, having watched Lewes beat Burgess Hill, who they then played. Poppy scored the first decisive goal and Ines scored the second goal within a minute of coming on at ‘half time.’ Leilani played well in the right midfield position, confidently tackling and winning the ball on numerous occasions. Taryn and Alice were not tested in defence, so backed up the midfield players to strengthen the attacking formation.

"We won our group, so the final match was against Horsham, who were the winners of the other group. This was the toughest match as the play went from one end of the pitch to the other. Keira demonstrated her speed by tracking back to defend when the direction of play changed. Juliana provided a solid defence. The result was a 0-0 draw. Despite the tenacity and the goal-scoring opportunities created by the strikers, they could not get past the final line of defence of the other team.

"Nia was awarded ‘girl of the tournament’ but special mention must also go to Ivy, who did not let any goals in."