BUDE Hockey Club’s Under 12s boys and girls’ teams have recently attended tournaments.

First up was the girls who took part in a rearranged event at Liskeard on Sunday, February 9.

Although the Seasiders were only able to field one side, they put in a series of fine performances, going unbeaten all day.

Bude took on Falmouth in match one and were strong from the start and with some quick passing and great movement of the ball, took an early lead.

Falmouth’s counter-attacks were quickly shut down by an impenetrable midfield and defence, which included a fine performance from Ida in just her second-ever tournament.

The defence did such a good job that Betsie didn’t need to make a single save.

Bude manage to keep the majority of the possession and scored again via Bella, Ellie, Matilda (2) and Martha.

Bude’s next game was against arch-rivals Penzance with Holly taking on the role of goalkeeper.

The North Cornwall side continued their momentum from their previous game and took Penzance by surprise from the get-go.

Matilda worked tirelessly in the middle distributing the ball out wide to Martha, Ellie and Betsie. The girls held their shape, marked tightly, closed down players quickly allowing them to maintain possession for the majority of the game.

Defensively, Indie and Molly were solid at the back, never allowing them very much time in the D and quickly distributing the ball back out through midfield.

Betsie made some beautiful runs up the right, driving the ball into the D to find a determined Bella who made no mistake.

Betsie was also able to score with a beautiful deflection after the ball was passed across the face of the goal as the game ended 2-0.

Holly continued in goal for match three against Truro which saw neither team find a breakthrough.

This was a tough test as Truro’s strong forward line put Bude under pressure from the off.

Holly made some amazing saves and cleared the ball with her demon kick.

However, the girls quickly regained their composure and started playing the hockey seen all morning.

Ellie used her speed and great movement to create opportunities for her teammates, but unfortunately they couldn’t find a breakthrough.

The last match of the day was against Newquay with Bella donning the keeper’s kit and Holly going outfield up front.

Bude found their mojo again with their distribution and movement a treat to watch.

The midfielder four of Ellie, Martha, Matilda and Betsie linked their passes quickly and smoothly up the pitch in finding Holly to score four.

Martha made some beautiful runs into space on the left receiving the ball out wide from Matilda, giving her time and multiple options to play the ball into the D to her team-mates.

This resulted in further goals from Matilda (2) and Betsie.

Again, Indie, Ida and Molly in defence remained strong as ever with Indie winning nearly every tackle and Molly going on a fine run to Newquay’s D.

Reflecting on the day, coach Tammy Snowsill said: “The girls came away with three wins and a draw under their belt, scoring 15 goals and conceding zero!

“Again, their team spirit and camaraderie shown through today. they they never gave up and worked hard for each other. I couldn’t be more proud of them all. Thank you again for the support of the parents we couldn’t do without you, especially Naomi and Miranda.”

The under 12s boys visited Truro a week later in their final competition before the county championships on March 9, and also did well, writes coach Andy Davis.

Despite the biting cold wind and limited numbers they performed excellently, putting in performances for both parents and the coaches to be proud of.

First up was Falmouth, a side Bude had won and lost to before, so they knew it would be a close game that could go either way.

A solid and steady start made sure Bude had a nice platform to build off and once they had got into full game mode instead of a polite training session, they began to really dominate.

Chances came thick and fast from all directions until the deadlock was eventually broken.

Falmouth came back well but the Bude defence worked really hard as a tight unit to ensure they kept a clean sheet. After these few scares the North Cornwall side then put the game beyond doubt with a further goal to become deserved winners on this occasion.

Next up was Bodmin; with the joy and momentum from the first win already under their belts, Bude started optimistically but this was short-lived as their opponents piled on the early pressure, breaking through the middle with too much ease.

As a result, the Seasiders adjusted tactically mid-game by bravely turning a defender into a midfielder and it paid off instantly as they starting dominating the middle of the park.

This led to some real clear cut chances on goal and it was no surprise to see them take the lead midway through the game; Bude kept the front foot pressure firmly on Bodmin with some wonderful high turnovers and flowing hockey, but the goalkeeper pulled off a string of amazing saves to keep his team in it.

But an equaliser was almost inevitable and Bude ended up scoring more goals, including a well-taken reverse stick shot to run out comfortable winners.

The final game was against Penzance Seconds who had a strong left winger that posed Bude some early problems.

But once they had worked out how to stand off and work together as a team to nullify this threat, the Seasiders were virtually unstoppable.

With countless short corners and shots, the goals steadily rattled in giving them a nice 3-0 lead.

Understandably Bude got ahead of themselves and lost their basic discipline and shape as they became goal-hungry which left them exposed at the back.

Credit to Penzance as they never gave up and got their reward with a well-taken counter-attack goal after Bude pushed too many forward.

This disappointment of conceding a single goal all tournament gave the Seasiders a stark reminder and valuable lesson not to under estimate anyone and to stick to the plan at all times, but they ensured they finished the game the stronger of the two teams and unbeaten on the day.

The tournament gave them the ideal platform to put everything they have been learning in training into practice which they did fantastically.

Coach Andy Davis was really pleased with their development, progress and results which sets them up nicely for the main event on March 9.