Women’s 4s 5 - 1 Hampstead & Westminster 4s (H)

Keen to improve our timekeeping from last week we were out on Pitch 3 nice and early, and over onto Pitch 2 swiftly to finish our warm up. But the first six minutes of this game suggested that maybe leaving ourselves very short of warm up time may be the way forward - I for one am all for meeting 15 minutes before the game #herbietime.

We were somewhat under the pump during the opening few minutes, possible reasons: nerves, knowing that at some point Bing would be gracing the backline with her presence, it could have been that we were just finding those connections hard to make or maybe that we were dazzled by Carole's speed up front… or indeed Swindell's skirt, which I'm sure I saw Naomi Osaka wear at the Australian Open this week. However at the forefront of our minds was the 3 Ds... or is it 4... Delay, Dictate, Destroy... and the other one. 

We rode the initial jittery patch and after seven minutes (thanks Ralph) someone won a short corner that was despatched with an excellent deflection from Carole from a classic Maddie slider from the left - it's lucky the opposition never read these! That certainly settled the nerves and within four minutes we had doubled our lead with an absolute banger of a turn and strike from Bing. We were well and truly settled now and with H&W increasingly affording us space and time our front line were picking balls from everywhere and creating opportunities with ease. Bingaling added a second for the morning with her movement and timing that terrorised the opposition for the whole match.

Never one to avoid a match report writing session for long, me and my twinkletoes came a cropper as I was snipered whilst trying to clear the ball with my 100th hit of the game. This expedited Bing's debut in defence but be careful: play too well there and you end up there forever!  

So, despite riding high in a world of #whoneedsHerbie whilst she was swanning off on a jolly this weekend, we did certainly miss her words of wisdom at half time. I had to keep it simple, "Try to keep it wide for longer and don't force it through the middle" - possibly the most hypocritical words to come out of my mouth in 2026.

The second half continued with plenty of Surbiton possession. Aashny, Carole and Swindell picking every ball always. Lisa working hard despite being marked out of the game for most of it - maybe someone had warned them to stay on the small one in the middle and don't let her get the ball. Aashny bagged a deserved goal given her hard work up front, creating space for both herself and others. Carole added her second, eliciting the trademark aeroplane celebration from a confident finish.

Late in the game we tested H&W’s standout player with a slight gift that she grasped to give them a consolation goal. If you had said at the beginning we would have a line up that included Lisa and Bing in defence plus Aash and Carole in the midfield, you would probably ask if we actually know the strengths of our players but hey, call the 4s versatile because it maintained the balance and control we had for most of the game. 

Emily, Tegan and Freya worked hard in both attack and defence despite little rest. Scar dusted off that Bondi sand and made a nuisance of herself in defence. Sunny and Maddie held the middle in a Gandalf-style, “You shall not pass," whilst providing options for the drop back and balls into the attacking D. Eve, rallying things from the back, ensured that we at least attempted to remain in a structure to create a barrier! However, in amongst some great performances one player stood taller than the rest, Bing looked threatening throughout in both attack and from defence, worked tirelessly, made excellent decisions and had H&W sent off twice whilst they floundered around trying to get that ball of her. 

#whoneedsHerbie