WEYMOUTH LADIES 1 WEST WILTS 3

WEYMOUTH Ladies faced top of the league West Wilts at home without three of their regular players.

And the visiting side showed why they lead the East Division, putting a lot of pressure on the hosts from the outset.

With a changed back four, Wey-mouth were very disciplined in defence and worked really hard to keep the away side out.

The versatile Chloe Van Crug-ten filled in at right-back and didn’t look out of place at all.

Midway through the first half Weymouth conceded a penalty corner. Sweeper Jacqui Ridler bravely dived in front of a goal bound shot and took a bang to the knee.

With her going off injured Weymouth had to shuffle things around at the back but still kept their concentration.

West Wilts managed to make the most of a misplaced pass to score the game’s opening goal but Lynne Drewitt always looked dangerous up front for the hosts and had two chances following counter attacks down the right.

Susie Stone and player of the match Casey Foot were solid in the middle too and worked well together, while keeper Alice Craven made some great saves.

Wilts started strongly again in the second half and Olivia Cul-breth, Sophie Foot and Ridler, now back on, coped well under intense pressure.

Craven had a lot to do in goal and Wilts eventually got another with an unstoppable shot after a break down the right.

Weymouth’s heads didn’t go down and Lara Blundell looked sharp, making some good runs up the left. A good 10 minutes of Weymouth pressure resulted in a penalty corner which Emilie Sauven converted after a well-worked move between her and Emily Austin.

Van Crugten, back in her normal position in midfield, worked effectively with Casey Foot whose pass to Drewitt saw her shoot just wide.

Wilts made sure of the win with a third goal, making the most of the advantage played by the umpire.

SALISBURY IV 2 WEYMOUTH LADIES II 0

A TOUGH trip to league pacesetters Salisbury ended with defeat for Weymouth.

The visitors started slowly, conceding a goal in the first few minutes. Salisbury continued to press hard and made it difficult for Weymouth to make breaks.

They soon scored a second while the visitors could only mus-ter a few shots and crosses from Liefy Hendrikz, Anna Dencher, Annabel Canaven and Dervla Ireland.

However, Weymouth fought back in the second half and there were excellent displays from Annabel Bartlett in defence and goalkeeper Ruth Canham on debut.

She made a number of crucial saves to prevent any further goals.

The visitors picked up the pace towards the final whistle, producing several shots that were well blocked by the home side.

The last 10 minutes saw multiple short corners but frustratingly no goals for the visitors.

Players of the Match: Annabel Bartlett and Ruth Canham