Tavistock Hockey Club was represented at the Devon Hockey Festival on Sunday, December 10, by their under-12 girls’ squad, writes Charlotte Olive.

Six clubs from across the county took part, and despite the harsh weather conditions early on, the standard of hockey was high.

Tavistock had a tough first fixture against ISCA but prevailed, winning 1-0, with ‘keeper Ava McDowell making three critical saves and showing her growing confidence and skill in goal.

As the morning progressed the squad of 10 players rotated really well winning every game.

Bea Rainsbury managed the defence well, excellently supporting newer and younger players alongside her.

Natalie Dale and Mckenzie Fulton were solid in defence, learning fast as the morning went on and reading the games really well.

Lillia Pocknell was strong in the central midfield, winning possession and distributing passes with remarkable ambidextrous confidence.

Phoebe Skelton turned her hand at both midfield and defence as required and demonstrated great skill in making sure the flow of the team was uninterrupted.

In attack, Juno Anderson-Bickley linked up with Ellie Dale, Flora Langmead and Connie Weaver, with all four scoring goals and demonstrating a true team spirit and maturity with regular assists.

By the end of the morning, the sun had appeared and there were smiles all round as the girls ended the year on a well-deserved high.

The focus of Tavistock Hockey Club at a junior level is centred on inclusion and fun – with a lot of coaching support.

This means we routinely include new players in competitions at an early stage which is great for their confidence and player development.