(Bowers & Pitsea holding aloft the Essex Women's Challenge Trophy after they defeated Lawford 3-2 in the final game of the day at Aveley's Parkside Stadium)
Sunday 24th March 2019
It was Female Finals
Day over at Aveley’s Parkside Stadium, and I was invited along to attend this
event by the Essex County FA due to my involvement with the Grassroots Football
Show on East London Radio as of course we cover the County Women’s leagues as
part of a Women’s round up section on the show every Thursday.
There were three games taking place during the course of the
day, first up it was the Essex U14s Girls Cup Final at 10am, then that was
followed by the Essex U16s Girls Cup Final at 1pm, and then finally the finale
at 4pm saw the Essex Women’s Trophy Final.
I’ll admit I didn’t make the first game as this was a bit to
early for me as after two long days prior to today I needed some extra sleep,
but I did see the second and third games after arriving at the ground at around
12:30pm.
So without further ado, here is what happened in those finals:
-
10am – Essex U14s
Girls Cup Final
Billericay Town 2
Tigers 0
Town’s U14s secured the Essex U14s Trophy after they netted
two first half goals to see off Tigers.
They grabbed a seventh minute lead after Elise Jennings fired home from
fifteen yards, but Tigers so nearly levelled midway through the half when Freya
Higginbottom got through on goal but saw Billericay keeper Serena Hand make the
save. Lucy Ogden then dragged wide for Billericay
before they doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark when Jennings
netted her second of the contest, seeing her free-kick find the net. Lily Wolstenholm then went close for Town but
saw Tigers keeper Hannah Jacobs make a good block, before Higginbottom forced
Town keeper Hand into a good save to keep Tigers out. Jennings then fired wide from range for the
Blues, but it was Billericay who triumphed in the first match of the day to
secure the trophy.
1pm – Essex U16s
Girls Cup Final
Billericay Town 3 C
& K Basildon 1
Billericay’s U16s made it a double for the club on Female
Finals Day as after the U14s success in the game before, the U16s came from
behind to defeat C & K Basildon to secure the U16s Trophy. The first opening of the game saw Billericay’s
Hannah Humm curl just off target, before a Billericay corner from Robyn Moody
found Bryony Barran but she could only head wide at the far post. Early in the second half though C & K took
the lead when Amelie Kohndon spun and converted from six yards out, but that
lead didn’t last long as Freya Fuller capitalised on an error to slot home the
equaliser. Fuller then looped a header inches
over the C & K goal, before Billericay got their noses in front when Barron
rifled high into the roof of the net, and it was three for Town in the 72nd
minute as Mya Turner played an excellent ball through to Sienna Sherman, and
she finished well to seal the contest and make sure Billericay took the Trophy.
4pm – Essex Women’s
Trophy Final
Bowers & Pitsea 3
Lawford 2
Bowers & Pitsea fought off a second half comeback from
Lawford to edge this Essex County Trophy Final to round of Female Finals Day
with a cracking contest. Lawford so
nearly took a ninth minute lead when Daisy Canny was played in but after
rounding Bowers keeper Charlotte Stephens, she could only send her angled
effort against the post, before Bowers then had a chance when Sophie Dowman
back heeled wide of the near post after Eloise Ives had sent in a decent low
cross towards the near post. Midway through the first half though Bowers
did break the deadlock when a ball laid across the box to Holly Moore saw her
fire a brilliant effort into the top corner, and it was so close to a second on
the half-hour mark when Georgia Fraser saw her long-range effort tipped onto
the bar by Lawford keeper Jamie Newstead.
But Fraser wasn’t to be denied four minutes later though as she doubled Bowers
lead after bursting through to rifle home via Newstead’s hand, and Bowers were
looking good at the break. Lawford though
came out a different side after the break and were the better side in the early
exchanges, and after Canny had brought a fine save out of Bowers keeper
Stephens, they pulled a deserved goal back in the 65th minute as
Tess Ryan’s long range free-kick flew into the top corner, and it was very much
game on. Lawford continued to have the
better of the play but Bowers were always dangerous going forward, and with
five minutes left they looked to have sealed this one when Moore struck home
another excellent effort into the top corner, but Lawford weren’t done just yet
and pulled one back two minutes later when Canny managed to fire home from
close range, setting up a tense finish.
Bowers though managed to hold onto the lead and in doing so won the
Essex Women’s Trophy for 2018-19.
It brought to an end a very good and enjoyable Female Finals
Day, and well played to all six teams involved who served up some decent
fare. Well played all!!!
I did snap some photos of the Bowers & Pitsea Vs Lawford
final so here are those below:-
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