The Hunters made the trip to face Cambridge Nomads this weekend. The last time the two sides met earlier in the season, the Hunters suffered a tough 5–0 defeat at home, so the aim this time around was clear: tighten things up, show some fight, and maybe channel a bit of underdog energy worthy of a classic 90s sports montage.

Unfortunately, the montage got off to more of a blooper reel start. From the first pushback, Nomads managed to score in roughly 10 seconds, which is probably some sort of record for “quickest way to ruin the captain's pre-match team talk.” So technically speaking, we didn’t look more solid immediately from pushback… but after that very brief setback, the Hunters regrouped and got properly stuck into the game.

And fight they did.

Hunters moved the ball well and created chances, with captain Emily leading from the front like the true captain she is. She bagged both goals for the Hunters, keeping the pressure on Nomads and ensuring the scoreline stayed within touching distance throughout.

There were plenty of attacking moments too, with Holly having an absolute stormer up front. Her tireless runs and excellent positioning meant she was constantly in the right place to receive the ball. She looked hungrier than someone who’d skipped lunch and walked past a Greggs, coming close several times and keeping the Nomads defence nervously glancing over their shoulders. For her relentless effort and attacking intent, POM deservedly went to Holly.

At the back, the Hunters had another strong performance in goal from Ali T, who pulled off some excellent saves to keep the team in the game. With the number of Alis on the pitch reaching levels not seen since the late-90s pop charts had five different boy bands all called something slightly similar, it was occasionally tricky to know which one people were shouting for, but Ali T definitely made her presence known between the posts.

There was a brief injury scare during the match when Alie W took a ball directly to the knee. The impact left what can only be described as a very authentic hockey-ball-shaped dimple in her kneecap. In true hockey fashion, Alie shook it off, came back on, and carried on like the tough competitor she is. Ice packs and dramatic storytelling will likely follow.

Now, onto the prestigious Lemon votes. The main award went to Ali H, not for her hockey, but for her parking strategy. Despite the pitch having plenty of available parking spaces, Ali opted to park roughly a kilometre away, resulting in a surprise endurance warm-up for both herself and daughter Maya before the match had even started. Cardio goals: achieved.

A big thank you also goes to the Hunters supporters club, who came out to cheer the team on. Your sideline encouragement definitely helped keep the Hunters going!

While the result didn’t quite go the Hunters’ way this time, the team showed huge improvement from the last meeting and pushed Nomads all the way to the final whistle. On to the next one. ???