Oh Dear - a loss!
we were so annoyed. The day started just as well the China Match day. But it wasn't to be.
I don't know what to say really. We started the game and the dutch to be fair had the majority of play for the first half. We were on our back foot. We had a shot from Al but they took the iniative for most of the half. I had worked myself up into a frenzy perhaps putting too much pressure on myself from the minute i woke up and started the game very badly, very uptight and not relaxed i just wasn't playing my normal game at all. Still i gradually got into the game and found my feet well actually fond my stick and worked out what the ball was!!
Towards the end of the first half our captain kate Walsh was taken out of the rest of the game with a nasty swipe having just nicked the ball of one of the Dutch girls. Thankfully she is now walking about the hotel but we are still not sure how much damage was done. We were all getting flashbacks of the World Cup Qualifier!
The second half was much different. We started playing a lot faster. It was quite frustrating as the Dutch kept on breaking play down and the umpires just weren't stepping up to the mark it seemed. The dutch got away with all sorts. Even a big fat foot in the circle right under the umpire but no play on play on. Now i'm not one to come off the pitch and blame umpires and to be fair Holland over the course of the game probably should have won but just what if, what if the umpire had given the corner!!!! Still we can't live on what ifs and the game is over. We lost, we didn't play great. I didn't play great. But we have to move on, move onto the next game and get ourselves back into the tournament. At the end of the day (it gets dark!) Holland are number 1 in the world and the pressure was and is on them. That was never really meant to be a 3 pointer for us, we just have to get ourselves into the right frame of mind to play the next game.
So back on the recovery horse- nutrition, active recovery, hydration etc etc and we will stand to fight another day.
Please don't stop those positive vibes and thoughts, please share them using the message service below, we need all that we can get.
Till next time,
Love Lisa
xxxx
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
27th September 2006 - ENGLAND 3 China 2 YIPEEEEE!!
Hi All,
Many thanks for you comments, just read them all and both Al and I got very excited with each comment.
We are soooo happy a great start to the tournament. But as we were reminded quite rightly straight after the game we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and make sure we get ourselves fully recovered over the next day before taking on the Dutch on Friday.
Al (Alex Danson my roomie.) woke up this morning with a good feeling. I will listen to her in the future! We were both hyper first thing this morning and from after breakfast we just couldn't wait to get on the pitch. We had our team meeting at 10.30am by the time this finished we were all well and truly prepared to take on the CHinese. We'd been preparing for this for months. Lunch was early at 11.30am and from lunch till the time we left the tunes were turned up, the hair straightening irons were heated and water bottles were prepared. We weren't going to let anything be amiss before we started this game.
We finally left the hotel at 1pm and arrived at the ground at 1.30pm. The weather was sunny sunny sunny, nice and warm which is always a good omen we play well in heat. As soon as we got to the ground we were into the changing rooms and weighing in (check our hydration!) then immediately out and into the warm up. Having completed the running warm up we were then onto the stick and ball. I have to say this was a little lax, i think the nerves and apprehension of the build up was getting to us all. Danny asked if we were all ok - but i think collectively we knew, we knew we just needed to get into the game and hear the first whistle go to start.
Finally the time came. The whistle went, and we were off, harrying, closing down the CHinese as quickly as possible. We knew from stats that they start games hard and fast and we were determined to match this. We did and imposed oursevles on the Chinese from the off. The game was fairly end to end but with not so many chances in either 'D'. In the 12th minute we finally broke through their defence from a long corner that Crista Cullen (Leicester) powered into the 'D'. The Chinese defence miss trapped the ball and left it sitting up nicely for Al to slam home. The Chinese responded after another 8 minutes or so with a penalty corner which their PC specialist flung into the goal with a drag flick. The game got a little frantic for a few minutes but once it settled we again broke through and Chloe Rogers found herself free on the right hand side of the 'D' she calmly placed the ball across the goal for Lucilla Wright (Olton) to put into the empty net. The ball seemed to cross the line in slow motion. We finsihed the first half two one.
During half time Danny & Karen ensured that we maintained concentration, gave us a few tiny details to our play and then sent us out on a highly emotional 'COME ON'. It was great to see the emotion within him and all of us responded brilliantly from this. We started the second half just as well as the first, at a pace to match the Chinese despite our start it was the Chinese who found the back of the goal first from a free hit outside the 'D'. They hit the ball in and the CHinese girl took a deflection in the middle which wrong footed Beth Storry (Holland club team!). The game stood at 2-2 until about the 57th minute when Crista Cullen scored a slip left drag flick at a penalty corner won by Chloe Rogers. It was a great moment. The last 13 minutes seemed to fly by thankfully although i'm sure that wasn't the case for the supporters on the sideline! The last 3 minutes we kept it on the right hand side in our attacking 25yrd to play time down. It worked and we won 3-2!
A really solid performance from all and a well deserved win.
As i said before we can't get carried away we have to perform as well if not better on Wednesday against Holland and between now and then we have to do everything to ensure we get the best recovery - rest, nutrition, hydration, active recovery etc!
Thanks for all those who have passed on their positive thoughts.
I have to make special recognition of Bam & Jem from Al, its great that you are reading the site and not from CHelm hockey club or my family. Lets hope more follow your lead!
Thanks to all my family for their thoughts and vibes and all those from Team Chelm.
Love to all back home.
Over and Out
Lisa
xxx
Many thanks for you comments, just read them all and both Al and I got very excited with each comment.
We are soooo happy a great start to the tournament. But as we were reminded quite rightly straight after the game we have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and make sure we get ourselves fully recovered over the next day before taking on the Dutch on Friday.
Al (Alex Danson my roomie.) woke up this morning with a good feeling. I will listen to her in the future! We were both hyper first thing this morning and from after breakfast we just couldn't wait to get on the pitch. We had our team meeting at 10.30am by the time this finished we were all well and truly prepared to take on the CHinese. We'd been preparing for this for months. Lunch was early at 11.30am and from lunch till the time we left the tunes were turned up, the hair straightening irons were heated and water bottles were prepared. We weren't going to let anything be amiss before we started this game.
We finally left the hotel at 1pm and arrived at the ground at 1.30pm. The weather was sunny sunny sunny, nice and warm which is always a good omen we play well in heat. As soon as we got to the ground we were into the changing rooms and weighing in (check our hydration!) then immediately out and into the warm up. Having completed the running warm up we were then onto the stick and ball. I have to say this was a little lax, i think the nerves and apprehension of the build up was getting to us all. Danny asked if we were all ok - but i think collectively we knew, we knew we just needed to get into the game and hear the first whistle go to start.
Finally the time came. The whistle went, and we were off, harrying, closing down the CHinese as quickly as possible. We knew from stats that they start games hard and fast and we were determined to match this. We did and imposed oursevles on the Chinese from the off. The game was fairly end to end but with not so many chances in either 'D'. In the 12th minute we finally broke through their defence from a long corner that Crista Cullen (Leicester) powered into the 'D'. The Chinese defence miss trapped the ball and left it sitting up nicely for Al to slam home. The Chinese responded after another 8 minutes or so with a penalty corner which their PC specialist flung into the goal with a drag flick. The game got a little frantic for a few minutes but once it settled we again broke through and Chloe Rogers found herself free on the right hand side of the 'D' she calmly placed the ball across the goal for Lucilla Wright (Olton) to put into the empty net. The ball seemed to cross the line in slow motion. We finsihed the first half two one.
During half time Danny & Karen ensured that we maintained concentration, gave us a few tiny details to our play and then sent us out on a highly emotional 'COME ON'. It was great to see the emotion within him and all of us responded brilliantly from this. We started the second half just as well as the first, at a pace to match the Chinese despite our start it was the Chinese who found the back of the goal first from a free hit outside the 'D'. They hit the ball in and the CHinese girl took a deflection in the middle which wrong footed Beth Storry (Holland club team!). The game stood at 2-2 until about the 57th minute when Crista Cullen scored a slip left drag flick at a penalty corner won by Chloe Rogers. It was a great moment. The last 13 minutes seemed to fly by thankfully although i'm sure that wasn't the case for the supporters on the sideline! The last 3 minutes we kept it on the right hand side in our attacking 25yrd to play time down. It worked and we won 3-2!
A really solid performance from all and a well deserved win.
As i said before we can't get carried away we have to perform as well if not better on Wednesday against Holland and between now and then we have to do everything to ensure we get the best recovery - rest, nutrition, hydration, active recovery etc!
Thanks for all those who have passed on their positive thoughts.
I have to make special recognition of Bam & Jem from Al, its great that you are reading the site and not from CHelm hockey club or my family. Lets hope more follow your lead!
Thanks to all my family for their thoughts and vibes and all those from Team Chelm.
Love to all back home.
Over and Out
Lisa
xxx
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
26th September 2006.
Its the day before the tournament begins. We have now had our last training session and it all starts from here. The mood in the camp is excited and nervous but very jovial and light. The nerves for me are really beginning to kick in now, everytime I think about the game tomorrow i get these waves of jumbled - excitement, apprehension, fear; but i think it's all good. I can't beleive we are actually here time flies! I am definetly ready to start the tournament, i'm injury free and just prepared to take on whatever and whoever is thrown at us.
We had the opening ceremony (well more of a opening gathering of all the teams and officials) at the ground today, it hit home that the tournament was starting.
The ground is finally taking shape with all the stands erected and all the signposts and banners decorating everywhere. It looks like it should be a great spectical.
I will be sure to come back online tomorrow to let you all know how we got on.
Keep those fingers crossed and keep feeding those positive thoughts.
Till tomorrow,
A nervous but excited Lis!
xxxx
We had the opening ceremony (well more of a opening gathering of all the teams and officials) at the ground today, it hit home that the tournament was starting.
The ground is finally taking shape with all the stands erected and all the signposts and banners decorating everywhere. It looks like it should be a great spectical.
I will be sure to come back online tomorrow to let you all know how we got on.
Keep those fingers crossed and keep feeding those positive thoughts.
Till tomorrow,
A nervous but excited Lis!
xxxx
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Thanks for the comments Hils & Big Sis!
I forgot to say thank you so much for you comments.
I'm glad Geebs has started clapping lessons if its anything like her walking lessons she'll have picked it up in no time at all!!
Big thanks for the sky details, set your sky plus if you have it!!!!
See you in a week or so Muir family.
xxx
I'm glad Geebs has started clapping lessons if its anything like her walking lessons she'll have picked it up in no time at all!!
Big thanks for the sky details, set your sky plus if you have it!!!!
See you in a week or so Muir family.
xxx
Sunday 24th September, 2006. 3 days to go!
Welcome back to my blog and a big Hola from Espanol (Spain - sorry my fluent Spanish maybe too much for you all!!!)
I dont have long to write as we only have ten minutes left on the internet connection - we (my roomie Al Danson and I) are trying to sort out internet for the few weeks we are here but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment. So you will have to bear with us for the moment. Hopefully by the tournament starts we will be up and running so i can upload and keep you all updated whenever i feel like.
So far the holding camp has been fairy good. We have trained everyday and played the Koreans in a practice match. We drew with the Koreans 1-1. It was a good game and we felt we got a lot from it. We are addressing a few minor details and have another practice match tonight v Japan. Then a last few training sessions to put the icing on the cake and hopefully that will lead us in well to our first match V China.
The pitches we are playing on are both really nice and play quite quickly. The venue is getting more and more like a world cup venue by the hour! Each time we go to the pitch there is something else built. At the moment it is all boding well!!
Well Sorry to cut it sort and not tell you all more but have to get going otherwise i'll cut off!!
Hope you are all well. If i forget to say - good luck to the ladies 2's in their first league match.
Take care and don't forget positive thoughts!!
xx
I dont have long to write as we only have ten minutes left on the internet connection - we (my roomie Al Danson and I) are trying to sort out internet for the few weeks we are here but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment. So you will have to bear with us for the moment. Hopefully by the tournament starts we will be up and running so i can upload and keep you all updated whenever i feel like.
So far the holding camp has been fairy good. We have trained everyday and played the Koreans in a practice match. We drew with the Koreans 1-1. It was a good game and we felt we got a lot from it. We are addressing a few minor details and have another practice match tonight v Japan. Then a last few training sessions to put the icing on the cake and hopefully that will lead us in well to our first match V China.
The pitches we are playing on are both really nice and play quite quickly. The venue is getting more and more like a world cup venue by the hour! Each time we go to the pitch there is something else built. At the moment it is all boding well!!
Well Sorry to cut it sort and not tell you all more but have to get going otherwise i'll cut off!!
Hope you are all well. If i forget to say - good luck to the ladies 2's in their first league match.
Take care and don't forget positive thoughts!!
xx
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Day before we leave!!! - YIPEEEE
Hello again,
Its the day before we leave and i'm about to start packing. We finished our last training camp at Bisham yesterday lunch time we have a day to prepare ourselves and then off we fly tomorrow morning very early!!
We are all very excited and looking forward to the next few weeks ahead of us. A week today and we will be preparing for our first match against China. It feels like this has come around so quickly.
I hope all of you were following the mens World Cup. They were ranked 11th in the World going into the tournament and finished 5th a fantastic achievement - congratulations to all.
Everyone keeps asking if we are feeling the pressure having the men finish so high. I really don't and i think the team would agree. The mens world cup on Euro Sport just made me more excited about getting out there and into the tournament. It showed that at that level its the smallest of margins that makes the difference between winning and losing.
My last training session didn't exactly go to plan - i got a ball in the face whilst practicing attacking corners and cut my cheek so had to have my face glued and this morning i have a beautiful coloured eye and its likely that i'll be a scar face for a while at least! (there goes my successful modelling career - as i'm such the perfect height to be a model!!!!!)
Well i hope you all tune in to the blog over the next few weeks. Unfortunately the internet access is very expensive in the hotel so I may not be able to write as often as i would like but will try as much as possible.
Will be back soon and from the sunny climes of Madrid.
Positive thoughts appreciated.
Lisa
x
Its the day before we leave and i'm about to start packing. We finished our last training camp at Bisham yesterday lunch time we have a day to prepare ourselves and then off we fly tomorrow morning very early!!
We are all very excited and looking forward to the next few weeks ahead of us. A week today and we will be preparing for our first match against China. It feels like this has come around so quickly.
I hope all of you were following the mens World Cup. They were ranked 11th in the World going into the tournament and finished 5th a fantastic achievement - congratulations to all.
Everyone keeps asking if we are feeling the pressure having the men finish so high. I really don't and i think the team would agree. The mens world cup on Euro Sport just made me more excited about getting out there and into the tournament. It showed that at that level its the smallest of margins that makes the difference between winning and losing.
My last training session didn't exactly go to plan - i got a ball in the face whilst practicing attacking corners and cut my cheek so had to have my face glued and this morning i have a beautiful coloured eye and its likely that i'll be a scar face for a while at least! (there goes my successful modelling career - as i'm such the perfect height to be a model!!!!!)
Well i hope you all tune in to the blog over the next few weeks. Unfortunately the internet access is very expensive in the hotel so I may not be able to write as often as i would like but will try as much as possible.
Will be back soon and from the sunny climes of Madrid.
Positive thoughts appreciated.
Lisa
x
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Yep it works well, and I even get to test it in a new window before it goes live!
Hope this makes for easier reading.
The archive stories from the Commonwealths and the World Cup Qualifier are easier to find aswell now. So when you have a spare half hour or probably longer have a read and see how the England Team got on earlier in the year.
Ta Ra for now!
Hope this makes for easier reading.
The archive stories from the Commonwealths and the World Cup Qualifier are easier to find aswell now. So when you have a spare half hour or probably longer have a read and see how the England Team got on earlier in the year.
Ta Ra for now!
Just Checking the New System
Hi to All,
I'm just checking out this great new system Tufty has implemented. You can all even leave comments now if you want!
So let me know your thoughts, any i'll also try and field any questions that you may have providing they are clean, sensible and predominantley about hockey!!! I'll obviosuly have the right to refuse!
Lets see if this works .............GO!
I'm just checking out this great new system Tufty has implemented. You can all even leave comments now if you want!
So let me know your thoughts, any i'll also try and field any questions that you may have providing they are clean, sensible and predominantley about hockey!!! I'll obviosuly have the right to refuse!
Lets see if this works .............GO!
Monday, September 04, 2006
World Cup Selection
I'm so sorry for not writing sooner. It has been a very busy couple of weeks, it feels like I don't get 5 minutes to sit down. If I'm not training with the team, I'm training on my own doing fitness or busy trying to earn enough money to afford to live!
It's been a very exciting couple of weeks with the selection for the World Cup and then travelling out to Madrid for a recce. Selection was now over a week ago. Once again another nerve racking day was ahead of me. We were told selection would come out at noon but unfortunately I wasn't near my computer during the day as I was having to get a new passport having had my old one stolen whilst on holiday. At about half eleven in the morning I couldn't wait any longer to see if it had arrived, so I got my sister swinging into action on the internet to check my e-mails to see if the team had been announced. It had, I sat in the car on the other end of the phone my sister slowly and painstakingly read out the team, I'm sure she must have scrolled down the letter first to check my name was on the list but finally she got to the W's in the list and sure enough there was my name. I was selected for the World Cup. I was so excited. The smile couldn't have been wiped off my face for the rest of the day. What was even more exciting was that there were three selected from Chelmsford HC in the team. Katie Roberts and Chloe Rogers were also selected. A great achievement for the club.
The team having been selected were straight into training the weekend after selection, then two days home and we flew off to Madrid for a recce. I am now writing this having just flown back into the country. Madrid is a great setting for the World Cup its a beautiful city and the venue 'Club de Campo' is fantastic it's a mammoth sports club with polo, golf, swimming, hockey and tennis all within the same grounds. The pitch is lovely to play on. We have had five training sessions on the pitch over the course of the last few days and experienced the beautiful summer heat of Spain of forty odd degrees!!! (We are hoping for a little cooler later in the month! Apparently its supposed to be around 23 degrees a good temperature to play in!) The grounds seem no where near ready to host a World Cup yet but always the way it gets closer and closer and suddenly stands are built, signs and banners are erected and the place changes in atmosphere. I can't wait to be back. It was a great feeling just walking onto the pitch we will be playing on in the world cup and that was just for training, i can't wait for the feeling I'm gonna get when walking out for our first match.
So in exactly 17 days we will be flying back to Madrid for the holding camp and 23 days we'll be playing our first game. In these next few weeks we are really going to have to focus on world cup and everything will be about preparing to play my best hockey by the end of the month.
It's been a very exciting couple of weeks with the selection for the World Cup and then travelling out to Madrid for a recce. Selection was now over a week ago. Once again another nerve racking day was ahead of me. We were told selection would come out at noon but unfortunately I wasn't near my computer during the day as I was having to get a new passport having had my old one stolen whilst on holiday. At about half eleven in the morning I couldn't wait any longer to see if it had arrived, so I got my sister swinging into action on the internet to check my e-mails to see if the team had been announced. It had, I sat in the car on the other end of the phone my sister slowly and painstakingly read out the team, I'm sure she must have scrolled down the letter first to check my name was on the list but finally she got to the W's in the list and sure enough there was my name. I was selected for the World Cup. I was so excited. The smile couldn't have been wiped off my face for the rest of the day. What was even more exciting was that there were three selected from Chelmsford HC in the team. Katie Roberts and Chloe Rogers were also selected. A great achievement for the club.
The team having been selected were straight into training the weekend after selection, then two days home and we flew off to Madrid for a recce. I am now writing this having just flown back into the country. Madrid is a great setting for the World Cup its a beautiful city and the venue 'Club de Campo' is fantastic it's a mammoth sports club with polo, golf, swimming, hockey and tennis all within the same grounds. The pitch is lovely to play on. We have had five training sessions on the pitch over the course of the last few days and experienced the beautiful summer heat of Spain of forty odd degrees!!! (We are hoping for a little cooler later in the month! Apparently its supposed to be around 23 degrees a good temperature to play in!) The grounds seem no where near ready to host a World Cup yet but always the way it gets closer and closer and suddenly stands are built, signs and banners are erected and the place changes in atmosphere. I can't wait to be back. It was a great feeling just walking onto the pitch we will be playing on in the world cup and that was just for training, i can't wait for the feeling I'm gonna get when walking out for our first match.
So in exactly 17 days we will be flying back to Madrid for the holding camp and 23 days we'll be playing our first game. In these next few weeks we are really going to have to focus on world cup and everything will be about preparing to play my best hockey by the end of the month.
I hope to write a little more often now and having checked out the hotel I should be fine to keep in contact whilst I'm in Madrid.
So till the next time.
Adiós.
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