Summer Tournament Roundup May/June
Although the league season is now over, Reading has been busy on the summer tournament circuit – attending no less than 4 tournaments in almost as many weeks.
First up was Gloucester and despite some pretty awful weather we got off to a good start and won 2 and drew 1 in the morning to get into the top of the drawer. In the afternoon we were unfortunate and lost out several times by narrow margins. Overall we finished 8th of 16. Goals: Blaggy 8, Hannah 3, Jack 2, Jon 1.
Jon looking for a runner at Gloucester
A couple of weeks later and the weather was still not co-operating for a trip to the Nomads tournament in South London. The standard was several notches above Gloucester with national league teams a’ plenty and even a scattering of international players. We put up a spirited fight in our group but struggled against quality opposition managing just a draw and a couple of defeats. This meant we were well down the rankings in the afternoon and facing much weaker opposition. A couple of solid victories got us to the group final which we lost on penalties just as the heavens opened. Final position: 20th (of 30). Scorers: Elliot 8, Stu 3, Dave 3, Beth 3, Jack 1, Hannah 1, Emma 1.
Finally the sun came out for the annual trip to the westcountry and the Bristol tournament. Despite being a guy short we managed to beg, borrow or steal one for all the matches – thanks to Basingstoke, Highbury, Horfield and others who helped us out! We got off to our customary slow start and drew when we really should have won, after 2 close games with Birmingham and Norwich ended all square we found ourselves just outside the top pool. With one match to go we were looking for an unbeaten run through the tournament but sadly lost out at the death to Highbury. A good performance saw us finish 8th (i think!) Scorers: Stu 6, Lizzie 3, Eric 3, Lucy 2, Dave 2, Beth 1 Hannah 1.
Fun in the sun at Bristol
There was no worries with the weather for the Croydon tournament, the hottest day of the year and sunshine from dawn till dusk! However, the long matches in the hot weather really took their toll on the team. We struggled against some quality opposition in the morning and then also in the afternoon as some dodgy reffing and the sun started to get to us. A nice trip to the pub afterward rehydrated us well, and restored our spirits ready for the next outing.
For news on future tournaments and to sign up check the facebook page.
