Thunder and goals galore for North Devon Ladies at Isca

They say weather sets the tone for a match, so when North Devon Ladies’ 1s rocked up to play ISCA 3s and were greeted by hailstones, thunder and what sounded like Mother Nature growling, they knew they were in for a spicy one.

Both teams, possibly traumatised by last season's battles, were visibly jittery—so much so that ISCA decided to pass the visitors the ball right away, with North politely returning it.

Very British, really.

But soon, nerves turned to hockey. As the storm clouds cleared, both teams began to find their rhythm. The breakthrough came from North’s dominant midfield—some slick play saw Georgie Worrallo feed Kirstie Hughes, who whipped it across the D for Martika Gallagher to fire home. 1–0.

Cue celebratory high fives and at least three people trying to pretend they weren’t out of breath!

Before ISCA could regroup, North’s midfield went full, fast and furious. A blur of shirts and stick skills saw the midfield linking up like a girl band on tour. Suddenly, Kirsty Crocker found herself on the edge of the D and drove in with an arched run towards the ISCA defence.

With the hosts’ back line parting like the Red Sea, she converted in the top left bin like a laser-guided missile. 2–0. Moses would’ve been proud.

To their credit, ISCA woke up just in time for the half-time whistle and came back swinging. North’s defence? Absolutely unbothered, with Nell Thomas and Emily Thorpe handing out block tackles like free samples.

The bench? Living on a knife’s edge after a few heart-attack- inducing mistraps. Alas, Helen Thomas was on hand to scoop up loose balls and send them to safety like some kind of hockey Gandalf.

Joey Lester in goal suddenly became very popular with the ball but held firm, turning away shots with the calmness of someone doing the weekly shop.

After a half-time pep talk from co-captains Shauna Vetch and Kirsty Crocker and some quality water chugging, North headed back out. The forwards, clearly channelling Tuesday-night drills, were slicker than a buttered otter. Then came Edie Milan to cheekily poke the ball between the keeper’s legs with the style of a seasoned nutmegger. 3–0. Delicious.

While ISCA wouldn’t give up, North were in full fortress mode, with Gaby Lansley and Sofia Espinosa-Cabrera delivering dazzling spins and silky stickwork that probably left a few defenders dizzy enough to need a sit-down.

Jess White, wielding her signature thunderbolt pass, caused chaos at the back for ISCA—though North’s forwards were occasionally left chasing it down frantically.

The final few minutes were heart-in-mouth territory. ISCA earned some short corners and tried every trick in the book. North’s defence remained welded in place and held them off like champions. Final whistle: 3–0.

Another game down. Another win in the bag.

Elsewhere, despite valiant efforts, North Devon Men’s 2s, Men’s 1s and Ladies’ 2s fell to defeat following strong starts. All eyes on next week!