By Jess Hussey

Gillingham Ladies First Team made a long Sunday road trip to Epsom to face Cheam Hockey Club in the quarter finals of the England Cup Competition, however were edged out 6 – 4 by the opposition despite a strong attacking performance.

Gillingham thought they had taken an early lead within the first couple of minutes when Katie Webb expertly darted round the goalkeeper and found the back of the net, but the goal was unfortunately disallowed, and Cheam soon opened the scoring with a quick counter attack. Livie Dorgan swiftly responded to level the game, but Cheam struck twice more, including a short-corner routine, to take a 3 – 1 lead into half time.

Gillingham did not let that deter them though, and after a positive half time chat, came out strongly to start the second half and Dorgan scored twice in quick succession to complete an excellent hat-trick and bring our side back into the match.

Cheam regained momentum with a successful penalty flick a few moments later before Hannah Stevens expertly fired a superb strike into the top left corner to keep Gillingham in contention.

Further pressure from Cheam saw them add two more goals to secure a 6–4 victory, but Gillingham can take plenty of positives from a competitive performance and Livie Dorgan’s standout hat-trick.

Gillingham Hockey Club continues to welcome new players of all abilities across its women’s, men’s and junior sections. Anyone interested in getting involved in local hockey, whether returning to the sport or trying it for the first time, is encouraged to get in touch with the club through its social media pages.