A HOME third-round draw is the prize on offer for Jersey’s ladies this weekend as they prepare for their first EH Tier 2 Championships tie since 2019.
The first-team squad is bound for Bristol tomorrow and captain Natacha Kay admits they are ‘going in a little cold’ against Yate Hockey Club. They were handed a first-round bye for the 2022/23 competition and were unable to field a side in 2021/22, but they do have a handful of early-season Jersey Hockey League games under their belt.
Victory would bring the Championships to Les Quennevais in the next round, although the Islanders are unsure of the size of the hurdle in their way.
‘They are a bit of an unknown,’ Kay said of Yate. ‘To be honest no-one knows much about them as they’re from an area that we don’t usually play in.
‘We have had a bit of a break because of Christmas and the weather in December didn’t help, but we’ve done pretty well in the league so far this year and we’re definitely feeling confident.
Grace Wetherall and Olivia Labesse are understood to be in line for their cup debuts for the Island side, but vice-captain Gemma Sutton is absent.
The ladies reached the last-16 in 2018/19 but lost 3-1 on penalty flicks at Amersham & Chalfont in December 2019 – their last appearance in the tournament. They have won six of their nine games in Men’s Division II this season.
