CHARD Hockey Club’s ladies team fell just short in their last-ditch survival bid but there were still successes to celebrate, writes Richard Browne.

In the end their fate was out of their hands, despite them winning their last four matches, and Winscombe 2nds beat ECVH to stay in Sedgemoor Division 1 at Chard’s expense.

So Chard drop down to Division 2, but team captain Hannah McGown is hopeful they can come straight back up.

She said: “The results weren’t overly reflective of our performances.

“Ultimately we didn’t pull our finger out until the end of the season, when it was too little, too late.

“But in terms of the shape of the team [for next season], we’re hopefully not losing many while gaining a couple.”

Chard have beaten higher teams from the clubs in in Sedgemoor 2 next season, so with that in mind McGown added: “Promotion is definitely on the cards for us.”

The captain’s choice for best team performance of the season was the 4-3 win at home to eventual league champions Taunton Vale 3rds on March 11.

“That was the beginning of our winning run,” she said.

“We seem to perform better against Vale – we always bring our A-game against them, as there’s a rivalry there and they’re such a strong club.”

As for individuals, Ruth Butcher ended the season with six goals against Burnham-on-Sea and another two against White Eagles 2nds.

“Ruth brought a lot to the side,” said McGown.

“We were struggling in terms of forwards – two of our centre midfielders were pregnant so we had to drop players back, so Ruth made a massive impact up front.”

Meanwhile, defender Emma Cridland won player of the season, as voted for by her team-mates, after a series of strong displays.

And the side’s unsung hero? “Rachel Ireland-Jones has been fantastic in midfield for us.

“She’s our fittest player and has plenty of skill, so she’ll be a loss as she goes off on a gap year or to university,” McGown added.