Harrogate Hockey Club Ladies 1st XI kick-off new season with heavy defeat to local rivals Leeds Hockey Club

Following a decent pre-season, the Ainsty Road outfit headed into the fixture in good shape and full of confidence.

They lined up in a new system and began the game brightly, creating but failing to convert several opportunities to break the deadlock during what was an end-to-end first quarter.

Against the run of play, the visitors took the lead with a stunning reverse-stick strike, but just after the restart at the start of the second quarter, ‘Gate got back on terms.

The returning Emma Waud, playing her first game back in Harrogate colours, expertly finished an excellent team move that saw the ball worked through the lines courtesy of some quick, incisive passing and clever movement.

With Lucy Wood and Seren Melling impressing in midfield, the hosts continued to play some good hockey at 1-1, however the third quarter was an unmitigated disaster from their perspective as a series of errors led to Leeds scoring four times in quick succession and seizing complete control.

Despite finding themselves 5-1 down, ‘Gate rallied during the closing stages and could have pulled a couple of goals back, with Lexi Ramshay going particularly close to finding the net.

The Harrogate ladies will be aiming to bounce straight back when they visit Alderley Edge this weekend.