Year to remember for Garstang girls

The club has had another great year and were nominated by Wyre Council as their Team of the Year and attended the Lancashire Sports awards.

GLHC’s coaches have been out and about in schools introducing almost 3,000 youngsters to the game.

The first XI finished second in the North Division Two League – their highest ever finish and great for a newly promoted club against strong opposition.

In the past two seasons, they have lost only two games out of 42 and were the only team to dent the otherwise perfect record of the mighty Pendle.

They held them to a draw, having led 2-0 at one stage.

In the players’ vote, Christie Martin, Lyndsey Hayes and Jen Moss all had the same number of votes and shared the trophy.

Rebecca Worthington was the club’s ‘Top Gun’ with the most goals scored from any of the teams and Deborah Huyton was the team coach’s player of the year.

Team captain Donna Richardson won the Defender of the Year award for the club as a whole.

The second XI were a largely new team with up to seven Under-15s players.

After losing their first five games by short margins, they were undefeated. The team finished fourth in the Lancashire Central Division One, having drawn with the top team and beaten the other two teams above them in the second round. Goalkeeper Zoe Mather represented Lancashire, Northern Colleges and the National Colleges sides and came close to North Under-21s selection.

Of the other young players Holly Wilson, Kathryn Dunn, Kathryn Watson, Lauren Smith, Holly Hunter and Grace Webster all represented Lancashire at junior level.

Fourteen-year-old Kathryn Watson also had some games for the first XI. She was awarded the club’s most improved player.

The third team, after a year in the doldrums, finished runners-up in Lancashire Central Division Three to earn promotion to Division Two.

In the Lishman Plate they knocked out the top team in the division after a shootout.

This year Garstang formed a fourth XI and drew with Leyland and Chorley’s thirds in a good friendly game. They will start in Division Three next year.

In the Under-15s league the Juniors finished a creditable third despite not having a trained goalkeeper. The Under-15s cup was awarded to Arianna Lowery .

The Under-13s side finished runners-up in their league. The captain Grace McGarvey, Libby Baxter and Pippa Chapman all represented Lancashire Under-13s.

Award winners

1st team player of the year: Christie Martin, Lyndsey Hayes, Jen Moss. 1st team coach’s player of the year: Deborah Huyton. 2nd team player of the year: Jemma Hampson. 2nd team coach’s player of the year: Holly Hunter. 3rd team player of the year: Ellie Harrison. 3rd team coach’s player of the year: Elaine Higginson. Top Goalscorer: Rebecca Worthington. Club Person: Amy McCabe. Under-13s Junior: Katherine Taylor. Under-15s Junior: Arianna Lowery. Committee Junior of the Year: Libby Baxter. Head Coach’s Junior of the Year: Phoebe Collinson.

Most Improved Player: Kathryn Watson. Defender of the Year: Donna Richardson.