Sidmouth and Ottery Hockey Club (SOHC) ladies’ 1st XI have enjoyed a magnificent first half of their Sedgemoor Division One campaign.

The ladies have won all nine of their games and, with the league now taking a break for the festive season - the action returns on January 18 - SOHC can sit back and admire their current status as table-toppers with a six point lead over second placed Exe III.

The final Saturday of September saw the ladies launch their campaign, something they did in real style as they defeated visiting Okehampton 9-0.

A week later they had another big clean sheet success, winning 8-0 at Exe 4th XI.

Matchday three saw the first of the season's in-house derby meetings with the SOHC ladies' second team beaten 13-0.

Next up came a fourth successive clean sheet victory as White Eagles were beaten 5-0.

It was not until the fifth game of the season that the SOHC goal was finally breached with visiting Chard becoming the first team to score against the all-conquering team.

However, while the Somerset-based side got one goal, SOHC chalked up double figures as they won 10-1!

The second Saturday of November served up arguably what was always going to be the team's toughest game of the league term for it was a trip to meet second-in-the-table Exe III.

For once there was no one-sided final score.

Indeed, this was a close contest, one in which SOHC showed a different side to their game - one that oozed character and defensive discipline as they took the match honours by the odd goal in seven.

Matchday seven threw up a home meeting with Taunton Vale III who were beaten 5-2 and a week later ECVH became the eighth successive team to be beaten by SOHC, who won the game 4-1.

Fittingly for such a superb season to date, the ladies ended the first half of the campaign as they had started it, by claiming a big clean sheet win, defeating hosts Taunton Vale 4ths 8-0.

So, halfway through the campaign, SOHC ladies have played nine and won nine, scoring 66 goals and conceding seven, keeping five clean sheets in the process.

When the campaign resumes on January 18, SOHC will travel to Okehampton II, who sit third bottom and a week fifth placed Exe 4ths will be the first visitors to East Devon in terms of 2020 league action.