Treble for Stebbing as Caithness round off season with victory at Buckie
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Chloe Stebbing netted a hat-trick as Caithness Ladies rounded off their SWF Highlands and Islands League campaign with a fine 4-2 victory at Buckie on Sunday.
The result ensures a fifth-place finish for Caithness after four wins, a draw and three defeats, and the outlook is bright for the club with plenty of young talent coming through to add to the experience already within the squad.
Stebbing opened the scoring at Buckie with a powerful strike from outside the box. Caithness doubled their lead when Lauren Ross finished off a well-worked move involving Hannah Hollywood and Hannah Dunnett.
A run up the wing and a well-timed pass from skipper Carly Erridge allowed Stebbing to ping the ball over the keeper to make it 3-0. Stebbing then broke through the Buckie defence to complete her treble before half-time.
Battling the windy conditions after the break, it was now time for the Caithness defence to be tested. Sarah Macintosh and Sarah Henderson helped to keep Buckie at bay, while keeper Leoni Mowat dealt with any long-range efforts.
With a switch in formation, Buckie grabbed two late goals to reduce the deficit.
Caithness encountered a number of bumps in the road during the 2021 campaign, with some key members of the squad missing through injury or pregnancy, as well as a change in coaching circumstances. However, the squad battled on and many of the younger players got a chance to step up.
One league fixture has still to be played, between Clachnacuddin and Kirkwall, but that won't Caithness Ladies' final position. The club dropped a place from last season but only due to goal difference.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Development won the title with a 100 per cent record.
Caithness also made it to the semi-finals of the Highlands and Islands League Cup, only to be knocked out by Sutherland who went on to win the competition by beating Clachnacuddin.
Anyone interested in getting involved with the club – whether in a playing or non-playing capacity – should email CaithnessLadiesfc@gmail.com or make contact via the Facebook page, CaithnessLadiesFC.
