Ollie Stevenson
Last year’s Ladies Hockey Championship final was a tense affair, with Nottingham chasing a fourth consecutive national title playing in front of a packed crowd at Loughborough.
The adversity of playing in a hostile environment didn’t matter though; a dramatic final quarter saw the game end 2-1 and the Green and Gold held on. Maddie Axford and Sienna Dunn scored the goals that mattered, and another banner went up at David Ross. Four in a row.
Now they’re back in Loughborough looking for five.
Standing in their way is a Loughborough side that has spent the entire 2025-26 season looking unbeatable. Eight games, eight wins, 45 goals scored and five conceded for a Loughborough outfit who have looked favourites since September. That is despite a strong season from Notts, six points adrift on 19, having lost and drawn once each across the campaign.
When these two sides faced each other in the league, Loughborough came on top of a 3-1 score at home. However, this score is to be treated with some caution, as in the same fixture last year, Loughborough won 4-0 in Nottingham, winning the league, yet UoN still came out on top in the championship final.
So, whatever the aggregate stats suggest, Notts have shown they can hurt this team when it matters, and the head-to-head record isn’t the most important number going into Wednesday.
The knockout rounds haven’t exactly been straightforward to either side. Both received byes in the quarter finals as a consequence of finishing first and second in the league, before being tested in the semis. Loughborough beat Durham 3-1, a Durham outfit which had won four of their eight league games. Notts had arguably the harder draw, seeing off Birmingham 3-1, a side that had finished third in the table and only conceded 9 to UoN’s 10. Getting through these games with this level of comfort is a statement of its own.
What makes Nottingham difficult to write off is the experience this squad carries. This is a group that knows how to win on these occasions, they’ve done it four times on the bounce.
Finals are different to league games, different to semi-finals, and the muscle memory of getting over the line in the big moments is something you cannot manufacture.
When Loughborough scored late to make it 2-1 last year, Nottingham didn’t fold. That was crucial last time. It will be crucial again.
Loughborough, though, will have the crowd (although not without a strong turnout from the Green and Gold), the form, and the memory of last year’s loss to drive them forward. Playing at home in a final they lost so narrowly 12 months ago, with a squad that has been ruthless all season.
This is the best chance anyone has had to end Nottingham’s relentless run.
England U21 International Jess Dyson gave them a lifeline in last year’s final, and she will be a threat again if she features. Moreover, Loughborough have history of denying a historic five-peat, ending Birmingham’s own sequence in 2018.
The honest answer is that nobody knows exactly how this final will go. The league table suggest Loughborough. The occasion says Nottingham have been here before and know what it takes.
Five in a row. They couldn’t, could they?
Match Details
Where? Water Based Hockey Pitch, Loughborough University
When? Wednesday 25th March, 2:30pm kick-off
How to watch? The match will be streamed live on the BUCS YouTube channel as part of Big Wednesday coverage.
Ollie Stevenson
Featured image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
