Whitchurch Hockey Club

From the blow of the first whistle it was clear to see that another loss was not an option for the Ladies 1st team.

Constant pressure from the home team saw a weak link in the Wrexham defence and Captain Donna Reynolds took full advantage to take the ball round the keeper to put Whitchurch in the lead.

Wrexham responded with threats to equal the scoreline but strong performances from Emma Harper and Amanda Davey ensured that Whitchurch remained infront.

A short corner on the half time whistle was a chance to put the home side into a strong lead for the second half. A cracking strike from Nikki Ellis ensured that Whitchurch stayed in control.

Unfortunately half time gave the opposition the chance to compose themselves and Wrexham came out harder and lapses of concentration saw them stepping back into the game to equalise the scoreline.

Whitchurch knew they had to up their game a level and worked hard to put the pressure back on the Wrexham defence. Unfortunate shots wide and saves from the keeper kept the home side from taking the lead.

Once again Wrexham managed to slip through the defence and slotted the ball in the back of the net.

One last push from Whitchurch saw a team effort from Lauren Chapman and Ellie Ormrod who assisted Nina Reynolds to equalise giving the home side one point.

This week Whitchurch travel to Wilmslow with the hope of coming away with a win, unfortunately once again with a high number of players missing this will be a tough game.

Another win for Whitchurch, this time away over a hard-working Newtown team, saw them further consolidate their position at the top of the table and still in contention for a promotion spot.  The Reds started the game better than any of the season so far, scoring within the first five minutes through a well taken Ryan Dulson drag flick, only to concede immediately through a defensive slip-up.  After this Newtown pressed strongly and only a fine diving save from keeper Paul Leigh and some more organised defending prevented them going ahead.  Instead, at the other end Chris Ruscoe started to frustrate the home team with his pace, and a series of fouls led to a quickly-taken free hit being converted by captain Lee Davies and Newtown losing one of their players to a yellow card as the red mist descended.

The second half saw Whitchurch demonstrate more composure than the home side, as they extended their lead through a penalty corner strike from Nick Cooper, followed by another Cooper goal from open play, blasting a loose ball into the top netting. Whitchurch then controlled the majority of the rest of the game, although conceding a well taken goal from one of only a handful of Newtown attacks that caused any real threat.  A Shropshire derby next week against Ludlow will now be the key game left before Christmas to ensure that Whitchurch can maintain their challenge for the season.

Bromsgrovians 1 – 1 Whitchurch

The Mens 1s travelled to Bromsgrove School this weekend to play Bromsgrovians, one of the strongest teams in the league this season. After the previous week’s undisciplined loss against Kingswinsford, the team focused hard from the start on tight marking of the opposition and trying to disrupt their free-passing style of play, and while Whitchurch spent most of the first half absorbing pressure from the home side, the scoring opportunities were kept to a minimum. A strong debut from George Dakin on the right of the defence was matched by a sold defensive performance by Alex Fewster on the left, and Bromsgrovians were forced to play through the tightly packed middle of the pitch a lot of the time. However they were able to win a number of short corners, once of which was converted after the Reds failed to clear their lines after the initial shot on goal.

In the second half Bromsgrovians made a tactical error which gave Whitchurch an opportunity to get back into the game, opting to fall back into a half press formation to defend their lead. This took the pressure off the Whitchurch midfield and defence and allowed them to start controlling the play. As a result, the home team started to get frustrated, and had a player yellow carded for repeated late tackles – Whitchurch then took advantage of the extra man with Chris Ruscoe making a number of fine runs down the right hand side which eventually led to a penalty corner for the Reds. This was converted from a well-worked routine by Ryan Dulson, to bring the scores level – although sadly Chris Ruscoe was yellow-carded at the same time for verbal exchanges with one of the home players.

The final fifteen minutes of the game saw Bromsgrovians return to their original formation and apply sustained pressure on the Whitchurch goal, but they were unable to convert any of their open play or penalty corners chances and were denied by a succession of fine saves by Andy Magee in the Whitchurch goal. While the full-time result flattered the Reds in terms of possession and goal-scoring opportunities, the draw was well-deserved in terms of the effort and character they displayed.

Shropshire Cup @ Lilleshall – Saturday 10^th September 2011

Despite drawing both their matches in this year’s Shropshire Cup competition for smaller clubs, Whitchurch Men came last overall, losing both games on penalty flicks and surrendering their title of last season.

The Men could only field ten players for the first match against Market Drayton, but secured a 2-2 draw, playing some disciplined and spirited hockey. Afer Drayton went one up from open play, Ryan Dulson equalised from a metre out after a counter-attack saw Michael Lawledge-Evans slip the ball past the keeper.

Whitchurch went ahead before half time when captain Lee Davies converted a short corner with a fine drag flick. However, Drayton were back on level terms half way through the second half through a penalty corner of their own, and Whitchurch did well to see out the last ten minutes of the game with only nine men on the pitch after Ben Lee was yellow carded for breaking down play.

The result was decided through penalty flicks, with Whitchurch losing 4-2 after only Chris Ruscoe and Colin Hayward managed to convert. This saw Drayton go through to play Oswestry, who had managed a one-nil victory over Ludlow, in the final.

In the play-off for third and fourth positions, Whitchurch were back to a full team, but put in a nervous and lacklustre display against an energetic Ludlow side. Despite being repeatedly caught in possession, Whitchurch had more clear cut chances to score than their opponents, but failed to convert any of the opportunities. At the other end Ludlow put considerable pressure on the Whitchurch D, and keeper Trevor Troth was kept busy in clearing the area and making a number of good reaction saves.

When Ludlow lost a player to a yellow card, Whitchurch created a couple of promising chances but were unable to exploit the advantage, before losing Dulson to a yellow, again for breaking down the play. In the penalty flick decider, Whitchurch again lost 4-2, with only Hayward and Davies managing to score.

The Shropshire Cup was won by Market Drayton, following a 3-1 victory over Oswestry in the final.