Triton Men’s 3s 4 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 2

Whitchurch returned to action having not played since the 25^th November and the rust showed in the early stages of the match as errors by the Whitchurch team gave opportunities to Triton who capitalised and took a two goal lead.

Whitchurch started the second half stronger and linked together periods of play resulting in Will Edwards scoring. Whitchurch had long periods of play but couldn’t string together the final pass in the Triton dee. Triton scored against the run of play but Whitchurch soon pulled back another goal thanks to Will Edwards.

The final Triton goal came from a penalty corner which bobbled through the Whitchurch defence and into the bottom corner.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 0 Chester ladies 2s 4

Whitchurch ladies 1s faced a top of the league side in their first game back into the second half of the season. The game started evenly with both teams attacking the opposing goal. After 10 minutes Chester showed their class and broke through Whitchurch’s strong defence to score their first goal.

Whitchurch did not give up, they continued to fight for the ball and put pressure on the opposition. Katie Laffey, Chloe Lloyd and goalkeeper Caz Wynn stopped Chester from increasing their lead through some amazing tackles and saves.

Unfortunately as Whitchurch were pushing for an equaliser Chester were able to break away to score their second goal. At this point, Whitchurch really upped their game and from a string of brilliant passes around the back from Hayley Kellett and Tilly James, Whitchurch were able to get the ball to Catherine Gresty who made an excellent run up the right wing and crossed the ball to Holly Edwards who was extremely close to scoring, only for it to go inches wide of the post.

At only 2-0 down at half time, Whitchurch started the second half strongly with Hayley Kellett making a run at Chester’s midfield. Jas Williams, Lisa Sullivan and Holly Edwards linked up beautifully in the middle of the pitch, making one twos to get around Chester’s players.

After some passes out wide, Poppy Huxley, Poppy Gilbert and Bella Spencer-Blow were able to make some great runs towards the Chester dee. However, Chester’s defence were experienced and strong, so Whitchurch were unable to get into the dee to score. Chester then dominated the end of the second half and applied a lot of pressure on Whitchurch resulting in 2 more quality goals. Whitchurch worked incredibly hard against a well drilled side and held their heads high after a great effort. Player of the match was awarded to Lisa Sullivan.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 0 Alderley Edge ladies 0

Whitchurch were eager to get on the pitch and found themselves playing a very young well put together Alderley edge team, but that didn’t faze them. Alderley Edge won the first pushback, but Whitchurch were straight on the ball.  Whitchurch had most of the possession in the first half and had numerous attempts on goal but unfortunately couldn’t get the ball to hit the back board. Alderley Edge seemed unsettled with Whitchurch’s great teamwork, excellent passing and communication.

The second half was very much the same as the first with Whitchurch not letting up on the pressure giving 110%.  Despite multiple penalty corners and a penalty flick the Alderley keeper kept them in the game. Whitchurch thought they had broken the deadlock in the final minutes as they beat the keeper and as the ball rolled towards the line it was scrambled away. Great match to start to the second half of the season. POM Freya Gresty

Lymm Men’s 2s 2 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 7

Whitchurch 1’s emerged victorious over Lymm 2’s with a commanding 7-2 win. Despite a slow start post-Christmas, Luke Beddow’s ignited the scoring for Whitchurch after 15 minutes. The momentum escalated with Beddow’s securing another goal, courtesy of a selfless pass from Tom Edwards, and Phil Handley netting two before halftime.

Lymm launched a strong comeback in the second half, but Phil Handley completed his hat trick, and a double by Joe Chester sealed the triumph for Whitchurch. A mixed performance from the team that showcased their resilience and attacking prowess, securing a well-deserved victory despite a month without any hockey

Whitchurch ladies 1s 2 Crewe ladies 1s 4

Whitchurch ladies 1s faced top of the league side Crewe at home. After a reminder about formation from stand-in captain Lisa Sullivan, the ladies came out in force; passing and moving up the pitch and working as a team. After 10 minutes of applying pressure on Crewe, Whitchurch’s efforts paid off after India Freer-Carmichael picked out Georgia Munro from a fantastic pass from a free hit. Georgia then drove into the dee and made a cross to Bella Spencer-Blow who converted her first goal for ladies 1s this season.

Crewe then fought back and after countless shots saved by Gwyn Thomas-Rees in goal, they managed to break through and converted 2 goals to go into half time 2-1 up.

After half time, Whitchurch repeated their first half performance and came out strong with Munro making another outstanding run and scoring a second goal. Defenders Katie Laffey and Tilly James held Crewe off from the back and gave some great opportunities for Poppy Gilbert, Sarah Kay and Jasmine Williams to make some great passing phases of play in the middle of the pitch.

Player of the match Holly Edwards worked tirelessly up and down the pitch making crucial passes into the dee and defending from the front. In the end Crewe were able to break free and score from a well worked short corner. Whitchurch then dominated the game and at 3-2 looked as though they may break even after a series of shots on goal and short corners, one in which Hayleigh Busby nearly scored after a fantastic shot on goal was saved off the line.

Unfortunately, minutes from the end of the game Crewe hit the ball to an unmarked attacker up front against the run of play and scored their fourth goal leaving Whitchurch disappointed but proud of the fighting effort they put in to make it such a close game.

Northern Men’s 2s 1 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 2

Whitchurch travelled for a late start in Liverpool hoping to capitalise on the previous week’s victory. Whitchurch started on the front foot and raced into a two-goal lead with a brace from Martin Beecher.

Whitchurch should have made the game comfortable, but a number of excellent saves frustrated both Beecher and Will Edwards.

As the game started to settle it became very even with both sides pressing forward but for some excellent defending from James Partington, Adam Rance, Archie Phews and some timely saves from goalkeeper Neil Jones and some luck as a deflected shot looped just over the crossbar Northern would have been back in the game.

The second half continued in similar fashion to the first with neither team managing to take control, Alfie Edwards flying down the wing caused the Northern defence numerous issues and Liam Pallet was unlucky not to connect on the back post from a fierce cross.

With 10 minutes to go Northern scored, Whitchurch fended off a series of attacks with the midfield of Craig Hockenhull, Airan Jones and Nik Moga taking control to the final whistle and another victory.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 3 Winnington Park Men’s 2s 2

In a thrilling encounter, Whitchurch 1’s emerged victorious over Winnington Park 2’s with a 3-2 win. The intensity soared when Jack Barnes expertly converted a penalty flick, punishing a defender’s foot block on the goal line to give Whitchurch the lead. Felix Jeffrey’s added to the excitement, flicking the rebound from a short corner into the net, defying protests from Winnington Park players. Despite Sturge’s stellar saves, Winnington Park found a breakthrough, early in the second half, narrowing the gap with a well-placed shot.

The game reached a crescendo as Winnington Park levelled the score with their second goal, putting immense pressure on Whitchurch. Despite creating numerous opportunities, Whitchurch faced a resilient Winnington Park goalkeeper and steadfast defence, thwarting their attempts. In a pivotal moment, the Winnington Park centre back received a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Joel Leese, giving Whitchurch a numerical advantage.

Seizing the opportunity, Whitchurch earned their second penalty flick, skilfully converted by Jack Barnes once again. With a man advantage, Whitchurch navigated the final minutes with composure, securing the three points. The hard-fought victory showcased Whitchurch’s resilience and strategic prowess in a heated exchange on the pitch.