All posts by Craig Hockenhull

Ladies Section, Match Reports, Men's Section

Match Reports 03/02/18

Liverpool Sefton Men’s 3s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 1

Whitchurch travelled away to Liverpool this week on the back of a hard weekend of mixed fortunes the week before, and faced a Liverpool team full of strength and speed.

The games against this team last year had been hard-fought, and this match was no different: from the whistle Sefton were pressing hard and moving quickly, and they were able to convert this into an early goal as they got away from their markers and round keeper Neil Jones.

The defence of Alex Fry, Steve Kay and James Partington, supported by Ben Fry as formations moved and changed, was constantly under pressure and the Reds were lucky that Sefton didn’t score again early on.

A break through the middle from Rob Chappell to Tom Leonard and Jack Barnes led to a goalmouth scramble which ended with the goalkeeper smothering the ball and a penalty stroke was awarded. Dale Seymour stepped up and put the ball away in the top left corner despite the keeper getting a touch to it. This, however, appeared only to encourage the Sefton team to throw themselves back into attacking, and once again they got the overload from a through-ball and were able to bypass the Reds’ defence and score.

The rest of the half was played out with Whitchurch making a number of good attacks, with Martin Beecher and Tom Leonard unlucky to score, and Jon Chappell was unable to extend his impressive scoring record – but the last pass, or final strike just eluded the Reds this week.

The second half was a stronger performance by Whitchurch with a number of good attacks – with Ben Kimberley able to carve through the opposition defence again – but ultimately without success. The Fry, the Chappell’s and Seymour were able to move the ball around far more easily, and Neil Jones kept a number of shots out, and so attacks were built from strong foundations and just lacked the final touch.

Whitchurch got a number of short corners but were unable to convert any, and Sefton were able to counterattack on the break and nick a third, with some skilful work bouncing the ball on their stick through the dee before drilling it past a diving Jones.

Whitchurch kept their focus, and regrouped and were again unlucky to score – a chance across the dee was buried by Leonard but only after a missed short from Kimberley mean a free hit to Sefton, and Kimberley was very unlucky not to score “goal of the season” with a wonderful deflection that bounced off the keepers mask but would otherwise have made a hole in the Sefton net.

At the other end, Whitchurch kept out a number of short corners and strikes with Right Post putting in another turn as an extra defender, and the final play of the game was another short corner they did well to defend.

 

Whitchurch Men’s 2 0 Wrexham Men’s 2s 4

Whitchurch Men’s 2s entertained Wrexham Glyndwr Men’s 2s, without regular goalkeeper and Captain Neil Jones due to 1st team commitments. Looking to avoid a repeat white wash like the 14 nil loss in the reverse fixture the Whitchurch players started well, getting in the face of their opposition and preventing them from stringing together any real moves of danger.

In the early throes of the game both teams attacked well but despite the best efforts of centre backs lain Bones and Danny Foulkes a Wrexham player found themselves free in the dee and slotted away a neat finish out of the reach of stand in goalkeeper Euan Morris. Not to be deterred by conceding this goal brothers Sam and Marcus Conway linked up well.

The first half started to become continuous waves of Wrexham attacks but exceptional play from Airon Jones and Mark Sugden prevented Wrexham’s wide players from cutting in as they so expertly did the reverse fixture, limiting Wrexham to scrappy chances around the edge of the dee. Wrexham’s good link up play was soon sniffed out by the strong midfield trio of Tom Forster, Ryan Murtagh and Jake Wood who looked to release the young Joe Faithful, Joseph Coburn and James Page on the wings.

As the first half got into its final stages the Whitchurch defence started to tire and gave away a few short corners. The defenders and goalkeeper did well to keep these out but a wicked deflection from a bouncing shot left the young Whitchurch goalkeeper stranded to end the half two down.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Whithurch giving away a few short corners but solid defending and some more great saves kept the score line at 0-2. As the game progressed Whitchurch grew in confidence and started to press the Wrexham team higher up the field. This allowed both teams more space and time on the ball which Wrexham exploited with a perfectly weighted pass for an on running player who fired in from the centre of the dee.

The benefit of great substitutions started to play into Whitchurch’s hands; good defending from substitute Wyn Morris ensured no Wrexham players were getting past easily. This allowed the midfield trio to push higher up again and pick out the attackers for some great 2v2 and 3v3 counter attacks. This in turn lead to more chances for Wrexham who took advantage of some confusion between players and umpires and slotted past goalkeeper Euan Morris for the fourth and final time.

Trying to get a consolation from the game the Whitchurch players pressed Wrexham hard in their own half. This led to a short corner for Whitchurch that bounced around the dee for a long period of time without success.

The match ended 0-4 to Wrexham and the Whitchurch team were justifiably disappointed not to have got something from such a well fought game. A special mention must go to the man of the match, stand in keeper Euan Morris, who made a number of outstanding saves to keep Whitchurch in the game and frustrate the Wrexham attackers. Every player from both teams made sure they shook his hand with the Wrexham captain even commenting about what an asset he is to the club.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 0 Buckley ladies 1s 1

This was a game that the ladies 1s will want to forget. Buckley came at Whitchurch from the start and were awarded a string of penalty corners from which they took an early lead.

Whitchurch then woke up and started to pass the ball around creating a number of chances but failing to convert. A number of unforced errors by Whitchurch players gave Buckley the opportunity to increase their lead but fortunately they couldn’t get the ball over the Whitchurch goal line.

The second half carried on as the first had ended, despite lots of possession Whitchurch passed the ball around but then miss-controlled and gave the ball away time and again. When Whitchurch did manage to string a series of passes together they looked dangerous and caused Buckley problems however they couldn’t convert chances into goals.

 

Whitchurch ladies 3s 7 Sandbach  ladies 2s  0

The first half started really well with the first goal being scored in minutes by Helen Hocknell.

Sandbach tried to regain possession but Kate Goodwin, Milly Carruthers and Wendy Cooper held a great centre and Whitchurch continued to dominate. With a series of good passes Jessica Carruthers and Nikki Workman added two further goals. Whitchurch weren’t finished there and just kept battling for more, just before half time another goal was scored by Victoria Corlett leaving the score at half time 4 – 0 to Whitchurch.

Despite the score Sandbach seemed to rally in the second half and didn’t lose spirit. Great defending at the back by Mel Reid, Sally Pearce, Maddy Sudgen and Chloe Lloyd meant short corners were defended and the ball quickly passed back into the forwards. Both players on the wings, Holy Gilbert and Ellie McEvoy were brilliant and had great possession throughout the second half. Jess Carruthers scored a great goal on the reverse and shortly after Ellie McEvoy scored an amazing goal diving at the back post to tap home.

Sandbach really wanted to get a goal and didn’t give up, some quick passes and strong centre players resulted in further opportunities for Whitchurch.  Whitchurch dominated and missed several opportunities before Jess Carruthers scored her third goal of the match. Both sides gave it their all until the end but Sandbach couldn’t break through to score. Ellie McEvoy was named player of the match.

Committee News

Match Reports 27th January 2018

Wilmslow ladies 4s 9 Whitchurch ladies 3s 1

The game started with a push back from Wilmslow, who gained some ground early on but were bested by Whitchurch whose centre forward, Jessica Carruthers, managed to slip an early goal past the Wilmslow goalie. However Whitchurch were brought back down to earth and despite managing to defend some hard shots from the Wilmslow forwards. First time goalie Evie Whatmough valiantly saved multiple shots however Whitchurch were 3-1 down at half time.

With high spirits Whitchurch started the second half, with many quick runs to the opposing goal by winger’s Ellie McEvoy and Caitlin Shaw. Unfortunately, excellent play from Wilmslow earned them a 5-1 lead and without a practiced goalkeeper and the absence of their regular captain Whitchurch went home with a heavy 9-1 loss. Player of the match was Jessica Caurruthers.

 

Deeside Ramblers Men’s 7s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1

The Men’s 2s travelled to Tarporley on Saturday for a high-noon showdown with Deeside Ramblers 7s.

Fielding a side with more experience than many games this season, the 2s took control of the ball from the first push back. But it was Deeside that somehow managed to score the first goal, almost immediately. With no apparent danger a long straight ball was played into the Whitchurch dee and the Deeside forward, under pressure, seemed to mis-control the pass but inadvertently divert the ball into the goal.

Whitchurch quickly overcame their bewilderment and took control of the game. Whilst Deeside struggled to get close to the Reds goal, Whitchurch manoeuvred the ball well in midfield, with Tom Forster and Ryan Murtagh driving through the middle of the pitch and created a number of chances to equalise.

Doug Buckeridge playing in an unfamiliar right wing role, did well to manoeuvre the ball past the on-rushing keeper, but wasn’t able to apply a finishing touch ahead of the retreating defender. Wyn Morris was unable to apply a back-post touch to a bouncing shot from Buckeridge. Craig Hockenhull was unlucky to have the ball bobble off a defender’s stick just as he was about to sweep home a right wing cross, and Tom Forster did well in the dee but saw his shot hit the outside of the post.

With Iain Bones, Matt Brookes, Danny Foulkes and Mark Sugden repelling all of the Deeside attacks, it seemed inevitable that Whitchurch would score the next goal. However an error of judgement gave away a soft short corner. This was well defended by Whitchurch, but due to encroachment by a Whitchurch player at the halfway line, the umpire decided the short should be retaken. This time Deeside got a lucky break as a ricochet favoured their striker who flicked the ball over keeper Neil Jones, and Iain Bones was unlucky that his high block dropped and span backwards over the line, before being hacked clear.

Although 2-0 down at halftime, the 2s had played well and looked to continue their form into the second half. From the pushback Whitchurch attacked the Deeside goal at every opportunity. Despite illness, Euan Morris worked hard down the left wing, until replaced by dad Wyn, ably supported by Airan Jones from left back. Craig Hockenhull went close when a flick took a touch from the keeper and the ball spun agonisingly wide of the post. The 2s won a number of short corners which were well defended by Deeside, until eventually one was squared to Iain Bones who rifled the ball through the keeper and defenders to pull a goal back.

Whitchurch continued to push for an equaliser but as the second half wore on, legs began to tire and Deeside became more of a threat on the counter attack as the Whitchurch players struggled to find accurate forward passes.

Neil Jones produced a couple of excellent saves, but as the match drew to a close, he was powerless to stop a fine, high strike from a right wing cross.

The 3-1 defeat was harsh on Whitchurch. They played well and dominated the game for large periods of the match. Deeside got lucky breaks for both of their first half goals, whilst Whitchurch didn’t have any of that fortune in the opposition’s dee.

 

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 7 Bangor University Men’s 2s 1

The first game in the double-header weekend was against Bangor University, who had beaten the Reds 5-0 in the away fixture, so Whitchurch were keen to impose themselves on the match from the start. Able to field a strong team with several senior players available, Whitchurch had the early possession and were able to control the game for large periods of time.

Jon Chappell had another fantastic game, scoring four goals in a busy first half, with two strikes from the edge of the dee, a tap in from a scramble after a short corner, and a top corner bullet from a short corner routine. He was supported up front by Tom Leonard who also scored from a few feet away after another short corner routine moved the ball past the Bangor players quickly.

Bangor were able to get a goal back, thanks to a quick counter attack, but the defence of Steve Kay, Alex Fry and James Partington were able to keep the attacks out for the rest of the half, and the midfield of Rob Chappell, Jack Barnes, Ben Fry and Dale Seymour were able to move the ball around with ease setting up multiple attacks. Seymour was able to get on the score sheet too with a smart run through the middle and a cracking shot from the top of the dee.

Ben Kimberley caused trouble down the wing again, and Jake Wood had another impressive game on the left, and Martin Beecher was able to continue his scoring record with an impressive one-handed reverse-stick swat to send a rebound back past the diving keeper to go into the half-time break 7-1 up.

However, this was to be the proverbial game-of-two-halves as the second half involved no scoring at all, but rather a much-improved Bangor performance cancelling out the Whitchurch effort well. They moved a striker up to sit at the edge of the Whitchurch dee, changing the structure of their attack, opening up the centre of the pitch and ensuring that the long ball had some outlet.

Whitchurch had to defend well and use that new space themselves, but the damp pitch and renewed strength of the attacks meant a much slower, more even half with Paul “Sturge” Leigh in the Reds goal called upon only a couple of times – but times that he was impressive in stopping anything going near the net. It was to be a muted second half and frustrating at time for Whitchurch, but critically no goals were conceded and the game ended 7-1, moving the Reds up to fourth in the league.

 

Re-arranged game Sunday 28th

Whitchurch Mens 1s 2 – Keele University Mens 2s 4

The second game of the weekend was hit by availability issues, which Whitchurch unable to field as strong a team as the day before, and it was to prove critical in a rearranged game against Keele played in Stoke. Keele were able to field a strong team with substitutes, and their fitness and skill paid off with a first half where Whitchurch couldn’t match their pace and conceded at regular intervals.

Their goals were all well worked, bar the second which was fortuitous as James Partington slipped whilst running out for a short corner and blocked Sturge’s view in goal and the ball flew past the two of them, and Whitchurch struggled to respond. When they did have the ball, they were able to make good progress and were unlucky not to go 1-0 up within five minutes with good work from Ben Fry, but a succession of poor passes or trying to get past one player too many meant that attacks were blocked and a lot of time was spent running back.

The half ended with Keele 3-0 up and looking strong, but the half-time talk from captain Alex Fry reminded the players to focus on their strengths, pick their passes better, communicate louder and fight to “win” the second half 2-1 to show what they could do.

It was to be a prescient rallying call, as the second half was a much better performance by Whitchurch. Constantly under pressure they were able to mark Keele effectively, forcing them to pass backwards on several free hits, and the runs that Keele did do were stopped in time – Sturge in goal had a very strong half and between his dives, his pads, and his right goal post, he kept everything out bar one shot from an overload run.

Danny Foulkes was instrumental in blocking runs down our right wing, and covering as the Keele attack swapped to their right, and Ryan Murtagh marked their centre forward out of the game for large periods. Airan Jones, stepping up from the 2nds, put in a solid shift at left back, working well with Josh Parry – also stepping up – who had an impressive game on the left wing. Partington made up for falling over with some critical blocks on short corners, and the momentum shifted. Alex Fry, Ben Fry and Jack Barnes controlled the centre with far more time on the ball, and Ben Kimberley was tearing their defence apart with high-speed runs.

With the pressure starting to tell, Barnes was able to drill a shot past the Keele keeper after a rebound, and Whitchurch’s recent successes with short corners continued with Tom Leonard scoring a screamer into the top-right corner to give the Reds two goals which reflected well the amount of effort they put in the second half. The final whistle went with the game at 4-2 to Keele moving them up to fourth, but Whitchurch can be proud of the resolve and effort shown in that second half, and can take that on to their match against Liverpool Sefton 3s away next week.

 

Rearranged game Sunday 28th

Lymm ladies 5s 3 Whitchurch ladies 2s 1

It was a tough match for Whitchurch who were finally playing against Lymm on their 4th attempt to rearrange the game.

Whitchurch started off strong, with great passes from Beth Sykes, Natasha Foster and Edina Jones in the midfield interchanging with Tracy Tolhurst and Hayleigh Busby wide on the wings. Eventually their possession paid off as Phoebe Jones received the ball in the dee and spun around slotting the ball past the keeper into the goal.

Whitchurch weren’t in the lead for long, as Lymm quickly ran at the defence and only some great interceptions by Martha Teggin broke up the Lymm attacks. Despite some excellent saves by Sarah Latham Lymm took 2-1 lead into half time.

Chloe Lloyd debuted in the centre half position playing with strength and speed picking out teammates with a range of passing. Izzy Huxley ran up and down the pitch helping keep Whitchurch in the game. Captain Emma Clarke and Jess Kimberley controlled the defence and helped Whitchurch continue to try and drive their way back into the game. The final score was 3-1 to Lymm and player of the match went to Tracy Tolhurst.

 

Lymm Ladies 3s 6 Whitchurch ladies 1s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled away to play Lymm 3s with a number of regulars missing and no subs. From the off Lymm were the controlling side, making the most of their quick, accurate passes and entering Whitchurch’s dee easily.

Lymm scored first from a well-executed short. Whitchurch started to put the pressure on Lymm and managed a great pass in from Hebe Dixon to Sue Read who deflected into the net. Lymm responded with attacking pressure and were rewarded with a short corner from which they scored just before half time.

After the break Whitchurch tried to push up with many fantastic manoeuvres from Millie Edwards and Helen Machin, but Lymm were too strong in defence. Whitchurch tired and Lymm played around the midfield players and received plenty of short corners, which they scored three more goals.

Sprits were low and even though Whitchurch dropped to defend Lymm managed to score their final goal to make Whitchurch walk away with a 6-1 loss.

Ladies Section, Match Reports, Men's Section

Match Report 20/01/18

With the Mens 2s and the ladies 3s game cancelled at home due to a flooded pitch.

Chester Men’s 5s 1 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 10

Whitchurch played at Chester’s newly-built pitch at Abbey Gate College this week, looking to make amends for their goalless draw at home earlier in the season, and the Reds were the first to adapt to the very sandy and bouncy new surface.

With a full team, they were able to build the structure and passing play that has led to their success this season, and it wasn’t long before Jon Chappell got the first of his five goals: some strong passing through the midfield via Jack Barnes, Alex Fry and Rob Chappell lead to a great pass into the dee which Chappell deflected in past the diving keeper.

More attacking play from Airan Jones on the left and Tom Leonard on the right stretched the Chester defence, and two more crosses into the dee were each deflected in by Jon Chappell. The Whitchurch midfield built plays up with ease with Rob Chappell feeding balls through to the wings or forwards, and this gave the Reds’ attack the chance to put the pressure on the Chester defence again, leading to a short corner. The ball was fired in from the injection but bounced out to Leonard who put it away with style.

The Chester attack found its form as the game progressed, and were able to put some pressure on the Reds, but a break got the ball back up to Jon Chappell who ran free and put in a hard strike to claim his fourth of the half before the half-time whistle blew.

The second half started brightly with Whitchurch claiming an early short corner: the injection was driven in by Leonard, but the defence could only get it as far as Martin Beecher who buried it in the back of the goal. This was followed soon after by a sharp strike by Ben Kimberley from a bobbling cross from Jon Chappell.

By now, the Chester team were getting used to the pitch more, and were putting together better attacks down both wings. The defence of Danny Foulkes, Steve Kay and James Partington were put under increased pressure, and a number of attacks were only cleared as far as the Chester midfield with Fry and Rob Chappell working hard in the midfield to help out. A string of five short corners were kept out by a combination of hurried defence and excellent keeping by Paul ‘Sturge’ Leigh who was under much more pressure in the second half.

A breakaway by Whitchurch ended in a short corner which, after a goalmouth scramble, was put away by Barnes who was working hard after a few weeks away, but then the Reds let their concentration ebb and a rolling substitution left the defence unstructured and the Chester forwards built an overload with four on two and their striker put away a well-deserved shot past a diving Sturge.

Whitchurch reset at the back, and built up again to give Jon Chappell the chance to get his fifth of the game after a good run through the middle, and Beecher joined him again on the score sheet after Chappell had gone on a strong run to the by-line, with Chappell’s cross falling perfectly for Beecher’s strike which was the last hit of the game.

It was a solid display from the Whitchurch team this week, and continues the good form from last week’s game. With two games to play this weekend, the Reds can expect to continue to build on these successes.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 2 Alderley Edge ladies 4s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s played Alderley Edge 4s this weekend at home, but after the Whitchurch pitch was deemed unplayable due to water and ice, quick thinking managed to move their game to the Heber pitch to avoid having to organise another date.

Whitchurch knew this would be a tiring game as Alderley brought a fit young side. Whitchurch held their own attacking with a nice collection of accurate passes into the dee resulting in Sue Read getting the first goal. Alderley Edge came back with a vengeance and managed to score a blistering shot from the top of the dee into the top corner of the goal just before half time.

After a quick break the race was on for both teams to get another goal. Midfield players Grace Berry, Hebe Dixon and captain Catherine Winter-Gresty worked tirelessly in the middle and kept a steady supply of passes to forwards Laura Workman and Ellie Windsor.

Hebe Dixon intercepted the ball in midfield and drove towards the Alderley dee drawing out the keeper, the resulting challenge saw the umpire blow straight away for the foul as Dixon maintained her balance and slotted the ball home, much to the despair of the Whitchurch team and supporters. Fortunately Dixon stepped up and stuck home the penalty corner to give Whitchurch the lead.

With Whitchurch ahead Alderley Edge continued to keep the pressure on, attacking hard into the Whitchurch dee keeping defenders Gayle Ladd, Catherine Reece-Gresty on their toes. Keeper Gwyn Thomas-Rees made several amazing saves that earned her a deserved player of the match and allowed Whitchurch to get another well earned three points.

 

Bowdon Ladies’ 6s 0 Whitchurch (Shropshire) Ladies 2s 0

Whitchurch ladies 2s faced Bowden ladies with our usual strong team. Despite not having chance for the normal pre game warm up the team soon found their stride. Whitchurch expected a tough game against a well-organised team and this is what they got. Both sides struggled to play their nicest hockey in a scrappy first half, although Whitchurch continued trying to play the ball into the wings and onto the forwards.

The first half ended goal-less with neither side having created any gilt-edged chances, but the tempo was raised immediately in the second half, with both teams perhaps sensing that a slight percentage increase in performance could yield a positive result in this game.

Both teams started creating chances, but neither team seamed to be able to get the vital breakthrough.

Whitchurch were disappointed at the end the game was frantic and despite securing a couple of short corners they were unable to make them count, and ended up drawing the game.

 

Wednesday January 16th 2018 – Re-arranged game

Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Triton ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch entertained Triton on a snowy cold January evening. The teams watched the snow falling as they warmed up with half wanting it to go ahead and the other wanting to back in the warm.

As the snow eased the game commenced and within a minute Whitchurch passed the ball around quickly and Sue Read tapped in the ball. Triton had a strong midfield and always looked likely to get a goal with a big hit up the middle, through the Whitchurch defence and wasn’t long before Gwyneth Thomas-Rees was called into action in the Whitchurch goal.

Whitchurch struggled to contain the Triton free hits but there were glimpses of their passing game coming back and when it did they caused the Triton defence all sorts of issues.

Hebe Dixon at the heart of all Whitchurch’s plays picked out Ellie Windsor who drove down the right and who crossed into the dee for Laura Workman to tap in Whitchurch’s second.

Whitchurch rode their luck as Triton pushed forward but eventually Triton were rewarded and pulled one back.

Whitchurch continued to rotate their players more to keep everyone warm than for a break and Grace Berry scored a wonderful individual effort as she broke from midfield and flicked over the advancing keeper.

The halftime break was kept to a minimum as the temperature continued to drop and the snow again started.

Triton started to take control of the game and created a number of chances but the defence of Catherine Reece-Gresty, Claire Fitzgerald, Helen Machin and Jess Kimberley kept breaking down the Triton attacks.

The Whitchurch breaks were few and far between but the tireless work in midfield by Millie Edwards and captain Catherine Winter-Gresty continued to frustrate Triton.

Millie Edwards drove down the right and crossed and as the ball bounced around in the Triton dee Sue Read reacted fastest and poked in the ball for her second.

The final whistle could not have come soon enough for both sides but Whitchurch were glad for the victory and an important three points.

 

 

Ladies Section, Match Reports, Men's Section

Match Reports 13/01/18

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 7 – Brooklands MU 5s 1

Whitchurch 1s returned to action this week against Brooklands MU 5s, a team who gave the Reds a hard match in the away fixture in the first half of season, but also a match in which Whitchurch really began to gel as a team and perform as they can. It was, then, fitting that this match gave Whitchurch a similar challenge and, with the return of several senior players, the chance to show again what is possible from this team.

The game started brightly with Whitchurch having the majority of possession and able to put together some good attacking runs. Brooklands responded strongly down their right wing, with a young but very talented player driving hard and passing well to cause the defence some trouble, but a strong defence of Ryan Murtagh, Steve Kay, Danny Foulkes and James Partington kept close to their attackers and were able to shepherd the ball away. Paul ‘Sturge’ Leigh in goal was on hand to make some last-minute saves to cover when Brooklands had got away, and short-corners were dealt with well.

At the other end of the field, a strong run from Felix Jeffreys on the counter-attack led to the first goal of the game, and Jeffreys was on hand again to pass to Ben Kimberley whose strike beat the keeper. The game settled into a pattern of strong attacks by both teams, but Whitchurch were the stronger in defence and rode their luck in attack – with a goal-mouth scramble ending with the ball looping up off the Brooklands keeper and landing at Tom Leonard’s feet for a tap-in measured in inches.

Felix Jeffreys then got his second with more strong attacking play and Jon Chappell’s strong afternoon continued with a run to the by-line and a cross to Martin Beecher who was waiting at the top of the dee to crack the ball in just before half time.

The second half continued much in the same vein, and strong holding play in the middle by Alex Fry, Dale Seymour and Rob Chappell gave structure to attacks and a good base to build from, allowing Jeffreys to score his hat trick. Sadly for the Reds, Brooklands were able to grab a consolation goal after a good attack ended with a strike in the dee being deflected past a diving Sturge by a valiant defending block, and on balance,

Brooklands deserved something for their efforts. With renewed enthusiasm, they attacked again and a diving save from Sturge was the only thing to prevent them doubling their score.

With the time ticking away, Jon Chappell got himself onto the score sheet with a flick to put away a rebound off the keeper’s pads, and the game ended with a satisfying result for Whitchurch who can build on this for their game away at Chester next week.

 

Warrington Men’s 2s 4 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 0

The end result did not reflect how well Whitchurch played in this match. They travelled to take on second in the league and for long parts of the game Whitchurch completed with the experienced Warrington team.

The first half saw Whitchurch have chances to take the lead as Lockie Price was stopped by an excellent save by the Warrington keeper and Craig Hockenhull blazed just over the cross bar.

Despite good defending from Richard Leigh, Matt Brookes, Airan Jones, Mark Sugden and keeper Neil Jones, Warrington created one opportunity and clinically finished to take the lead.

Whitchurch continued to push and felt they were still in the game at half time with only a one-goal deficit.

The second half saw Whitchurch continue to pressure and shots from Sam Conway and Fred Edgerton were again saved by the Warrington keeper.

Despite all the efforts of Tom Forster, Iain Bones, Joseph Coburn and Rupert Yeoward in the midfield Whitchurch started to tire and as Whitchurch made a number of errors Warrington’s experience began to show as they took their chances and the three points.

 

Deeside ladies 4s 12 Whitchurch Ladies 3s 0

Whitchurch 3s went off to Malpas hoping to put up a strong fight against Deeside 4s. However, Whitchurch did not have their regular goalie, but luckily another outfield player volunteered to take up this challenging position.  Deeside played strongly from the start and sadly for Whitchurch, they dominated the match in terms of goal scoring but Whitchurch did fight back at every opportunity!

Their stand-in goalkeeper did a brilliant job keeping some flying balls out and there was great communication between all the defenders. Forwards Evie Whatmough, Beth Sykes and Amelie Morris worked hard with the wingers Izzy Huxley and Holly Gilbert to try and break the Deeside defence. However, no matter how well Whitchurch worked together as a team, unfortunately this did not stop seven goals being scored by Deeside in the first half.

After regrouping at half time, Whitchurch went out very determined to reduce the number of goals Deeside scored in the second half and try and score some goals themselves! Deeside had some excellent set group pieces and were very difficult to break down for Whitchurch. It had turned into a very fast game and again Deeside seemed to score goals relentlessly!

Although, not as many as in the first half, so Whitchurch took some consolation from this fact! The final score was 12 – 0 to Deeside. The relatively new Whitchurch team will definitely gain from this experience and most importantly, they thoroughly enjoyed the match! Man of the match went to captain, Kate Goodwin.

 

Warrington ladies 2s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 1

The game started with very even possession of the ball from both teams who had some chances to score with none of these converted. Towards the end of the first half, Whitchurch ladies 1s were dominant and very unlucky not to score, particularly from a cracking short corner strike by Grace Berry.

Shortly after the second half was underway, Warrington were awarded a harsh penalty flick which was strongly converted by them. Not long after this, a lapse of concentration led to a second Warrington goal by their high pressing attacking line.

With around ten minutes remaining, a wonderfully worked team goal scored by Holly Jepson gave Whitchurch a life line back into the match. Even with many fierce attacks down the wings by Whitchurch, we were unable to break through the Warrington defence especially their impressive goalkeeper.

 

Whitchurch ladies 2s 0 Sandbach ladies 1s 0

Whitchurch Ladies 2s welcomed local rivals Sandbach Ladies 1s to Sir John Talbots on Saturday 13th January.  Both teams had been promoted from division 6 the previous season and were sitting joint 3rd in division 5.

Whitchurch knew this would be a hard match especially as Sandbach was travelling with 15 players and Whitchurch only had the one sub.

Whitchurch won the toss and took the ball straight to Sandbach’s defence, who dealt with it effectively, delivering the ball straight back up the pitch.  This was really the way the match followed for the full 70 minutes.  Both team fought hard for the ball, defending well and attacking through strong quick breaks up the side of the pitch.

Sarah Latham, Whitchurch’s substitute goalkeeper, ensured Sandbach attacks never made an impact on the score.  Unfortunately, Sandbach’s defence had the same impact at the other end of the pitch.  Whitchurch had a number of opportunities, one being saved on the line by a Sandbach defender, this was the closest to a goal Whitchurch has all match.

Towards the end of the first half, frustrations started to rise in both teams and raised balls and loose play resulted in a number of injuries, including a ball straight into the forehead of Tracy Tolhurst, which disrupted Whitchurch attack.  The halftime talk concentrated on refocusing the team, calming tempers and putting frustrations into the game, we didn’t want to lose this one.

Both teams entered the second half with a fighting spirit, focused on the goal.  However, both teams also defended extremely well, the halves and forwards running from end to end in support of the defence.  Whitchurch attacking short and long corners were a huge improvement on last weeks.  Whitchurch was well aware of the aerial threat from Sandbach in their attacking short corners, but Martha Teggin and Natasha Foster guaranteed the Sandbach attack never had an opportunity to lift the ball in the D.

After 70 minutes the score remained 0 all, both teams played fantastic hockey and remain in joint 3rd position.  Sarah Latham deservedly received Player of the Match.

 

Sunday 14 January 2018 – Re-arranged game

Whitchurch 3s 1 Bebbington 2s 8

The match got off to a fast start with a goal quickly scored by the opposition. Whitchurch ladies made a smart comeback soon after with a fantastic goal by Emily Vernon scoring the only goal of the match for Whitchurch 3s. At the start of the second half, Whitchurch moved in with a strong attack, but sadly didn’t last, with the final score being 1-8. The team made a great effort with Ellie McEvoy getting the well deserved title of Man of the Match.

 

Wednesday January 16th 2018 – Re-arranged game

Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Triton ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch entertained Triton on a snowy cold January evening. The teams watched the snow falling as they warmed up with half wanting it to go ahead and the other wanting to back in the warm.

As the snow eased the game commenced and within a minute Whitchurch passed the ball around quickly and Sue Read tapped in the ball. Triton had a strong midfield and always looked likely to get a goal with a big hit up the middle, through the Whitchurch defence and wasn’t long before Gwyneth Thomas-Rees was called into action in the Whitchurch goal.

Whitchurch struggled to contain the Triton free hits but there were glimpses of their passing game coming back and when it did they caused the Triton defence all sorts of issues.

Hebe Dixon at the heart of all Whitchurch’s plays picked out Ellie Windsor who drove down the right and who crossed into the dee for Laura Workman to tap in Whitchurch’s second.

Whitchurch rode their luck as Triton pushed forward but eventually Triton were rewarded and pulled one back.

Whitchurch continued to rotate their players more to keep everyone warm than for a break and Grace Berry scored a wonderful individual effort as she broke from midfield and flicked over the advancing keeper.

The halftime break was kept to a minimum as the temperature continued to drop and the snow again started.

Triton started to take control of the game and created a number of chances but the defence of Catherine Reece-Gresty, Claire Fitzgerald, Helen Machin and Jess Kimberley kept breaking down the Triton attacks.

The Whitchurch breaks were few and far between but the tireless work in midfield by Millie Edwards and captain Catherine Winter-Gresty continued to frustrate Triton.

Millie Edwards drove down the right and crossed and as the ball bounced around in the Triton dee Sue Read reacted fastest and poked in the ball for her second.

The final whistle could not have come soon enough for both sides but Whitchurch were glad for the victory and an important three points.