Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Lymm ladies 3s 1

This week Whitchurch Ladies 1s played Lymm 3s at home. Despite the cold weather, Whitchurch had high spirits and were determined to work hard for another win.

Whitchurch started the first half strong with Catherine Reece-Gresty and Emma Harper making some good tackles and hits out of the Whitchurch dee and Martha Teggin making great runs with the ball. After a few minutes of battling and getting the ball up in the Lymm 25 Whitchurch were awarded a short corner in which captain Catherine Winter-Gresty scored the first goal of the match from a well executed routine assisted by Lisa Sullivan. Whitchurch continued to work hard with Sophie Ward and Catherine Winter-Gresty passing the ball around the Lymm players. After some good tackles made by Jess Carruthers,

Whitchurch were awarded another short corner where Ellie Windsor converted a second goal for Whitchurch making the score 2-0. With Whitchurch putting so much pressure on Lymm, captain Catherine Winter-Gresty quickly scored another goal for Whitchurch from the same short corner routine with the help of Hebe Dixon and Sullivan, making the score 3-0 at half time.

After the half time break, Whitchurch remained strong with Dixon and Sullivan making some great tackles and hits into the Lymm dee. However, nobody was able to get a touch on the ball to score. Both teams continued to play well with goalkeeper Maddy Sugden making more incredible saves. Whitchurch began to tire and even though they kept fighting for the ball, Lymm were awarded a penalty flick and scored, making it 3-1.

Whitchurch didn’t give up and continued to put the pressure on. Stephanie Stanton and Katy Leicester made some good runs and managed to get the ball into the dee to win another short where Sullivan ejected the ball to Catherine Winter-Gresty to deflect into the goal off the keepers pads, giving the captain her first hat trick of the season. The final whistle went and the score remained 4-1. Whitchurch goalkeeper Maddy Sugden received best player.

Next week, Whitchurch Ladies 1s will travel away to play Timperley 4s.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 4 Bowden Men’s 5s 1

Whitchurch were at home this week to Bowden who started the day level on points in the league, so were expecting a tough game against a good team. Bowden started well with strength in the centre of the pitch and the Reds were under pressure from the off. Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal was called on a number of times in the first half, as Bowden showed their confidence in the dee, but as the game progressed the Whitchurch defence settled into their roles and started to pick up their markers well. Danny Foulkes, Airan Jones, James Partington and Tom Forster worked well as a unit, with growing trust in passing around the back and across the field to release pressure and start attacks.

Alex Fry, Rob Chappell, Jack Barnes and Ben Kimberley were strong in midfield when going forward, and also marked their opposite numbers tightly making it hard for Bowden to get out from the back. The forwards rotated well again to ensure Bowden couldn’t relax, with Fred Egerton, Peter Scales and Sam Conway working the wings while Jon Chappell and Nick Cooper were a constant threat in and around the dee.

The first half was a very even affair with both sides building their attacks well, but equally both defences being up to the task. The Bowden keeper was also brave in goal, making a number of good saves, and the Reds’ half time team talk was about building on the positives and just trying to do each thing a little bit better: closing up the marking, ensuring passes were stronger; runs were earlier and generally making small improvements across the board.

The result was an impressive second half including 15 minutes of some of Whitchurch’s best hockey of the season. Jon Chappell started the scoring from a short corner, with the injection being slipped left and his strike taking a deflection off a defender’s foot into the goal. As the pressure built, Whitchurch got another short corner and Barnes continued his impressive scoring with his flick being deflected into the goal by a defender.

Some more flowing play saw the ball slid through to Kimberley on the edge of the dee and his sharp strike beat everyone on its way to the backboard. The fourth goal came from more well-controlled play in the opposition dee before Cooper tapped it through the keeper’s legs. There were also several very close misses as shots were fired across the goal, or inches wide, so it could easily have been more.

Sadly a clean sheet wasn’t to be, as one of the short corners won by Bowden in the dying minutes was converted as the initial over-height hit was deflected into the goal by Partington’s attempted block, but otherwise this was a very positive day for the Whitchurch men who went second in the league with this win. They are away next week at Chester and will hope to build on this momentum as the first half of the season draws to a close.

Oxton ladies 4s 0 Whitchurch ladies 3s 1

Travelling with only 11 players, confidence was riding high in the Whitchurch Ladies 3rd team after winning our last two matches at home. However, the team under no illusions facing Oxton 4’s, knowing that they were a strong team and lying second in the table.

With the coaches advice that ‘Attack was our best form of defence’ the team set out with such a pace that Oxton didn’t know what had hit them! This strong attack led to winning a short corner which was narrowly missed by Emily ‘Odd socks’ Hilton…if only Kate Buckeridge was on the post as instructed!!

The next 15 minutes saw lots of attacks from Whitchurch down both wings following some strong hits from backs Mel Reid and Sal Pearce, with Kate Buckeridge, Emily Lister and Mia Spruce on the left and Phoebe Jones and Emily Hilton linking up nicely on the right. Jan Teggin at right half was also seen running the wing on several occasions and Louise Cottrell, in goal was complaining of being cold!

Wendy Cooper was covering the middle superbly and passing shots up to our centre forward, Annie Buckeridge, who late on in the 1st half managed to slip through the Oxton defence into the dee and took a reverse stick shot which deflected off the goalie and into the goal.

Not wanting to be beaten, Oxton then drove forward with purpose causing Emily Lister to scurry back into defence and take a blow to the ankle 30 seconds before the half time whistle. With icepack in place and wearing everybody’s spare clothes, she cheered us on to a 1-0 score line at half time.

The 2nd half saw an Oxton continue a relentless attack which was fended off by our superb defence with Mel backing up Jan and Sal backing up Emily Lister who insisted on returning to the pitch after only 10 minutes. Oxton were frustrated by Wendy Cooper and Emily Hilton who time after time carried the ball out of the dee and passed it to our waiting attack who then sprinted to the other end of the pitch giving our defence a much needed rest.

After a fair and evenly matched game in the 2nd half, Oxton then won a short corner a millisecond before the final whistle which led to a succession of short corners which time and time again were excellently defended by Whitchurch. Our goalie, Louise Cottrell kicked one off the line, Emily Lister stopped one up high with her stick and Emily Hilton kept bravely running out to stop the big hits coming in from the edge of the dee. It was with great relief that we heard the final whistle and bagged our 3rd win on the trot. Annie Buckeridge was nominated ‘Player player’.

We play Bebington 2’s next week at home who have now replaced Oxton at 2nd in the table but we now believe anything is possible!

Crewe vagrants ladies 4s 1 Whitchurch ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch Ladies 2s travelled to play against Crewe vagrants. Whitchurch knew that this was going to be a tough game against their local rivals. Whitchurch started off the stronger of the two sides with runs from Edina Jones up front and by Emily Vernon and Tracy Tolhurst down the left. Whitchurch pushed up into the Crewe goal but were stopped in their tracks by the advanced Crewe goal keeper. Ellie McEvoy and Amelie Morris worked tirelessly with Molly Fry stepping up to support them in the midfield.

Whitchurch were then awarded a short corner which was knocked just wide from the goal. Crewe started to apply pressure to the Whitchurch goal and goal keeper Gwyneth Thomas-Rees made some crucial saves to keep Whitchurch in the game.

At halftime the score was still 0-0 and Whitchurch knew that they had to get a head of the Crewe team and they came back out stronger than they did before. Crewe also came out strong, Whitchurch used strong quick passes around the Crewe attack and they were awarded with a short corner, Becky Brookfield picked up the ball and fired it into the Crewe goal bringing the score to 1-0 to Whitchurch.With 30 seconds to the end Crewe equalised after a break in the Whitchurch attack.

Player of the match was awarded to Tracy Tolhurst.

Denbigh Men’s 2s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 2

Whitchurch Men’s 2s welcomed Martin Beecher and Craig Hockenhull back to the squad for the trip to Denbigh 2s on Saturday, in the hope that their talent and experience would help arrest the recent run of heavy defeats.

Although the Welsh side went on the offensive from the first whistle, Whitchurch soon grasped an element of control and started to push Denbigh back towards their own dee. With Hockenhull driving the team forward from midfield and Beecher linking up well with the young players, the Reds created a number of half chances. A succession of short corners were won, but Whitchurch were unable to find a breakthrough.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic however. Denbigh resorted to defending deep and playing long hopeful balls forward to their high players. The pace of the right winger was a threat and Wyn Morris, Doug Buckeridge and Richard Leigh were having to work hard in defence to keep the Welsh side at bay. Brendan Coburn was doing well to snuff out the danger on the Denbigh left, but the Welsh side did go close through a couple of well-hit short corners, and then took the lead, slightly against the run of play, from a fierce hit from the edge of the dee.

Denbigh then enjoyed a brief period of dominance forcing Reds keeper Gareth Teggin into an excellent save when a Welsh forward got free in front of goal, and Joe Coburn to track back and get a vital touch when Denbigh looked poised to double their lead.

Whitchurch settled themselves and got back on the offensive. More chances came and went, but eventually a brilliant team move involving Euan Morris, Jacob Buckeridge and Martin Beecher was well finished by Joe Coburn to make the score 1-1 at halftime.

Once again Denbigh flew out of the blocks at the start of the second half, but the Reds weathered the initial storm and the match settled into the same pattern as at the end of the first half. Whitchurch were dominating possession and territory, but Denbigh were content to hit long balls forward relying on pace up front.

The Welsh side’s tactic brought the game’s next goal. As Whitchurch lost possession high up the pitch, a long punt ricocheted away to allow a Denbigh forward to race clear of Doug Buckeridge and finish powerfully past keeper Teggin from a narrow angle. Denbigh quickly added a third goal, as Whitchurch were caught napping from a free hit and a cross was touched home by the on-rushing forward.

Whitchurch continued to press forward, and their endeavour was rewarded when Hockenhull smashed home from a short corner. Invigorated by that goal Whitchurch created a succession of chances. Joe Coburn, Will Snaith and Euan Morris were providing drive from midfield and Jacob Buckeridge, Joe Faithful and Ethan Gresty all had shots blocked or saved. Beecher and Hockenhull forced the Welsh defence into some increasingly desperate challenges and then, following some desperate blocks at a short corner, the Reds were awarded a penalty flick. While the umpire thought the block on the goal line was by a Welsh body, Whitchurch were honest enough to tell the officials that the ball had actually hit a stick and the decision was overturned.

Despite banging on the door right until the final moments of the game, Whitchurch were unable to get their equaliser and the game finished 3-2 to Denbigh.

After their recent hammerings, this was a much better performance by the team, but this was a tough defeat to take. The Whitchurch players felt they’d done enough to get at least a point from the game. The addition of Hockenhull and Beecher gave the Reds much more of a presence all over the pitch and helped guide the younger players against a decent Denbigh side. Whilst everybody played their part, Joe Coburn had an excellent game in midfield, not only scoring and preventing a certain goal at the other end of the pitch, but his tackling and general distribution in midfield was a big factor in the team’s good performance.

Next Saturday the 2s entertain Northrop Hall 3s at SJT.

Neston Men’s 5s 1 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 1

Whitchurch travelled away for the second week in a row, this time to play Neston who were only a couple of places and points below them in the league at the start of the day. Whitchurch went with a strong team, but still missing several key players, so knew that they would have to play well for each other and build on the second-half performances from previous matches.

Neston started well and immediately applied a high press to put the Reds under pressure. They made number of good runs and lacked only a final touch to grab an early goal, but the Whitchurch defence settled and started to mark tighter and pick up their runners. Danny Foulkes again provided stability at the back and he, Airan Jones and James Partington were supported this week by Tom Forster, dropping back from his usual roles further up the field to provide strength on the right both tracking back and driving forward.

In the middle, Alex Fry returned to control the centre with Jack Barnes and Craig Hockenhull providing support out wide, and Fred Egerton, Sam Conway, Nick Cooper and Ben Kimberley applied pressure on the Neston defence in a well-balanced first half. While again some of the passing didn’t quite come off, the standard this week from the Reds was much higher: runs off the ball were made and passes got through; balls into the dee were used well rather than spurned and the teamwork was far better.

However, it was Neston who went ahead first, after sustained pressure caused the defence problems with Paul “Sturge” Leigh called on in goal to make several critical saves. They got several short corners, and eventually one paid off with the ball going over a diving keeper. The Reds’ heads didn’t drop, though, and the rest of the half was even and competitive with chances at either end.

The half-time talk this week was essentially “more of the same” as the Reds knew they were doing the basics well and that the game would come to them. The second half was another tight affair, but instead of tiring as time passed, Whitchurch started to apply better pressure on the ball carriers with players combining to ensure the ball was won, or at least that Neston had to go backwards. This led to the Reds having more of the ball, and while some passes were getting cut out, the creativity and confidence meant that it was only a matter of time before an equalizer. It came from some excellent thinking from Hockenhull to take a free hit near the Neston dee quickly, and then lay off a simple pass to Cooper who spun and buried the ball in the Neston goal.

The rest of the half played out with both teams making a combination of strong attacks and simple mistakes, but the momentum was with Whitchurch and at the final whistle, the draw was a fair result but one that gives the Reds a lot of confidence to take on to their home game against Bowden Men’s 5s next week. Whitchurch stay third in the league, level on points with Bowden, but ahead on goal difference.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 0 Chester Men’s 6s 6

The Men’s 2s welcomed high flying Chester 6s to SJT on Saturday. Although able to field a squad of fourteen players, all the “proper” hockey players were seconded into the first team leaving the 2s with their most inexperienced side so far this season – nine of the squad being 15 or under, and the five adults all being products of the “Back-to-Hockey” initiative over the past few years.

After being “out of the game” before half-time in their previous two matches, Whitchurch set out with a game plan to avoid being four or five goals down by halftime. The young forwards and midfield players were encouraged to think more about what was behind them, rather than stay forward looking for goals and the team would set up with a defensive midfielder to screen the defence.

For large parts of the first half the plan worked brilliantly. Although Chester took the lead, midway through the half, from a short corner that was initially well stopped by Gareth Teggin in goal, Chester found chances hard to come by. Paul Humphries was excellent in the deep midfield role and was ably assisted in screening the defence by Joe’s Faithfull and Coburn breaking up play in the Chester
midfield.

The Whitchurch defenders, Wyn Morris, Richard Leigh, Doug Buckeridge and Brendan Coburn backed up the midfield and put in a succession of good tackles and interceptions to thwart the Chester attackers. Chester did have the majority of possession and territory during the first half, but Whitchurch were able to provide a threat of their own on the counterattack. With forward Euan Morris playing a much deeper role to help the midfield, the 2s were forced to work their way up the pitch with short passes rather than long hopeful balls, which they did well when the opportunities arose.

Ethan Gresty and Sam Appleby combined well with Euan Morris to create attacks down the right flank, and Euan linked well with Joe Coburn and Luke Beddow to provide threat down the left. With Jacob Buckeridge and James Page also finding good positions in the dee, chances were created, but shots were stopped well by the Chester keeper, or good crosses just evaded the finishing touch from
a Whitchurch stick.

After an excellent first half the 2s suffered two significant blows just before the halftime whistle. It was a frustrating to concede a second goal from a well-worked short corner routine with the last play of the half but losing Paul Humphries to injury had a real impact on the match. At only 2-0 down, Whitchurch had (sort of) achieved what they’d set out to do by staying in the game. However, Chester’s much more experienced side ruthlessly exploited Humphries absence in
the second half. The younger players were unable to offer the same protection to the defence and Chester began to be more of a threat in the Whitchurch dee.

The defenders still performed admirably, but the ball was now coming straight back into the dee and Chester piled on the goals to go 6-0 up. Undeterred, Whitchurch went on the offensive. Wyn Morris somehow found himself in the Chester
dee and shot wide …. although his son, Euan, claims he was free if he’d passed! Joe Coburn hit a post from a short corner and Jacob Buckeridge had a reverse stick shot cleared off the line in the dying moments of the game.

Ultimately it was another heavy defeat for the 2s, but once again there were positives to take. With Paul Humphries screening the defence in the first half, Whitchurch were much more solid in defence. Certainly, Paul’s absence in the second half had a big impact both in terms of his own play, but also the influence he was having on the younger players in midfield. That said, the young lads all
had good games, and the short passing to move up the pitch to create chances was great to see, and something we need to see more of this season.

Next week the Men’s 2s travel to Denbigh 2s.

Triton ladies 2s 0 Whitchurch ladies 1s 5

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled to Alsager this week to play their second game against Triton 2s. The game started well for Whitchurch after constant pressure from forwards Stephanie Stanton, Jessica Carruthers and Ellie Windsor, Millie Edwards slotted the ball into the bottom corner for their first goal. Continuing their attack, Whitchurch started a run of short corners, with Emma Harper scoring a brilliant goal from their well-practiced sequence. Towards the end of the first half, Hebe Dixon made a run into the dee before scoring off a deflection from the keeper.

The second half continued much the same with majority of the game in the Triton half, with Triton only having a couple of breaks which were picked up quickly by Harper and Catherine Reece-Gresty. Whitchurch passed the ball around Triton and scored two goals in quick succession. The first came from Ellie Windsor, bagging a goal off another deflection from Hebe Dixon’s reverse strike, then another goal was scored by Stephanie Stanton who tapped in a wonderful ball from Windsor on the top of the dee.

Sophie Ward and Martha Teggin contributed to the quick passes up and down each side of the pitch. In the final quarter, the Whitchurch defence were finally called in for some action as Triton began to push up the pitch. The strong defence made up of Catherine Reece-Gresty, Emma Harper and Maddy Sugden in goal, managed to clear the ball.

More amazing play from Captain Catherine Winter-Gresty, Lisa Sullivan and Katie Leicester in the centre held Triton off to the whistle as all were starting to tire. Final score was 5-0 to Whitchurch. Players player was awarded to Catherine Winter-Gresty.

Ladies 1s play at home next week against Lymm

Whitchurch Ladies 3s 2 Sandbach Ladies 2s 0

Whitchurch ladies took to the pitch full of enthusiasm after last week’s win. After winning first push back, they attacked strongly from the start. Sandbach fought back with equal enthusiasm. A very balanced first half saw strong attacks from Sandbach which were defended well by Whitchurch defenders Jan Teggin and Gayle Ladd. Sandbach had a shot on goal which was deflected back up the pitch by keeper Beth Wright who made her debut appearance for Whitchurch.

Annie Buckeridge made some excellent runs to pick up some long balls from Emily Lister and Annie Leigh in Whitchurch’s mid field. Just before half time Whitchurch were awarded a short corner. This was injected by Wendy Cooper to Gayle Ladd who scored putting Whitchurch 1-0 ahead at half time.

After a positive half time talk, Whitchurch attacked from the whistle. Sandbach had some strong attacks but found themselves battling against Whitchurch midfield and defence every time. Kate Buckeridge and Phoebe Jones worked hard on the left getting the ball up to the dee. After another short corner there was a scuffle in front of the goal and Whitchurch attempted to score but the Sandbach keeper defended and deflected the ball.

Caitlin Shaw and Mia Spruce then took the ball up the right wing passing it to Gayle Ladd to put the ball into the back of the net putting Whitchurch 2-0 ahead and giving Gayle the well-earned player of the match.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 1 Wrexham ladies 2s 8

Whitchurch had to play a mainly defensive game for long periods but there was still some bright moments with some good runs through the middle of the pitch from Becky Brookfield, Izzy Huxley and Tracy Tolhurst.

Whitchurch had their best chance of the half breaking down the left side of the pitch through Helen Mellor and Tracy Tolhurst who picked out Edina Jones in the dee but an excellent save from the Wrexham keeper prevented any celebration.

Jess Kimberley, Emma Clarke, Helen Mellor and Chloe Lloyd worked tirelessly in defence to keep Wrexham at bay but Wrexham finally slipped through the cracks of the Whitchurch defence and slipped the ball past the advancing Whitchurch goal keeper Gwyn Thomas-Rees and give Wrexham the lead to bring the score up to 0-1 to Wrexham.

Wrexham then slotted another two more into the Whitchurch goal before the half time whistle.

Whitchurch regrouped at half time and started to settle allowing them more possession and to slowly move the ball further up the pitch with the strengths of Edina Jones, and Ellie McEvoy picking out Leanne Read who picked out Tolhurst on the post and slipped the ball past the advanced Wrexham goal keeper.

Wrexham took advantage of the tiring Whitchurch side and scored another five goals. Whitchurch didn’t let this get to them as they kept on applying the pressure but to no reward.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 4  Oxton Men’s 4s 0

Whitchurch were at home this week against a youthful team from Oxton, hoping to build on the good work from last week at Keele. Oxton immediately applied pressure, which Whitchurch were able to soak up reasonably well, with Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal called on far less than against Keele. The defence of Danny Foulkes, Steve Key, James Partington, Rob Chappell and Airan Jones in rotation were able to mark their players well, channel them out wide and clear any incursions into the dee. In the centre, Alex Fry, Jack Barnes and Ben Kimberley again put in strong games to control the middle of the field and distribute the ball well to the wings, but Oxton made it difficult this week and a number of passes from Whitchurch players were intercepted or went directly to the opposition, which meant a lot of running back to recover and gave Oxton more opportunities than they should have had.

The deadlock was broken with Fry launching an aerial up the field which got to Tom Forster who put away an excellent reverse-stick strike to put the Reds one up. Whitchurch then started to find more space behind the Oxton midfield, and Nick Cooper, Jon Chappell, Martin Beecher and Forster combined well to stretch out the Oxton defence. Again, attacks were snubbed due to passes not making their targets, or people driving into difficulty, but the game was well-balanced. The forwards were unlucky not to get goals from good passes into the dee, lacking just a final touch on a number of occasions. Penalty corners started to come into play as the game stretched to each dee more often, and Sturge was called on to make critical saves, but it was a penalty corner to Whitchurch that made the difference: the Reds put a training pitch routine into practice with Barnes pulling off a perfect drag flick just inches inside the left post to put the Reds two up. Another penalty corner followed shortly after, but was ruled out for height on the first strike, and Whitchurch went into half time with a deserved lead.

The half-time talk was about trying to cut out the frustrating mistakes so that the focus could be on repeating the good skills from the first half. Whitchurch set to their tasks better in the second half, but as Oxton pressed more to try to get back into the game, some of the tackles from both sides got more enthusiastic and broke up play. Whitchurch settled quicker, and put together one of the better goals from their season, starting with a clearance from a sixteen, five passes down the right wing and a sharp strike from Jon Chappell to put the third on the score sheet. It represented the best of everything that Whitchurch is striving for this season, with success coming from players running for each other and playing as a team. It was another good team effort that gave Chappell his second towards the end of the game, and it was then a case of holding on for the victory. Oxton played well, and were very strong in the middle of the pitch, but were unlucky not to get a goal themselves.

The final whistle was welcome as Whitchurch knew they hadn’t played their absolute best, but had still come away with a good win. They are away next week at Northop Hall who are currently just below them in the league table.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 0 Macclesfield ladies 3s 3

Whitchurch started off strong, taking control of the game from the start. Midfield’s Megan Brunyard, Becky Brookfield and Molly Fry worked together to get the ball up to Phoebe Jones, Sue Read and Izzy Huxley. Whitchurch held off Macclesfield but unfortunately couldn’t score. Macclesfield began to fight back, hammering the Whitchurch defence, Martha Teggin and Jess Kimberley, Leanne Read and Wendy Cooper came back to support. Goalkeeper Gwyn Thomas-Rees kept the balls out of the net. Milly Carruthers and Caitlin Edwards subbed on to give fresh enthusiasm and energy to the Whitchurch Ladies. Macclesfield remained persistent, and after some quick passing, they scored a well deserved goal. The end of the first half continued to test the defensive skills of the Whitchurch Ladies, with Macclesfield being awarded several short corners. Whitchurch worked together to keep the ball out of the goal as Macclesfield continued to press, winning the ball back from Whitchurch hit outs many times. As the Whitchurch defence worked hard, the ball was returned to their attack and several more goal attempts were made, with a very close shot just missing the back post. Half time brought a welcome breather for the ladies, and a tactful half time chat and some sweets boosted the Whitchurch Ladies’ spirits and they started the second half with determination,

Getting the ball back from a Macclesfield push back, and pressing hard for a goal. Whitchurch held possession but were unable to score. Macclesfield fought back hard and with some speedy players and quick passing, they made several more attempts on goal, which were saved. Whitchurch Ladies came back to defend, but unfortunately their efforts weren’t enough and Macclesfield made the score 2-0. Whitchurch heads didn’t drop and some excellent passing and teamwork provided the ladies with more opportunities, which were unlucky to not be converted. After a change of positions on the Whitchurch team, new plays were made and Whitchurch showed more life and determination. Macclesfield wouldn’t stop pushing, and after a very good game by both teams, with some lovely hockey, Macclesfield got a lucky goal just seconds before the final whistle, making the score 3-0. Whitchurch Ladies played well, showing some good strength, including defensive short corners in which they did not concede any goals. Gwyn Thomas-Rees was named player of the match.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 5 Chester ladies 3s 0

Whitchurch ladies 1s played Chester 3s at home this week and from the start they took control of the game holding the ball in Chester’s 25. Lisa Sullivan, Helen Mellor and Catherine Winter-Gresty passed the ball around putting plenty of pressure on Chester defence.

All the pressure payed off early for Whitchurch as Hebe Dixon scored first with a shot from top of the dee. Chester broke a few times, using the width, but balls were quickly picked up by Gayle Ladd and Millie Edwards and soon after Ellie Windsor found space and slotted through the keeper’s legs.

Whitchurch had plenty of short corners before half time, but couldn’t make any count.

After a quick break Whitchurch ladies came out strong playing the ball around Chester giving Stephanie Stanton chances on goal, Whitchurch forwards were all in the dee when Hebe Dixon scored her 2nd with a reverse shot into the near corner.

Chester were tiring and trying the same play but Whitchurch got wise to it, Chloe Lloyd and Lisa Sullivan passing back up the pitch they played their own game and with a cross pass from captain Catherine Winter-Gresty, Katie Leicester managed to get a touch on the ball and scored. With 5 minutes to go Whitchurch managed one more goal which gave Hebe Dixon a hat trick, from a short corner Lisa Sullivan and Dixon passed around Chester defence and Dixon slipped it into the far post. Whitchurch were very happy with their 5-0 win. Players player went to Hebe Dixon.

Neston Men’s 8s 7   Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1

Whitchurch took a young team to the Wirral hoping for a competitive match against a team only a couple of places above them in the league. Whitchurch were left stunned in the early stages by the by the ability of the central players in the Neston team whose combination of skill and speed left the Whitchurch midfield and defence floundering and struggling to come to terms with something they hadn’t encountered in the games so far this season.

Neston raced into a two-goal lead within minutes of the start winning and converting to well worked penalty corners. Whitchurch had to regroup when Richard Leigh had to leave the pitch after being on the receiving end of a fierce clearance by his own team. Whitchurch started to make more progress towards the Neston goal, with Craig Hockenhull as usual the driving force through midfield, ably assisted by David Brunyard.

As the attacks broke down on the edge of the Neston dee, the home side were able to spring forward in numbers, leaving the Whitchurch midfield behind, and cause all sorts of problems for the Reds defence. Wyn Morris made several excellent clearances, Doug Buckeridge scooped a couple of goal-bound efforts away, and keeper Gareth Teggin made several excellent stops and clearances. 13-year olds Sam Appleby (playing his first senior game) and Jacob Buckeridge worked hard to stifle the Neston attacks, but ultimately Whitchurch were undone by a combination of skill, pace, power and numbers, and the home side went into the halftime break with a 5-0 lead.

The 2s regrouped at halftime and an excellent team talk focused on gaining some pride from the second half, the importance of tracking back and making Neston work much harder for any further goals.

The team responded brilliantly in the second period. The midfield made a much more determined effort to get back at the Neston players when the Whitchurch moves broke down but were also a threat going forward. Ethan Gresty and Joe Faithfull enjoyed some really good spells on the left and right respectively and started to link up with Euan Morris in much more dangerous positions.

The home side were still a threat on the counterattack, but, with Richard Leigh back on the field, Whitchurch did well to restrict the number and quality of chances Neston created. Again, keeper Gareth Teggin came to rescue whenever the ball got past the Reds defenders and threatened the goal.

Neston did extend their lead to 7-0, but Whitchurch were undeterred and struck back through Euan Morris after great work by David Brunyard. Euan and Fred Egerton both went close to scoring in the dying moments of the game.

This was a tough experience for Whitchurch 2s. With the 12-man squad made up of seven players at 15-years old or younger it was a big learning curve but showed that the future of the club is looking positive. Despite the score line the team learnt important lessons kept working to the end and continued to improve as the game progressed

Keeper Gareth Teggin had an excellent game and for long periods kept Whitchurch going with a number of fine saves; Joe Faithfull had an excellent game, particularly in the second half, with his strong, determined running and his willingness to look to move the ball quickly; Ethan Gresty had another strong game; and Sam Appleby made a really solid senior debut despite being dropped in at the deep end, in defence, against strong, physical opposition.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s next game is at home to Oxton 5s on Saturday 10^th November at SJT.

Whitchurch ladies 3’s 0 Golborne ladies 3’s 0

Despite the blustery weather Whitchurch started well with some strong attacks into the dee and won two short corners in quick succession in the first five minutes. Unfortunately, Whitchurch were unable to convert them but maintained the pressure well throughout the first half with some driving runs from attacking players Millie Carruthers, Annie Buckeridge, Kate Buckeridge, Caitlin Shaw and Holly Gilbert. Victoria Corlett was especially relentless with her superb tackles and our captain Wendy Cooper deserves a special mention for her excellent defence of our own dee, preventing many attacks from the Golborne front line. New recruits, Mia Spruce, Fran Ball and Annie Leigh worked very hard on the wings running back to support the defence and forward to support the attack.

When Golborne did manage to get past our superb backs Jan Teggin and Mel Reid, and goalie Gwyn Thomas-Rees refused to let any goals in and dived across goal several times to maintain our clean sheet. Mel Reid was magnificent with her hard hitting out and deserved being named ‘players player’ from the Golborne team. Unfortunately, Mel had to limp off with a hamstring injury early in the second half and was replaced by experienced back Emily Lister, who won the prize for the most running as she defended and led some attacks up the left wing.

Whitchurch carried on attacking right until the final whistle with Holly Gilbert narrowly missing the goal several times. A draw was perhaps a fair result as our excellent defence kept out shots from Golborne when we were caught on the counter attack but Whitchurch are definitely making progress and improving game on game.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1 Bebington Men’s 4s 2

Whitchurch Men’s 2s welcomed Bebington 4s to a wild and windy Whitchurch on Saturday afternoon, looking to build on their good performance at Runcorn in the last match.

The Reds immediately took the upper hand in the game and forced a short corner within the first couple of minutes, which Martin Beecher fire just wide from the edge of the dee. With Craig Hockenhull and Jake Wood providing impetus from midfield, the home side continued to dominate possession and territory during the early stages, although they struggled to create any real shooting opportunities.

Bebington were content to sit back and soak up pressure and hit Whitchurch on the counter attack. The Reds defence of Mark Sugden, Brendan Coburn, Doug Buckeridge, Richard Leigh and Will Snaith dealt with most of the attacks before they got anywhere near the home dee, although on the odd occasion that Bebington did get close to the Whitchurch goal, they were keen to play the ball against home feet, looking for short corners. From one corner they struck the post and another was well defended by the home side. Keeper Gareth Teggin also did really well to rush from his line and put off the forward as the ball ricocheted into the dee and found the Bebington player unmarked in front of goal.

The home team continued to press forward and Beecher and Hockenhull both had chances but couldn’t find the target, and good work on the flanks through Ethan Gresty and Joe Faithfull led to dangerous crosses that neither side could get to. As the half drew to a close, Whitchurch forced another short corner and although Jake Wood drove the ball home, the ball was deemed not to have left the dee, and the goal was ruled out.

Initially the second half followed a similar pattern, with Whitchurch dominating, but struggling to create clear opportunities and Bebington playing on the counterattack. As the home side became more frustrated with missed opportunities and some umpiring decisions, Bebington opened the scoring. The ball again ricocheted around the Whitchurch dee, but this time a visiting player was able to turn the ball past Teggin into the goal.

Whitchurch pushed forward in response and had a flurry of chances through Phil Tranter, David Brunyard, Paul Humphries and Beecher, with Jacob Buckeridge and Jake Wood doing well to keep the ball in the danger area as the visiting keeper made saves and the defenders hacked the ball away from the goal.

Bebington, however, extended their lead as a high ball into the home dee found a visiting player who sliced his shot, so the ball looped into the air and over the stranded Whitchurch keeper Teggin. The fluke goal was harsh on Whitchurch but they continued to attack and try and get themselves back into the game.

Rotating from the bench, the home side brought the injured Doug Buckeridge on up front. A neat combination of passes between the two Buckeridges and Beecher enabled the latter to power into the dee and fire home to halve the deficit. Doug Buckeridge then forced the Bebington keeper into a save at his near post as Whitchurch pressed for an equaliser.

With time almost up Buckeridge again broke into the dee but was thwarted as the visiting keeper rushed from his line, and the keeper then saved well, twice, as Hockenhull followed up to strike shots at goal. The final whistle blew as Bebington eventually hacked the ball clear.

Again, the 2s played well but couldn’t get the result their play warranted. The young players played well … even when on the end of some robust treatment. Two new players made their debuts for the 2s, and hopefully David Brunyard and Paul Humphries will be back for more games in the near future. The defenders played well once again and restricted the opposition chances and Gareth Teggin continues to improve in goal and couldn’t do anything with either of the goals scored by Bebington.

The 2s don’t have matches on the next two weekends, unless a fixture gets rearranged. The next 2s game is scheduled for 3^rd November, away to Neston 8s.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 10 – Bangor City Men’s 2s 1

Whitchurch travelled to a very wet and windy Bangor this week to play a restructured club combining the previous University teams with local city players, so were unsure what to expect in terms of strength of opposition. As it turned out, Bangor were a man down, so the Reds were at an immediate advantage, but the important requirement was to make that count: other teams in the league had already got three points from Bangor, who are bottom of the table, and Whitchurch had to ensure they did the same to maintain their league position. Complicating matters was that Whitchurch themselves were fielding a changed team, with four players moved up from the 2s, as they too had players away or still injured, so it was critical to make a good start.

A good start was indeed made, as Whitchurch began brightly in the steady rain, moving the ball well and spreading it wide to Fred Egerton and Sam Conway on the wings. The Bangor defence let them go time and again and it gave the Reds many opportunities to stretch the play around the dee and attack from all angles until Ben Kimberley got a quick pass through to Nick Cooper who got his shot past the keeper for the first goal of the game. Another followed swiftly as Kimberley his first on the board, and Whitchurch continued to dominate, implementing the plan for a high press if the game allowed and spending large portions of the game entirely in the Bangor half.

Bangor lost a player to injury early in the first half, but were able to find an extra player and started to get more of the ball on the break. Euan Morris in goal, stepping up from the 2s, had an excellent game and was instrumental in saving a Bangor short corner, coming out bravely and kicking the ball to safety just as their striker was about to hit it from the penalty spot area. At the other end, two more goals from Kimberley and Cooper had the Reds go in to half time 4-0 up and in complete control of the game.

The half time talk from captain Alex Fry was about repeating the good parts from the first half, and ensuring they continued to get more goals in the second rather than sitting back. It was an opportunity to improve the finishing skills from around the dee, even if that were to mean letting in a goal at the other end, and Whitchurch put that into practice immediately in the second half with Cooper scoring within 30 seconds of the restart. The rest of the game was well controlled, with Conway and Egerton swapping sides regularly to unsettle the Bangor defence, and the midfield of Kimberley, Fry and Tom Forster holding the centre of the field well, recycling the ball across the pitch as well as back to Danny Foulkes and James Partington in central defence allowing attacks to reform on either side. Also stepping up from the 2s were Wyn Morris, who at right back took their winger out of the game with excellent marking, and Joe Coburn in his first game for the 1s putting in a composed and confident performance with tight marking and skill on the ball ensuring their right wing was unable to put together an effective attack.

More goals followed for Whitchurch, with Kimberley getting a reverse-stick strike and a drag-flick from a short corner routine, and Cooper got to an impressive 5 goals for the game by being in the right place at the right time after some selfless passing and movement in the Bangor dee. At the other end, Coburn continued to defend hard and keeper Morris made a number of important saves. Perhaps the most incredible goal, though, came from Bangor with the clearing sixteen taken by the goalkeeper (who was shaping up to flick it before deciding to kick it) whose hefty clearance took a deflection, bobbled over or past every Whitchurch defender and got picked up by the Bangor high man who got it round Morris for their consolation goal. The celebrations were almost as impressive and the Reds couldn’t help but applaud!

The final goal went to Whitchurch with a move down the left getting to Cooper in the dee whose shot was going high but wide of the goal before Egerton swatted it down into the goal for his first to cap a strong game by him. The final score was 10-1, and was fully deserved; it was a strong team effort around some excellent individual performances. The man of the match was Joe Coburn for his impressive performance and the result sees Whitchurch go third in the league. Next week they play Brooklands MU 6s at home.

Oswestry Ladies 1s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 0

This week Whitchurch 1s travelled away to play Oswestry 1s. Despite the weather and the blow of losing a player before the start of the match with car trouble the Whitchurch team had high spirits and were determined to work hard for another win.

Whitchurch started the first half strong, with Millie Edwards and Emma Harper stopping many Oswestry crosses into the dee and goalkeeper Maddy Sugden saving many shots from short corners and open play. After a few minutes of battling to keep the ball out of the Whitchurch dee with Chloe Lloyd making some good tackles, Oswestry found a gap in the defence and scored putting them 1-0 up. Whitchurch kept their heads up and continued to work hard and push forward with the ball, but couldn’t get a goal.

After the half-time break, Whitchurch came back strong and started the second half well with captain Catherine Winter-Gresty and Kate Leicester making some amazing runs and crosses into the Oswestry dee. However, nobody was able to get a touch on the ball to score. Both teams continued to play well with Maddy Sugden making more incredible saves and Hebe Dixon making some amazing runs and tackles. Due to only having 10 players, Whitchurch began to get tired and this is when Oswestry managed to score another goal making the score 2-0. But Whitchurch still didn’t give up. Players Helen Mellor and Ellie Windsor made some good tackles and runs into the dee, where Lisa Sullivan had some shots but was unable to score from them. The final whistle went and the score remained 2-0 to Oswestry. Whitchurch goalkeeper Maddy Sugden received best player.

Next week Whitchurch 1s will play Deeside 3s at home.

Whitchurch Ladies 2s 1 Runcorn ladies 2s 2

It was a damp Saturday afternoon as the Whitchurch ladies 2s team took to the pitch. Whitchurch started strong and took possession despite Runcorn having first push back.

Whitchurch maintained the majority of possession in the first half despite the constant pressure from Runcorn ladies. Whitchurch worked together and started to string the passes around the team including some good runs from Izzy Huxley, Molly Fry and Amelie Morris. However Runcorn’s quick reactions led to an unexpected goal, despite Gwyn Thomas-Rees best efforts.

Half time came and Whitchurch had s good team talk and came back regrouped in the second half. After a slight change in our attack, Whitchurch came back fighting with an amazing goal from Nina Hodges. Runcorn took this as an opportunity to restructure their attack, by leaving a high man up and hoping for a lucky ball through the middle. Despite our best efforts Runcorn managed to sneak another goal leaving the game 2-1. Whitchurch rallied though and continued to work and regain possession until the final whistle. In the end Runcorn’s technical skill and powerful running were too much for Whitchurch this time.