Whitchurch Men’s 1s 1 Deeside Ramblers Men’s 4s 1

Whitchurch had a decent game this week against a solid Deeside team, and in a match where either side could have grabbed the win, a one-all result was a fair reflection of the contest.

Both teams had opportunities in the game, with Paul “Sturge” Leigh being called on several times in both halves to clean up after Deeside had broken through the defence, but the Reds started well and for the first 10-15 minutes had some good control and passages of play. The concentration dropped a little towards the middle of the first half, with passes being hopeful rather than strong, and players running into trouble rather than recycling to go again, and it was in this period that Deeside got their goal. A breakdown in play in the middle of the pitch gave the ball to the Ramblers and they overloaded the Whitchurch defence to pick up their goal, and it reflected their dominance of the game at that time.

Another reset at half-time, and a slight change in formation gave the Reds a different structure for the second half, and it afforded them more time and control in the middle of the pitch. It also lessened the impact of the Deeside pivot man, and that meant the balance of power shifted back towards the Reds and a good run up the pitch had Phil Handley fire a ball hard past the keeper, only for it to bounce off the right-hand post and ping straight back to Tom Forster on the follow-up, who slotted it away.

The rest of the half was evenly balanced. Tom Edwards and Joe Chester’s, stepping up from the 2s, had solid games. Dale Seymour and Jon Gilbert made some excellent interceptions and tackles to cut out the Deeside attacks. Captain Jack Barnes held the centre, and kept the team focused throughout, with everyone putting in a decent shift. The result was critically dictated by the two goalkeepers, with Sturge making a leaping save, and the Deeside keeper having a fantastic game to block some well-worked attacks.

All in all, a fair result and a good game played in a decent spirit. Whitchurch have a couple of weeks until their next game but will work on the lessons from the last two games which have had some moments of excellence, which bodes well for the rest of the season.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 3 Crewe ladies 3s 1

Whitchurch ladies 2s took on Crewe 3s at home today, for a second time this season and after a defeat in the last match, Whitchurch were ready to get their win.
Whitchurch lost the toss, so Crewe had the first pushback.  Crewe started strong but Whitchurch intercepted the ball and kept it in Crewe’s half. Whitchurch were able to gain many short corners which got them their first goal executed by a very determined Hayley Kellet.
Crewe restarted but it was quickly recovered by Heidi Groom who moved it to Sophie Jones who ran up the line passing back to Heidi Groom who ran rings round all Crewe’s defenders then confused keeper finishing it off in the goal.

A strong defence from Emma Stubbs and Catherine Reece-Gresty and clean interceptions from Eleanor Beecher, Lydia Jones and Bella Morris meant they were able to stop Crewe from scoring.

The second half started off pretty much the same. Lucy Chadwick drove the ball up the line finding a pass to Freya Gresty who was able to switch the ball across the pitch to Lucy Hearn who found Bella Morris who slipped the ball in past the Crewe keeper.

With previous great saves from Megan Nicholson unfortunately Crewe managed to score off a short corner ending the match in a 3:1 finish.

Players player went to a very well-deserved Hayley Kellett. Whitchurch play their rearranged game away next week against Golborne.

Whitchurch Ladies 1s 1 Golborne ladies 1s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled away to Golborne for a top of the table clash and without all of their usual team.

From the start Whitchurch had majority of the possession, with Golborne occasionally making a break but the defence of Chloe Lloyd and Hayleigh Busby swept up and started the ball up the pitch through Tilly James and Hermione Ball.

Pressure from Sarah Kay and Poppy Gilbert kept the play in the Golborne twenty-five. A short corner for Whitchurch and Captain Cath Gresty took a straight strike from top dee and was first on the score sheet.

Whitchurch on a high played strong and used the width well using Jasmin Williams and Mollie Bell to tire out Golborne.

Half time and 1-0 up, Whitchurch started the second half as the first.

Lots of running as the game was back and to, keeper Caroline Wynn made several fantastic sliding saves.

Whitchurch had many more shots on goal, Gresty picking out Beth Wright, but Golborne packed out their defence and repelled every attempt away.

Unfortunately for Whitchurch a short corner for Golborne allowed them to equalise in the last quarter and time ran out for Whitchurch to continue their run of wins.

First draw of the season for the Whitchurch ladies 1s but they will be back after a week off next week.

Crewe Men’s 3s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1

Whitchurch travelled to Crewe for an early start expecting a hard game following their home fixture earlier in the season.

Whitchurch took the game to Crewe from the start and thought they should have had a penalty stoke in the first few minutes as Joe Chester’s flew past the last defender and into the dee only to bundled to the ground. From the resulting penalty corner Whitchurch got away a shot which was saved by the Crewe keeper, and this set the tone for the game.

Whitchurch had large amounts of possession throughout the first half and despite some excellent opportunities Crewe were resilient in defence and along with some excellent keeping kept Whitchurch at bay. Shots from Pip Jones off a penalty corner and free flowing movement from Oliver Edwards and Airan Jones down the left created chances Whitchurch came and went.

Whitchurch were guilty of pushing too high in the chase for a goal and Crewe exploited the space left with some excellent runs down the wings from some very skilful younger players drawing the Whitchurch defence out of position and resulting in winning penalty corners. Whitchurch defended a number of these with some excellent saves from keeper Neil Jones before Crewe finally took the lead.

Whitchurch continued to battle, and the defence of Danny Foulkes, Lucas Hill, Richard Leigh and Liam Pallet made tackle after tackle to frustrate the Crewe attackers.

The second half saw Whitchurch sit back and not commit players as far forward and this gave them more balance but again Crewe won a penalty and converted. Within minutes Whitchurch pulled one back as Will Edwards picked up the ball and drove past the advancing keeper to bring Whitchurch back into the game.

Minutes later a rare mishit pass from Crewe was picked up by Craig Hockenhull in the midfield who drove into the Crewe dee picking out Will Edwards who hit the post.

Whitchurch continued to push forward for the equaliser with some excellent linking play from Alfie Edwards but again Crewe capitalised on the space and won another penalty corner which they converted.

Whitchurch felt they played well against a team which had severely beaten them earlier in the season and with a bit more composure in the dee it would have been a much tighter game.

Neither men’s team had games on Saturday due to teams withdrawing from their respective leagues.

Sunday games were re-arranged fixtures when games where called off due to frozen and snow covered pitches in January.

Saturday games

Whitchurch ladies 1s 7 Alderley Edge ladies 4s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s sat back and let the very young Alderley Edge team take control of the early stages of the game letting them move around the ball well but without really troubling the Whitchurch defence of Chloe Lloyd and Gayle Ladd.

Whitchurch started to settle and assert themselves and some solid play from Whitchurch picked out Valerie Fabery De Jonge to score.

Alderley Edge fought back and equalised from a quick run up the middle. Whitchurch continued to stretch Edge with wide play from Holly Edwards and Mollie Bell resulting in another reverse shot goal from Fabery De Jonge before half time.

A strong waking up from the coach’s team talk and Whitchurch took much more control and a well-rehearsed penalty corner saw Molly Fry passing to Captain Cath Gresty to slot home. Soon after Georgia Munro cut through the Edge defence and round the keeper to score a fourth.

Whitchurch were working well together now but Alderley Edge kept up the pressure and closed them down quickly, this made Whitchurch speed up their play and Lisa Sullivan picked out Gresty to score another. Alderley edge continued to create chances but Caz Wynne made some great saves when called upon to stifle the Edge attacks.

Whitchurch continued to apply pressure looking to capitalise on any opportunity and Fabery De Jonge scored another reverse shot to give her a hattrick.  With time nearly up Munro ran up the pitch and picked out Gresty on the post to make her a hattrick and a 7-1 win for Whitchurch.

Sandbach ladies 1s 4 Whitchurch ladies 2s 3

Whitchurch ladies 2 team were expecting a tough match facing top of the league, unbeaten Sandbach.
With a strong start from both sides Sandbach found themselves with a goal giving them the front foot. This inspired Whitchurch to work even harder and after receiving a short corner, took full advantage of the situation using Hayley Killnett to slip a pass back to injector Sophie Jones who slapped the ball through the keeper’s legs securing Whitchurch’s well fought goal. Poppy Huxley then found a pass to Bella Morris who was able to make a quick drive down the line, finding another pass to Poppy Gilbert who was able to fire a cross across the dee allowing Heidi Groom to score an Ariel goal.
As a Sandbach player entered the Dee with the ball goalkeeper Megan Nicholson attempted the save but unfortunately miss timed and tripped the player over leading to a yellow card. Without a goalkeeper for 5 minutes Lydia Jones volunteered to go in goal and saved the resulting penalty flick. However, due to the lack of goalkeeper Sandbach were able to level the scores.

With the score as 2-2, the half time talk consisted of compliments given to the team for their hard work during the first half and to keep it up in the second half. And that is what Whitchurch continued to do. With captain Emma Stubbs standing her ground in defence and skilful possession from Heidi Carr, Whitchurch stayed optimistic. Jasmine Williams found wide passes allowing multiple runs into the dee leading to attempts on goal. Another short corner gave Whitchurch the advantage using Hayley Kellett to strike a goal changing the score to 3-3. With 10 minutes to go despite Whitchurch’s strong defending from Hermione Ball, super saves from Megan Nicholson and clinical interceptions from the whole team, Sandbach were able to secure themselves a win with a final goal. Hayley Kellett was awarded a much deserved player of the match.

Sunday games

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 3 – Manchester Men’s 1s 2

Whitchurch played a Sunday catch-up game against Manchester 1s this week in what was a hotly anticipated match on both sides. Whitchurch were unable to field a team for the away game earlier in the season, so this was the first time the two sides had met since a tough and heated game last season when the Reds could and should have won, but unfortunately came away losing by a goal in the last minute.

This, then, was to be a rematch with added interest – and the Reds had the advantage of playing at home with a full complement of strong players, and not having had to play the day before as their opposition had pulled out of the league. The game started well enough, and Whitchurch scored first with captain Jack Barnes drawing first blood with a fine shot from a short corner. However, second blood was to come from Barnes’ own face – after some strong work by Manchester to get a goal back, taking advantage of some indecision at a short corner by the Reds’ defence, they won a second short corner and the follow-through from the strike accidentally caught Barnes in the face, and that was his game over as he went to get medical treatment.

Going in at 2-1 at half-time didn’t really tell the story of the half, as Whitchurch were lucky not to have had Manchester score several more. Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal was solid as ever, and blocked a number of shots and was unlucky with a deflection on the second goal, and the Reds’ defence dug in and made some last minute tackles. However, the wider story was one of poor discipline and pass-selection, not keeping hold of the ball well (which immediately put the Reds on the back foot as Manchester surged forward on the break while the Reds were still in the opposition’s half) and then being less than supportive of team mates who’d perhaps not done their finest work. It was dragging the standards down, and Manchester are too good a team to play against and have that happen.

The half-time team talk included Sturge finding the words to say to remind Whitchurch that that isn’t the team they are, and it is not the game they play. Alex Fry and Danny Foulkes helped focus the team and point the way forward and, as has happened a few times before for the Reds, it was the key to unlock the real team in the second half. It’s hard to imagine that the two halves were from the same team in the same game. Suddenly, Whitchurch found lots of time on the ball, and switched it from left to right to left again, possibly going all the way back to go forward. They had time on the ball; they stopped giving it away cheaply; they stopped trying to run through players; their passes found their targets and there were some passages of play that would stand out on a highlights reel for the season. As the Reds’ confidence grew, Manchester found themselves struggling to have the time on the ball they were used to in the first half, and they were getting more desperate in their challenges and appeals. Some cards were shown, which were deserved but raised some tensions even more.

Whitchurch, though, found balance and calm and continued to move the ball well, and won a short-corner which Martin Beecher put away with a smashed first-strike low and hard to the left. As the game built to a conclusion, another short-corner was initially blocked by the keeper and the ball went out wide but was fired back across the goal and Beecher got his second and the Reds’ third with smart strike. Whitchurch held on until the final whistle to take the game 3-2, at which point frustrations boiled over and some calming was required. It was a shame for the game to end on a slightly sour note, but overall Manchester had been excellent like last year, showing great individual skill and ball-carrying control and completely over-ran Whitchurch in the first half, but it was the manner of the recovery and the effort put in in the second half to recover and take the game that was the real takeaway for the Reds. Much to consider from both halves, but the guts and determination shown to take the win against such strong opposition is something the team can be deservedly proud of.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Cheshire Blues ladies 1

After a tiring Saturday game, both teams put in all their effort to play this match. Whitchurch had first pushback where centre forward Hayley Kellet passed to Lisa Sullivan who drove down the pitch towards the oppositions dee. However, Cheshire blues defence was strong and cleared the ball up the pitch. They gained a short corner where their goal was fortunately disallowed.

Chloe Lloyd and Hermione Ball fought hard in defence and passed the ball up the line to Poppy Huxley on the wing where Lisa Sullivan and Molly Fry continued to get into the dee and gained a short corner but couldn’t convert. However, Whitchurch continued to hassle in the opponents dee and gained multiple shorts from which they unfortunately didn’t score from. Tilly James passed to Cath Gresty who drove the base line into the dee and attempted to score but got deflected by the goalie.

Whitchurch went to the half time break level but having dominated large parts of the game and created many chances carried on as they finished the first half.

Whitchurch took the lead as Molly Fry worked her way through the defence and did an amazing hit from top of the dee into the corner of the Cheshire goal.

Cheshire Blues were soon level as the ball deflected around the midfield and fell the their centre forward who beat the Whitchurch keeper with a diving shot.

Undeterred Whitchurch came back stronger as Mollie Bell made many runs up the pitch into the opponents dee. Sarah Kay ran tirelessly upfront and but for some excellent keeping and defending would have converted.

Chloe Lloyd took a 16 and passed to Tilly James who drove up the line and transferred it to Lisa Sullivan, She passed the ball into the dee to Poppy Huxley who was unmarked on the back post.

Blues then had the opportunity to draw level and goalie Phoebe Gregory made an amazing save tipping the ball around the post from a penalty corner strike. Here

Despite Whitchurch’s attempt to pass into the dee, Blues kept hitting the ball up the pitch and clearing the Whitchurch advances.

Even though Blues hits were strong, Whitchurch made many interceptions and from one of these Mollie Bell intercepted the opponents pass and drove down the pitch slipping it to Poppy Huxley in the dee who deflected into the goal

Whitchurch didn’t stop fighting and from a short corner Cath Gresty hit the ball at top dee which saw Lisa Sullivan get the deftest of touches deflected in Whitchurch’s final goal.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 5 Deeside Men’s 6s 3

Whitchurch started the game at electric pace and should have been ahead in the first minute as Jon Gilbert found Will Edwards in the dee with the resulting shot falling just wide of the post.

With both teams evenly matched they cancelled out each other for the next ten minutes until Pip Jones gave Whitchurch the lead from a penalty corner.

Whitchurch continued to push down both wings through both Olivier and Charlie Edwards but despite maintaining large amounts of the play Deeside broke twice through the midfield and punished Whitchurch with two goals.

Whitchurch seemed undeterred by these setbacks and carried on with their original game plan with solid defending from Thomas Wyndham-Lewis, Sam Conway, Lucas Hill and Archie Phews as the basis to build and go forward.

Just before halftime Will Edwards shot rebounded off the keeper and following Craig Hockenhull hit the crossbar and then tapped the dropping ball into the goal to bring the scorers level.

A positive team talk by captain and goalkeeper Neil Jones encouraged the team to keep going and do the same as the first half.

The second half started well as a neatly worked short corner routine saw Will Edwards score his second defecting in on the back post.

Whitchurch made good use of their substitutes with Nik Moga and Oliver Hayward rolling on to maintain the intensity and pressure in the midfield.

A blistering run down the right wing by Alex Leigh saw Will Edwards again shoot and Joe Chesters get on the scoresheet as the rebound dropped to his feet and he calmly lobbed the Deeside keeper.

Whitchurch were on top at this point and it was Pip Jones driving down the right who turned provider for Leigh to fire into the bottom corner.

Deeside pressured in the final minutes of the game and managed to pull another goal back but Whitchurch managed the end of the game for a well deserved victory.

Deeside ladies 3s 0 Whitchurch ladies 1s 12

A nearer away game this week for Whitchurch ladies 1s, but a late 4.30pm  slot, playing Deeside 3s at their home pitch.

Whitchurch started well with strong control of the game. Great accurate triangular passes gave them pace up the pitch, and within 10 minutes they had their first two goals on the sheet from Valérie Fabery-de-Jonge.

Lisa Sullivan, Mollie Bell and Captain Cath Gresty held a strong centre pushing high up into the Deeside dee to win a run of short corners, where Lisa Sullivan received it on the post and calmly tapping it in.

A lot of play was in the Deeside half, but only a few breaks occurred and the defence of Chloe Lloyd and Hayleigh Busby calmly dealt with these.

Tilly James and Holly Edwards used the width to pass up the side lines to Jasmin Williams and Molly Fry, this resulted in Mollie Bell battling into the dee and finishing in top left corner.

Just before half time Georgia Munro got in on the scoring beating the keeper to make it 5-0.

Whitchurch started the second half in high spirits with great passing and fantastic team work resulting in Deeside being left rocking as Munro scored three goals in quick succession.

Deeside were now slowing and their heads dropping leaving more space for Sullivan to pass to Captain Cath Gresty to strike past the keeper.

A lucky break for Deeside as Whitchurch relaxed while rotating their sub brought keeper Caroline Wynne into the action with a beautiful sliding save, keeping Deeside off the score sheet.

With ten minutes to go Valérie Fabery-de-Jonge showed no mercy with a rapid three more goals for Whitchurch, first a pass in from Gresty then the final two from one on one with the keeper.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 3 Oswestry ladies 1s 0

Whitchurch welcomed Oswestry ladies who were one place beneath them in the table at the start of the game.

Whitchurch started strong, putting lots of pressure on the Oswestry defence, with Heidi Groom scoring a brilliant goal with a strong strike. Towards the end of the first half, Oswestry tried their hardest to fight back, however strong defence from Cath Reece-Gresty and Hermione Ball, along with great goalkeeping from Megan Nicholson kept them at bay until half time.

At the start of the second half, it took Whitchurch a little longer to break through the Oswestry defence, however after multiple passes between Bella Morris and Poppy Huxley, a gap in the Oswestry defence was found leading to Heidi Groom having a shot on goal which finished off by Poppy Gilbert .

After multiple failed shots on goal for Oswestry, Whitchurch reclaimed possession of the ball with lots of superb midfield play by Hayley Kellet and Lydia Jones among others. With the ball back in the Oswestry dee a skilful battle with the defence from Heidi Groom saw the ball was released towards Poppy Gilbert who slotted it past the Oswestry keeper.

Players player was Hermione Ball

After a great performance, Whitchurch will face Sandbach next week with renewed confidence.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 5 Alderley Edge 6s 1

Alderley Edge started the game with first pushback. It took a little while for Whitchurch to get its formation and shape.  There was some good passing across the front with Poppy Gilbert switching the ball to Freya Gresty on the left who then fed it into the dee where Hayley Kellett picked it up and nicely slotted it past Alderley Edge goalkeeper.

Edge made some attacks towards the goal but were stopped by a strong defence of Gayle Ladd and Hermonie Ball. On the odd occasion Edge managed to get past the defence goalkeeper Megan Nicholson was ready to prevent any goals hitting the backboard.

Whitchurch had most of the possession and kept a strong centre midfield of Bella Morris, Lucy Hearn and Rachel Chester’s. This led to runs up the wing by Eleanor Beecher and Sophie Jones meaning Whitchurch was able to break through Alderley Edge defence leading to the second goal scored by Freya Gresty.

After a team talk by captain Emma Stubbs Whitchurch started the second half strongly attacking the goal on many occasions. Lucy Chadwick and Lydia Jones made some good tackles to win the ball who then passed it between themselves before switching it to Sophie Jones who nicely popped it past Edges keeper.

From Edges pushback, Bella Morris managed to intercept the ball passing it out to Poppy Gilbert who made a great run passed the defenders leading to another goal.

Alderley Edge attacks towards the goal were quickly shut down and turned around by Whitchurch who passed across the middle out to the wing leading to another goal scored by Hayley Kellett. Unfortunately, Alderley Edge was able to break through in the last few minutes catching Whitchurch off guard allowing Edge to score a goal. The final score was 5-1 to Whitchurch. A much-needed win and a great start to the second half of the season

Players player was given to Bella Morris

Wilmslow Ladies 3s 1  Whitchurch Ladies 1s 6

Whitchurch travelled away in an unusual early fixture against Wilmslow. Despite the earlier start time Whitchurch took control gaining a short corner within the first eight minutes and Molly Fry slipped the ball towards the goal and Hayleigh Busby deflected in. Whitchurch took advantage of this lead with a bobbling pass from Mollie Bell which allowed captain Cath Gresty to fire home and double the lead

The defence of Chloe Lloyd, Catherine Reece-Gresty and Tilly James brilliantly stopped Wilmslow’s attack. Quick passing from Holly Edwards and Lisa Sullivan found Mollie Bell at the top of the dee who slotted home for Whitchurch’s third. Again, Whitchurch came and won their second short corner of the game, with Busby deflecting home for her second. Whitchurch went into the half time break 4-0.

The second half started the same as the first with Molly Fry, Poppy Huxley and Cath Gresty working tirelessly at the front to keep Whitchurch’s attack strong. Goalkeeper Caz Wynne who saw little action in the first half was called into action to make a diving save, however, Wilmslow got lucky with a reverse shot.

Whitchurch worked hard, and another short corner was won and Cath Gresty fired home for her second and Whitchurch’s fifth. With ten minutes to go Whitchurch kept the intensity high, Lisa Sullivan drove the ball into the dee and squared to Hayleigh Busby who converted her third goal of the game and Whitchurch’s sixth.

Whitchurch look to next week’s game where they play Cheshire Blues at home.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 6 Lymm Men’s 3s 0

It has been a while coming but everything finally fell into place for the Men’s 2s this weekend with a comprehensive win for the home team.

Whitchurch started to move the ball around at speed and soon won a number of short corners but failed to convert. Martin Beecher finally gave Whitchurch the lead latching onto a pass from Will Edwards and firing a thunderbolt of a shot on the reverse into the bottom corner.

Whitchurch continued to push forward and won a penalty corner, from a rebound off the keeper’s pads and Jacob Buckeridge scored. The game was then stopped as a physical challenge from a Lymm defender and following discussions saw both teams reduced to ten players following yellow cards.

This played into Whitchurch’s hands as Charlie Edwards set free Joe Chester’s down the right wing who accelerated past the Lymm defence and calmly slotted past the keeper.

The half time break was a chance to reflect and receive encouragement from Captain Neil Jones to continue the same way as the previous half.

Lymm pushed from the start of the second half but Thomas Wyndham-Lewis and Lucas Hill stood firm with strong tackles and distribution down the left side of the pitch to Olivier Edwards who setup Joe Chester’s for Whitchurch’s fourth.

Whitchurch again had a string of short corners and again were thwarted by the excellent Lymm keeper playing his first game in goal with Danny Foulkes and Will Edwards both seeing deflections tipped around the post.

Craig Hockenhull in midfield continued to drive the team forward and from his penalty corner strike Jacob Buckeridge picked up the rebound to score his second of the game.

With both teams back up to fall strength Whitchurch pressed and Lymm defended and held firm and it wasn’t until the final minutes that Joe Chesters completed the scoring with his third of the game.