Crewe Ladies 4s 0 Whitchurch ladies 2s 10

Whitchurch came onto the pitch full of life, despite the early nature of their game. Within the first few minutes they scored their first goal; a beautiful slap from Ellie Pearson. They kept this up, scoring numerous times, including twice off short corners. Amelie Morris achieved two goals, both lovely deflections off the post. Nicki Forster scored twice, Ellie Pearson once again, and Phoebe Jones also got one goal by the time the halftime whistle blew.

The second half Whitchurch came back out with the same determination, however as did Crewe, breaking through and testing Whitchurch’s defence. But they fought back, with Catherine Reece-Gresty and Emma Clarke both creating an unbreakable defence. The few shots that Crewe managed, Beth Wright kept out, making some terrific saves. The halves: Molly Fry, Chloe Lloyd, Martha Teggin and Edina Jones worked incredibly together, playing the ball around Crewe’s players, and creating countless chances for the forwards. Caitlin Edwards and Holly Edwards also assisted in further goals for Forster, Pearson and Morris who all completed their hatricks, with Whitchurch achieving a 10-0 win as the game drew to a close. This puts Whitchurch in a good position for next week’s game, which will be a tough match against Neston.

Ellie Pearson achieved player of the match.

Whitchurch Men’s 1’s 6 Northop Hall Men’s 2’s 1

Whitchurch returned to winning ways in style this week against a Northop Hall team that gave them a good run for their money and whose performance wasn’t reflected by the score line. The first half was a pretty even affair, with Northop applying pressure from the start mainly down their left wing. Chris Ruscoe, playing at right back, was able to cut out a lot of this pressure, and switched the ball well through to Danny Foulkes in the centre and James Partington on the left, and together they were able to build much better attacks than last week and were supported by Sam Conway who added speed and skill to create attacks on the break. The Northop forwards held back from Whitchurch sixteens which gave the Reds time to build play with a much stronger passing game than in recent matches. Passes were mostly spot-on, with far fewer loose balls or hopeful smashes; there was much better movement of the ball between players rather than people trying to drive through a crowd; the forwards spread out wide and the shots into the dee were crisp and accurate.

Tom Forster had a strong game in the centre, with Dale Seymour and Rob Chappell providing skill and experience to control the middle of the pitch, and Alex Fry rotated in well to keep the intensity and control levels high. Jack Barnes was impressive down the right with composure and energy to get through players time and again, and was belting balls into the dee and forcing saves from the keeper. Jon Chappell, Nick Cooper, Fred Egerton, Craig Hockenhull and Ben Kimberley up front gave the Northop defence constant headaches, and were able to get the ball back quickly from sixteens with ease to ensure the pressure never dropped.

Whitchurch were able to go ahead first as Barnes added the first of his four with a perfect drag flick from a short corner which beat everyone. He followed it up with a second that wasn’t quite so well-executed, but was good enough to go two-up. Northop were able to build pressure in return and got a number of short corners, but the Reds were able to block and clear them with Forster excellent at running out to block out the shots. Paul “Sturge” Leigh had another strong game in goal, closing down attackers and ensuring no goalmouth scrambles got past, giving the Reds confidence all the way from the back.

Northop Hall did finally get the breakthrough, with a quickly-taken hit from outside the dee getting crossed to a player who was able to hit it past Sturge, and at half-time the score at 2-1 gave the Reds plenty to work with. The half-time talk was a positive one and reinforced the need to move the ball rather than running through people, and to continue to do well the things that were working well, and it was the catalyst for an even better second half.

Jon Chappell scored an excellent team goal: a free hit about five metres outside the Northop 23 metre line was hit four times in as many seconds as it moved in a straight line from player to player to player to player and into the goal. A strong drive into the dee by Ruscoe ended as a stick block prevented his shot, and a penalty stroke was awarded: Barnes put his pre-game practice to good use and put the ball away confidently. Another Whitchurch short corner routine was slightly off, but was recovered well and Barnes buried it into the goal. Finally, a short corner was cleared out to the right by Northop, but was sent back in to a group of three Reds near the penalty spot, and Cooper stepped up to put it into the left side of the net.

The second half was another of Whitchurch’s better periods of play, as they moved the ball well, kept possession, avoided the risky passes and dominated play. When Northop did break, they were dangerous, and the score line doesn’t reflect the skill and effort they put in, but ultimately Whitchurch controlled the second half and the game, and can take confidence for the catch-up game on Sunday against Sale, where a win would send them back to the top of the league.

Bebington Men’s 4s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 4

Off the back of two big wins, Whitchurch Men’s 2s travelled to the Wirral to face a Bebington side who’d also won handsomely in their last league fixture.

It was the home team that started the better, moving the ball quickly through midfield to their attacking players high up the pitch. Repeatedly in the opening exchanges, the Whitchurch defenders found themselves four on four with their opponents as the midfield was by-passed by Bebington’s direct play. Brendan Coburn, Doug Buckeridge, Alex Leigh and Will Snaith dealt with most of the danger, but the Reds had to survive a couple of short corners and the ball flashed across the Whitchurch dee on several occasions.

Gradually Whitchurch became more threatening at the other end of the pitch. The good passing and movement from recent weeks started to click and chances were created in front of the Bebington goal. Jake Buckeridge and Will Gilbert were getting into good positions on the Whitchurch left and linking up well with Luke Beddow, Richard Leigh and Ethan Gresty in midfield. The home keeper made some good stops and Bebington found themselves penned in by a succession of short corners, but Whitchurch couldn’t find a breakthrough.

And then, midway through the first half, the game was turned on its head by three quick Whitchurch goals. Joe Coburn’s pass found Fred Delf-Rowlandson’s excellent run from the wing and he squared the ball for Airan Jones to beat the defender at the near post and steer home the opening goal. This was quickly followed by Euan Morris’s first of the afternoon as he turned and shot after Joe Coburn’s pass into the dee. With Bebington reeling, Euan added another with a mazy run into the dee and a fine finish across the keeper on the reverse stick.

The home side regained their composure and came back at Whitchurch. The Reds did well to keep Bebington way from their dee, but in the last few minutes Whitchurch’s persistent encroaching at free hits led to a short corner for the home side. The resulting strike from the edge of the dee took a deflection and keeper Neil Jones was powerless to stop it thumping into the backboard.

Whitchurch’s 3-1 half-time lead was harsh on Bebington and flattering to the Reds. The team talk at the interval was all about controlling the game and seeing out the win. But Bebington had other ideas. The home side brought a physicality and intensity to the second half that the young 2s hadn’t seen so far this season.

The older, more powerful Bebington players were driving through tackles, forcing Whitchurch off the ball when in possession and beating the 2s to every loose ball. Whitchurch started to panic and were unable to keep possession of the ball and Bebington attacks were coming in waves with Whitchurch desperately defending the edge of their own dee. Neil Jones made several good stops and the defenders did well to clear their lines.

Inevitably, however, Bebington scored to further reduce the deficit. Neil Jones was helpless as a free man stole in behind the Whitchurch defence and cleverly deflected the ball past the keeper. But the goal seemed to have a galvanising effect on the Whitchurch players. Bebington still bossed the territory and possession but Whitchurch started to find their passing range and became a threat on the counterattack.

Things looked to have taken a turn against Whitchurch when Will Gilbert was green carded for encroaching at a free hit but despite being a player down for 2 minutes it was Whitchurch that scored the next goal. Ethan Gresty won the ball in midfield and with Bebington caught upfield Euan Morris was sent sprinting into the dee. Euan did well to keep the ball in play and as the Bebington defenders stopped when the ball hit a defender’s foot, Euan played on and squared the ball to Luke Beddow to calmly fire past the Bebington keeper.

Bebington continued to drive forward looking to get back into the game and Whitchurch continued to look dangerous on the counterattack. A further green card for Whitchurch gave the home side another numerical advantage and this time they profited by scoring from a short corner.

Whitchurch hung on gamely in the closing stages of the game. The side showed some real maturity by slowing the game down at restarts and Joe Faithfull brilliantly held the ball in one of the attacking corners for what seemed an eternity as precious seconds ebbed away.

There was palpable relief from the Whitchurch players as the final whistle blew. This was a hard fought and hard-won victory. Bebington played well and their power in the second half threatened to blow the young Whitchurch players away but they dug deep and ground out the win. In the first half the 2s played some excellent hockey, particularly in the five minutes where they scored three goals. In the second half, after their shaky ten minutes, their counterattacking was always dangerous, but it was their battling qualities that really shone in that second period.

Everybody played well today, and this is another major step in the development of the team. Bebington could argue that they deserved more from the game, but Whitchurch should be very proud of this performance and result.

Next week the Men’s 2s travel to North Wales to face unbeaten Bangor University. This will be a tough game for Whitchurch but if they can reproduce some of the grit and good hockey from this match, they might be able to surprise the Welsh side.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Oxton ladies 2s 0

This week, Whitchurch ladies 1s played at home against Oxton 2s. After the first 15 minutes of hard work and scrappy play from both sides, Whitchurch won a short. Sarah Field managed to get around the first runners and scored, letting Whitchurch lead with high spirits.

Their second goal came from Field again who received the ball in the dee after good play from Catherine Winter-Gresty, Jess Carruthers and Hebe Dixon in and around the centre of the pitch. The ladies continued to work hard and shut down any counter attacks from the opposition. Oxton did however, break through from a couple of silly mistakes, leaving Maddy Sugden, Kezzie Hutchings and Anna Latham to make some amazing saves at the back.

After working the ball down the pitch well, Whitchurch were awarded another short where Emma Harper carried out a drag flick and scored. More good play lead to Ellie Windsor working along the baseline and managing to get the ball to Izzy Huxley who slotted the ball bottom corner. Even though Whitchurch were ahead, Oxton continued to push hard and broke through. Sophie Ward and Millie Edwards worked hard to make some goal line saves, before Lisa Sullivan cleared it.

Next week, the team will play away against Neston 3s.

Whitchurch Ladies 3s 3 Alderley Edge 7s 4

The ladies 3s entertained Alderley Edge 7s at home on a dark damp Saturday afternoon. Whitchurch started the quicker of the two teams and took the ball to Alderley Edge with a lot of the possession down the right with Jasmin Williams and Megan Brunyard creating a number of chances that enabled Jess Kimberley to rattle the back boards very early on.

Whitchurch kept the pressure on that forced the best out of Edges’ keeper.  Alderley Edge battled their way down the pitch but were met by the wall of defence of Mel Reid, Hermione Ball, Jan Teggin and keeper Louise Cottrell who kept them from scoring. Alderley Edge eventually found their way through to the back boards. Making it one all. Whitchurch fought back with wonderful cross over work from Sam Parkhurst, Emma Stubbs, Holly Gilbert and Wendy Cooper. Jess Kimberley shot rebounded for Louise Whitley to make it 2 -1 at half time

After a pep talk from Captain Wendy Cooper the second half commenced. Some assertive runs up the left by Emily Lister, Libby Fox and Holly Gilbert but Alderley Edge defended well. Whitchurch continued to apply pressure but Alderley Edge came back and scored a second and shortly thereafter a third.  Whitchurch were soon back on equal terms as Kimberley found the back boards for her second

Whitchurch kept a strong defence but just couldn’t keep Alderley Edge from making their fourth goal. Jessica Kimberley was named as player’s player.

Sunday 24/11/19

Whitchurch ladies 1s 10 Wilmslow ladies 3s 2

2 games 2 wins!

Whitchurch ladies 1s entertained Wilmslow 3s at home this Sunday for a rearranged match.

Whitchurch were the stronger team from the start pushing up into Wilmslow dee immediately. Some great play from mid players Lisa Sullivan, Hebe Dixon and captain Catherine Winter-Gresty held the ball up in their half, goals started rolling once Winter-Gresty powered the ball into Sarah Field to deflect past the keeper.

The first half saw two more come from Sarah Field following lovely controlled passes from Ellie Windsor and Jessica Carruthers. A short corner allowed Hebe Dixon to get on the score sheet, quickly followed by Carruthers from open play, finding space in an open goal.

5-0 at half time and for Whitchurch a well-earned break.

Whitchurch keeper Beth Wright made some amazing saves but as Wilmslow attacked hard from the restart were caught Whitchurch off guard and they managed to scored two goals within the first 10 minutes.

Whitchurch settled back into playing their game, using the width from Izzy Huxley and Molly Fry to put lots more pressure on the Wilmslow defence. A run of short corners and Carruthers scored her second quickly followed by Field.

Persistent pressure got Wilmslow in a fluster allowing Lisa Sullivan to dribble the ball into the dee from a long corner scoring the 8th for Whitchurch.

The game slowed as both sides were getting tired, but Whitchurch had time to reach 10 goals with further goals from Hebe Dixon and Sarah Field receiving balls coming from Ellie Windsor and Winter-Gresty.

Ladies 1s are away next week at Neston.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 4 Sale Men’s 2’s 1

Whitchurch had their second game of the weekend against a 10-man Sale team who struggled to get numbers for an away game on a Sunday, but were absolutely a force to be reckoned with. From the off, Sale did very well with hard-hit long balls down their left wing, as well as more structured play down the right and the Whitchurch defence had their work cut out. Regulars Pip Jones and James Partington were joined by Tom Knapp in the centre as Danny Foulkes spent more time managing from the side in the first half, and – supported by Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal – were able to absorb the pressure well. Tom Forster had another good game in the middle, flanked by Joel Leese on the left and Chris Ruscoe, moving up to right half. Alex Fry worked as sweeper between the defence and midfield, to give structure and security at the back and between them Whitchurch were able to switch the ball easily left and right from sixteens.

The midfield again were able to build attacks, but were also more confident in playing the ball back to recycle it for another attack, and it gave Whitchurch a lot of time on the ball which they used well. Dale Seymour again provided incisive passes and good movement on and off the ball, and Fred Egerton and Jon Chappell moved into space well in the Sale twenty-three, having a number of opportunities to drive into the dee. The first goal, however, was from a bullet-pass from Jack Barnes into the dee that Ruscoe ran onto and got a lovely reverse stick deflection on as it flew past. The second was from a short corner routine where the keeper made an excellent save to stop the drag flick, but Jones was on hand at the back post to tap in the rebound.

Despite being a man down, Sale came out of the blocks in the second half incredibly well. They immediately put pressure on the Whitchurch defence, throwing two players forward and driving hard up the pitch. They got a number of short corners and the Reds did well to keep the ball out, with Foulkes back on the pitch providing critical stability, but eventually the effort paid off as the Sale striker was able to flick the ball over a diving Sturge. It was well worked, and absolutely deserved, and Sale put in a real shift to cover being a man down. At some points it was overly enthusiastic, and they lost a player to the sin bin, at which point they were really under pressure but they rallied well and didn’t let any goals in while they were down to nine men. Not to be outdone, Whitchurch collected two green cards to put themselves in trouble, but the defence held strong and the midfield drove the ball back up the right and the ball was crossed into the dee where Forster had an age on the ball completely unmarked and confidently put it past the Sale keeper.

The final goal in the dying minutes of the game was a pass to Seymour who released it to Chappell who remained composed in the dee and buried the ball to make it four. Whitchurch played well for their second game of the weekend and rounded off a very successful couple of days for the entire club. They returned to the top of the league, but know they will face a very tough test in the return fixture. They are home again next weekend against the University of Chester 1s.

Whitchurch Ladies 3s 2 Triton Ladies 3s 0

Whitchurch Ladies 3rds began the match with determination, coming back from their unfortunate loss the day before. Kate Buckeridge and Wendy Cooper worked together in the middle of the pitch creating opportunities for the attackers. Triton fought back however, and made some promising attacks, but they were fended off by the solid defence, made up of Jan Teggin and Emma Stubbs, with Louis Cottrell, the goalkeeper, making some incredible saves to keep the score down. Annie Buckeridge worked the ball up the pitch with Caitlin Edwards, winning Whitchurch a short corner. Amy Fry received the ball at the top of the Dee, which she crossed in, with Nina Hodges making a beautiful deflection in, leaving the score at 1-0 when the half time whistle blew.

Both teams continued to persevere through the second half, with Samantha Parkhurst and Emily Lister working together in the middle of the pitch to create more chances for the up front players. Countless runs were made up the side of the pitch by Louise Whitley, but despite this, Triton managed to make some counter attacks. Mel Reid and Libby Fox worked with the other defenders, to allow Whitchurch to keep a clean slate. Whitchurch’s resilience showed, with Amy Fry managing to set up another goal for Nina Hodges to score before the game drew to a close, leaving the final score at 2-0 to Whitchurch. Players player was Annie Buckeridge.

Neston Men’s 5s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 2

Whitchurch lost their first game of the season against a strong Neston team this week, dropping them from the top of the table. Some days a team can play badly but still win, and others they can play well enough but just come up against better competition, and this week was the latter: Neston had strength throughout their team, with pace and skill throughout, and played as a team and it was enough for them to nick the win.

Whitchurch started well enough, with good movement around the back – Danny Foulkes was flanked by Chris Ruscoe and James Partington and they moved the ball across the pitch confidently before starting attacks down either wing. Tom Forster on the left and Ben Kimberley on the right provided width, and Dale Seymour and Jack Barnes controlled the centre of the pitch. A new three-up-front formation had Nick Cooper, Jon Chappel and Craig Hockenhull playing higher up and moving the width further forward, and this gave the Reds the edge for the first half.

The first goal was a beauty, and was the kind of goal you practise and practise in the hopes of it working one day: Barnes drove down the right and fired a ball in, but it smacked into a Neston leg; as the advantage was played, Barnes’ second strike fizzed into the dee and Chappell got a lovely glancing touch on it and it flew into the goal. A defender’s nightmare to try to block, given the velocity of the ball, and the Reds deserved to be ahead at that point.

The game then settled, and Neston put together a number of good runs. Paul “Sturge” Leigh was instrumental in keeping the scoresheet clean with some critical blocks and he was able to run out and delay attackers whilst the defence ran back. Fred Egerton, Pip Jones and Airan Jones were used well as substitutes to keep the intensity high and Whitchurch were unlucky not to grab a couple more, with Cooper striking the outside of the post, and the Neston keeper pulling off some great saves.

The second half had the game turn in Neston’s favour: they started leaving two players up front, which gave the Reds more to think about there, and Hockenhull’s constant harrowing of the Neston defence caused them to turn to aerial balls to get out of the back, but these started to have some success and Neston launched attacks down the left from them. They were able to get two quick goals off this form of attack before Whitchurch adapted, and this put the Reds on the back foot.

Whitchurch were able to get a goal back, with some sublime work down the left: Barnes passed to Kimberley who raced down the left side of the pitch before getting into the dee and unleashing a rocket into the top of the net. Despite Sturge making even more diving saves and blocks, good opposition pressure and some poor clearances meant Neston were able to nick another on the break, and they kept that pressure up until the end of the game, with a number of short corners which the Reds did well to deal with.

Ultimately, the stronger team won. Neston came out in the second half with a better game plan, and it worked. Whitchurch played well enough for most of the game, but it wasn’t to be this week. Next weekend they have two home games, catching up on last week’s missed game, so will have to take the lessons from this game and reapply themselves well to get back to the top of the table.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 5 – 0 Neston Men’s 8s

Whitchurch Men’s 2s were looking to build on the excellent result and performance against Runcorn the previous weekend, but Neston 8s were also going well this season, so the fixture at SJT promised to be tight game.

However, the home side took control from the first whistle and, bar a few moments, they remained in control of the game until the end. The defence of Wyn Morris, Brendan Coburn and Gareth Teggin were strong and composed in dealing with Neston’s attacking threat and this enabled Will Snaith and Doug Buckeridge to push up and support the Whitchurch attacks.

Richard Leigh provided the solid platform in midfield, allowing Luke Beddow, Joe Coburn and Alex Leigh to work close to the Neston dee, providing clever passes and runs to outmanoeuvre the away defence throughout the game.

Will Gilbert, Jacob Buckeridge, Ethan Gresty and Joe Faithfull provided good width on the flanks and were diligent in their defensive duties, whilst Euan Morris was a constant threat to the Neston goal.

Despite controlling the opening exchanges, Whitchurch couldn’t quite manufacture a clear goal scoring chance. After a bizarre short corner that went very badly wrong, the home side got into their groove with a well-worked routine that saw Euan Morris and Joe Coburn exchange passes in the dee and Euan then fire into the bottom corner to open the scoring.

Chances started to come the home side’s way and the Neston keeper made some good saves, but Euan was quick to pounce on a rebound and double the Whitchurch lead by lifting the ball over the prone keeper.

Whitchurch continued to dominate, but tempers started to fray as the away side felt umpiring decisions were going against them. The home side compounded those frustrations when Euan slotted in a third goal to make the score 3-0 at the break.

Neston came out with renewed purpose at the start of the second half and enjoyed a sustained period of possession, but the Whitchurch defence was excellent and prevented any real danger to keeper Neil Jones’ goal.

Progressively Whitchurch wrestled back control and repeatedly advanced on the Neston goal. Chances came and went. Ethan Gresty was twice unfortunate not to turn in at the back post. The Neston keeper made some good saves and his defenders did well to clear some of the ensuing danger. But they couldn’t repel every attack and Whitchurch added another goal through Luke Beddow who followed up well after several shots from a short corner were blocked or saved, and then Ethan Gresty swept home on the reverse stick after being neatly set-up by Jacob Buckeridge.

For a change this season, Whitchurch diligently protected their clean sheet and saw out the 5-0 win without any significant alarms.

This was another excellent performance from the young 2s. They played some top-quality hockey at times during the game. Joe Coburn and Luke Beddow were excellent throughout, and their interplay in tight areas was a joy to behold. Euan Morris continues to be a significant threat up front and is scoring goals for fun at the moment. The wide players are getting better with each game; making the pitch big when the team has the ball; and small when defending. Jacob, Will, Ethan and Joe Faithfull all found themselves in dangerous attacking positions because of their clever running. And once again the defenders and Richard Leigh provided the solid platform enabling the forward players to play high up the pitch and pen the opposition near their own goal.

Next week the Men’s 2s will be looking to continue their good run of form when they travel to the Wirral to take on Bebington 4s.

Knutsford ladies 1s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 4

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled away to play second in division Knutsford 1s. With a strong team and two subs Whitchurch attacked from the start, but Knutsford had a strong keen team which held Whitchurch off for some time before they won a short corner and Hebe Dixon fired the ball for Stephanie Stanton to deflect into the top net.

Knutsford attacked hard down the middle taking Whitchurch off guard and scoring. Mid fielders Lisa Sullivan, Catherine Winter-Gresty and Dixon held tight pushing the ball out wide using the width of Ellie Windsor and Izzy Huxley. With lots of pressure on Knutsford defence eventually allowed Lisa Sullivan to eject into the dee from half way, hitting the post and Huxley collecting and scoring their second.

Knutsford came back hard again and with lots of pressure broke down the Whitchurch defence Chloe Lloyd, Molly Fry and Millie Edwards and equalised.

Just before half time Whitchurch had time to score another, with Ellie Windsor taking on the keeper from a deflection and taking the lead.

Half time talk and re-energised Whitchurch took control of the game with quicker passes and runs from Kezzie Hutching’s and Sophie Ward allowing lots more action in the Knutsford dee. Sarah Field was heavily marked but broke and fought with several defenders and keeper to slip into the goal.

At 4 – 2 the Knutsford players heads had lowered and for the last five minutes Whitchurch passed around them making lots more chances to score with some lovely shots in from the Winter-Gresty, Sullivan and Field. But Knutsford dropped back stopping anymore goals for Whitchurch.

Sarah Field was awarded player.

Whitchurch play two home games next weekend as they catchup on re-arranged games.

Sandbach ladies 2’s 3 Whitchurch ladies 3’s 3

Whitchurch travelled to a new away venue this week to play Sandbach 2’s at South Cheshire College.

It was clear right from the start that the teams were evenly matched with strong attacks from both sides. Whitchurch’s well organised defence of Hermonie Ball, Jan Teggin and Mel Reid managed to prevent Sandbach from entering the Whitchurch dee and provided excellent passes out to Jasmin Williams and Caitlin Edwards on the right wing and Emily Lister on the left, who then put in some brilliant passing to Kate Buckeridge and Emma Stubbs storming down the left wing. Phoebe Jones who covered a huge central area up front, deftly received some excellent passes from centre half Wendy Cooper.

Despite lots of possession, Whitchurch failed to score in the first 10 minutes as Kate B was struggling with the pace of the pitch (it was not running as fast as her!); Stubbs was really unlucky not to score the 2nd goal of her debut season with a fantastic sprawl in the Sandbach dee; Jones had several strikes at goal denied by the excellent Sandbach keeper; and Cooper managed to hit the outside of the left goal post.

After a quick reorganisation of players, Annie Buckeridge stormed onto the pitch at left inner and gave Whitchurch a new lease of life. Sam Parkhurst provided some extra support in the middle and Annie Leigh on the left. This change of tactics led to Kate B managing to push the ball between the keeper’s legs and score her first goal for Whitchurch. Unfortunately, an undeterred Sandbach managed to equalise shortly afterwards leaving the score 1-1 at half time.

The 2nd half was a similar end to end affair with some excellent defending from Sandbach denying Edwards and Williams goals from the right-hand side of the pitch and Jones and Leigh on the left.

The counter attacks from Sandbach were swift and left Whitchurch high up the pitch and despite a valiant attempt to race back and defend from Teggin, Cooper and Ball, Sandbach forced an own goal to put them ahead 2-1. Then a break through run from Kate B from the half way line, through a sandwich of defenders at the dee edge, led to a strike from Jones who found the back board of the Sandbach goal giving Whitchurch the equaliser.

Sandbach kept attacking and despite some excellent leaves and saves from keeper Louise Cotterill, Whitchurch conceded another goal putting Sandbach ahead with 10 minutes left to play. Despite this, Whitchurch refused to give up and attacked back narrowly missing several short corner attempts from Williams and Jones. Captain Cooper drove forwards with two reverse stick shots towards goal and this seemed to spur Whitchurch on leading to a last-minute equaliser by Annie Buckeridge leaving the score 3-3 at full-time. A great game which demonstrated how well this 3rd team has improved since last season.

The ladies 2s game was a walkover as the opposition failed to raise a team.

Another weekend of home fixtures cancelled due to bad weather and pitch flooding saw only the away sides play on Saturday but Sunday saw all the ladies teams in action catching up on fixtures cancelled two weeks ago

Saturday November 9^th 2019.

Runcorn Men’s 3s 1 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 10

The Men’s 2s travelled to Runcorn looking to build on the good hockey played in last weekend’s defeat to Birkenhead.

With the Merseyside team struggling for results this season, it seemed like a good opportunity for the 2s to get back to winning ways, however it was Runcorn that started the game better. With a cold wind howling around the pitch, the home side had Whitchurch penned in their own half for the first 10 minutes of the game. Wyn Morris, Brendan Coburn, Gareth Teggin and Will Snaith defended well and keeper Neil Jones wasn’t seriously tested. The Reds survived a couple of short corners and then dramatically escaped from their own half.

A long ball was played forward to Euan Morris, who raced clear of the Runcorn defence, rounded the keeper and opened the scoring. Within minutes 1-0 had become 4-0 as Whitchurch found their form and Runcorn found themselves penned in their own half. Jacob Buckeridge turned in a Luke Beddow pass at the back post for his first goal in senior hockey. Euan Morris fired home the third goal and Joe Coburn scored an absolute beauty after dribbling past four Runcorn players in the dee and slotting into the far corner.

Whitchurch continued to dominate the play in the first half, with Joe Coburn, Luke Beddow and Richard Leigh controlling midfield, the wingers playing high and the fullbacks pushing up. But chances came and went …. Alex Leigh was twice denied by good goal keeping, James Page was close to poking in at the back post and Will Gilbert was a constant threat. Eventually a defence-splitting pass from Ethan Gresty enabled Euan Morris to complete his hat-trick and give the 2s a 5-0 lead at half-time.

Whitchurch continued to press in the second half and scored goals at regular intervals throughout the second period. James Page bundled the ball in at the far post to score his first goal in senior hockey, and Jacob Buckeridge unselfishly squared the ball for his dad, Doug Buckeridge to push the ball into an empty goal for his first goal for the 2s. Euan Morris added a fourth goal to his tally as the Reds looked to score with every attack.

At 8-0 down Runcorn had a spell of possession and pushed Whitchurch back towards their own goal. Their efforts were rewarded with a consolation goal from a short corner. But the 2s responded with further goals from Joe Faithfull, who rounded the keeper and finished well, and Luke Beddow who scored from about 2 inches after Euan Morris had fired the ball goalward

In September last year the Men’s 2s came to Runcorn with a young side and lost 2-1. The 10-1 win in this game shows how far these young players have developed in the last year or so. This was an impressive attacking display, although the quality of the hockey didn’t quite hit the heights of the previous weekend against Birkenhead.

Euan continued his fantastic goal-scoring form and Joe Coburn scored a wonderful solo goal. Three players scored their first goals in senior hockey. Jacob and James are young lads and will score many more goals for the 2s, but Doug’s goal was a real collector’s item. It was harder to miss, but it’s taken him 5 years to get that goal. He can now return to the defence and leave the goal-scoring to the younger lads!

The Men’s 2s next match is at home to Neston 8s at 1:30pm on Saturday 16^th November.

Brooklands ladies 4s 7 Whitchurch ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch ladies 2s battled the elements, to travel away on Saturday 9th November, with all home matches cancelled. Whitchurch set off in the cold to play Brooklands in a very wet Manchester

Whitchurch were very positive following their winning streak in the last 3 matches, eager to face top of the league, Brooklands In a game that they knew would be a challenge.

The team was very strong comprising of Captain Emma Clarke, supported in the backs by goalkeeper Megan Nicholson and Catherine Reece-Gresty

Halves were Jess Kimberley, Chloe Lloyd, Martha Teggin, Ellie McEvoy and inners were the dynamic duo of Ellie Pearson and Holly Edwards and the attack consisted of Edina Jones and Phoebe Jones, Megan Brunyard, Holly Gilbert

The push back was won by Brooklands which foreshadowed future events.

Whitchurch played well passing the ball between themselves unfortunately Brooklands were able to intercept Whitchurch’s attacks. Whitchurch controlled most of the possession during the first half but Brooklands went on to score five goals in the first half with lucky breaks.

The half time talk was positive and constructive helping Whitchurch get back on track

Whitchurch started strong with Phoebe Jones pushing the ball forward to Holly Edwards, this gave Whitchurch a spring of life and gave Whitchurch the confidence to push forward and play a more attacking game.

This led to a short corner which they failed to convert; however, Whitchurch were not finished. A long corner lead to a lucky break with Chloe Lloyd pushing the back to Catherine Reece Gresty who had pushed up to send the ball powerfully into Phoebe Jones who slotted it past the keeper. Giving Whitchurch their only but much deserved goal of the match.

Unfortunately, time was not on Whitchurch’s side and they couldn’t get back all the goals needed to secure a draw

Player of the match went to Phoebe Jones.

Sunday November 10th 2019

Macclesfield ladies 2s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 2

Ladies 1s travelled away to Macclesfield this Sunday to replay a cancelled game from 2 weeks ago.

From the whistle Whitchurch took the ball to Macclesfield. Midfielders Lisa Sullivan, Catherine Winter-Gresty and Izzy Huxley moved the ball well through Macclesfield and within minutes Whitchurch scored from a short corner with Jessica Carruthers deflecting the ball over the keeper.

Macclesfield quickly fought back with a goal from open play, shaking Whitchurch up.

In defence Emma Harper, Catherine Reece-Gresty and Millie Edwards quickly passed the ball up the pitch as Macclesfield were fighting for another. Keeper Beth Wright made some amazing saves, balls being collected by Anna Latham and Hayleigh Busby on the wings. Sarah Field sat high waiting to fire at the keeper for a deflection for great team work from Lisa Sullivan and then Ellie Windsor to lift over the keeper.

Macclesfield’s tempers rose and wanted the win and again quickly equalised.

At half time 2 all, Whitchurch ladies collected themselves and went back out as the start, lovely passes up the pitch to have a run of short corners but couldn’t find a gap to score.

Macclesfield kept pushing up the pitch, they were beginning to tire but so were Whitchurch.

Both teams played well to the final whistle.

Ladies 1s were happy with the result as it was a Sunday game with several of their regular players missing.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 2 Macclesfield 2s 1

Whitchurch began their game with great strength, despite their exhaustion from yesterday’s match. They persevered, winning a short corner only minutes into the game. Holly Edwards took a powerful shot at the top of the dee, but Macclesfield fought back, saving the goal. Whitchurch dominated the play with Edina Jones and Amelie Morris making amazing runs down the left wing and keeping the ball up in Macclesfield’s Dee. Ellie Pearson and Nicola Forster worked well together with a string of quick passes getting another shot at goal but just missing. Despite their constant battling, Whitchurch were still at 0-0 when the half time whistle blew.

Reenergised, Whitchurch were ready to get back on the pitch and score some goals. Phoebe Jones made some amazing runs and Molly Fry set up numerous brilliant attacks with help from Edwards and Amy Fry – who made some quick interlinking passes – resulting in a shot from Amy Fry which just missed the goal. Holly Gilbert and Pearson continued to battle down the right wing and get the ball into the dee. Whitchurch’s efforts finally paid off with Molly Fry scoring an amazing goal. 1-0 up Whitchurch continued to put pressure on to Macclesfield who weren’t giving up. After some excellent passes, the Macclesfield players scored a well-played goal; this left Whitchurch even more determined. Emma Clarke and Chloe Lloyd worked brilliantly in defence, stopping all further Macclesfield attacks. Martha Teggin kept getting the ball back to the Whitchurch players and after a cross into the dee from Gilbert, saw Nicola Forster score an excellent winning goal as the final whistle blew, resulting in a 2-1 win for the ladies 2s.

Whitchurch ladies 3s 6 Golborne ladies 3s 2

Whitchurch ladies’ thirds had a great match against Golborne. The game started with a strong attack by Whitchurch soon leading into our first goal by Jasmin Williams. Soon afterwards, quick passes between the midfielders and inners led to Nina Hodges scoring another two goals for the team. Whitchurch defence was extremely strong, clearing the ball up the pitch. Annie Buckeridge scored a great goal making the score 4-1 by half time.

After a quick team talk, Golborne came back strong, driving the ball up to our dee. This resulted in a second goal for the opposition, but Whitchurch didn’t let that put them off. We had some great runs up the pitch by Alice Page and Libby Fox supporting.  A long corner taken by Wendy Cooper to Kate Buckeridge supported by Annie Buckeridge and Lexi Morgan lead to another two goals, one by Emma Stubbs and the other from Nina Hodges giving her the well-deserved players player. Golborne had a strong attack in the second half forcing our players to drop back. Our defenders Jan Teggin, Hermione Ball, Mel Reid and Emily Lister, managed to keep the opponents out of the dee. Louise Cottrell made some fantastic saves as goalkeeper helping with Whitchurch’s well-deserved win of 6-2.