Unfortunately due to the snow and sub zero temperatures training has been cancelled tonight.
Match report 24/02/18
The Mens 1s game was cancelled after a breakdown resulted in the team being unable to make the start time for their away fixture in Brooklands.
Whitchurch ladies 2s 1 Crewe ladies 4s 3
The game started and Crewe put on a strong attack against Whitchurch 2s. They were up in the dee within minutes and the ball was unfortunately put into the goal by the Whitchurch defender as she tried to defend the shot. Whitchurch held their heads high and defended the ball right until the whistle was blown for half time with many chances for a goal against Crewe.
The strength they showed was immense and with the team talk at half time, Whitchurch came back as fierce as ever. The fight stayed strong and although Whitchurch faced multiple short corners, the strong defenders Claire Fitzgerald, Helen Machin, Edina Jones, and Emma Clarke and goal keeper Shola Bailey used their strength to save each another and showed team work really does make the dream work.
Whitchurch were then faced with a penalty stroke and goalkeeper Shola Bailey managed to get her left leg on it and saved it. This gave Whitchurch more spirit and mid fielders Becky Brookfield, Edina Jones, and Helen Machin along with attackers Tracy Tolhurst, Emily Vernon, Ellie McEvoy and Phoebe Jones took the ball up the pitch and struggled against the Crewe goalkeeper. With good attempts, Tracy Tolhurst finally got the ball into the back of the goal and Whitchurch were drawn with Crewe.
Another short corner gave Crewe another goal but Whitchurch bounced back and were awarded a penalty stroke, which was well saved by the Crewe keeper. Whitchurch tired at this point and the ball came strongly back down to the Whitchurch goal and Crewe were awarded another penalty flick and this time scored. With the final score being 3-1 to Crewe, Whitchurch we’re disappointed but it was an amazing game with amazing spirit.
Oxton ladies 2s 4 Whitchurch ladies 1s 1
Ladies 1s travelled away to play Oxton 2s this Saturday with a new mix if players due to half term. From the off Whitchurch played well together pushing the ball back up to the Oxton dee. They held their positions despite Oxton fighting hard to score. Millie Edwards held her own at the back along with Jess Kimberley making Oxton work. A short corner allowed Oxton to score from a scrappy number of passed.
Hebe Dixon held the middle along with Holy Jepson and Catherine Winter-Gresty giving the ball up to Jessica Carruthers to send into Grace Berry for an amazing fight with the keeper and she flicked into the net.
Whitchurch became a little lax and let Oxton creep up into the Dee and score from another scrappy play just before half time.
After a quick talk Whitchurch were back using the width with Laura Workman holding high but Oxton were defending strong. This half seemed a lot different with the ball going back and too like a yoyo, tiring both teams. More chances for Oxton but Gwyn Thomas-Rees kept on her toes and kicked the balls clear.
Feet were not always being blow by this stage and Oxton took advantage and scored from yet another messy play. Natasha foster and Beth Sykes had their work cut out as Oxton kept the pressure on and with 2 minutes before the final whistle Oxton managed to get through a tired Whitchurch for a 4th goal leaving Whitchurch walking away with another loss of 4-1.
The 1s play at home against top of the table Brookland Poynton next week.
Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1 Lymm Men’s 3s 3
Whitchurch Men’s 2s welcomed Lymm 3s to a sunny, but chilly, SJT on Saturday afternoon.
Bolstered by some returning senior players and with a debut for another academy graduate in 13 year old Will Snaith, the 2s went into this game with an usually large squad of 16 players.
The early stages were fairly even. Both teams looked good in possession, moving the ball around well, but struggling to make any impact in the attacking thirds. Matt Brooks and Richard Leigh were strong in the centre of defence for the 2s, whilst Wyn Morris and Mark Sugden were stifling Lymm’s attacking width, but also providing the launch pad for Whitchurch’s own attacks in wide areas.
Jacob Buckeridge and Euan Morris were finding good positions on the wings and linking well with the midfield of Rupert Yeoward, Danny Foulkes and Doug Buckeridge, but the Reds were struggling to get the ball up to forward Martin Beecher.
Lymm had their attacking moments, and from a short corner midway through the first half they opened the scoring. The ball was fired towards goal but came back off the post and hit keeper Neil Jones and bounced over the goal line.
Whitchurch responded positively, with Martin Beecher dropping deeper to find the ball , enabling him to drive forward into the Lymm dee. This proved fruitful for the Reds, with the team becoming more of a threat to the Lymm goal. Martin was firing in shots from good positions, forcing the Lymm keeper into a number of saves, and seeing one shot ricochet to safety of the post.
Just before half time Whitchurch got their reward as Matt Brooks smartly played an early ball into Martin, who drove from the middle of the Lymm half, into the dee, before smashing a low shot into the far corner of the goal to level the scores.
The second half proceeded in a similar vein, with Sam Conway coming on to provide the drive from the Whitchurch midfield and Joe Coburn & Joe Winter rotating on in the wing positions.
Lymm had regrouped at half time and were also pushing forward looking for goals. The Whitchurch defence continued to work hard and limit clear-cut chances but Lymm scored two quick goals midway through the second half. Again the bounce of the ball seemed to be in Lymm’s favour, although the third goal was a clever finish to a ball dropping from out of the sky.
Again Whitchurch responded well and Martin Beecher pulled a goal back with a powerful, jinking run through most of the Lymm team, before finishing into an unguarded goal. And Whitchurch almost snatched an equaliser when Euan Morris’ shot came back off the post, across the face of goal, but spun onto Jacob Buckeridge’s foot rather than his stick.
Try as they might, Whitchurch couldn’t find an equaliser and Lymm hung on for the 3-2 win.
Despite another defeat, the young players continue to improve at this level of hockey. With five 13 and 14 year olds involved on Saturday, all in their first season of men’s hockey, and a number of others unavailable this weekend, the future of the 2s looks good.
Joe Coburn and Euan Morris continue to be real assets on the wings and Joe Faithful is becoming more confident and improving with every game. 13-year-old Jacob Buckeridge played well again today and was unlucky not to score, while 13-year-old Will Snaith had a very impressive debut in defence against far more powerful and experienced opponents.
Next Saturday the 2s entertain Runcorn 3s at SJT.
Whitchurch ladies 3s 1 Alderley Edge 7’s 4
The opening 10 minutes of the first half saw some relentless attacking from Alderley Edge right from the outset and thanks to some excellent defending from our goalie Maddy Sugden, left half Emily Lister and our two backs Mel Reid and Wendy Cooper, we were lucky to keep the shots out only allowing 1 goal in.
Finally, we built up enough confidence to run at the opposition with Millie Carruthers and Nicola Workman up front taking the ball into the dee several times. Whitchurch settled down to play much better hockey, passing into space and resulting in Victoria Corlett being able to slot home a goal giving a 1-1 score line at half time.
Caitlin Shaw on the right wing received the ball well and made some impressive runs, showing how much confidence she has gained with match experience. Our two inners, Nicola Workman and Annie Buckeridge were passing beautifully to our centre forward Millie Caruthers who also tracked back well to help the defence when required.
The second half saw Alderley Edge start with pace and score two quick goals in the first few minutes. Rosie Shaw worked hard down the left wing and Kate Buckeridge was switched to right half firming up our defence and slowing the relentless attack of the young Alderley Edge team allowing them only to score once more giving a final score of 1-4.
Maddy Sugden was awarded another well-deserved woman of the match and although we were disappointed to lose we were pleased with our much-improved game considering we lost at Alderley Edge 1-10 earlier on in the season.
WHC Senior End of Season Awards Dinner – Saturday March 24th 2018
If you have played for a senior team this season.
We’re pleased to confirm that the Club’s ‘End of Season Awards Do’ will take place on Saturday 24th March at the Dodington Lodge in Whitchurch from 7.30pm – midnight.
Ticket prices are £22.50 per person which includes a three course dinner, plus coffee/tea & mints PLUS a disco. We’ve tried to keep the price as low as possible! Menus will be confirmed in advance and we will email you to make choices.
Booking your place/s is essential so please sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/
The committee are hoping that everyone will make a big effort to attend, as we really need at least 75 people to make it a break-even event. So please get your partners, friends and encourage your fellow team mates to come along. Unfortunately if we don’t get enough interest, the event won’t go ahead and we’ll have to re-sort back to a curry night, but we’d really like to bring everyone together for a dinner and get some dancing in, so please support this night.
There’s no imposed dress code, but this is a great opportunity to dress up a bit – but up to you!
Thank you
The Committee
Match reports 17/02/18
Whitchurch Men’s 1s 2 – Wilmslow Men’s 2s 2
Whitchurch played league leaders Wilmslow this week in a hard-fought match, and were able to come away with a good result against a team used to winning this season. With a couple of regular players away, Andy Magee returned in goal and brought with him a wealth of experience. Wilmslow are flying high in the league this year with only two draws and a loss to spoil their results before this game, so Whitchurch knew they were going to have a tough match on their hands.
The first half started well, with Whitchurch settling early, but Wilmslow were always ready on the break and piled the pressure on. The defence of Alex Fry, Ryan Murtagh and James Partington were called on time and again, and Magee in goal was able to help ensure marking and movement would prevent Wilmslow from getting in an early strike. Movement through the middle was difficult, as the opposition were both fast and skilful, but Dale Seymour had a good strong game on the left, moving through players with ease and Rob Chappell and Ben Fry put in their usual excellent games in the middle and on the right. Building on this allowed the Reds to pressure the Wilmslow defence on the counter-attack, which proved effective several times; Jack Barnes and Ben Kimberley were able to stretch the defence out wide and got a good pass through to the centre of the dee, where Martin Beecher was able to stretch past the defenders and put the ball through the keeper’s legs for the first goal of the game.
Some frustrations began to show and tempers got shorter, and both sides were less than perfect with tackles and the umpires had to calm things down. Wilmslow were able to settle quicker and rebuild their flowing attacks and were able to put together an overload and nick a goal to level the scores, but going into half time at 1-1 was the result of some good work by both teams and the half-time talk was about playing Whitchurch’s game to their strengths.
The second half was played in much better spirit and had some lovely flowing hockey, with Tom Leonard controlling the centre and setting up Barnes, Beecher and Kimberley to go on good runs. The best part of the half had Barnes go on a solo run from left to right across the dee, almost to the by-line, before unleashing a rocket on a tight angle that beat everyone. Wilmslow immediately redoubled their efforts; keen not to lose when the league was so nearly tied up for them, and put everything into their attack. The Reds’ defence was called on time and again, with Magee making a number of excellent saves, and Chappell, Seymour and Fry helping the backs out, but ultimately the pressure told with a goal in the dying minutes levelling things up. A disappointment for Whitchurch, but a fair result for the game and an excellent effort against a very strong team.
Whitchurch ladies 3s 2 Chester ladies 5s 1
Whitchurch encouraged by recent results entertained Chester ladies in a re-arranged fixture. Whitchurch started the stronger of the two teams and used the pace of Jessica Carruthers to cause many problems for the Chester defence. It wasn’t long before Carruthers broke through and slotted past the Chester keeper to give them the lead. Whitchurch continued to pressure winning a number of penalty corners. A ball to captain Kate Goodwin saw her dribble along the baseline and past the Chester keeper for their second.
Whitchurch finished the half with a two goal cushion but well aware that Chester were going to come back at them in the second half. Chester re-arranged during the break and caused Whitchurch far more problems by tackling in numbers to prevent the pacey Whitchurch forwards breaking through.
As Chester continued to pressure they started to catch Whitchurch on the break and despite a number of fine saves by Evie Whatmough in goal Whitchurch didn’t learn and finally Chester pulled back a goal.
The game played out with Chester pushing for an equaliser and Whitchurch defending in numbers but managed to hold out for another valuable three points.
Llandudno Men’s 2s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 0
With the start of half term and a catalogue of injuries, Whitchurch Men’s 2s were struggling to find eleven players for Saturday’s trip to Llandudno. Thankfully Brendan Coburn was persuaded to play his first ever game of hockey, and 13 year-old Jacob Buckeridge agreed to make his debut in senior hockey. But, with half the team made up of juniors in their first season of men’s hockey, this was always likely to be a tough afternoon for Whitchurch.
Llandudno took control of the ball and territory during the early stages of the game without seriously threatening the Whitchurch goal, with the Reds happy to play on the counter attack. Although the 2s struggled to penetrate the Llandudno dee, when they kept their play simple, they were able to relieve pressure and get the ball, and their opponents, deeper into the other half of the pitch. However, as the first half wore on, some of the Whitchurch players struggled to maintain their patience, carrying the ball into trouble and losing possession cheaply. As a result, team mates were being caught up field as the Welsh side won possession and the defence of Brendan Coburn, Richard Leigh, Matt Brooks and Joe Coburn were fighting a valiant, but doomed battle to keep the ball away from the Whitchurch goal.
Inevitably Llandudno opened the scoring from a short corner and, as with many games this season, 1-0 quickly became 2-0, before Whitchurch settled down and started playing better hockey. They began to find openings on the flanks, with Airan Jones and James Page on the right, and Doug and Jacob Buckeridge combining well with Joe Coburn on the left. Although they struggled to threaten the goal, Whitchurch were forcing Llandudno to defend on the edge of their own dee, and managed to force a couple of short corners. But unfortunately for the Reds it was Llandudno who scored again from a brilliant reverse-stick hit into the top corner of the net.
Despite being three goals down at half-time, Whitchurch regrouped in the second half and played much better all round hockey. Joe Faithful had an excellent game up front, and whilst not having any real chances to shoot at goal, his constant pressing of the Llandudno defenders gave them very little time to find passes into midfield. Danny Foulkes took control of the middle of the pitch and expertly guided the inexperienced young (and not-so- young) players through the game.
Llandudno refused to sit back and tried to increase their lead in the second half, but Matt Brooks and Richard Leigh were quite excellent in the centre of the Whitchurch defence. If the Welsh side did make it through to goal, keeper Neil Jones was equal to everything, whether rushing from his line to close down angles or diving to push shots away from goal. And special mention for Brendan who dealt with a high ball in the dee by playing a superb cover drive to the boundary. More Joe Root than Joe’s Dad!
Overall Llandudno were worth their 3-0 win. But this was a competitive game played in good spirits by both sides. Despite the distance, Llandudno has always been an enjoyable away trip for the 2s, irrespective of the result. Whilst Whitchurch lost this game, there were a number of positives to take from the game. When the team passes the ball and shows patience the 2s look a handy side, and the young players all did exceptionally well on Saturday. Joe Faithful, Joe Coburn and Jacob Buckeridge all had excellent games, as did Richard Leigh and Matt Brooks in defence.
And special thanks to Brendan Coburn, who thought he was just driving his son, Joe, to the game, but ended up playing really well for the full 70 minutes in his very first game of hockey.