Reports 6th December 2008

Men's 1st XI win 3-0 against Alford & District I

Men's 2nd XI mirror the 1sts with a 3-0 victory over Alford & District II

Men's 3rd XI turn around on a high with a 2-0 win over Newmarket I

Ladies' 2nd XI put on a good performance but lose 3-0 to a strong Sawtry I

 

Cambridge South Men's I 3 - 0 Alford & District Men's I

H/T: 2 - 0

Scorers: Rob Garrett (2), Chris Baker
MoM: Rob Garrett

In an impressively clinical display featuring strong, well-knit performances in all areas of the field, South overcame a young and skilful Alford side by a margin which accurately reflected the balance of the game.

Alford, with a talented group of players who have worked their way up through the club together over a number of years, clearly demanded respect on the strength of their recent record, which included a victory over March 1sts, a narrow defeat to Ely and three-pointers against virtually everyone else, but South started off positively, working it around the field to get the feel of the ball on the stick. Alford quickly threatened, however, as a pair of strikers broke free hoping to latch onto a through pass but keeper Steve Parker, alert on a crisp, bright morning, got there first and used his muscle and timing to win the challenge and fire out to the wing. Chris Graveling and Matt Readman held off a couple of enthusiastic bursts and then James Cobbe, penned in the left corner, turned niftily on 2½p (in new money) to pop a very neat pass to skipper Chris Baker, who was ready and waiting for a feed as ever.

The action rapidly switched to the other end, where Al Sinclair drove into the D and dismissed the close attentions of three defenders before laying off to Rob Garrett, who fired hard into the roof of the net off the keeper's pads for a welcome first goal of the league season. Graveling had a tanking surge diagonally across midfield but South were soon called upon to defend. Leo Tomita and John Benedikz capably dismantled an attack down the left, while at an Alford free hit Baker called urgently for "sticks down!" only to find the ball making unwontedly (and unwantedly) close acquaintance with his left ear as it was generously undercut.

Chris Massey, fitting smoothly and confidently into the right-back position, weaved his way out of a tight corner at the back and there then ensued a see-saw passage of play in which Readman exploited his attacking skills to set up opportunities for Baker, Garrett and Russell Johnson to engage the Alford back line and Alford hit back with direct and forceful running to draw fine tackles from Graveling and the ubiquitous Garrett. Baker combined well with Keith Hewitt before a breakdown near the D, while a rampaging five-man move started by Benedikz also unravelled in the same area. Alford then won a brace of penalty corners, crowding the goal unpleasantly on the first and then working a neat slip to the left on the second, at which Parker was down quickly to beat off the slapped hit. He then had to bar the door to an ominous-looking follow-up before Benedikz cleared and Tomita and Baker spirited the ball away upfield.

South had to work hard to find gaps for defensive break-outs, though, and Parker soon had to clear again as Alford got through on the left when the firewall suddenly melted. But in perhaps the decisive passage of the game, Garrett and Baker did the hard yards in midfield before Hewitt broke free to unleash a stinging shot which was well parried by the keeper. Unluckily for the latter, the rebound only went as far as the predatory Garrett, who made no mistake with a reverse shot to double the lead and his own personal tally on nineteen minutes.

Despite this setback, Alford still managed to see plenty of the ball, but Graveling and Tomita were impassable and Benedikz made some astute interceptions. Meanwhile, Sinclair and Hewitt were looking increasingly dangerous in the opposition half and Hewitt several times gained the by-line to put in awkward, well-angled crosses, one of which had the keeper diving and everyone else oohing and aahing as it sped tantalisingly across the face of the goal.

South's first short on twenty-five minutes gradually dissolved after several attempts at a workaround but the home side, while taking care of business back at the ranch, began to pioneer more extensively in enemy country. Massey, Baker and Sinclair interpassed smartly to send off a long ball which Johnson, playing with increasing skill and savoir faire as the season progresses, nearly chased down, and then Benedikz and Hewitt magicked a couple of scooped passes up the left to gain unlikely ground when the advantage seemed to be with Alford.

Hewitt forechecked with the kind of relentless determination that no defender is ever comfortable with as South enjoyed a period of clear dominance. Garrett, embarking on a long, raking run, took several men with him before the ball just squeaked away and Alford had difficulty in gaining any worthwhile possession in midfield. Just before half time, however, they had a gilt-edged opportunity to cut the deficit when intercepting a South hit out and finding themselves on a two-man break with all the aces. But last man Tomita, with finely-honed positional sense, edged the ball-carrier wider and wider before coolly intercepting and clearing what he had turned into an inevitable cut-inside pass.

Thankful for this narrow escape and conscious of how quickly an identical lead had evaporated last week, South were on their mettle at the start of the second half. But Alford appeared rejuvenated (if that is possible in a side with an average age of seventeen) and the South defensive corps had to pull all the stops out to guard their advantage. After Readman's decisive reversed intervention, Alford attacked the right and won a short which was struck firmly but stopped dead in its tracks and outed by Graveling. Then, in the face of another onslaught, Readman won an arm-wrestling competition with stick glued to the floor and Cobbe again displayed his appetite for the defensive challenge. Parker kicked clear before a South five-yard infringement earned another penalty corner, at which the striker side-stepped the rushing horde, closed in fast and unleashed a hard flick that seemed from the wrist to be aimed to Parker's right. It flew to the left instead but Parker, retaining balance and mobility, reacted instinctively to get his left pad horizontal and airborne and tip the ball over the bar. The grimness continued, though, as both Readman and Graveling put in uncompromising tackles which drew a cry of "Timber!" from the sidelines, and the ball dribbled horribly around in the D for ages as Alford tried to deliver the killer blow.

Eventually, South got out of the woods and, though Alford still pressed and won a fifth short corner which Parker repelled after reading a disguised hit, Hewitt ranged widely up front and more chances came. Readman, playing higher up than of late, slid through a lovely pass to Garrett, who saw the keeper coming, slipped it under him but just missed his hat-trick by inches. Then Hewitt, finding space, cracked a fine shot which had left corner written all over it until the keeper made an excellent stick save, the rebound from which Sinclair dispatched with right corner written all over it, only to see an amazing last-ditch recovery by a defender on the line.

South remained composed in defence, with Massey and Cobbe showing poise to winkle a pass out to jack-in-the-box Readman, Tomita gaining valuable breathing-space with his well-camouflaged slap-hits from defence and Graveling seeming to act as a fly-paper to the buzzing Alford forwards. Alford too often failed to create movement off the ball at this stage and their midfield became a little static, allowing Garrett and Hewitt especially - with Baker as a pivot - to claim a big share of elbow-room. Hewitt winged a snapshot just wide, then Hewitt, fed by Sinclair, rounded the defence and put in a great, though unconverted cross.

Alford repeatedly lured themselves into well-tenanted areas where Readman and Graveling, sticks flicking out like lizards' tongues, eagerly snatched what was on offer, while Garrett, difficult to dispossess with his pace and long reach, continually caused problems and was again unlucky to be denied when tenaciously hanging on after being tackled by the diving keeper. South ringed Alford's sixteens with intent, keeping them under the cosh, and the pressure eventually told after sixty-two minutes, when, after a fine run from Sinclair on the left, Hewitt read the play beautifully and squared the ball across the top of the D, bypassing the keeper, for skipper Baker to slot coolly home for his first goal in six league games.

The remainder of the game saw South well in control, with Massey distributing easefully at the back and Hewitt, a serial irritant to the Alford defence, just missing with two further hard strikes. South failed to score with either of their further short corners but secured the clean sheet when Alford's sixth effort just before time was cleared by Graveling and ushered swiftly out of danger by the spry Johnson.

This victory, which was surprisingly South's first at the Leys in this campaign, should lift the team's confidence greatly as the Christmas break approaches. Another strong defensive performance was supplemented by good midfield cohesion and an attack with a bit of devil to it. The skill and aggression of Sinclair and Hewitt formed an excellent counterpoint to the pace of Garrett and Johnson, substantially increasing the danger quotient up front, and it was gratifying, too, to see South use their experience in other parts of the field to win most of the fifty-fifty balls going. Alford, who played the game in commendable spirit, are still above South and will doubtless continue to be one of the contenders in what is again proving to be a very interesting division. If South can maximise their pre-Christmas points tally by beating Boston next week, however, they will not be far short of second-placed March I going into the second half and, given reasonable luck and good availability, they can justifiably hope to make a further impact in the New Year.

Team played: Steve Parker, Chris Graveling, John Benedikz, Leo Tomita, Russell Johnson, Chris Massey, Chris Baker (c), Matt Readman, Rob Garrett, Al Sinclair, Keith Hewitt, James Cobbe

 

Alford & District Men's II 0 - 3 Cambridge South Men's II

H/T: 0 - 2

Scorers: Rob Barton, Mark Pears, Dave Aston
MoM: Eliot Read - Suffering from a cold but put on a committed performance in the middle of the field, full of running
LoM: Kev Rowland - Suffering from a cold but put on a committed performance in the middle of the sofa, full of lemsip

After two defeats on the trot, Cambridge South 2nds made the long trek through the fens to Skegness knowing that they needed a win to sustain any hope of a promotion push this season. Facing an Alford team without a league win this season, anything other than three points was unthinkable.

The early news wasn't good as South discovered that their captain, Kev Rowland, had picked up a nasty dose in the week and was consequently out of action with the lurgy, leaving him stranded at home on the sofa surrounded by a mounting pile of Kleenex: just another weekend in the Rowland household, then.

With Matt Kern heading to China rather than Skegness (apparently the travel time is less), the depleted 2nds were restored to strength by 1sts' vice-captain Eliot Read, South's answer to Ole Gunnar Solskjær agreeing to forsake his own sick bed to make the eleventh man.

In contrast to the previous weekend's dissolute time-keeping, South arrived at the pitch a clear hour before the scheduled push-back. The punctual arrived was aided by acting captain George Wych's beast of an Audi RS6, its 450bhp meaning only eighteen inches of clear road were needed to overhaul any dilatory tractors meandering along the fenland roads. The minutes saved by the rocket-propelled overtaking manoeuvres surely compensated for the resulting mild whiplash.

As push-back approached, surprisingly it was the home team who found themselves a man short, an umpire short and a keeper's helmet short, resulting in some delay while all three were located. On a cold, clear day, South suffered a reverse before the game even got underway when George lost the toss and South were compelled to play directly into the setting afternoon sun. Keeper Lino Di Lorenzo's admission that he couldn't see any balls above knee height and that everyone in front of him, attackers and defenders alike, were just dark silhouettes meant that preventing anything getting through the defence would be vital.

When the game got underway it was Alford who belied their lowly league position by forcing the play in the opening period. Placing their strongest players down the centre line of their team, Alford were able to contest the middle of the park and prevent South running through them. While South succeeded in denying Alford any clear-cut shooting opportunities, they were struggling to establish control of possession themselves. With ten minutes gone, it was decided to switch Dave Stock out to his favoured right midfield position and bring Alex Pooles into the centre, in front of Eliot holding behind.

The change seemed to work as South gradually gained more control of the ball. The struggle between the teams to assert dominance in midfield was hard fought, particularly when a swing of an Alford stick missed the ball and caught shadowing right back Neil Sneade square across the windpipe. After a pause, Neil was fortunately able to resume.

The breakthrough for South, when it came, saw Dave Aston come in from the left to win a loose ball in midfield before playing an early pass forward through a gap in the Alford defence to Mark Pears inside the twenty-five yard line. Taking the ball in his stride, Arsenal advanced inside the top edge of the D before working space to crack off a shot. The ball flew past the keeper's left but the expected 'thud' was replaced with a 'ting' as the ball hit the post dead-on. Almost before the disappointment could register, though, that lurking predator Rob Barton appeared to knock the ball over the line from all of six inches.

Their composure somewhat restored, South steadily increased the pressure. A ball played into the plentiful space on the right wing was picked up by Stocky who sped towards the area and slipped the ball under the advancing keeper. His wild celebrations ("My goal! HURGH! Yeah! Yeah! Wooo!") were premature, however, as his confident call to Arsenal to leave the ball proved mistaken as his strike had been played just before his momentum carried him into the D. Mark watched the ball roll over the line only to see the umpire promptly blow for a sixteen yard hit: that'll teach him to be unselfish.

Fortunately, the embarrassing boob was soon rectified. Another South foray into the Alford D resulted in some desperate defending before the ball was cleared out to the left. However, it only went as far as Neil, supporting the attack just inside the twenty-five yard line. He gathered the ball and, seeing a gap open up in the D, swept it diagonally towards the P spot. The pass wasn't hard but it found the channel through the crowd of bodies to reach Arsenal, who hit a first time shot to send the ball past the stranded keeper.

At the turn-around, South knew that with their increasing dominance a third goal would finish the game; on the other hand Alford had shown enough that if the home side were the next to score, it would be "game on". With the last rays of the sun now on their backs, it was South's turn to dazzle the defence. Alford were competing hard but South were looking strong in the centre, with Alex winning ball up front while Eliot, despite his cold, showed a tremendous engine to get up into the D to take shooting chances and get back to contain the still-threatening Alford breaks, which were looking their best chance to score. In front of the defence, Ian Evans was having a sterling game at sweeper, winning the loose balls and playing accurate passes forward, while George swept up any attacks that got through and Ron Oren provided a constant outlet on the left with firm balls down the line.

More fluid passing from South was beginning to open up the Alford defence and good chances fell to forwards Rob and Arsenal as well as Stocky on the right, but good approach play seemed to be repeatedly undone by a poor choice of final ball or a lack of composure when the shooting chance presented itself. After a succession of missed opportunities, it was Dave Aston who finally secured the points for the visitors. From the top left of the D, he carried the ball across to the right holding off the defenders' tackles and, after the umpire had sensibly played advantage from an Alford foul, found the space to make the shot and buried it into the back of the goal.

With a quarter of the game remaining, South were forced to work hard as Alford made a determined effort to recover the deficit with their best spell of the match. Lino, up until now mostly a spectator in goal, was called into action as a dangerous ball through the middle turned the defence. Quickly off his mark, he rushed out of his area to beat the onrushing attacker to the ball and, showing great awareness as his charge carried him out of the D, make a spectacular sliding sweep using his reverse stick to knock the ball wide and clear. Several more firm kicks cleared anything coming near him. Forced to defend several short corners, "the Cat" and his defence cleared their lines each time.

Having weathered the Alford assault, South reasserted their control and finished the game on the front foot. After a long journey and demanding game, Skegness Grammar School's fine changing facilities were well-appreciated, not least by Stocky who showed that it's not only the ladies who appreciate having a mirror and hair dryer in their dressing rooms. A final score of 3-0 scarcely did justice to the opportunities created but what was ultimately a workmanlike, rather than inspired, performance was enough to take the points.

Team played: Lino Di Lorenzo, Ron Oren, George Wych (c), Ian Evans, Neil Sneade, Dave Aston, Eliot Read, Alex Pooles, Dave Stock, Rob Barton, Mark Pears

 

Cambridge South Men's III 2 - 0 Newmarket Men's I

H/T: 2 - 0

Scorers: John Greaves, Andy Lewis
MoM: Andy Lewis - he was everywhere, (including his official position). Heartbeat of the team; tackling, running, passing, crossing, scoring, encouraging others. Who needs Steven Gerrard?

Cambridge South matched a rugged Newmarket team from the start, showing terrific spirit and skill to make enough breakaway attacks to cause concern. Andy Lewis, Rupert Espley and Stuart Creed in particular were responsible for many good moves, the best of which culminated in Andy Lewis cutting in from the right wing to cross to John Greaves, who arrived unmarked at the right time to convert from at least two yards.

The lead was doubled shortly after as Greaves returned the compliment with a routine short corner to Lewis who thumped the ball with pinpoint accuracy into the far corner of the net.

Newmarket were no doubt surprised to turn round at half time with a two goal deficit and the third quarter saw wave after wave of their attacks kept out by brave defending by Bailey, Glover, Lee and Bristowe, the usual half dozen fine saves from Shabhaz Ali and sensible distribution from defence to midfield and attack. It was great to see the whole team getting into good positions to receive the ball and provide options, keeping pressure on when the ball was lost and passing well. Wilco Dijkstra and Paul South epitomised the required attitude and effectiveness time and again.

South, Creed and Espley all had chances towards the end of the match as Newmarket became ever more frantic, allowing more space for the home team. The "old" attacking pair of Andy Lewis, with a man of the match performance, and John Greaves were able to show some good dribbling and passing skills to open up the play, but sadly no further goals were forthcoming.

No 3rds game would be complete without some dramatics from the skipper; this time it was a blow to the head from a fast travelling Newmarket defensive tonk that resulted in an artistic slump and double rollover onto the astro and five minutes off the pitch wandering round in a daze.

Throughout the seventy minutes Cambridge South played well, givng the best team performance of the campaign and deserving the three points.

Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Nick Bristowe, Matt Bailey, Ian Glover, John Greaves (c), Andy Lewis, James Lee, Wilco Dijkstra, Rupert Espley, Paul South, Stuart Creed, Shahzad Ali

 

Cambridge South Ladies' II 0 - 3 Sawtry Ladies' I

H/T: 0 - 1

Scorers:
MoM: Tracey Hunter

Awaiting report

Team played: Sarah Massen, Tracey Hunter, Pip Noon, Lou Tonkin, Kristy Taylor, Jo Cobbe, Sam Cooper, Carla Fitzachary, Karen Veitch, Ley Dickman, Charlie Orrock, Mel Harrison (c), Kelly Charman

 

Reports 7th December 2008

 

Mixed XI field an understrength team in a 6-2 defeat to Dunmow

 

Southerners (Mixed Team) 2 - 6 Dunmow

H/T: 1 - 3

Scorers: Mark Pears (2)
MoM: Ian Glover - strong tackling, superb timing, surging runs and good passing - the complete package

On a bright but cold day, the Southerners turned out for their last fixture of the year against new opponents Dunmow at the Perse Girls' School astro. The start time had been pushed back from 12 noon to 1.30pm to accommodate Dunmow's recovery after their club Christmas party the night before, which turned out to be just as well as the pitch had barely defrosted even by the later time. However, although a bit slippy, the surface was playable so the game went ahead.

Not having played Dunmow before, who play their league hockey in EML SE and the Essex Ladies League respectively, South were looking forward to getting to grips with a new opposition. Unfortunately, the home side were handicapped from the off by the late absence of four players, turning a two-player surplus into an equivalent deficit. Luckily for South, Dunmow were also a player short, leaving the home team with at least a chance of competing although with the prospect of having to do a lot of extra running.

From the push-back, it was clear that South were going to be chasing the game, with only nine players leaving large spaces on the pitch and making it hard to quickly close down the opposition. South relied on keeping a compact formation around their own twenty-five with a determined, if slightly undermanned, defence of Ky Ho, Ian Glover and Julie Sadler being screened by Neil Sneade and Wilco Dijkstra in front, while Dan Lam and Rhiannan Williams tried to divert attacks and provide options out wide. Up front, Mark Pears acted as an outlet for hits out of defence, with the South midfield then chasing like b*stards to support the play on the break: not sophisticated tactics but for the first fifteen minutes or so they seemed to work.

South were spending most of their time defending. With the frosty sub-surface sending players on both sides tumbling with comical regularity (thank goodness it's a water-based rather than sand-based surface) Dunmow were able to break through into the D on occasion, only to find keeper Lino Di Lorenzo in combative mood, using the slick surface to aid his dynamic diving saves. In fact, both keepers seemed to be imbued with a spirit of exuberance, the Dunmow keeper notably flicking the ball up with his stick before executing a vigorous half-volleyed kick that reached almost to the halfway line. Not to be outdone, Lino would respond in the second half with a balletic aerial kick worthy of Bruce Lee (or at least Mr Miyagi) to volley the ball clear. Shame that both were penalised with short corners, but 10/10 for artistic impression.

Somewhat against the run of play, it was South who took the lead when a long ball to Arsenal caught the defence off-guard and upfield, leaving him to hare into the D and beat the keeper. Success turned out to be shortlived though, as Dunmow's numbers and pressure finally told, resulting in three goals in short succession.

The traffic was not all one way, however, and South's hit-'em-on-the-break tactics were showing success. Arsenal found himself through one-on-one with the keeper more than once, but good saves, fluffed shots or generous squared balls to Dan arriving in support which weren't quite put away all conspired to deny South a further score.

The second half continued in much the same vein although with increasing gaps appearing as legs, many already carrying seventy minutes from the previous day, tired, particularly amongst the nine Southerners. Dunmow scored their fourth before Mark pulled one back with his second goal of the day, again surging clear of the defence to beat the keeper. As in the first half, in numbers of scoring opportunities created South were matching Dunmow, but were lacking somewhat in the execution. Neil added to the litany of fluffed shots with a strike on the turn from right to left across goal that pulled a foot wide of the far post before failing to connect cleanly with a bouncing cross that had evaded the keeper's kick.

By the end, tanks were on empty and two further scores from Dunmow meant the second half score mirrored the first, but that did not diminish the general enjoyment of a very friendly game played in good spirits. South look forward to an opportunity to level the scores in a return fixture next year, hopefully with the help of a full squad.

Team played: Lino Di Lorenzo, Julie Sadler, Ian Glover, Ky Ho, Dan Lam, Neil Sneade (c), Wilco Dijkstra, Rhiannan Williams, Mark Pears

 

Reports 10th December 2008

 

Men's Indoor are defeated 7-3 in their 3rd place play-off match with Wild Oats

 

Cambridge South Men's Indoor 3 - 7 Wild Oats

H/T: 1 - 4

Scorers: Jim Thorpe (2), Nic McLellan

South started quite brightly in the 3rd/4th play-off and actually took an early lead as Jim Thorpe converted a smoothly executed penalty corner. South then suffered from conceding a succession of short corners themselves, resulting in a flick awarded when Rich Morgan, lunging to the far post, could only manage to get himself in the way of a goalbound shot. Steve was beaten from the spot and by half time Wild Oats had stretched to a 4-1 lead. South did have their chances with Jim Thorpe nearly turning in a quickly taken free hit and Paul South and James Cobbe narrowly missing or seeing shots saved.

It was apparent that South needed to take their chances as they came and try to stem the flow of short corners. A series of searching diagonal passes from defence to attack were not quite finding their targets and it was a renewed effort that saw South claw their way back into the game after half time, Nic McLellan (guesting from the Perse PE Department) neatly slotting home after some simple build up worked the ball into the D. Another short corner routine was well executed by Wild Oats to restore their advantage, before a good goal in open play took them further clear. Steve saved another flick, as Morgan was hit on the line once again, and South raised their game for a final push. Jim turned in a cross to the far post but a bobble in controlling it led to it being disallowed. Chris Massey was finding some space to surge forward and the pressure told as Jim tucked home his second. A very late goal left the scoreline looking rather flattering, but South can finish the Indoor Season with heads held high after their highest finish to date.

The improvement of individuals and the team has been marked this year and all will look forward to next season's league. Special thanks are due to Rupert Webb for organising the team so well in the early months of the season and getting us off to such a good start, and also to Glenn Kirkham at the Perse for all his effort in arranging the league and giving up his evenings to umpire the matches.

Team played: Steve Parker, Rich Morgan (c), Chris Massey, Jim Thorpe, Paul South, James Cobbe, Nic McLellan