Reports 28th March 2009

Men's 1st XI draw 3-3 with Alford I in far-distant Skegness

Men's 2nd XI put the previous three defeats behind them with an 11-0 trouncing of Alford II

Men's 3rd XI are defeated 3-2 away to Newmarket I

Ladies' 1st XI post their best result of the season with a 7-0 win against Huntingdon I

Ladies' 2nd XI let slip a half-time lead to lose 4-1 to Cambridge City IV

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

H/T: 0 - 1

Scorers: Keith Hewitt (2), Chris Baker
MoM: Eliot Read and Chris Massey

On a trouser-flapping day which had Beaufort scratching his head for bigger numbers and the local wind turbine whining for mercy, South withstood the elements to overturn a two-goal deficit and become the first visiting team to take a point at Skegness this season. Their performance was all the more praiseworthy for the fact that none of the side's three most experienced defencemen were able to travel and leading scorer Keith Hewitt was increasingly inconvenienced by a stiff hamstring that owed more than a little to the Vauxhall Astra's blatantly anti-ergonomic pedal design.

In a revamped defensive formation, Eliot Read, playing an unfamiliar role as sweeper, looked to the manner born as he calmly dismantled two early Alford attacks at the edge of the D and he was aided by the versatile and ever-reliable Chris Massey, whose coolness and eye for the smart pass helped fire up the South engine in the opening exchanges. Alford, with their youthful brand of spread-it-around hockey, moved the ball fluently, content to regroup and rebuild when there was no clear way through, but South did not make the mistake of getting sucked in too high and were ready to wait for interceptions and tackles. Rob Garrett and Hewitt both won good ball in this way and Hewitt on one occasion also managed the useful trick of convincing the umpire his feet were made of, well, whatever sticks are made of these days.

Alford's first short, swiftly pushed out to a central position, was a surprise reverse shot which was deflected wide as a man waited on the post. Garrett had the opportunity for a reverse of his own after finding a gap at the edge of the D but the co-ordinates were unpropitious and South retrenched, Hewitt working hard up the right side of midfield and skipper Chris Baker taking a feed from Garrett and slipping it quickly to Russell Johnson, who won the first of a brace of penalty corners for South. The Baker-Garrett give-and-go routine led to the second, from which Cobbe, homing in after injecting, narrowly failed to get a touch as Baker aimed for the post.

Sanjay Agarwala, confirming the excellent impression he had made in left defence recently, interpassed smoothly with Massey to work the ball away from a nasty vortex in the corner and Hewitt, despite the "hammy", showed plenty of creative dynamism and punch on the flanks. Steve Parker snuffed out a gathering surge from Alford's right with an elegant sliding clearance but the home side continued to press urgently, zigzagging across the D to put the ball in through a crowd of players but, thankfully, the umpire had seen both a foot and a guilty expression from the "scorer" which gave the game away. Alford were not denied for long, however, netting a deflection goal from what looked suspiciously like a well-oiled move on their second short corner. A quickly taken free hit while South were still back-pedalling then created room for a blistering first-time shot which cannoned off the side-board, though Parker had it covered all the way.

South got over this awkward hump with aplomb, with Garrett streaming up the left channel, Hewitt banging in a fine cross which evaded everyone on the way through the circle and Cobbe starting and completing a fluid crossfield move involving half the side. Massey, Agarwala and Read remained resolute in the tackle and Ron Oren, competing without fear or favour in his usual direct fashion, did very well to hold up an onrushing Alford forward who had the odds on his side. Parker then made a key save, fending off a hard goalbound flick with his blocker and angling it astutely to Read, who wasted no time in clearing to Cobbe and on to Baker. Massey and Baker combined smartly in midfield to get Hewitt and then Garrett on the attack, and Oren showed renewed persistence in building a series of moves up the left. Read twice halted Alford advances strongly on the edge of the circle, sandwiching another Parker clearance from a home reverse shot, before Hewitt out-tricked a youngster on the sideline to win a free go up the right.

Baker and new recruit Mike Coffin dodged the defence to set Garrett away round the right-hand corner and then, in an entertainingly end-to-end passage of play, the action switched at full pelt to the South D, where a diagonal cross cunningly aimed at the far post saw Parker pre-empt the putative scorer with a full-stretch dive that covered all options and persuaded the ball to continue on into touch. Oren, Massey, Hewitt and Coffin then pulled out all the stops to devil the play up the wing despite the closest of attention while Read, Agarwala and Massey showed impressive composure when the heat was on in the twenty-five, the latter cutting out a dangerous cross to spark Garrett, who almost reached Hewitt with a swift long ball. Cobbe held the line, Oren stepped up to make a brilliant reverse interception that, if missed, would have led to a big breakaway chance and, following a second booming curve round the Alford byline from Garrett, South finished the half in fine fig, which would have been full if only Baker had listened to the nice lady on the satnav and put the ball a couple of feet to the right when striking from South's second short on the whistle.

On the restart, South had the worst of the gale and the slope and Alford hogged the ball as Hewitt's declining mobility increasingly confined him to a lone sniper's role up front. Johnson lent his hand to the pump in defence and Garrett almost baled the side out with a fine interception and solo run which only foundered at the edge of the Alford D. However, after an unfortunate turnover, a major leak was sprung as a tall home forward crashed through a wave of tackles, bursting into the circle and putting in a clinical lifted finish that was due reward for a concentrated spell of possession hockey. A further shot went just wide as Parker covered, then South got their revenge as Massey whipped the ball off an attacker's stick to feed Garrett and subsequently Baker, who cannily spotted Hewitt on the loose. The latter instinctively threw off his shackles and, shifting right to draw the keeper, laced home a corker off the inside post to restore South's hopes.

The equaliser might easily have come in the next five minutes as, despite Alford's general fluency, both Hewitt and Johnson had close-range opportunities that were stopped more by luck than judgment. Read, Massey and Cobbe all manfully tried to stem the tide as Coffin worked hard to make himself available but Alford switched to the aerial route, unlocking the door as the ball bobbled disobediently between and around sticks and legs. This tactic won a third short from which emerged a second rush, easefully dissipated by Massey and Garrett. However, Alford continued to swarm, interacting smoothly and creating open positions, and after an advantage was played at the edge of the D (!), the ball made its way to a well-positioned striker who, giving Parker no time to react, rammed it low and hard into the bottom corner to leave South staring down the barrel.

Once Parker had cleared the subsequent play to Massey, South, having only narrowly averted the dread hockey club scenario of a hired minibus to the seaside, clearly decided that ninety miles was a long way to come for (politely) zilch and upped the work rate as demanded by Capt. Baker. The skipper duly put in a telling pass to Hewitt and the latter sliced through a buttery defence to set up Garrett, who would surely have converted 99 times out of 100. Sadly, this was the 100^th, and the ball mockingly slid by the post to a collective groan of despair. Galvanised, however, Garrett immediately made amends with a superb mazy run, finding Baker in just the right spot to slide it calmly home sans mess or fuss. With fifteen minutes to go, there was suddenly all to play for and Read, quarterbacking with calm assurance but all the necessary verve, set up Johnson and Baker before Garrett again asked major questions of the defence with his extra mph. Backing them up, Massey and Agarwala tackled firmly when confronted, the latter in particular dealing nervelessly with an awkward backtrack that required fingertip control before reversing a pass out. Alford won a fourth short, which was unconverted, and then unleashed a soaring reversed hit over the bar, whetting the appetites of the scientifically-minded contingent who were clamouring to see the splitting of the atom that would almost inevitably have occurred if the ball had made contact with the blades of the wind turbine.

Alford continued to explore the angles and, when not in possession, to pressure the ball-carrier heavily but South stood firm as Oren cut out a probing long hit, Agarwala obtained value for money from his new stick in a crunching tackle and Coffin nailed the ball to safety up the line. This determined resilience paid dividends with three minutes to go when Johnson launched into a skeetering run and Garrett took up the baton, magnetised by the sight of Hewitt loitering with intent in the business area. Sure enough, the indomitable striker, literally straining every sinew, made the ball his own and, to general relief and jubilation, he despatched it to the backboard with customary pragmatism.

The final stages were packed with incident. First, Agarwala narrowly avoided being decapitated by a fierce reversed shot and then, even as he was picking himself up from his timely dive for cover, Garrett was once more tormenting the Alford defence with a fast arced approach round the back. The cross was sticked away but play stayed in the home D and skipper Baker waded through the trenches to try and win the day. Just as victory was in sight, however, he was stopped two yards short of the line and South, in the shape of Read and Oren, were forced to hastily retreat to their posts and repel the enemy with tin hats jammed firmly on. This signalled the end of the action, leaving both sides with a hard-earned point which nevertheless saw each of them move a place further down the table in consequence of Peterborough's victory over Wisbech.

Skipper Baker was delighted with his team's courageous fightback from 3-1 down – though not so overcome as to sanction a post-match squad visit to the nearby Fantasy Island – and must be hoping for a display of similar resolve in the team's final game against March Town I next week. The statistical permutations surrounding South's finishing position are numerous and complex given the fixtures outstanding and the teams involved but it goes without saying that victory over already-promoted opponents, with whom South shared the points in an evenly-fought encounter prior to the mid-season break, would be of inestimable benefit to their cause.

Team played: Steve Parker, Sanjay Matos, Chris Massey, Eliot Read, Ron Oren, Rob Garrett, Russell Johnson, Chris Baker (c), Keith Hewitt, Mike Coffin, James Cobbe

Cambridge South Men's II 11 - 0 Alford & District Men's II

H/T: 3 - 0

Scorers: Mark Pears (4), Dave Aston, Rob Barton (5), Matt Readman
MoM: Lino Di Lorenzo - saved some red faces in the defence with a couple of alert saves to preserve his clean sheet
LoM: Kev Rowland - default lemon for missing the chance to fill his boots with a trip to Amsterdam

After three defeats on the bounce, South were revved up and raring to go against an Alford team propping up the league table. Or at least they should have been. Maybe it was the diminutive stature of some of their opponents inducing feelings of benevolence or the fine spring day producing a sense of laid-back frivolity but South's early performance seemed to lack something of their customary snap and vigour. Whatever it was, there was definitely a sense of demob-happiness amongst the Southerners.

Alford's team consisted of a handful of senior players manning the defence with a good number of youngsters filling the forward positions. This produced some bemusing contrasts, most notably with South sweeper Dave Monck towering over his Lilliputian opposite number like a Ray Harryhausen special effect from One Million Years BC (his bearskin jockstrap was safely hidden beneath his playing kit).

From the push-back, Alford made some energetic advances into South's territory and the defence had to be alive to clear their lines. As South used their dominance at the back to establish control of the play, the home team were able to move up the pitch. The Monckosaurus advanced from his position at sweeper to adopt a libero role in the middle of the park while full backs John Benedikz on the left and Neil Sneade on the right pushed on to support and overlap with the wingers.

Although South were rarely threatened at the back, Alford's defence proved stubborn. It was finally opened up by a move down the right which finished with Neil crossing the ball into the D for Mark Pears to knock home the opener. However, by half time just two further goals had been added, through Dave Aston and a second for Arsenal. On the break, Alford were showing they could still threaten. South keeper Lino Di Lorenzo had to berate his defence to keep their marking tight and the midfield to get back and fill the gaps when South's attacks broke down.

The half time talk consisted of exhortations by acting captain George Wych to increase the intensity and movement off the ball and threats of violence by the Monckosaurus for any more displays of training-game style indulgence. His prediction that South should be capable of scoring at least eight in the second half was to prove a prescient observation.

Resolved to cut out some of the Hollywood dribbling and lackadaisical positioning and step up their work rate, South came out hard after the break. Matt Readman and Tim Clapp controlled the middle of the pitch and Daves Aston and Stock out wide stretched the defence to get in behind it. The improved cohesiveness from the home side quickly paid dividends. A flurry of goals was triggered by Rob Barton before Arsenal completed his hat trick and then Rob completing his.

By this point Alford were well beaten but, to their credit, never allowed their heads to go down. Matt, a dynamo through the centre, got on the score sheet before Arsenal added a ninth and Rob rounded off the display with a further brace. The job done, South almost blotted the copybook on their most convincing win of the season by jeopardising Lino's clean sheet. Lack of cover against attacking Alford players allowed the visitors to have the best of the final five minutes, including the concession of a short corner after a saving (if illegal) tackle from Neil.

So, the best result of the season, if not the best display. South weren't at their sharpest although to be fair, from a match that never required South's 'A' game it was still more than sufficient to get the job done. More importantly, the boost to South's goal difference mean that they are now almost certain to record their highest-ever league finish in fourth place ahead of chasing St Neots.

After the match, acting captain George Wych said, "It was men versus boys out there. Literally. To be fair to the defence, it was sometimes hard to pick up their forwards as it was easy to miss them if you weren't looking down."

"Sympathy to the Alford youngsters, who must be disheartened by the result, but a great result for South. In the second half we showed what can be achieved when we play a high tempo pass and move game. A good morale-booster for the St Ives return match next week."

Team played: Lino Di Lorenzo, John Benedikz, George Wych (c), Neil Sneade, Dave Monck, Dave Aston, Nick Bristowe, Matt Readman, Tim Clapp, Dave Stock, Rob Barton, Mark Pears

Newmarket Men's I 3 - 2 Cambridge South Men's III

H/T: 2 - 0

Scorers: John Somerville, James Raikes
MoM: Dom Nelson - great tackling, running back to help and turning defence into attack whenever possible

Newmarket were able to gain revenge for their earlier league defeat at the hands of Cambridge South 3rds through some good long passing and the efforts of their star midfield general, "Number 41". They took a 2-0 lead into half time, giving the away team few chances to respond, despite the efforts of midfield dynamos Dom Nelson and Stuart Creed, with Andy Lewis a constant thorn in the side. Unfortunately most moves were stopped before a shot could be attempted.

South battled back after the break and John Somerville managed to get a touch onto a goal bound Stuart Creed thunderbolt straight from a short corner to pull a goal back. Sadly this only encouraged number 41 to waltz through the entire midfield and defence to restore the Newmarket lead.

This was a shame as the South defence of Glover, Ho and Lee had been largely solid and assertive, restricting Newmarket to few meaningful shots, even from their frequent short corners. James Lee was perhaps exceeding his duty by stopping a rising shot in a most delicate place but he wiped the tears from his eyes and carried on within minutes.

The best moment of the game came in the final seconds, with a Greaves-Raikes one-two leaving James Raikes to shimmy through the Newmarket defence and let loose a spectacular reverse stick effort to get the score back to 3-2. Too little, too late but worth waiting for nonetheless.

There was also a serious hailstorm causing the ball to be changed as it had become indistinguishable from the hailstones. But both teams played manfully on. Tough chaps these hockey players.

Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Wilco Dijkstra, Stu Creed, Dom Nelson, Jim Thorpe, John Somerville, Ian Glover, James Lee, James Raikes, Ky Ho, John Greaves (c), Andy Lewis

Cambridge South Ladies' I 7- 0 Huntingdon Ladies' I

H/T: 5 - 0

Scorers: Nicky Bareham (3), Caroline Dent(2), Holly Sheahan, Liles Dee
MoM: Georgie Hurford

Cambridge South started their penultimate game of the season with the knowledge that league positioning did not matter and that pride was at stake. In addition, a pledge of one pint per goal or diving save had been made. South got off to a flying start, with Hayley and Tash screaming their lungs out for their more able-bodied team mates. Holly inspired the team with mazy runs towards the D. In fact, I think it was Holly who scored the first goal. To be honest I have no idea what order the goals were scored, so do not take the following to be chronologically accurate.

With confidence high, Georgie dominated the midfield, intercepting Huntingdon passes expertly and leading the attack with some great running and skills (a deserved lady of the match). The W press, lead by Caroline, pinned Huntingdon into their own half. Pressure from South resulted in a great strike from Caroline and another from Liles. A brilliant piece of hockey from the three forwards running rings around the Huntingdon defenders, culminated in a cool finish from Nicky. Nicky grabbed another before half time. 5-0 up at half time was a pleasant change from the situation in previous games and now it was the turn of the defenders, challenged with keeping Huntingdon at bay, to top off a great South performance.

South continued to press, exploiting the space, Caroline and Nicky capitalising to make it seven goals. Huntingdon had a run of penalty corners and the defence worked hard to keep the ball out, with Sarah in goal only called upon twice to clear her lines.

Overall a fantastic game, with Hayley significantly out of pocket! A fantastic performance, and hopefully more of the same next week to end the season on a high.

Team played: Sarah Massen, Nicky Bareham, Liles Dee, Caroline Dent, Becca Graveling, Caoimhe Houlihan, Georgie Hurford, Ellie Raffan, Julie Sadler, Holly Sheahan

Cambridge South Ladies' II 1 - 4 Cambridge City Ladies' IV

H/T: 1 - 0

Scorers: Bex Baker
MoM:

Awaiting report

Team played: Lou Tonkin, Louise Gutteridge, Sarah Aves, Bex Baker, Kelly Mawby, Mel Harrison, Tracey Hunter, Carla Fitzacharay, Sarah Massen, Sam Cooper, Rhiannan Williams, Alice Hug

Reports 29th March 2009

Mixed XI face a strong St Ives side but put up a good display in a 6-2 defeat

St Ives 6 - 2 Southerners (Mixed Team)