Reports 10th October 2009
Men's 1sts drew 1-1 with Wisbech Town 2
Men's 2nds lose to a good Ely City 2 team.
Men's 4ths match cancelled as Rutland fail to raise a team.
Ladies' 1sts come from behind to beat Cambridge Nomads
Ladies' 2nds beat St Neots 4 by 2 goals to 1.
Cambridge South Men's I 1 - 1 Wisbech Town II
H/T: 1 - 1
Scorers: Rob Garrett
MoM: Matt Readman
On an ideal day for hockey at Wilberforce Rd., two teams who will obviously be closely matched this year laid on an entertaining and increasingly tense spectacle that ended tantalisingly unresolved.
Skipper Rob Garrett gave South the perfect start, though, as he brought off a typical snatch-and-grab in midfield after just two minutes. Blistering into the circle, he drew the keeper and sold the prospect of a late squared pass before slipping it neatly in via the direct route. Though South looked confident, the younger Wisbech side were undaunted and there was plenty of robust work required from the defence, amongst whom Matt Readman shone throughout with a performance worthy of one of the grittier Icelandic sagas. Chris Graveling excelled in the tackle, too, and his speciality of shielding the ball with his body so that the attackers were flattened by his backside was a treat to watch. But coherence at the back was all, and both Eliot Read, marking furiously on the right, and the hawk-eyed Jim Thorpe in the middle kept their eye firmly on the ball for important breakdowns.
A surge up the left wing and keen interplay between Keith Hewitt and the ever-available Mark Pears promised much but Wisbech broke through the back line after 10 minutes when a deflected hit in whizzed past Steve Parker's left post. There was a butterfly moment a couple of minutes later as a flat back pass came perilously close to a high Wisbech attacker, and this was soon followed by another hit deflected into the circle; meanwhile, Garrett had scattered three markers with a clever stick-head shimmy and Lukas Snetler - who also put in a deal of solid defensive duty - jiggled electrically upfield to feed Pears.
Not for the first time, however, Wisbech threw up a doodlebug which dropped and bounced menacingly into the D but Parker was swiftly out to block with glove and pad as the clearance went past a phalanx of Wisbech attackers now running in the wrong direction. After a sharp run up the right from Russell Johnson, Wisbech won their first short despite fierce resistance on the byeline from Readman. The heavy drag flick was palmed away but adjudged to have come from outside the circle and play switched quickly to the other end as hypersubs Chris Baker and Al Sinclair made their bow. Pears and the Wisbech keeper had a madcap sprint to the corner flag, where both were just preceded by the ball, before Snetler boomed a good drive past the post following Hewitt's slipped short. Hewitt, aided by Baker, continued to hassle well up front, forcing the keeper to slide out, while Snetler was tenacious in the tackle and Thorpe turned elegantly on coinage equivalent to 2½p to transform defence into attack.
Wisbech pressed more urgently at this stage, ragging the ball dangerously across the D with a string of passes, and after a couple of whacks in had failed to hit the target, they fashioned a good scoring opportunity in centre D but the attacker, with his back initially to goal, failed to turn quickly enough and struck wide. In the meantime, Thorpe and Hewitt had hared up route one to give Pears a solo chance but the keeper narrowed the angle and Pears, seeking the obvious gap, shot into the pads.
Readman continued to earn his corn with dead-eye tackling and good distribution, notably to Sinclair, but a couple of minutes before the interval there was a collective marking failure as the visiting left winger penetrated the circle and reversed a pass to the penalty spot, from where the ball was smartly dispatched into the net. The remainder of the half was end to end, with Leo Tomita making three great blocks in the left corner before Sinclair fashioned a big shot which was well saved. Read and Graveling then had to repel boarders before Wisbech engineered a deflection which Parker kicked safely clear.
The pattern of ebb and flow persisted into the second half, with Graveling saving South in a hectic scramble in the D and Pears' sniping abilities resulting in a rifled shot into the keeper's pads which rebounded to the hungry Snetler, who looked sure to score with a reverse but was denied by an adroitly-placed defender on the line. There was a lucky escape moments later as a long Wisbech ball from outside the circle hit the post and nearly found its way to a loitering attacker but the reverse aerial bat required for a shock goal was just beyond him.
As the hour mark passed, both sides continued to struggle for a definitive opening, with Hewitt forcing a kick out from the keeper and then charging up the midline and Johnson trying hard to replicate the nifty right-wing moves that so impressed in the warm-up. Wisbech were equally forthright, especially down the middle and on the right flank, and Tomita did well to emerge from major harassment in South's left corner. The central tendency resulted in some bunching and close personal contact, and there was an extraordinary incident in which Sinclair appeared to be caught in a headlock, but the umpires sensibly disentangled the two parties without fuss or cardage.
As the endgame beckoned, Sinclair upped his work rate to accept good passes from Graveling and Thorpe, as well as making an incredible reverse stop while forechecking. But Wisbech were looking increasingly ominous coming forward and with six minutes on the clock, broke clean away down the right channel with the South defence a pace behind. Parker had judged the build-up coolly, though, and brickwalled the advance near the edge of the D with a resounding block.
After Sinclair had again ground out an escape route to the well-placed Baker, a clash of sticks just outside the D led to Wisbech's second penalty corner, a cleanly-struck drive from which Parker made a full-stretch diving save with stick and gloves, leaving Readman to hoover the ball out to safety. Wisbech were not finished, though, despite brief essays from Hewitt and Baker, and Graveling came up with a superb reverse clearance as Wisbech's third short was deflected towards goal. Readman piled on the granite as Wisbech hacked away down the right, while Graveling had to be at his best not to foul when the circle was breached and the attackers maintained close control in probing for a gap. Garrett was chopped down when searching for a last-minute run and Hewitt nearly got the ball up to the right corner in the closing moments but eventually the whistle blew with no advantage accruing to either side.
South may have felt slightly the more relieved at the end as the momentum was with the visitors at that point but the result was a fair one as both sides had their chances yet managed to largely cancel out the respective attacking threats with controlled defensive performances. More cohesion on the right would probably have helped South spread the ball around more effectively and it would have been handy to get in the opposition circle more but Wisbech are certainly no pushovers and looked pretty solid in most areas.
All the other teams with a 100% record after last week have now dropped at least two points, so South remain top on goal difference. There are clearly plenty of tough challenges ahead and the division is already looking intriguingly open.
Team played: Steve Parker, Jim Thorpe, Leo Tomita, Chris Graveling, Eliot Read, Chris Baker, Al Sinclair, Russell Johnson, Rob Garrett, Matt Readman, Lukas Snetler, Mark Pears, Keith Hewitt
Ely City II 3 - 1 Cambridge South Men's II
H/T: 1 - 1
Scorers: Graham McCulloch
MoM: Shahbaz Ali, Jack Chalk
LoM: Dave Monck (Somehow Dave forgetting his astros was voted more of a Lemon than Bhav's showering in his pants. There ain't no justice these days!)
South 2s put in an excellent performance against high class opposition but were eventually out done by a well organised and strong Ely 2s side.
South started the game sprightly, something of a minor miracle after captain Dave Aston had planned 24 substitutions in a 70 minute masterplan which would have baffled Einstein himself and confused Sanjay so much that he left the field of play on 8 minutes and 42 seconds assuming he had been subbed.
Despite Dave's best attempts to introduce quantum physics to hockey, South's play and movement was confident and flowing and they looked much the better team for the first quarter of the game. The pace and movement displayed by the midfield in particular showed South had more than made the transition to 4NW. However, as the half progressed, Ely's class showed and they increasingly pressurised South's 25, mostly through their speed and skill in the centre. They were kept out largely by some physical defending, not least from Ron (who displayed his "chopper" tendencies), and the left leg of a sprightly Shahbaz who sporting a pair of sexy blue kickers to go with the yellow leg guards to excellent effect. Several short corners were forced and won, one of which as eventually finished off at the near post. To their credit, South pressed forward and equalised almost immediately when Graham McCulloch deftly diverted a ball over the keeper's head.
Level at the break, South looked for an opening early in the second but despite stringing together some good moves, the Ely rearguard snuffed out the danger capably without looking overstretched. At the other end, South's defence manfully kept Ely at bay for 20 minutes, helped in part by the Monckausarus adding a new dimension to his defensive game with a brilliant stick save on the line. Unfortunately only moments later he was penalised for an even better kick save as he tried to stake a claim for keeper for next week. The resulting flick put Ely 2-1 up. Five minutes later, a flowing move saw a clinical third dispatched to Shahbaz's right and the Monckausaurus green carded for giving the umpire harsh words. Shahbaz made several fine saves including one which saw an Ely stick cartwheel through the air, but a 3-1 scoreline reflected the balance of play and the team never stopped running.
This was South's strongest performance of the season against a side who will undoubedly trouble the pack as the season goes on and there were many positive to take away. Except of course for the substitutions and Dave Aston disrespecting the sacred tin for a second week running. Fortunately for Dave (Aston) the other Dave (Monck) took the coveted lemon award in a close vote after forgetting his astros, giving away a flick and arguing with the umpire.
The report would not be complete without mention of Bav showering in his clothes ... no Lemon for that? We live in a strange world.
Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Dave Monck, Manu Bhardwaj, Ron Oren, George Wych, Nick Bristowe, Sanjay Agarwala, Bhavdeep Virdi, Jack Chalk, Tim Clapp, Dave Aston, Kev Rowland, Graham McCulloch, Ali Ward
Cambridge South Men's III 0 - 1 Ely City III
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: None
MoM: Ian Glover (...the whole defence played well, but Ian found space and made a number of telling runs up the right, and regularly provided an attacking option, without neglecting his defensive duties )
CSouth were unlucky to lose a closely fought game against a skillful and assertive Ely. The match was decided by a deflected shot into the top corner midway through the first half. Other than this, the home defence snuffed out the attacking threat and few other chances were created by Ely. Although Ely had a couple of dominant midfield players and a robust defence, CSouth carved out a number of opportunities often through intelligent moves down the wings. Glover and Espley particularly were the inspiration, with Andy Lewis and Paul South battling away in the cause to get the ball into the D. Sadly the final pass or cross into the D failed to provide a breakthrough. The excellent Ely goalkeeper made many saves from close range, often preventing a clear shot,and although the 4 CSouth short corners all produced decent shots, all were kept out.
CSouth had the ball in the net in the second half, but Matt Kern's deserved equaliser was ruled out (correctly) on the grounds of height. Everyone was fully committed until we tired right at the end, and there was more passing, and improved team play on and off the ball, with the midfield tracking back, and everyone trying to help one another. The thirds still suffer from playing with heads down..thus misplacing passes all too often, and not sticking to positions, but the impact of increased turn out at midweek training is being felt, and hopes are high for at least mid table respectability this season.
Team played: Phil Le Gouais, John Benedikz, Nick Young, James Lee, Ian Glover, Neil Sneade, Matt Kern, Paul South, James Hodge, Andy Lewis, Wilco Dijkstra, John Greaves, Rupert Espley
Cambridge South Men's IV OFF - OFF Rutland IV
Men's 4ths match cancelled as Rutland fail to raise a team.
Cambridge Nomads II 2 - 3 Cambridge South Ladies' I
H/T: 2 - 1
Scorers: Becca Graveling, Liles Dee, Tash Cox
MoM: Julie Sadler, Kendra Butlin
A bright and breezy day for a bright and breezy hockey match as the two undefeated teams in the division squared up in a Cambridge derby.
After a rousing pre-match chat from captain Ellie the game started in an even-stevens fashion with plenty of good hockey but not many chances. Nomads eventually broke the dead lock halfway through the first half when a scramble in the circle eventually ended with the ball being poked in from a melee.
South almost scored immediately after the restart but couldn't quite put the ball away after a good break down the left with Kendra and Tash. Lizzie meanwhile showed her goal keeping prowess defusing a one-on-one with a Nomad forward who'd sneaked in behind the defence.
The general pressure though was swinging South's way with sustained pressure on the Nomad's D. Georgie in particular was tormenting the centre of defence with mazy runs in. One of which lead to the equalizer as her shot was tapped in by Tash on the line (poached or vital deflection? who's to say?). This was quickly followed by another chance as Kendra's shot was stopped by a foot on the line but Rhi's penalty flick was well saved.
Despite the concerted pressure Nomad's looked dangerous on the break, one such three-on-two lead to a second goal when a shot in from a tight angle was touched home with a point blank range deflection.
Two-One down at half time but playing well.
The half time oranges obviously had the desired effect as the second half started with a rapid attack down the right from Kelly putting a dangerous ball across the circle and unlucky not to get the final touch. Tash also had a shot well saved. South pressure mounted and was rewarded when Liles drove into the D and put a beautiful ball across the goal which was finished with great aplomb by a Nomad's defender.
South continued to press forward and had chances but without reward.
Whilst Nomad's were forced to settle for occasional breaks, with defence bending but never quite breaking as Ellie, Julie, Rhi and Becca all covered for each other and put in good tackles at vital moments, and feeding balls up to the midfield dynamo that was A.I. and George.
Inspired by the captains cry of "Come on girls, we need one more to win this" (one can tell she's a PhD student), South won a short and showed the benefit of the Thursday practices as Kelly's first time strike was deflected by Tash to Becca who tapped in at the post to put South ahead for the first time.
Nomad's began to have a little more pressure as the game closed but were given no clear cut chances whilst South had a couple more chances and won a succession of short corners that nearly produced results but for frantic last ditch defending.
A really satisfying win in a well contested, good spirited game leaving South top of the table as the only undefeated team in the division and looking forward to keeping it up for the rest of the season.
Team played: Lizzy Day, Becca Graveling, Rhiannan Williams, Ellie Raffan, Julie Sadler, Liles Dee, Georgie Hurford, Anne-Isabelle Richard-Picchi, Kelly Mawby, Tash Cox, Kendra Butlin
St Neots IV 1 - 2 Cambridge South Ladies' II
H/T: 0 - 0
Scorers: Charlie Orrock, Bex Baker
MoM: Carla Fitzachary
It was an afternoon start in St Neots for the so far unbeaten Ladies seconds. After a pre-match nap in the sun, and an arrival just in time from Sam, Carla and Vicky B (!), we headed onto the pitch ready to continue our run.
The game started messily, with neither side playing their best hockey. During the first scrappy twenty minutes or so, neither side were particularly dominating the game. A collision in the South half where sweeper Tracey ended up on the ground with a St Neots lady on top of her brought a temporary halt to the game. Tracey hobbled off and after a quick huddle and a mental restart, South finished the first half much more strongly, playing better hockey and creating more chances. The game remained goalless at half-time but we were now playing confident hockey and were sensing a win.
A good half time talk by captain Vicky set us up for the second half. We were aiming to create more space by using the right hand side, and had the confidence to play around their back line who seemed to be sticking fairly firmly to the D. Perhaps they were playing the offside rule? We exploited the new self-pass rule from the off when Charlie went straight from the 'push-back' up the pitch, passing with Carla who sent the ball out wide to Ley on the right, who delivered a cross in which Bex neatly deposited in the back of the goal - result!! Great start to the second half.
Our defensive team soaked up any pressure from St Neots, who didn't manage to advance too far into South's half. They delivered some good balls out to our midfield who pushed up the pitch and released the forwards. Some more neat build up play resulted in a strike from Charlie from near the top of the D into the bottom left hand corner - 2-0! A combination of a new stick and Loopy's voice saying - go for the corners ..!
South kept pushing despite some somewhat rough treatment from St Neots who seemed somewhat put out that they were two goals down. On the stroke of the final whistle, St Neots managed to win a short corner. With all the opposition bar the keeper surrounding our D, the defence was under a lot of pressure. The first short was almost cleared out, but they managed to win another. A sharp strike from the top of the D hit Sarah A directly on her toe which meant her hobbling off (later confirmed as broken - get well soon Sarah!). The final short brought some cracking saves from Loopy, but eventually St Neots managed to scramble the ball over the line to claim a late consolation goal.
A good win for South in a tough game and a tough match environment. We are calling on as much support as possible for the home fixture later in the season. Everyone played well under the pressure, and we kept our heads and played a fair game which we should be very proud of under the circumstances. Hope all our injured players are OK, and looking forward to continuing our winning streak next weekend.
Team played: Louise Tonkin, Sarah Aves, Tracey Hunter, Louise Gutteridge, Lyn Wood, Vicky Lavis, Vicky Bittle, Kathryn Mallett, Sam Cooper, Carla Fitzachary, Leonie Dickman, Charlie Orrock, Bex Baker