Reports 28th November 2009
Men's 1sts move back up the table with a good win at March
Men's 2nds claim a straightforward 3 points against St Neots
Men's 3rds draw with Newmarket after conceding a late equaliser.
Men's 4ths lose in a match of 2 halves against Rutland
Ladies' 1sts reach the Cup Final with a win against Huntingdon
Ladies' 2nds put 10 past Huntingdon with no reply.
March Town II 3 - 6 Cambridge South Men's I
H/T: 1 - 5
Scorers: Matt Readman, Russell Johnson, Keith Hewitt, Mark Pears (3)
MoM: Russell Johnson, Mark Pears
After a slight famine up front which had seen the team score only five goals in their last five outings (three of those in one game), South's near full-strength forward line made best use of the extra space granted them by a porous March defence to register their biggest margin of victory since early October.
South made the ideal start when, after several good cross-field moves, Chris Baker picked out an advancing Matt Readman (see later!), whose neat pass to Lukas Snetler set up the perfect feed for Mark Pears to find an angle past the March keeper with barely two minutes played. The score could easily have been doubled a minute later when Russell Johnson, benefiting from Pears' aggression in the left corner, unselfishly opted to pass rather than shoot but saw the ball slide past Keith Hewitt's stick on the overlap.
March soon gave notice of their presence, however, when firing just wide of Steve Parker's goal on a reverse and there were some marking issues outside the D before Rob Garrett charged down a strike on March's first penalty corner. With the hosts favouring the counter-attacking long-ball tactic, South soon found that conceding possession in midfield was not a great idea and concentrated on retention and distribution. Baker, James Cobbe and Snetler were all assiduous in this respect and they were helped by the excellent positional sense of debutant Graham McCulloch, who ran intelligently to make himself available throughout. Swift movement across the top of the circle allowed him a fair shot which drew a good pad save from the home keeper, who then covered on his post to keep out an effort from Pears on the rebound.
March hit back, manoeuvring a ball from their right across to the far post, where Parker dived full length to block with stick and gloves before Cobbe unobtrusively accompanied the ball to safety. The hosts repeatedly tried to bang the ball into the D for a possible deflection but South's ability to stop it stone dead and whisk it out smartly tended to close down the attacking threat as well as give opportunities to the pacy trio of Johnson, Garrett and Hewitt for counter-insurgency. From one such breakdown, Hewitt's carefully disguised aerial (the one that doesn't leave the ground) found Johnson, who accelerated confidently to outpace a defender before cleverly drawing the keeper out of position and firing home from a narrow angle.
South continued to dominate overall, though Ron Oren had to be uncompromising at the back to ward off some unwanted attentions and Hewitt made a renewed bid for the Australian skeleton bob team at the Winter Olympics with a full-length head-first dive across his own D. With Garrett dropping back to hoover up the high forwards and Readman in top form with his interceptions, March were starved of the ball and Hewitt, Johnson and Snetler all went close to scoring. The home keeper made a good save to thwart Baker's flick from a Hewitt slipped short but March were unable to resist for long as Hewitt converted a Pears cross from the left with a lifter which glanced off the blocker on the way in. The irrepressible Pears, put away by Oren and Garrett, then made it 4-0 when he mugged a defender and stuffed away his own rebound when a clearance failed to materialise.
March persisted with the route one strategy, which nearly bore fruit as a striker broke free on the edge of the D and fired goalwards, but Parker was right on top of him to absorb the energy and deflect the shot away. Further pressure on the beleaguered March rearguard yielded a dangerous cross from Hewitt which was sticked away with two men waiting on the far post and shots from Baker and McCulloch which were stopped. Shortly afterwards, Johnson again made the most of a vacant tract on the right and, seeing a yawning gap at the edge of the D, Readman - spurred on by the altruistic urgings of his vice-captain - stepped up to the play, received the squared pass and coolly picked his spot as to the manner born. This aesthetically satisfying move, decorated by its consummate finish, put South ahead by five but March heads did not drop and, in addition to Parker kicking out, Cobbe, solidly, Hewitt, with a fine reverse tackle, and Oren, bravely getting in the way of a boomer, all had to put themselves on the line. After this onslaught, March finally managed to reduce the deficit shortly before the break when a fiercely-struck, dipping short corner thudded in just below the top of the backboard.
Seemingly unfazed by the scoreline, the home team persisted with their tactics and, though struggling to cope with the pace of South's strike force, they did not fold. Snetler's reverse earned a rebound chance which was not accepted and the keeper was again alert in denying the same player after a fast run and cross from Johnson had once more exposed the defence. Johnson himself nearly scored from a batted shot that was just scrambled away from the post, while McCulloch unluckily had a goal disallowed. Yet at the same time, Garrett and Snetler had to work hard in defence, Garrett blocking a crisp shot and then intercepting a hit in before Snetler pumped out to the wings. Parker, too, needed all his speed to close down a March attacker at top D, resoundingly blocking the daylight with a sliding dive which saw the strike cannon into the pads.
The spirit of fair play was shown to be alive and well when, after some generous or lenient umpiring depending on your point of view, a March player graciously apologised to Pears for an over-manly challenge but Pears, whilst equally graciously accepting the apology, exacted revenge a minute later when sweeping a slipped short high into the top corner for his tenth goal of the league season after Snetler had been unceremoniously hacked down. The five-goal cushion did not last long, however, as South were penalised for knocking the ball away and, in the ensuing hiatus caused by a 10-yard gain and a doubtfully lifted free hit, entanglement occurred near the visitors' penalty spot, allowing a waiting forward to poach a daft goal.
Thus emboldened, March won a trio of penalty corners, Parker coming to the rescue on the first, with two ground-level saves after a horribly topped strike had led to a quagmire of bodies, and the third, when an artful injection to an unsuspected angle gave the attacker a direct chance which was elegantly diverted away. Snetler then had an entertaining shoulder-to-shoulder battle with his marker all the way up the left touchline - Snetler chivvying the ball with him throughout - while Readman brought down a lifted hit (of which there an increasing number that should really have been penalised) with all the skill of a lacrosse player. March kept tanking forward, however, and brought the score back to 6-3 when a cross from the right disappeared into a central knot of players of both sides and eventually emerged into the back of the South goal.
With 12 minutes still to go, you could sense March were beginning to think the unthinkable and it was a good thing their sixth short, a decent flick, was deflected out of harm's way. Resisting the temptation to get headlessly sucked into the vortex, South re-established control as Readman saved a turnover and Baker calmly distributed to Snetler. McCulloch was still making himself prominent, showing some pleasing right-time right-place attributes, and Hewitt too had plenty of energy left, accelerating over short distances to gain ground. A good strike from him at South's fourth short was well saved on the deck, while both Pears and McCulloch had efforts kicked away. Snetler almost swung himself off his feet with an air shot owing to slight misalignment of the feet but redeemed himself with a nifty run up the left before Johnson tracked back swiftly to rescue a deflected through ball and, finally, Garrett twice more tormented the March defence by whirring silently up the middle until last-ditch interventions halted him.
The 6-3 scoreline perhaps flattered March a little, although they creditably never let the early large margin overawe them, and it was a moot point whether South had subconsciously relaxed a little when the general mirth surrounding a March player who took a ball firmly amidships when attempting to control an aerial from one of his own team-mates temporarily seemed to take a bit of the sting out of the game shortly after half-time.
Be that as it may, South can be very pleased with their performance up front, with all the forwards (and even some others!) showing the pace and smoothness they can generate given room to manoeuvre. Praise is also due to the back division, who made light of sundry absences and stood up well to the traditionally robust challenge offered by the hosts. Defeats for Wisbech and City of Peterborough and a draw for Rutland over the weekend all worked in South's favour and they now regain second spot behind leaders Spalding, next week's visitors. Rumours that Sky are diverting their hockey coverage from the Champions' Trophy in Melbourne to this substantially more exciting and important top-of-the-table clash at Coldham's Common appear a touch exaggerated at the moment but watch this space.
Team played: Steve Parker, Ron Oren, Matt Readman, Rob Garrett, Chris Baker, Russell Johnson, Graham McCulloch, Keith Hewitt, Lukas Snetler, Mark Pears, James Cobbe
Cambridge South Men's II 8 - 0 St Neots II
H/T: 4 - 0
Scorers: Manu Bhardwaj, Chris Graveling, Tim Clapp (2), Jack Chalk, Dave Aston, Rob Barton (2)
MoM: Tim Clapp
LOM: Lino di Lorenzo (Despite rushing to Newmarket Rd to buy Kev a mouth guard because he forgot his, and then negotiating a 25% on teas because Greens gave our teas away to Nomads (who forgot to book theirs), and also forgoing the opportunity of watching York City beat Cambridge in the FA Cup only 500 yrds away, Lino was deemed the lemon because he left the label on his newly purchased jeans. .... but he's not bitter about it!)
South 2s charge up 4NW continued with a clinical 8-0 dismantling of St Neots 2s side who finished a respectable 4th last season.The game was effectively decided within the first third, spurred on by a piece of individual brilliance from Rob Barton who, taking advantage of the lushness of the new Coldham's Common pitch, ran from the halfway line before deftly wrongfooted the St Neots defence on his own and smashing the ball into the botom right corner of the goal after only 7 minutes. A goal no doubt that Lord R Barton Esq. will recount to the granchildren in years to come, and being all the more remarkable for being a front stick shot. A second followed shortly after when Chris Gravelling lifted the ball over the keeper who had saved the initial shot from a short corner. Dave Aston then added a third following a mazy run from midfield in a selfish piece of showponying (or a wonderful piece of individual skill depending on how you look at it). Tim Clapp then notched the fourth from a narrow angle, only seconds after coming on as a substitute.Whilst a 4-0 half time score suggested complete domination, in fact the half was remarkably even with Chris Gravelling marshalling an unfamiliar but busy defence of Ian Glover, Manu Bharwaj and Dave Aston. St Neots fashioned more than enough openings to claw their way back in the game. The fact that they did not was largely down to Shahbaz who was in formidable form. He pulled off two crucial saves with the score 2-0, both when St. Neots players had broken free of the ranks, and then a 3rd at 3-0 when he stole the ball with his stick on the edge of the D to find Ian Glover at left back. A move which then led to the 4th goal.The second half followed much the same tale. For all of their possession, St Neots were not able to meet their confident build up play with the exacting finish which was required to beat the South rearguard, and when Shahbaz was finally beaten, Chris Graveling lunged majestically to clear the ball off the line. However by that stage, South were already 7-0 up thanks in no small measure by man of the match Tim Clapp, who was exceptional all game. He had chased a lost cause to cross and set up Rob Barton for his second and latched on to a through ball to completed his own brace. Manu added another to his trademark collection of dragged short corners and to conclude a miserable day for St Neots, Jack Chalk notched his second flick in as many home games after a defender, very harshly, was deemed to have deliberately fouled Dave Aston in the D.In the midst of the goalscoring, Rupert Espley put in a dogged performance following his call up from the 3s and both he and Ally Ward were unlucky to find shots drag agonisingly wide. Chris Graveling also forced a point blank save from the keeper. Bav took this week's injury award by getting himself in the way of a lifted clearance and Kardinal Kev, as usual, found himself in the wars and departed the pitch at full time with two bloody knees, a knock after colliding with his midfield counterpart and a wet arse after falling over twice. Whilst 8-0 was undoubtedly harsh on a St Neots side who had otherwise had their fair share of possession, the difference between the two sides was unquestionably the ruthlessness with which South took their opportunities, and the first rate defence and goalkeeping which meant South recorded their third successive clean sheet.After the game, Lino was branded this week's fruit of the citrus grove in controversial circumstances. Two votes were "rigged" by members of the team who took advantage of Lino leaving proceedings to negotiate a reduction on the terrible post-match sandwiches at the Bar. Calls for a re-count based on spoilt ballot papers under the Representation of the People Act 1983 fell on deaf ears. Thanks for that. Next time guys you can make your own *******g sandwiches...
Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Manu Bhardwaj, Chris Graveling, Tim Clapp, Bhavdeep Virdi, Kev Rowland, Jack Chalk, Dave Aston, Ali Ward, Rupert Espley, Rob Barton
Newmarket I 1 - 1 Cambridge South Men's III
H/T: 0 - 0
Scorers: Paul South
MoM: Neil Sneade (...stuck to his man, and calmly prevented Newmarket attacks approaching the D time after time)
This time the performance was better than the result, with Newmarket snatching a very late equaliser. CSouth dominated the early stages of the game, but were unable to find the net in spite of some great moves down the wings from James Hodge, Stuart Creed and Andy Lewis , and fine passing interplay. The central SouthNelson hub worked well to turn defence into attack. Any Newmarket attacks were shut down before entering the danger area by the fine LansdellPassmoreSneadLee defensive machine. Stu Creed having battled on heroically with a recently broken rib got a bang on the elbow and had to retire hurt.
After half time James Hodge got the ball into the net from a well worked short corner, but sadly it was disallowed on a technicality (ie it broke the "must hit the backboard" rule). Luckily another short corner soon after led to Paul South thwacking the ball in off the far post for the lead. Stu Creed gallantly came back on and made yet more good attacking moves. What would he be like with all ribs and elbows functioning properly ?
Newmarket cranked up the pressure, with their star number 11 starting to dominate with stick and mouth. His efforts led to the equaliser with a breakaway move leaving CSouth, down to 10 men, chasing shadows. Stand in keeper John Benedikz made a spectacular Shabhaz-esque save to ensure the spoils were shared near the end.
Everyone played their part from solid defence and man marking, passing long and short to open up the play, and good use of the wings with more crosses in to the D than previously. We still seek that elusive 5th win before Christmas, but CSouth 3rds remain rightly in the top half of 5NW
And the teas in the new leisure centre were good.
Team played: John Benedikz, James Lee, Neil Sneade, Dom Nelson, Andy Passmore, Sam Lansdell, Andy Lewis, Stu Creed, Paul South, James Hodge, Tristen Knight, John Greaves
Rutland III 7 - 0 Cambridge South Men's IV
H/T: 1 - 0
Scorers: None
MoM: Theo Haines (Played really well despite being shoved into different positions)
A bizarre game which CSHC 4ths started with only 10 players due to car puncture and an early morning shopping trip. Special mention for John Parker who went in goal as an emergency instead of James Raikes. South more than held their own despite one man short and only went 1:0 down due to some poor marking and from a rather tame shot. South played the 1st 30 minutes with 10 men and between Rob Barton and Theo Haines, the Rutland defence had plenty to do. South continue to hold their own for the remainder of the half and actually had the better chances through Rob Barton and Theo Haines.
The second half started with South having had their full complement of players and actually dominated for 10 minutes of the 2nd half and had 3 chances to score. South went 2:0 behind through a rather unlucky short corner. This unfortunately lead to a rather embarrassing 7:0 through more goals from short corners and poor defending.
Post match analysis from the team to the question "What went wrong in the 2nd half?"
- People were constantly switching positions
- Lack of discipline - 2 to 3 people tackling the same player
- Lack of fitness
Team played: Phil Le Gouais, Shahbaz Ali, John Clark, David Bridge, Ky Ho, Ian Evans, Boris Lossy, John Parker, Wilco Dijkstra, Theo Haines, Rob Barton, James Raikes
Cambridge South Ladies' I 3 - 1 Huntingdon I
H/T: 1 - 0
Scorers: Hayley Sharpe, Tash Cox, Alice Hug
MoM: Anne-Isabelle Richard-Picchi (Involved in all the goals and never stopped running in midfield.)
Cambridge South Ladies 1 qualified for their cup final with an assured win over near rivals Huntingdon at the Leys.
In a game they had to win to advance due to Huntingdon's superior goal difference from earlier matches, South signalled their intent from the start, attacking straight from the opening push back. In a frantic start it was South who had most of the pressure but couldn't convert. AI in particular was unlucky not to get on the end of cross unmarked from Tash after a great run down the right wing.
Huntingdon managed several breaks and won the game's first short in slightly fortuitous manner but were unable to convert. The pressure from South continued but they also couldn't convert their own first short corner. The deadlock was broken shortly afterwards though as Hayley finished off a lovely passing move to make the score 1-0.
South were unlucky not to double their lead on the stroke of half time as they got a short and from a second strike Alice received the ball in front of the keeper popping the ball through her own legs to Tash who tapped in on the right post only to have the goal disallowed due to obstruction.
Shortly after half time it was 2-0 as Alice took a quick free hit square to AI whose first time pass went to Kendra at the top of the D; her shot was blocked but Tash was on hand to put the rebound in. And two quickly became three as AI picked up a loose ball in the middle of the pitch and made a strong run diagonally towards the right corner before squaring to Alice at the top of the circle whose powerful shot left the keeper stranded. South had more chances as both Georgie and Liles made strong runs.
At this point Huntingdon suddenly found another gear and managed their first period of sustained pressure. However the backline of Ellie, Julie, Becca and Rhi managed to hold them off without offering any shots for Lizzy to deal with. Eventually though a short corner was conceded and after an extended pause to fix the keeper's kickers the South defence didn't restart as fast as the Huntingdon attack and couldn't quite clear the ball eventually allowing an unstoppable clean strike from the top of the D making the score 3-1.
South never quite found their earlier rhythm and the last ten minutes passed nervously with Huntingdon dominating and South breaking occasionally but neither team looking like scoring. Thank you to Ian, Cassie and Team mascot Freya for excellent support from the sidelines.
Team played: Lizzy Day, Becca Graveling, Rhiannan Williams, Ellie Raffan, Julie Sadler, Georgie Hurford, Liles Dee, Anne-Isabelle Richard-Picchi, Hayley Sharpe, Tash Cox, Kendra Butlin, Alice Hug
Huntingdon II 0 - 10 Cambridge South Ladies' II
H/T: 0 - 4
Scorers: Kirsten Fairfax (2), Vicky Bittle (2), Breeshey Harkin, Leonie Dickman (2), Charlie Orrock (3)
MoM: Kirsten Fairfax
The cold and early start and the long trek to Kimbolton were definitely worthwhile as South Ladies 2nds got their biggest win of the season so far.
With no regular goal-keeper available, we had considered playing with 11 outfield, but Tracey bravely volunteered to pad up. It ended up being a rather cold and boring game for her, as she didn't touch the ball once!
It was a positive start for South, with most of the play in Huntingdon's end. There were a few near misses before the first goal - but after that, confidence increased and we started to work together even better.
There was some great running and passing between the midfielders and forwards. Vicky B had a change from her usual position and played up front - it turned out to be a good move as she got two goals in.
Newcomer Kirsten was a well deserved player of the match for some great runs and passing, not to mention a couple of goals!
Team played: Tracey Hunter, Louise Gutteridge, Kirsten Fairfax, Simone Vis, Harriet Gay, Vicky Bittle, Vicky Lavis, Breeshey Harkin, Sam Cooper, Leonie Dickman, Charlie Orrock