Whitchurch men’s 1s 3 Yardley men’s 1s 2

Whitchurch entertained bottom of the league Yardley and from the start took the attitude that it would be an easy three points. Throughout the half Whitchurch created a number of chances which they failed to convert, but finally took the lead as Ollie Jones slotted home a back post cross.

Yardley were not the team Whitchurch expected with some quick forwards and silky stick skills and caused Whitchurch problems throughout the half and it was deserved when they equalised to leave it all even at the break.

The second half again saw Yardley take the game to Whitchurch and score a brilliant deflected goal to give them the lead. This was what it took to wake the Whitchurch team and get them to raise their game. Ben Lea driving the team forward and scoring a blistering strike to bring Whitchurch level. At this point Yardley tired and Whitchurch pressed for the win. Despite creating numerous chances it appeared Whitchurch were to be thwarted before Alex Harris deflected home the winner to the relief of all.

 

Mid-Staffordshire Men’s Fathoms 0 Whitchurch Men’s Fathoms 6

The Whitchurch Men’s Fathoms travelled away to Mid-Staffordshire in what turned out to be a one-sided, yet good-humoured affair.

Mid-Staffs’ game plan was to keep a player high up the pitch to stretch the Whitchurch defence. However the Whitchurch mid-field remained solid and intercepted numerous attacks only to run the ball back into the Mid-Staffs twenty-five and keep the pressure on their defence.

The first-half account was opened by Jack Barnes who slotted away three well worked Whitchurch goals, followed by a further goal from Ryan Murtagh before half time.

A relaxed Whitchurch side entered the second half determined to pass the ball better and get captain Phil Tranter a birthday goal. This was made more challenging by in the spirit of Fathoms hockey giving up goalkeeper, Neil Jones, to the opposition, who had not touched the ball in the first half.

The Whitchurch Fathoms continued to dominate the game with numerous attempts on goal; to finally celebrate a Tranter birthday goal whose new stick scrabbled the ball over the line under an out stretched goal-keeper.

A further goal from Simon Bricento made the final score 0 – 6 in what was a dominant performance from the Whitchurch Fathoms.

Special mention to Ben Fry for effectively running back to bolster the mid-field, and Simon Bricento for making numerous piercing runs through the opposition’s mid-field and defence.

 

South Cheshire Ladies 2s 0 Whitchurch Ladies 1s 3

Another must win match for Whitchurch Ladies 1st team on Saturday as they came head to head with South Cheshire Ladies 2nds.

It was clear from the beginning that South Cheshire were not to be underestimated as they came out with a fast strong attacks but Whitchurch were up to the challenge. Within 10 minutes of the first half starting, Whitchurch were dominating the game and attacking hard with plenty of passes from Ellie Windsor and Catherine Gresty resulted in a first goal for Sue Read and shortly after a second from Catherine Gresty from a short corner strike.

South Cheshire broke through the Whitchurch mid-field on numerous occasions but were quickly dealt with by Katie Plant and Emily Hilton with some solid defensive work and one great save from goalkeeper Phoebe Jones ensured Whitchurch kept a clean sheet throughout the first half.

The second half continued with Whitchurch dominating periods of play with strong mid-field play forcing the ball into the dee for Keeley Hathaway and Jess Kimberley to apply further pressure on the South Cheshire goal. The final goal came from a short corner where a well executed set play from Whitchurch saw Sue Read finish with a well timed deflection into the South Cheshire net.

 

Whitchurch ladies 2s 1 Oxton ladies 3s 1

Whitchurch 2s put together a performance that reflected their rapid progress and improvement of the past couple of games.

The team played with more confidence and took the game to the Oxton side with fluid passing and dynamic runs into the opposition half. Emily Vernon and Helen Machin worked well down the right wing causing problems for the Oxton defence from the start.

Whitchurch were finally rewarded for their efforts when Tracy Tolhurst picked out Laura Workman just outside the dee and she glided past the last defender and slotted calmly past the advancing goalkeeper to give the team a lead at the break.

The second half saw Oxton bounce back and challenge the Whitchurch side and for long periods both teams cancelled each other out. As Whitchurch tired they stopped the attacking runs of the first half and sat back allowing Oxton to pressure the Whitchurch goal.

The equaliser for Oxton came late on in the game as the ball fired into the dee bounced around and despite all Whitchurch’s efforts was scrambled past goalkeeper Shola Bailey.

Despite a valuable point for the 2s the team knew they had lost the opportunity for the victory despite all their efforts.

Whitchurch 1s entertain Golborne at home on Saturday whilst the 2s have two games next weekend to complete their season with Wrexham 2s at home on the Saturday and a re-arranged fixture away to Alderley Edge on the Sunday.