Whitchurch Men’s 2s 3 Golborne 3s 1

Whitchurch welcomed Golborne 3s to SJT for the early afternoon pushback on Saturday. With the Warrington side coming off the back of a big win from the previous weekend, this was going to be a big test for the Reds. With a trio of young lads moving up to play for the 1s this weekend, it was pleasing to draw on the experience of Alex Fry and Craig Hockenhull for their first games of the season.

The away side shaded the early exchanges. Whitchurch struggled to make much headway into the Golborne half, but equally were resolute at the back and Golborne were finding it difficult to get into the home dee. Most of Golborne’s most dangerous moments came as a result of Whitchurch’s own mistakes, but the home goal wasn’t under serious threat as Wyn Morris and Brendan Coburn cleared everything that came near them.

As the half progressed, Whitchurch started to string passes together and make progress up the pitch. Ethan Gresty, Will Gilbert and Jacob Buckeridge were all finding more space in wide areas and creating danger by driving towards the Golborne dee. Euan Morris was linking with the wingers and several dangerous crosses flashed across the face of the Golborne goal, with Ethan particularly unlucky not to get his stick on one such cross.

With Alex Fry and Craig Hockenhull providing calm and assurance in midfield, Whitchurch began to take control of the game. Will Gilbert had a shot at goal which sailed wide before nice interplay between Doug Buckeridge, Alex Fry and Jacob Buckeridge saw David Brunyard brilliantly divert a cross through the narrowest of gaps to give the Reds a half-time lead.

Whitchurch continued to shade the early exchanges of the second half. Gareth Teggin was growing into the game on the right side of defence and combining well with Will Snaith who drove the ball through the middle of the pitch.

An incisive passing move through the centre of the pitch saw the ball played through to Euan Morris in the dee. From the narrowest of angles, Euan smashed the ball low, across the Golborne keeper to double Whitchurch’s lead.

Despite Golborne’s efforts, Whitchurch looked relatively comfortable, with Richard Leigh and David Brunyard breaking up lay in the middle of the pitch and feeding the ball forward to the willing runners up front. And then out of the blue, Whitchurch made a mess of clearing their lines and conceded a short corner. This was duly converted by Golborne, with a fine strike from the edge of the dee, hard and low into the Whitchurch goal.

Golborne sensed a chance and Whitchurch looked a little ragged for a few minutes. But the team dug deep and restored their lead when they quickly moved the ball from back to front, via the excellent Alex Leigh. He found Craig Hockenhull whose defence-splitting pass to Euan Morris was again smashed across the Golborne keeper into the far corner of the goal.

Golborne came back hard at Whitchurch in the final stages of the game, forcing keeper Neil Jones into a couple of smart saves, but the home side battled away and saw out the 3-1 win.

This was another fine performance by the young Whitchurch players. They continue to grow and improve They’re brave on and off the ball, as demonstrated by Jacob Buckeridge, who responded to being flattened in the first half, by duly flattening Golborne’s biggest player in the second period. Once again Wyn Morris was outstanding in defence with absolutely everything being cleared away from the Whitchurch dee. Dave Brunyard had a great game and deserved his goal, but Euan Morris stole the plaudits with two stunning goals in the second half.

Next up, the 2s face a tough away trip to play Oxton 5s on 5th October.

Deeside ladies 3s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 8

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled to their first away match of the season this Saturday to play Deeside 3s.

From the start Whitchurch took control of the match, with accurate passing through mid-players Lisa Sullivan, Hebe Dixon and captain Catherine Winter-Gresty. Forwards Ellie Windsor and Izzy Huxley collected the ball and picked out Sarah Field who tapped it past the keeper scoring the first of the match.

Deeside fought back putting pressure on the Whitchurch defence Emma harper and Cath Reece-Gresty, but they held strong passing the ball back up the pitch. Whitchurch were awarded a flick which Hebe Dixon put it into the net. 2-0 up and Whitchurch relaxed a little too much and allowed Deeside to break and they scored.

Whitchurch ladies came back hard attacking the ball, making strong accurate passes getting the ball into the Deeside Dee where Ellie Windsor was waiting on the post who tapped into the goal corner. 3-1 to Whitchurch and the half time near, Lisa Sullivan was on fire and dribbled the ball from a long corner into the Dee and struck the ball into the inside of the net.

4-1 at half time and after a quick well-earned break Whitchurch started the second half like the first. Great passing up the pitch and excellent defending by Anna Latham and Kezzie Hutching allowing players to push up, with plenty of play in the Deeside Dee Whitchurch had a run of short corners and Hebe Dixon slotted the ball onto the back board.

Deeside worked and fought hard and with fast young legs were able to break away, keeper Maddy Sugden had made some great saves, but this attack took her to the floor and Deeside were able to score their second.

Not fazed, Whitchurch continued to attack having majority of the play in the Deeside half. Captain Cath Winter-Gresty collected the ball outside the Dee and shot across the goal where Sarah Field got a touch and tapped in their 6th.

With so much play in the Deeside 25 the game was fast, Izzy Huxley held the ball and slotted past the keeper to make it 7.

Deeside didn’t give up as they continued to have breaks, but were quickly picked up by Millie Edwards who passed back up the pitch quickly. With minutes to go, Whitchurch had time for 1 more as Stephanie Stanton had a great shot into the top of the net. Whitchurch were delighted with their well-earned 8-2 win.

Ladies 1s play Timperley at home next week.

Stockport Bramhall Men’s 2s 1  Whitchurch Men’s 1s 3

Whitchurch went to Stockport this week hoping to improve on last season’s poor away record, and faced a strong Stockport team who had a good win last week against Sale. The Reds were missing a number of regular players so it was an opportunity for Joe Coburn, Joe Faithfull and Luke Beddow to step up from the 2s – and step up they did, putting in very accomplished performances. Whitchurch started brightly, with good confident passing, and players old and new moving well for each other and providing plenty of opportunities early on. Rob Chappell continued the strength in midfield from last week, and moved the ball off to Tom Forster and Dale Seymour time and again, giving Stockport plenty of work to do. Coburn and Faithfull provided width, and Ben Kimberley and Nick Cooper again combined well up front to put pressure on the Stockport defence.

It was, however, Stockport who almost took the lead first, with a goal disallowed for height and distance travelled, and that was the inspiration the Reds needed to turn their dee into Area 51 and prevent any further intrusion. A surge up field ended with Beddow scoring his first goal for the 1s, slapping in a ball across the dee past the Stockport keeper. Whitchurch held strong for the rest of the half, keeping the attacks from Stockport to a minimum with Danny Foulkes and Airan Jones again solid in defence, and Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal mopping up any balls that did get through.

The second half started well with Whitchurch looking to attack early, using their substitutes to ensure maximum impact and recovery for key players. The second goal came from some lovely hockey: an aerial ball from James Partington bounced past the defender to Cooper who shifted the ball to Seymour who was unselfish in front of goal, slipping a dummy shot sideways to Kimberley for a simple tap-in. This was an excellent example of the game discipline the team and club is working towards – no longer the hit-and-hope rocket at the keeper, but the intelligence and composure to get the ball to the open teammate. The rest of the half was evenly balanced as Whitchurch continued to mark well and get their tackles in, but Stockport were able to mount some incisive attacks and were unlucky not to score, until finally a long ball through was half-stopped by Foulkes, but the ball slid to a Stockport attacker who flicked it over a diving Sturge. This spurred them on to further attacks which were unlucky not to go in, but a third Whitchurch goal followed shortly after as a ball in the Stockport dee was fired towards goal and was chipped over the keeper by a defender, with Cooper poised to strike.

It was another solid performance from Whitchurch to go top of the league after two games. The performances from the new players – including Luke Beddow being named player of the match – was very encouraging and bodes well for the future, and helped the entire team put in another solid game. Whitchurch are home next week against Oxton Men’s 4s.

Whitchurch Ladies 3s 3 Neston Ladies 5s 11

The second match of the season started with gusto as the Neston attack sprung immediately into action. The passing was slick and caught Whitchurch off guard with some early attacks into the dee.  Our defence of Sally Pearce, Jan Teggin and Emma Stubbs battled hard to keep them out with some excellent hit outs to our waiting halves of Annie Leigh on the left, Chloe Lloyd on the right and captain Wendy Cooper in the middle. Some excellent kicks from our keeper Louise Cottrell kept them at bay for the first 5 minutes but soon the superb skills of the Neston centre forward resulted in the first conceded goal.

Undeterred Whitchurch kept battling and started to put in a few more attacks of their own led by Amelie Morris and Kate Buckeridge on the left and Jasmine Williams and Caitlin Edwards on the right. Emily Lister covered well at right half, chasing back in defence and linking well with Jasmine and Caitlin. It was a tough first half for Whitchurch ending 0 – 5 but many lessons were learnt and the team rallied after a team talk. Despite Neston scoring again, Whitchurch showed great courage by not giving up and created a few slick passes of their own leading to a goal from Amelie Morris.

Neston responded with a couple more goals but Whitchurch seemed to have a new lease of life and Jasmine and Catlin started making some good runs on the right hand side feeding through to Annie Buckeridge in the middle. Annie Leigh showed more aggression on the left and made some superb tackles allowing Kate to run up the left wing and support Amelie. Lots of passes into the dee from supporting halves Wendy and Emily eventually resulted in a pass to Annie who used her reverse stick skills to score our 2nd goal.

Neston responded with a couple more goals despite good tackling from Sally and Jan in the dee but another drive down the left wing by Amelie and Kate led to a 3rd goal for Whitchurch.

Whitchurch defence starting cutting off more of the Neston attacks with Chloe, Jasmine and Emma reading the ball much better and preventing the Neston onslaught. Louise was relentless in goal despite being flattened in the last 5 minutes. She was dusted off and glued back together by Wendy and Whitchurch battled on to a final score off 3-11. Players player was Kate Buckeridge.

Whitchurch Ladies 2s 1 Deeside Ramblers Ladies 4’s 6

Whitchurch started the match in high spirits, despite the unfortunate defeat in last week’s game. Immediately they made some strong attacks, with Louise Whitley and Phoebe Jones working together to pressurise Deeside’s defence. However, Deeside fought back, and managed to score their first goal only minutes in. But Whitchurch persevered, with Beth Wright making some incredible saves in goal to bail the team out, and Edina Jones and Ellie Pearson continuing to make advances into Deeside’s dee. This drew the first half of the match to a close.

The team came back onto the pitch with the same determination seen in the first half. Although Jess Kimberley and Emma Clarke held strong in defence, Deeside managed to score their second goal early on, and their third soon after. Whitchurch kept going, winning a series of short corners, and creating some threatening attacks on goal from Katie Leicester and Nicki Forster. Holly Edwards managed to pull one back for Whitchurch, thanks to a beautiful cross in from Holly Gilbert. Hermione Ball played wonderfully in defence, channelling players down the side of the pitch, and blocking Deeside’s attacks. Tracy Tolhurst from the sideline encouraging and lifting the Whitchurch players, but in spite of this, Deeside managed to score three more, as the final whistle blew, they were 6-1 winners. Molly Fry was awarded Whitchurch player of the match by Deeside.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 19 Sale ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch Ladies 1s played Sale 2s in their first game in division 2 and their first game of the season. Whitchurch were highly motivated and were all ready to work hard for a win but nobody expected what was to come.

Catherine Reece-Gresty and Millie Edwards held strong in defence, with long periods of inaction they maintained their concentration and worked the ball up the pitch towards the Sale dee whenever called into action. Captain Catherine Winter-Gresty drove the team forward with a serious of excellent passes through the middle from which Whitchurch were awarded their first short corner of the game and Hebe Dixon continued where she finished last season by scoring. After only a few minutes Lisa Sullivan collected a long corner and doubled the home sides lead.

Whitchurch continued to push for another goal,  Emma Harper making decisive passes through the Sale defence and Izzy Huxley’s driving runs down the wing and into the dee saw Whitchurch awarded another short corner from Sarah Field scored her first goal of the game. There followed a quick succession of goals by Sarah Field, Hebe Dixon and Izzy Huxley giving Whitchurch a commanding lead.

Due to the hot weather Whitchurch began to tire towards the end of the first half and as there concentration slipped Sale scored from a short corner making the score 6-1. Whitchurch fought back and continued to work hard for every ball and were awarded a penalty flick that Hebe Dixon scored. Both teams worked hard for more goals but with Maddy Sugden in goal and Chloe Lloyd covered any breaks. Just before the break Sarah Field was able to get a touch on the ball in the opposition dee making it 8-1 at half time.

After the team talk at half time, Whitchurch came back on the pitch as they started with captain Catherine Winter-Gresty making some amazing runs and crosses into the dee allowing Hebe Dixon to score her fourth and fifth goal of the match. Sale’s spirits dropped as Whitchurch kept pushing high resulting in Sarah Field slotting home a cross from Ellie Windsor on the right.

Whitchurch were awarded another run of short corners from Emma Harper scored. Whitchurch played on with Lisa Sullivan making some great runs and passes across the middle into the dee where Hebe Dixon got a number six. Millie Edwards took the ball out of defence ran down the wing and crossed the ball into the Sale dee to Ellie Windsor who scored from a deflection off the keepers pads. Sale advanced up the pitch with the ball, in pursuit of their second goal, but the Whitchurch team remained strong and passes around tired Sale players an into the dee saw Sarah Field scoring her fifth of the game.

Whitchurch continued to push on through the Sale defence, resulting in Hebe Dixon scoring from open play and Izzy Huxley scoring from a deflection of a short corner strike. After a few minutes of battling for possession the Whitchurch team attacked again with Sarah Field scoring her x goal. Near the end of the second half Sale seemed ready to give up Whitchurch were awarded their second penalty flick which was scored by Millie Edwards. Sale tried to make some late breaks, however the final whistle went and the final score remained 19-1 to Whitchurch. Whitchurch player Ellie Windsor received best player.

Next week, Whitchurch Ladies 1s will play Deeside Ramblers 3s away.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 4 Winnington Park Men’s 3s 0

Whitchurch started their season this year with a home game against Winnington Park Mens 3s on a gloriously sunny afternoon. With new captain Danny Foulkes at the helm, Whitchurch started with a plan and a mindset to apply for the game, and the season, and it was put into action straight away. Focussing on teamwork and discipline, playing for each other as hard off the ball as with it, the Reds started confidently and were able to control the game for large periods of play. With three substitutes to roll on and off during play, the pressure and intensity could be kept on the Winnington team and it gave the home side both time and space to look after the ball.

While the first game of the season was never going to be perfect, the standard was high and the positivity instilled in the team meant that any mistakes were absorbed and rectified rather than being a point of friction, giving Whitchurch a strong platform to develop the ball. It was shown perfectly through the first goal: keeper Paul “Sturge” Leigh got the ball to Pip Jones on the right who moved up the wing and passed it to Nick Cooper, who controlled it well and laid it off to Ben Kimberley who put away a powerful shot to get the first on the board. Four players, all working for each other, and the goal went in – this is what the Whitchurch team, and club as a whole, have been working on in training over the past few months. Winnington were not shy about making strong, incisive runs and attacking well, but the Reds pivoted, blocked passes, marked their players making sixteens very hard to get clear and kept going through both halves.

In the second half, more good teamwork was in evidence – from Airan Jones’ goal line clearance, and Foulkes providing a calm, reliable presence at the back – as well as some outstanding individual skill as Rob Chappell took the ball the length of the field round anyone in his way to flick it past the keeper with style. More good work followed getting the ball up field for Cooper to score his first reverse-stick goal; a wonder strike fired into the top-right corner of the net. Not to be outdone, Kimberley came back for his second with a drive down the right giving him plenty of room in the dee to unleash a shot low past the keeper.

Goals get the glory, but this was a full team effort – the midfield were solid, the defence put in a shift, and the forwards stretched the Winnington defence. Jack Barnes, Marcus Conway and Joel Leese, returning after a few years away from the club, ran hard all game, shifting the ball well and providing much of the attack. Fred Egerton and Tom Forster stretched the width of the game well, made their runs, and marked well. The Joneses, Foulkes and James Partington, with Alex Fry just in front, rotated well at the back ensuring Winnington players were well marked, and reacted well when they did make their breaks. Rob Chappell picked up player-of-the-match for his afternoon’s work, which was well deserved. Whitchurch are away to Stockport Bramhall next week, looking to improve on last season’s away record.

Bowden ladies 6s 5 Whitchurch ladies 2s 2

Whitchurch started their first game of the season with high hopes. They started with a strong setup, with Holly Edwards and Anna Latham joining the team this season. It quickly became apparent that Bowdon had come out with a skilled side, but Whitchurch persevered, blocking their attacks time and time again. Beth Wright made countless saves in goal, but unfortunately, within the first ten minutes Bowdon scored. But Whitchurch fought back, with Holly Gilbert and Edina Jones making a lovely run down the right side of the pitch. However soon after, Bowdon managed to score two more goals, despite Emma Clarke and Jess Kimberly’s superb defending. Whitchurch persisted with their attacks, and the first half drew to a close at a disappointing 4-0 to Bowdon.

Whitchurch entered the second half reenergised, and ready to start, thanks to an inspiring team talk from Emma Clarke. Whitchurch bravely defended the short corners but unfortunately before long Bowdon had scored again. But this did not stop Whitchurch. They held their heads high, and Ellie McEvoy and Holly Edwards attacked down the left side of the pitch, securing Whitchurch their first goal, scored by Anna Latham. Motivated by this goal, Whitchurch kept making attacks down the pitch, and before long Phoebe Jones set up a lovely goal, scored by Holly Gilbert. The resilience was evident in the team, with Whitchurch battling on against the heat, despite not having any subs. The game drew to a close at 5-2 to Bowdon. Molly Fry was awarded player of the match.

Whitchurch ladies 3s 2  Wilmslow ladies 5s 1

Whitchurch ladies took to the pitch in glorious sunshine for the first match of the season under the new captain Wendy Cooper. With a strong first attack Annie Buckeridge and Caitlin Edwards supported centre forward Nikki Forster and managed to gain possession. After a couple of strong drives Whitchurch found the back of the net. Laura workman and Kate Buckeridge worked hard to support the attack. On the occasions Wilmslow gained the ball, Whitchurch’s midfield and defence of Mel Reid and Jan Teggin sprung into action and managed to turn the ball back up the pitch. Unfortunately Wilmslow caught Whitchurch out and managed to equalise just before half time.

After rehydrating at half time Whitchurch went back onto the pitch reenergised. Louise Whitley and Emma Stubbs both put in strong debut performances on the right wing and in defence. Midfield worked hard through the second half giving Whitchurch opportunities with Alice Page and Jasmin Williams resulting both having an attempt on goal in their first senior league match. Eventually, after some excellent team passes Laura Workman found the goal putting Whitchurch a goal ahead.  Just before the final whistle Whitchurch had a goal disallowed due to a foot foul. Louise Cottrell made some excellent saves throughout the match in goal giving her the well deserved player of the match and Whitchurch a 2-1 win to start the season.

Whitchurch ladies 3’s are playing at home next week against Neston ladies 5’s.

Winnington Park 4s 1 – Whitchurch Men’s 2s 2

The Men’s 2s began their 2019/20 season with a trip to sunny Northwich to face Winnington Park 4s.

The home side shaded the early exchanges, pushing Whitchurch back into there own half but struggling to get near the goal thanks to the Reds disciplined defending. As Winnington’s attacks broke down, Whitchurch were breaking with speed but were also finding it difficult to get into the attacking dee.

As the half wore on chances were created at both ends of the pitch, although nothing was clear cut. The Northwich side had a couple of fierce shots across goal from the edge of the dee, but Wyn Morris, Brendan Coburn, Doug Buckeridge and Gareth Teggin did a good job restricting the home side. Keeper Neil Jones was quick to clear a dangerous cross when the Reds were caught out and exposed on the counterattack.

At the other end of the pitch, Whitchurch were creating chances of their own. Joe Coburn was fantastic, linking play from back to front, and his short passing combinations with Ethan Gresty and Luke Beddow were carving through the home side. Joe Faithfull fired a couple of dangerous balls into the dee, and James Page was a threat down the left.

Towards the end of the half, the Reds’ patience and neat interplay was rewarded when the ball came to Luke at the top of the Winnington dee, and he cleverly moved the ball into a shooting position and fired into the bottom corner.

Winnington pressed for an equaliser immediately but the 2s held firm until interval.

Whitchurch shuffled a couple of positions at halftime and moved Luke from the wing to the centre, and Will Gilbert to the left flank. Will had worked hard in the first half but, in his first senior game, was struggling to make an impact in midfield. His second half performance was fantastic. He was dynamic going forward and diligent when defending.

The home side started the second half with purpose and equalised early. The older, more powerful Winnington players were imposing themselves on the Reds, but were still struggling to threaten the Whitchurch goal until a good pull back was spectacularly finished on the back stick. It was a once in a lifetime finish and Neil Jones got a foot to the ball but was unable to keep it out of the goal.

Briefly, Whitchurch were penned back as the home side looked for a quick second, but the Reds regained their composure and began to move the ball quicker and make their way up the pitch. Winnington were suddenly finding it difficult to stop the Whitchurch attacks and their goalkeeper had to make some good saves and clearing kicks as Euan Morris, James Page and Luke Beddow all went close.

Despite illness, Euan was working hard up front and after one shot was well saved, he cleverly lifted the ball goalward from a tight angle. The defender on the line virtually caught the ball and Whitchurch were awarded a penalty flick. Euan stepped up, but whilst his flick was powerful, it flew the wrong side of the post. Euan put his disappointment aside and continued to battle away and eventually got his deserved goal. Good work by Joes Coburn and Faithfull found Euan on the edge of the dee and he turned and fired low into the corner to restore Whitchurch’s lead.

The Reds looked good for another goal, but were thwarted by good home defending and an excellent high save from Wyn Morris’ improvised flick.

As the game drew towards its conclusion, the Whitchurch legs began to tire and Winnington finished the game in the ascendancy, looking for an equaliser. Solid defending kept the home side away from the goal and Neil Jones made another good clearance from a dangerous cross to ensure the Reds held onto their 2-1 lead until the final whistle.

This was a fantastic result and performance from the 2s. Gareth Teggin ditched his keepers pads and had a great game in defence. Joe Coburn was instrumental in most of the good play in midfield, ably supported by Luke Beddow, Ethan Gresty and Joe Faithfull.

The 2s next game is on Saturday 28th September against Golborne 3s at SJT.