Runcorn ladies 2s 5 Whitchurch ladies 2s 0

Whitchurch travelled away to play Runcorn 2s. In spite of the extremely cold weather, Whitchurch were in high spirits and determined for success.

Whitchurch had a strong start with some very secure crosses into the Runcorn dee from Holly Gilbert and Tracy Tolhurst. These crosses were unfortunately stopped by the well-built Runcorn defence denying Whitchurch the chance of getting an early lead. Despite Whitchurch’s strong attack Runcorn managed to gain possession and after some well rehearsed play Runcorn slipped the ball into the goal. Whitchurch continued to battle hard but two more goals made their way through the defence. More strong attacks saw Jess Kimberly and Amelia Morris having some shots on goal. Somehow all shots either narrowly missed the goal or were cleared away by the Runcorn defence. Regardless of Whitchurch’s best efforts to keep Runcorn at bay, they managed to obtain another goal from a powerful hit at the top of the dee, leaving the score at 4-0 for half time.

After the half time break Whitchurch came back strong and began the second half with Phoebe Jones, Megan Brunyard and Ellie McEvoy making marvellous runs up the sides of the pitch. This allowed the attacking players to receive the ball in the Runcorn dee but were yet again denied the desired result. Captain Emma Clarke, Chloe Lloyd and Martha Teggin stopped multiple crossed into the Whitchurch dee. Runcorn became frustrated due to Whitchurch goalkeeper, Molly Fry, making numerous fantastic saves.

Both teams continued to battle hard throughout the second half, but unlucky for Whitchurch, Runcorn did score one final goal, which was tactically slipped in at the back post. The final whistle went with the score at 5-0 to Runcorn.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 6 Oswestry ladies 1s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s entertained Oswestry 1s this Saturday with a determination to win, after losing against them in the first half of the season due to having 10 players. Whitchurch ladies came out strong with plenty of possession and passing well throughout the team. The first goal came quickly from the captain Catherine Winter-Gresty slotting the ball into the left corner. Oswestry fought hard to equalise, but keeper Maddy Sugden saved everything they shot at her. Hebe Dixon and Lisa Sullivan worked together up the middle to pick out the captain to score their second.

Ellie Windsor and Stephanie Stanton kept the ball high giving Whitchurch plenty more chances and shots but Oswestry were holding back. A change round of positions at the front gave Helena Dannenfeldt the chance to play a great shot into the net giving Whitchurch a 3-0 lead. As Whitchurch tired they lost concentration allowing Oswestry a break and to score.

Defence Gayle Ladd and Catherine Reece-Gresty held off a couple more breaks but Whitchurch then picked up their game, with Lisa Sullivan very calmly taking the ball right into the dee and scoring. Watching Oswestry’s heads lower, Helena Dannenfeldt then scored two more goals in quick succession before half time.

Whitchurch caught their breath and started the second half as the first. Oswestry attacked hard up the middle but were stopped in their tracks by Whitchurch defence. There was a lot of play in the Whitchurch end as Oswestry were out to score another as Whitchurch had more of a defensive second half. Tense moments for Whitchurch as Oswestry had a run of short corners, but Millie Edwards and Gayle Ladd got the ball away and back up the pitch towards Helen Mellor and Izzy Huxley. Whitchurch calmed and slowed the game until the whistle went. A happy Whitchurch walked away with a 6-1 win and second in Division 3. Helena Dannenfeldt was awarded player of the match.

Ladies 1s play away against Winnington Park next week.

 

Golborne Ladies 3s 1 Whitchurch Ladies 3s 9

Whitchurch travelled the North to play Golborne week following a heavy defeat last week. Despite illness of several players Whitchurch managed to take a full team thanks to Laura Workman who stepped in at the last minute and went on to become well deserved player of the match.

In the first half Whitchurch attacked strongly and were rewarded with an early goal from Sue Read. This inspired Golborne to increase their attacks but were stopped time and again by defender Mel Reid.

Caitlin Edwards attacked on the right with some excellent supporting tackles from Caitlin Shaw. Nikki Forster attacked hard and was rewarded with a short corner which she dually converted to put Whitchurch two up. Golborne made a break and scored on the rebound after several attempts. Another goal for Sue Read saw Whitchurch go into the break 3-1 up.

After a breather and half time talk, Whitchurch dominated the second half with excellent runs and attacks from Annie Buckeridge who passed to Sue Read in the dee for her third. Kate Buckeridge played hard in all areas of the midfield sending the ball towards Whitchurch attackers who optimised in these passes and scored several more goals. Emily Lister worked hard at the back by defending hard and giving strong support to the midfield. During the second half Louise Cottrell in goal was getting cold due to Whitchurch strong attack; however she also made some excellent saves. Our captain Wendy Cooper kept the midfield strong down the centre of the pitch providing passes for Whitchurch for Nikki Forster to complete her hattrick, Sue Read to score another brace and Laura Workman to complete the scoring.

Sue Read also reached a milestone mark of scoring 100+ goals in the Cheshire league.

 

Bebington Men’s 4s 5 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 0

Following the break in the league fixtures over Christmas and the loss of two training sessions to the weather, Whitchurch Men’s 2s travelled to Bebington 4s having not played any hockey for 6 weeks. Buoyed by their win in the last fixture before Christmas and with a full squad of 16, the team were hopeful for a competitive performance against their Wirral-based opponents.

Whitchurch started brightly. They moved the ball well through midfield but Bebington were strong in defence and the Reds struggled to get any meaningful possession in the attacking dee. As moves broke down, the home side were quick to launch counter-attacks and the Reds defence of Doug Buckeridge, Brendan Coburn, Mark Sugden and Wyn Morris had to work hard to clear their lines.

Aided by the ability to roll subs in midfield, Whitchurch were putting in a lot of effort to close down space in the middle of the pitch. Joe Coburn, David Brunyard, Will Snaith and Richard Leigh were strong in the tackle, with Joe and David then driving forward to link up with Euan Morris up front, and Luke Beddow and Ethan Gresty on the wings.

Midway through the first half Bebington exerted some pressure on the Reds and won a succession of short corners. The defenders worked hard to restrict the shots but keeper Gareth Teggin produced a number of excellent saves to high drag flicks to keep the scores level. Eventually Bebington’s pressure produced the first goal of the game. A home player escaped in the dee and was able to force the ball across goal where a teammate was able to bundle the ball over the line.

Whitchurch responded by pushing forward and creating half chances to equalise. Paul Humphries and Richard Leigh were able to control possession around the Bebington dee and thread passes towards the attackers, but the sheer number of players in the dee meant that Whitchurch could never get a clear sight of goal. A neat passing move down the left between Jacob Buckeridge, Joe Coburn and Euan Morris did bring the first save from the Bebington keeper.

Despite being a goal down at halftime, Whitchurch were quite pleased with their efforts and were looking to continue the hard work in the second half. However Bebington had other ideas …

Whitchurch continued to work hard in the second half and enjoyed lots of territory and possession, but they were simply unable to deal with the direct running through the centre of the pitch by the Bebington No.11 on the counterattack. As attacks broke down he continually found himself ahead of most of the Whitchurch midfield and able to drive with pace and power at the heart of the Reds defence. This resulted in a host of chances for Bebington to increase their lead, which duly did.

The defence, the retreating midfield and keeper Teggin did well to keep the ball away from the goal, with some last-ditch tackles, clearances and good saves, but Bebington added a further four goals in the second half through these counterattacks and short corners.

Despite the threat from Bebington, Whitchurch continued to push forward and Euan Morris had a number of efforts well saved by the Bebington keeper, having been well found by passes from James Page and Jacob Buckeridge on the left wing. Euan was also close to getting his stick onto a dangerous cross into the dee, but try as they might Whitchurch just couldn’t create that clear goal scoring chance, or indeed a short corner.

Ultimately Bebington were good value for their win. They had the best player on the pitch and that was the big difference in the second half. Whitchurch battled valiantly and never gave up, but the 6-week break from hockey became more evident as the second half wore on with passes being under hit or going astray, which invited the Bebington counterattacks.

The 2s entertain Golborne 3s at SJT on Saturday 26th January in their next match, after hopefully a good training session on Wednesday.