All posts by Craig Hockenhull

Match reports – 06-04-24

In the final weekend of matches for the season the ladies all finished on a high with victories.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 3 Chester ladies 3s 2

With the late arrival of the Chester keeper the game commenced with Chester fielding eleven outfield players and Whitchurch struggled in the early stages to cope with the extra player. Chester had a string of penalty corners from which they took the lead.

With the Chester keeper between the posts Whitchurch pushed forward and were soon back in the game as Hayley Kellett levelled the scores and it wasn’t long before Kellett scored her second goal to give Whitchurch a lead into the break.

Whitchurch started the second half controlling play and long periods of the game but failed to find the final touch in front of goal.

Chester levelled against the run of play and decided to remove their keeper and push for the win, Whitchurch couldn’t believe their luck and Tibby Gallier broke at pace through the Chester defence to give Whitchurch a hard-fought victory.

Wilmslow ladies 4s 1 Whitchurch ladies 2s 6

The ladies 2s have continued to improve throughout the season and the victory over Wilmslow gave them a well-deserved fifth place finish in the league.

Heidi Groom opened the scoring for Whitchurch with Freya Gresty getting a brace before the break.

The second half saw Gresty scoring another two goals before Amelie Morris got the final goal.

Whitchurch Ladies 3’s 1 Runcorn ladies’ development 0

The final match of the season was full of excitement and was very frustrating to watch. In the first few minutes Runcorn made their way to the Whitchurch dee and had some impressive shots at goal, luckily Whitchurch came alive and from that point they were in possession for most of the game.

At half time the score was 0-0 with goalkeeper Alice Snaith and the back line having very little to do in the game. There were a huge number of opportunities to score throughout and the impressive goal came from Sue Read halfway through the second half.

This was the third win out of the last four games. The team has grown throughout this season, and it was great to see them able to slow the play, make accurate passes and work fluidly as a team. I’m immensely proud to have been their captain this season and thank them for turning up each week and helping me through each match and look forward to the future with these amazing people.

Player of the match Freya Kellett.

Match reports 23-03-24

Warrington Ladies development 3 Whitchurch Ladies 3’s 5

A huge win for the 3’s today. It was a rough match with some great runs from both teams. The match saw strong cross winds, rain, sunshine and an epic hail storm, which stopped play for a few minutes, despite this the girls fought hard to win tackles and also took extra time to make sure passes were accurate.

Bella Clarke (Pom) had a cracking game picking up stray balls and winning some fantastic tackles turning two of them into goals. Lois Ebben also came on fire today, scoring two goals.

Isla Gregory, Freya Kellett,  Abi Ashley and Esme Mackreth worked as a unit to move the ball forward on multiple occasions resulting in Mackreth also scoring a smashing goal.

Sue Read played a cracking centre half trying to find her inner 21 year old but making some important interceptions and a key player in today’s game. Jan Teggin outstanding again in goal made some excellent saves and defenders Mel Reid, Tracey Tolhurst, Megan Hayward and Isla Hearn were a solid defence line breaking down numerous runs before they became a danger to the keeper.

Captain Samantha Gregory said ‘the 3’s have come so far this season and as the captain I’m proud that they have developed as a team and individually and look forward to our last game in a fortnight.’

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 8 Warrington Men’s 2s 2

Whitchurch entertained Warrington looking to build on performances knowing that three points would complete their season with a mid-table finish.

Whitchurch started the quicker of the two teams and when the ball rebounded to Martin Beecher he blazed into the dee and fired into the bottom corner. Whitchurch since Christmas have been threatening a big victory and today was the day when all their efforts paid off.

Beecher again scored, this time with a blistering shot from a penalty corner and minutes later Airan Jones broke past the Warrington defence and forced a save for the keeper only for Arthur Huxley following up to tap in the rebound.

Whitchurch continued to dominate play through Nik Moga, Liam Pallett and Archie Plews in the midfield and it wasn’t long before Airan Jones scored to give Whitchurch a comfortable lead at half-time.

Whitchurch started the second half as they finished the first with Oliver Edwards picking out Joe Sherridan in the dee who deflected past the advancing keeper.

Warrington won a penalty corner and scored, this resulted in a rearrangement of the defence with Charlie Edwards, James Partington and Lucas Hill and Warrington took advantage to score another with a scrambled goal which left keeper Neil Jones no chance to clear.

Whitchurch having settled again began to apply pressure on the Warrington defence via Cian Hirst down the left wing and Adam Rance in the middle and this resulted in Craig Hockenhull picking up the ball outside the dee and driving forward and his pass was expertly deflected home by Joe Sherridan.

The final goal came as Alfie Edwards drove down the right-hand side of the pitch and his shot was again deflected home by Joe Sherridan to complete his hattrick.

An excellent performance for Whitchurch to complete their season on and the team would like to thank Lucas Hill for his efforts as he leaves for university next season.

Match reports – 16-03-24

Whitchurch ladies 3’s 0 Lymm ladies 4’s 2

This was expected to be a hard match after a heavy defeat earlier in the season. But at half time we were 0-0. Whitchurch showed great determination and strength with quite a few runs but couldn’t quite finish with a goal.

All the girls fought for each and every tackle and the team work was excellent. Today all the players gave their all and defended like they had been playing together for years. Jan Teggin (our stand in goalie and player of the match) made some cracking saves and with the support of the defenders kept Lymm at bay. A couple of fancy flicks from Lymm did make it past Jan but she was a natural goalie. A very exciting match to watch and all the players should be extremely proud of such a well-played game.

 

Knutsford Men’s 2s 4 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1

The game started fast with some very even breaks. However, Knutsford took an early lead though a short corner. This was was quickly matched by some slick passing through the midfield and a nice finish from Airan Jones.

Shortly after Whitchurch were very unlucky with the keeper blocking a shot from Alfie Edwards with the back of his stick on the line but not acknowledged by the umpire.  Arthur Huxley (MOM) stand in keeper had an outstanding game saving Whitchurch multiple times throughout the match surely stealing the position for the foreseeable future from usual captain Neil Jones.

Martin (the wall) Beecher held the fort strongly throughout but unfortunately at the end of a high intensity game Whitchurch conceded a couple in quick concession.

The Edwards brothers had an amazing match linking like only brothers can. Adam Rance showed some great control throughout and worked nicely with an ever-improving Nick Moga. Can’t mention everyone but a really great performance all round by a team with a great future.

Match reports – 02-03-24

Macclesfield ladies 4’s 5 Whitchurch ladies 3’s 2

An excellent match to watch with end-to-end play from the start. Lots of great opportunities for both teams. Tilly Windsor scored for Whitchurch in the first half and Freya kellett in the second half. Some excellent passes and communication on the pitch and lots of support from the sideline was appreciated.

Special mentions this week for Sue Read, Jan Teggin and Mel Reid are the glue that holds the team together and all three of them had a smashing match and also guiding the newer players to improve.

Newcomers Megan Hayward and Isla Hearn also excelled this week with some spectacular tackles and great endurance with no subs. Isla Gregory, Tilly Windsor, Esme  Mackreth and Freya Kellet all made some, at times seeming inhuman, runs and won some key tackles. And not forgetting Lexi Morgan and Alice Snaith who put up a great fight in defence.

Player of the match Freya Kellett

Whitchurch ladies 1s 2 Clwb Hoci Eirias ladies 1 5

Whitchurch ladies 1s suffered a 5-2 defeat against Clwb hoci Eirias in a tough home game on Saturday. The away team dominated the first half, scoring a goal early in the game and putting Whitchurch under pressure.

Whitchurch fought back with Lisa Sullivan scoring a solo goal after stealing the ball from an Eirias defender and running into the dee to slot it past the keeper. Eirias followed this with 3 more goals to further their lead in the first half.

Early in the second half, Katie Laffey added another goal for Whitchurch from a strike off a penalty corner, but it was not enough to prevent Eirias from sealing the win with a fifth goal in the final minutes. Whitchurch will look to bounce back in their next few games.

Winnington Park Men’s 3 2 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 3

Following on from good performances in recent weeks Whitchurch travelled to Winnington with a high expectation of gaining points.

Whitchurch pressured from the off, attacking down the wings through Cian Hirst and Oliver Edwards resulting in Will Edwards getting his first goal to give Whitchurch the lead.

Whitchurch were guilty of some complacency, ill-discipline and the loss of Ollie Hogg through injury caused some disorganisation which Winnington took full advantage of to take a lead into the break.

Captain Neil Jones’s halftime talk focussed on work rate and keeping the play as simple as possible, and this seemed to stir Whitchurch into action.

In defence James Partington, Thomas Wyndham-Lewis and Lucas Hill stood firm sweeping up the Winnington attacks whilst Nik Moga, Liam Pallett and Archie Plews made themselves available in the midfield controlling the game and passing the ball around.

Whitchurch maintained possession but struggled to break down a stubborn Winnington defence and it took a 40-yard pass from Craig Hockenhull to be touched past the Winnington keeper by Will Edwards to break the deadlock and bring the scores level.

The game then opened as both teams pushed forward for the win and a crucial three points. Whitchurch broke down the left-hand side via Joe Sheridan who picked out the lead run of Airan Jones who slipped the ball inside to Will Edwards to complete his hattrick.

Winnington pushed for the equaliser in the final minutes of the game but Whitchurch held firm to secure a valuable three points.