Bowdon Ladies 5s 0 Whitchurch Ladies 1s 6

Whitchurch 1s played away against Bowdon. From the start Whitchurch took the ball to Bowdon and had most of the play. First goal came from Lisa Sullivan dribbling into the dee and firing the ball home. Within minutes Lucy Ratcliffe scored her first on a great reverse slice.

There was some really good passing from mid players Ellie Windsor, Helen Machin and Lisa Sullivan. Short corners were coming thick and fast allowing Jane Williamson to receive a pass from Lisa Sullivan and grab herself a birthday goal.

Whitchurch continued controlling the game having plenty of shots on goal and Lucy Ratcliffe firing another impressive reverse shot into the top right of the net. Confidence was oozing and Lucy went for her 3rd goal and succeeded before the half time whistle.

After a quick recharge of batteries Whitchurch forwards Laura Workman and Phoebe Jones had some chances on goal, but Bowdon were determined not to let any more in. Using the width of the pitch Charlotte Lawder took the ball passing into the dee allowing Sue Read a touch and scoring the 6th goal.

Bowdon broke through a couple of times giving Clare Fitzgerald, Catherine Reece-Gresty and Emily Hilton something to do but they cleared the ball every time. Final whistle went with Whitchurch coming away with a well-deserved 6-0 win.

Whitchurch 1s play at home next week against Buckley Ladies 1s starting 12.30.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 3 Oxton ladies 4s 1

Whitchurch entertained Oxton 4s at home this week and carried on the winning streak.

Ashleigh Heath started off on the score sheet and gave Whitchurch the buzz at the start off the game. Newcomer Grace Berry and Becky Brookfield passed the ball around the right hand side of the pitch for Olivia Edgerton to score the second of the game.

During halftime Whitchurch had a positive team talk and came out fighting. After a scramble around the goal Grace Berry found the corner of the goal and scored past the advancing Oxton keeper. Oxton pushed forward to get back in the game but were unable to convert any of their chances on goal.

Whitchurch Mens 2s 7 Neston Mens 8s 0

Whitchurch started the season with a comfortable win. Within minutes of the start Mike Shrimplin fired home to give Whitchurch the lead. A brace from Tom Forrester and one from Craig Hockenhull and Rupert Yeoward gave Whitchurch a 6-0 lead at the break.

The second half was a different story as the Whitchurch side suffered from match fitness and the younger legs in the Neston team began to run them around. Neston had long periods of play but couldn’t turn their possession into goals. Whitchurch counter attacked where possible and Craig Hockenhull got his second deflecting home a cross from Steve Kay.

The 2s travel away to Birkenhead 1s next week.

Neston Mens 7s 2 Whitchurch Mens 1s 6

Whitchurch Mens 1s got their season off to a good start away against a young-but-strong Neston 7s team. Having a few changes in personnel from last season’s division-winning team meant a few changes in approach and new tactics, but these worked well with Martin Beecher getting his tally underway within a couple of minutes with some well organised passing down the channels before slotting home.

This gave the team the chance to take stock and settle into the game, but Neston were quick on the break and came close almost straightaway after, getting a short corner to put the pressure on. Some good defence from Ryan Murtagh and Ben Fry got the ball away and the game settled down. Some good runs of play down both wings, from Ben Fry to Ben Kimberley, and Jake Wood to Jack Barnes put pressure on a young Neston defence containing three first-time senior players.

Strength in the middle came from Joel Leese, who controlled the centre and laid the ball off well to Jack Barnes and Tom Leonard who were then able to get the ball up the pitch to Simon Briceno and Martin who combined well to allow Martin to get four goals in total, including a lovely short-corner hitting hard to the bottom left of the goal. Ben Kimberley claimed two goals with strong control and striking from the edge of the dee, as part of good continued pressure from all of the midfield and forwards.

At the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Aaron Swain showed his increased strength in keeping out several good shots from the Neston forwards, as well as good communication with the defence to keep the ball away. That Neston scored two goals is testament to their good passing skills and movement, and their forwards drawing the defenders wide, but also showed Whitchurch the areas they need to improve on: some ball control wasn’t to our normal standards, and good marking is always a challenge to any team, but as a first game of the season it showed great promise and we look forward to the rest of the season.