Category Archives: Ladies Section

Match Reports 10/03/18

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 7 – Keele University Men’s 1s 4

Whitchurch returned to action after some weather- and transport-related cancellations with a home game against Keele University 1s, and were able to field a good side, and it gave Whitchurch a good base from which to work. The Reds put the pressure on Keele from the start, prepared for a similar tough start to the game as for the away fixture, and the positive attitude paid dividends with much of the possession going the way of the Whitchurch team.

A short corner call went in Whitchurch’s favour, and Jon Chappell opened the scoring with a good strike past the keeper. Another penalty corner followed shortly after and a well-worked routine came across to Jack Barnes who was also able to sweep the ball past the Keele keeper. At the other end of the pitch, the defence were able to mark their players well, with Matt Brookes and James Partington out wide and Dulson holding the middle. Dulson’s skill and experience showed, with numerous tackles and a superb piece of skill with a flick on the move launching the ball all the way to the Keele 23 line where Jon Chappell was unlucky to be blocked by the keeper.

Rob Chappell, Alex Fry, Ben Fry and Tom Leonard held the centre of the pitch and moved the ball well, combining with Barnes on the left and Ben Kimberley on the right, and the pressure paid off again with another short corner routine with a “Dambusters” shot from Leonard bouncing its way over everyone’s sticks to get the third for Whitchurch. However, Keele were not to be denied when they intercepted another loose pass and a breakaway saw them get the ball to a striker in the dee whose flick beat Partington’s stick and Paul ‘Sturge’ Leigh’s pads and gloves on its way into the net to take the score to 3-1 at half time.

The second half was a much more even affair, with some end-to-end play and each team taking it in turn to score: Jon Chappell scored three in the half to continue his excellent record for the season, with each coming from open play and the ball being moved around at speed and with accuracy in the Keele dee. However, a mixture of missed passes, running into trouble, and over-confidence meant that Keele were able to make breakaways and found themselves with more attackers than Whitchurch had defenders, and managed to score three of their own including some excellent pieces of work getting an attacker onto the far post for a tap-in. However, Whitchurch were able to maintain a cushion and Kimberley scored the final goal with a lovely stab-tackle in the dee which took the ball over the keeper. The game finished 7-4 and, with Oxton Mens 5s having withdrawn from the league, there is only the catch-up fixture against Brooklands MU 6s to mark the end of a tough but solid season for Whitchurch and a mid-table finish.

Timperley ladies 4s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 4

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled away to play Timperley 4s this Saturday. When they played them at home earlier on in the season they battled for the win and this time there was no change. From the off both teams seemed very equal, with the ball being passed from one end to the other. Timperley were very skilful and managed to get the ball back in their defence.

They scored first from a slip into the Whitchurch goal corner. Whitchurch fought back up the pitch, with mid players Jessica Carruthers and Catherine Winter-Gresty helping Holly Jepson score her first, a straight strike from top dee.

After this everyone knew it was going to be a tough game to get the win, but Whitchurch were really enjoying the game and Ellie Windsor and Grace Berry kept attacking and putting on the pressure. Timperley were awarded a penalty flick that they managed to score their last.

Whitchurch now came back strong passing through the blues using Helen Machin and Natasha foster on the left and push into the dee to receive a short corner that Laura Workman slotted passed Timperley keeper.

Half time and a well earned rest; Whitchurch continued to fight for the ball and controlled the second half of the game more. Timperley managed to break a couple of times, but the amazing Maddie Sugden saved every shot. Whitchurch had a run of shorts which allowed Hebe Dixon to score receiving a slip from Catherine Winter-Gresty. Timperley were not liking this game and didn’t stop attacking putting plenty of pressure on defence Millie Edwards and Catherine Reece-Gresty but to no avail.

With ten minutes to go the game seemed to be dragging, Whitchurch just needing to hold onto the win. Another short for Whitchurch, a slip to Hebe Dixon from Grace Berry which deflected into the top corner. Whistle went and Whitchurch were overjoyed with a well deserved 4-2 win!

Winnington Park Men’s 4s 5  Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1

Whitchurch Men’s 2s travelled to Northwich, on Saturday, for a lunchtime match with third-placed Winnington Park 4s. With half of the team made up of junior players it was good to welcome Craig Hockenhull back from injury, into the centre of midfield.

True to the disparity in league position between the two teams, Winnington immediately took control of the game, with Whitchurch struggling to get out of their own half. The Northwich team won a series of short corners, bringing some excellent saves out of keeper Neil Jones. Ultimately the pressure on the Whitchurch defence forced a mistake and Winnington pounced to open the scoring.

Further chances came and went, in part due to some excellent last ditch defending from Wyn Morris, Rupert Yeoward and Danny Foulkes, but Winnington soon opened up a two-goal lead.

As the first half wore on, Whitchurch began to get a foothold in the game and started to make inroads into the Winnington half. With Craig Hockenhull the driving force in the centre of the pitch, Joe Coburn, Joe Faithful and Euan Morris were getting good possession on the Whitchurch right. Initially chances were limited to speculative shots and crosses, but better chances did come. The Northwich keeper made an excellent save from Hockenhull and then kicked away a shot by Doug Buckeridge at the near post.

With Whitchurch pushing forward, Winnington ruthlessly exposed them on the counter-attack just before half-time, and went into the break with a 3-0 lead.

The second half was much more even in terms of possession and territory, with the biggest difference between the two sides being the quality of finishing, as the more experienced Winnington side added a further two goals.

Despite this the Whitchurch defence were excellent in the second half. Wyn Morris had a storming game on the right, and Airan Jones grew into the game after a shaky start on the left. Rupert Yeoward and Danny Foulkes dealt with just about anything Winnington could muster in the middle of the pitch.

But Whitchurch had their chances. Euan Morris, Craig Hockenhull and Doug Buckeridge all went close or forced saves from the Winnington keeper. Joe Faithful found some excellent positions on the right wing and Jacob Buckeridge and James Page worked hard to provide width on the left.

Eventually Whitchurch got some reward for their endeavours, as Joe Coburn played an excellent pass through the centre of the pitch, which Doug Buckeridge flicked first time, putting Euan Morris clean through on goal. Despite good support from the Buckeridges, Euan fired across the keeper for a well deserved consolation goal.

Despite the 5-1 defeat, Whitchurch can again be proud of their efforts. Winnington are comfortably the third best team in the division and the Reds young side went toe-to-toe with them for long periods of the game. The young players continue to improve at this level, with Joe Faithful and Euan Morris having great second-halves, and Joe Coburn showing real maturity and tenacity in midfield.

Next Saturday, Whitchurch Men’s 2s entertain Denbigh 2s at SJT.

The under 14’s took to the pitch again this weekend with three matches against Bridgnorth, William Brookes Much Wenlock and Telford and Wrekin.
They started the first match against Bridgnorth attacking strongly with strong drives from Jasmin and Suzie. Unfortunately Bridgnorth saw an opening and managed to take the lead after scoring leaving the final score line 1-0 to Bridgnorth.

The second match was against William Brookes Much Wenlock and again they started with a very strong attack. Numerous attempts on goal resulted in Izzy finding the back of the net and then Ellie followed scoring Whitchurch’s second.  Whitchurch had a strong midfielder Fran who kept driving through to feed the ball to the forwards resulting in a 2-0 win for Whitchurch.

The final match was against Telford and Wrekin who were a strong attacking team putting the defensive skills of Holly and Hermione to the test. The opposition quickly put the ball past the defence and the Alice who had stepped in to play goalie for her first time in pads! After more shots from the opposition, which were saved by Alice Whitchurch broke through with an attack but unfortunately were not able to score. Telford then extended their lead by another goal from a short corner. The score line of this match shows how strong the defences didn’t goalkeeping were as Telford had many chances but were not able to optimise on them leaving the full time score as 2-0 to Telford and Wrekin.

The under 14 girls are back in action on 24th March at Wrekin College for their final games of the season.

Whitchurch ladies 3s 4 Neston ladies 5s 2

Whitchurch Ladies 3s arrived at their home pitch in a positive state of mind, as the sun was shining and it actually felt mild for the first time this season! They were due to play Neston Ladies 5s and having beaten them last time, they were hoping for a repeat performance!

Whitchurch had two new players, playing for a senior team for the first time, Fran Dunn and Lauren Turnbull. They both made an excellent debut and their confidence was fantastic for their first senior match. The match did not start well for Whitchurch however, as within the first few minutes Neston scored!

Whitchurch knew they had to refocus and began to fight back, with some great runs from forwards, Helen Hocknell, Victoria Corlett and Lauren Turnbull with wingers Ellie McEvoy and Milly Carruthers interjecting brilliantly. Despite some excellent defending from Mel Reid, Fran Dunn, Wendy Cooper and goalkeeper Evie Whatmough, Neston managed to score another goal before half time.

During the halftime team talk, it was apparent the Whitchurch players knew they could pull this one back in our favour! They went back on with fighting spirit and with some very useful midfield play by Chloe Lloyd, Emily Lister and Captain Kate Goodwin; Milly Carruthers was able to convert it into a great goal. The game was back on! Whitchurch refused to give up and with some excellent play by every team member, Helen Hocknell our player of the match managed to score a hat trick! So, the match finished 4-2 to Whitchurch. They were delighted with their comeback!

Whitchurch Awards dinner – deadline 17th March 2018

Dear Members, Players, Supporters and Friends,

We’re now into March and the end of the hockey season is getting closer.  It’s just under three weeks until our ‘End of Season Do’ so we’d love you to tell us if you’re planning on coming.  Please just complete the on-line form here and then choose your menu (form attached), finally hand your money and menu form to your captains or a committee member.  We really need everyone signed up by 17th March please.

If you’ve not yet decided to attend the ‘End of Season Do’, here’s a few reasons why you should come!

  1. You may have won an award!  Senior club awards will be presented including each team’s best player and captain’s player.
  2. You may NOT have won an award but one of your team mates will, so you should be there to help them celebrate!
  3. The end of the hockey season needs to be celebrated! You’ve spent the last six months committed to playing hockey; it’s been hard work!  Let’s celebrate a welcome break!
  4. Whether your team has done well or not in your respective league, coming together as a team and club is an essential way of bonding!
  5. We have booked a disco!  Say no more.

Finally, we’re organising a raffle, if you’re able to donate a prize, be it a bottle of wine, some chocolates or something else, please can you let joanne.hockenhull@whitchurchhockeyclub.com know please.

Many thanks,

Catherine R-G
On behalf of Whitchurch Hockey Club Committee

WHC Dinner order form

Match report 24/02/18

The Mens 1s game was cancelled after a breakdown resulted in the team being unable to make the start time for their away fixture in Brooklands.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 1 Crewe ladies 4s 3

The game started and Crewe put on a strong attack against Whitchurch 2s. They were up in the dee within minutes and the ball was unfortunately put into the goal by the Whitchurch defender as she tried to defend the shot. Whitchurch held their heads high and defended the ball right until the whistle was blown for half time with many chances for a goal against Crewe.

The strength they showed was immense and with the team talk at half time, Whitchurch came back as fierce as ever. The fight stayed strong and although Whitchurch faced multiple short corners, the strong defenders Claire Fitzgerald, Helen Machin, Edina Jones, and Emma Clarke and goal keeper Shola Bailey used their strength to save each another and showed team work really does make the dream work.

Whitchurch were then faced with a penalty stroke and goalkeeper Shola Bailey managed to get her left leg on it and saved it. This gave Whitchurch more spirit and mid fielders Becky Brookfield, Edina Jones, and Helen Machin along with attackers Tracy Tolhurst, Emily Vernon, Ellie McEvoy and Phoebe Jones took the ball up the pitch and struggled against the Crewe goalkeeper. With good attempts, Tracy Tolhurst finally got the ball into the back of the goal and Whitchurch were drawn with Crewe.

Another short corner gave Crewe another goal but Whitchurch bounced back and were awarded a penalty stroke, which was well saved by the Crewe keeper. Whitchurch tired at this point and the ball came strongly back down to the Whitchurch goal and Crewe were awarded another penalty flick and this time scored. With the final score being 3-1 to Crewe, Whitchurch we’re disappointed but it was an amazing game with amazing spirit.

 

Oxton ladies 2s 4 Whitchurch ladies 1s 1

Ladies 1s travelled away to play Oxton 2s this Saturday with a new mix if players due to half term. From the off Whitchurch played well together pushing the ball back up to the Oxton dee. They held their positions despite Oxton fighting hard to score. Millie Edwards held her own at the back along with Jess Kimberley making Oxton work. A short corner allowed Oxton to score from a scrappy number of passed.

Hebe Dixon held the middle along with Holy Jepson and Catherine Winter-Gresty giving the ball up to Jessica Carruthers to send into Grace Berry for an amazing fight with the keeper and she flicked into the net.

Whitchurch became a little lax and let Oxton creep up into the Dee and score from another scrappy play just before half time.

After a quick talk Whitchurch were back using the width with Laura Workman holding high but Oxton were defending strong. This half seemed a lot different with the ball going back and too like a yoyo, tiring both teams. More chances for Oxton but Gwyn Thomas-Rees kept on her toes and kicked the balls clear.

Feet were not always being blow by this stage and Oxton took advantage and scored from yet another messy play. Natasha foster and Beth Sykes had their work cut out as Oxton kept the pressure on and with 2 minutes before the final whistle Oxton managed to get through a tired Whitchurch for a 4th goal leaving Whitchurch walking away with another loss of 4-1.

The 1s play at home against top of the table Brookland Poynton next week.

 

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1 Lymm Men’s 3s 3

Whitchurch Men’s 2s welcomed Lymm 3s to a sunny, but chilly, SJT on Saturday afternoon.

Bolstered by some returning senior players and with a debut for another academy graduate in 13 year old Will Snaith, the 2s went into this game with an usually large squad of 16 players.

The early stages were fairly even. Both teams looked good in possession, moving the ball around well, but struggling to make any impact in the attacking thirds. Matt Brooks and Richard Leigh were strong in the centre of defence for the 2s, whilst Wyn Morris and Mark Sugden were stifling Lymm’s attacking width, but also providing the launch pad for Whitchurch’s own attacks in wide areas.

Jacob Buckeridge and Euan Morris were finding good positions on the wings and linking well with the midfield of Rupert Yeoward, Danny Foulkes and Doug Buckeridge, but the Reds were struggling to get the ball up to forward Martin Beecher.

Lymm had their attacking moments, and from a short corner midway through the first half they opened the scoring. The ball was fired towards goal but came back off the post and hit keeper Neil Jones and bounced over the goal line.

Whitchurch responded positively, with Martin Beecher dropping deeper to find the ball , enabling him to drive forward into the Lymm dee. This proved fruitful for the Reds, with the team becoming more of a threat to the Lymm goal. Martin was firing in shots from good positions, forcing the Lymm keeper into a number of saves, and seeing one shot ricochet to safety of the post.

Just before half time Whitchurch got their reward as Matt Brooks smartly played an early ball into Martin, who drove from the middle of the Lymm half, into the dee, before smashing a low shot into the far corner of the goal to level the scores.

The second half proceeded in a similar vein, with Sam Conway coming on to provide the drive from the Whitchurch midfield and Joe Coburn & Joe Winter rotating on in the wing positions.

Lymm had regrouped at half time and were also pushing forward looking for goals. The Whitchurch defence continued to work hard and limit clear-cut chances but Lymm scored two quick goals midway through the second half. Again the bounce of the ball seemed to be in Lymm’s favour, although the third goal was a clever finish to a ball dropping from out of the sky.

Again Whitchurch responded well and Martin Beecher pulled a goal back with a powerful, jinking run through most of the Lymm team, before finishing into an unguarded goal. And Whitchurch almost snatched an equaliser when Euan Morris’ shot came back off the post, across the face of goal, but spun onto Jacob Buckeridge’s foot rather than his stick.

Try as they might, Whitchurch couldn’t find an equaliser and Lymm hung on for the 3-2 win.

Despite another defeat, the young players continue to improve at this level of hockey. With five 13 and 14 year olds involved on Saturday, all in their first season of men’s hockey, and a number of others unavailable this weekend, the future of the 2s looks good.

Joe Coburn and Euan Morris continue to be real assets on the wings and Joe Faithful is becoming more confident and improving with every game. 13-year-old Jacob Buckeridge played well again today and was unlucky not to score, while 13-year-old Will Snaith had a very impressive debut in defence against far more powerful and experienced opponents.

Next Saturday the 2s entertain Runcorn 3s at SJT.

 

Whitchurch ladies 3s 1 Alderley Edge 7’s 4

The opening 10 minutes of the first half saw some relentless attacking from Alderley Edge right from the outset and thanks to some excellent defending from our goalie Maddy Sugden, left half Emily Lister and our two backs Mel Reid and Wendy Cooper, we were lucky to keep the shots out only allowing 1 goal in.

Finally, we built up enough confidence to run at the opposition with Millie Carruthers and Nicola Workman up front taking the ball into the dee several times. Whitchurch settled down to play much better hockey, passing into space and resulting in Victoria Corlett being able to slot home a goal giving a 1-1 score line at half time.

Caitlin Shaw on the right wing received the ball well and made some impressive runs, showing how much confidence she has gained with match experience.  Our two inners, Nicola Workman and Annie Buckeridge were passing beautifully to our centre forward Millie Caruthers who also tracked back well to help the defence when required.

The second half saw Alderley Edge start with pace and score two quick goals in the first few minutes. Rosie Shaw worked hard down the left wing and Kate Buckeridge was switched to right half firming up our defence and slowing the relentless attack of the young Alderley Edge team allowing them only to score once more giving a final score of 1-4.

Maddy Sugden was awarded another well-deserved woman of the match and although we were disappointed to lose we were pleased with our much-improved game considering we lost at Alderley Edge 1-10 earlier on in the season.

Match Reports 03/02/18

Liverpool Sefton Men’s 3s 3 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 1

Whitchurch travelled away to Liverpool this week on the back of a hard weekend of mixed fortunes the week before, and faced a Liverpool team full of strength and speed.

The games against this team last year had been hard-fought, and this match was no different: from the whistle Sefton were pressing hard and moving quickly, and they were able to convert this into an early goal as they got away from their markers and round keeper Neil Jones.

The defence of Alex Fry, Steve Kay and James Partington, supported by Ben Fry as formations moved and changed, was constantly under pressure and the Reds were lucky that Sefton didn’t score again early on.

A break through the middle from Rob Chappell to Tom Leonard and Jack Barnes led to a goalmouth scramble which ended with the goalkeeper smothering the ball and a penalty stroke was awarded. Dale Seymour stepped up and put the ball away in the top left corner despite the keeper getting a touch to it. This, however, appeared only to encourage the Sefton team to throw themselves back into attacking, and once again they got the overload from a through-ball and were able to bypass the Reds’ defence and score.

The rest of the half was played out with Whitchurch making a number of good attacks, with Martin Beecher and Tom Leonard unlucky to score, and Jon Chappell was unable to extend his impressive scoring record – but the last pass, or final strike just eluded the Reds this week.

The second half was a stronger performance by Whitchurch with a number of good attacks – with Ben Kimberley able to carve through the opposition defence again – but ultimately without success. The Fry, the Chappell’s and Seymour were able to move the ball around far more easily, and Neil Jones kept a number of shots out, and so attacks were built from strong foundations and just lacked the final touch.

Whitchurch got a number of short corners but were unable to convert any, and Sefton were able to counterattack on the break and nick a third, with some skilful work bouncing the ball on their stick through the dee before drilling it past a diving Jones.

Whitchurch kept their focus, and regrouped and were again unlucky to score – a chance across the dee was buried by Leonard but only after a missed short from Kimberley mean a free hit to Sefton, and Kimberley was very unlucky not to score “goal of the season” with a wonderful deflection that bounced off the keepers mask but would otherwise have made a hole in the Sefton net.

At the other end, Whitchurch kept out a number of short corners and strikes with Right Post putting in another turn as an extra defender, and the final play of the game was another short corner they did well to defend.

 

Whitchurch Men’s 2 0 Wrexham Men’s 2s 4

Whitchurch Men’s 2s entertained Wrexham Glyndwr Men’s 2s, without regular goalkeeper and Captain Neil Jones due to 1st team commitments. Looking to avoid a repeat white wash like the 14 nil loss in the reverse fixture the Whitchurch players started well, getting in the face of their opposition and preventing them from stringing together any real moves of danger.

In the early throes of the game both teams attacked well but despite the best efforts of centre backs lain Bones and Danny Foulkes a Wrexham player found themselves free in the dee and slotted away a neat finish out of the reach of stand in goalkeeper Euan Morris. Not to be deterred by conceding this goal brothers Sam and Marcus Conway linked up well.

The first half started to become continuous waves of Wrexham attacks but exceptional play from Airon Jones and Mark Sugden prevented Wrexham’s wide players from cutting in as they so expertly did the reverse fixture, limiting Wrexham to scrappy chances around the edge of the dee. Wrexham’s good link up play was soon sniffed out by the strong midfield trio of Tom Forster, Ryan Murtagh and Jake Wood who looked to release the young Joe Faithful, Joseph Coburn and James Page on the wings.

As the first half got into its final stages the Whitchurch defence started to tire and gave away a few short corners. The defenders and goalkeeper did well to keep these out but a wicked deflection from a bouncing shot left the young Whitchurch goalkeeper stranded to end the half two down.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Whithurch giving away a few short corners but solid defending and some more great saves kept the score line at 0-2. As the game progressed Whitchurch grew in confidence and started to press the Wrexham team higher up the field. This allowed both teams more space and time on the ball which Wrexham exploited with a perfectly weighted pass for an on running player who fired in from the centre of the dee.

The benefit of great substitutions started to play into Whitchurch’s hands; good defending from substitute Wyn Morris ensured no Wrexham players were getting past easily. This allowed the midfield trio to push higher up again and pick out the attackers for some great 2v2 and 3v3 counter attacks. This in turn lead to more chances for Wrexham who took advantage of some confusion between players and umpires and slotted past goalkeeper Euan Morris for the fourth and final time.

Trying to get a consolation from the game the Whitchurch players pressed Wrexham hard in their own half. This led to a short corner for Whitchurch that bounced around the dee for a long period of time without success.

The match ended 0-4 to Wrexham and the Whitchurch team were justifiably disappointed not to have got something from such a well fought game. A special mention must go to the man of the match, stand in keeper Euan Morris, who made a number of outstanding saves to keep Whitchurch in the game and frustrate the Wrexham attackers. Every player from both teams made sure they shook his hand with the Wrexham captain even commenting about what an asset he is to the club.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 0 Buckley ladies 1s 1

This was a game that the ladies 1s will want to forget. Buckley came at Whitchurch from the start and were awarded a string of penalty corners from which they took an early lead.

Whitchurch then woke up and started to pass the ball around creating a number of chances but failing to convert. A number of unforced errors by Whitchurch players gave Buckley the opportunity to increase their lead but fortunately they couldn’t get the ball over the Whitchurch goal line.

The second half carried on as the first had ended, despite lots of possession Whitchurch passed the ball around but then miss-controlled and gave the ball away time and again. When Whitchurch did manage to string a series of passes together they looked dangerous and caused Buckley problems however they couldn’t convert chances into goals.

 

Whitchurch ladies 3s 7 Sandbach  ladies 2s  0

The first half started really well with the first goal being scored in minutes by Helen Hocknell.

Sandbach tried to regain possession but Kate Goodwin, Milly Carruthers and Wendy Cooper held a great centre and Whitchurch continued to dominate. With a series of good passes Jessica Carruthers and Nikki Workman added two further goals. Whitchurch weren’t finished there and just kept battling for more, just before half time another goal was scored by Victoria Corlett leaving the score at half time 4 – 0 to Whitchurch.

Despite the score Sandbach seemed to rally in the second half and didn’t lose spirit. Great defending at the back by Mel Reid, Sally Pearce, Maddy Sudgen and Chloe Lloyd meant short corners were defended and the ball quickly passed back into the forwards. Both players on the wings, Holy Gilbert and Ellie McEvoy were brilliant and had great possession throughout the second half. Jess Carruthers scored a great goal on the reverse and shortly after Ellie McEvoy scored an amazing goal diving at the back post to tap home.

Sandbach really wanted to get a goal and didn’t give up, some quick passes and strong centre players resulted in further opportunities for Whitchurch.  Whitchurch dominated and missed several opportunities before Jess Carruthers scored her third goal of the match. Both sides gave it their all until the end but Sandbach couldn’t break through to score. Ellie McEvoy was named player of the match.