Whitchurch Mens 1s 5 Deeside Ramblers Mens 6s 1

In the first of two games this weekend, Whitchurch travelled the short distance to Deeside Ramblers looking to get the three points that would give them the league title whatever the result for Liverpool Sefton in second place. The Reds started clinically, and moved the ball around well creating chances early on, but Deeside were well structured in defence and were quick on the break, unlucky not to get on the end of some good clearances.

Paul ‘Sturge’ Leigh was called on in goal a couple of times early in the match to keep out Deeside’s well-taken chances, but as the game settled, Whitchurch were able to take control and move the ball around more easily with Peter Scales driving out of defence on the left, and Joel Leese and Alex Fry holding the centre. Ben Kimberley and Jack Barnes were high and wide on the wings and were able to cause the Deeside defence plenty of problems before Fry got a pass away to Martin Beecher up front who flicked it into the net for the first.

Beecher got his second a few minutes later via a pass from Barnes who scored himself shortly afterwards, having walked back from a chat with the umpire directly into the path of cross to the top of the dee which he calmly slotted away.

Steve Lloyd, playing right half to provide cover, unfortunately turned his ankle so Whitchurch were reduced to 10 men for a large part of the rest of the game. Ryan Murtagh and James Partington worked with Scales to cover the back line, and Tom Leonard put in a shift helping the defence whilst making his usual strong drives up field. From one of these, Leese was able to pick up the Reds’ 4th goal with a drive through the Deeside defence followed by a spin and strike. Shortly after, Beecher got his hat-trick from a short corner with the shot from Leonard rebounding and Beecher being on the spot to slot it away.

Deeside were able to pick up a consolation goal after a breakaway run and strike being stopped well initially by Leigh, but their striker was first on the scene and made a very composed flick over Leigh’s outstretched body to claim a well-deserved goal and the game ended 5-1. With Liverpool Sefton losing their game 2-1, Whitchurch are 4 points clear with their final catch-up game to play, giving them their second league title in two years.

19/03/17 Whitchurch Mens 1s 6 – Oxton Mens 6s (re-arranged game)

Whitchurch travelled away to Oxton to play their missed game from January knowing that they had the league title won after their win at Deeside the previous day, so had a game where the pressure was off and they could concentrate on their hockey rather than the result. For the first ten minutes of the first half, this went very smoothly – with Aaron Swain playing on the left wing, rather than in goal, pulling off an extraordinary first-time shot from the edge of the dee to bury it in the Oxton goal for the Reds’ first.

Tom Leonard then had a good one-two run with Jack Barnes which ended with Leonard putting the ball past the Oxton keeper, and Ben Kimberley went one-on-one with the keeper before flicking it past him. The game then settled down and was very even for the rest of the first half, but Oxton were able to claw one back with shot rebounding off keeper Paul Leigh and their forward pulled off an excellent reverse-stick flick into the top corner of the net. Aaron Shackleton, Tom Forster and Ben Fry rotated well on the left and right half, and Ryan Murtagh and James Partington fought hard to keep the Oxton attacks at bay.

The first part of the second half was similar in tempo, with both sides having chances but not quite getting the quality of finish, nor the crispness of pass that would have decided the game. The second game of the weekend meant that there were tired legs and arms, and this meant the stalemate continued for most of the half until Jake Wood sent a beautifully weighted pass up the pitch to Jack Barnes who drilled it into the net. Joel Leese then scored from a penalty corner, finally perfecting the in-out routine, but the best was saved for last as Kimberly drove into the left side of the Oxton dee and released a reverse-hit blinder into the Oxton net to take the win 6-1 and finish the season in style.

 

Whitchurch ladies 2s 4 Macclesfield 4s 1

Whitchurch ladies 2s welcomed Macclesfield 4’s for the final match of the season knowing a win would see them promoted as league champions. Whitchurch were the stronger of the two teams as they applied pressure straight from the start and within minutes of the match Hayleigh Busby picked out Amy Fry in the dee who shot wide of the opposition goal.

Whitchurch continued to pressure but it was not until late in the half that they finally took the lead when a short corner strike from Becky Brookfield bounced back to Jess Kimberley to sweep home.

In the second half Whitchurch which quickly scored another goal as Martha Teggin and Beth Sykes linked down the right and picked out Amy Fry in the dee who neatly steered the ball past the keeper.

Whitchurch seemed to relax and were punished as a defensive error saw Macclesfield pull back a goal. Whitchurch were shaken as Macclesfield pushed for an equaliser but the defence led by captain Emma Clarke stood strong. Whitchurch finally gained some breathing room when Vicki Price and Katie Goodwin worked space for Fry to score her second of the game.

In the final minutes of the game Whitchurch were awarded a short corner and Hebe Dixon swept home to bring the score up to 4-1. Martha Teggin was awarded player of the match.

The ladies Whitchurch ladies 2s would like to thank all the players, umpires and supporters that made their league-winning season in Cheshire ladies league Division 6 possible.

 

Chester University Mens 1s 9 Whitchurch Mens 2s 2

For their final game of the season, Whitchurch 2s travelled to Chester University with a team short of numbers and experience. With Chester Uni having comfortably secured second place in the league and this was always going to be a difficult game, but with only 10 players and most of the experienced senior players missing, Whitchurch were already looking at damage limitation before the start of the game.

Chester Uni immediately took control of the game and pressed Whitchurch back towards their own goal. Danny Foulkes, Matt Brookes and Doug Buckeridge in defence were forced into last ditch tackles as early as the first minute, but it wasn’t long before an incisive passing move was turned home at the far post to give Chester Uni the lead.

Almost immediately Chester were awarded a rather generous penalty flick, which keeper Neil Jones did well to stop, low to his right. But the students continued to pour forward looking for more goals. Crosses flashed across the Whitchurch dee, shots were fired wide, the defenders cleared the danger with tackles, and blocks and keeper Jones made a number of saves.

Despite the pressure, Whitchurch tried to play attacking hockey of their own. Sam Conway was a driving force through the middle of the pitch and Fred Egerton and Lockie Price again defied their inexperience to provide support at both ends of the pitch. But Whitchurch struggled to make any real inroads into the Chester dee and when attacking moves broke down, Chester were particularly dangerous on the counter-attack.

As Chester exploited their numerical superiority they were able to add a further three first half goals to go into the break with a 4-0 lead.

The second half was a much more open game as the teams seemed to take turns to attack each other. In the early stages of the half the Whitchurch attacks continued to flounder on the edge of the Chester dee. However their opponents were continuing to create good chances and again the defence and keeper were working hard to keep the score line respectable.

The movement and passing speed of the Chester players and that extra man advantage was too much for Whitchurch and Chester raced into a 9-0 lead.

But late in the second half one of the Chester players was forced to leave the game with an injury. With 10 versus 10 Whitchurch started to make progress into the Chester dee. Airon Jones was unlucky to hit the post and three Whitchurch players managed to miss the ball at the back post following a great run and cross from Fred Egerton. Good interplay between Lockie Price and Aaron Swain led to another shot at goal and then a driving run and cross from Sam Conway was turned home by Fred Egerton for his first senior goal.

Another swift break down the left by Whitchurch resulted in Aaron Swain winning a short corner, from which Danny Foulkes cleverly returned the ball to Tom Forster to sweep home a second Whitchurch goal.

Whitchurch continued to play good long passes to their front players and Aaron Swain did really well to take the ball round the Chester keeper, who recovered and produced a brilliant diving save to stop Aaron’s attempt to find the goal.

With neither side able to add to their tally, Chester Uni ran out 9-2 winners.

This was a tough game for Whitchurch. Chester Uni are an excellent side and their passing and movement, particularly in the first half, was a joy to behold and difficult for Whitchurch to deal with. BUT every Whitchurch player applied themselves to their tasks. Lockie and Fred again produced impressive displays at both ends of the pitch, Tom Forster and Sam Conway worked tirelessly in midfield and Aaron Swain and Airon Jones were able runners up front. Despite conceding nine goals the defence and goalkeeper all had good games.

In terms of results, this season has been a little disappointing for the 2s. But overall the team has played some good hockey and aside from the top two teams in the division they have been competitive in all of their other matches. A number of younger players have come into the side and have made impressive contributions, but the biggest challenge facing the 2s is how to get their senior players on the pitch on a more regular basis. Overall, everybody who has played for the 2s should be pleased with their contributions this season, and look forward to the new season in September with some optimism.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 6 Timperley ladies 4s 1

Whitchurch started the game at a high pace and raced into a three-goal lead with goals from Grace Berry and two outstanding shots from Emma Harper and Lucy Ratcliffe. Timperley seemed shell shocked and it took a while for them to re-group and come back at the Whitchurch side.

Whitchurch sensed the chance to take the three points early on in the match and goals from Sue Read and Ellie Windsor gave Whitchurch a comfortable lead at the half time break.

The second half saw Timperley much better organised and for long periods the two teams cancelled out one another. Timperley managed to score against the run of play much to the frustration of the defence and supporters but Grace Berry scoring her second meant another three points and another successful season for the ladies 1s finishing in the top four after last years promotion.

Whitchurch Mens 1s 0 – Liverpool Sefton 3s 0

It isn’t often that a 0-0 draw can claim to be a thrilling game, but this match was an excellent performance by two very evenly matched teams. With Sefton one point behind (bar a game in hand), Whitchurch were keen to get a win to ensure the league title could still be theirs.

Both teams started briskly, and with good movement and good passes, and both defences were very strong from the start, with Ben Fry having another good game on the right, clearing well and making runs. Felix Jeffries caused Sefton trouble from a number of positions as the Reds were able to rotate their subs to maximum effect. Ryan Murtagh and James Partington were strong in the middle, clearing quickly with aerial balls working well, and Paul ‘Sturge’ Leigh was impressive in goal again, keeping out a number of Sefton strikes.

In the centre, Dale Seymour and Joel Leese controlled the midfield, creating movement and width, and Jack Barnes, Peter Scales and Steve Lloyd moved the ball around quickly, creating chances as well as closing down Sefton attacks quickly. Up front, Martin Beecher and Tom Leonard caused the Sefton defence all sorts of trouble and Ben Kimberley was unlucky to score with some good creativity in the dee.

The second half was a repeat of the first, with a number of chances at both ends, but ultimately the match ended all square as neither team could find the break to claim the win. Tight marking, good control, movement and passing from both teams meant that the final whistle ensured that both could feel that it was a fair result from a game played in good spirit. Whitchurch maintain their one point advantage, with a game next week against Deeside (and a missed game to play), still looking to claim their second league title in two seasons.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 3 Wilmslow ladies 2s 3

Whitchurch 1s travelled to Wilmslow to play top team of the league. Whitchurch and started the game very brightly and the first goal came quickly for Whitchurch after some brilliant play on the right wing by Ellie Windsor and Grace Berry resulted in a short corner for the visitors. The short corner was worked well by Emma Harper finding space to play the ball across for Emily Hilton to slot away, leaving the hosts shocked. The momentum remained as midfielders Catherine Winter-Gresty and Lucy Ratcliffe caused havoc for their forwards to get past. The second goal was forced through fantastic pressing by Grace Berry who caught the Wilmslow defence off guard, slipped the ball through to Laura Workman who calmly slotted against the backboard.

Wilmslow fought back and settled their first from a well-practiced short corner. Wilmslow were fighting hard now pushing to equalize and making the defence of Helen Machin, Catherine Reece-Gresty and keeper Gwyn Thomas-Rees battle hard. Gwyn had a rush of amazing saves just before the whistle blew for half time.

Whitchurch caught their breath during the break and came out with as much attack and pressure as they started the first half. Charlotte Lawder and Phoebe Jones made some great passes up the left side causing Wilmslow’s defence to panic. Wilmslow kept pushing and won several shorts from which the equalised.

Whitchurch wanted this win and pushed back up to the Wilmslow dee to allow a skilful piece of play from Ellie Windsor to take the lead again. With five minutes left Wilmslow were playing fast and they had another run of penalty shorts that allowed them to equalize again. The final whistle saw a 3-3 result and Whitchurch walked away happy to have broken Wilmslow’s clean sheet of wins.

1s play at home next week for their last game of the season.

 

Runcorn Mens 3s 2 Whitchurch Mens 2s 0

Whitchurch 2s travelled to Runcorn 3s with an eclectic mix of young and old, including two juniors who had already played a morning of under 14s hockey.

Whitchurch started brightly and by keeping a disciplined, compact formation the team were able to stifle the experienced Runcorn players, whilst using the speed of youth further forward to be an early threat on the counter-attack.

From one of their early attacks, Whitchurch forced a short corner that lead to Craig Hockenhull firing a shot against the foot of the right-hand post. Great work from Fred Egerton on the right saw him drill the ball across the face of the Runcorn goal without a Whitchurch player being able to get a stick to the ball and good play down the left side from Lockie Price and Jake Wood saw the ball fall to Airon Jones in the dee, but his shot flashed wide of the post. Danny Foulkes swept home a well-worked short corner routine, but the goal was ruled out as the ball was deemed to have been lifted.

As the first half wore on, Whitchurch became more cavalier in their efforts to attack the Runcorn goal and capitalise on the chances being created. Bigger gaps started to appear in midfield, and as Runcorn used their subs to bring fresh legs into the game, they started to get chances of their own.

With Danny Foulkes stepping forward to intercept long balls forward, Runcorn resorted to quick, short passes to make progress into the Whitchurch dee. Matt Brookes and Mark Sugden were on hand to clear danger and on the rare occasions that Runcorn got shots at goal, keeper Neil Jones was there to make the saves.

Despite their good half, Whitchurch were undone with the final play of the half when a Runcorn forward picked up a long ball into the dee and with a scuffed shot that bounced over Jones’ dive scored the opening goal of the game.

Buoyed by their goal, Runcorn started the second half on the front foot and pressed Whitchurch back towards their own goal. Although chances were scarce due to the defending of Foulkes, Brookes, Sugden and Doug Buckeridge, eventually Runcorn doubled their lead following an excellent save from Jones when a bouncing ball was bundled in at the far post, with just a hint of a Runcorn foot.

Whitchurch redoubled their efforts and continued to attack the Runcorn goal. Deft dribbling skills in the dee led to Craig Hockenhull firing wide and the same player struck shots from short corners wide of the goal. Some excellent dribbling skills from Lockie Price led to a flick towards goal that was parried by the keeper and Fred Egerton was just unable to sweep the ball into the goal despite, although he almost injured himself by banging his head on the post in his efforts. Defenders crowded out Aaron Shackleton after he neatly flicked the ball past the on-rushing Runcorn keeper, but despite their efforts, Whitchurch were unable to score the goal they deserved.

This game followed a similar pattern to a number of Whitchurch’s games this season. Despite playing some good hockey, they were unable to score the goals that their play warranted. Whilst at the other end, solid defending and excellent goalkeeping were punished by momentary lapses in concentration or by a little bit of bad luck. Once again all 12 of the Whitchurch players put in 100% and can be proud of their application. Like last week the performances of Lockie Price and Fred Egerton were a massive plus for the side and are a credit to the work Alex Fry puts in with the academy and juniors on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

Whitchurch 2s play their final game of the season next week, away to Chester University.

 

Wilmslow ladies 4s 1 Whitchurch ladies 2s 4

As the seasons coming to an end Whitchurch ladies 2s travelled to their last away match at Wilmslow. Whitchurch started off the stronger of the two teams by picking out players in the top of the Dee. Whitchurch started off the scoring within the first 10 minutes of the match as captain Tracy Tolhurst and Katie Goodwin picked out Amy Fry who slotted the ball past the Wilmslow keeper.

Whitchurch were not stopping there solid defending from Jess Kimberley, Hebe Dixon, Martha Teggin and Mel Reid stopped the Wilmslow team in their tracks as they were travelling towards goal keeper Shola Bailey. A free hit from Kimberley who found Fry on the top of the Dee who then slotted the ball past the advancing keeper.

Whitchurch had a momentary lapse in concentration and Wilmslow found the space to make the score 2-1. Emily Vernon and Beth Skyes linked well down the left and again found Fry who shot just wide.

In the second half Whitchurch had switched on their A game and were creating space and passing the ball between debutant Vicky Price and Wendy Cooper, Hayleigh Busby picked out Fry unmarked in the Dee who then completed her hattrick as she sweeped the ball home. Whitchurch continued to apply pressure with many short corners and eventually Busby sweeped the ball home and bringing the score up to 4-1.

Whitchurch will be finishing the season at home against Macclesfield ladies 4s. Amy Fry received player of the match.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 3 – Wrexham Glyndwr Men’s 3s 2

Having achieved their second promotion in two seasons Whitchurch travelled to Wrexham knowing they needed to pick up three points from this game to ensure that next week’s top-of-the-table clash wasn’t critical to winning the league. Wrexham came out fighting with a team that was stronger than their league position suggests. Wrexham started strongly and provided width and depth, with a formation that pressured the Whitchurch defence from the start.

Whether it was a change in personnel, or the bouncier water-based pitch, Whitchurch struggled to find their form and spent large parts of the game chasing the play. When things worked well, passing moves got the ball up the pitch, but breakdowns in play – from poor passes, or strong defence, meant it wasn’t until half way through the first half before Ben Kimberley managed to go one-on-one round the last defender and slot it past the keeper. This spurred Wrexham on, and the pressure paid off as James Partington’s last-man attempted block looped up and landed right in front of the Wrexham striker who fired it past keeper Aaron Swain to finish the half all square.

The second half was more of the same, with both sides very even until the deadlock was broken by Jack Barnes getting the ball in after a goalmouth scramble when Ben Fry’s cross came in from the right wing. Again, this gave Wrexham the fire to come back and they scored from a short corner. At 2-2 with an unlikely win on the cards, Wrexham put everything into the game which including extra enthusiasm into their tackles which lost them a player to a card.

Wrexham continued to look for the win and managed to get a long ball up the centre of the pitch where they had a three-on-two overload and looked likely to score but for Ryan Murtagh’s brilliant last-second stretched tackle took the ball away from the Wrexham strikers, saving the game.

With three minutes on the clock and three important points at stake, Whitchurch got a short corner from a foul in the dee. The injection was slipped to Dale Seymour who picked out Joel Leese who slotted it away to give the Reds the goal.

Whitchurch took the three points and the top slot in the league going into next week’s crunch match at home against Liverpool Sefton 3s.

 

Alderley Edge ladies 4s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 4

Whitchurch played away at Alderley Edge, Whitchurch started strong and kept the ball well despite pressure from a youthful Alderley Edge side.

Sue Read opened the Whitchurch scoring shortly into the game and was soon followed by after an amazing piece of skill from Charlotte Lawder beating the defender and picking out Ellie Windsor for Whitchurch’s second and a two goal lead into the break.

The second half started with strong play down the left hand side from Lucy Ratcliffe, Millie Edwards and Phoebe Jones. Alderley Edge pushed forward and started to create chances but the defence held strong. Whitchurch counterattacked and Emma Harper set up Grace Berry for a well-worked goal.

Alderley continued to fight for ball and managed to pull back a goal. Whitchurch were then awarded a short corner which Emma Harper duely converted. Alderly edge kept up the pace and scored the final goal of the game but Whitchurch secured another well-deserved three points. Lucy Ratcliffe was awarded player of the match.

 

Whitchurch ladies 2s 2 Sandbach ladies 1s 1

Whitchurch entertained league leaders Sandbach requiring a point to secure promotion and three points to take them back to the top of the league.

Whitchurch were ready for the physical presence of the Sandbach team after their loss earlier in the season and from the start took the game to them. Although Whitchurch had long periods of possession Sandbach tackled hard and frustrated Whitchurch chances to a minimum against the run of play goalkeeper Shola Bailey pulled of a brilliant one on one save to keep Whitchurch in the match.

The half time talk focused on maintaining the Whitchurch strategy and not getting dragged into physical battle and also not to attack to much as a point was enough.

Whitchurch started the second half much the same as the first finished but it was not until midway through the half that Whitchurch were awarded a penalty corner and Lisa Sullivan slammed home the shot.

Sandbach threw everything into the attack and soon got the equalizer. Within minutes Whitchurch hearts sank as the Sandbach forward rounded the Whitchurch keeper and struck only for Mel Reid to calmly stop the shot on the line beat the oncoming attacker and clear the ball.

Whitchurch then got their break as Hebe Dixon drove forward and picked out Ashleigh Heath to turn home the winning goal.

Whitchurch took the three points secured promotion and returned to the top of the table with two games remaining.

Both the ladies 1s and ladies 2s travel away to Wilmslow for their fixtures next week.

Whitchurch Mens 2s 0 Deeside Ramblers Mens 7s 0

In their final home game of the season, Whitchurch 2s played out an entertaining 0-0 draw with Deeside 7s on a chilly, damp afternoon at SJT. Whitchurch welcomed Craig Hockenhull back into midfield, for his first game of 2017, and offered debuts to two academy graduates, Lockie Price and Fred Egerton.

Deeside started the game on the front foot, taking the game to Whitchurch. Despite having more possession and territory in the opening stages, Deeside struggled to make inroads into the Whitchurch dee and as they committed more men forward Whitchurch were able to play on the counter-attack, but were unable to create any chances to shoot on goal.

As the first half wore on, the Whitchurch midfield of Hockenhull, Matt Brookes and Pete Scales gained more control of control in the centre of the pitch and the game became much more even. Both sides were susceptible to counter-attacks and on a few occasions Whitchurch keeper Neil Jones was called on to clear the danger or make good saves when Deeside’s lone forward was found free in the dee.

At the other end of the pitch Lockie Price, Tom Forster and Fred Egerton were combining well with the Whitchurch midfield, but were still struggling to create shots on goal from open play. A few short corners were won and Hockenhull fired narrowly wide from one well worked routine, but the Deeside keeper still hadn’t made a save when Fred Egerton brilliantly swept home a cross into the dee from Pete Scales. Sadly the goal was chalked off as the ball hadn’t travelled five metres before Scales fired into the dee.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with possession and territory evenly split between the two teams. The Whitchurch midfield cut the supply line to the lone Deeside forward and the Deeside attacks came through more sustained hockey in the Whitchurch half of the pitch. Other than one shot which hit the post midway through the half, keeper Jones was well protected by the Whitchurch defence of Matt Brookes, Iain Bones, Danny Foulkes and Richard Leigh.

Whitchurch offered more threat to the Deeside goal in the second half. A well worked short corner routine led to Tom Forster striking the Deeside post and neat skills from Craig Hockenhull saw him dribble into the dee and fire another shot narrowly wide. Airon Jones was unable to get his stick down to turn in a cross at the far post.

This was an entertaining game of hockey between two equally matched sides. Whitchurch were disciplined in both attack and defence and played some good controlled hockey for large parts of the game. All of the players worked hard and supported team mates at both ends of the pitch. But the highlight was undoubtedly the debuts of the two junior players, both of whom played excellent hockey against some experienced and skilled opponents.

Next weekend the 2s travel to Runcorn for their penultimate game of the season.