Whitchurch ladies 3’s 0 Golborne ladies 3’s 0

Despite the blustery weather Whitchurch started well with some strong attacks into the dee and won two short corners in quick succession in the first five minutes. Unfortunately, Whitchurch were unable to convert them but maintained the pressure well throughout the first half with some driving runs from attacking players Millie Carruthers, Annie Buckeridge, Kate Buckeridge, Caitlin Shaw and Holly Gilbert. Victoria Corlett was especially relentless with her superb tackles and our captain Wendy Cooper deserves a special mention for her excellent defence of our own dee, preventing many attacks from the Golborne front line. New recruits, Mia Spruce, Fran Ball and Annie Leigh worked very hard on the wings running back to support the defence and forward to support the attack.

When Golborne did manage to get past our superb backs Jan Teggin and Mel Reid, and goalie Gwyn Thomas-Rees refused to let any goals in and dived across goal several times to maintain our clean sheet. Mel Reid was magnificent with her hard hitting out and deserved being named ‘players player’ from the Golborne team. Unfortunately, Mel had to limp off with a hamstring injury early in the second half and was replaced by experienced back Emily Lister, who won the prize for the most running as she defended and led some attacks up the left wing.

Whitchurch carried on attacking right until the final whistle with Holly Gilbert narrowly missing the goal several times. A draw was perhaps a fair result as our excellent defence kept out shots from Golborne when we were caught on the counter attack but Whitchurch are definitely making progress and improving game on game.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 1 Bebington Men’s 4s 2

Whitchurch Men’s 2s welcomed Bebington 4s to a wild and windy Whitchurch on Saturday afternoon, looking to build on their good performance at Runcorn in the last match.

The Reds immediately took the upper hand in the game and forced a short corner within the first couple of minutes, which Martin Beecher fire just wide from the edge of the dee. With Craig Hockenhull and Jake Wood providing impetus from midfield, the home side continued to dominate possession and territory during the early stages, although they struggled to create any real shooting opportunities.

Bebington were content to sit back and soak up pressure and hit Whitchurch on the counter attack. The Reds defence of Mark Sugden, Brendan Coburn, Doug Buckeridge, Richard Leigh and Will Snaith dealt with most of the attacks before they got anywhere near the home dee, although on the odd occasion that Bebington did get close to the Whitchurch goal, they were keen to play the ball against home feet, looking for short corners. From one corner they struck the post and another was well defended by the home side. Keeper Gareth Teggin also did really well to rush from his line and put off the forward as the ball ricocheted into the dee and found the Bebington player unmarked in front of goal.

The home team continued to press forward and Beecher and Hockenhull both had chances but couldn’t find the target, and good work on the flanks through Ethan Gresty and Joe Faithfull led to dangerous crosses that neither side could get to. As the half drew to a close, Whitchurch forced another short corner and although Jake Wood drove the ball home, the ball was deemed not to have left the dee, and the goal was ruled out.

Initially the second half followed a similar pattern, with Whitchurch dominating, but struggling to create clear opportunities and Bebington playing on the counterattack. As the home side became more frustrated with missed opportunities and some umpiring decisions, Bebington opened the scoring. The ball again ricocheted around the Whitchurch dee, but this time a visiting player was able to turn the ball past Teggin into the goal.

Whitchurch pushed forward in response and had a flurry of chances through Phil Tranter, David Brunyard, Paul Humphries and Beecher, with Jacob Buckeridge and Jake Wood doing well to keep the ball in the danger area as the visiting keeper made saves and the defenders hacked the ball away from the goal.

Bebington, however, extended their lead as a high ball into the home dee found a visiting player who sliced his shot, so the ball looped into the air and over the stranded Whitchurch keeper Teggin. The fluke goal was harsh on Whitchurch but they continued to attack and try and get themselves back into the game.

Rotating from the bench, the home side brought the injured Doug Buckeridge on up front. A neat combination of passes between the two Buckeridges and Beecher enabled the latter to power into the dee and fire home to halve the deficit. Doug Buckeridge then forced the Bebington keeper into a save at his near post as Whitchurch pressed for an equaliser.

With time almost up Buckeridge again broke into the dee but was thwarted as the visiting keeper rushed from his line, and the keeper then saved well, twice, as Hockenhull followed up to strike shots at goal. The final whistle blew as Bebington eventually hacked the ball clear.

Again, the 2s played well but couldn’t get the result their play warranted. The young players played well … even when on the end of some robust treatment. Two new players made their debuts for the 2s, and hopefully David Brunyard and Paul Humphries will be back for more games in the near future. The defenders played well once again and restricted the opposition chances and Gareth Teggin continues to improve in goal and couldn’t do anything with either of the goals scored by Bebington.

The 2s don’t have matches on the next two weekends, unless a fixture gets rearranged. The next 2s game is scheduled for 3^rd November, away to Neston 8s.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 10 – Bangor City Men’s 2s 1

Whitchurch travelled to a very wet and windy Bangor this week to play a restructured club combining the previous University teams with local city players, so were unsure what to expect in terms of strength of opposition. As it turned out, Bangor were a man down, so the Reds were at an immediate advantage, but the important requirement was to make that count: other teams in the league had already got three points from Bangor, who are bottom of the table, and Whitchurch had to ensure they did the same to maintain their league position. Complicating matters was that Whitchurch themselves were fielding a changed team, with four players moved up from the 2s, as they too had players away or still injured, so it was critical to make a good start.

A good start was indeed made, as Whitchurch began brightly in the steady rain, moving the ball well and spreading it wide to Fred Egerton and Sam Conway on the wings. The Bangor defence let them go time and again and it gave the Reds many opportunities to stretch the play around the dee and attack from all angles until Ben Kimberley got a quick pass through to Nick Cooper who got his shot past the keeper for the first goal of the game. Another followed swiftly as Kimberley his first on the board, and Whitchurch continued to dominate, implementing the plan for a high press if the game allowed and spending large portions of the game entirely in the Bangor half.

Bangor lost a player to injury early in the first half, but were able to find an extra player and started to get more of the ball on the break. Euan Morris in goal, stepping up from the 2s, had an excellent game and was instrumental in saving a Bangor short corner, coming out bravely and kicking the ball to safety just as their striker was about to hit it from the penalty spot area. At the other end, two more goals from Kimberley and Cooper had the Reds go in to half time 4-0 up and in complete control of the game.

The half time talk from captain Alex Fry was about repeating the good parts from the first half, and ensuring they continued to get more goals in the second rather than sitting back. It was an opportunity to improve the finishing skills from around the dee, even if that were to mean letting in a goal at the other end, and Whitchurch put that into practice immediately in the second half with Cooper scoring within 30 seconds of the restart. The rest of the game was well controlled, with Conway and Egerton swapping sides regularly to unsettle the Bangor defence, and the midfield of Kimberley, Fry and Tom Forster holding the centre of the field well, recycling the ball across the pitch as well as back to Danny Foulkes and James Partington in central defence allowing attacks to reform on either side. Also stepping up from the 2s were Wyn Morris, who at right back took their winger out of the game with excellent marking, and Joe Coburn in his first game for the 1s putting in a composed and confident performance with tight marking and skill on the ball ensuring their right wing was unable to put together an effective attack.

More goals followed for Whitchurch, with Kimberley getting a reverse-stick strike and a drag-flick from a short corner routine, and Cooper got to an impressive 5 goals for the game by being in the right place at the right time after some selfless passing and movement in the Bangor dee. At the other end, Coburn continued to defend hard and keeper Morris made a number of important saves. Perhaps the most incredible goal, though, came from Bangor with the clearing sixteen taken by the goalkeeper (who was shaping up to flick it before deciding to kick it) whose hefty clearance took a deflection, bobbled over or past every Whitchurch defender and got picked up by the Bangor high man who got it round Morris for their consolation goal. The celebrations were almost as impressive and the Reds couldn’t help but applaud!

The final goal went to Whitchurch with a move down the left getting to Cooper in the dee whose shot was going high but wide of the goal before Egerton swatted it down into the goal for his first to cap a strong game by him. The final score was 10-1, and was fully deserved; it was a strong team effort around some excellent individual performances. The man of the match was Joe Coburn for his impressive performance and the result sees Whitchurch go third in the league. Next week they play Brooklands MU 6s at home.

Oswestry Ladies 1s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 0

This week Whitchurch 1s travelled away to play Oswestry 1s. Despite the weather and the blow of losing a player before the start of the match with car trouble the Whitchurch team had high spirits and were determined to work hard for another win.

Whitchurch started the first half strong, with Millie Edwards and Emma Harper stopping many Oswestry crosses into the dee and goalkeeper Maddy Sugden saving many shots from short corners and open play. After a few minutes of battling to keep the ball out of the Whitchurch dee with Chloe Lloyd making some good tackles, Oswestry found a gap in the defence and scored putting them 1-0 up. Whitchurch kept their heads up and continued to work hard and push forward with the ball, but couldn’t get a goal.

After the half-time break, Whitchurch came back strong and started the second half well with captain Catherine Winter-Gresty and Kate Leicester making some amazing runs and crosses into the Oswestry dee. However, nobody was able to get a touch on the ball to score. Both teams continued to play well with Maddy Sugden making more incredible saves and Hebe Dixon making some amazing runs and tackles. Due to only having 10 players, Whitchurch began to get tired and this is when Oswestry managed to score another goal making the score 2-0. But Whitchurch still didn’t give up. Players Helen Mellor and Ellie Windsor made some good tackles and runs into the dee, where Lisa Sullivan had some shots but was unable to score from them. The final whistle went and the score remained 2-0 to Oswestry. Whitchurch goalkeeper Maddy Sugden received best player.

Next week Whitchurch 1s will play Deeside 3s at home.

Whitchurch Ladies 2s 1 Runcorn ladies 2s 2

It was a damp Saturday afternoon as the Whitchurch ladies 2s team took to the pitch. Whitchurch started strong and took possession despite Runcorn having first push back.

Whitchurch maintained the majority of possession in the first half despite the constant pressure from Runcorn ladies. Whitchurch worked together and started to string the passes around the team including some good runs from Izzy Huxley, Molly Fry and Amelie Morris. However Runcorn’s quick reactions led to an unexpected goal, despite Gwyn Thomas-Rees best efforts.

Half time came and Whitchurch had s good team talk and came back regrouped in the second half. After a slight change in our attack, Whitchurch came back fighting with an amazing goal from Nina Hodges. Runcorn took this as an opportunity to restructure their attack, by leaving a high man up and hoping for a lucky ball through the middle. Despite our best efforts Runcorn managed to sneak another goal leaving the game 2-1. Whitchurch rallied though and continued to work and regain possession until the final whistle. In the end Runcorn’s technical skill and powerful running were too much for Whitchurch this time.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Winnington Park ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s entertained Winnington Park this Saturday and from the start Whitchurch took control of the game passing well between midfield players Lisa Sullivan, Catherine Winter-Gresty and Hebe Dixon and had a definite upper hand on Winnington Park as the ball stayed up in the attacking half.

Whitchurch had many shots on goal, but it took something special from new player Katy Leicester who scored flicking up over the keeper into the net to break the deadlock. Winnington Parks keeper made a number of fine saves to prevent Whitchurch extending their lead in the first half. Whitchurch’s defence pushed high allowing Sophie Ward and Millie Edwards to support the forwards adding extra pressure on Winnington.

After a team talk at half time Whitchurch came out maybe a little on the back foot as Winnington Park took a goal from top dee. Whitchurch ladies had a wake-up call to the fact they were not going to have an easy second half and really showed Winnington that they weren’t going to be beaten. Forwards Jessica Carruthers, Katy Leicester and Nina Hodges opened themselves up to receive the ball from outside the dee and this gave Jessica the opportunity to slip in a goal passed the keeper. Spirits high Whitchurch had a run of shorts due to their persistent pressure in the dee and Lisa Sullivan scored their third goal. As Winnington Park tired Jessica Carruthers took the ball half way up the pitch to a defence free dee and shot another into the corner.

With five minutes to go Whitchurch held the ball up in Winnington Parks half preventing any breaks and securing the three points. Players player was awarded to Millie Edwards.

Ladies 1s play away at Oswestry next week.

Neston ladies 4s 2  Whitchurch ladies 2s 2

Whitchurch travelled to play against Neston on Saturday. Whitchurch knew that this was going to be a very tough but evenly matched game. Neston applied the pressure quickly to the Whitchurch defence who had seen a lot of the game with in the first few minutes. Within the first 15 minutes of the match Whitchurch strung together some amazing passes between Ellie McEvoy, Emily Vernon and Amelie Morris who slotted the ball past the advancing keeper.

Neston quick reactions after the Whitchurch goal, caught Whitchurch by surprise and scored the equaliser.

Whitchurch then worked together and started to string the passes around the team including some good runs from Martha Teggin, Edina Jones and Leanne Read and Izzy Huxley but without reward.

Whitchurch were awarded a penalty stroke after a clash of sticks and the ball being stopped from Stephanie Stanton. Jess Kimberley took up the challenge and slotted it straight through the keepers legs to bring the score line to 2-1.

Half time came shortly after and Whitchurch regrouped and then worked out a plan to get some more chances. Neston came out faster than they had been in the first half making Whitchurch have to rethink again.

The advanced Whitchurch goal keeper Gwyn Thomas Rees saw a lot of action along with the advanced defence of Chloe Lloyd, Emma Clarke, Jess Kimberley and Edina Jones fighting off the fast and skilful Neston attack and then equalised and brought the final score to 2-2.

Player of the match went to Jess Kimberley

Runcorns Mens 3s 2 Whitchurch Mens 2s 1

With last weekend’s game cancelled, Whitchurch Men’s 2s took a youthful and inexperienced side to unbeaten Runcorn, looking to improve upon their 8-0 thumping from their opening game of the season.

In bright sunshine the opening exchanges were evenly balanced, with most of the possession, for both sides, in the middle of the pitch, as attacks floundered before making progress into either dee. Whitchurch enjoyed some controlled possession with Craig Hockenhull instrumental in all of the team’s good passing movements.

The defence of Mark Sugden, Doug Buckeridge, Wyn Morris and newbie Brendan Coburn supported each other to snuff out the Runcorn attacks before they threatened the Whitchurch goal, and provided the platform for the younger members of the team to become more confident and progressive higher up the pitch.

Joe Coburn, Joe Faithfull and Euan Morris combined superbly down the Reds’ right side and became more of a threat to the Runcorn goal, while Phil Tranter, Ethan Gresty and Jacob Buckeridge worked some good attacking positions down the left. Shots at goal were still at a premium, but Runcorn retreated deeper into their own dee, and became more desperate in their attempts to keep Whitchurch away from their goal. A number of short corners were won and Whitchurch worked some creative routines to threaten an opening goal.

Runcorn were reduced to long punts down field to create their own attacking moments. A couple of half chances came and went, before the home team opened the scoring against the run of play. A cross into the dee didn’t look to be any particular threat, but despite young keeper Gareth Teggin best efforts the ball trickled agonisingly into the Whitchurch goal.

Undeterred, Whitchurch pushed forward and almost immediately equalised. Joe Faithfull picked up the ball deep on the right and drove into the Runcorn dee along the touchline. His pull-back was flicked on to Euan Morris by Craig Hockenhull and Euan took his time to fire home Whitchurch’s first goal of the season.

Spurred on by their goal, Whitchurch created more opportunities to score, but a lack of ruthlessness in the dee, and desperate defending by the hosts kept the score level until halftime.

Whitchurch continued their good play into the second half. Again Craig Hockenhull was instrumental in the middle of the pitch, but the younger players continued to combine well, with short, sharp passes and movements. Craig Hockenhull, Joe Coburn and Euan Morris saw shots go wide or cleared by the Runcorn defence, Phil Tranter forced a good stop by the keeper, and the Reds did force the ball into the goal at a short corner, but the whistle had already gone for an infringement.

Jacob Buckeridge, Ethan Gresty and James Page continued to battle against opponents much bigger and older than themselves, while at the other end of the pitch, the Whitchurch defenders continued to restrict Runcorn’s efforts to penetrate the Reds’ dee. However, late in the half, despite their good play, a loss of possession clearing a sideline ball, allowed Runcorn to put together a neat passing move and score from their first meaningful shot of the second half.

As the Reds pushed forward looking for an equaliser, they became vulnerable on the counterattack. The Whitchurch defenders cleared up most of the Runcorn attacks, but the hosts did break clear once, and keeper Gareth Teggin brilliantly charged from goal to force the Runcorn forward wide and the resulting shot never threatened the goal.

Unfortunately the game finished 2-1 to the hosts, but the 2s can take many positives from the game. The passing and movement up front and through midfield caused Runcorn no end of problems. Joe Faithfull was dynamic on the right, Ethan Gresty played really well in midfield, and Gareth Teggin’s late rush from his goal line certainly prevented a third Runcorn goal. Brendan Coburn, a product of Back-to-Hockey and injured Wyn Morris both had excellent games in defence.

The biggest compliment to the side was graciously given by their opponents, and the fact that a Runcorn side that now have three wins from three games, felt that Whitchurch deserved at least a draw from the game.

The 2s will look to continue their upturn in form next Saturday when they entertain Bebington 4s at SJT.

Clwb Hoci Eirias Ladies 1s 9  Whitchurch ladies 3s 0

Whitchurch arrived at Colwyn Bay with low expectations, after Eirias’ success earlier on in the league. They went out bravely and fought continuously throughout the match. Unfortunately, Whitchurch conceded their first goal only a few minutes into the game. This did not stop their resilient attitude though, as they came back just as strong. They battled through the first half, with some close shots on goal from Annie Buckeridge and Ellie Windsor, and some superb runs down the wings from Holly Gilbert and Mia Spruce. By half time they had managed to keep the score down to only 7-0.

After half time, the team went back on re-energised and raring to keep this half’s score under 7. The defenders, Jan Teggin and Mel Reid were outstandingly brave, even after some amazing shots on goal from the other team. Louise Cottrell, the goalkeeper, made countless incredible saves, securing her player of the match. Kate Buckeridge ran onto the ball fantastically, after some lovely passes from Wendy Cooper, which created some opportunities for shots on goal. Caitlin Shaw made some excellent tackles in the middle of the pitch, as well as some great crosses into the dee.

After the final whistle blew, signalling full time, Whitchurch came off the pitch ecstatic; they had only conceived two goals that half, making the final score 9-0.

Whitchurch Mens 1s 3 – 2 Macclesfield 3s

Whitchurch Mens 1s made hard work of this game against a well-organised and resilient Macclesfield side. Despite dominating early exchanges, with scoring chances for Peter Scales and Nick Cooper, many attacking plays were cleared up by the Macclesfield defence, and it was the visiting team that scored first on the break late in the first half – a raised shot wrong-footing keeper Paul Leigh. Whitchurch continued to press until half time, but were unable to convert possession into goals or penalty corners.

The second half saw the pressure lifted temporarily, with an early equaliser created through patient work from Scales on the right hand side, before crossing for Cooper to finish from in front of goal. But the game then settled back into the previous pattern, with Whitchurch increasingly frustrated by their inability to score further. A penalty corner awarded to Macclesfield saw the visitors again go in front, with a raised shot deflected high off the goalkeeper’s pads, leading to a period of ill discipline and a string of sin bin offences for Whitchurch players, including captain Alex Fry. However, the away team were unable to capitalise on this advantage, and when Whitchurch returned to full strength they were able to settle and push for the win.

Excellent individual skills from man of the match Jake Wood at the top of the D, saw him create the space he needed to shoot hard and low to the keeper’s left to level the score. Within minutes Whitchurch had clinched the game with a flowing move starting out wide with Fred Egerton and only two incisive passes required to present Cooper with his second. Whitchurch maintained possession for most of the final minutes of play, and managed to survive one final scare at their end to hold on for the win.

Whitchurch Mens 1s 1 – Birkenhead Mens 1s 3

Whitchurch travelled to Birkenhead for their first away-game of the season, against a team that had mirrored the Reds’ own quick rise through the lower two divisions of the league. Birkenhead were a team of skilful, seasoned players who immediately put the Whitchurch defence under heavy and persistent pressure. With the 2s match postponed, Danny Foulkes stepped up to the 1s to combine with James Partington in central defence, flanked by Tom Forster and Airan Jones, and worked well to repel the well-worked plays down both wings. Marking was tight, with Jones having an exceptional game on the left, often nullifying their right wing’s impact and forcing them to recycle across the pitch.

In the middle Jack Barnes again had a strong controlling role, commanding the centre and getting the ball out wide to Alex Fry and Ben Kimberley in the midfield, and then up to Sam Conway on the right, Nick Cooper in the middle and Fred Egerton on the left. Cooper and Egerton also stepped up from the 2s and had solid games, helping the 1s get through their player shortage – Ben Fry’s injuries from last week mean a few weeks away from the team – but were often cut out from the match by a solid midfield and defence combined with a high press from Birkenhead. That pressure finally told, after several important saves, with a drive down the right ending in a shot being well blocked initially by Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal but rebounding into the path of a striker and the shot was put away well.

Whitchurch responded strongly and thought they had got an equaliser from a short corner, but Conway’s clean strike through to the back of the net was disallowed as the umpire had blown to give Whitchurch another short corner just as the ball was struck. It was with some frustration that half time came with the Reds 1-0 down, but the talk from captain Fry was about continuing to do well the things they had been doing well during the first half, whilst maintaining a bit more composure on the ball.

The second half started in the same vein, and some excellent work from all led to a pass from Conway to Barnes to Cooper ending with Kimberley being able to put the ball over the keeper. Again, Whitchurch thought they had another goal, from Cooper at a short corner, but it was ruled out after some confusion from the umpires over which of the various line markings on the pitch the ball needed to have crossed.

At this point frustrations showed from both teams, and an over-zealous tackle and reaction saw a player from each team receive a yellow-card. The pressure was back on immediately, and Sturge in goal was instrumental in keeping the scoreline steady: his saves stopped several goals, and allowed the defence to clear with confidence. Unfortunately, a quick sixteen taken from deep in the Reds’ dee was cut out by the retreating Birkenhead forwards and drilled back into the Whitchurch goal. This was followed shortly by the best goal of the game as Birkenhead put together a flowing move and managed to get a sharp ball through the Reds’ defence to a striker on the back post who was able to guide the ball home for their third.

The game ended 3-1 to Birkenhead, but there were a lot of positives to take from the game: strong defence, good marking, good movement going forward and, perhaps critically, no goals scored from the many short corners that Birkenhead won. This was mostly down to the man-of-the-match, Sturge, commanding his dee and ensuring that the scoreline was fair in a match that could easily have gone either way. Whitchurch are at home next week to Runcorn 3s.

Oxon ladies 2s 0 Whitchurch ladies 3s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled to West Kirby to play 3rd in the division Oxton 2s. Knowing it was going to be a tough game Whitchurch held positions and made it very difficult for Oxton to make any headway towards the goal.

Accurate passes and good communication payed off for Whitchurch as their first goal was scored from a slap into the dee by Sophie Ward to Hebe Dixon, slipping to Grace Berry on post to score.

Oxton kept on hitting through mid field with big hits for defence Millie Edwards and Catherine Reese-Gresty to collect and send back up to mid players Lisa Sullivan, Stephanie Stanton and Helen Machin. Whitchurch had a run of short corners which resulted in Hebe Dixon scoring from a straight strike. Whitchurch players Ellie Windsor and Catherine Winter-Gresty kept firing balls into the Oxton dee allowing Whitchurch plenty of shots on goal and also keeping Oxton defence on their toes.

After half time Oxton pushed hard passing up the pitch making Whitchurch keeper Maddy Sugden make an amazing save, but then Oxton were awarded a short. Whitchurch came out fast with Catherine Winter-Gresty reaching the ball and deflecting away from goal.

As Oxton tired Whitchurch kept the pressure on and managed a third goal, Lisa Sullivan fired into the dee and Jessica Carruthers flicked over the keeper. With 5 minutes to go Whitchurch ladies were strong and held together for a very well deserved 3-0 win. Ellie Windsor received the match players player for her outstanding play.

Ladies 1s play at home next week against Winnington Park 2s.

Whitchurch ladies 3s 1 Wilmslow ladies 5s 1

It was a great match for the Ladies 3rds on saturday, with them gaining their first point of the season. Whitchurch started off strong, with some promising runs made down the middle of the pitch, and some close shots narrowly missing the goal. Izzy Huxley made some fantastic attacks down the wing, finishing with some great shots at the goal by Sue Read. Whitchurch kept up their determined play, with Mel Reid and Jan Teggin forming a solid defence at the back of the pitch, and fending off all of Wilmslow’s attacks on goal. Unfortunately, by half time, no goals were scored, despite their advantage in possession, keeping the score at 0-0.

After half time, Whitchurch went back on, feeling energised, and as persistent as in the first half. Early on in the second half, Caitlin Edwards managed to score a lovely goal, putting Whitchurch one goal up. They kept this up, with Annie leigh and Caitlin Shaw making some promising runs down the side. Whitchurch maintained their lead for most of the quarter, with some incredible defending form Martha Teggin, and some brilliant saves from their keeper, Louis Cotteril. Unluckily, in the last 10 minutes of the game, Wilmslow managed to come back and scored a goal, evening out the score to 1-1. Whitchurch continued to battle to try to win back this goal, but were unsuccessful, concluding their game with a draw off 1-1.

Caitlin Edwards was awarded player of the match.

Both the ladies and men’s 2s games were cancelled as their opposition failed to raise teams.

Whitchurch Men’s 1s 2  Lymm Men’s 2s 2

Whitchurch started their season at home against a team from Lymm who finished one place above them last year and had proved capable opposition in both matches, so were set for a tough, competitive match. With a change in personnel for the new season, the Reds were able to give games to new players whilst restructuring the formations around the current players so it was the first chance to see how that would work.

Craig Hockenhull led the charge from the front, playing a number of good one-two movements with Peter Scales and Tom Forster on the wings. Jack Barnes provided the strength in midfield, flanked by Ben Kimberley and Ben Fry, and they were able to command large periods of the first half, with Airan Jones and Sam Conway rotating in for the wingers to ensure the pressure was always on the Lymm defence. That pressure eventually told as, after a number of near misses and saves by the Lymm keeper, a goalmouth scramble allowed Ben Kimberley to put the ball through the keeper’s legs for the Reds’ first goal.

Lymm took this as an opportunity to restructure their attack, moving to a plan of leaving a high man up and hoping for a lucky ball through the middle or left, but the defence of Rob Chappell, James Partington, Alex Fry and Jake Wood were able to withstand most of the attacks, and Lymm were unlucky with their last touches on a couple of occasions and what did go at goal was dealt with positively by Paul “Sturge” Leigh. Eventually their attacks bore fruit as a drive down the right wing and across the baseline took an unfortunate bobble over a defender’s stick allowing it through to the striker who was able to get it past Sturge in goal.

At one-all, the half-time talk was all about maintaining what had been a solid performance in the first half, not letting heads drop and just to continue to do things the right way. The game continued to be very evenly balanced and allowed for some real moments of skill with the midfield and forwards putting together some of the smooth, slick hockey that has been a growing part of the Whitchurch game. With time ticking, and early-season fitness yet to blossom, Lymm were able to take advantage on the break to put pressure on the Reds’ defence to claim a short corner, and some good fortune on their part saw their strike bounce back onto a diving keeper to go in.

Whitchurch rallied though, and were able to draw level again through some well worked passes through the middle allowing Alex Fry a shot on goal that the keeper could only fend off into the path of a rapidly arriving Hockenhull who put the ball away confidently. The end of the game was marred by an injury to Ben Fry whose stick got caught causing a painful shoulder injury, so we wish him a speedy recovery. The 2-2 result was a fair reflection of a good game played in a fine spirit between two evenly matched teams. The man of the match is shared between Barnes, Kimberley and Ben Fry for taking control of the game and giving the rest of the team a foundation from which to build.

Whitchurch ladies 3s 0 Macclesfield ladies 4s 3

Whitchurch started strong and took possession despite Macclesfield having first push back. Annie Buckeridge drove the ball through the midfield to have first shot on goal going just wide.

Whitchurch maintained the majority of possession, Emily Hilton making some lovely interceptions and quick passes to Kate Buckeridge who created many opportunities on the wing.

Despite being the dominant force Whitchurch succumbed to a strong hit from the Macclesfield defence and a fast attack which they clinically finished.

Whitchurch kept up the high work rare and quick passes between Caitlin Edwards and Holly Gilbert give Whitchurch more chances on goal.

The second half saw Whitchurch come back with determination however newly empowered Macclesfield were hungry for more and dominated the early exchanges. Great defending by both Jan Teggin and Emily Lister brought Whitchurch back to life. Martha Teggin held the midfield well making some lovely passes. Whitchurch regained possession and had more opportunities to pressure the Macclesfield dee but without success.

Despite great efforts Macclesfield scored their second goal about 15 minutes into the half. Macclesfield continued the attacks, Louise Cotterill worked hard in goal saving a number of shots but eventually from a short corner Macclesfield scored their 3rd goal.

Whitchurch ladies continued to work and regain possession until the final whistle but without reward.

Golborne Men’s 3s 8 Whitchurch Men’s 2s 0

Whitchurch Men’s 2s began their league campaign, full of optimism, with a lunchtime trip to Warrington to play Golborne 3s. Despite the absence of Captain Neil Jones, the Reds were able to take a squad of 15 to Warrington, including 8 senior players; however, things didn’t go quite as they’d hoped.

Whitchurch started brightly enough, with both sides battling for control of midfield and able to make progress up to their opponent’s dee before the attacks broke down. Iain Bones, Wyn Morris and Mark Sugden were excellent in defence for the Reds, breaking up the Golborne attacks and driving the ball forward, where Nick Cooper was linking well with Fred Egerton and Euan Morris on the wings to give Golborne a few nervy moments.

Midway through the first half a Whitchurch attack broke down on the edge of the Golborne dee, and the home side were able to break with numbers on the exposed Whitchurch defence. With superior numbers, Golborne worked the ball around the Reds defenders and opened the scoring … and the floodgates.

As Whitchurch drove forward in search of a goal, they continued to leave big gaps in midfield. Phil Tranter and Danny Foulkes were both left exposed in the centre of the pitch as Golborne’s powerful runners led the counter-attacks on the Whitchurch goal. The defence continued to work hard to keep the ball away from goal and Gareth Teggin, making his senior debut in goal, made some excellent saves and clearances, but Golborne scored twice more to take a 3-0 lead into the half-time break.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first. In the early stages of the half Whitchurch moved the ball forward quite neatly, with Joe Faithfull and James Page creating width and Joe Coburn providing some controlled possession in attacking areas. The defence kept the Golborne attacks away from goal and Gareth made a number of good clearances when called upon.

But as legs began to tire and substitutes rotated on, Whitchurch began to lose some control. Again as attacks broke down near the Golborne dee, the Reds were exposed by powerful running on the counter-attack. With the defence and Gareth struggling to deal with greater numbers, playing good attacking hockey, Golborne began to score at will, ultimately running out winners by eight goals to nil.

This was a chastening experience for Whitchurch. They played well in patches, but struggled to really threaten the Golborne goal from open play. Particular mention should go to Euan Morris, Joe Faithfull, Joe Coburn and Nick Cooper who combined well when attacking down the right, but ultimately the Golborne defenders were able to prevent the moves turning into clear shots at goal. It was nice to welcome Phil Tranter and Dave Mitchell-Lane back to 2s hockey after a few years away from the game, and 13 year-old Ethan Gresty acquitted himself really well in his first senior game.

In the end Golborne’s experience, technical skill and powerful running were too much for Whitchurch and they were deserved winners.