Whitchurch ladies 1s 2 Lymm ladies 3s 2

Whitchurch went out strong, dominating the first 10 minutes, but unfortunately were unable to get a goal. Lymm 3s got a lucky break and made it through the Whitchurch players to score past Gwyn Thomas-Rees . Whitchurch were not impressed but were beginning to tire. A few good plays got the ball up to the Lymm dee with centre mid Catherine Winter-Gresty getting the ball to the edge of the Dee, passed in to Grace Berry, who slapped it into the goal, hitting the net and evening up the score.

This cheered the spirits of Whitchurch, and with some great Ariel plays, Whitchurch continued to fight but couldn’t quite get a goal. A spectacular play saw the ball passed to striker Sue Read, who stretched out but couldn’t quite reach it.

Whitchurch went out fighting again, eager for the win. They battled valiantly but to no avail. Finally, Whitchurch earn’t a short corner. This was injected by Laura Workman, received by Grace Berry, who passed to Becks Morrissey, who struck at goal, causing the Lymm keeper to make a save. Grace Berry caught the rebound and smashed the ball into the roof of the net, putting Whitchurch deservingly in the lead for the first time in the game. Both teams kept their heads up and continue to play some good hockey, although tough at times. Lymm responded with a scrappy goal, following several saves ten minutes before the end. Just two minutes before the end, Catherine Reese-Gresty got a green card leaving Whitchurch with ten players with minutes left they had to hold on for the whistle. Final score was 2-2. Captain Catherine Winter-Gresty received player of the match.

Whitchurch will regroup and go out fighting again next Saturday, away against Buckley 1s.

 

Whitchurch Mens 2s 1 Deeside Ramblers Mens 7s 0

Whitchurch took on local rivals in this closely fought contest. Whitchurch started the quicker of the two teams and took an early lead with a blistering shot from Craig Hockenhull into the bottom corner of the Deeside goal. Whitchurch failed to take advantage of their chances and but brought the best out of the Deeside keeper who pulled of a great save from a Fred Edgerton shot and just before the end of the half Josh Parry deflected just wide of the post.

The second half saw much of the same with both teams evenly matched, Deeside continued to pressure the Whitchurch defence with same excellent passing between their younger players but the back line of Danny Foulkes, Richard Leigh and Ian Bones quickly broke up their attacks.

At the end of the match both teams were exhausted but Whitchurch claimed their first win of the season and a valuable three points.

Whitchurch travel away to play Wrexham Mens 2s next weekend.

 

Whitchurch Mens 1s 0 – Bangor University Mens 2s 5

Whitchurch travelled to Bangor for a late-pushback game this week against a young and well-trained team, and suffered their first significant loss in a long while.

The first half started well, and Whitchurch had the majority of the play. Several chances were set up well, with Ben Kimberley’s crosses into the dee from the right wing passing just inches from the tap-ins that would have given the Reds at least two goals. Airan Jones, stepping up from the 2s well, had an excellent game on the left wing, making runs and getting behind the Bangor defence.

At the other end of the pitch, the defence were hard-pushed by a strong Bangor attack, who were able to get a goal from a scramble in the dee. The Reds reset, and held out for the rest of the half, with Alex Fry stepping up in the central midfield role, and Steve Kay taking his place as sweeper, and they were able to control the centre of the pitch and get the ball out wide to Ben Fry and Jake Wood. They had very strong games and impressed with their strong runs down the wings, and they consistently pressured the Bangor players, fought for every ball and got through to the dee and released Tom Leonard to attack with his usual mix of top-of-the-dee strikes and movement through the defenders but, despite the pressure and getting a number of short corners, the final hits evaded them and the goals refused to come. Sturge in goal kept out a number of strikes including a diving save which involved a Bangor forward trying to get the ball over him, until James Partington was able to tap the ball onto the attacker’s foot.

The second half started with immense pressure from the Bangor team, who played with fluency and took control of the centre of the pitch more, passing the ball more freely amongst themselves and cheered on by some passionate supporters. The pressure took its toll on the Whitchurch defence who let their marking slip, and Bangor were able to score a couple of quick goals. Ryan Murtagh and Matt Brooks were worked hard at left and right back to keep a stream of attacks out, but eventually the pressure told and two more goals went in.

The game ended with Bangor deserved winners, but Whitchurch know the areas they need to improve on before they play Liverpool Sefton 3s next week at home – a known threat, as a team who came up with them last season – pushing back at 2pm at SJT.

 

Whitchurch ladies 3s 0 Wilmslow ladies 4s 8

Whitchurch Ladies 3s played Wilmslow Ladies 4s yesterday, with increasing bravery and determination! You can see the confidence growing in our younger, less experienced members of the team, match by match. Captain Kate Goodwin tried out her players in different positions this match, to try and find out where people are suited best to playing. Evie Whatmough did very well striding her way up front, as centre forward, ably supported by Izzy Huxley, Caitlin Shaw, Milly Carruthers and Amelie Morris. However, sadly Wilmslow were just too strong and despite our good defensive play scored two goals very quickly.

Maddy Sugden made some excellent saves, but this succession of goal scoring continued throughout the first half. Our defence team did work very hard trying to keep them out of our Dee, with Edina Jones, Mel Reid and Molly Goodwin demonstrating some brilliant defensive stick work.  Unfortunately Wilmslow were 6 – 0 up at half time.

This yet again did not dampen spirits however and after a very inspirational team talk at half time, Whitchurch went back on the pitch in a very positive mood.  After a change of players and positions, this was reflected in our play in the second half. What a turnaround! Nobody gave up and appeared to play a far stronger game.  Ellie McEvoy making some great moves up the pitch, with Victoria Corlett, Emily Lister and Annie Buckeridge really battling on.

Some very impressive and determined play by Kate Buckeridge, helping to keep the ball up at the Wilmslow end more, meant we had far more of a chance of scoring in the second half. Sadly, we had a goal disallowed but as a result of our improved playing.

Wilmslow only managed to get two goals past us in this half. What a great improvement by all players! The final score was 8 – 0 to Wilmslow, with Maddy Sugden, our formidable goalkeeper yet again getting Man of the Match! Next week we play away at Sandbach.

 

Macclesfield ladies 4s 0 Whitchurch ladies 2s 3

This week Whitchurch travelled away to Macclesfield ladies 4s. Whitchurch started the stronger of the two teams with Tracy Tolhurst scoring the first goal within 15 minutes.

Whitchurch pushed hard to increase their lead and were rewarded with Hayleigh Busby scoring the second goal off an attacking short corner. One final attempt in the first half saw need passing between forward Amy Fry, Hayleigh Busby and Tracy Tolhurst to setup Emily Vernon who slapped the ball past the Macclesfield keeper giving Whitchurch a 3-0 lead at the break.

The second half began with Macclesfield mounting strong attacks, the game for Whitchurch changed with Whitchurch defending their goal. Goalkeeper Shola Bailey produced some amazing saves to frustrate the Macclesfield forwards.

With their strong defence, Emma Clarke, Wendy Cooper and Martha Teggin and numerous saves from goal keeper Shola Bailey, Macclesfield were not able to gain an advantage and Whitchurch defended several short corners which were stopped by Hebe Dixon and Jess Kimberley.

Macclesfield voted Hebe Dixon player of the match

Whitchurch Mens 1s 3 – Lymm Mens 2s 2

Whitchurch looked to build on their solid result from last week with a match against Lymm 2s at home, and were pushed hard by a Lymm team that were better than their league position suggests.

Andy Magee made a return to the role of goalkeeper several years after his last game for Whitchurch, and provided a solid base for the team. Ryan Murtagh, James Partington and Matt Brooks again had a good game to keep the strong and speedy Lymm forwards at bay, and Jack Barnes continued to build his controlling role in the middle of the field.

Alex Fry, Ben Fry, Steve Kay and Rob Chapelle held the middle of the field and provided width and strength, and Ben Kimberley and Jake Wood were again strong and penetrating from the wings. Martin Beecher continued to get around the back of the opposition’s defence and provided the focus for Whitchurch’s attacks. The Reds went two goals up in the first half after some good work: a short corner game them the first, with the initial shot coming back out and a scramble in front of goal ended with Wood getting the ball over the line. Wood was instrumental in the second, with a strong cross-field pass finding Kimberley whose shot was saved well by the keeper, but Beecher was first to the rebound and picked up another goal for his tally.

Lymm regrouped well, and had much the better of the rest of the first half, culminating in two deserved goals: the first was a driving run down the right, and then an overload in the dee giving them a straightforward tap-in. They followed that up with more pressure in the dee, and a ball came loose to the Lymm striker who executed a fine reverse hit to claim their second.

At half time, captain Alex Fry settled the team and pointed out the areas they were doing well, but the areas they needed to pick up on, and the effects were seen early in the second half as Whitchurch’s control and passing improved noticeably and resulted in a drive into the dee allowing Kimberley to get a short away that went under the keeper and in. The rest of the second half continued in the same vein, with the Reds keeping control better, and Magee making a good save to keep Lymm out. The final whistle was welcomed by Whitchurch who had been under pressure from persistent attacks down both wings. The result sees Whitchurch go up to second in the table, ready for a trip to Bangor University next week.

 

Whitchurch ladies 2s 2 Bowden ladies 6s 1

Whitchurch Ladies 2s hosted the match against Bowden Ladies 6s. Whitchurch started strong with some good attacks from Ashleigh Heath and Charlotte Lawder.

Ashleigh Heath opened the scoring flicking the ball into the goal and give Whitchurch the lead. Whitchurch were awarded a series of short corners late in the half and a fantastic strike from Jess Kimberley secured Whitchurch a 2-0 lead into the break.

Despite the strong defence and numerous saves from Emma Clarke, Jess Kimberley and keeper Shola Bailey, Bowden managed to score bringing the final score to 2-1. Whitchurch fought hard in the second half to keep their win and managed to keep the score at 2-1. Throughout the match the midfield worked hard to support the attack and defence with some fantastic play from Tracy Tolhurst and Martha Teggin. Hayleigh Busby and Wendy Cooper made some brilliant runs up the wing and helped to pass into the dee for the goals to be scored. Martha Teggin was awarded player of the match.

Next week the 2s travel to Macclesfield 4s.

Ladies 2s with awards for winning Cheshire Division 6 in 16/17.

 

Chester ladies 5s 6 Whitchurch ladies 3s 1

Whitchurch continued their learning curve on an extremely wet day against a strong Chester team. Without captain Katie Goodwin they fielded a young team containing only three senior players. Whitchurch played beyond their years and gave everything but on the day were beaten by a stronger and more experienced side.

The first half saw Whitchurch defending in numbers with Annie Buckeridge and Emily Lister both playing well in their first game in defence under strong guidance of Mel Reid. They showed fearless determination and tackling everything that came near them and learning as the game progressed. Whitchurch thought they had a goal when Amy Fry shot into the bottom corner but it was disallowed as it was just outside the dee.

Undeterred Whitchurch pressed forward and as their confidence grew they find Fry free in the dee and this time there was no doubt as she tapped in from close range.

The first half ended 3-1 but with Whitchurch still working hard to press the Chester team.

The second half started as the first finished with confidence high and Whitchurch having a lot more possession of the ball. Maddy Sugden in goal continued her excellent form producing a string of fine saves to frustrate the Chester attack.

Whitchurch suffered a big blow when Fry took a ball to the hand and the game was stopped for treatment and to assess the extent of the injury. This shocked the young Whitchurch team and without Fry to lead the forward line their chances were restricted and allowed Chester to dominate the game.

Whitchurch never recovered from this blow and Chester went on to score another three goals before the final whistle and secure the points.

Maddy Sugden was named man of the match.

 

Golborne Mens 3s 4 Whitchurch Mens 2s 3

Whitchurch Men’s 2s took another young squad to a wet and windy Warrington for their game against Golborne 3s.

The 2s were looking to build on their draw against Warrington the previous weekend and immediately looked to take the game to Golborne. Driving midfield runs by Airan Jones, Craig Hockenhull and Sam Conway were causing Golborne problems, but coming up against experienced defenders, Whitchurch struggled to create many chances to shoot at goal.

As the Whitchurch attacks broke down, Golborne looked to counter-attack quickly, and in numbers. But the Whitchurch defence of Richard Leigh, Danny Foulkes, Rupert Yeoward and Doug Buckeridge were equal to the task.

Midway through the first half however, Golborne made one of their counter-attacks pay. Doug Buckeridge was unable to cut out a long, cross-field pass and Golborne were able to work the ball across the face of goal for the ball to be swept past Neil Jones for the opening goal.

Whitchurch lost their way a little after the goal and Golborne quickly added a second from a short-corner which took a wicked deflection to leave Neil Jones helpless.

The 2s responded well to the second goal and a driving run by Craig Hockenhull into the dee was finished by a brilliant reverse-stick hit to halve the deficit. This was quickly followed by good interplay by Hockenhull and Locki Price on the right wing, leading to Fred Egerton sweeping home at the far post to level the scores.

Whitchurch continued to press as half-time approached. Josh Parry outran the Golborne defence to a hopeful forward ball but his shot was pushed wide by the keeper. With the 2s unable to convert any of their other chances the teams ended the half level.

Golborne regrouped at the start of the second half and worked hard to deny the young Whitchurch players space to run into and the game became a battle in midfield. Chances and shots at goal were at a premium and while Whitchurch were unable to convert any of their opportunities, a long ball into the dee found an unmarked player who squeezed the ball past keeper Jones to give Golborne the lead once again.

Like the first half, the Golborne players tired as the half wore on and Whitchurch were able exert more influence and pressure on the Golborne goal. Josh Parry had a reverse stick hit well saved and from the ensuing melee in front of goal, Golborne somehow got the ball to safety. Craig Hockenhull was thwarted on a number of occasions by good defending.

With Airan Jones on the end of some rough treatment in midfield, the umpired played advantage and Sam Conway did well to win a short corner, from which he himself scored with a fine strike into the far corner of the goal.

Now in the ascendancy, Whitchurch continued to push forward but still couldn’t find the goal their play warranted. Josh Parry produced an outrageous flick to squeeze between two defenders and dart into the dee but was smothered by sheer numbers as Golborne defended deep in their own dee.

In their desire to go on and win the game Whitchurch got caught by a late sucker punch. Golborne took a free hit quickly and fired the ball long, beyond the Whitchurch defence. With a two-on-one break, the Golborne attackers worked the ball around to leave Neil Jones helpless to prevent them from retaking the lead.

Despite Whitchurch’s best efforts Golborne’s experienced heads shut the game down for the remaining few minutes and Whitchurch were unable to create any chances to rescue the game.

This was a tough defeat to take. Apart from the wobble midway through the first half, Whitchurch were always in the game. They showed resilience to come from 2-0 and 3-2 behind and scored three fine goals. The progress of the young players is a continuing highlight. Euan Morris was unable to play most of the second half after taking a painful blow to the knee and James Page did well against some ferocious Golborne defending.

The 2s will look to continue their progress when they entertain Deeside Ramblers 7s next weekend.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s game was cancelled as Alderley Edge failed to raise a team, they were awarded the three points taking them to 3rd in the league.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 5 Warrington ladies 2s 3

Whitchurch went out strong, keen to get going. They very quickly got past the Warrington players with an excellent drive from centre half Catherine Winter-Gresty with a strong pass to the post where Laura Workman got a touch it the goal putting Whitchurch 1-0 up in the first few minutes of the game.

Warrington came back fighting, testing Gayle Ladd, Jess Kimberley, Vicky Price and Helen Machin in Whitchurch’s defence. The ladies held their ground and with some good work created many more goal scoring opportunities, but unfortunately Whitchurch couldn’t get it past the Warrington defence and keeper.

Warrington then had a quick break beating Whitchurch for speed and managed to get a good goal making the score 1-1 by half time.

Whitchurch had a positive and productive half time team talk. They went back, high in spirits, eager to dominate the second half. Excellent tackling from Grace Berry, left Warrington stunned and setup Sue Read to give Whitchurch the lead.

This upped Whitchurch spirits even further and Laura Workman powered forward for another luscious goal, giving Whitchurch a 3-1 advantage.

Warrington were not impressed and came back to score past goalkeeper Gwyn Thomas-Rees, before she produced a string of fine saves frustrated the Warrington forwards. This encouraged the rest of the Whitchurch team to come back with a goal, lightening Laura Workman popping up on the back post to score her second of the game.

Warrington kept their heads up, and continued to push against the Whitchurch players, leading to their final goal of the game.

Whitchurch quickly responded to this, with some excellent team work, and a fabulous brace from striker Sue Read, making the final score 5-3 and another well earned three points.

A well-deserved player of the match went to Captain Catherine Winter-Gresty.

 

Whitchurch Mens 2s 2 Warrington Mens 2s 2

Whitchurch 2s, looking to bounce back from last weeks defeat, but build on the many positives from the game against Chester, fielded another young side for the visit of Warrington Men’s 2s.

Whitchurch struggled to find any passing rhythm in the early stages of the first half and the more experienced Warrington side took control of both ball and territory. However the inexperienced Whitchurch defence, assisted by the midfield, prevented Warrington from creating any meaningful chances to shoot at goal.

Midway through the half though, Warrington were awarded a short corner, from which they opened the scoring with a powerful strike into the bottom corner.

The goal seemed to galvanise Whitchurch. Airan Jones left the field due to injury just before the restart and his replacement Lockie Price and Joseph Coburn immediately started to link up really well on the Whitchurch left. With Craig Hockenhull and Jake Wood driving forward from midfield Whitchurch started to threaten the Warrington dee for the first time.

The improved attacking play was instantly rewarded when good work on the left led to Jake Wood feeding the ball into the dee where Euan Morris flicked the ball back for Craig Hockenhull who fired in the Whitchurch equaliser.

Soon after that a driving run by Craig Hockenhull into the Warrington dee was abruptly stopped as the Warrington keeper upended Hockenhull, but the ball ran free to Euan Morris who calmly pushed the ball into the unguarded goal to give Whitchurch the lead.

Warrington appeared to be shell-shocked by the turnaround and Whitchurch created a number of other opportunities before the end of the half but were unable to add to their 2-1 lead.

Warrington reorganised at the break but Whitchurch immediately pushed them back towards their own goal and continued to create chances. Josh Parry, Euan Morris, Jake Wood and Craig Hockenhull all had shots saved by the Warrington keeper and a number of short corners were squandered.

Warrington posed a threat on the counter-attack but the Whitchurch defence of Danny Foulkes, Rupert Yeoward, Richard Leigh and Doug Buckeridge were stoic with their tackling and interceptions preventing Warrington getting any chances to shoot at goal from open play. As they struggled to make inroads, Warrington resorted to more and more ambitious passes behind the Whitchurch defenders but keeper Neil Jones was always alert and cleared out anything that came anywhere near his goal.

Ultimately Warrington’s experience brought them an equaliser. Playing for feet in the Whitchurch dee rewarded them with a brace of short corners, the second of which was neatly flicked high into the net.

Whitchurch continued to create chances at the other end, but the deep Warrington defence prevented Whitchurch from getting clear shots at goal, and when good chances did come, Whitchurch were only able to hit the keeper.

 

Brooklands MU 5s 0 Whitchurch Mens 1s 3

Whitchurch travelled to Sale to play Brooklands MU 5s this week and, once again, the score line didn’t explain the game adequately: after hammering Chester 5s 0-0 last week, 3-0 doesn’t do justice to the quality and effort shown on Saturday. It was probably the best quality hockey, especially in the first half, from any Whitchurch team in the last few years. The passing, the control, the communication, the marking, the running and the teamwork were all top-drawer stuff, against a strong Brooklands team who pushed hard throughout the match.

Sturge in goal ensured the few times Brooklands got into the dee were unsuccessful; Tom Forster, Ryan Murtagh and James Partington put in a shift at the back, marking attackers out of the game, clearing well and causing chaos with aerial balls. Steve Kay, Rob Chapelle (on a welcome return to the team), Alex Fry, Jack Barnes and Ben Fry absolutely controlled the centre of the pitch, passing well and at speed to free up Tom Leonard and Ben Kimberly on the wings, and Martin Beecher again caused the Brooklands defence all sorts of trouble.

The first half was excellent hockey with the ball moving at speed on a good water-based pitch, which Whitchurch adapted to better than to their own pitch the previous week. The first goal came from a short corner, with the switch getting to Ben Fry who passed to Leonard who moved it quickly to Chapelle who slotted it into the bottom corner of the goal. Then, after some Brooklands pressure, Barnes cleared the ball with a huge hit down the middle of the pitch which Beecher picked up and went round the keeper to grab the second. The third was another switch across the dee to let Leonard continue his strong scoring record.

The second half was much calmer, as Brooklands moved away from their 4-4-2 formation to something more familiar, and this gave them more room and opportunities, but the Whitchurch defence held strong, and were very successful at clearing short corners, with Sturge clearing up the few stray shots that came through. The final whistle ended a great game for Whitchurch and gives them confidence for the season ahead. They are at home next week against Lymm Mens 2s.

 

Whitchurch ladies 3s 0 Deeside ladies 4s 2

Whitchurch 3s match was against Deeside Ramblers 4s.  After only playing a couple of matches together, Whitchurch 3’s confidence was already higher for this match. Both teams started off strongly, with some good play from our new junior players Annie Buckeridge and Emily Lister.

One things for sure, the new junior members of the team never give up! Hebe Dixon and Maddie Sugden making a brilliant team effort to keep the ball out of their net. However, sadly after about 20 minutes into the match, Deeside managed to score their first goal. This did not stop Whitchurch fighting back!

Kate Buckeridge and Vicky Corlett making some good attacking moves and battling forward, but unfortunately the score line remained at 1 – 0 at halftime.

After half time, Whitchurch had a change of player, with Helen Apperley coming onto the pitch, with her usual fantastic strong playing style in defence. Despite a great shot from Hebe Dixon from a short corner, which was saved by Deeside’s goalkeeper, Whitchurch never found the net for the rest of the match. Deeside managed to score once more, leaving the final score 2 – 0 to Deeside.

A great game, even though it had poured down most of the match and we had played well. Maddie Sugden, got man of the match, after making some incredible saves.

Whitchurch 3s play away at Chester next Saturday.

 

Sandbach ladies 1s 7 Whitchurch Ladies 2s 1

This week Whitchurch travelled away to play Sandbach Ladies 1s, Whitchurch’s biggest rivals.

Sandbach started the stronger of the two teams putting two goals passed Whitchurch in the first 15 minutes. Whitchurch needed to refocus and concentrate and were awarded a series of short corners in which Tracy Tolhurst deflected the ball home. Another goal for Sandbach just before half time sank Whitchurch spirits.

A half time chat was filled with frustrated emotions, however captain Emma Clarke reminded Whitchurch that we had beaten this team the season before and that we must come back fighting.

The second half began with some position rearranging that allowed Whitchurch to play a more defensive game. Sandbach kept coming and were not stopped scoring another two goals. Once again Whitchurch lost focus and Sandbach were straight on them scoring another goal.

Heads had now dropped and hope was lost with the final whistle about to be blown and Sandbach coming once again Whitchurch had every player behind the ball ready to defend. A steal from Stephanie Stanton lead to Whitchurch having one last chance to attack with runs from Charlotte Lawder, Nicola Workman, Natasha Foster all picking out Amy Fry in the dee who was unfortunate not to break through Sandbach’s strong defence.

One final attempt for Sandbach came and the defenders Emma Clarke, Helen Hockenhull, Hayleigh Busby and mother – daughter duo Jan and Martha Teggin battled hard to keep Sandbach out of their own dee.

With one final push from both teams Sandbach slipped the ball passed the defence and deflected just out of keeper Shola Bailey’s reach. Bailey who had become very vocal produced some amazing saves and without the goal count would be much higher. The final whistle blew and Whitchurch were quick to congratulate Sandbach on their win. Player of the match was awarded to Captain Emma Clarke.