Oxton ladies 4s 2  Whitchurch ladies 2s  5

Whitchurch started off the stronger of the two teams passing the ball left and right between Millie Edwards, Tracy Tolhurst, Hayleigh Busby and Ashleigh Heath. Busby spotted Tolhurst on the goal line and passed it through to give Whitchurch the lead.

Whitchurch had lost concentration and Oxton ran down the left and passed to an unmarked play who equalised the score. Whitchurch then found their feet and applied the pressure and with a strong run from Edwards picking out Amy Fry and then back to Edwards who slapped the ball home.

Whitchurch had found their pace and started to play their game as they kept on pressuring the Oxton dee. Emily Vernon and Mel Reid passed the ball down the left hand side and picked out Tolhurst for Whitchurch’s third before the break.

In the second half Oxton fought back and despite some tremendous saves from keeper Shola Bailey Oxton scored their second. Whitchurch again took the game to Oxton and were rewarded a short corner which Busby deflected home.  Tolhurst then completed her hattrick after a quick interchange of passing between Olivia Edgerton and Beth Sykes found her unmarked in the dee.

Whitchurch will be playing their rearranged match against Neston 5s next Saturday. Tracy Tolhurst was awarded player of the match.

 

Whitchurch Mens 1s 4 Northop Hall Mens 2s 0

Whitchurch took the game to Northop from the whistle and within minutes took the lead as Steve Lloyd fired past the Northop keeper. Within minutes Whitchurch were awarded a penalty corner and from the rebound Joel Leese flicked the ball into the roof of the Northop goal.

Whitchurch continued to pressure the Northop defence and a quick break down the left saw Jack Barnes pick out Tom Leonard at the top of the dee who then fired an unstoppable shot high into the Northop goal.

The second half saw Whitchurch continuing to create lots of opportunities but failing to convert until Tom Leonard picked up the ball and fired home his second of the game to give Whitchurch another three points.

 

Whitchurch ladies 1s 9 Northop Hall ladies 2s 1

Whitchurch ladies 1s entertained Northop Hall 2s this Saturday and after last week’s defeat they came out fighting.

Within a few minutes Lucy Ratcliffe had scored and got the ball rolling for Whitchurch. From then on goals were coming thick and fast for Lucy completing a hattrick within 10 minutes. As Northop Hall struggled to defend the Whitchurch attacks Whitchurch pushed forward and produced a number of powerful strikes towards the goal allowing Sue Read to tap past the Northop keeper.  Whitchurch earned several short corners and Phoebe Jones slapped home the rebound to give Whitchurch a comfortable lead.

At half time Whitchurch re-energized and came back out for more goals. Northop Hall began to mark out the attacking players and made a few breaks but defenders Gayle Ladd and Catherine Reece-Gresty stopped the ball and sent the ball to wings Charlotte Lawder and Ellie Windsor who had some great runs, by this time Northop ladies had all dropped to protect their goal.

Emily Hilton and Emma Harper kept pushing up allowing Captain Catherine Winter-Gresty a shot from the top of the dee to make it number 6. Lucy Ratcliffe had 3 more great goals from strikes just within the dee. As Whitchurch began to relax Northop Hall broke and scored their one and only goal. Whitchurch kept attacking until the end and we’re very happy with the 9-1 win.

Next week Ladies 1s play away at a rearranged game against Buckley.

 

Whitchurch Men’s 2s – 3, Neston Men’s 8s – 4

The Men’s 2s set off for the Wirral hoping to repeat their win against Neston Mens 8s at the opening of the season and claim a much-needed 3 points

It was clear from the off that Whitchurch would have to fight hard for these points, but a confident start saw Whitchurch take the action to the Neston goalmouth, eventually ensuing in a short corner that was deftly fired home by Danny Foulkes.

However, going a goal down so early in the game catalysed Neston, and they responded strongly, shutting down many of Whitchurch’s ubsequent attacks before they could develop and as the Whitchurch team continued to play an attacking game to build on their lead, Neston managed a break down the middle and finished by putting a shot past the Whitchurch keeper.

Whitchurch continued to control the play through the first half, but Neston were able to use their more limited possession to better advantage and scored a second goal before the end of the half.

With a one goal lead, Neston approached the second half with a more aggressive strategy and formation and the play was much more evenly balanced, forcing Whitchurch to re-focus on defending Neston’s attacks.  Nevertheless, Neston were able to take advantage of their substitutes to bring fresh legs to the field and their speed saw them break through Whitchurch’s centre once again to go 3-1 up.

Whitchurch continued to push hard up front but tight defending by the Neston backs limited their scoring opportunities.  Their tenacity was eventually rewarded by a short corner which was put away by Foulkes, raising the Team’s spirits as the deficit reduced and they felt back in the game.  Unfortunately, tiredness and a lack of substitutes began to take its toll and Whitchurch found themselves being outpaced by the fresher team, quickly conceding a fourth goal.

Whitchurch retaliated and after a spell of pressure on the Neston goal, were awarded another short corner which Foulkes hammered home for his hat trick, bringing the scoreline to 4-3.  Whitchurch worked desperately hard to salvage a point from the remaining minutes of the game, but ultimately were unable to do so and left the field disappointed at the result, but with every player having committed himself fully to the game.

With both the Mens 1s and Ladies 2s without fixtures this week.

Triton ladies 2s 6 Whitchurch Ladies 1s 2

Whitchurch started the slower of the two teams in this challenging away match. Triton capitalised on this and were able to score three quick goals in succession in the first 20 minutes. Whitchurch then raised their game and produced some chances to score themselves through some excellent passes between Laura Workman, Charlotte Lawder, Ellie Windsor and Grace Berry but to no avail.

Triton then managed to break away and score two more before the break. After a strong team talk from captain Catherine Winter-Gresty, Whitchurch were much stronger. Some excellent through balls from Emma Harper to Sue Read created more chances. Whitchurch’s defence of Catherine Reece-Gresty, Emily Hilton, Millie Edwards and Helen Machin began to read the opposition well and goalkeeper Phoebe Jones pulled off some good saves.

After a run of short corners, Whitchurch finally had some luck with Lisa Sullivan pushing in a rebounded strike from Lucy Ratcliffe. Shortly after, Whitchurch scored their second through another strong short corner routine which Lisa Sullivan sweeped in and grabbed a second goal. Unfortunately it was too late into the game and Triton secured their win with a final goal at the end of the game. Player of the match went to Ellie Windsor.

 

Whitchurch Mens 2s 0 Birkenhead Mens 1s 6

Whitchurch entertained runaway league leaders Birkenhead expecting a tough match and were not disappointed.

Birkenhead rushed into a two-goal lead and only a number of outstanding saves by goalkeeper Neil Jones kept the score down in the early stages. Whitchurch were not used to playing at the Birkenhead standard and were guilty of a number of unforced errors but fortunately Birkenhead failed to capitalise.

Whitchurch went into the halftime break having conceded three goals but following a positive team talk and some re-organisation started the second half taking the ball to Birkenhead.

For long periods Whitchurch retained the ball and pressured the Birkenhead defence but the Birkenhead quality showed when they broke and were clinical in front of the goal. Whitchurch leant a lot in the game and will take forward lessons learnt in future matches.

Denbigh Mens 2s 4 Whitchurch Mens 2s 2

Whitchurch 2s were looking to build on last week’s draw when they travelled to 4^th placed Denbigh for a lunchtime pushback.

Denbigh immediately put pressure on the Whitchurch goal, forcing a couple of short corners, one of which drew an excellent low save from keeper Neil Jones. From the resulting long corner, slack marking from Whitchurch left a Denbigh player free in front of goal and he was able to control the pass into the dee and prod home past Jones.

From the resulting push-back, Whitchurch put together a neat passing move to immediately create a chance of their own which narrowly evaded Aaron Swain’s stick at the back post.

The first half continued in a similar vein with both sides taking turns to dominate possession and territory and create chances. But whilst the Whitchurch attacks floundered around the edge of the dee the Denbigh attacks were creating clearer chances, forcing the defence of James Nicholson, Iain Bones, Danny Foulkes and Mark Sugden into some last ditch tackles and blocks.

Eventually the Denbigh pressure told and midway through the first half they doubled their lead.

Whitchurch were undeterred and continued to play some controlled attacking hockey. Good work from Steve Kay and Jake Wood led to a fine strike from Dale Seymour to reduce the arrears, but as Whitchurch pushed forward for an equaliser they were caught on the counter-attack and Denbigh struck to make the score 3-1.

As half-time approached, Whitchurch were awarded a disputed short corner, which was fired towards the back post where Jake Wood brilliantly turned the waist-high ball into the Denbigh goal to make the score 3-2.

In the second half Whitchurch found a little more control in midfield and tried to restrict the opportunities for Denbigh to play on the counter-attack. Repeatedly the Denbigh attacks were thwarted by the Whitchurch defence and keeper Jones had much less work to do than in the first half.

Whitchurch’s neat hockey started to create more chances in front of the Denbigh goal and they forced a number of short corners. However over-commitment at one of these short corners allowed Denbigh to break away in numbers and score a fourth goal.

Despite their best efforts Whitchurch were unable to respond. Sam Conway was constantly involved in the good play leading to the dee, but he was unable to get any chances to shoot at goal. Steve Kay and Dale Seymour had shots fly wide and crosses into the dee seemed to find Whitchurch feet rather than sticks.

This was an entertaining game of hockey, and despite the 4-2 defeat, Whitchurch contributed significantly with some neat, controlled hockey. The team carried a sustained threat throughout the game – something that has been missing in a number of games this season. The additions of Dale Seymour, Danny Foulkes and the return of Steve Kay added some much needed experience and quality to this 2s side.

Next week the 2s entertain an unbeaten Birkenhead 1s side, who have scored 96 goals already this season.

 

Whitchurch Ladies 1s 2 Wilmslow ladies 3s 2

Whitchurch pressured the Wilmslow defence from the start and took an early lead when Laura Workman swept in at the back post. Wilmslow continued to apply pressure to the Whitchurch defence with well-hit free hits bypassing the midfield. Whitchurch chances came and went as they failed too convert their opportunities. Wilmslow equalised with a well worked penalty corner to leave the half time scores level.

The start of the second half saw Wilmslow grab an early goal much to the frustration of the Whitchurch team, again Whitchurch had many chances to equalise but couldn’t convert the chances they created. It was not until the final minutes of the match that Lucy Ratcliffe shot home to equalise and give Whitchurch a point.

Whitchurch 1s travel away to Trition 2s next week.

 

Crewe Vagrants ladies 4s 1 Whitchurch ladies 2s 3

This was a must win game against their local rivals as Whitchurch sat second and Crewe third in the league.

The game started late in the cold and dark and both teams struggled to find any early form as the ball bounced around the pitch. Whitchurch took the upper hand when Hayleigh Busby beat the advancing keeper. Crewe then responded running the ball straight through the centre of the Whitchurch midfield and defence to equalise.

This sent panic through the Whitchurch team as they struggled to cope with the pace of the Crewe side and subsequently got caught out of position but managed to get to half time with the scores level.

The second half saw Whitchurch maintain their discipline and force Crewe to play their style of hockey, tight marking by Martha Teggin and Hebe Dixon prevented the quick breaks from the Crewe forwards and allowed the Whitchurch midfield to take control.

Sue Read pounced on a miss-hit 16 yard free hit to fire past the Crewe keeper and put Whitchurch back into the lead, from then on the Whitchurch confidence rose. Goalkeeper Phoebe Jones was left as a spectator as captain Emma Clarke and sweeper Jess Kimberley swept up any chances Crewe had.

When Hayleigh Busby was picked out by Hebe Dixon just outside the dee she drove the baseline and pushed past the advancing keeper to give a much-needed three points and a gap between them in the league.

Whitchurch ladies 2s play Neston ladies 5s next Sunday in a re-arranged fixture.

 

Whitchurch Mens 1s 6 Runcorn Mens 2s 1

Whitchurch entertained Runcorn in another hard fought contest and kept up their push for promotion. Martin Beecher gave Whitchurch an early lead and then followed end-to-end hockey as neither team managed to get control of the match, from this Runcorn managed to equalise on the break.

Whitchurch then scored two almost identical goals with Tom Leonard breaking through the midfield to find Beecher who laid back the ball to Leonard to tap home.

Their then followed a break in play when defender James Partington sustained an injury to the head and treatment followed. Once play continued further goals from Ben Kimberley and a brace from Martin Beecher gave Whitchurch another well-earned three points.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 15 Bowdon ladies 5s 0

Whitchurch ladies played their first league match of 2017 against Bowdon ladies 5s. Within minutes of the start captain Catherine Winter-Gresty fired in from a penalty corner to give Whitchurch the lead.

The scoring then continued at a prolific rate with Ellie Windsor scoring from a run down the right and shot from the top of the dee, Sue Read tipped home after receiving a pass from Catherine Reece-Gresty. Millie Edwards scored with another run down the right and shot from the top of the dee, Sue Read scored her second connecting on the end of a pass from Lucy Ratcliffe and Grace Berry completed the half with a shot after a pass coming Emma Harper from a long corner.

Bowdon were limited to only one shot in the half due to the defending of Emily Hilton, Claire Fitzgerald, Charlotte Lawder and Helen Machin and Gwyneth Thomas-Rees in goal was up to the task for her one save of the game.

Whitchurch continued the second half looking for more goals, Phoebe Jones grabbed a brace poaching crosses on the back post. Grace Berry scored a second before Sue Read completed her hatrick. Lucy Ratcliffe opened her account with a fierce shot from the top of the dee and Ellie Windsor got her second. Grace Berry completed her hatrick with a shot high into the roof of the Bowden goal.

Laura Workman scored scrambling home the ball and the final goal came in the final seconds of the game as Lucy Ratcliffe ran through the Bowden defence and rounded the keeper for her second.

Whitchurch 1s travel away to Buckley next week, the ladies 2s play Neston at home at 12.30.

 

Whitchurch Mens 1s 9 – Bebington Mens 4s 1

The return to competitive games also brought Whitchurch a continuation of their winning form. The away leg against Bebington earlier in the season was a hectic affair with Whitchurch getting two goals in the last two minutes to nick a 7-6 win, so this time captain Alex Fry warned the team against assuming early goals meant an easy win. The team continued their good work from last week’s friendly, with Paul “Sturge” Leigh in goal having a mostly quiet game protected by Mark Sugden and Matt Brooks, and Ben Fry combining solid defence with darting runs down the right wing.

Martin Beecher opened the scoring after some strong pressure from Whitchurch, followed quickly by the first of Ben Kimberley’s first-half hat-trick. This time Whitchurch settled into a better rhythm of tight marking and counter-attack. Most of Bebington’s attack was down their right wing, and Steve Kay, Si Briceno, Jake Wood and Brooks combined well in rotation to cut out these attacks and recycle the ball, with Kay and Alex Fry providing accurate high-speed switch passes to move the ball to Ben Fry, Joel Leese and Tom Leonard to start attacks down their right wing before Bebington could react. Kimberley picked up his second and third with a combination of quick reactions in the dee and hard strikes, given strong support and passes by Beecher and Leese. The half ended after Leonard got a hard strike away past the very capable Bebington keeper.

The second half allowed Whitchurch to turn up the pressure and they had a number of close misses, and Briceno and Kimberley were very unlucky some of their deflections went just wide. Bebington were able to launch a few attacks as they shifted a second striker up into the Whitchurch half, and one got away and was brought down in the Whitchurch dee by keeper Leigh and a penalty stroke was awarded and converted.

Whitchurch reset and an aerial clearance from James Partington from a sixteen went up the field to Tom Leonard to let him get his second of the game: a scramble in the Bebington dee lead to the ball popping clear to Leonard on the edge of the dee and a bullet strike flew into the bottom left corner. Renewed pressure allowed Whitchurch to get another as Leese was able to perform a perfect in-dee deflection to bring the score to 8-1.

With the last play of the game, Whitchurch was awarded a short corner which came to Tom Leonard who buried it to bring the score to 9-1 and end the game. Whitchurch are away next week at Oxton to play their 6s and hopefully continue their successful season.