Whitchurch Men’s 1s 7   Liverpool Sefton 4s 0

Whitchurch men’s 1^st entertained Liverpool Sefton 4s and despite a number of the regular players being unavailable and the weather Whitchurch men’s 1s were determined to win.

Tom Leonard and Tom Forrester both returned to the team after absences and contributed to Whitchurch winning the game. Joe Nicholson opened the scoring with the first of his goals and Tom Leonard scored a second from a well-worked short corner to give Whitchurch a 2-0 lead at the break.

Whitchurch continued to pressure in the second half and Joe Nicolson scored another well-worked short corner Liverpool lacked the speed of the Whitchurch midfield and when Tom Forrester picked out Joe Nicholson in the dee he fired the ball into the top of the net.

Some nice passing between Aaron Swain and Jake Woods provided the pass for Joe Nicholson to score his fourth of the game. Tom Leonard scored two goals in quick succession in the dying stages of the game to complete his hattrick.

 

Deeside Mens 7ths 2 Whitchurch Mens 2s 1

If ever there was a game of two halves this was it. Whitchurch started the stronger of the two teams and despite having chance after chance from both short corners and open play they couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities presented throughout the first half. Eventually an Ellis Hickson shot was deflected home by Jack Barnes to give Whitchurch a slim lead going into the break.

The second half saw Whitchurch forced back as Deeside re-arranged and attacked on the break from which they scored from a penalty corner. Whitchurch lost their discipline as more players pushed forward looking for a winning goal, this left space for Deeside who took fall advantage to take the lead from another penalty corner.

Whitchurch continued to apply pressure the Deeside defence and chances came and went and the Whitchurch team started to show its frustration and with ten minutes left Whitchurch were reduced to ten men and their efforts to equalise were gone.

 

Oxton ladies 2s 2 Whitchurch ladies 1s 4

Whitchurch ladies 1s travelled away this week to play Oxton 2s for a top two place in the league. From the start Whitchurch took the game to Oxton, with majority of the play around their dee.

First goal came from a short corner with a straight strike from Lisa Sullivan and followed minutes later with a pass into the dee from captain Catherine Gresty and Sue Read tapping in her first goal of the match. Just before half time a well-executed short corner saw Sue Read once again tap in for her second.

Oxton seemed a bit shell shocked with how hard Whitchurch were attacking as the ladies kept the pressure on with several more shots at goal from Nicola Workman, Ellie Windsor and Lisa Sullivan.

Oxton came back hard and keeper Gwyn Thomas- Rees and defenders Katie Plant, Gayle Ladd, Emily Hilton and Catherine Reece-Gresty had to work hard to keep Oxton at bay but after a number of hard strikes on goal Oxton scored.

Whitchurch worked hard and bounced back to get the ball back into the opposition half and as a result captain Catherine Gresty pushed through the defence and scored through the keepers legs.

With five minutes to go Whitchurch just needed to hold onto the ball but Oxton were determined to get another which they managed with nearly all their players in the Whitchurch dee at the final whistle their were smiles on Whitchurch 1s faces to have beaten top of the league 4-2.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 0 Neston ladies 3s 9

The score in no way reflected the majority of the game. Whitchurch started the match ready and willing but Neston took advantage of the gaps that Whitchurch left them to score past goalkeeper Phoebe Jones. Neston didn’t stop there and scored a further three goals before half time.

Whitchurch managed from the break to get the ball up into the Neston dee but were unable to convert. Masie Owen and Ashleigh Heath worked tirelessly down the middle and the right hand side getting the ball high for Charlotte Lawder to run the Oxton defence.

Whitchurch defence of Emma Clarke, Becky Brookfield, Mel Reid and Sami Ives worked tirelessly until the end hitting the ball clear of the goal with Phoebe making numerous saves.

Helen Hocknell, Captain Julia Neale, Emily Vernon worked tirelessly with the ball to get it up to the Neston dee but Neston just had the speed and the strength on the ball.

During half time Whitchurch had a very tactical talk that helped the team to work more as a unit and keep the ball more in the centre of the pitch. Neston grew stronger on the second half went on and Whitchurch tired and they applied more pressure than they did in the first half resulting in a further five goals.

Mel Reid was awarded player of the match. Whitchurch will be travelling to play against Brooklands Poynton.

 

 

 

Whitchurch Ladies 1s 12  Alderley Edge ladies 0

The game started off with Whitchurch passing the ball around the Alderley edge players. After the five minutes Whitchurch got their first short corner of the match and Emma Harper scored from a drag flick. A second penalty corner saw Katie Plant score the second goal of the match from another penalty corner.

Whitchurch continued to pressure and a ball fired into the dee by Jane Williamson saw Sue Read score from a deft first touch past the Alderley Edge keeper and within minutes Sue Read scored a second after a goal scramble. A defence spitting pass from Laura to Nicola Workman saw her round the keeper to get on the score sheet.

Minutes into the second half Whitchurch took control as Sue Read scored three times in quick succession. Alderley Edge took their free hits quickly leaving the defence of Gayle Ladd , Katie Plant, Emily Hilton and Catherine Reece-Gresty to provide some crucial tackles to keep Alderley Edge’s from scoring.

Nikki Workman then had another excellent bit of play giving her a second goal quickly followed by a goal from Ellie Windsor pushing the ball past the inside post into the goal.

The eleventh goal came from captain Catherine Gresty running into the dee and taking a shot which traveled through a crowd of players into the goal. The last goal came from Sue Read deflecting the ball into the near corner of the goal to take her tally to six in the match.

Neston ladies 4s 3  Whitchurch ladies 2s 0

Despite not arriving at Neston until three minutes before push back Whitchurch rushed into action and were on the ball straight from the whistle applying pressure onto the Neston team. Neston took the lead unexpectedly scoring from a rebound of keeper Shola Bailey.

Whitchurch had several attempts on the Neston goal but we were unable to turn their opportunities into goals. Ashleigh Heath and Charlotte Lawder worked tirelessly passing the ball past the Neston defence but just shy of the goal, Whitchurch kept their heads and kept on pressuring the goal but Neston had the pace to create problems for the Whitchurch midfield.

At half time the score was 1-0 to Neston but Whitchurch had a very brief but detailed talk which boosted the confidence of the team.

The second half saw Whitchurch more of the same with Whitchurch attacking down the left and the right wings with runs from Masie Owen, Emily Vernon, Martha Teggin, Hayleigh Busby and Jess Kimberley working endlessly and creating chances on the goal but unable to convert.

Whitchurch’s best chance of the half came as Hayleigh Busby received a pass from Tracy Tolhurst and ran round several of the Neston midfield then picked out Jess Kimberley who ran into the dee but was unfortunately unable to convert.

Whitchurch never gave up and never let their heads drop and they kept up the pressure from the start to finish.

A special mention to Gwyneth Thomas-Rees for umpiring. Jess Kimberley was awarded player of the match.

Whitchurch Mens 2s 9 Wrexham Mens 3s 1

Whitchurch Mens 2’s finally returned to winning ways with a well-deserved victory over Wrexham 3s.

Whitchurch fielded a full strength team for the first time in a number of games and controlled the game from start to finish. Whitchurch opened the scoring as Aaron Shackleton scored his first goal for the club running at pace through the Wrexham defence and slipping the ball under the advancing keeper. The second came as a shot the was stopped by the defenders body on the goal line and Craig Hockenhull stepped up to convert the penalty flick awarded.

Hockenhull scored his second of the game driving into the dee and shooting past the keeper on the near post quickly followed as Jack Barnes got his first of the game as he was picked out in the dee and beat the Wrexham keeper

Despite going into the break with a 4-0 lead captain Phil Tranter had some harsh words for the team as they failed to take their opportunities. The second half saw Whitchurch start at a higher pace moving the ball around rather than running with the ball. Jack Barnes scored his second deflecting the ball past the keeper.

Wrexham through everything at Whitchurch to minimise the score line but the defence of Mark Sugden, Richard Leigh, Doug Buckeridge and Ryan Murtagh stood firm and soaked up the Wrexham attacks.

Craig Hockenhull completed his hattrick as Barnes turned provider deflecting the ball across the top of dee allowing him to run onto and strike the ball past the Wrexham keeper. Simon Briceno scored number seven as he ran onto a cross and swept the ball into the net. As Whitchurch pushed for more goals Wrexham took advantage to exploit the space available and pull back a well worked goal.

This only spurred on Whitchurch and Jack Barnes completed his hattrick when he was picked out unmarked in the dee and swept past the keeper. In the final minutes Iain Bones ran into the Wrexham dee and was brought down resulting in a penalty stroke which he subsequently converted.

Runcorn Men’s 3s 0 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 9

The men’s 1s travelled to Runcorn and continued their progress to promotion with another comprehensive win.

Goals from Joel Leese, Ben Lea, Ben Kimberley, Steve Lloyd, Tom Forrester, Felix Jeffreys and a hattrick for another junior who have come through the clubs Academy Aaron Swain playing his first outfield game for the 1st team.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 4 Lymm ladies 4s 1

On Saturday 24th October Whitchurch 1s played Lymm’s 4th team at home.

The game started with a Whitchurch push back and resulted in much of the play being in the Lymm half. Both teams worked the ball well with Whitchurch being the stronger team.

Sue Read scored her first goal of the season for the 1s ten minutes into the match with a quick push into the bottom corner. Minutes later she scored again with a first touch deflection after a pass from Lisa Sullivan.

The rest of the first half was a close match with both teams having chances to score. Phoebe Jones came close to scoring after a pass from Ellie Windsor but was unable to get the ball in the goal.

Whitchurch’s captain Catherine Gresty also had a chance to score but a quick save from Lymm keeper resulted in it being 2-0 at half time.

Ten minutes into the second half Lymm got a short corner and a combination of short, quick passes resulted in a goal.

Despite the typical English weather (rain) Whitchurch kept working hard which resulted in a straight strike goal from Lisa Sullivan that was lifted just over the diving goalkeeper.

Lymm wanted another goal and a big hit found three Lymm players and only goalkeeper Gwyn Thomas- Rees in the dee and she pulled off a spectacular save, gaining time for the defence to drop back and support.

Whitchurch weren’t having another Lymm goal and with a hard hit from Gayle Ladd the ball was worked down the right by Emily Hilton and Jane Williamson. This then resulted in a short corner as the ball hit a Lymm foot in the dee. After this a number of shorts followed and Jane Williamson straight strike was met by Katie Plant putting her stick in the way to make the ball fly into the net.

Another strong 4-1 win for Whitchurch with Lisa Sullivan getting player of the match.

Next week Whitchurch have a week off before they are back in action on the 7th November against Alderley Edge 5s.

 

Warrington ladies 2nds 10 Whitchurch ladies 2nds 2

Whitchurch ladies 2nds travelled to Warrington on Saturday. Despite the score of 10-2 Whitchurch never gave up in battling for the ball and to pushing to get the ball into the opposition’s dee. Warrington were the stronger of the two teams and applied pressure from the start but as Whitchurch were finding their feet Warrington slotted the ball past goal keeper Shola Bailey.

Whitchurch worked from the start to the end trying to frustrate a strong Warrington team and a run from Jess Kimberley striking the ball from runner Charlotte Lawder on the left wing ran the ball and spotted Ashleigh Heath on the right who slotted the ball into the Warrington goal this boosted the confidence of the Whitchurch side. Warrington then sprung back on the break and scored a further four goals which brought the score line up to 5-1 at half time.

At half time Whitchurch had a motivating team talk which boosted the confidence of a lot of the team. Despite the score Whitchurch didn’t give up going for loads of tackles. Emily Vernon and Captain Julia Neale sprang into action by applying pressure and gaining the ball from the mistakes that Warrington made taking advantage to run the ball weaving in and out of the Warrington side but unfortunately wasn’t able to convert a goal.

Despite the chances that Whitchurch had on goal Warrington got stronger and pressured Whitchurch back into their dee and scored a further three goals. On the break Whitchurch had many tactical plans of how to keep the ball in the Warrington dee and a strike from the halfway line from Tracy Tolhurst straight into the Warrington dee picked out Emily Vernon who slotted the ball into the goal this left the score board at 8 – 2.

Warrington then bounced back and scored the remaining two goals before the end of the final half and the left the score at 10-2. Debutant Sally Pearce saw quite a lot of action this week along with Mel Reed, Wendy Cooper and Emma Clarke defending the Whitchurch dee but Warrington were a stronger as a whole team and clinical in the dee. Whitchurch can take many positives from the game but also many thinks to work on in the future.

After the week off Whitchurch will be travelling away to play against Neston 4’s and Ashleigh Heath was awarded player of the match.

 

Mossley Hill Men’s 3s 5 Whitchurch Mens 2s 0

Whitchurch started the day with only ten players but it got worse when two players failed to turn up at the meet and Whitchurch faced the possibility of travelling with only nine players, fortunately Chris Wilson stepped in at the last moment and Whitchurch travelled to Liverpool with nine players.

Whitchurch realised that with their reduced numbers that they couldn’t complete throughout the match and decided to defend and counterattack. From the start Whitchurch should have took the lead as their first opportunity fell to Craig Hockenhull who shot just wide of the Mossley goal.

Mossley started to make use of their numbers and move the ball around, however Whitchurch maintained their discipline and maintained their shape frustrating the Mossley attacks. Whitchurch again came close as a ball hit into the Mossley dee went through a crowd of players and bounced off Aaron Swain’s stick and wide off the post.

From this point on Mossley took full control of the game and despite all the efforts of Chris Wilson, Doug Buckeridge, Richard Leigh and Iain Bones in defence Mossley finally took the lead and quickly scored a second. Mossley continued to pressure the Whitchurch goal and brought the best out of keeper Neil Jones with a string of saves to keep the score to a minimum. Despite all their resistance Mossley inevitably scored a third before the break.

The half time break was very positive as the team was urged to continue with the same level of discipline and effort. Whitchurch held out for another twenty minutes before Doug Buckeridge took a ball to the knee ending his game. Mossley were very sporting and lent Whitchurch two players so the game could be completed.

Despite the effort of all the Whitchurch players especially midfielders Aaron Shackleton and Josh Parry who worked to the end all tired and Mossley scored two well worked goals to complete a deserved victory.

Whitchurch would like to thank Mossley for supplying another umpire and also sportingly sharing their players so the game could continue.

Whitchurch 2s travel to Llandudno next week.

 

Whitchurch Mens 1s 6 Lymm Mens 4s 0

Whitchurch continued their domination of North West Division 8 South West with another win over Lymm Mens 4s.

Martin Beecher scored a hattrick and goals from captain Joel Leese, Ben Kimberley and Felix Jeffreys kept them top of the league and on track for promotion.