Whitchurch Mens 1s  3  Bloxwich Mens 1s  7

The struggle for consistency is an on-going one for the young Whitchurch side.

From the start Bloxwich set the tempo of the game passing the ball quickly and dynamically around the pitch and despite Whitchurch’s best efforts they struggled to get and maintain possession of the ball as Bloxwich rushed into a comfortable 3-0 lead. The game could have changed in the last seconds of the half as the Bloxwich keeper was beaten by some neat passing and the ball scrambled off the goal line before Whitchurch could get the vital touch.

The second half saw Whitchurch take the game to Bloxwich and as the visitors sat back in a disciplined defensive line Whitchurch got what they needed so badly, time and space on the ball and this allowed their players to run, pass and upset the Bloxwich defence. Ben Lea leading the way with two penalty corner strikes and a clinical penalty flick in a 20 minute period.

Whitchurch continued to push for more goals but as they tired space opened in the midfield which Bloxwich exploited with a number of goals in the closing stages of the match.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 0                  Whitchurch ladies 1s  3

In an unprecedented event this weekend, Whitchurch 1^st’s played Whitchurch 2^nd’s with the Ladies 1^st’s clutching victory.

As the ladies of both sides jogged into their places, there were a few laughs and playful banter before the game faces prevailed. One thing was for sure, this wasn’t a friendly. The whites (1s) had pushback. The reds (2s) defence was strong, with Sally Pearce clearing the ball several times, just to be further attacked by the Ladies firsts. Laura Workman worked tirelessly to defend the 2nds goal in the first half, along with Laura Hollinshead and Helen Machin. Sharon English continued to put pressure on the Whites but Catherine Gresty, Nicola Workman and Claire Roberts just kept pushing forward.

The pressure just kept coming from the whites however, with Ellie Windsor and Hayleigh Busby defending valiantly for the 2s, even with teamwork from Vicki Price, Nina Hodges and Keeley Hathaway to attack. Until the whites got a short corner. With a great strategy and poise, Lisa Sullivan managed to shoot straight into goal, leading the Ladies 1st 1-0 at half time.

After some stern words and motivation speeches at half time, both Ladies teams were coming back with a fight. Jess Kimberley, Catherine Reese-Gresty and Nina Hodges pushed forward with ferocity, creating a shot on goal, however with the great skill of goalkeeper Phoebe Jones and defence Katie Plant and Becky Brookfield, the ball was sent towards the Ladies 1^st’s goal. Both Katie Plant and Emily Vernon made an attempt on the 1s goal however Ladies 1^st’s goalkeeper Gwyn Thomas-Rees sent the ball hurtling back towards Ladies 2^nd’s goal.

It was a bit of a scramble to obtain the ball for the next few tense minutes of the game, as the 1sts and 2nds fought for the ball. There were attempts from Jayne Williamson, Sue Read and Julia Neale, but the defence of the 2nds were strong and the struggle for a goal continued. This was broken up by a fantastic shot by Jess Kimberly firing high past the 2s keeper securing another goal for the 1sts.

In the last minutes of the game, inside the seconds dee was a blur of red and white shirts moving at a rapid pace. Helen Apperley was amazing support for goalkeeper Phoebe Jones, and further support was found in Emily Hilton. However some astonishing play from Catherine Reese-Gresty, Lisa Sullivan resulted in a last second goal for Sue Read, leaving the final score at 3-0 to the Ladies 1sts.

Whitchurch Mens Fathom  3  Bridgnorth Mens Fathom  0

The Men’s Fathoms team continued their winning streak by defeating Bridgnorth Fathoms 3-0 on Saturday.

It was a fairly well contested match despite the Whitchurch keeper not being brought into action. Simon Brincento led the line throughout the match and found Ellis Hickson unmarked in the Bridgnorth dee to open the scoring after 20 minutes catching the Bridgnorth keeper out of position.

Whitchurch extended their lead after a solo run from Aaron Shackleton resulted in Whitchurch being rewarded a penalty corner, which Ian Bones dispatched with a blistering shot.

Despite the loss of defender Richard Leigh through injury at half time Whitchurch continued to dominate the game and Ian Bones scored his second with the goal of the game firing the ball past the stranded Bridgnorth keeper.

Whitchurch ladies 1s  2   Wrexham ladies 2s  2

Whitchurch entertained Wrexham in a top of the table clash with a win for either team taking top spot in the league.

Whitchurch started the faster of the two teams and when within minutes Nina Hodges rounded the Wrexham keeper and some brilliant defending saw the ball scrambled off the line Whitchurch must have wondered if it was not to be their day. Whitchurch continued to apply pressure but Wrexham sat back and broke at every opportunity with the lightening pace of their centre half.

Whitchurch finally broke the deadlock as Sue Read met a cross from the right to deflect an unstoppable shot past the Wrexham keeper and give Whitchurch a precious half time lead.

Whitchurch started the second half as they finished the first with Sue Read scoring her second, twisting and turning away from the Wrexham defence before slotting the ball past the advancing keeper.

Whitchurch paid the ultimate price for pushing forward for a third goal leaving the Wrexham centre half with time and space which she ruthlessly exploited tearing through the Whitchurch defence setting up two goals in a matter of minutes.

Whitchurch had the final chance to take the points as again Nina Hodges broke the defensive line but her shot clipped the defenders stick taking it wide of the post. In the end both teams were happy with the result with Whitchurch 1s remaining top of the league.

Whitchurch ladies 2s  1    South Cheshire ladies 4

Despite early promise and Chloe Crump causing havoc for the South Cheshire defence with her pace the Whitchurch team conceded two early goals.

The South Cheshire keeper made two fantastic saves before Crump finally got her reward for her efforts scoring a blistering goal bringing Whitchurch back into the game.

The second half saw Whitchurch tighten up their defence but as they tired the supply of balls to the forwards dried up and South Cheshire took control of the match.

Despite the best efforts of Sally Pearce, Mel Reid and Natalie Hollins a wicked deflection broke the resolute Whitchurch defence and in the final minutes of the game South Cheshire scored their fourth.

Next week its derby match as Whitchurch 1s play Whitchurch 2s at the Whitchurch Leisure centre starting at 12.30.

Whitchurch Mens 1s  1  Leamington Mens 1s  0

Whitchurch bounced back from with a win over Leamington in a close and tightly fought contest. In the end it came down to two crucial moments that allowed Whitchurch to take the points and move up to fourth in the league.

There was very little between the two teams and for large parts of the game both teams cancelled each other out with excellent defending from Alex Fry and Luke Davies and attacking at pace through Joe Nicholson and Michael Lawledge-Evans.

Halfway through the period Leamington were awarded a penalty stroke after a goal mouth scramble and an excellent save from goalkeeper Tom Vaughan kept Whitchurch in the match. This seemed to motivate the Whitchurch team and they managed to apply a sustained period of pressure but couldn’t manage to convert their chances.

The deadlock was broken midway through the second half when Whitchurch were awarded a penalty flick after a penalty corner was stopped on the line by defenders body. Whitchurch however made no mistake as Ben Lea fired the ball into the roof of the net giving Whitchurch the crucial lead they required.

Leamington had opportunities in the dying minutes of the game to take a point but strong and disciplined defending gave Whitchurch a well-deserved three points.

Whitchurch Men’s Fathoms  3                     Bloxwich Men’s Fathoms  0  (game abandoned at half time)

The game was meant to be away but was re-arranged late in the week so Whitchurch entertained Bloxwich at home.

Whitchurch raced into an early lead as Jack Barnes and Ellis Hickson scored in quick succession and then within minutes Ian Bones went on a individual run straight through the heart of the Bloxwich defence and neatly finished for the Whitchurch third.

During the half time interval the Bloxwich keeper was taken unwell and an ambulance called to the pitch, in the subsequent delay the game was abandoned. All at Whitchurch hockey club wish him a speedy recovery.

Golborne ladies 2s   0 Whitchurch ladies 1s  7

Whitchurch Ladies 1s travelled to Golborne, near Wigan on Saturday for a late fixture against this mid-table team.

The first 20 minutes saw Whitchurch frustrated by many missed opportunities to score. The Golborne goalkeeper made some excellent saves and despite the continuing pressure from the strong Whitchurch attack led by Lisa Sullivan and supported by Catherine Gresty, Chloe Crump, Keeley Hathaway and Vicky Price, Whitchurch only managed to go two goals up with a brace Nina Hodges by half time.

The second half saw the strong Whitchurch side come back with determination to get around the talented Golborne ‘keeper.

Whitchurch defenders Jayne ‘Crow’ Williamson and captain Catherine Reece-Gresty stepped up to support the attack whilst Gayle Ladd, Claire Roberts and Goalie Gwyneth Thomas-Rees held off every single break that Golborne attempted.

Solid team work meant that the Whitchurch girls kept the ball for 90% in the second half.  Resulting in a further five goals, Nina Hodges (2), Keeley Hathaway and Lisa Sullivan with the last being scored on the final whistle from an amazingly accurate short corner shot from Jayne Williamson that pounded through Golborne’s defensive line.

Final score Whitchurch 7 Golborne 0, with Whitchurch keeping its position at the top of the division

Wrexham ladies 2s   7                          Whitchurch ladies 2s    1

Whitchurch 2s knew that it would be a difficult game as Wrexham are currently second in the league. Whitchurch fielded a much-changed team due to the unavailability of regular players and as Whitchurch adjusted to the changes Wrexham took full advantage to race into a four goal lead in the first ten minutes of the match.

Whitchurch were not giving up easily and continued to work hard and this resulted in an amazing pass from Monique Higgs to Jess Kimberley who found Phoebe Jones in the opposition Dee defecting the ball into the path of the advancing Ellie Windsor to beat the Wrexham keeper.

The second half saw much the same as the first half Whitchurch continued to work hard but failed to capitalise on their opportunities where Wrexham were clinical in front of goal converting another three chances.