Bowden Vixens 2 Whitchurch ladies 3s 1

Whitchurch ladies 3rds played a friendly away against Bowden Vixens on their spare weekend from the league. The first half saw goalkeeper Louise Cottrell and the defence of Mel Reid, Emma Stubbs and Hermione Ball come under pressure from the Bowden attacks but they calmly retrieved the ball and set up Whitchurch attacks through the midfield of Poppy Huxley, Annie Leigh and Alice Page.

With the inners of Jasmin Williams and Emily Lister a constant thorn in the side of opposition as they worked tirelessly to break down the opposition possession. In the centre of the pitch, Jan Teggin and captain Wendy Cooper worked together with forwards Jess Kimberly, Kate Buckeridge, Caitlin Edwards and Libby Fox to create Whitchurch chances in the Bowden dee. The first goal was scored by Bowden as they broke quickly and finished clinically giving them a lead into the break.

Whitchurch soon were back on equal terms in the second half as Page drove through the Bowden midfield and slipped the ball to Kimberley to score. Bowden again took the lead breaking quickly and catching Whitchurch with a counterattack.

Whitchurch pushed hard for the equalising goal and despite creating many good chances their luck wasn’t there as they failed to make that last elusive touch in the dee.

Player of the match was Hermione Ball. Next week Whitchurch ladies 3’s are at home to Cheshire Blues.

Whitchurch ladies 1s 7 Neston ladies 3s 2

Ladies 1s entertained Neston 3s at home this week and what a mix of weather they had. As soon as they set up on the pitch the skies darkened and snow began to fall.

Straight away Whitchurch put plenty of pressure on Neston, using the width of Kezzie Hutching and Hebe Dixon. Forwards Izzy Huxley and Ellie Windsor battled in the dee and won a short corner allowing Emma Harper to use her powerful shot to slot their first past the keeper.

With the snow coming down so thick the game was stopped until it was safe to play again.

Neston fought well, but defence Chloe Lloyd and Harper cleared from the dee. With some fast play up the pitch from captain Catherine Winter-Gresty and Millie Edwards, Anna Latham stormed from nowhere onto the back post to score their second. Neston got on the score sheet from a powerful strike off a short corner. Sarah Field received a ball in the dee from Edwards and scored a 3rd for Whitchurch. Just before half time Neston made a break and scored a second.

A quick team talk and the ladies 1s came out battling against Neston defence.

Some lovely passing around Neston and Field returned the assist to Millie Edwards for a 4th.

Great play through the centre of the pitch through Molly Fry and out to Nina Hodges who set up Field for another two great goals. With only minutes to go Sarah Field managed to get a 7th for Whitchurch from open play. A great 7-2 win for the ladies 1s.

Whitchurch currently sit third in the league with the top two one point ahead, but as they play against top team Bowden at home next week promotion is still a real possibility!

Chester University Men’s 1s 1 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 6

On a blustery Saturday afternoon Whitchurch men’s 1st’s travelled to Chester Uni campus to play their men’s first team, missing two key defenders in captain Danny Foulkes and James Partington. The latter definitely big shoes to fill for Luke Davies stepping in to cover the left back role.

The opposition could only field a team of 10 players; however, this wasn’t evident in the opening spell as they pressed high onto the Whitchurch back line of Alex Fry, Chris Ruscoe and Luke Davies, with Paul ‘Sturge’ Leigh being called into early action in the Whitchurch goal to prevent the hosts taking an early lead.  Whitchurch took the lead soon after as they exploited the space left at the Chester back from the high press. A quick move up field started by Tom Forster found Jon Chappell in the opposition dee, who drew the keeper off his line to slip the ball to his younger brother Rob Chappell, who slapped the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 to the away team.

Whitchurch continued to soak up the pressure of the young Chester squad who had a series of short corners looking to find the equaliser, but the away team defence along with Sturge in goal kept them at bay.  At the other end Whitchurch won a short corner after some neat build up, resulting in a slick pass from stand in captain Dale “Stavros” Seymour finding Chris Ruscoe to slot the ball home under the Chester keeper making it 2-0 to the visitors.

Chester’s high press and quick ball movement eventually paid off just before half time when a shot on goal found a Whitchurch foot on the line and a penalty flick was awarded. Sturge managed to get a good hand onto the resulting flick but it somehow trickled in under his body to give the home side a sniff of getting back into the game, however, on the stroke of half time Jack Barnes’ pin point pass across field found Ben Kimberley at the top of the opposition D, who’s powerful shot found the bottom right corner to maintain Whitchurch’s two goal lead at half time.

Chester pressed once more at the start of the 2nd half but the extra man advantage of the away side started to take its toll on a now tiring home team. Gaps were left open and some quick ball movement through the Whitchurch midfield lead to the fourth goal being scored, as Nick Cooper rounded the Chester keeper and smashed the ball low and hard into the bottom left corner.

Great support play from Airan Jones, Sam Conway and Will Gilbert fresh from the bench meant Whitchurch always had fresh legs on the pitch and this began to take its toll on the home team. Reduced to nine players due to injury, Whitchurch took advantage and made it 5-1 when Jon Chappell pounced on a loose ball from a short corner routine and blasted it into the Chester goal.

The icing on the cake came in the last ten minutes as Captain Seymour’s neat pass set up young Will Gilbert running into the dee one on one with the Chester keeper he nonchalantly slipped the ball under him, ran around and thumped home the ball to pick up his first senior 1st team goal and Whitchurch’s 6th, mirroring the score line from the previous meeting earlier in the season, and maintaining Whitchurch’s push to be league champions with two matches left to go.

Next week Whitchurch welcome Chester 5th’s for their final home match of the 2019/2020 season, with only a single point required to confirm their position as league winners.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 3 Bangor University Men’s 1s 4

The Men’s 2s welcomed runaway league-leaders Bangor University to a cold and blustery Whitchurch on Saturday. With the Welsh side boasting a 100% win-rate this season, it was no real surprise that Bangor started the game on the front foot. Their pace and power were difficult for the home team to get to grips with, and Whitchurch were unable to string their passes together and found it difficult to dispossess their opponents. Wyn Morris and Doug Buckeridge were doing their best to clear the danger, but Bangor won a series of early short corners that were well dealt with by Whitchurch.

As in previous games this season, Whitchurch progressively grew into the game. Joe Coburn, Luke Beddow and Richard Leigh were linking well in midfield, whilst Alex Leigh was providing a useful outlet on the right-hand flank. With Euan Morris’s willing running upfront, the home side started to cause some problems to the Bangor rear-guard.

Whitchurch opened the scoring with a neat passing move involving Coburn and Beddow, that sent Alex Leigh free on the right side of the dee and his cross shot was knocked in by Morris at the back post. Bangor responded but still couldn’t conjure up a clear chance, although keeper Neil Jones kicked clear on a couple of occasions. As Bangor committed players forward, Whitchurch struck on the counterattack and doubled their lead as Euan Morris fired in his second from a narrow angle.

Bangor were a little shell-shocked but dug in and increased the intensity, putting more pressure on the Whitchurch backline. Several short corners came and went for the away side but eventually the away side pulled a goal back, as Whitchurch appealed for a foot as the goal-scorer picked up the ball in the dee.

The league-leaders continued to apply pressure, but still looked vulnerable on the counterattack. The Whitchurch passing through midfield was good and with Ethan Gresty driving down the right and Owen Pearce on the left, crosses whizzed across the Bangor dee, but no Whitchurch players could get the finishing touch. The home side were also unlucky when a shot came back off the post but fell to a Bangor stick.

At the other end, keeper Neil Jones produced a couple of handy stops to keep out the away side and Will Snaith did really well to deflect a chipped shot away from the goal-line. Eventually however, Bangor managed to find an equalising goal, taking advantage of a bit of confusion in the Whitchurch defence as substitutions were being called.

With the scores level at half-time and having lost a two-goal lead, it was important that Whitchurch girded themselves and put the same commitment into the second half of the game. Bangor flew out of the blocks and the pace and power of their players continued to cause problems for the Reds defence. Again, Neil Jones made some good stops, Gareth Teggin made some useful blocks, Wyn Morris made some robust tackles and Will Snaith provided excellent cover on the left.

The home side continued to work the ball well through midfield. Richard Leigh and Dave Brunyard were diligent in their defensive duties and supplied the ball to Coburn and Beddow to create some magic. Gresty and Jacob Buckeridge were providing width on the flanks, and although the team threatened around the dee, they couldn’t quite fashion a clear chance to shoot at goal.

Bangor took the lead midway through the half. Once again Whitchurch were distracted by what they thought was a foot in the build-up and failed to deal with a pass into the dee which was cleverly deflected over the diving Jones. The away side sensed a chance to take control of the game, but Whitchurch fought back and a cleverly worked short corner routine saw Euan Morris fire in his third goal of the game to equalise.

The game was now in the balance. Bangor looked a bit surprised to be pegged back and Whitchurch sensed an opportunity to pull off an unexpected victory. Bangor continued to drive with pace and power through the middle of the pitch, whilst Whitchurch moved the ball in short neat passes up to the Bangor dee. But with the game heading towards its conclusion it was Bangor that snatched the next goal. Good play down their left saw a diagonal ball played into the dee and a mishit shot crept under Jones’ pads to give the away side a decisive lead. Whitchurch responded well and drove forward in search of another equaliser, but despite having a short corner on the final whistle, they couldn’t quite grab the draw that they deserved.

Although they lost the game, Whitchurch should take a huge amount of pride and satisfaction from this game. Bangor have been the stand-out team in the division this season. There is a reason they have a 100%-win record and have despatched most teams with ease, including the 2s in the reverse fixture. They are a very good side. Once again Whitchurch showed they can compete with the best teams in the division, but unlike the previous occasions where a late capitulation has resulted in horrible defeats, this time they were in with a chance of getting a result with the very last play of the game.

Joe Coburn was superb in midfield and dictated most of Whitchurch’s good attacking play, Euan Morris was ruthless in front of goal and put in a great shift up front, and again Alex Leigh was excellent on the wing and at fullback. But all the players, young and old, should be proud of their efforts in the match. Similar application in their final two games of the season could see them finish the season in style.

The 2s next game is a re-arranged fixture at home to Winnington Park 4s, at 11am, on Sunday 8th March, at SJT.

Whitchurch ladies 2s 4 Sale ladies 3s 0

On Saturday 22nd February Whitchurch Ladies 2s finally played their rearranged match against Sale which was postponed due to a frozen pitch on 18th January.  The result of this match would determine if Whitchurch Ladies 2s finished in the top or bottom half of the division.

Whitchurch had a strong team of 15 players, the majority of whom have played together all season with some strong replacements eager to come on the pitch.

The warm up was focused to get the team to concentrate and motivated, emphasising the need to attack the ball and make sure passes were accurate.

First push back was taken by Sale, but they didn’t get far, the attacking line of Amy Fry at centre forward and Amelie Morris and Hayleigh Busby in the inner positions, hit the ball quickly to take it forward towards the Sale dee.  And this is where the ball spent most of the first half, either down the left hand-side with lovely passing play between Edina Jones and Tracey Tolhurst playing into the dee or on the right between Phoebe Jones and Nina Hodges using Molly Fry as the lynch pin to change direction of the ball across the pitch.

Frustratingly no matter how much play Whitchurch had in the Sale 22, the Sale keeper and strong defence managed to keep the ball from the goal.

Every 16 the Sale player had was heavily defended by the Whitchurch team, if the ball got past the first row of Amy Fry, Holly Gilbert or Caitlin Edwards it was soon scooped up by the halves or backs including Emily Lister, who was playing her first match for the Ladies 2s and Catherine Reece-Gresty who played a fantastic match of sweeping back.

Even though the first goal alluded the Whitchurch Ladies they did not give up and kept their heads focused defending well when needed and driving forward passing between themselves down the pitch towards the goal.

Sale did manage to break through twice during the first half, however with a strong half and defensive line, it didn’t worry Beth Wright in goal who dealt with the ball cleanly and assertively.

In the dying minutes of the first half Whitchurch were finally rewarded for their pressure with some beautiful passing play down the pitch slipped to the post and pushed into the Sale goal by Molly Fry

Whitchurch went into the halftime break 1-0 up.  The team talk by Captain Emma Clarke, bought the teams focus back on track, encouraged the team to relax around the goal mouth and stop trying to force the goal and urged players to stay out of the dee allowing the ball to be reset before being directed at the goal.

As anticipated Sale had also had a strong team talk and came out fighting, however each of their attacks were easily dealt with by the Whitchurch defence, to be able to counter attack on the Sale defence.

It was obvious the Sale team were tiring and with four subs Whitchurch was able to rotate players regularly and keep the pressure on.  It didn’t take long for Whitchurch to be rewarded by a fantastic goal from a short corner, push in from Molly Fry to Nicola Forester at the top of the dee, back into Phoebe Jones to the side of the goal with a fantastic shot past the Sale defence.

Whitchurch dominated the last 15 minutes of the match, with a goal from Nicola Forster and another from a short corner past left this time to Hayley Busby who shot to the post and scored.

In the dying minutes of the match Sale were awarded two short corners in quick succession, both of which were dispensed with efficiently by Whitchurch’s Keeper, who kept another clean sheet.

The final score 4-0 to Whitchurch moving them up to joint 4th in the division, player of the match was Nina Hodges.

Whitchurch Ladies 2s have four more matches to the season, three of which are the top teams in the division so they have a very hard month ahead.  Next week Whitchurch Ladies 2s are on the road to Neston ladies 4s who are 2nd in the division.

Northop Hall Men’s 2s 2 Whitchurch Men’s 1s 3

Whitchurch travelled away this week full of confidence after last week’s top-of-the-table win, but knowing that complacency could be their downfall. They were up against a strong Northop Hall team who have developed well over the season and who were a threat from the start.

Much of the game was defined by Northop using a long, hard hit out from the back as their main method of attack, and they used it well all game, often finding their left half in space and able to drive forward. They also used their knowledge of the least-bouncy pitch in the league to play the ball around better at the start while Whitchurch got used to the conditions. They were able to put together a number of decent attacks, and were unlucky several times not to score. Paul “Sturge” Leigh had another outstanding game in goal, keeping the Reds in it and denying some great shots from the Northop forwards.

Finally, the pressure told, with Sturge saving twice from the same attacker, before the ball fell kindly and the Northop striker was able to do reverse scoop over the prone keeper. The rest of the half was evenly balanced, and Whitchurch didn’t let their heads drop; they knew the chances would come, and they started to put together some good hockey forcing some great saves from the Northop keeper, who was their standout player.

At half-time, the team talk was about ensuring passes made it to Red sticks on a slow pitch, coming to meet the ball early, and start to make better use of the width of the pitch. The Whitchurch structure was solid, and the use of substitutes was again effect and kept the tempo high. Chris Ruscoe made a good run into the dee and won a short corner, and Jon Chappell’s first strike shot was just too powerful for the keeper, smashing into his pad but continuing on into the goal.

Whitchurch started to put together some more of the full-width play, with the ball moving across the pitch twice as it went from dee to dee, and this width started to stretch the Northop defence. Two goals in five minutes gave the Reds the momentum, as first a free hit on the edge of the dee was taken by Rob Chappell who fired it to Jack Barnes who got a reverse stick screamer into the goal. This was followed shortly after with a short corner routine slipping the ball back to Rob Chappell who’d injected, and the keeper was over-committed and Chappell passed it under him for the Reds’ third.

Northop had to respond and implemented their game plan well, pushing two forwards up to hassle the Reds’ defence, and their continued success with the long ball out worked, as they were able to drive down their left and into the dee where Sturge saved twice, but then the ball clipped Ruscoe’s foot before bouncing off the post. After the initial confusion over whether the ball had gone over the line was cleared, a penalty stroke was awarded, and Sturge was unfortunately beaten despite picking the striker’s shot.

With the score now at 3-2, Northop pushed everyone up the pitch looking for the equaliser. The last five minutes was very tense at the back for Whitchurch with everyone crowding the Reds’ dee looking for a goal or short corner, but the defence held and the final whistle gave Whitchurch their tenth consecutive victory.

Whitchurch Men’s 2s 5 Bebington Men’s 4s 1

The Men’s 2s welcomed Bebington to a windy Whitchurch on Saturday. The game earlier in the season had been a tough, physical game, but the Reds had hung on for a narrow victory. Still without their top two scorers, the side were looking to build on the good play from the previous weekend but knew that they’d need to be more decisive and ruthless in the opposition’s dee.

The opening stages of the game were fairly even. Whitchurch struggled to get their passing game going as they moved forward and Bebington, whilst neat in possession in the middle of the pitch, found an unyielding Whitchurch defence of Alex Leigh, Will Snaith, Wyn Morris and Pip Jones.

As the half progressed, the home side’s passes started to become a bit crisper and more accurate. Alex Leigh, Joe Coburn and Joe Faithfull were linking well down the right-hand side of the pitch, but the Bebington defence held firm and Whitchurch struggled to create any danger in front of the Wirral side’s goal.

Despite dominating the possession and territory it was from a counterattack that Whitchurch opened the scoring. Alex Leigh played an excellent vertical pass to Marcus Conway, who in turn fed Airan Jones to run through on goal and he calmly slid the ball past the on-rushing keeper.

The goal settled Whitchurch and they enjoyed a good spell of possession and territory with Bebington penned in their own twenty-three. The home side got themselves into several good attacking positions, but some poor decision making let them down at the crucial moments. However neat interplay between Joe Coburn and Joe Faithfull saw the ball played across the face of goal where Jacob Buckeridge swept home at the back post to double the home side’s lead going into half-time.

Whitchurch held a three goal lead in the reverse fixture against Bebington, but the Wirral side introduced a physicality that day which knocked the young Whitchurch side out of their stride, so the focus in the second half was for the home team to move the ball swiftly, but carefully, whilst avoiding getting into contact with their opponents.

With Richard Leigh and Doug Buckeridge providing some calm in midfield, the home side moved the ball well and put Bebington under pressure from the start of the second half. A good ball forward sent Will Gilbert clear on goal and as he drew the keeper at the edge of the dee, he unselfishly squared the ball to Ethan Gresty who drove the ball into the open goal.

Although Bebington continued to play some neat hockey through the middle of the pitch, they still struggled to pose a significant threat to the Whitchurch goal. Will Snaith, Alex Leigh, Pip Jones and Wyn Morris continued to intercept passes, make blocks and tackles, and provide a solid base for Whitchurch to move forward.

The home side were making chances and Marcus Conway almost got on the end of a cross at the back post. As Bebington legs tired, Joe Coburn found more space in midfield and his incisive pass put Marcus clear and he slammed the ball past the keeper to make the score 4-0. This was quickly followed by Airan Jones second goal of the game. The Bebington keeper made an excellent double save from Airan and Will Gilbert, but Airan slammed the third effort high into the net.

Bebington were undeterred despite the score line and continued to play their own good hockey. As the Whitchurch subs rolled on into unfamiliar positions, their own play became more ragged and Bebington belatedly threatened the Whitchurch goal. Keeper Neil Jones kicked clear on several occasions, but a brief flurry of short corners just before the end of the game saw Bebington pull one goal back.

The 5-1 win was an excellent result for the team. Still without their leading scorers there was a worry that the team might struggle to score goals for the second week running, but Bebington’s willingness to play their own hockey benefitted Whitchurch. As the Wirral side’s attacks broke down, Whitchurch found space to move the ball and, more importantly, space within the dee to get shots and passes away.

The intensity provided by the midfield and attackers made life difficult for Bebington and their attacks struggled to make much headway, but for the second week running the defence was excellent and provided the platform for all of Whitchurch’s good play going forward.

In their next game, the Men’s 2s entertain the runaway league leaders from Bangor University. Pushback is 1:30pm at SJT.