LADIES’ 1STS SNATCH TOP BILLING FROM LADIES’ 2NDS

What a weekend! Where do I start? As at 2.00pm last Sunday I was intending to give top billing this week to the Ladies’ 2nds for their superb 2-1 win over West Herts with the Men’s 1sts a close second for their excellent 2-0 win over Cambridge University. But by 3.20pm it just had to be the Ladies’ 1sts for their toppling away from home by two goals to nil of joint league leaders and unbeaten St Albans. I have run out of superlatives to describe this win!

The Ladies’ 1sts went into the game in the rural setting of Oaklands College following their disappointing home defeat by Sevenoaks eight days earlier and facing a St Albans’ team, including Olympic bronze-medallist Hannah Macleod, which had not conceded a goal in five matches. St Albans dominated the opening minutes before Magpies began to get into the game. Thereafter Magpies looked the equal of their hosts but were unable to take advantage of a penalty corner and a chance at the right hand post. The deadlock was broken in the twenty-fourth minute of the first half when right winger Georgie Minta got away from her marker to touch the ball past the home goalkeeper at the left post following a firm strike into the circle. Magpies, and their supporters, had to endure several anxious moments before and after half time and especially so at a number of penalty corners. But with the whole Magpies’ squad working hard for each other and with the defence putting in numerous strong tackles chances for St Albans were correspondingly reduced. With twelve minutes to go Magpies were awarded their second penalty corner and Emma Lee-Smith drilled the ball low into the back of the net. St Albans responded with their best spell of the match as Magpies’ goalkeeper Charlotte Lee-Smith and her fellow defenders were kept busy with Charlotte pushing away a shot destined for the top left corner of the net. This has to be the squad’s best performance for some considerable length of time and leaves them in fourth place in the league with 15 points from nine games at the half way stage of their season. This coming Saturday (2.00) they host newly-promoted Maidenhead who are also on 15 points and who beat Magpies 1-0 on the opening day of the season.

Back to Saturday at Weybread and the Ladies’ 2nds who were up against league leaders West Herts and like St Albans another undefeated team. The visitors dominated the opening minutes to such an extent that the comment from a keen supporter of the Magpies being ’under the cosh’ seemed almost inadequate! But Magpies survived the early barrage of penalty corners with goalkeeper Calianne Clark pulling off a series of fine saves as she continued to do throughout the game. It was hardly a surprise when West Herts took the lead early in the second half but Magpies, with skipper Frances Taylor to the fore, kept plugging away and five minutes from time Katie Ogden equalised with a super drag flick at a penalty corner. The home supporters greeted the goal with a mighty roar of jubilation. Magpies then went after the winner and in the final seconds of the game won another penalty corner. Could Katie do it again? Another excellent injection by Kira Wooltorton and the net was soon bulging again to be followed by an even louder roar from the exultant home supporters! What a win! Admittedly West Herts had enough chances especially in the opening minutes of the game to have won comfortably but Magpies showed what can be achieved against the odds by battling away and taking your chances. These three points help to make up for some unluckily dropped ones over the past few weeks. This Saturday (12.00) the team entertain local rivals Norwich Dragons, including some ex-Magpies, who are having a good run following their promotion at the end of last season.

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FUN CASINO & FIZZ EVENING
Black Tie. Champagne cocktail on arrival. Nibbles.
THIS SATURDAY – 22 NOVEMBER (7.30PM)
STARSTON PLACE, STARSTON

Have you got your ticket(s) yet please?
Tickets are £20 each and are available from Frances Taylor.
Please contact Frances on 07717 531269 or at francestaylor33

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Next up were the Men’s 1sts (and league leaders) against second placed Cambridge University and from the start something seemed different. The home players were not confronting the umpires. Had they all taken a vow of silence?! But as against Dereham the previous week they conceded a first minute penalty corner which came to nothing like, fortunately, all the others the students won throughout the match. But at the other end in the eighth minutes Magpies converted a penalty corner won following a surging run by Ben Wright. The ball was slipped to Chris Barber who deflected it into the empty net. One-up soon became two-up when a mishit shot by Will Martin bounced through the Cambridge defence. The goals came in a twenty minute spell of high class hockey by Magpies but as half time approached the spell seemed to have been broken. After the break the students enjoyed more of the play but they found Leigh Sitch and Andrew Bedwell, making a rare appearance due to work commitments, in fine form at the back. When they were beaten Simon Hipwell popped up to scoop away a shot rolling towards the net and Richard Larkin made a vital clearance with time running out. At the other end Magpies twice came close to adding to their lead. This Saturday skipper Mark Wheelhouse and his team have another important game when they travel to third placed St Albans coached by England manager Andy Halliday. Andy, who watched the game on Sunday, said how well the Magpies’ Ladies played.

I got into trouble last Saturday. Firstly a West Herts player thought I was being sarcastic (when I wasn’t) when I said ‘hard luck’ as the team came off the pitch. Later Richard Larkin picked me out in the crowd and accused me of being negative (I plead guilty m’lud – on occasions) just after he had given away a penalty corner (after the game he said he played better having taken it out on me) and later still Andrew Bedwell accused me of eating his sausages when he went for a shower after being on kitchen duty. He then kindly bought me a glass of wine. All in a day at Weybread!

Talking of a day at Weybread it had begun with two early and cheering wins for the club with the Ladies’ 7ths beating Norwich Dragons 7ths with a hat trick by May Bowden and a 2-1 win for the Men’s 5ths over Ipswich 3rds. In-form Sol Barker got the first for the 5ths (who have suffered just one defeat in nine matches) and Matt Bensly got a splendid winner with Stuart Peters trying to claim an assist! There was more success away from home with the Ladies’ 3rds drawing 1-1 (Catherine Kilbourn) with Dereham 3rds, the Ladies’ 5ths beating Dereham 4ths 3-2 and the Men’s 3rds defeating Norwich Dragons 2nds 7-1. Alice Woollatt put the Ladies’ 5ths ahead and after a Dereham equaliser Anna Kilbourn added a second and Matilda Warde-Aldam got the winner in the fog after another Dereham equaliser. For the Men’s 3rds Gavin Cole starred with four goals (all tap-ins I’m told but I would call it skilfully being in the right place at the right time) with Robbie Kinsella, skipper Matt Brand and Nick Whitehead getting the others.

Meanwhile back at Weybread the fog was descending during the last games of the day and while the Ladies’ 6ths were going down 5-0 to Broadland 2nds the Men’s 4ths were drawing 2-2 with Pelicans 2nds. Well done to the players and umpires for coping with the conditions. The umpires for the Ladies’ game were Terry Ransom (invisible) and Louisa Greenacre and for the Men’s match Sam Rowe (allegedly) and David Francis. Richard Gill equalised with a deft flick for the 4ths and after Pelicans regained the lead Ben Kilburn got the equaliser in the murk and with it the team’s first point of the season. It was good to have skipper David Blackmore playing again following injury although he forgot to bring the team’s jelly babies! In my day it was a slice of orange at half time.

Please see the website for all of last weekend’s results and for this weekend’s fixtures (including youth indoor and outdoor matches on Sunday) with good luck to all our teams.

Best wishes to:

a) Sam Moore who should be out of hospital tomorrow after suffering a setback and a return to hospital following his knee operation in late October.

b) Siobhan Wooltorton who is having an operation on a knee just before Christmas.

Sam will be out of action for several more months unfortunately but hopefully Siobhan will be back playing considerably sooner.

Finally, if you want some flowers may I please suggest you consider Katherine Hadingham at Fig & Roses, 8a The Thoroughfare, Harleston. Tel: 01379 308182 kat

With kind regards
Mike Denham  [email protected]
18/11/14

IceniPost.com – hosts of www.magpies-hockey.co.uk

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