Note: The Magpies web site has been unavailable for the last couple of days and may still be down today. The hosting server is being upgraded due to ongoing security issues…we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to all members, we hope to be back up and running very soon…
U16 GIRLS SEEK NATIONAL INDOOR GLORY
The club’s indoor season concludes this coming weekend with the U16 Girls travelling to the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton to represent the club and the East in the national club finals and with the Men’s 1sts going to the UWE in Bristol once again for the second weekend of their national league division one campaign.
The U16 Girls qualified for the national finals as East champions by beating Ipswich 5-4 (who also qualify as East runners-up) with goals by Abby Gooderham (3), Tor Findlay and Anna Tighe before defeating Chelmsford 8-3 with their goals coming from Tor (3), Abby (3), Anna and Izzy Knowles. They are in Pool A in Wolverhampton and on Saturday they play Surbiton (2.10) and Wakefield (3.20) before on Sunday taking on Leicester (9.00) and, after a long break, Cheltenham at 12.30. The semi-finals and finals will be held from 3.05 onwards and it is very best wishes to our squadwhich is Tor Findlay (capt), Abby Gooderham (vice-capt), Katie Crawford, Izzy Knowles, Hollie Riches (GK), Lauren Rowe, Anna Tighe, Georgina Warren, Sarah Findlay (manager) and Nick McAllen (coach).
The club has won the event twice before – in 2009 (before the schools had their separate event) and in 2012.
In 2009 the event was played at Worcester on a Friday and Saturday with the final at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on the Sunday together with the senior club finals. Magpies won their pool before in the semis squeezing past Wakefield High School in a nervy shootout after a 3-3 draw. In the final Magpies went behind after 15 seconds against Horsham HC before recovering to play extremely well on their way to a 4-1 win. Our squad was – Bryony Lund (capt), Holly Baker, Rebecca Banham, Lauren Barber, Jazz Bartlett, Verity Blyth, Amy Brook, Sarah Brook, Lucy Chubbock, Flora Marfleet (GK), Jenny Blyth (manager) and David Brook (coach).
In 2012 at Wolverhampton Magpies won their pool before meeting a strong Wycombe side for a place in the final. The team settled down after a rare early mistake to establish a 4-2 lead only to see it disappear in seconds. But they soon regained their lead only to concede at a corner with 20 seconds remaining! However, three excellently taken strokes in the shootout saw them into the final against Old Loughtonians. Two up at half time the team dominated their old rivals to win 5-1. Our squad was – Sarah Brook (capt), Ellie O’Sullivan (GK), Holly Baker, Emily Brown, Elizabeth Jones, Catriona Maciver, Katherine Ridley, Saffron Wilford, Kira Wooltorton, Nigel Wooltorton (manager) and David Brook (coach).
After winning just one of their four matches last weekend in Bristol the Men’s 1sts have a lot to do this coming weekend if they are to retain their division one status and two wins from their remaining four matches has to be their minimum target. On Saturday they play Wimbledon (12.30) and Brooklands MU (4.30) before turning their attentions on Sunday to Old Loughtonians (9.00) and Cannock (12.00). Last Saturday they went down 10-3 (Chris Barber, Toby Price, Andrew Bedwell) to Loughborough Students before beating Bournville 6-3 (Chris Barber 2, Simon Hipwell, James Meek, Carl Sitch, Tristan Baynes). On Sunday they played well before losing 7-5 (Tristan Baynes 2, Mark Wheelhouse, Richard Larkin, Toby Price) to Southgate but the 4-2 (Carl Sitch, Toby Price) defeat by Doncaster was a big disappointment. ‘Hope springs eternal’ so it is best wishes to the squad for this weekend.
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BINGO EVENING – please note this has been rescheduled for Saturday 28 February in place of the Family Fortunes Quiz. Further details will follow in due course.
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A final indoor hockey comment for this week. East Grinstead whom Magpies’ Ladies beat 4-3 in their Premier Division clash before Christmas have reached the national final to be played at The SSE Arena, Wembley on Sunday 25 January by beating Slough 1-0 (!) in the semis at Kettering last Saturday. EG will play Bowdon Hightown (who edged past Magpies 3-1 in their league meeting) after their 5-4 victory over Canterbury in the other semi. As I implied last week there is a thin line between success and relegation in this league.
Play resumed at a very windy and chilly Weybread last Saturday after the Christmas/New Year break where from experience I can say, after watching a match from between the pitches, it seemed about 10 degrees warmer in the shelter of the bank and hedge alongside the sand-based. From there in a select band of keen Magpies’ supporters, and a visiting lady supporter (we agreed that crowd segregation was not necessary!), I watched the Men’s 2nds gain a much-needed three points against fellow-strugglers City of Peterborough 3rds who had won the first game between the teams 7-2! Magpies went into the game with an experienced team and it was good to see former first team star striker Andy Hipwell turning out for the first time since the end of the 2012-13 season.
Andy created the first goal following a burst down the right wing and centre for Phil Cobbald to sweep the ball past former Magpies’ keeper Jon Short. A lively looking Peterborough side equalised before half time but after the break Magpies, under manager Lawrence Baynes, took control with 3rd team skipper Matt Brand on hand to put Magpies back in front from close range. This was an important goal and with time running out Andy also scored from a similar distance to ensure a vital win for his team which lifts them out of the remaining relegation spot for the first time this season. The other relegation spot has already gone in effect to Ramgarhia who sadly dropped out of the league earlier in the season and who would have hosted Magpies this coming Saturday.
Also in action at Weybread last Saturday were the Ladies’ 3rds and they maintained their good run of form with an extraordinary 7-0 win over league leaders Dereham 2nds to help make up for their 4-1 defeat in the away game early in the season. These were the first points dropped by Dereham all season! Scorers for third-placed Magpies were Kara Kilbourn (4), Catherine Kilbourn (2) and Izzy Knowles and this Saturday the team are away to second-placed Broadland (2.30). Earlier at Weybread the spirited Ladies’ 6ths had gone down 5-0 to Lowestoft Railway and the Men’s 5ths had drawn 2-2 with Bury St Edmunds 4ths in a tight game but one they looked like winning nevertheless. Tom Norton put them ahead early in the game and after Bury equalised Sol Barker thumped in a penalty corner just before half time to give them a deserved lead. After the break inspired by the in-form Jonty Herschel-Shorland Magpies enjoyed long spells of dominance but could not get that vital third goal and they paid the price when Bury converted a penalty corner with two minutes to go.
In the late games at Weybread, with both the wind and temperature dropping, the Girls’ Development drew 1-1 with Dereham and the Ladies’ 7ths suffered a rare defeat going down 4-1 (Julie Davy) to Lowestoft Railway 2nds. The Girls’ Development were goalless with Dereham at half time before Phoebe Eglington put them ahead only for Dereham to equalise with five minutes to go in a well-contested game.
Away from home there were heartening wins for the Ladies’ 4ths, Ladies’ 5ths and Men’s 6ths. The Ladies’ 4ths beat Diss 5-2 with goals by Anna Harrod (3), Kathryn Bullen and Matilda Warde-Aldam while the Ladies’ 5ths kept the pressure on league leaders Evergreens with a 6-0 defeat of North Norfolk 2nds with their goals coming from Millie Preece (3), Alice Woollatt and skipper Jose Tibbenham with a brace. Meanwhile the Men’s 6ths were completing the double over Bury St Edmunds 3rds beating them 3-2 with Dominic Absolon (2) and Jon Wells finding the net.
Finally, for this week –
a) The fixture between Bury St Edmunds and our Men’s 4ths due to be played this coming Saturday has been postponed as the Bury U18s will be competing in the national indoor finals.
b) Please see the website for the remaining fixtures to be played this weekend with best wishes as ever to our teams.
c) Wapping best Chelmsford 4-1 last Saturday to move five points above our Men’s 1sts (who have a game in hand) at the top of East Premier A which makes the meeting between the two teams in London on Saturday week even more important.
With kind regards
Mike Denham
13/1/15
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