JUGS WILL COME!
With three of our top four teams losing last Saturday it was a generally disappointing day for the club – a little like the much cooler and wet weather at Weybread. But again like the weather there were some bright spots and these included wins for the Ladies’ 2nds (their second successive league win), the Ladies 4ths (albeit at the expense of our 5ths), the Ladies’ 6ths, the Girls’ Development and the Men’s 7ths for whom skipper Murray Graham had things so much under control in their 8-0 win he even ensured the game was played in the dry!
I must reveal that in the win for the 7ths David Blackmore added a hat-trick to the one he scored the previous weekend for the Veterans and later in the day we learned that Roger Kent had scored a double hat-trick for the Men’s 5ths in their remarkable 19-0 win away to a young Pelicans’ 3rds. So with fingers firmly crossed I told David and Roger ‘Jugs will come!’ But only time will tell!
The Ladies’ 1sts playing at home for the first time this season matched Surbiton for long spells of the game but were undone by the class of former international Helen Grant while the Men’s 2nds were well beaten by a strong looking Dereham side. It is to be hoped that the Ladies’ 1sts will be heartened by the fact so far this season they have lost to the top two teams in their league while the Men’s 2nds will hope for reinforcements from the 1st team squad especially when the 1sts are playing on a Sunday.
It was good to see Angie Wheelhouse and Lucy Hayman watching the Ladies’ 1sts and it is time this column paid tribute to the enormous contribution both have made to the team over the past ten years and more. Despite playing at opposite ends of the pitch both have similar records. They both joined the club at an early age, both went to university, both rarely missed a match and both were undoubtedly the best ladies to play in their positions in the history of the club.
For season after season Angie was the team’s leading scorer with nearly 100 national league goals alone to her credit while Lucy (a former England U18 outdoor and England U21 indoor international) was quite outstanding in goal giving confidence to her fellow defenders with her skill and calm approach to her play and through her ability to read a game. It is to be hoped that Angie will play again next season after the birth of her baby in March and it is good to know that Lucy, who is concentrating on her demanding career, will be available to help out in an emergency as well as doing some coaching.
This Saturday the Men’s 1sts are at home to Oxted (2.15) hoping to get back to winning ways after their narrow defeat away to Holcombe while both second teams are away – the Men to Ramgarhia in London and the Ladies to St Ives (in Cambs not Cornwall!). Meantime the Men’s 3rds, after their encouraging 2-2 draw at Spalding, entertain Ely City (1.45) while the Ladies’ 4ths, 5ths, 6ths and Girls Development are all at home.
On Sunday the Ladies’ 1sts have a long trip to play Horsham (1.15) seeking their first points of the season while the U14 Boys play Bury (11.50) and Norwich City (12.45) in the East League at Bury while at home in their respective EHB Cups the U16 Boys play Ipswich (12.00) and the U18 Boys take on Bury (2.00). Best wishes as usual to all our teams this weekend. Please see website for all fixtures.
News and comments in brief
· Good luck to the England Ladies’ and Men’s squads in the troubled Commonwealth Games.
· At Weybread last Saturday it was good to see Tom Sumner (who is now working in Lyons and getting to grips with the French language) and Neil and Anna Toulson with baby Alexis. Anna’s comeback was, sadly, cut short by injury in the warm-up!
· Lowestoft Town have, unfortunately, withdrawn from East League 4 NE meaning that our Men’s 5ths now have no game on 30 October or 19 February.
NB. CURRY-OKE IN THE CLUBHOUSE THIS SATURDAY (7.30PM). PLEASE COME!!
