With just a few weeks of the season left to go (yes, really!) many teams are still pushing for those top spots.
Men’s 1st XI 2-0 Bristol University
We came in to the game struggling with injuries and needing a win to put ourselves clear of third place Bristol University and maintain the 2 point lead over Richmond. In the first quarter Bristol started the faster with us not really at the races. A couple of through balls caused a few scares and brought about a few short corners which were well dealt with by Josh Doble and the defensive unit. The home side slowly built into the game and an early green to Bristol for a nudge in the back set the umpires stall out in the fourth minute. The pressure continued to grow with Dan Rhodes having to make a last minute sliding tackle, leading to a 5 minute yellow, putting us down to 10. A short corner followed which was well cleared by Matt Richardson on the line past the right post.
The second quarter led to a reshuffle with Will Phillips moving to centre back and Charlie Lamb taking the central midfield position. The changed proved effective as we built from the back and started to control the tempo of the game. Throughout the second quarter, the home side started to exert pressure on the travelling Bristol side and we rewarded with a few short corners. After setting up the defence at the previous corner, a smart short corner routine led to Tom Roberts deflecting a Charlie Lamb shot in to the goal. A much needed goal to settle nerves and raise confidence.
The third quarter continued much in the same vein as we dominated the ball and creating chances while Bristol sat back and looked to hit on the counter. A lot of the game was played in the middle portfolio of the pitch and after squandering a few good openings, the ball fell to Dan Rhodes after a failed short corner clearance. After controlling the ball, he lifted it past the sprawling keeper into the netting giving the us a two-goal lead on the third quarter buzzer. With numbers short and legs tiring, we looked to see out the 4th quarter controlling the ball and maintaining their lead. A last ditch attempt by Bristol to pull their keeper brought no fruition and the game finished 2-0, a crucial win in OC’s promotion and title bid. We travel to Exeter University next Sunday seeking to maintain our lead at the top of Conference West with three games remaining.
Men’s 2nd XI 2-2 Haslemere
Starting the day third but ending it second in the league yet the disappointment etched on the faces of the 14 players shows how far this team had come. As the ski and birthday season draws to an end the boys welcomed back some familiar faces and expectations we high after the thrilling win last week. Half court met half court(ish) as the wind gave many of the lads the best blow they’ve had a for a while. We should have led early on after DR pounced on a wayward pass but as was the trend for the game a basic pass went behind cookie. As the midfield of Morris, Wright and Marchant started to see plenty of possession the Haslemere keeper remained untested. There was always the threat of a counter attack yet Haslemere’s chances and eventual goal came from sloppy play and an inability to clear the ball safely from inside the defensive third. HT 0-1 to the away team.
Tactics were tweaked, Stratford arrived after touching wood all morning but more importantly the requirement of drive and passion was installed from MOM Marchant. This had an immediate impact as Emery played in Cooper who slipped to Matt ‘first time’ cookie who calmly scored with a tomahawk, a deserved winner of champagne moment. The second came from a short corner with Dan Ladd slipping in and squeezing the ball into the side netting, a similar move he would repeat the same evening. At this point in the game the umpires decided to spice things up with green and eventually yellow cards being thrown around like Sourz at a well known pub in Andover, the worst of which given to D Roberts for ‘playing to the whistle’. Gal, Ripley, FRJ and JFK looked assured throughout giving a good platform to attack but the half court press held firm. At 2–1 Haslemere were always in the match and converted a short corner to level the match. With OC’s pressing for the win and Haslemere reduced to 8 men the basics which had continued to plague the lads and was summarised with numerous short corners at the end with no goal.
Disappointing to only come away with a point but with 4 games remaining OC’s 2nd XI have their destiny in their own hands. Training will be a great chance to remind us how to pass and ensure corners are effective as we welcome a resurgent Chichester 2nd XI to fortress TD next week.
MOM – March
DOD – DR
Champagne – Cookie
Men’s 5th XI 1-0 Kenley
With Sanderstead losing, the 5th XI went back to the top of Surrey Division 2 with a gritty win over a Kenley side who were much improved from the one we easily beat back in November. A delayed start due to the closure of the M25 did not have any effect on either side and the opening exchanges were at both ends. As the half went in, we created more openings but the Kenley keeper was on good form and we often seemed to over complicate things. The most memorable moment came when David Knapp weaved a path through the defence before, with only the keeper to beat, producing an air shot which missed the ball by about a foot and so overbalanced him that he ended up in a heap on the floor. He assured those not doubled up laughing that he had never done that before.
We maintained pressure in the second half, although Kenley looked capable of nicking the points on the counter, squandering two four-on-two situations with poorly aimed passes. The deadlock was eventually broken ten minutes from time when Knapp fired home a short corner. Not overly pretty but the title is ours to lose, although we still have to play two of the sides immediately below us.
Ladies 1st XI 8-2 Surbiton 5s
Sitting in third place, every game matters for the ladies 1s now, as we hurtle towards the end of the season. A week off due to half term, meant legs were well rested and minds were sharp and ready for this week’s match against local rivals, Surbiton. With the results in recent weeks going our way, our sixteen woman squad were raring to go. The match started a little later than scheduled, which I was mightily grateful for, as I only managed to turn up at 1pm … yet somehow I managed to avoid the wally of the match. This is due to the fact that, despite being old members day and Ms Hawes reminding the squad to turn up ‘on brand’ one member of our squad managed to forget which team she was playing for…
The match began and OC’s were on the hunt. Wave after wave of attack, we found ourselves in their D time and time again. We switched the ball from left to right, and back again – it was only a matter of time before the flood gates opened… And open they did. After about ten minutes, we had our first break. Meg picked up the ball from the half-way line, ran past their entire time, crossed the ball to Richie at top D, who slotted it in far post. OC’s 1 – 0 SHC (Scorer. K. Richards) A couple of minutes passed and we were awarded our first short corner. Setting up strong round the top of the D, a strike back to the injector took a deflection into the back of the net by myself. OC’s 2 – 0 SHC (M. Hanson) Sangster then decided that she wanted to get involved in a bit of goal scoring, and stood her ground firmly on the back post for the remainder of the game. She needn’t wait long. Laura decided to turn on the flare, pirouette round a couple of their players, drive to the right post before sending the ball to Sangster stationed at the far post. Goal. OC’s 3 – 0 SHC (G. Sangster) We continued our ruthless attack, transferring the ball with ease, before a piece of individual skill from one of the twins, not Meg (it was Amy). She was clearly bored of the amount of passing that took place, so decided that route one was the option and crashed the ball effortlessly to Sangster who was, you guessed it, waiting patiently at the far post. OC’s 4 – 0 (G. Sangster) Shortly after, we were awarded a flick for both a bad tackle and a foot on the line. With much deliberation on who was to step up – I took it upon myself to take the long stroll from Centre Back. In case you were wondering, it is a long enough walk to talk yourself out of a flick. Unfortunately, I was unable to put the ball out of reach of the keepers pad, so the less said about that the better. Half time arrived and we had our secret sweeties known only to the OC’s ladies ones and the U10 boys. Wise words from coach Moors, carried us into the second half, we knew we weren’t finished.
Now, I’m going to be honest, we didn’t start the second half quite how we wanted. Perhaps our minds were elsewhere, perhaps we could taste glory, who knows. Surbiton came out in force, perhaps they too had a special half time snack? With so fast transfers, they utilised their back post player and slotted on in. OC’s 4 – 1 SHC. We weren’t going to take it lying down. The match was more end to end this half, and we were ready for action. We continued to penetrate their D, but just couldn’t put the ball in the goal! Then a break… A long corner from Nikki to Richie in the D was taken round a couple of defenders before being played to Syms who comfortably put it away. OC’s 5 – 1 SHC ( G. Syms) However, Surbiton weren’t finished, we continued to battle back and forth, end to end, neither team being able to secure the ball in the D. Suddenly, storm Jorge came into his own and began to harrang us, almost disorientating us. Surbiton saw the confusion, on mainly my face and used the opportunity to sting. OC’s 5 – 2 SHC. This was getting a little too close for comfort and although we had a 3 goal lead, this was not enough. We continued to attack down the right hand side, winning fouls around the D. A routine long corner (thank you Mr Marshall) allowed us to get the ball into their D with ease. Laura picked it up top D and played a pass to Sangster, who seemed to have stepped out of the comfort of the back post, but now stood a little wider. Did this stop her? No it did not! She received the ball comfortably on her forehand and sent the ball flying into the side netting. Hattrick for Sangster! OC’s 6 – 2 SHC (G. Sangster)
But we weren’t finished, oh no! We once again got the ball into their D, where Laura looked like she was in control, but suddenly she was taken out by the opposition. A brilliant piece of umpiring allowed Liz to pick up the ball and play the pass down to Ellie who took the shot but was poached by Fletch on the post. OC’s 7 – 2 SHC (R. Hall-Fletch) We could feel the end of the match nearing, the smell of victory was hanging in our midst. Another short corner was upon us. What to choose? “A Syms classic,” we chorused. We lined up – a smooth injection and trap allowed Syms to smash the ball, so hard and fast, we didn’t see the ball until it bounced off the backboard.
A mighty fine day of hockey even if I do say so myself! There were plenty of contenders for MOM this week, including Nikki and both twins, Holly and Amy, however it went down to the wire on two players Sangster and Meg. It was very close, but Meg pipped it on the line. However she also received DOD for wearing a Surbiton jumper to a SHC game… (special mention to myself for also having a SHC bag and towel – fortunately they were restricted to the changing room! Oh, and being an hour late to the match)
Here’s to next week!
Merton Ladies 2s 1-2 Ladies 4th XI
With only four more games until the end of the season, we were keen to secure another win. We started off well and realised quickly that we were the better team. After scoring the 1:0 early on (with Jenny pushing the ball past the goalie after a pass from Anna), unfortunately we took our foot off the gas and weren’t as aggressive anymore as we should have been. Our passes often came late and as a result, we lost a few balls unnecessarily. Merton equalised just before half time, which was completely undeserved. After half time, we improved slightly and managed to score again (short corner hit deflected by Lily). After that, we tried to keep possession and managed to maintain our lead until the end of the game. Not our best performance- it often seems to happen that we find it harder to play against weaker teams- however, a win is a win, so all in all we are happy!
Ladies 2nd XI 0-2 Spencer 5s
It was an early game for the ladies 2s this week as we headed in the freezing rain to take on Spencer 5s in Earlsfield. We knew it’d be a tough game as they are currently sitting 3rd in the table but we were feeling positive from last weeks great team performance. We were all subject to the tough conditions – cold driving rain for much of the first half. Spencer started on the front foot and pushed hard in the first 10 minutes. They played well with 1-2s around us and pulled off a slick team goal about 15mins in by passing short sharp passes. We lost Lizzie in the back line who’s pinky was on the receiving end of a brutal hit (hope it’s not broken lovely!). But our game then caught up with our high levels of determination and we started our fight back positively and with some great passing, building from switching around the back and some lovely attacking play from the inners and halves. We didn’t let our heads go down and we could sense that the tide of play was turning. We started to get into the ‘dirty zone’ and the long corner set play at training really paid off. We won a couple of short corners but just couldn’t capitalise – their keeper was on it (sadly!).
Half time talk was positive and Captain Cook helped us focus on what we needed to improve on in the second half. This game was ours to take! We dominated the possession in the second half again with more chances on goal (some v near misses) and a few more shorties, close but no cigar. We rattled and hassled them out of possession but they broke about 10mins into the second half and made good on one of their few trips into our D all half. Bummer, 2-0 down and against the run of play. I’m proud to say we kept our heads up and kept fighting until the final whistle, but we just couldn’t pull of the comeback we deserved. Molly was brilliant in goal helping guide the back line to cover their attacks. The halves and mids worked hard and I think we got the pendulum swing working well! Forwards were like terriers hassling and winning 50-50s. Result felt unfair as we dominated the second half but ultimately they were able to capitalise on their chances. But onward and upwards ladies – Barnes next week and if we play like we did today and with a little more luck in the D we will smash them!
Oxted 3s 0-3 Ladies 3rd XI
After 10 league games in a row undefeated we knew we didn’t want this one to be our downfall. But definitely easier said than done. We soon found ourselves comfortably and consistently attacking their half and after too many missed attempts on goal, we managed to hit the target courtesy of Lana. Right, now to build on this. After a slew of short corner opportunities with no success, our umpteenth one worked a charm (confirming we can score from short corners even if they are rare!). 2-0 up but knowing that was not a comfortable position, we kept up the momentum. A big credit to us this week was our press – the number of 16s the oppo had and almost none got through, much to their frustration. Next, in the circle, Sarah tried for a reverse flick into goal, which didn’t quite make it but Fay, in a great position managed to capitalize on this for our third goal. I make it sound like it was all one way but that would be unfair as the oppo had a good few chances. With our whole team pushing up and unable to get back in time, one of their strikers was faced with a one on one situation with Hannah. She run out and cleanly took out the ball and the striker with less than one minute before the end of the game. Hannah definitely saved our skins and single handedly keep our goal difference looking very respectable. Well played ladies, bring on next week! Lastly, a massive thanks has to go to Chris, our saviour for stepping in to umpire our game last minute despite being badly injured.
Ladies 5th XI 0–6 Spencer Development XI
Faced with an opposition who looked even more intimidatingly youthful than expected, our main thought when running onto the pitch on Saturday was why oh why oh why did we have to have push back straight after the men’s 1’s?! The packed grandstand did nothing to calm our nerves – we knew from our last meeting that Spencer’s development team were and fierce as they were young. Luckily the cold / need to refill their glasses drew the majority of spectators to the bar – although big thanks to those that did stay to cheer us on despite the chill, the support was hugely appreciated!
Spencer got an early couple of goals, and then scored another two from well-drilled set-piece short corners. At half-time we regrouped, and our performance in the second half was far stronger. Despite holding out shape well, and playing some far more attaching hockey we were unable to convert any of our visits to their D into goals. Shout out as ever must go to our superstar goalie Ailsa who made some breathtakingly brilliant saves. Coach Cookiey took a novel (and much envied) approach to keeping himself hydrated on the side of the pitch…and was very jolly because of it. His running commentary of the game kept all those subbed off entertained on the sidelines Final whistle blown, we headed as swiftly as we could to the bar to warm up and celebrate what was a very enjoyable game, despite the score, in fine OC tradition!