Latest Match Reports

 
 
Men's 4th XI (Academy) Drew 0-0 against Fareham 5ths
Saturday, 04 February 2012
Winchester (Academy) 4th‘s v Fareham 5th‘s
A bitterly cold morning greeted the players this weekend at Bar End but fortunately the sun was out and had burnt off the early frost from the pitch so the game was able to go ahead as planned. After returning to winning ways last week the Academy started the game in a confident manner, with the team stroking the ball around the pitch with accuracy and pace. Bolam, in the centre, was involved in much of the play and was picking out Bowry in attack with ease but the front trio of Lewis, Gaunt and Bowry were finding it difficult to find a finish to hit the back of the net. The first clear opening came after a move down the left, Gaffney fed Bowry who then hit the by-line and cut the ball back for an unmarked Cooke, but he didn’t really catch the ball sweetly and his shot was easily blocked by the Fareham keeper. Jelliffe, celebrating his 16th birthday and Daly were both putting in their usual shift in midfield and giving their Fareham counterparts little time on the ball, however Fareham were still having the odd attack, but they were to find Falkingham, in goal, in top form and Wiseman and Humphreys strong in the tackle and comfortable in defence. A rare attack by Fareham saw them final entered the Winchester D in numbers but Falkingham pulled off a triple save, the last whilst still prone on the floor. A move this time down Winchesters right from the marauding Elliot found its way to Tsang in the D but his shot was well saved by the Fareham keeper. The Academy had a number of penalty corners during the half but were unable to get the deserved breakthrough and as a result the half finished surprisingly goalless.
Early in the second half Winchester were restored to 11 players when Bowry returned after a short period in the sin-bin straddling the half-time break. Winchester continued to attack but the strikers were regularly being double-teamed in the D by the Fareham defence, and when Bowry weaved his way through 3 defenders reaching the by-line, he cut back for Lewis, but his shot narrowly went past the left post. The Winchester middle men were starting to get frustrated by the resolve of Fareham and this resulted in 2 more players being spoken to by the Fareham umpire. A well worked penalty corner routine was switched right and back left, but was again well blocked on the line as was a flick attempt from Bolam from a further corner. Another short corner attempt went left to Wiseman, on a rare foray forward but again his shot was blocked. The Academy just failed to have the required level of penetration and clinical finishing on the cold afternoon but they did keep going to the end, with perhaps the most pleasing point being they at least held on for their first clean sheet since the 2nd game of the season.
Final Score: Winchester (Academy) 4th‘s 0 v 0 Fareham 5th‘s
 
 
Hustlers Won 7-4 against Havant
Saturday, 04 February 2012
Wessex Masters League Division 1.
Winchester Hustlers 7
Havant Men's Vets 1st XI 4

The quality astro at Bar End saw this local derby go ahead despite freezing conditions.  With the blizzard descending in the final five minutes both teams were grateful for the warmth of the Queens Inn, some real ale and a burger or two.

This was an entertaining match with a high goal tally.  Winchester always looked likely to prevail but were pushed hard by Havant with ex international and first team regular in his heyday, Derek Cunliffe, pulling the strings in midfield.

Nick Tout had a strong day in front of goal with a five goal haul.  Three came from penalty corner direct hits. The team of Richard Adams pull outs, Peter Lelliot stops and the Tout strike on a good day is a serious threat. Tout's fifth was a scramble in the dying minutes but the best was the forth.  Adams nicked the ball on the half way line, fed Martin Aspin who first timed an amazing pass to Tout who repeated the one touch high tempo hockey to deflect the ball past a surprised keeper.

Rick Aspin, back from a family break, netted the first Hustlers goal.  Again terrific team play saw Rob Churcher (who was weaving and jinking with "Sherwani" dexterity in midfield) find some space and smash a pass to Aspin who skillfully deflected a goal at pace into the boards.

Ian Bowry playing his second game of the season got on the score sheet again, a pass from Martin Aspin to Tout, who then fed Bowers at the top of the circle. Dumping the keeper on the floor with a shoulder dip, Bowers rolled the ball calmly into the open net.  The Hustlers miss his poise and hard running, but the club is eternally grateful to his youth development role in the Academy.

Havant's goals came from a roofed volley in the first half followed by a penalty stroke into the top corner by Cunliffe.  Steve Perkins was the unlucky villain, his "Linekar" good behaviour record in never having been sent off for the Hustlers was forever condemned to history with a wild slash felling a Havant forward at the top of the circle.  A yellow card sin bin followed by a disciplinary hearing await.

Danny Andrews was unlucky to concede the third and the forth on the final whistle to narrow the score.  He had a strong day in goal aided by the steadfast Dominic Walker at centre back.  Walker is making the position his own with robust tackling, sensible distribution and controlled aggression and organisation.

The final moment of note was Martin Aspin contriving to miss an open goal at the end of the first half.  Three yards out and having several attempts at knocking the ball over the line, he was frustrated by a combination of his haplessness and some scrambled defending.  He certainly won the Torres award for finishing this weekend, wrestled from his brother Jamie, and his steadfast feet on the line * 7 last week.

Hustlers travel to bogey side Chichester on Sat 11th February,  a 3pm start.
 
 
Men's 7th XI (Whippets) Error against Tadley 2nds
Saturday, 04 February 2012
Match postponed. ground unfit.