Winchester Hockey Club Oracle Edition 50
U16 Boys
EH Plate Quarter-Final vs Havant - 2-2 (3-1 shuffles)
Scorers: Will, Eddie
On Wednesday night the boys took to Ganger Farm knowing a win would see them into the EH Plate semi-final and it was Winchester that started the stronger, passing the ball around and waiting for that moment to attack. Havant defence were strong so the route to the goal was always going to be through a short corner. It wasn’t until halfway through the half that the break came; during the short corner Will passed right at the top of the D to Eddie and Will latched onto the pass back at the penalty spot, 1-0 to Winchester. The next five minutes was all Winchester possession and Eddie found the back of the net. When it looked like it was about to be 3-0, Havant broke and a loose ball resulted in an own goal. Into half time.
Winchester tried to find that third goal in the second half but couldn’t make the target. Ollie and Rory came close, but Havant defence never gave up. Then Havant started to mount some great counter attacks and they scored 2-2. The pressure was on and the boys all stepped up. Right wing back Eddie and left wing back James ran their hearts out, both defenders getting into the D in the last ten minutes. Then with two minutes to go Havant won a short corner, this was the make-or-break moment. Seb in goal, and the defence, held their nerve and cleared their lines. On to shuffles.
Shuffles can go either way, Rory scored the first and Havant first attempt went wide. Will scored our second and Seb looked relaxed for Havant’s second with an excellent save. Eddie’s shuffle was saved and Havant scored their third. Bertie scored to make it 3-1 so Havant needed to score. One-on-one with Seb, the shot hit the post and Seb kicked the ball clear.
Well done boys - great match and onto the semi-final.
U14 Boys
vs Old Georgians - 3-1
Scorers: Tom (2), Rory
Winchester hosted Old Georgians & Haslemere in the first triangular of the South Region Supra League plate competition on Sunday. A glance at the Men's Premiership, with Old Gs riding high at the top of the league, would suggest that Winchester would be in for a tough opening match, but the boys had no fear of their illustrious opponents. Winchester dominated the match from the beginning, with a number of near misses and important interventions from the Old Gs goalkeeper seemingly delaying the inevitable. However, completely against the run of play, Old Gs scored the opening goal with a sharp counter attack and clinical finish. The Winchester boys kept calm and kept playing a slick passing game, continuing to generate chance after chance and numerous penalty corners. Tom despatched one just before half time, and then Rory finished off a second with a neat reaction when a Bertie shot bounced back off the post. Tom scored again to make the game safe, with a final score 3-1 a fair reflection of the balance of play.
vs Haslemere - 1-2
Scorer: Oscar
Having the middle game off in a triangular fixture can be a mixed blessing, and so it proved as Winchester struggled to get into the game, and Haslemere on the back of a narrow 1-0 victory over Old Gs pressed early. Winchester gradually took control and the passing game clicked into action. Oscar finished off a slick team movement with a well taken goal, and Will H thought he had doubled the lead just before half time only for the goal to be disallowed. However, at half time, things were looking good at 1-0 up and Winchester dominating. Momentum shifted quickly in the second half. Without injured Tom, and with others starting to flag, Haslemere created a series of chances. A great team move set up a well taken equaliser, and Harrison was called upon to make some good saves to keep Winchester in the game. Late on, a well worked penalty corner saw Haslemere take the lead which they managed to hold to the end.
All in all, this was a great triangular between three well matched teams, all playing good hockey in the right spirit. It was pleasing to see Zac and Will H stepping up to hockey at this level for the first time and both made telling contributions.