Winchester Hockey Club Oracle Edition 48
U18 Boys
indoor national finals
The U18 boys headed to Nottingham University for the U18 Indoor National Finals on Sunday. A few parents and players convened at the Orchard Hotel, the scene of the celebrations after the U16 outdoor national triumph 18 months ago, to reminisce about that and other great experiences provided by this group of boys. Sadly a few of the boys couldn't make this event, but those that did arrived with real optimism and anticipation for a good day of indoor hockey.
Coach HCW had a clear plan of attack, with Henry marshalling the defence alongside either Tommy or Matt, Ollie in the middle and Max, Alfie & Eddie rotating the two attacking positions. Not forgetting guest Felix, in goal. First up was Doncaster, who were dispatched 6-1 in no uncertain terms. Ollie (4) and Max (2) found the net, but this was a solid start all round with particular mention to Eddie, aged just 14, putting in an assured performance. Bowdon (eventual champions) were a much harder proposition with a clear strategy to man mark Ollie, and a slick all round game that Winchester could find no answer to. At 3-1 down, coach HCW made the decision to substitute the GK, to no avail. Winchester lost the plot, were awarded a hat full of cards and conceded 2 more goals. Final score 5-1 with a goal for Max. All was not lost, as previous group results meant that any win against next opponents, Old Loughtonians, would see Winchester qualify for the semi final. At 3-1 down midway through the second half that was looking unlikely, but the boys sprung into life, clawed it back to 3-3 and it was all to play for. HCW withdrew the keeper and Winchester pressed for the winner. Unfortunately, a controversial penalty corner was awarded to OLs, which with no GK on the pitch was an inevitable goal for OLs and a 4-3 defeat for the boys (two goals for Ollie, and one for Max). Motivation for the 5th/6th playoff was somewhat lacking, and Winchester were 2-0 down until a late consolation penalty corner from Ollie made the final score 2-1.
This was not the result the boys were hoping for, but perhaps not surprising given the difficulty in pulling together the full team. Still, it was another experience of a national final and hopefully a springboard for the remaining outdoor season and the EH Cup tier 1 quarter final that the U18s have in a few weeks time.
U14 Boys
vs Southampton A - 0-1
The U14 boys group team lost 1-0 in a very exciting match to Southampton A on Sunday. As the Southampton goalkeeper had fallen ill the day before, we provided both keepers to ensure the game could be played in a balanced manner. Both Hugo and Harrison were magnificent at both ends as they shared the goalkeeping duties swapping teams at half-time. In fact they were particularly good when facing their own teammates! Although the Winchester performance was initially slow to create many sweeping moves, there was much to admire in the hard working midfield runs from Henry, Will H and Tom with some very sound defending from Freddy and Will V.
From half-time onwards the team played some super flowing hockey, ensuring Hugo (taking his turn in the Southampton goal) was kept very busy and certainly defiant in terms of not allowing any Winchester player to score either from open play or from a series of short corners! The game provided the first chance for many of the outfield players to play in a full 11-a-side match and it was great to see debutants Monty, Leo, Tim and Sylvester growing in confidence as the game progressed. Thanks to the rest of the squad for building a solid team platform with a lot of hard running and some excellent, thoughtful passing from the 2 x Wills, Max, Henry, Freddy, Oscar, Benno, and skipper for the day Teddy. The game had everything that was good, save a home goal!
U12 Girls
Straight back into league games for the U12 Girls on Sunday 8th January and even with some horrendous weather conditions (rain, hail and wind!) all the matches still went ahead.
U12 Blacks vs Havant A (8-0) and Avon Kingfishers (5-0)
Scorers: Venne (4), Aggie (2), Alice (1), Zoe (1)
U12 Blacks were playing at home against Havant A and Avon Kingfishers (Salisbury HC). Sitting top of Hants Div 1, the girls continued to show why they are currently the side to beat in this league. A slightly slow post-Christmas start saw the girls initially look a little tentative against Havant, however as soon as the first goal went in from Venne B on a nicely worked short corner, the girls showed their dominance. Normal service was then resumed, with strong defence from Violet, Poppy and Sophie W, playing the ball wide to Zoe who used her speed on the right to drive down the pitch and pop balls into the D for Aggie (2), Venne (1) and Alice (1) to slot goals away, plus an individual goal for Zoe and another short corner from Venne which left the final score 8 – 0 to Winchester.
Players of the match: Alice & Violet
Next up was a game against Avon Kingfishers. After an initial few shots on the Winchester goal, dealt with and cleared nicely by Ella, Avon did little to break through the strong defence and hard working midfield of Venne, Sophie B, Zoe, Violet, Poppy and Sophie W. As a result, it was very much one way traffic towards the Avon goal. The Winchester girls made some good passing moves and continually worked well as a team, which saw them win 5 – 0.
Players of the match: Sophie W & Aggie
U12 Purples vs Alton B (11-0) and Basingstoke A (0-5)
Scorers: Daisy R (3), Emily (4), Daisy B (1) and Charlotte (3)
The U12 Purples faced not only a tough opposition against Basingstoke A team but also very unfavourable hail, rain and freezing conditions for their double header against Alton B and Basingstoke A. The first match saw the Winchester Girls dominate their game against Alton; all the girls played well and, once they found the net, provided a continuous flow of goals winning 11 – 0.
Player of the match: Isabella
The second game was against Basingstoke A, who are clearly a strong, well-organised team who coped better in the rubbish weather conditions. The Winchester girls battled hard, but struggled to keep the Basingstoke girls out of the D and despite some heroic saves by Ella, managed to net five goals. The Winchester girls were not able to pull back any goals despite some good passing plays, the cold weather took its toll and the girls finished with a 5–0 loss, but they still remain at the top of Hampshire Div 2 North League.
U12 Yellows vs Romsey 1 (3-7) and Bournemouth (0-5)
Scorers: Georgia (2), Sophie S (1)
The Yellows travelled to Bournemouth with a depleted team due to a couple of last minute drop-outs and no goal keeper!! They were going to have a tough morning in horrible wind and rain with no subs, but they battled hard and showed why they are all starting to develop into competent hockey players and a great team. The first match saw the girls play top of the table Romsey 1; the Winchester girls managed to break into the Romsey D on a number of occasions with Georgia scoring two nice goals and Sophie S putting one away too, but the lack of a goalie for Winchester meant they were going to struggle to keep a clean sheet and Romsey made the most of this by scoring 7! Final score was 7 – 3, with Georgia being awarded a well-earned player of the match.
The second game for the Yellows was against a strong Bournemouth home side and the cold had taken its toll on a number of the team, so Winchester played most of this match with just six players and still no goalie. Although the girls ran their socks off and made some great tackles, they finished 5–0 down. Georgia was again awarded player of the match and the girls remain in a very creditable third in the Hants Div 2 West League.