Match Reports - 07 January 2006

  • Second Team

    Fixture
    Old Williamsonians, 7th January 06
    Result
    2 - 2 DRAW ( B Bartlett, A Lee )
    Venue
    Home
    Report

    SV 2nds took on higher league opposition in a friendly game as a warm up before the serious business of league hockey starts again. Buoyed by winning their previous two games the red & whites started strongest and pinned the Old boys in their own half. Good interplay between the SV forwards forced a penalty corner, Bob Bartlett scored after the opposition keeper dived too early.

    Going a goal down stung Old Willies into life and they passed the ball well to press the SV defence. The pressure was rewarded with an equalising goal from a deflected penalty corner strike. Encouraged by this the visitors continued their good play and scored a second goal before half time.

    The second half followed a similar pattern until towards the end of the game SV played with more urgency and forced a series of penalty corners, Andy Lee shot home from one of these corners to level the scores. SV's equaliser came with only a few minutes left on the clock and the visitors were unable to reply.

    Team
    Al Burt; Rob Ife; Steve Parker; Andrew Devlin; Robert Bartlett; Mark Leader; John Edmed; Richard Dickenson; Benjamin Tragett; Andrew Lee; Michael Shelton; James Clarke
    MoM
    Steve Parker

  • Fourth Team

    Fixture
    Old Williamsonians, 7th January 06
    Result
    6 - 0 WIN ( T Auger 3, R Humphrey 2, D Thompson )
    Venue
    Away
    Report

    Valence started off at pace in an effort to keep warm in the near artic temperatures of late Saturday evening. From the off Valence commanded the mid field making good use of the open space with quick accurate passing creating early opportunities for the fowards. After some early pressure on the Old Will's defence Valence opened their account from a short corner with a clean, powerful strike from Tony Auger. This proved to be the signal for the goal rush. In an repeat of the first goal, Tony added to his tally with another great shot from Valence's 2nd short corner and moments later completed his hat trick to earn his team mates a jug.

    Valence kept up the attack, shifting to 2 at the back and loading the mid field. Stuart Edmed took the ball from right back to surge down the wing and deliver the perfect cross, cutting the defence in half for Rupert Humphrey to steer the ball into the back of the goal. By this stage Old Will's were on the back-foot, not able to keep up with the flowing attacks. Darren Thompson narrowly missed from the top of the D and John Counsell just missed getting on the end of a well timed through-ball. Valence never let the pressure off and Rupert Humphrey was rewarded with his second goal from another well worked short.

    The second half started in similar style however Old Wills had changed their formation and managed to contain the onslaught. They put togather some good breaks that saw Kyle Henderson and Andy MacVarish put in some well timed tackles to stop the attacks. Special mention goes to Darren Thompson and Ben Grabham in mid field and Kyle Henderson at the back

    MoM went to Max Ife for outstanding positional play and passing in mid field

    Team
    T Crisman, K Henderson, A MacVarish, S Edmed, M Ife, D Thompson, B Grabham, D Loft, R Humphrey, T Auger, J Counsell, C Henderson. Umpire: R Ife
    MoM
    Max Ife

  • Veterans Team

    Fixture
    Blackheath, 7th January 06
    Result
    1 - 0 WIN ( S Bates )
    Venue
    Home
    Report

    Having lost away to Blackheath on grass 6 : 1 in December, Sutton Valence Vets were looking for revenge on their home astro pitch. They came out very positively, building some very good runs into the visitor's half, retaining possession and passing accurately from midfield - Stuart Bates, Nick Willson, Steve Mole and John Knight, to give the attack from Peter Jackson and Richard Evans some real bite, whilst Charlie Worsfold looked his normal dangerous self when lurking by the left-hand post.. This level of attack, though contained in the final area of the dee, put Blackheath somewhat on the defensive for the first quarter of the game.

    As Valence failed to convert some good chances Blackheath began to get a bit more into the game and to build their own attacks on the Valence half. As usual Gray Smith-Laing was pivotal in cutting out many of these, well supported by Andy Beavis and Dave Barton, and any that got near to the goal were quickly kicked or hit away by Dave Britten (keeper).

    In the second half Paul Linaker came in on the right wing to team up with Evans and Jackson and the assault on Blackheath continued with some good crosses just narrowly failing to find a stick to clip them home, or being well blocked by the young Blackheath keeper. Finally the break came when a part clearance by Blackheath fell to Stuart Bates on the edge of the dee who hammered it home, with a slight deflection from a defender helping to wrong-foot the keeper.

    Blackheath upped their game to try to recover their position, forcing some extra activity from the back four, but the defence was successful, and though the margin of the win was narrower than the opportunities might have allowed, it was enough.

    Team
    Barton; Bates; Beavis; Britten; Evans; Jackson; Knight; Linaker; Mole; Smith-Laing; Willson; Worsfold. Umpire: Stuart Weedon
    MoM
    Gray Smith-Laing

  • U16 Boys

    Fixture
    Old Bordenians, Sunday 8th January 06
    Result
    5 - 4 ( A Carter, M Shelton, B Coyle, M Coles, A Wraight )
    Venue
    Home
    Report

    Sutton Valence U16s started the New Year slowly with a highly entertaining game against visitors from Old Bordenians. Through some early pressure and control of midfield, Old Bordenians opened up a two goal lead, but parity was restored by half time with two reverse stick strikes from the top of the D, the first by Alistair Carter and the second by Michael Shelton.

    The second half continued to sway from end to end, with the Old Bordenians' goalkeeper making several excellent saves to keep the game in the balance. Sutton Valence went behind on two further occasions, but well worked attacks finished off by Ben Coyle and Matt Coles evened up the game, before Adam Wraight put the finishing touches to a short corner to give Sutton Valence the lead for the first time in the game.

    This was a good all-round team effort that proved victorious despite the insistence of the coach on playing with only two defenders at the back. The half time team talk was for Valence to back themselves to score more goals than the opposition; all the players stuck to the tasks well to complete the game plan successfully.

    The U16s can look forward to another opportunity to test the system away to Oxted in the Mercian League next weekend.