Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club

With a bit of work and time Ian has managed get us some summer friendlies.

Hopefully each game will allow us to play slightly different teams with a mixture of 2nd XI down to 6th XI players.

For more information, contact Ian McAllan.

I don’t what to say about this game - still in a bit of a daze about how we managed to lose it. It was certainly nothing to do with the trip and the prep before the game as we had a very pleasant drive up in perfect conditions and were there before the oppo.

The pitch was the poorest the team have played on this season - a very sandy, slow, old astro that helped to close the gap between the teams and there were other problems with this game that we never came to terms with.

It was clear as day we were comfortably the better team with better players but we lost our discipline early on and spent the first half trying to impose ourselves on the game. We took the lead after 25 minutes from a short corner, Sharpey scoring, but with the game reverting to the fractious nature of the first 10 minutes, players from both sides were sin-binned and we let in a poor goal right on the half time whistle.

Although covered extensively during half time, our lack of discipline was an issue all second half and we never recovered from conceding a penalty flick the umpire admitted he got wrong after the game.

Even so the game was there for us if we settled and just played as we can (like we had against East Grinstead in the league playoffs the week before) but we didn’t and paid the price. The 3^rd penalty was right on full time.

At the moment, tough to take but we just have to learn from this and get it right next time. Thank you all (including Harlow) for your good wishes and support.

On Sunday around 200 miles from the other big game that was being played up in Mansfield our under 13 side took on the cream
of the Southern Counties in the U13 mini-hockey tournament. We were in what was to proove to be ‘the group of death’ with Havant,
Reading and South Saxon, played in that order.

Our first game was a tight affair with Ashford having the better of the play. Dasmesh Sandhu managed to score the winning goal, however Havant had a great chance in the last seconds to equalise but they managed to put wide. A great start to the competiton, with South Saxon drawing 1-1 with Reading we were in the box seat at the top of the group.

Our second game against Reading was even tighter (if it could be), Phil Lewis put Ashford into a deserved 1-0 lead but Reading came back
strongly in the second half equalising and then taking a 2-1 lead that they held onto until the dying seconds when Ashford had a fantastic chance to salvage 3 points for a scoring draw. The chance squeezed agonisingly wide and the difference between us going into the final game on top of the table and in 3rd place was around the width of a post. At this point South Saxon narrowly defeated Havant in the other group game.

The final group game was against another good side in South Saxon, the winners of the Sussex county competition. South Saxon managed to take a first half lead and Ryan Croxon in goal managed to keep it at that along with some excellent defending from Joseph Muldoon and Harry Lee. A more even second half gave Ashford one exceptional opportunity that was well saved by the opposing keeper and the game ended 1-0 to South Saxon. With Havant beating Reading 2-1 Ashford now found themselves in 4th place in the group.

So Ashford had played 3 won 1 and lost 2, from being top of the group after the first game we found ourselves somewhat unfortunately in 4th place in the group. The games were so tight that the table could easily have been turned upside down, but we found ourselves playing Langley Park School in the plate competition in the 1/4 finals.

The game was another even affair with Ashford having the better of the first half and Blake Harris putting the Red and Blacks 1-0 ahead. Ashford continued to dominate the start of the second half and had two absolutely golden chances to go 2-0 ahead, with the defender making an exceptional clearance on one of them. As the day had gone before, Ashford could not hold onto the lead and Langley Park equalised taking the game to extra-time. Extra-time remained goal less and so once more Ashford were to be involved in a penalty stroke competition. Ryan Croxon made a couple of great saves, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be and we left the competiton having played very well at times but with nothing to show for the comitment, skill and desire that the boys showed.

A great season for the Ashford U13’s and U14’s, 2nd in our main 11 a-side league, 2nd in the U13 county mini-hockey tournament and a good performance in the south tournament. Hopefully the boys have learnt a lot from their victories and defeats as I have; we can take this forward improve our fitness, skills and decision making and have an equally good season next year.

Well done boys!!

Ian

After looking forward to this game for 2 weeks – a home game in the quarter finals of the National Plate – and a chance to show off the boys and how good they are, the resultant mismatch was a bit of an anti-climax. However you can only beat what is in front of you and we certainly did that.

15 minutes in and we had already failed to convert 10 short corners before we managed to score from open play but from then on the goals went in steadily. 5 goals to the good at half time, another 7 were added in the second despite the best efforts of their ‘keeper who played very well. 4 goals for Sharpey, 3 for Shane, 2 apiece for Ryan and Rosie and 1 for the deceptively slow Elliot Smith.

So, the semi-final is away at Mansfield on the 27^th – I will be very pleased and impressed if you can come!

Goal scorers:
Shaggy, Big Amit

MoM:
Rhino

‘Imperial Airways! BOAC! Terminal 5! Concorde! That opera music on your ad! Complimentary hot towels! Willie Walsh - can you hear me, Willie Walsh! Your boys took one hell of a beating! Your boys took one hell of a beating!’**

Actually we came from 2-0 down to draw 2-all but it felt like a win as this ensured BA stayed below us and we cannot finish lower than 3^rd from bottom. Should we be awarded the points from the Harrow game – and all the signs are we will – then we will move up to the heady heights of 4^th from bottom!!

We had lost 3 players in the previous 2 days - BA were definitely stronger than the last game – they had Ravi – Teto’s cousin and late of our 2’s – playing and they started strongly pushing us back and dominating the game. Inside 15 minutes they had scored twice from slipped short corners and but for a super save from Ant and a bit of fortune we could have been 3-down with little prospect of coming back. As it was, we scored from our second short corner after 20 minutes, the keeper obviously expecting Shaggy to kick it or top it wide – well! How foolish of him!! The Shagster scooped it home viciously and we gained confidence and probably had our best period of the game. Right on the stroke of half time, we got a short corner and Big Amit lashed it in with malevolent glee.

The second half, the game was end-to-end with BA shading the number of chances but we had probably the better ones but surprisingly it stayed goal-less and we were more than happy with that.

We will be unlucky to go down given we should be above 3 teams – if we do stay up, it will be due to our dogged, never-say-die approach and team ethic – higher league, better quality oppo, weaker team, no recognised goalscorer – Team of the Year, did I hear?!! Hurray for us!!

** with thanks and apologies to Bjorge Lillelien

National Plate last 16 – Ashford 3 High Wycombe 3 (Ashford won 4-3 on pens)

Goals
Merchant, Sharpe, White

Followers of Arcane and Mystic Arts would have known what happened at half time in this National Plate cup game between Ashford u-18’s and High Wycombe u-18’s.

Playing for a place in the last 8 and against a talented HW team that we were fortunate to draw with 2 weeks previous, it was a sorry bunch of junior Red-and-Blacks that trooped in for the team talk two goals down and having barely mounted one attack in the half.

Manager Gordo surveyed the wretched urchins and realised to his dismay there was only one thing to do – unleash the Words of Power!! Used by Big Amit last season against Milton Keynes and supposedly never to be repeated, Gordo murmured the words hoping that these innocents could survive the cosmic energies. An invisible coruscating wave of eldritch energy washed over the team and the crowd felt the aftershock - fortunately they were far enough away to avoid the effects.

Off the team went in a daze and it was obvious that things had changed – they started to maintain possession, make inroads into the HW half and gained confidence as the initial minutes ticked by. After 10 minutes, we got a goal back from close range by debutant David Merchant but immediately conceded a short corner and a third, followed by another for us, Sharpy running unchallenged into the D to reverse-strike home – 0-2 to 2-3 in 5 minutes!!

We looked the stronger team but their keeper made one fantastic save in particular to keep them in front and it looked like our chance had gone until in the last minute we forced a short corner and this was drag-flicked in off the cross bar by Shane White to whoops of Red-and-Black delight.

Straight to flicks and the one thing I can advise them on, not sure they took too much notice of me but we were less bad than they were and James Wheeler did very well to save their first flick. Podge, Sharpy, Prince and JLo scored and the last HW lad unfortunately for him fluffed it for us to progress.

All in all, fortunate to get through but we are through and need to perform more consistently to advance further. We have been drawn at home against Essex outfit Harlow on 6 April 14:00 pushback – should be a cracker!!!

Player of Match:
Katie Greene

Ashford always knew that their home game against second in the League side Hampstead & Westminster 2^nd XI on Saturday, was going to be tough, even if they had been able to field their full normal squad. However, a bad hand injury to key, and very much in form full back Sophie Smart, during a mixed cup game last Sunday, plus the absence of star sweeper JACKIE PARSONS and regular other full back EMMA HYNES; left Ashford without any of their regular back line. Coach MANDY WAIN had no choice therefore, but to shuffle round the team and also to call up KAREN FOWLER from the 2^nd XI to make her first team debut and moved skilful midfielder KATIE GREENE back to play sweeper. The visitor’s mean time appeared to have no such injury problems, and attacked Ashford from the very start of the game and they opened the scoring within five minutes of play from a well worked short corner routine. Things didn’t get any better for the Red & Blacks as the half progressed as the visitors took full control of the game. Ashford were not surprisingly struggling with their very much changed back line and midfield. Further problems arose as midfielder TRACEY HOLLAND continued to suffer with her back problems and wasn’t able to play to play in much of the game. By half time, the visitors had managed to hammer home four more goals, several from further short corners, to take what looked like an unassailable five nil lead at the interval.

Things went from bad to worse for Ashford on the injury front in the second half as firstly young defender ANNA PROTHEROE, got injured and had to be substituted. This was followed by a nasty blow to Kiwi defender KIM FRY, who got hit in the face by the ball as she bravely ran out to defend yet another Hampstead & Westminster short corner. Luckily it wasn’t a blood injury, but she had to leave the field and the already injured defender, ANNA PROTHEROE had to come back on to play. Despite their on-going problems, things did improve slightly for Ashford as the players settled into their new defensive roles and goal keeper SAM GRANT saved a penalty flick, to help keep the visitors in check a bit more. The constant pressure eventually told though and the visitors managed to score another three goals to run out worthy winners by eight goals to nil.

There are no League matches for any of the Ashford sides next week due to the Easter holidays, and then the 1^st XI Ladies have a League rest week, before playing their last game of the season on Saturday April 5^th. It will be a tough fixture as they face third placed Mill Hill 1^st XI away. However, the break should give the player’s time to recover from their injuries and coach MANDY WAIN will have a full, fit squad to select from.

Team
S. Grant (GK), K.Fowler, K Greene, K. Fry, A. Protheroe, P Worsfold, S McGinley, A Donelan, L. Samouel (Skipper), J Bashford, O. Young, T Holland, S Kenward.

Saturday 8th March 2008

Please note that the Ladies 1st XI fixture v Teddington Ladies 2nd XI will now be played at 3pm, the Mens 4th XI game v Harrow 2nd XI at 4.30pm and the Mens 6th XI v Amersham & Chalfont St Peter 5thXI has been cancelled by the opposition.

If you ever needed a reason to wear a gumshield then here’s one… and Graham WAS wearing one.

Think of the damage if he hadn’t.

Hockeyheaven will be donating a box of gumshields to the club FOC so those that haven’t got them can protect your gnashers.

These will be £1 donation and the funds will go directly to the astro fund.

You will be able to get the gumshields from behind the bar.