Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club

Just the 33 goals for the 5 matches the Red-and-Blacks were involved in this week – we’re losing our touch. Some excellent performances are hiding in these reverses, promise!
We had scratch teams out this week – 4 players missing from the 1’s alone – and in the circumstances, we should cut ourselves a bit of slack.
I played in the 3’s, umpired the 4’s and saw a fair bit of the 1’s so know none of these performances were poor – disappointing yes but not poor – and the words I heard on the 2’s and 5’s were encouraging.
Anyway…the 5s played Bracknell Terriers and went down by 6 but competed all game
The 4’s was hard work for a number of reasons – it poured down all game, we had a broadly inexperienced team and were playing a side – Birkbeck - that contained at least 2 players that would be in our first team and most of the rest would be in our 2’s! To only be down 3-1 at half time to a side like this is testimony to the effort and commitment and no little quality of our boys – unemployed male gigolo, Bobby Evans may have broken the world record for giving away penalties – 5 or 6* we were losing count – and we have the claim going into the Guinness people! Fingers crossed for the Bobster!
The 3’s had a really good game against Wokingham 2’s who are a good team – we took the lead with a BigAd whack - he also broke a lad’s shinpad with one of his 16’s - but they were soon back on level terms and were 3-1 up at the break. The second half was very tough for us as Wokingham attacked relentlessly and we defended relentlessly – it was actually good fun! Young Dom has come into the side recently and had a fantastic game – a Triumph for the Hillman Imp! We held them for the half although they probably should have had a 4th right at last knockings.
The 2’s played their best hockey in quite a few games and were 2-all for much of the game against Tring 1’s. Having gone 3-2 down, they immediately had a gilt-edged goal with Fry having a virtual open goal 7 yards out with the keeper prone and stranded – apparently he swung at it so hard (he could have pushed it in) he fell over and they managed to clear. Would like an update from one of the 2’s to better describe this effort – Podge said he had to laugh – anyway we lost 5-2 but they enjoyed the game.
Bit of a scare before the 1’s game against Banbury as Captain Lukey sustained a horrifying foot injury but he was a brave boy and played of course. For much of the first half, we had just as much of the game as the visitors with good forward play from the midfield and Jazz and Rhino up front – with both defences looking loose – but as in previous weeks, they scored and we didn’t though Jazz did net to make it 3-1, it wasn’t enough.

* may not be this many

Some top performances this week by the lower end of the club!

The 5’s had a terrific game against an experienced Eastcote team – bolstered by Jessica and BB, they went down by a single goal and should take a lot of heart from this performance

The 4’s had an amazing 8-goal thriller against Leighton Buzzard who apparently quote should thrash a 4^th team unquote and it looked they were right as they raced into a 3-goal lead before being pegged back by young Kam (who was very pleased with himself and was willing to buy a round to celebrate but was a little hindered by the fact he had no money – fortunately Uncle Mandip stepped up!!) and so he should as LB then went 4-1 up in the second half before Uncle M rattled home no. 2 himself. From that point, it was all Ashford and little Stef swept home no.3 before Luke or maybe Weapon X scored the equaliser with 10 mins to go and then run out of time pushing for what would have been a memorable winner.

The 3’s are finally off and running with a close-fought 2-1 win over fellow strugglers, GX – report at some point

The 2’s looked good again and had the game in the first 20 but leaked goals finally losing 7-2 while the 1’s made the long trip to Maidstone in horrible conditions for no reward as they had a similar story to the 2’s falling away in the second half to lose by 5 goals.

Well I think AHC  have sewn up the Hockey in the Community awards for another season with this weeks effort - 49 goals across the 5 games is a magnficent effort by the lads. The spectators definitely got their money’s worth - we should put the prices up - 2 14-goal thrillers, an 11 goal extravaganza, shame the 1’s could only contribute 4 goals.

If we had just had one more goal in the 5 games, we would have averaged 10 goals across the 5 Mens games - if you do this there is a little-known Hockey Law every team then gets 3 points for Outstanding Services to the Sport. As it is, we didn’t get too many…

Eastcote 2’s 6 Ashford 1

Ashford 3’s 0 City of Oxford 2’s 3

Maidenhead Magicians 3 Ashford 4’s 0

Ashford 5’s 3 (Lucas, Mr Singh, Weapon X) Amersham & Chalfont 5’s 1

The 3’s was disappointing – after the really encouraging games and performances of the previous 2 weeks against 2 decent teams, we were off the pace against an ordinary COO outfit – mind you, what do I know, they are top!! 0-0 at half time we couldn’t stretch their ‘keeper and that was the difference as although Ryan played well, the defence should have protected him better.

4’s a similar story to the 3’s – a very young team have done well this season but not at the races today – c’mon Mums, bed by 10 and get some breakfast in them!! although Stef is the exception, he gets enough food….

The 2’s have settled into a consistent run but not one they would want to continue.

Thank the higher powers of your choice for the fifth team! They played well against a feisty A&C team and came back from 1 down to win 3-1 convincingly, with goals from Mr Singh, Lucas and watch this space, I’ve forgotten….Jimbo ‘HP’ Berressem spent most of the game playing cricket shots but was somehow effective and hopefully we’ve got a useful new player.

Oxford Uni 4 Ashford 0

Ashford 2’s 1 Ramgharia 1’s 7

Aylesbury 2’s 5 Ashford 3’s 2 (Shaunie, Dame Bettsy)

Ashford 4’s 0 Thame 1’s 2

Ashford 5’s 0 Brunel Uni 1’s 9

Not a great day on the hockey pitch either.

The 1’s came down from their high the previous week with a quote ‘average’ performance against the Uni and can have no complaints, neither the 2’s who are still a work in progress.

The 3’s were on the end of a very unflattering scoreline, putting in an excellent performance twice we equalised through Shaunie and Sir Alex but twice we let them get back in front inside 2/3 mins of scoring. A c ouple of dodgy decisions and our fate was sealed.

The 4’s was real backs to the wall stuff against a very aggressive Thame (so maybe should be called Wild)  first team; they did really well and have settled the best out of the teams it looks.

The 5’s were playing a new uni team who are a few leagues below where they should be and in the circumstances did very well…anyway onwards and upwards (hopefully)…

Unfortunately at present we are still unable to resolve the on-going problems we have with installing the AHC Fixture List for the coming season on this website. Copies of the start times for most matches are available via the AHC and related Clubs sites on Fixtures Live (www.fixtureslive.com) and there is a link available to this website on the ‘Links’ tab above. They are also displayed on the Club Notice Board. We will endeavour to get things sorted out ASAP.

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.

The 5’s were 2 for 2 going into this match and were buoyed by the return of ‘Captain Coach’ (somewhat under-enthusiastically). The order of the day was to continue to build on solid performances and take our chances when they came.

South Bucks started the game the better side and dominated early possession, Ashford then began to achieve a foothold in the game, this coincided with Coach removing himself from the pitch due to running out of diesel. Then came the moment of truth, a masterstroke by the Ashford skip bringing himself on up front and within minutes converting. Fantastic play by Sandy Bedi on the left and the finish applied from all of 2 yards, 1-0 to the 5’s and that’s the way it stayed until half-time.

The performance hadn’t reached the heights of last week, yet we were still comfortable. The half-time team talk was once again about weathering any early storms and then taking contol of the game, however the hurricane that was expected turned out to be ‘light drizzle with a gentle breeze’. Ashford took firm grip on the second half and won a string of shorties. Those elder statesmen will remember ‘Old Glory’ and the 5’s rendition proved useful as both an option and a fake. The first short used ‘OG’ - the Smith connection to Coach, Coach to Smith, the drag flick and a fine save. The second short was not switched and Smith applied a thunder bolt finish. The third was like the second another solid hit, which thumped the back boards. Smith then allowed fellow centre back Bhups to have a crack at the next, unfortunately Bhups managed only to find the top right corner. Our fifth shortie of the half gave Adam his hat-trick of shorts with a flick into the corner. South Bucks gained a consolation with probably the goal of the game, but I’ll gloss over that. Good performance once again and long may it continue, over to Feltham rema… Sorry Feltham Community College for our next battle against Sonning.

Goalscorers
Ian McAllan
Adam Smith (3)

A strange day for the 5’s as their inspirational leader was hauled into the 4’s. Could the 5th XI band wagon role on? After giving some instructions and encouragement before the game the first 25 minutes turned into a bit of a blur (probably because I was getting changed after the 4’s game), but I arrived with the team 1-0 through what I hear was a superhuman goal from Mr Bob Billins. We looked confortable and as the 1st half drew to a close we managed to snatch a second with some good work (again) from Bob and Greenie linking up, a good save from the keeper and Greenie finishing for a deserved 2-0 lead.

More of the same please was the order of the day, but after 5 minutes of the second period a miss-hit 16 led to Ramgarhia having the chance chance to pull one back, which they dually converted… The pressure was on, but the frantic pace was too much for the Ramgarhia right sided player, who was greened for a poor tackle and then yellowed for an even poorer challenge on our favourite MEP - Mr Robert Evans. Umpire Sherpa then pulled out a classic umpiring line stating “I think you’d better put a top on” as the lad trudged off…

So it was 10 Vs 11 for the next 20 minutes or so, but a spate of short corners could’ve led the home team to an equaliser at any time. Thankfully it didn’t and credit must go to the Ashford rearguard who have provided me with a massive selection headache. After 2 games the 5’s are now halfway to reaching their season total for last year, can the streak continue away to South Bucks next week?

Man of the match
Bob Billins

Goalscorers
Bob Billins
Dave Greenfield

A dreary early morning welcomed the Ashford 5th XI as they looked to start their season on the right note. Ashford, stout and rotund in places, lined up against an unfamiliar looking Eastcote 8’s. The Ashford team introduced 3 new faces including Bhups who has joined us from Hayes and U14’s Dasmesh Sandhu and Alex Betts, all making thier 5’s league debuts.

Eastcote started the game, but it was Ashford that opened the scoring with a good move down the right, a dumby pass and Matty Samoels finishing nicely on the reverse side. Ashford began to play the hockey and won a string of short corners. The 4th XI switch-right was the base of many efforts and soon enough it was 2-0 with Samoels ejecting to McAllan (Coach for those who are not aware), Coach slipping right to Rosey who laid back perfectly to Coach for a incisive slapped finish. Ashford made it 3-0 soon after with a nice solo effort from Rosey who had been making the Eastcote keeper work overtime throughout the 1st half, good goal and 3-0. Minutes before the break a lapse of concentration allowed Eastcote to make it 3-1 and the half-time team talk needed some adjusting.
The half-time team talk was about avoiding complacency and straight from the restart we managed to throw those comments out of the window. A poor pass on the Ashford right let in Eastcote who worked the ball well and made it 3-2, well against the run of play. It took Ashford another 5 minutes to settle into the second half, but once they did they didn’t look back. The goals began to flow with Rosey finishing from an acute angle for the 4th, Matt Samoels made it 5-2 and Greenie finish with aplomb from half a yard to make the score 6-2. Ashford were then denied horrendously from a short as play was once again switched, this time to the left for Samoels to scoop his hat-trick. The umpire disallowed the goal but did not deny Matty his hat-trick as he finished late on from a well work move. 7-2 and not really a fair reflection of the game, Ashford had at least 20 chances and the Eastcote goalkeeper definitely kept the score semi-respectable. That leaves the 5’s with a nose bleed sitting on top of Division 7, next week a tough trip to play Ramgaria 3.

Goalscorers
Matt Samoels (3)
Ian McAllan
Daniel Rose (2)
Dave Greenfield

Ashford Scorers:
Adam Smith, Dave Greenfield

As the light over Short Lane faded and the temperature plummeted, the Men’s 5th XI took to the pitch to face second place Eastcote Eagles. Our faithful crowd had long since sought shelter from the harsh condition, favouring the warmth of the clubhouse. With a bare XI, Ashford took heart in welcoming back Scott “the Aussie” from his travels and midfield rock Sandy Bedi, sporting a rather dynamic pair of lyrca shorts. The other appearance of note was the return of ex-Ashford 1st team keeper Mark Smith, who had kicked off his slippers (well, umpiring slippers anyway) to come back out of retirement and take to the field.

The game started passionately with both sides playing some quick and direct hockey. Eastcote took the lead early on when a through ball found their star player, a known Middlesex half-pint dynamo, in acres of space. There was then nothing Ashford could do but watch as he calmly passed the ball round Mark, who had unfortunately had a moment of indecision (I’m afraid to use the words “senior” moment), and into the goal.

This was not the start Ashford had hoped for, but the Red and Blacks didn’t let their heads drop and battled on regardless. A trademark Adam Smith free hit just outside the D was carefully deflected by Matt Chapman but the effort went narrowly wide of the left-hand post. With Ashford piling on the pressure the Eastcote defence showed signs of cracking when a short corner given against them resulted in a war of words and ended in some regretable verbal abuse from both sides. Umpires Dan Holland and Charlie Cottrell performed excellently the under pressure and slowly diffused the situation allowing play to resume. Ashford managed to convert the following short corner, but the ball failed to connect with the backboard as it deflected off the top of the keeper’s pads and was deemed to still be rising, giving Eastcote a 16 hit.

The break in play allowed Eastcote to gain possession as Ashford took their foot off the gas as half time approached. A crash ball through the middle to their centre-forward was skilfully laid off and the following shot did find the back of the net. However skilfully only described the way he used both feet to confuse the Ashford defence, and so the goal was disallowed once the Eastcote captain had owned up to the incident.

A rallying team talk at half time from a rather aggravated Dave Greenfield meant Ashford got off to a flying start. Piling on the pressure Eastcote conceded a short corner and the push out found Adam Smith who meandered his way through the oncoming runners with his usual deft stick skills and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, past stranded keeper and the surprised defender glued to the post.

The Red and Blacks were on a roll and it didn’t take long for the pressure to pay off again when a fast ball into the Eastcote D found Dave Greenfield, Ashford’s answer to Robbie Fowler, who guided the ball into the back of the net with a neat deflection. Score: 2-1 to Ashford… what a turn around!

Now I’m sure that result would have made a few team captains in the league choke on their Monday morning cereal but unfortunately for Ashford Eastcote weren’t going to leave Short Lane with out a point. As the game entered its last minute another through ball found the Eastcote “Ronaldo” centre-forward who laid the ball back to their mini superstar, and with a lot of skill and a little bit of luck he scooted right, found an opening and scooped the ball off the deck, looping it just inside Mark’s left-hand post leaving him waving at thin air. Full time score: 2-2.

Looking at the league table, the Men’s 5th XI are now propping up the table due to Eastcote 8th XI stealing all three points against Bicester at the weekend. A good result against Bracknell next week is essential before hoping for another shock home result against league leaders Oxford Hawks in the last game before the Christmas break.

Ashford Scorers:
Ian McAllan, Adam Smith

Saturday saw the Ashford 5’s take on Eastcotes 8th team, with both teams languishing near (or at) the foot of the table already this game was set up to be a bit of a 6 pointer. The pre-match team-talk focused on the need not-to-lose, but the team felt confident that we were more than capable of winning our first 3 points of the season.

The game started brightly with Ashford seemingly taking an early grip on the game, some bright forward play from the debutant Shaun Smith set up a couple of bright moves for the Red and Blacks, although they came to nothing. Mid-way through the first half Ashford turned their dominance into a goal with a good move which was (eventually) bundled into the goal on the second attempt by the Ian ‘Coach’ McAllan, who, as it was later found DID NOT get snipered this week. A second goal soon followed from a short corner as Adam Smith recieved the ball then proceeded to make a couple of defenders look extremely ordinary with his skill, before producing a strong finish.

The second half continued as the first with Ashford playing all the hockey. Eastcote were restricted to a handful of chances which were dealt with very well by second debutant Ian Doggett, who looked calm and solid between the Ashford sticks and produced the 5’s first clean sheet of the season. Some great hockey was produced in the second half without a goal and none more so than the great interplay from the right hand side when superb composure and skill by young Freddie Cottrell produced an opportunity that was missed by millimetres. This capped a terrific performance from the young right-half and shows we’ve got another Cottrell who could potentially grace the higher teams.

A good display by all and a scoreline which didn’t reflect the balance of play - but a win is a win.