Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club

Download the latest Red & Black Newsletter: December 2006

It has all the latest news and updates:

• Chairmans Chatter - with the latest on all the teams
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• Club Kit
• Astro Draw Fund Winners
• Training
• AA’s Chatter
• Social News
• Stork Club
• Entertainments
• The Season So Far…
• Pitch Etiquette
• Pitch and Grounds Litter

Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone!

Ashford Scorers:
Jackie Parsons (2), Jane English

Despite losing four players late in the week, the Ashford Ladies veterans (AA’s) were still able to field a fairly strong side for the annual Christmas challenge match against Sunbury Stars Of The Past.

In very mild and pleasant conditions, and in front of a fairly large crowd, the AA’s started off very strongly and dominated much of the play in the first quarter of the game. South African super star JACKIE PARSONS was making her Antiques debut and was dominating play up front with her silky stick work and powerful yet controlled shooting. Sunbury were finding it very hard to cope with Jackie and the flowing hockey being played by a dominant AA’s midfield, and almost inevitably JACKIE PARSONS opened the scoring with a very accurate short corner strike and then a controlled lifted shot to put the AA’s 2-0 ahead. Sunbury slowly got more into the game, but the ever green AA’s sweeper DOREEN BROWN was controlling matters well at the back and they were unable to mount any serious attacks on the Ashford goal. However, one or two Sunbury players were starting to show some fine individual skills and not long before half time, and in one of their rare attacks, a basic AA’s defensive error allowed FIONA PARK to push the ball in from close range to make the score 2-1. The AA’s then dominated the rest of the half, but failed to add to their goal tally.

The second half again saw the AA’s on top and a good combination involving LYNNE MORGAN and CLAIR BRANT, enabled JANE ENGLISH to put the ball in the back of the net from close in to make the score 3-1. Despite the AA’s dominance, Sunbury rallied and scored a good goal midway through the second half to make the score 3-2. Ashford again got on top of the game and created numerous chances and were unlucky to see several strikes go just wide. Unfortunately another defensive lapse saw Sunbury score a surprise equaliser from the resulting breakaway. The AA’s fought back though and in the dying minutes of the game two of the Red & Black forwards got the ball round the Sunbury keeper only for it to stop dead on the goal line and confusion between the Ashford players meant neither struck it home and allowed the simplest of chances to be cleared off the goal line. Thus the friendly game played in an excellent Christmas spirit resulted in a draw and the trophy will now be shared by clubs until Christmas 2008.

Team:
A.Boxell, D.Brown, J.Trew, A.Saunders, V.Baldwin, L.Mitchell, L.Burne, J.English, J.Parsons, C.Brant, L.Morgan (Captain), S.Kendall, C.Davies

Ashford Scorers:
Amit Bhamra, Gordon Smith

On the way to MK with the ‘prolific’ Chris Davies (look forward to that pint, Chris) and Steve ‘Collina’ Smith, our ump, I had opined that James Maitland held the key to this game so it was with some foreboding that I arrived to hear that the Wild Man of the team had finally lived upto his nickname and been ill twice on the way due to ’something he ate.’

We duly trotted onto the MK water-based pitch full of thoughts of total hockey to be confronted by a pitch that looked distinctly swamp-like - with mud and scum particularly bad the end we were attacking. Our legendary hard man, James, did not start as ‘his hands were cold’ and Bert Hewes started in the unfamiliar position of right midfield, apart from that we had the normal team of a few old heads and the kids. We never really got going in the first half as we struggled to get used to the pitch and the MK tactics, which involved their skipper, Big John, launching a long-ball offensive throughout (there was a brief lull when he broke his stick!). Very apt given that MK Dons are just down the road, Harry Bassett would have been well proud. Not to say it wasn’t effective as they soon took the lead when an MK forward took advantage of slight indecision and lamped it home impressively giving Tom no chance in goal. We did force short corners thou gh but they weren’t injected properly (sorry!) and I don’t think the surface mulch helped us. Anyway we didn’t trouble the goalie unduly and got to half time 1-0.

2nd half thankfully was a different story as we were attacking the better end of the pitch and, I guess, if we wanted to get anything out of the game, we needed to up the ante which we did. Rosie had had a quiet first half but the second half he was electric - who knows what he’d be like if he could actually see what he was doing! - as he embarked on several curly detours round their midfield and defence (he and Podge have been our best players the whole month). We forced yet more shorts and eventually Amit got his Big Whack going and hit the left post so much that it ricocheted into the opposite sideboard - anyway 1-all. We were dealing better with Big John’s bazooka-powered hits (starting with backing off a bit!) and forcing the pace of the game.

Midway through the half, Ell smacked in a free hit from the left, Ryan made a fantastic run from the right post to the left post and got a touch and though the keeper made a good save, the ball squirted to the old goal-smith-er who made no mistake! 2-1 and off he went determined to show Rosie and Shaggy how to celebrate a goal, jumping and high-fiving anyone in range - very Panesar-esque - kissing his badge and heading for ‘the crowd’ to receive his accolade…only….there was no ‘crowd’!!!!! Apparently he ‘had to work’ - what sort of excuse is that!!!

The last 15 minutes we were made to work hard by MK but we saw the game out relatively comfortably and in the end deserved our win. We came off the pitch spattered with crap but very happy with the performance and the points. It looks like our plan to avoid relegation has worked a bit earlier than expected and we find ourselves at the halfway stage in 2nd place, one point behind South Bucks. Yowsah!

Although Ashford thought the game had been awarded to them there was obviously a change of heart somewhere else, and the fixture that had been a washout 2 weeks ago was played again at Short Lane. Aces fielded a much stronger side this time, and the red and blacks found it hard to establish the commanding lead they had previously notched up in the first 50 minutes. A hard fought game ended in with a point a piece, or two less than Ashford thought they had, but Christmas is a time for giving so we were obviously being festive. Final score 2-2.

Christmas came early for Oxford Hawks as Team Ashford conspired to give 2 points away and a chance to close the gap between ourselves and league leaders South Bucks to 2 points.

We played well without really hitting top form, starting quite well for a change and working the flanks well, both Big Ell and little Ell had good games providing the support midfield and attack needed.

We had loads of chances, I had 4 decent ones myself and I’m centre half! To be fair, their keeper had a fantastic game and but for him we would have won the game at a canter. Half time it was 0-0 somehow and as I’m sure you have anticipated, early in the second half, the Hawks broke away to take the lead. Credit to us, after a frantic few minutes, we settled down again and put a lot of pressure on the visitors and scored 2 goals in 5 minutes. A good team goal with Rosie (my mom for the game) finishing off the move, we then got into their D again, Rosie flicked the ball past the keeper, hit their lad on the line but Stevie played good advantage and Shaggy put away the rebound for his 4th of the season (he has now doubled his normal count for the season). These two have to practice their goal celebrations - Rosie looks like he’s been grounded and Shaggy has a look of shock (probably cos he is shocked - we are).

We continued to dominate the game but crucially we could not get the 3rd goal which would have settled this encounter. In the last 3 minutes they got a short corner and although it was blocked, the Hawks forward swooped for the kill and put away the rebound. Even then we had 2 shorties to win the game but their keeper was equal to them and we had to share the points.

We shouldn’t be too disappointed as last year we would probably have lost this game, Anyway onto the last league game before the break when we travel up to roundabout heaven - Milton Keynes and Big John!!!