Spalding Hockey Club round-up

Spalding's character, resilience and determination again shone through as they shared the spoils in a 4-4 draw with City of Peterborough 2nds in Division 1N of the East League on Saturday.

The game began evenly with chances at both ends of the pitch as both keepers started well and kept the match goalless.

Peterborough struck first from a penalty corner retake as Spalding scrambled to clear but it found the bottom corner.

Spalding roared back and Stu Cunnington's through ball found Dan Azzopardi in the D who managed to reverse it across goal for James Grant to equalise.

Peterborough came back at Spalding and, despite Oscar Haunch's reactions, a loose ball found the striker to coolly finish to make it 2-1 to the visitors heading into half-time.

Spalding raced out of the traps in the second half and a stunning Jacob Baker strike from the top of the D got the game back level.

The Maroons continued their attacking threat and took the lead for the first time through a glorious deflection through Matt Sanders for a 3-2 lead.

The game as expected turned heated for a 10 minute period in the second half with three cards shown between the teams.

Peterborough equalised through a penalty corner that found the bottom corner to bring the game level once again.

Following this an end to end game ensured and a match of pinball in the D for the visitors saw the ball fall to their striker who made no mistake to once again give the visitors the lead at 4-3.

However, with seven minutes remaining, Cunnington flicked the ball superbly into the side of the net to bring Spalding level.

Spalding to a man battled until the final whistle and all 13 players came off the pitch immensely proud to gain a point.

The second team lost 5-0 at City of Peterborough 5ths while the third team fell to a 4-1 defeat against a Newmarket 2nds side whose performance belied their lowly league standing.

Newmarket raced into a 2-0 lead before Pete Wright's short corner strike reduced the arrears.

Spalding soon found themselves further behind as the first half drew to a close.

In the second half, Spalding did retain more possession early on but, once Newmarket scored a fourth, the game slowed as the result became a formality.

The fourth team clinched a 2-1 victory against Pelicans in King's Lynn.

The visitors put on a determined and solid performance to secure the win.

Spalding took the lead in the first half with Dave Burrell scoring a well-taken goal, giving his side a 1-0 advantage at the break.

Goalkeeper James Booth was in excellent form, making crucial saves to protect Spalding's lead. His performance between the posts proved invaluable as the team maintained their advantage.

Pelicans came out strongly in the second half, equalising just a minute after the restart.

However, Spalding responded quickly and regained the lead when Jack Dorsett scored a clinical goal, making it 2-1.

Dorsett thought he had added a third shortly after but the goal was ruled out.

Spalding held firm despite Pelicans pressure, with solid defending and more key saves from Booth, who continued to frustrate the home side as the Maroons held on for a well-earned 2-1 victory.

Ed Sly was named man of the match for his impressive performance at the back, where he played a key role in keeping the Pelicans attacks at bay. His solid defending was integral to Spalding's success.

Brian Read was also a standout performer, showing great attacking flair with strong runs and creating multiple scoring opportunities.

The team also demonstrated improved passing play, a result of focused work in training.

The victory was a major boost for Spalding who can take pride in their solid team effort and continued improvement.

Spalding Ladies produced a brilliant all-round team performance to run out 6-1 winners in their home match with Cambridge South 3rds on Saturday.

Despite facing a well-organised and structured Cambridge team, Spalding displayed resilience and skill, especially during challenging moments, to secure the victory which keeps them top of the East League Division 2NW table.

Honor Moore produced a stand-out performance, demonstrating her silky skills and pinpoint executions at goal to net a hat-trick for the Maroons.

Ellie Holland was also among the goalscorers as Spalding demonstrated their strength and determination as they continue to rise following the holiday break.

The second team went down to a 4-0 home defeat against Newmarket in the same division.

The visitors took control early, scoring two goals in the first half.

However, Spalding kept fighting, managing to take possession of the ball and pressing Newmarket’s defending D.

Lauren Spenceley and Amy Naylor played a crucial role in midfield, linking the defence and attack with ease.

They distributed the ball well to Kate Amess on the wing, who made some great runs down the side of the pitch.

Captain Vicky Worrall also continued to keep Newmarket under pressure by ensuring all players in the midfield were marked while Holly Gleave, playing at left back, was solid defensively.

Erin McMurray, who had been working tirelessly throughout the game, found herself in the right place at the right time in the second half.

Her hard work paid off when a ball, aimed at goal, unexpectedly came off her head and sailed into the net, but unfortunately it was disallowed.

Newmarket continued to apply pressure and their relentless attacking allowed two more goals to be added.

The ladies' third team was postponed due to a frozen pitch.