Spalding Hockey Club round-up
Spalding Ladies returned to pole position in Division 2NW of the East League with a convincing home victory on Saturday.
They ran out 6-1 winners over Kettering at Glen Park to regain top spot from St Ives who were beaten by Cambridge South 2nds.
The game started with Kettering quickly gaining possession and managing to capitalise from a defensive error to take the lead.
Spalding had a chance to equalise a few minutes later when they were awarded a flick but it was expertly saved by Kettering's keeper.
The Maroons soon found their momentum and began moving the ball between players and gained ground.
Hard work within the middle from Ball, Dennis and Timby allowed Spalding to maintain possession.
Later into the half, Spalding were awarded a short corner which, following a slap across goal, Georgina Maplethorpe expertly deflected into the bottom corner.
Following a strong half-time talk, Spalding entered the second period looking to improve on the first half performance.
A brilliant through ball from Georgina Maplethorpe allowed Honor Moore to give Spalding a 2-1 lead.
The Maroons continued to pass the ball between themselves, awaiting an opening to advance towards goal.
Spalding were awarded another short corner which Tabitha Dunnett calmly buried into the bottom corner for a 3-1 advantage.
A few minutes later another short corner was awarded which, again following a slap across goal, Georgina Maplethorpe expertly deflected into the back of the net.
Kettering continued to pressure the defence but Harvey, Steph Wilson and Maltby held strong with some expert saves from Lee managing to prevent the visitors from scoring.
A through ball from the defence found Ellie Holland who delivered it into the D for Moore to slot home and make it 5-1.
Towards the end of the match, a pass from Sophie Wilson found Charlotte Maplethorpe in the midfield before delivering the ball into the D for Moore to slot home and complete the scoring.
Spalding 2nds went down to a 9-0 home reversal against Cambridge University 3rds.
The visitors scored four times in the opening 10 minutes before Spalding settled into their stride to prevent any further goals before the break.
Cambridge continued with their quick attacks throughout the second half and added another five goals to leave Spalding ready for their next challenge.
Two goals in each half sent Spalding 3rds to a 4-1 defeat against Cambridge South 5ths.
Spalding had dominated possession initially but Cambridge quickly seized control to take the lead.
They extended their advantage from a short corner before the break with Spalding returning for the second half revitalised after an encouraging interval talk from Sally Pilgrim.
Cambridge added a third goal but Spalding intensified their efforts.
A well-positioned Terri Robinson picked up a loose ball and drove it into the attacking D for a shot on goal where Lucy McClements deftly got a touch and chipped it past the keeper to get Spalding on the scoresheet.
Spalding continued their attempts to equalise but Cambridge managed to score once more before the final whistle.
Despite the result not being what Spalding hoped for, they will take lessons from this game into their next match away at Bourne Deeping.
Spalding suffered their heaviest defeat of the East League season against runaway Division 1N leaders Cambridge University on Saturday.
The unbeaten visitors ran out 11-0 winners at Glen Park for their 15th successive league victory of the season.
Cambridge were unfortunate to be relegated last season with a reorganisation of the top leagues.
They are a team playing National League level hockey and have scored more than 100 goals but Spalding put in a spirited showing.
The game started quickly with the visitors dominating by pouncing on loose passes by Spalding.
Two quick goals in the opening minutes, both originally kept out brilliantly by Oscar Haunch, fell to Cambridge forwards.
The first half continued with the visitors taking the majority of the ball, making it very hard for Spalding to make moves up the pitch.
This pressure led to multiple short corners with one finding the top corner and one saved well by Haunch.
Cambridge continued to apply pressure through the first half and scored six times before the half-time whistle which provided a good opportunity to have a reset for Spalding.
The opening minutes of the second half were much more balanced with Spalding having periods of possession and showing good structure in defence.
Some good leg work from the entire team meant it was hard for the Cambridge team to break down the Spalding defence.
Cambridge managed to find an opening with a good strike from close to the top of the D but Spalding kept their heads well and again provided tough competition for the first 20 minutes.
Within this time, Spalding had several ventures into the opposing quarter - the most promising leading to a short corner where a vicious David Dorey flick was well saved by the keeper.
Cambridge's fitness and organisation became the decisive factor in the second half as they applied pressure and took some good chances to add to the scoreboard.
Spalding's second team went down to a 2-0 away reversal at Ely City 2nds in Division 3NW.
Spalding 3rds stunned Bourne Deeping with two late goals to turn their match on its head.
Starting brightly, Spalding created several early chances with Glenn Richardson firing wide of both posts.
Richardson found the net to put Spalding 1-0 to the good but Bourne gradually got a foothold in the game and scored two goals to lead at half-time.
Spalding had continued to create chances and knew they were in with a chance of a first away win but this looked doubtful when the home side broke and added a third early in the second half.
Continuing to work hard, the arrears were reduced when Richardson converted a penalty flick.
With five minutes to go, Spalding won a short corner which was dispatched by Harry Vickers and just a minute later the comeback was complete as another short corner was well placed in the corner by Richardson.
The result sees Spalding remain in fifth spot ahead of a trip to fourth-placed Pelicans next.
Spalding 4ths also staged an impressive comeback to record a 7-4 victory over Long Sutton 3rds after overcoming a slow start with a dominant second-half performance.
Dave Burrell starred with a brilliant hat-trick, while Ed Sly scored twice, and Dylan Hind and Henry Gibbons each added a goal to complete the turnaround.
Hind's outstanding attacking play and coolly taken penalty earned him the man of the match award.
Spalding had a tough start, conceding three goals in the first 13 minutes, including an unfortunate own goal.
Long Sutton took full advantage of the early pressure, leaving Spalding with work to do.
However, Spalding gradually found their rhythm, responding well with some composed passing and determined play.
Burrell led the comeback with two well-taken goals and Sly added another, leveling the score at 3-3 by half-time.
The second half saw Spalding take control as Burrell completed his hat-trick while Sly grabbed his second to give the visitors the lead.
Hind continued to make an impact in attack and confidently converted a penalty while Gibbons also found the net, sealing an emphatic win for Spalding.
Despite the difficult start, Spalding’s resilience and attacking quality shone through as they secured an impressive away victory.
Adam Pack and James Collingwood-Smith were among the goalscorers for Long Sutton.
