Round-up of the action from Spalding Hockey Club
Spalding defied a depleted squad to maintain their unbeaten start to the season on Saturday.
They were 4-3 away winners at Norwich Dragons despite travelling to Norfolk with six unavailable players.
There was a mixture of illness and injuries in the squad which saw Spalding recalls for the evergreen Steve Rogers (54), Matt Sanders (49), and a place on the bench for manager Jason Naylor (54).
Spalding, who also lost Harry Naylor on the morning due to an injury in training, flew out of the traps early on and raced into a 2-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes through two penalty corners from Stuart Cunnington.
Spalding continued to apply pressure without extending their lead.
Their energy levels dropped and they were unable to handle the Dragons' long aerial game and a mistake at the back allowed Norwich back into the contest with a smart reverse stick finish.
Norwich continued to apply pressure and won a penalty stroke due to a mistimed tackle from Phil Callow and this was despatched despite the best efforts of Oscar Haunch in goal.
Spalding managed to regroup and won another penalty corner which Jacob Baker buried into the bottom corner as they managed to get to half-time 3-2 ahead.
Spalding struggled to control the game in the second half and lost Will Baker to a green card and, despite tireless work from Rodgers, Dan Azzopardi and Naylor up front, they were unable to add to the lead and get a foothold in the game.
A lapse of concentration in defence allowed Norwich Dragons to win a penalty corner which was awarded after a long delay of how high the shot was.
With the game at 3-3 and entering the last five minutes, Spalding showed great resilience and desire to dig out one more chance and it turned out to be the goal of the day.
It started in defence and a magic touch from Darren Grooby found Cunnington in the D and he coolly rounded the keeper to put Spalding into the lead.
Spalding worked hard for the remaining minutes and a last minute save from Haunch from a penalty corner ensured the Maroons travelled home with three points.
Spalding 2nds produced a solid performance in an 8-1 derby victory over Bourne Deeping.
They started the stronger of the two sides, putting the Bourne Deeping defence under pressure with a strong pressing game.
This pressure brought rewards as Spalding scored first with Adolfo Chantre finishing neatly with his first touch of the game.
Spalding were relentless in attack and capitalised on a series of penalty corners which saw James Grant converting one to make the score 2-0.
The third goal quickly followed as again Grant slotted home in front of the goal with the keeper unable to stop the ball going over the line.
Bourne Deeping got one back before half-time when the Spalding team failed to clear the ball.
The second half was all one-way traffic with Spalding again pressing the defence hard and were rewarded with goals from Tim Maltby, Tom Pilgrim, Finley Roy and Tiago Read.
Grant finished off his hat trick with the final goal to make the score 8-1 and a resounding victory for Spalding to keep up their unbeaten home record in the league.
The third team suffered a four-goal away reversal at Cambridge City 7ths.
The first half started fairly even with both sides having a couple of chances each, but the experienced Cambridge team started to control the game more and got a goal 15 minutes before the interval.
Spalding held firm to keep it 1-0 at half-time, but Cambridge continued their strong game after the break and controlled the contest with accurate passing around the pitch.
Spalding started to get tired while chasing the game and Cambridge added three more goals throughout the second half.
Spalding 4ths had a break from league action but travelled to Cambridge South where they recorded a 2-1 victory.
With a few players missing, call-ups were given to Fred Morris and James Morris.
After a good start, Spalding unfortunately found themselves a goal down to a well deflected finish into the corner of the net.
However, it was evident that the balance of play was with Spalding and they continued to play good passing hockey.
They were rewarded before half-time when Fred Morris slotted one home to equalise.
The second half continued to follow a similar pattern and a late bursting run from Simon Goode saw some good inter-passing finished off by Lorenzo Mendoza.
This gave Spalding a deserved lead which they held onto to record a good win ahead of their return to league action this weekend with a home match against Bourne Deeping.
Spalding Ladies backed up last week's fantastic win with a one-goal home success over Cambridge City 4ths on Saturday.
They started strongly and produced some amazing play by Kate Amess and Tabitha Dunnett down both wings, getting the ball up high.
Spalding managed to keep it 0-0 to half time with some strong defending by Pippa Bembridge, Sophie Gleave, Evie Maltby and Leanne Issac-Pick.
The team talk at half time by captain Ellie Holland was positive and motivational, with Spalding coming back full of energy, wanting the ball.
There was fantastic play in the middle and up front by Lauren Harvey, Maisie Foden, Erin McMurray and Milly Hastings getting the ball through Cambridge's midfield.
Spalding had some great possession down the right wing with Georgina Maplethorpe passing a brilliant through ball to Amy Naylor who took it past the Cambridge defence into the top of the D winning a short corner.
With Spalding in a dominant position with a short corner in their hands, the injection was straight to Evie Matlby, who slapped the ball straight through the goalkeeper's legs into the net.
Spalding then continued to push and keep possession of the ball all the way to the last minute where Cambridge won a short corner.
Spalding had some amazing saves from Freya Lee in goal, saving the first short corner, but, with Cambridge winning another, the girls had to fight hard again.
Spalding continued to fight hard through another three defensive short corners, managing to keep the win.
The ladies' second team triumphed against Ely City after a 5-1 success.
The match began with Ely taking an early lead, putting Spalding on the back foot.
However, the Spalding team responded swiftly and decisively. Charlotte Maplethorpe was quick to reply with a goal, capitalising on a well-placed pass from Karen Timby, levelling the score at 1-1.
As the first half progressed, Spalding began to assert their dominance. At the 25-minute mark, Kelly Slater unleashed a powerful strike, propelling the team into a 2-1 lead.
The second half witnessed Spalding's relentless determination to secure victory.
Player of the match Karen Timby continued to shine, slotting her first goal of the match shortly after the second half began, this time with an assist from Charlotte Maplethorpe, further solidifying Spalding's lead at 3-1.
Sophie Wilson displayed impeccable skill, extending Spalding's advantage by tapping in a well-earned goal, bringing the scoreline to 4-1.
The final flourish came from Karen Timby, who showcased her prowess with a spectacular top-corner strike, capping off her impressive performance and sealing the victory for Spalding with a final score of 5-1.
The third string finished a challenging week to secure players to field a team with a positive outcome after a 1-1 draw with Kettering.
They had travelled to Northamptonshire with a spring in their step and ensured as always the first 15 minutes was a showcase of beautiful passing and attacking moves.
The team worked hard to charge forwards and confuse the opposition, especially with the dynamic duo of newcomer Bronwyn Preston and daughter.
Kettering then found their flow and made some slick passes through to their attackers, causing some pressure to the Spalding defence.
A successful hit out from the back found its way to the attacking D where a short corner was awarded and, after a few rebounds, Terri Bateman managed to slot it over the line to make it 1-0 to the Maroons.
Spalding were jubilant and excited and were awarded a few more short corners due to the sheer determination and ballerina like dribbling from Chloe P but the Kettering goalkeeper was alert and managed to save them each time.
Spalding started off the second half strongly again, especially with the work-rate of Honor Pearson, Camille Rogers and Kelly Tizzano in the midfield who intercepted many balls and attacked convincingly.
Lisa Dean, although injured, managed to show her skill set beautifully throughout the game with defending and finding herself in the attacking D.
Her passes and linking with Kelly Herward and Terri Bateman were impressive and certainly saved the Spalding side from time to time.
With about ten minutes to go, a short corner was awarded to Kettering and somehow it slipped past the defence to make it 1-1.
Spalding were determined to secure another goal and were awarded many more short corners but each time Kettering ensured they stayed out of the goal.
Frustration set in a little for the away side and Kettering found themselves one on one with keeper Eliza Morris who made two crucial saves to prevent any more goals and earn Spalding a point.
