Spalding Hockey Club round-up
Spalding moved off the foot of the East League Division 1N table after battling back to earn a point in a 2-2 draw at Wisbech on Saturday.
Despite a tough first half, Spalding showed immense character to secure a well-earned point in an eventful and competitive encounter.
The first half saw Spalding on the back foot with Wisbech converting two open play chances to take control of the game.
However, Spalding’s goalkeeper, Oscar Haunch, made a string of vital saves to keep the scoreline within reach.
Spalding’s efforts to find a rhythm were hampered by a card for Jacob Baker while Wisbech also received a card as the hosts took a two-goal lead into half-time.
The second half was a different story.
Determined to make a comeback, Spalding piled on the pressure and their efforts were rewarded when Jacob Baker weaved through several defenders in the D before calmly slotting the ball into the goal to halve the deficit.
The game's intensity only increased and, with time running out, Spalding refused to give up.
In the final minute, Matt Hulme showed brilliant awareness and composure. Following his own injection, he surged forward to meet the ball and placed it neatly into the corner of the goal, sparking celebrations from the Spalding squad.
Haunch's outstanding performance between the posts, particularly in the first half, earned him the man of the match award.
The draw was a fair reflection of a hard-fought contest as Spalding’s resilience and determination were on full display as they battled to the final whistle to secure a crucial point on the road.
Spalding 2nds came from behind to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory against St Ives in an entertaining match.
The game began with both sides testing each other, but it was St Ives who struck first as a short corner shot found the left corner of the home net.
The second half saw Spalding emerge with renewed determination and their persistence paid off.
Lawrence found himself in the right place at the back post to slot home and level the score.
The momentum shifted firmly in Spalding’s favour and they capitalised on it with a well-crafted move as Ollie Roy finished off a brilliant play to make it 2-1.
Despite late pressure from St Ives, Spalding held on to claim all three points in an impressive comeback victory.
Spalding's third team got the second half of the season underway with a 4-2 home win over lowly Kettering in Division 4NW.
After a six week break, the early stages were always going to be about cohesion and Spalding found their stride with some simple progressive passing and took the lead when Ben Scholes found Lucas Baker at the far post to slot home
Soon after it was 2-0 as Pete Wright slipped a short corner to Ben Scholes who made no mistake.
Pete Wright then found Danny Wright in space in the D and he calmly slotted under the keeper and it was 3-0 before half-time.
After the interval, Spalding couldn't reproduce the first half form and Kettering were in the ascendancy and reduced the arrears with a goal.
Spalding weathered the storm and started to get back into their stride and, from a short corner, Pete Wright struck home to restore some calm.
Although Kettering added a consolation late on, Spalding saw the game out with some controlled possession.
The fourths returned to action after an extended Christmas break with a tough match against Cambridge South 5s at Glen Park.
The home side battled hard but ultimately fell to a 3-0 defeat.
Spalding created several opportunities throughout the game but struggled to convert them into goals.
Dylan Hind and Dave Burrell worked well together up front, while Henry Gibbons and Brian Read showed great pace on the wings.
In defence, Sam Willerton worked tirelessly with Lorenzo Mendoza to break up Cambridge South’s attacks, and goalkeeper Steve Thurlbourne made several crucial saves to keep Spalding in the game.
However, Cambridge South capitalised on their chances, scoring once before half-time and twice more in the second half.
Mendoza was named man of the match for his performance in defence.
While this was expected to be a tough game, Spalding showed continued improvement and the team remains focused on their upcoming games.
Spalding's fifth team took on their counterparts from Peterborough in their first game of 2025 looking to build on the momentum that had built up prior to Christmas.
It was a challenging game for the young side, as Peterborough had a lot of experienced senior players that ultimately saw the travelling side come away with a 6-1 win.
However, the young Spalding side did extremely well - at times with only two senior players outfield - and played their socks off despite the bitter cold.
The 6-1 scoreline at the end could have been so much different but for some excellent saves by the travelling goalkeeper with the highlight being a diving save to deflect a goalbound shot just wide.
Defensively Spalding did very well against some very experienced senior forwards while the midfield worked tirelessly.
Spalding’s goal was also something to be celebrated as well with a stunning short corner strike from Dylan finding the bottom left hand corner of the goal.
Spalding Ladies suffered their first defeat of the East League Division 2NW season after a 3-1 away reversal at Newmarket on Saturday.
It was the Maroons' first game back following the winter break and they dominated the early possession by firing countless shots at the Newmarket keeper who kept out every possible chance.
The breakthrough finally arrived after 12 minutes when Georgina Maplethorpe ran rings around the Newmarket defence which allowed her to slot the ball to Ellie Holland on the wing.
This led to a run to the baseline and a tactical pass across the D where, suddenly, all players halted as the ball hit a Newmarket foot.
But, with no whistle blown, Honor Moore took the opportunity to place the ball into the goal.
After many unlucky attempts and determination to stay in the lead, Spalding were unlucky to concede after Freya Lee had kept out many prior attacks, making the score 1-1.
Unfortunately, Spalding took this goal to heart and struggled to keep out Newmarket's next attempt, even after the defence had made tackle after tackle and the hosts led at the break.
After an inspiring team talk at half-time from Karen Timby, Spalding went back out desperate to even the score.
The second half started with Spalding maintaining control and play down the wings from Sophie Wilson and Camille Rogers led to dozens of shots which were valiantly kept out by the young Newmarket keeper.
After many runs by Charlotte Maplethorpe and numerous short corner attempts, possession was turned over and, despite Spalding’s efforts, Newmarket were able to seal their win with a third goal.
Regardless of the loss, the ladies remain top of the league and are hopeful of continuing their successful run this season.
The ladies' second team fought hard from start to finish despite suffering a heavy 9-0 away loss at Pelicans.
Spalding worked hard to maintain possession but, after a few early goals from Pelicans, the ladies felt a little deflated.
Excellent saves and goalline clearances contributed to the team's morale to keep up the fight but they were unable to stop Pelicans from adding to their tally.
Spalding ladies' third team were pleased to pick up a point to remain above Cambridge Nomads 2nds in the Division 4NW table after a 2-2 draw at Glen Park.
The Nomads started with possession but Spalding quickly claimed it back.
The Maroons had a couple of shots on goal but, unfortunately, could not score and their visitors regained possession and managed to get the ball through Spalding's defence to break the deadlock.
Spalding looked to respond and converted an attack into a short corner where Khole Brewster's fine injecting skills were utilized but they were unable to equaliser before the break.
A brilliant half-time talk by manager Charlotte Morris reminded the ladies to use their strengths by utilizing the width of the pitch.
Spalding came out fighting as Holly Gleaves managed to stop any balls through while Jess Pilgrim made some good runs up onto the baseline.
One of these resulted in a short corner where Sam Foston scored a smashing straight strike into the back of the goal to level the scores.
Spalding continued to dominate throughout the second half with many passes between players.
The Nomads made a couple of runs but Poppy Hooker and player of the match Honor Pearson deflected these away. However, one ball managed to get through the defence, and the Nomads scored to regain the lead.
Spalding kept pushing, remembering to use the width, with passes to Elouise Doughty on the left, whose quick moves got the ball into the attacking D.
In the final seconds, a ball to Jess P enabled another beautiful run up the right wing into the D, resulting in a shot on goal. Although deflected, a well-positioned Khloe Brewster managed to slip in the equalising goal.