Spalding Hockey Club round-up
Spalding conceded five goals in a difficult but well fought East League Division 1N fixture at Norwich City on Saturday.
The game started level with chances coming from both ends, however, the deadlock was broken following a clinical finish into the bottom corner.
The frustration of conceding caused gaps to begin to form in Spalding’s defence and two more goals were scored in quick succession.
Spalding then conceded a fourth before half-time where a propelling team talk saw the Maroons come out with their heads held high, showing the character that this team has.
Their high energy was so nearly capitalised on as Stu Cunnington's neat finish was disallowed.
Both teams continued to create chances and absorb pressure with Jacob Baker's brilliant opportunity going out for a side line ball.
As Spalding's lack of substitutes caused energy levels to drop, a rebounded shot found the back of the net for the final time in the 5-0 reversal.
Spalding 2nds went down to a 2-0 home loss to second-placed Cambridge University 3rds in Division 3NW.
Cambridge began the game with most of the possession and chances but Spalding dug in deep by keeping their shape and man marking which limited the chances on goal.
Cambridge finally broke the deadlock with a well worked short corner routine to deflect a shot into the roof of the net.
Spalding continued to defend well with some smart saves from Rob Callaby keeping the scoreline to 1-0 at half-time.
The second half continued with much of the same as the first with Cambridge keeping a large amount of possession while Spalding had a small number of counter attack opportunities throughout the half with Lawrence Smith-Hughes and Tim Maltby running in behind the defensive line.
Cambridge did double their lead but all 11 Spalding players worked tirelessly to defend and keep the score at two at full time.
Spalding 3rds got back to winning ways with a 4-2 home victory over St Neots 2nds to move up to fifth place in the Division 4NW standings.
The Maroons started brightly and a long range through ball from Pete Wright found Glenn Richardson on the penalty spot to open the scoring.
Soon after it was 2-0 as this time Ben Scholes' pass found Richardson in space once more.
A third goal arrived after 25 minutes when a well worked team move was finished at the far post by a returning Mike Morris.
St Neots pulled one back but Spalding took a two goal advantage into the second half.
Richardson added a fourth before St Neots responded once more and, while the game continued to be a frenetic end to end encounter, it was Spalding that created the better chances but there was to be no more addition to the goals tally.
Spalding 4ths produced a fantastic all-around performance to secure a 4-1 home victory over Newmarket 3rds.
The match began with Spalding taking control early and they were rewarded when Dylan Hind opened the scoring with a composed finish.
Andy Barlow extended Spalding's lead and Dave Burrell made it 3-0 at half-time, putting the team in a commanding position.
In the second half, Newmarket came out strongly and managed to pull one back, but Spalding responded well and Dave Burrell sealed the win with his second goal and the Maroons' fourth.
Jack Dorsett played a key role in the attack, making several excellent runs, creating space and opportunities for his team-mates.
Defensively, Marco Mendoza was outstanding, earning man of the match for his strong defensive work.
Alongside him, Lorenzo Mendoza played a key role, distributing the ball with beautiful sweeping passes from the back.
In goal, James Booth made a brilliant acrobatic save, keeping Spalding ahead and denying Newmarket any further chances.
Spalding Ladies lost their grip on top spot in Division 2NW of the East League after being held to a 2-2 draw at Cambridge University 3rds on Saturday.
The draw saw Spalding leapfrogged by St Ives who were 2-0 home winners over City of Peterborough 3rds.
However, the Maroons are just two points adrift of the leaders and also have a game in hand after St Ives lost on Sunday to Cambridge University 3rds in their second match in 24 hours.
Spalding nearly got off to a flyer on Saturday when Ellie Holland stole the ball in the Cambridge half in the first minute, driving into the D and beating the oncoming keeper only for the ball to be saved by a defender.
The next ten minutes saw both teams competing for dominance in the midfield with the play going back and forth with both teams attempting to find an opening.
As the first half progressed, Cambridge started to assert their dominance and should have scored in the 13th minute when, having beaten the keeper, the forward's shot was brilliantly saved on the goalline by Lauren Harvey.
Cambridge kept pressuring Spalding in their own half, however, in the 25th minute Honor Moore having received a through ball drove from the halfway line into the D, drawing the keeper and slotting home into the right hand side of the opposition goal.
Spalding defended the rest of the first half resiliently with Jess Ball disrupting the play in front of the D and Harvey making crucial tackles.
Spalding had a chance to score a second at the start of the second half when Ellie Holland again stole the ball in the Cambridge midfield before driving into the D and shooting.
The resulting shot was saved by a defender and Holland's second effort-come-pass was deflected just wide of the goal by the on-rushing Erin McMurray.
Cambridge, having been let off, immediately attacked by breaking down the left wing only to be repelled by great tracking back by Evie Maltby and Harvey.
Sustained pressure from Cambridge would see Freya Lee save a short corner, however, the hosts equalised shortly after in open play.
Lee was then brave, saving at the forward's feet despite losing her helmet in the defensive action.
Cambridge took the lead shortly after with a through pass to the forward who drove into the D and slotted home.
Despite being 2-1 down, Spalding showed fighting spirit and could have equalised three minutes later but Cambridge managed to scramble the ball out of their D.
Cambridge were awarded a short corner but Spalding defended resolutely and immediately attacked with McMurray winning a short corner.
A good injection by Camille Rogers to Maltby resulted in the equalising goal as she killed the ball nicely before striking a thunderbolt in under the goalkeeper's foot.
Spalding took inspiration from this and were the dominant team for the rest of the match however couldn't find a winner.
Spalding 2nds can take plenty of heart from their performance despite a 5-1 away loss at Cambridge South 3rds.
The game started with Spalding having most of the possession but unfortunately after 10 minutes the home team broke through the Maroons' defence to open the scoring.
Player of the match Amy Naylor worked tirelessly in the middle, linking well with Tabby Green and Lauren Spenceley.
They were rewarded with a short corner just before half-time and Grace Hodgett stepped up for the strike but was unable to convert.
South then mounted a counter attack and were awarded a corner which they put away to make it 2-0 at half time.
Spalding started well again after the break but unfortunately - despite Freya Lee pulling off some incredible saves and excellent defending from youngsters Holly Gleave and Honor Pearson - South scored again.
The Maroons kept the majority of possession in the second half but South increased their lead by converting two more penalty corners.
Spalding never stopped working and six minutes from the end Vicky Worral attacked down the wing into the D with a reverse shot on goal.
It was saved by the keeper but the home defender ended up on top of Worral with cramp and the umpire awarded a bully just outside the D.
Luckily Worral was one of the few on the pitch old enough to know what a bully was and expertly took it and won it.
Her first shot was saved by the keeper but on the rebound Worral expertly slotted it into the bottom right corner to give Spalding a deserved consolation.
Spalding's third team went down to a 4-1 away loss at second-placed City of Peterborough 4ths in Division 4NW.
The Spalding team had a different line-up, utilising the sweeper formation, and they maintained possession initially.
However, Peterborough quickly gained control of the ball and put pressure on the defenders with player of the match Poppy Hooker effectively stopping many attacks.
Peterborough eventually broke the deadlock with a penalty flick but Spalding remained resilient and adhered to their training by maintaining wide passes.
Despite this, Peterborough regained possession and, after a scramble in the D, scored their second goal and then converted another short corner for 3-0 lead at half-time.
An encouraging half-time talk from manager Sally Pilgrim saw the Spalding team return to the field with renewed determination.
Their youthful energy shone through against the more experienced but tiring Peterborough side.
Peterborough managed to score once more but Spalding kept the pressure on and were awarded a short corner.
Khloe Brewster's injection skills were utilised and, after a shot on goal by Sam Foston that put the goalkeeper on the floor, Spalding took full advantage.
A pass from Jess Worth to a well-positioned Brewster resulted in a goal which gave Spalding the momentum they needed and they dominated much of the remaining game but time was not on their side.
