Ladies 1st
A well-deserved point was gained by the Ladies 1st team in a well fought game against local rivals, Deeside Ladies 1st team. Against some early pressure Vagrants took the lead through Jenny Zwijnen who was in the perfect position to slot home from close range from a strong EJ Macleod cross. Deeside quickly levelled through open play. 1-1 at half-time interval and the half-time conversation centred around how flipping hot it was, how we had nothing to lose in the second half, and how many subs did Deeside have??!! Deeside took the lead capitalising from a penalty corner. Vagrants didn’t give up and gained a free hit just outside the 25, seeing Hannah Thornhill make a run from the right, Laura MacLeod managed to get the ball through a few Deeside players to find Hannah who calmly but decisively guided the ball past the Deeside goalkeeper. With seconds to go, Vagrants managed to keep out 2 penalty corners out to hang on for a 2-2 draw. Wrexham Ladies 1st at home next week.

Ladies 2nd
Against a well drilled and fit Oswestry team, the Ladies 2nd’s unfortunately came 2nd today. Debutant Beth Hughes (from MMU Cheshire) fitted in nicely playing with confidence on the right-hand side. Oswestry played aggressive hockey which challenged Vagrants and at half-time they were 2-0 up despite some good saves by Katy Hey and some strong tackles by Nat Stevenson. Vagrants came out in the second half determining to play positive hockey. A sharp turn in the D by Lisa Holland led to a penalty corner. In a change to the usual penalty corner routine, Lucy Pearson slipped the ball to Lisa who smashed the ball into the back of the goal. Get in! The goal resulted in added pressure from the Vagrants, despite more penalty corner opportunities Vagrants were unable to convert any and the final score was 3-1. Opportunity to bounce back quickly next week against Macclesfield.

Ladies 3rd
Looking to maintain a 100% record, the Ladies 3rd team welcomed Alderley Edge 6th team. Vagrants started well, however Alderley kept pace and had the first shot on target of the game. Christine Lawson doing her bit by saving that attempt. Vagrants’ first goal came from a good amount of possession and some great team work with Trish Boffey slotting home her 6th of the season. A penalty corner resulted in Gabbie Harvey putting Vagrants 2-0 up, but the half time score was 2-1. Against the run of play Alderley equalised early on in the second half. The team determined to make it 5 wins from 5 turned the pressure on and Lauren Burgess was on hand to score an impressive second half hat-trick. Alderley managed to pull a goal back but the final score was a comfortable 5-3 win. Mel Brooks was awarded the player of the match for her continuous running and great skill in the midfeld. Runcorn Ladies 2nd team at home again next week.

Ladies 4th
A short trip to undefeated Whitchurch Ladies 2nd team was always going to be a tough game. With only the defence being over the age of 14, it was a good test for our developing Ladies 4th team. Being 2-0 down at half-time, Vagrants rallied and played the way they can, and have shown in previous games…distributing the ball, and attacking the D. Some hope came from a bullet of a pass from a hit out from Katie Gibbs to Rachel Fairfield, who took the goalkeeper on and won. 1 back! After that Vagrants had to absorb a lot of pressure from Whitchurch and unfortunately a 3rd goal came from a goal line scramble. Amanda Kimber played well in goal, Vagrants’ player of the match was awarded to Erin Wray. Neston South Wirral 5th team away next week.

Men 1st
After a disappointing defeat last week, Vagrants dominated the first half however failed to capitalise and Bebbington taking the lead through a penalty corner to take a 1-0 lead into half-time. An early goal settled the nerves in the second half, James Capper firing high into the roof of the net from a penalty corner. Vagrants kept up the pressure…Pete Cornell found a Bebbington foot on the goal line winning Vagrants a penalty flick which was calmly dispatched by Chris Regan for a 2-1 victory. Wilmslow away next week for the Men’s 1st team.

Men 2nd

The 2nd team travelled to Rhyl with hopes of gaining the first points of the season from a team who had made a similar disappointing start. After a promising start, Vagrants were unfortunately caught out on the break and a smart finish from the Rhyl forward resulted in the first goal of the game. Unperturbed Vagrants continued to press forward, but in a mad 10 minutes Vagrants went into half time 3-0 down. Some stern words during the break led to Vagrants coming out firing and an excellent reverse stick goal high into the net from man of the match Jack Townsend got Crewe back into the game. Buoyed by the goal, Vagrants continued to attack and this time Josh Freshwater scored a goal form a short corner to make it 3-2. Pressing for an equaliser meant that there were some gaps left at the back and on the break Rhyl put the game out of reach 4-2. Time for bit of contemplation mid-week, train well on Tuesday and go again Saturday at home against Bangor University.

Men 3rd

The Men’s 3rd team bagged the most convincing victory of the Club today with a 10-0 win against Timperley 6th team. Nick Marshall didn’t hang around scoring the first goal despite Timperley getting off to a spirited start. Tom Link will take some catching this season scoring 7 (that’s Seven) goals…impressive! Further goals were scored by new player Ricky Deckhouse, and Jamie Escott (who allegedly is still the best Escott player in the Club…what do you reckon, Isabella??!!) the game ended as a stroll in the sunshine. The biggest scare of the game came from Jamie Allen…not wanting the forwards to totally dominate the game, Jamie passed the ball back to Dave Watson who had to shift fairly quickly to keep a clean sheet. A questionable back pass if there ever was one, Jamie! Sandbach Men’s 2nd team being the opposition next weekend.