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Ladies 4s v Wilmslow 4s – 5-1 Loss

It was never going to be a walk in the park against a team at the top of the table. From the start, Wilmslow pressed high and were in possession of the ball. Their strong, goal – hanger popped in a few goals before we had even got into our stride. Plenty of short passes between our girls ensued and many a run up the pitch kept Wilmslow on their toes.

The eagle – eyed umpire kept the whistle busy and we defended a number of short corners without conceding. Mary Lofthouse and Adele White thought they were goalkeepers and batted the ball off their shins leading to two penalties for our super goalie, Jayne Sharpe who made herself rather large to try to put off the players. Wilmslow scored from these which, unbeknown to them, brought their scoring to an end in the first half of the game and subsequently the rest of the match.

In the second half we came out like a different team. We had worked out Wilmslow’s plan and put into action a much higher level of hockey. Communication became encouraging and spurred our girls on to play to their best. If a little too gentle at times, short passes up the pitch were successful and harder hits, when required, were fruitful.

Short corners came and went without a goal for both teams. Eleanor Saignes worked tirelessly in the sweeper position with her powerful and slightly lifted passes always meeting her teammates. Our fast and agile attacker, Amy Smallman fought back against the Wilmslow defence and took them by surprise by beautifully popping in a well-earned goal for us. Frustration was evident in the Wilmslow side and they were keen to win the second half but our strong defence and effortless moves by Jayne kept them at bay. They may have won the match overall but we were victorious in the second half. Our captain, Dawn Price, who was absent due to a birthday (21 again!) would have been proud of our zeal right up until the final whistle. Lots to work on in training to prepare us for our next match at home, against Wrexham.

Ladies 2s v Golborne 1s – 1-1 Draw

The ladies 2s ventured to golbourne to face golbourne 1s with debutants Beth Attwood and Melody Wilson. The first half was an end to end battle with a short corner resulting in golbourne converting to bring the score to 1-0. With a positive half time team talk crewe stepped out as a force to be reckoned with. The second half presented crewe with lots of opportunities but were unable to convert. With a strong approach from Jennie Hewetti slipped the ball to Lucy Morris who then swept the ball from the top of the D, to be received by Bev Jackson resulting in much a deserved goal, bringing the score to 1-1. Crewe continuously fought back to secure another goal however an unjust green card to Morgan Zwijnen left the team with 10 players. Still maintaining a strong defence and with a few injuries Crewe managed to finish the game with 1 point. An outstanding performance from all players with Morgan Zwijnen being rewarded with player of the match.

Ladies 1s v Sale 1s 3-2 Win

The ladies 1’s were home again to face Sale who have always provided a good close game. The game started well for both teams with some good movement and positive play. The ball was passed with pace and positivity and using the full facilities the pitch had to offer. Due to the recent pattern of results which is similar to the peaks and troughs of a sound wave, the this should be a win, however after some great defensive work, Sale managed to sneak one in just before half time. After half time oranges and an encouraging team talk, Crewe came out fighting and with aggression and were soon back to 1-1 after being awarded a PC which Marianne (Maz) slotted passed a diving keeper. With the wind in the sails of Crewe and some great movement and passing from the defensive wall of Georgie, Gilly and Helen making the ball doing the work and the making the pitch big, enabling Emily, Jenny in the mid field to generate space and distribution to the wings which then led to the second goal being smashed in by Laura from the top of the D to make it 2-1 with 20 mins to go. Now Sale where down, like a wounded animal, they turned up the pressure and having multiple chances at goal, they managed to scrape a second goal. Now the result being 2-2 and the pressure still being applied to Crewe and many chances on goal and all denied by some great saves by Ali still kept it 2-2. Crewe dug deep and up’ d the work rate and if Emma and Zoe had step trackers on them I think would have covered a weeks’ worth of steps for the whole team as they closed gaps and kept the pressure on Sale. With 5 mins to go, Crewe fought hard and with some great interlink play between Becky and Izzy who found Maz near the top of the D to take it reverse side and slot it passed the keeper to make it 3-2 and the final result for Crewe to win. Great game played by all and to finish with a quote from Emma “you have to do so much running up front”

Mens 1s v Knutsford 1s – 2-1 Loss

The men’s 1s hosted Knutsford this week. The first half was very tight with Knutsford having the better of the chances with John Minshall making some crucial saves. Knutsford took the lead late in the 1st half. In the 2nd half Knutsford pushed for a second which came with a well worked short corner. Crewe sparked into life with Jack Townsend taking a well worked chance. Nathan Watson almost snatched a point for Crewe late on but it wasn’t to be. Final score Crewe 1 Knutsford 2

Mens 3s v Sale 3s 3-0 Win

Crewe travelled to Sale this week looking to keep this season’s roll going. From the outset Crewe were put on the back foot, with Sale finding weaknesses and applying pressure across the field. Crewes defence held strong and an excellent performance and fantastic save from keeper Bill White kept Crewe in it. An extended play up in Sale’s 25 allowed Jordan Ashmore an opportunity which put Crewe up 1-0 at half time. Coming back after the break Crewe changed up the formation and found their stride with renewed confidence in their teamwork. From this point Crewe controlled the game, not giving Sale any opportunity near our 25. This allowed the defence to push further up and kept the play firmly in sales half. The pressure mounted and Sale cracked momentarily allowing Jordan to get a second, quickly followed up by Crewes 3rd from Taylor Batson on his debut game. A good win for the men and an excellent game for MotM Bill White

Mens 2s v Triton 3s – 4-1 Win

Men’s 2s faced Triton at home in the early game. After a slow start and some nervy moments Crewe finally began to grow into the game. A break down the right wing and a ball across the face of goal found Jamie Escott in position to put Crewe in the lead. Shortly after Crewe again exploited the wide spaces to pick put Jamie for his second. Crewe continued to apply pressure hitting the inside of the post. With it 2 nil at half time and Crewe still not firing on all cylinders tactical discussions took place. In the second half Crewe looked a lot more composed. Simon childs continued to exploit the wings to provide excellent deliveries, Greg Marshall got enough of a stick on one to push it into the goal. Triton found a goal from a short corner routine making for a nervy final 10 minutes until Crewe found the net from a short corner routine with Greg Marshall again finding space to slide the ball home. Final score Crewe 4 Triton 1. Man of the match: Simon Childs

Ladies 3s v Golborne 2s 4-3 Win

Both teams on similar points in the league meant it could be any teams game. Crewe were determined to gain 3 points after a couple of unfortunate weeks so went on with full determination from the start. Golbourne had a couple of early opportunities but were denied by keeper Amanda Kimber throwing herself at everything again to clear the ball in total confidence and style on her birthday weekend. However Crewe were caught unaware for a minute a Golbourne slotted away the first goal of the game to Crewe’s disappointment. Forwards Tricia Boffey and Rachel Fairfield were receiving some lovely balls into the d from midfield players Charlotte Oakley, Anna Bates but Golbourne Defence intercepted. Crewe gained a long corner which was taken by Paula Bourne, Centre back Kate Humphrey ran up to receive a pass back which was beautifully struck into the d for Anna Bates to get the equaliser. Play remained consistent between both teams and breaks by both attacks looked good. Golbourne managed a quick break and equalised minuted before the half time whistle.
Crewe went out strong for the start of the second half and a number of opportunities were created from clearances from defenders Erin Wray and Cat Whittaker down the wings for April Roome and Claire Duncan to ensure the Golbourne defence were put under pressure. Another long corner passed back to Kate Humphrey made it perfectly to the end of Tricia Boffeys stick to slip past Golbourne Keeper. Crewe now ahead 2-1 needed to keep composure and keep the marking tight. Everyone stepped up to the mark with great passes and players looked great, Nathan and Chris’s training definitely showing results today. Crewe definitely dominated the second half creating opportunities, with midfield and forwards keeping Golbourne busy. It was another pass into the d that gave Tricia Boffey her second goal, with an excellent finish, to put Crewe 3-2 up. Minutes later another pass from defender Erin Wray to Rachel Fairfielf to slot the ball into the d for Becks Eavesto score her debut goal for the 3rd team. Now ahead Crewe needed to keep marking tight to secure 3 points.3 minutes to go and Golbourne had a break but Cat Whittaker calmly sprinting back to work well with keeper Amanda Kimber to ensure Crewe kept ahead. Rachel Fairfield receiving player of the Match and well earned, great performance. a well-deserved 3 points for a great team commitment.