Match Reports Saturday 12th October 2019

Mens 2s v Macclesfield 3s – 6-1 WIN Crewe 2s faced Macclesfield in a top of the table clash. Crewe controlled the game from the outset and got on the scoresheet through some slick passing through midfield and into the forwards allowing Greg Marshall space to score. Macclesfield pushed on to find the equaliser but left space for Chris Sorensen to double the lead. A scrappy short corner looped in off a Macclesfield stick gave a 3-0 lead. Iain ford rounded off the scoring in a dominant first half. Crewe continued the pressure after the break, with a goal from Adam Fall before, in the dying minutes Rob Featherstone gave his best Michael Flatley impression from close range to round off the victory. Crewe 6 Macclesfield 1

Mens 1s v Didsbury 2s – 4-3 WIN
Crewe hosted a strong Didsbury side this Saturday. Both teams started evenly until Didsbury took the lead with 2 goals in as many minutes. Crewe gradually grew into the game with lots of space created in the circle. The pressure told when James Holt fired home from close range and Chris Regan scored a short corner on the half time whistle. Crewe started the 2nd half much stronger with lots of good chances, Dom Barker latched on to a ball in the circle and sent it home with 10 minutes to go. Didsbury hit back straight away through a short corner of their own. At this stage any team could’ve won, thankfully Crewe won the decisive short corner which Mark Bateman slotted home from close range. Final score Crewe 4 Didsbury 3

Ladies 3s v Chester 4s – 5-0 WIN

Crewe were away to a busy Chester with Penny Jones arriving late due to a confused sat nav. Luckily Crewe composed themselves well with a player down and made some great team passes. As quoted by Travis who was watching and supporting his mum in goal today, “it was an even game at the beginning but Crewe were better at making clinical passes.” Leanne Read got her first goal for ladies 3s which was celebrated well. Great passing continued to put a surprised Chester under pressure. The second goal came from a short corner slip for Penny Jones to get the touch passed the keeper. Crewe were gaining confidence but both sides were feeling the pressure which showed when a couple of green cards were given out to each team for stick tackles! Although we lost our concentration, we held on to a 2-0 lead going into the second half! The last 30 minutes of the game soon came round; the committed umpire liked his stick tackles making use of his whistle numerous times but Crewe tried to stay positive and gain some ground up the side line which paid off, resulting in another goal for Penny. Shortly after, Lucy Armstrong had plenty of space in the D for great strike, extending Crewe’s lead to 4 goals! Penny was encouraged to chase a hat trick and true to her word got he stick on an interception; to confuse the Chester defence. A great game with just 11 players and a clean sheet for goal keeper Amanda Kimber and her solid defenders Nova Wallace, Cat Whittaker and Laura Holman! A well deserved first win of the season for ladies 3s.

Ladies 1s v Urmston 1s – 2-1 loss
Crewe Vagrants Ladies 1’s travelled to Urmston, hoping to turn the positive performance of the previous week into a win. Crewe had to absorb some early pressure, but successfully defended a number of short corners. This allowed them to push forward and they were rewarded with a short corner of their own. The push out from Zoe Franklin was controlled by Bailey Colman, who smashed the ball past the outrushing defence and into the goal. Crewe were put under continuing pressure, but the defence of Emily Ford, Kate Humphrey, Gilly Gibbs-Blythe and Georgie Brown held firm, forcing Urmston to hit the ball into the circle from distance and hope for a lucky deflection. Ably supported by the midfield of Franklin, Jen Zwijnen, Mel Brooks and April Roome, Crewe kept the clean sheet to the half time break. Urmston dominated possession in the second half, winning short corner after short corner, but failed to capitalise with keeper Alison Smith making an awesome split-legged save. This meant Crewe could press forward looking to extend their lead, with forwards; Freya Diamond, Bev Jackson and Molly Pheasey all coming close to scoring. The continued pressure from Urmston eventually paid dividend, as they finally converted a penalty corner to equalise. And they stole the victory with just a few minutes remaining to leave a disappointed Crewe side with only their performance to take heart from. Player of the match was Kate Humphrey.

Mens 3s v Wilsmslow 4s – 1-0 LOSS

Men’s 3s came away from their trip to Wilmslow with nothing to show from a solid performance. They had the better of the first half and were very unlucky to have a fine goal by Jimmy Farshahi disallowed, one of a number of decisions by the home umpire about ball height which players on both sides struggled to understand. Wilmslow started to enjoy more possession in the second period but, other than a short corner smartly cleared off the line by Dave Watson, the Crewe goalkeeper was relatively untroubled. But with the last play of the match Wilmslow managed to work a good opening and found a free man in front of goal to rob the 3s of a well deserved point.

Ladies 2s v Lymm 2s – 3-0 LOSS
The ladies seconds welcomed lymm at home and with a squad that included two subs we were feeling more confident of an improvement on the two previous weeks. We opened the match well with some good sharp passes and the whole team working hard. Unfortunately, we were caught out by two well taken short corners. After a robust half time team talk from Grace Newman and Coach Nathan Watson, we attacked the second half well, though Lymm managed to sneak an early goal from open play. It saw the team relax and play some really good hockey. We managed to keep a clean sheet and created a couple of decent opportunities, but unfortunately missed out on converting.

Ladies 4s – Bowdon 6s – 15-0 loss With subs aplenty and manager Nic Ticehurst
Off we went with a game-winning thirst
Not deterred by early Bowdon goals
Our determination and grit showed this was no game of bowls

Liadan Wilkes in goal, with no time to daydream
Swept countless balls away and impressed her team
Izzy Berresford and Jenny Huxley returned for their first game
Their contributions, too many to name

Their goals stacking up and Crewe with no chance of a win
We played with a fighting spirit and undeterred thick skin
Attackers and midfielders, their unit was tight
Took opportunities and saw goals in sight

Many a Crewe foot, struck by a ball
Defensive short corners in abundance but few passed our wall
Dawn Price, Adele White and Mary Lofthouse in defence
Their resilience, immense

Short passes, slaps and hits; the ball made its way up the pitch
The Bowdon defence always creating a hitch
Skills to build upon ready for our next match
See you on Saturday, Deeside Ramblers, with a win we aim to snatch

Mens 4s v Sale 3s – 2-0 loss