Last weeks roundup of senior games.
Mens 1s v Neston 2s – 7-2 WIN
Crewe started strong and were rewarded with an early goal from Jack Townsend. They piled on the pressure with a flurry of corners and Graeme Wolfenden converted two in quick succession. Iain Cherry stayed composed in the D to slot the ball into the top corner to get himself off the mark for the season. Neston replied with a goal to make the score 4-1. Jack Townsend intercepted a pass which allowed him to run unopposed into the D and score, to go into half time 5-1 up. Neston replied soon after half time, but the shrimp army of fans were silenced with a well worked goal that allowed Cherry to notch his second. The rout was completed with a Graeme Wolfenden hat trick to boost his chances of the elusive Crewe Vagrants top goal scorer award that has always just been out of reach for him. Especially a player of hiscalibre. Maybe he has found his level!
Mens 4s v Triton 4s – GAME CANCELLED
Ladies 2s v Ladies 3s – 4-2 WIN
Today saw the first home club duel between the ladies 2s & 3s. A very determined ladies 3s team started out strong applying pressure to the 2s. Play was routed through Amy who distributed the ball well amongst the 3s. This led to the first goal for the 3s. This was a wake-up call for the ladies 2s who then settled down and concentrated on playing their own game. Some great distribution from the backs allowed the midfield to group together and pass the ball around themselves and then onto the forwards. An excellent pass from Emma Buckley found the ever goal hungry Grace Leonard’s stick and she put the ball in the goal with ease. The pressure continued to build and a great pass in from Leanne Read deflected of a 3s defenders stick and handed the 2nds another goal. The 2s continued to build their game with some excellent attacking play from Catherine Smith and Jennie Hewitt. The 2s strong press continued to challenge the 3s progress. At half time the score was 2-1 and both teams came back on the pitch eager for more goals. More quick passing and supported play allowed the next goal for the 2s with a beautiful pass in to Grace from Leanne, Grace scoring once again. The 2s kept battling with some really strong defending. Kate Humphrey made a lovely pass to Emma Buckley who was aiming for the top of the net with her awesome goal. The 3s fought back and broke through and passed into the D and a ball onto their feet was missed and Rachel Evans pounced to score the goal. The frustrated 2s got the ball back into their attacking D and had 2 great opportunities which were unfortunately rushed and without the necessary composure. Final score 4 2 and a great effort by both teams.
Ladies 4s vs Winnington Park Development – 0-6 Loss
Saturday’s match between ladies 4s and Winnington park development sadly ended is a score of 0-6. The game had lots of ups and downs including Paula Bourne nearly scoring a goal. Due to the weather, all of the players got drenched and cold but none of the Crewe ladies gave up the fight. Crewe was able to have a lot of play in Winnington Park’s half however as a team we were not able to score any goals. Catia Alemeida was chosen as POM by Crewe vagrants for her amazing defending despite her mid game injury. Crewe battled in their own half, to avoid too many goals scored by the opposition. At the start of the second half of the game, Crewe came out to score a goal but sadly did not succeed.
Ladies 1s v Wilmslow 2s – 6-0 win
Crewe Vagrants 1s welcomed Wilmslow 2s at home this week. Following a strong start to the season the week before, Crewe knew today’s game would be tougher and Wilmslow started the game living up to that expectation. Most of the first half was an even battle between the two teams. Then just before half time Crewe broke the deadlock with Ola Jama deflecting a top-of-the-D shot from Becki Burndred. Crewe came out from the half-time break with positivity and played some great hockey as a team. The second goal came half-way into the second half with a close-range finish by Abbie Iddendon from an Emily Critchley cross. This spurred Creweon and was the first of 5 goals in the final 20minutes of the game. Zoe Franklin made sure that Emily Critchley’s shot crossed the line – with her second assist of the game proving that goals are a team effort. Sarah Hartley beat the Wilmslow defence to deflect in another ball fired into the D from Suzi Lawrence behind the 25 yard line. Crewe’s defence also proved that its not just forwards who can score, with Gilly Gibbs-Blythe and Georgie Holloway both scoring from penalty corner straight strikes. This is a fantastic start to the season for Crewe, who have score 13 goals in two games, with none conceded.
Ladies 3s v Ladies 2s – 2 – 4 Loss
On a rainy Saturday afternoon Crewe 3s were up against Crewe 2s. Crewe 3s were able to apply early pressure and scored first. With this shock Crewe 2s pushed for an equaliser. Crewe were able to defend pressure at penalty corners not conceding. Link up play enabled 3s to enter the D putting pressure on the 2s defence. Effective substitutions meant there was no disruption in our play. Determination ensured that a second goal was scored. Positive thinking and effort saw an alround improved team performance this week, which we can build on. Goal scorers Emma Doughty & Rachel Evans.
Mens 2s v Knutsford 1s – 1-2 Loss
The Men’s 2’s faced an experienced, physical Knutsford side on Saturday and were unfortunate to lose 2-1. A decent first-half performance yielded plenty of positives, with Crewe dominating possession, transferring the ball well and using the width of pitch effectively. A wrongly disallowed goal from Bruce Forster frustrated the team but they kept the pressure on and eventually a deflected short corner from Nathan Watson saw Crewe finish the first half with a 1-0 lead. The 2’s started the second half slowly and Knutsford’s physical play disrupted Crewe’s rhythm. The opposition scored with their first meaningful chance and a flurry of green cards broke down the structure of the game. The Vagrants continued to control possession but didn’t threaten the Knutsford goal and the scrappy nature of the game worked against them, conceding again from a quickly taken set piece. The Vagrants will look to build on their first-half performance at home to Deeside next week.
