Weekend round up

Saturday

Men's 3 v PHC Chiswick 2                1 – 0

Academy 2 v Chelmsford 4               4 – 1 – full report below

Loppers v Braintree 3                         4 - 1

Willows 1 v Maldon Academy           6 – 1

Enjoying an unbeaten season, the Willows 1s triumphed again at the weekend with an emphatic 6-1 win which sealed their division championship for the second year in a row.  Roll on division 8SE next year!

Willows 2 v Old Southendian 6        1 - 0

Ladies 1 v Chelmsford 2                    1 - 3       

Triumphant Ladies 3s secure a 2-1 win vs Waltham Forest 2s with goals from Laura B & Rosie Gospage, securing their push for promotion 👏 very well played all!

 

Sunday

Men's 1v Oxted                                    6 – 2 – full report below

Boys U18 v Bromley & Beckenham 5 - 1

Boys 16 v Amersham & Chalfont      3 - 3

 

Academy v Chelmsford 4

On a bitingly cold day at Chelmer Park, the Academy took on a Chelmsford side themselves fighting for promotion. The Academy knew that a win guaranteed promotion. It was particularly fitting that Peter King who captained the side for many years was on the side-lines to watch.

After a bright opening, and some 8 shots on target by the Academy, it looked like it was going to be “one of those days”. Chelmsford broke away, and scored with their only shot of the first half. However we were soon level after Archie scored from a scrappy short corner, and it was 1-1 at half time.

In the second half, the space started to appear, and from a quick free hit by Nathan, the ball was worked to Tom who found the net.  Shortly afterwards Tom scored a second, and job done. Then guest player Max Kempe calmly pushed one into the corner at a short, to put the icing on the cake. 4-1 to the Academy and PROMOTION with six matches to go. One more point and they will be champions too.

The stats for the season so far are really astonishing for a team  that was promoted last year and is so young (ok, leave Kevin and me out of that!).  18 wins out of 18 (16 in the league), 104 goals (89 league), and 20 goals against (16 league).  And the first team in the Eastern league to be promoted – but only by a few minutes from our wonderful Willows 1 team who are also promoted.  Very well done to them too!! Doing the club proud!

And with the Loppers and Willows 2’s pressing for promotion too….. there is the possibility of a perfect season for the lower half of the club?!

However, to show the desire for perfection from “management”, they sat down immediately to start talking about making the team better and next season!! There is more to come from this team.

Well done to all associated and who have played for the Academy!!! Well done to our magnificent Willows 1’s!!! Come on the Loppers and Willows 2 – we are right behind you.

Forte Old Louts!!

 

Men’s 1 v Oxted

After a long winter break the men’s first team were back on the road with a tough first fixture against reigning league champions Oxted. With the uncertainty of a potentially cancelled game the boys had to focus fast for what they knew would be a hard game. Despite this, Oxted took the ascendency almost immediately, going 1-0 up within 3 minutes, danger loomed. However Loughts knew that they were still well in this game having taken points last season against a rampaging Oxted and sure enough within a few minutes the Loughts’ big target man Kempe found Polish goal-machine Maciej in the D who finished in ruthless fashion. This was followed up by more Loughts pressure that won a short corner and allowed new Spanish signing Aleix Reyner to power home his first National League goals for the purples, congratulations to him. Loughts went in at half time 2-1 leaders.

However the second half was to provide a goal fest and the first of them came within about 20 seconds for Oxted, a slow start from the purples allowed Oxted in behind to equalise. This would not however deter the underdogs. More gutsy play winning a second corner in which Aleix hammered home again. This allowed the floodgates to open, Martyn Lear showing his electric pace and roasting the Oxted defence down the right wing, pulling back to fit-again MacGregor to bundle home from close range. Oxted, a class side and not one to lie down easily, threw everything they had at Loughts, however Ron Bloss’ mighty defence held strong, backed up by a typically resolute Whitfield in the net. As Oxted took off their keeper Loughts capitalised, another corner allowing Aleix to complete his hat-trick before Rory Coltham found Maciej for his second. A stunning 6-2 win for Old Loughtonians.

Post-game Will Smith was with our roving reporter – “Look, I won’t lie, I was nervous coming here. They are top side and last year at times I was kicking the ball more than hitting as they ran us ragged. This year was a different story, I was wearing 6 layers to hide my physique so maybe this year they were nervous of us. The lads were an inspiration, such a good spirit and fortitude shown throughout, well played boys.”

 

Top Scorers latest

At the end of January, Archie Crowley leads the top scorers list with an incredible 33 goals in Colt and Adult matches with Nathan Gladman (22), Toby Gayler (17) and Charlie Britt (14) in hot pursuit.  Rob Simmons with 12 goals leads the Adult only league contingent.

In the ladies section, Grace O'Malley Kumar is still in front with 14 goals followed very closely by Sarah Donaghey (12) and Karen Leach (11).  

The full lists follow

Men

33 Archie Crowley

22 Nathan Gladman, 17 Toby Gayler, 14 Charlie Britt, 12 Rob Simmons, 11 Mark Donnelly, Robert Falconer,  10 Arvind Aujla,

9 Ethan Parr, 8 Mitchell Jones, Oscar King, Phil Beauman, 7 Daniel Karr, Joss Gidney, Max Garner, Walter Forsey, Will Baldwin, 6 Michael Turpin, Sebastian Coupe, Thomas Ebden, 5 Aleix Reyner Sanchez, Jack Moffat, James Browne, Patrick Duke, Richard Falconer, 4 Atunrolaolu Jotham ("AJ") Ashaye, Harry Prideaux, Luis Black, Luke Martin, Maciej Janiszewski

Ladies

14 Grace O'Malley Kumar

12 Sarah-Jayne Donaghey, 11 Karen Leach, 8 Georgia Dawes, 6 Ella Buenaventura, 4 Amy Fox, Faye Holmes, Harriet Chere, Laura  Blatter, Lois O'Neil, 3 Kim Donnelly, Laura Oglesby, Miranda Baldwin     

 

England Hockey News

There is lots of Live Hockey on TV over the next few months now the FIH Pro League is underway.  Make sure you catch all the matches across the world on BT Sport if you can. Check out details of fixtures, match highlights and videos etc here.  https://www.fihproleague.com/

Coach development opportunities.

2019 programme has recently been published with courses and workshops planned across the region this spring, summer and autumn. Details here

http://www.englandhockey.co.uk/courses.asp?section=2031&sectionTitle=Find+a+Course%2FWorkshop

In addition, EH are offering those involved in coaching the opportunity to attend a FREE session with other coaches and to discuss the End in Mind, Practise Design, What to Coach and Much More. There are sessions in Bury St Edmunds and in Tonbridge in March.

• 8th March Tonbridge.
• 19th March Bury St Edmunds.

Details and sign up here.  www.tinyurl.com/EndInMindCOP

 

Items for HH to office by Monday 10:00 please