MISSED POINTS FOR 1S:

The Mens 1s went to Havering on Saturday knowing a win was vital. On a tough rainy day Loughts came out strong, dominating the early stages of the game. The goal came in the first 4 minutes, with Harry Kempe ghosting in to the D to finish on the reverse with aplomb. The second goal came shortly after when Spanish sensation Aleix Roset calmly scored with a drag flick from a short corner. A third goal was soon to follow, with teenage wonder Will Hopkins scoring a fine reverse stick finish. More goals should have come however and the first half ended with Havering scoring a messy close finish.

 

The second half was a scrappy affair, Havering pressed very well and tackled hard and on the limit of fouls at times. Their persistence paid off and two quick goals through crash balls drew them level. Old Loughts, managed to get possession again and dominate again. However the dominance didn't pay off, a few spurned chances and a disallowed goal for dubious reasons meant the game finished 3-3.

 

New South African addition Ross Hetem stated 'it was a hard fought game: we unfortunately had a few lapses that cost us. Their game plan was to break up play through rough scrappy hockey and it worked for them. We will rally again and come out stronger'.

 

The Ladies 1s took the long trip to Norfolk in hope of taking some points back to Luxborough Lane. In miserable conditions, the game started fiercely, with both teams fighting hard for turn overs of possession. Loughts pressed but gave away the ball too cheaply in the important areas. Norwich Dragons had some quick forwards who were linking up well and created a few chances in the first half, which were gallantly saved by Liz Gifford in the Loughts’ goal. Towards the end of the first half Loughts really took control of the game and were linking some great passing going forward and had a couple of chances just before the break, but narrowly missed.

 

Going into the second half the Chigwell side started well, but the Dragons managed to convert a short corner, with a left slip strike saved initially by Liz, only to fall to the feet of their centre forward, who tapped it in on the post. Loughts replied with some positive play ending in Sorcha Crowley taking on the keeper and a defender on the line and jinking the ball over both of them, only to be denied by the umpire who deemed there to have been a stick tackle. Both teams fought hard for the rest of the game, with Loughts having the majority of possession in the dying minutes. Unfortunately it wasn't to be -1-0 -final score and the Ladies had to make the long journey home empty handed. It was a good performance with a huge effort from everyone including a debut from Venetia Bailey and a great performance from Liv Corry!

 

Both teams are at home on Saturday when the Ladies entertain Cambridge Uni and 1 pm and the Men play Ipswich at 3 pm – come along and make some noise and give them your support – the bar and kitchen are open all day!

 

LEAGUE RESULTS:

Mens 2s lost 11-0 at Richmond; 3s lost 1-9 at home to Southgate; Academy 2 were beaten 1-4 at home to Harlow; Loppser also lost 2-1 at Upminster but Supervets bucked the trend at beat St Albans at home 4-2.  Unfortunately the Vets were not so lucky on Sunday going down 0-3 to Eastcote at home in the EH Over 50s Cup.

 

The Ladies 2s had a 1-1 draw at home to Chelmsford; 3s also drew at home against Southend & Benfleet 2-2; 4s lost 0-1 at Crostyx and the 5s were beater 1-11 away at Southend & Benfleet.

 

COLTS MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP:

All the Colts teams playing on Sunday in their EH competitions were victorious – well done!  The Boys U18s won away 2-4 at Blueharts (see report below); Girls U18s defeated Bedford 6-2 at home; U16 Boys won 8-1 at Herford; U16 Girls beat Bishops Stortford away 4-0 and the U14 Boys had a 6-1 win over Southgate at home.

 

The U18 Boys have a very small squad this year with only 13 eligible players so they have to hope that everyone stays injury free and available for all the games!  Drawn against Blueharts in the second round of EH U18 Cup, they started brightly and forced two short corners within the opening four minutes of the game - both brought good saves from the opposition keeper which was to be the story of the first half. However true to form, the boys wanted to make things difficult for themselves and went 1-0 down to a well-rehearsed short corner deflection which left Harry with no chance and then conceded a second goal on 15 mins when Blueharts made a quick counter attack with the Loughts’ defence stretched.  The Boys then began to get back into the game but frustratingly most boys wanted to do their own thing individually without combining with their team mates!  Shortly before half time, Rouven pounced on a loose ball within the D to reduce the deficit to one goal.

 

Jan's half time talk was about playing together as a team and not being individuals and immediately you could see that the goal just before half time had given the boys extra confidence.  A switch for Edward from right half to centre forward proved to be effective and a superb passing movement between Rouven, Will and Edward ended with Edward bearing down on goal and burying his shot low to the keeper's left (2-2).  Loughts then began to assert and Rouven and Edward added further goals to make the final score 4-2 to Old Loughts. A very satisfactory result considering the boys had not really had a proper training session together which left plenty of things to work upon and improve. Their reward is a home third round tie against Bromley & Beckenham on 22nd November.

 

MINIS HAVE A SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND:

On Saturday the U12 Boys took part in a training match against Waltham Forest.  It was a chance for those new to hockey and the club to get involved in a friendly game and experience what it’s like to be part of a team. They put in a spirited performance against a strong side.

 

 

On Sunday 16 of our U8s went to Bishop Stortford and played in a Mini Tournament against Bishop Stortford and Saffron Walden. The two teams played a total of an hour of hockey each and put in outstanding performances. For many it was their first experience of game situations. They played 8 matches, winning 6, drawing 1 and narrowly losing 1-0 against a strong Saffron Walden side.

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A huge thank you to John who has been coaching them this season, his hard work is really showing in their play. Also thank you to parents who made the journey early on a windy morning. Our next U8 matches are at home against Waltham Forest on Saturday 21st November. Apparently, some of the U8s even used John’s signature move of a ‘Spinaroony’!  Please remember to let your managers/coaches know your availability for the next U10/12 matches on 22nd November.  See you all at training on Saturday!

 

 

INDOOR SUPER SIXES:

-       Sunday 31 January 2016, The SSE Arena, Wembley

-       Fancy dress –a great opportunity to get your team fancy dress fix for the season

-       Shift back to 6 aside

-       Will include the women’s semi-finals, meaning 6 games for the price of 4.

-       Full details www.englandhockey.co.uk/super6s

Discounts and offers:

-       All group bookings get a free ticket for every 10 tickets booked – book 10 get one free; book 20 get 2 free, etc.

-       Take advantage of early bird offer – any groups booking over 30 people will also receive afree box of hockey balls if the booking is made by 15th December.

-       All groups purchasing 30 or more tickets will be entered into a draw to win one of 2coaching sessions/appearances from an England athlete, with runners up getting 10 sought-after tickets to the Champions Trophy in June 2016.

 

Matt Baddeley is the person to contact to make your group bookingsmatthew.baddeley@englandhockey.co.uk 01628 897522 or 07584 414578.