Newmarket close the
first half of the season on a high, achieving an unbeaten run with a
total of 52 goals scored and just 5 conceded.
Playing in bitterly cold conditions, both teams took a little while
to warm up. Town’s forwards were the first to thaw, Beth Wombwell
opening the scoring before 5 minutes had gone. Quality passing in
the D between Sarah Haird and Sarah Hummersone brought the second
goal shortly after. Newmarket had taken control of the game -
keeping possession and communicating well, as a result nearly all
the activity was in March’s half and the goals kept on coming. The
spin on a Wombwell strike foxed the March ‘keeper who thought she’d
cleared the ball only to see it curl back over the line. Tracy
Cockerill put in some fantastic leg work to score after bringing the
ball up the left wing. The next goal came in from the right,
brought up by the midfield, crossed in by Linda Baston Pitt on the
right wing and finished by Haird. Hummersone added another shortly
before half time to bring the score to 6:0.
Spurred on by their vocal supporters, Newmarket continued to notch
up the goals in the second-half, starting with a short corner pushed
out by Haird, who then moved in to get the last touch on a Gail
McDonnell strike. March took play down into the Newmarket 25 but
the ball was picked up by right back Bev Rolph and taken back down
to the March 25 by McDonnell. A back pass to Haird then on to
Wombwell bypassed defenders and then Hummersone received and
finished with a neatly lifted ball. March made further ventures
into the home 25 but Newmarket continued to take the ball straight
back into their D.
Spin was the March ‘keepers undoing again when, in front of her
feet, another McDonnell short corner strike was touched by Haird
just enough for the ball to come out, around the ‘keeper’s left foot
and over the line. Despite the score, March refused to give up and
prevented Town from getting away with a clean sheet. After a short
corner, play was kept in Newmarket’s 25 and March took the ball
across the goal to angle it in past the ‘keeper’s right foot.
Cockerill brought the next goal for Newmarket and wanted another,
keeping pace ahead on the left wing as McDonnell and Haird took the
ball up the centre of the pitch, Cockerill then being placed to make
a strike on goal, however an extra step was needed and Hummersone
was there to knock the ball in. No help was needed next time as
Cockerill hit the backboards with a clean strike. Lucky for Newmarket, number
13 came just before the whistle with a short corner goal identical
to that which opened the second half.
Newmarket hope to keep their form for the second half of the season
but face a long gap, their next league game being 15th
January.
