Newmarket Hockey Club

NEWMARKET WIN HARLESTON MENS TOURNAMENT 2012

William Wilson — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:57:58 +0000

Newmarket travelled to Harleston for the annual May bank holiday tournament. Their group looked tough with Lowestoft Railway, Ipswich & East Suffolk, Norwich City and Marvel Loss a touring team from Lincolnshire. There were 2 groups containing 5 teams, games were of 20 minutes one way with semi finals for the teams at the top of their groups and a final to follow.
The first game was against Lowestoft on grass, the recent wet spell meant the grass pitch played well, Newmarket dominated with Josh Dawson deflecting Alex Andreou’s cross for the first, Mike Skelton scored the second after good work from Matt Holden and then deflected Andreou’s hit into the D for the third. Newmarket conceded a sloppy consolation from a short corner that bounced over logging stand in keeper Dan Brown.

The second game was also on grass against Norwich City. Newmarket went behind when Dave Worrall was fouled by the defender, who picked up the ball and slammed it into the empty net. Newmarket responded through Andreou who beat a couple of players and rifled into the bottom corner from the top of the D. Newmarket dominated possession with Ollie Wade and Chris Leggett playing well in midfield. The team were unable to capitalise on their chances and a Norwich break led to a short corner which they capitalised on to win 2-1.

The third game saw a welcome return to the astro against Marvel Loss, from Lincolnshire containing familiar faces from Bourne Deeping, Spalding and a couple of guests from Ely. The game was made easier by the opposition playing the first 5 minutes with 10 players with plenty sitting on the bench! Full back Will Wilson and Dave Worrall got much further forward, Centre backs Simon Harrington and Jordan Newnes marshalled the defence brilliantly. Will Wilson found himself on the right, his firm cross deflected in by Skelton at the near post.
Josh Dawson and Matt Holden wreaked havoc down the right, with Holden forcing countless penalty corners. From one of these Skelton found Dawson at the near post to deflect in. James Wrinch slotted in at the back and after his Achilles operation, with many years of experience he will be a great asset next season. With a second victory the team had almost clinched a place in the top 2 and semi finals with bottom of the group IES to play.

Newmarket coasted the last group game against IES. There seemed to be a competition to see who could miss from the closest! Simon Harrington broke the deadlock, reacting first to a rebound and scoring with his trademark 360! The team were lucky to not suffer for their prolificacy, when a shot from a short corner struck Worrall’s arm on the line. A penalty stroke was awarded which was saved by Town keeper Dan Brown.

The opposition in the semi final was Norwich Dragons. After 2 clean sheets, the defence of Wilson, Newnes, Harrington, Wrinch and Worrall were very tight, taking it in turns to push on and support the attacks. Once again they dominated possession and scored when Pears was sent down the right his cross shot was saved by the keeper with Wade ramming home the rebound. Newmarket thought they had doubled the lead when Holden moved on Dawson’s cross for Leggett to strike into the roof of the net. The goal was initially awarded was overturned after the umpires consulted each other, but the Whistle went and Town were through to the final.

The rain which had threatened to fall for much of the afternoon, held off no longer, although fortunately wasn’t too heavy. The opponents were Grrr, a touring team from the host club, its always bad form for the host club to win its own tournament and Newmarket didn’t really give them a chance. Playing their brand of possession hockey, the team created countless chances and really should have scored many goals. The winner arrived about 5 minutes from time, Wilson’s diagonal cross being knocked in at the second attempt by Skelton at the far post. Any breaks that Grrr could muster were snuffled out by the impressive Newnes. The final whistle went and Newmarket topped off an emphatic season with a second trophy. Player of the final was Grrr’s keeper, but Newmarket’s player of the day was team jester Alex Andreou who was dominating in central midfield on grass and astro.

Next season the first team will return to division 3NW for the first time since the 2001-02 season and the second team look to secure the promotion they almost achieved in their first season. New players are always welcome, regardless of age or experience. If you are interested in playing for the club, please look at the club website www.newmarkethockeyclub.com. Men’s captain Will Wilson can be contacted via email on mens1@newmarkethockeyclub.com.

VISA INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

William Wilson — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:59:35 +0000

We are please to announce that the tickets for tomorrow have sold out, if some reason you cannot make it, please let Will know on 07795 103426 as there is now a waiting list for spare tickets.

I have just checked the weather forecast for London, tomorrow it should be about 9 degrees and overcast, but I wouldn’t rule out the odd shower. The stands do not have a roof so please wear enough warm/waterproof clothes. The coach leaves the leisure centre at 13:30 so try and get there for 13:15.

Please bring the money with you on the day, either in cash, or a cheque made payable to “Newmarket Hockey Club”.

I Look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

VISA INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

William Wilson — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:16:56 +0000

The club has been fortunate enough to secure 30 adult and 10 child tickets for the Visa International Hockey Tournament on Sunday 6th May 2012. The tickets are for the afternoon session which includes the 3rd/4th playoff and the final. The gates open at 14:30 with the ¾ playoff at 15:45 and the final afterwards.

This Men’s international tournament is an Olympic test event, hosted at the Olympic Park, in Stratford East London. Some information can be found at the following site. Its the same blue and pink pitch that the Duchess of Cambridge officially opened a month ago. The stadium has a capacity of 15,000 and I beleieve all the tickets have sold out.

The club has arranged a coach that will depart from the Leisure Centre in Newmarket at 13:30 and should return around 22:00. Tickets will be £30 for adults and £25 for children (0-16 years of age).

In order to apply for the last few remaining tickets either send an email to tickets@newmarkethockeyclub.com or contact Will Wilson on 07795 103426. For those who weren’t lucky enough to get tickets for the hockey at this summers Olympics, its an oppurtunity to watch 2 internation games of hockey in the 15,000 seat Riverbank Arena, that isnt to be missed.

VISA INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY TOURNAMENT – OLYMPIC PARK

William Wilson — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:41:22 +0000

This Men’s international tournament is an Olympic test event, hosted at the Olympic Park, in Stratford East London. Some information can be found at the following sire. http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/23627879-visa-international-invitational-hockey-tournament

The club has arranged a coach that will depart from the Leisure Centre in Newmarket at 13:30 and should return around 21:00. Tickets will be £30 for adults and £25 for children (0-16 years of age). The club is very keen that everybody has an equal opportunity to apply for tickets, but we also want to encourage our junior players and it’s important that they have a parent/guardian travelling with them.

In order to apply for tickets you will need to send an email to tickets@newmarkethockeyclub.com after 9am on Friday 27th April 2012. Tickets will be allocated on a first come first serve basis, emails received before 9am will be ignored. Priority will be given to juniors and a parent/guardian to ensure we use up the 10 junior tickets and then club members and lastly non playing partners. If club members have outstanding match fees may not be entitled to tickets.

Each email should include the name of the people and their ages on 6th May 2012, I will try and reply promptly to confirm your number of tickets and the amount due to the club, we will need this before the coach departs on Sunday 6th May. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Will Wilson 07795 103426

Spalding Take Full Glory – League & Cup Double

DianaT — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:48:22 +0000

Newmarket ladies 1’s v’s Spalding ladies 1’s: 4-2 win to Spalding

The League Cup Final was certainly a contest not to be missed last Saturday as Newmarket ladies 1’s put on a brave and gutsy display against League winners Spalding.
Both teams had had a 3 week gap in match play but this did not show as they battled for every ball making it an exciting contest for supporters; the team were very grateful to so many people coming to cheer Town on.
Sadly it was not a dream start for Newmarket as Spalding strung together some hot passing and created a short corner. The first effort was dealt with well by the Newmarket defence however the second short corner was too swift for Town and Spalding took the lead from close range. It did not take them long to get another in similar style and what seems to be becoming a routine for Town -they were forced to chase the lead.
Newmarket did not give up and began to dominate possession but despite this the final shot on goal did not find the target and with a quick break Spalding took the ball up-field. Switching left to right the winger struck from mid D increasing the team’s lead to 3-0 which remained until half time.
Sensing the bitter taste of defeat, Newmarket wanted to fight back and try and win the silverware after the league top spot went Spalding’s way.
Position switched Newmarket took it straight to Spalding with tiresome work from Hayley Stoneman and Claire McDonnell. The ball was no longer able to creep into Town’s defending D as the defence stood solid.
With pure conviction and determination McDonnell broke free on the right and dodged her way past defenders to score for Newmarket. Sensing a comeback Spalding looked nervous and tempers started to fray. Newmarket eager to keep this flow going played a lot of long balls with every team member fighting on. This effort was rewarded as McDonnell scored again from the right – the clatter of the backboards not even heard as a great cheer came from the Newmarket.
With 10 minutes left to go the pace steadied and Spalding were taking more time on the ball. Newmarket still looked strong but were drawn forward leaving channels open for Spalding. Sadly this gave opportunity for them to sneak into the D un-tracked and with a reverse stick flick they got their fourth. Despite a last minute short corner Town had to settle for 2nd in the cup competition, losing 4-2.
Coach Chris Evans said he was very proud of the team and they have a lot to look forward to next season as they will attempt to win the cup and league again.
GOALKEEPERS NEEDED!
We are in desperate need for female goalkeepers next season. If you are interested please go to www.newmarkethockeyclub.com and contact our team captains or coaches as soon as possible. All levels of experience welcome and there will be opportunity to train over the warmer months before the start of the new season.

LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!

DianaT — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:57:39 +0000

St Ives III 0 – 6 Newmarket I
Goal scorers: Mike Skelton x 3, Josh Dawson x 2, Ollie Wade
Newmarket weren’t looking forward to the final league game of the 2011-12 season. They did however want to seal another victory to take them to 61 points, 16 ahead of second placed City of Peterborough.
They dominated from the outset, the central midfield pairing of Alex Andreou and Chris Leggett controlling the game. Newmarket had to wait until the 15th minute to break the deadlock. Andreou struck the free hit from outside the 25 for Mike Skelton to deflect past the keeper from close range.
Matt Holden was his normal mercurial self, winning many penalty corners. After Will Wilsons flick was saved by the keeper, Jordan Newnes came up from the back to miss the first of many opportunities. From the third penalty corner, Simon Harrington found Josh Dawson to score with a routine straight from the training ground.
With Harrington and Newnes commanding at centre back goalie Chris Routs was once again a bystander. This allowed full backs Wilson and Dawson to bomb forward combining well with Wade and Mark Pears down the flanks. The third goal came when Dawson overlapped down the right and squared for Skelton to strike into the far corner on his reverse stick.
Newmarket were 3 goals to the good at half time and hoped to more than double that in the second half. Ollie Wade scored the fourth, bravely diving in to finish off a Pears cross from a couple of yards out. Skelton completed his hat trick deflecting Andreou’s cross from the right wing past the keeper at the near post. The scoring was wrapped up by Dawson, who was played through by Skelton and flicked past the keeper on his reverse.
Rob Green played well having been called up after many good performances for the second team, he certainly looks like a player for the future. Man of the match was Mike Skelton, dick of the day Dave Worrall who due to work commitments only made it for the last 15 minutes, many felt Newnes was fortunate not to get dotd himself having fluffed many chances to score his first goal of the season. This draws a remarkable season to a close, the 5 months until the 2012-13 starts feels like an eternity! Long live the revolution.

Skelton and Wilson Seal League Win

DianaT — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:18:46 +0000

Long Sutton II 2 – 3 Newmarket I
Goal scorers: Mike Skelton, Will Wilson x 2
After the disappointment of Horncastle conceding the team’s last home game of the season the previous week, the team travelled for their last trip of the season to Lincolnshire, hoping they won’t have to visit the county at all next season! With their opponents having drawn at home with second placed Peterborough and beaten third and fourth placed Alford and Bourne Deeping respectively, the team expected a tough game.
Newmarket were fortunate that Long Sutton were able to provide two umpires so the game could take place. The day was unseasonably warm for March and the warm up was distinctly average, but Newmarket started well. With Dave Worrall re-filling the pen holders at work, Captain Will Wilson moved right winger Josh Dawson to full back and centre forward Mark Pears onto the wing.
Newmarket started brilliantly, almost scoring in the first minute after a wonderful passing move involving every player. Forwards Matt Holden and Mike Skelton linked up brilliantly with the midfield four of Pears, Ollie Wade, Chris Leggett & Alex Andreou. Newmarket through a combination of poor finishing and good keeping were unable to take the lead.
After about 10 minutes the game was stopped for an injury to Wade, he went in for challenge with the Sutton centre back, who Newmarket felt intentionally went through the man, knocking his front teeth out. With promotion secured and the second team fighting for promotion, Newmarket had only taken 11 players and were fortunate that Wade was able to play on.
Newmarket did take the lead from another free flowing move, Chris Leggett played the ball into Holden, who squared for Skelton to slam home. Newmarket continued to press for a second, Holden winning many short corners which when Long Sutton didn’t defend well Newmarket wasted. By their fifth short corner of the game the team almost got it right, Harrington rocket striking the defenders foot on the line, Wilson stepped up and converted the penalty flick doubling the lead.
Newmarket were reduced to 10 men minutes before the interval. Having beaten a man at the top of the D, Andreou wound up to shoot, just before he connected with the ball he was taken out by what looked to many as a spear tackle straight from a rugby field. Having been involved in one tussle already, it was perhaps a little surprising that some form of punishment wasn’t issued to the centre back. To rub salt in the wound Andreou was green carded for swearing, which was subsequently upgraded to a yellow, leaving many scratching their heads while the Long Sutton defender lined up to defend the short corner.
Newmarket held out when down to 10 and when Andreou returned pushed on for more goals, with the keeper beaten Skelton was unable to put it past the defender on the line, and others wasted good opportunities. One a warm day, Newmarket began to tire and the younger Long Sutton side started to hit Newmarket on the break. From one counter the umpire deemed a jab tackle from Wilson to have been a foul, Long Sutton’s drag flick expert stepped up and confused keeper Chris Routs with a slower ball to his bottom right corner.
Newmarket went back on the attack looking to re-establish their 2 goal lead. Holden won another short corner which Wilson flicked into the top left hand corner, making the score 3-1. To their credit Long Sutton didn’t give up and forced 3 or 4 more short corners of their own, one of which Harrington abandoned his post allowing Long Sutton to score in the other bottom corner. With the clock running down, Newmarket played possession hockey and kept the ball in the top left corner until the final whistle went. The score line suggests a close game, but if Newmarket could convert a higher percentage of the many chances they create, they would have been out of sight by half time.
Man of the match was Josh Dawson for an assured display at right back, dick of the day was Simon Harrington, for a combination of the DIY on his glove box and abandoning his post! Next week is the last game of the 4NW season away at St Ives. The team will be looking for their 20th win from 22 games, taking them to 61 points ensuring they are at least 16 points clear of whoever finishes in second place.

First Level Score For Ladies 1′s

DianaT — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:08:38 +0000

Newmarket Ladies 1′s v Sawtry Ladies: 4-4 Draw

The ladies first team went away to play Sawtry for their last league game of the season.

Sawtry were sitting second last in the table so Newmarket were confident of a victory although only won narrowly on their last meeting.

This complacency may have been to blame for Sawtry running at Town in the first minute and smashing a shot into the backboards. Newmarket were in shock after this and realised they would have to work harder to overcome their opposition.

With renewed passion great interlinking between the midfield and wingers drew Sawtry in tight; with space to the left Hayley Stoneman passed to Jenny Richards who forced a short corner after putting a defender under pressure. The two then combined again as Stoneman took first strike and Richards skillful deflected into the roof of goal to level the score.

Now feeling more comfortable about the situation; Newmarket began to distribute with confidence and Captain Gail McDonnell urged her team forward.

Beth Wombwell picked up the ball on the halfway line; went on a rampant run and found Tania Fisher – she did incredibly well to lose her defender and with no hesitation struck true into goal to take Town in front.

With their noses in front Newmarket were sturdy in defense, Isabel Hooley and Jazz Wombwell distributing well around the back line. Angel Fayers created space for herself on the right wing, drove hard and found a defender’s foot. Stoneman opened her account for the day from a free strike at top D giving Newmarket a 3-1 lead going into half time.

Sawtry were not looking to let this score rest and the second half was truly dominated by the home team. Newmarket perhaps looking a little tired struggled to get back after quick breaks and Sawtry scored within the first 5 minutes. They were quick to strike again from a short corner after a Newmarket player showed excellent sportsmanship in owning up to a foul – overturning the umpires decision to award a defensive free hit. Honesty didn’t pay on this occasion as Sawtry executed a perfect short corner to level the score.

With the pressure now on and with Sawtry in full flow, Newmarket were wishing the time away. Another quick break left the backline under pressure Sawtry’s chance was temporarily halted as Jess Boyle slid into action from the goal-line to stop the first shot – but the second was too well placed and Town were in danger of losing their last match. With less than five minutes to go Newmarket looked stronger again and looked like they were going to rob Sawtry of max points and Richards was perfectly placed again to slot a ball into goal. With the final play being a short corner – all Town players came forward to pen the ball in the D. The strike was stopped on the line by a foot. A penalty stroke was awarded – Fisher was eagerly elected by her teammates. This final roll of the ball would determine whether Sawtry were safe from relegation. Fisher pushed low and fast right however the Keeper guessed correct and deflected out to end the game 4-4. Sawtry safe from the bottom of league spot and Newmarket will end second in the league by at least 3 points.

The League Cup game will be played on the 21st April where Newmarket will meet Spalding to see who claims the silverware.

2′s On Hot Form!

DianaT — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:03:40 +0000

Newmarket Ladies II’s vs. Lowestoft Ladies II’s – At Newmarket

The weather was on fire and so were the Newmarket Ladies 2’s this Saturday as they played their hearts out against Lowestoft at home. The pace was steady for the first half which probably had something to do with the hot conditions but Newmarket picked it up towards the end of the half to show they weren’t messing around and Cassie Ayms produced the goods with a whack and a half from a short corner to give Newmarket the 1-0 lead. The second half was evenly fought with Lowestoft missing more than a few chances of a goal due to Sue Bullimore’s quick fire saves in goal and her efforts were rightfully awarded with the Coaches player of the match and joint woman of the match! It looked like Lowestoft were going to bring the score to a 1-1 draw but with a great passing effort from the defence to the midfield, proving the new 4-4-2 formation was working, April Atkinson swept the ball through to Verity MacMahon who found her way around the Lowestoft goalkeeper to secure the 2-0 win for Newmarket.

3′s End Promising Season With A Few Grazes

DianaT — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:29:58 +0000

Newmarket had an early start for their last match of the season and were hoping to go out on a win but within minutes of the match starting it became clear that they were not all up to their usual form. Wisbech pushed strongly for a goal which they eventually won with a great strike from the edge of the D. Towards the end of the first half Newmarket started to get things together and move towards the Wisbech goal but silly errors on the Newmarket side meant that Wisbech gained possession before the got to the D. A half time reshuffle brought Nikki Cole in to the action and away from the wings but just as she was starting to make a difference a well executed penalty corner meant that Wisbech won themselves another goal. Newmarket buckled down to try and score themselves but despite some excellent play by player of the match Jade Atkinson linking up with centre forward Donna Keates. A last ditch attempt at a goal in the final minutes ended up with Donna Keates finding herself underneath the goal keeper giving herself a few grazes as a memento of the season. The game ended 0 – 2.