Northampton Hockey Club News Articles

National Yazoo Festival

Martin Wilkes — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:18:07 +0100

The under nine’s took part in the Yazoo National Youth Festival on Saturday 15th May. We took part as Canada and even though we didn’t win any of our games, all the players had a fantastic time.

We had a very young team playing against clubs with much older players. We scored in our first game, Holly Adams made a run through the centre and Amber Thorpe hit the ball past the goalkeeper.

We lost our other games narrowly and managed a hard fought draw in another one.

All our players will be able to play again in future Youth Festival’s so in a couple of years we will be winning all our matches.

Can’t wait until next year’s festival!

Written by Imogen Thorpe

The team that took part was:

Holly Adams
Abby Millard
Jessica Maybin
Joey Gwinn
Holly Hughes-Rowlands
Ewan Hughes-Rowlands
Amber Thorpe
Imogen Thorpe

More photos of the U9s at the Yazoo National Youth Festival

Mens 7-a-side Summer Hockey

Matt Gausden — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:39:31 +0100

@ Moulton Sports Complex:

Running every Mon night (except bank holidays) from now on during summer:
6.45 – 7.45pm (Mens 3s – 6s, and badgers)

7.45 – 8.45pm (Mens 1s and 2s)

£3 to play

Bring a white and a dark shirt with you.

Teams will be sorted on the night

Level 1 Umpire Course

Matt Gausden — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:26:33 +0100

As you may or may not have realised, our umpire resources were tested to the limits last season. We have therefore

decided to get an umpire, level 1, course setup.

We’ve booked Moulton Village Hall for 23rd & 30th June for this course.

7.00pm – 10.00pm on both nights.

The cost is £50 which covers course materials, tutor fee and room hire.

There is a registration form at http://www.northantshockey.co.uk/forms/L1.htm

It is essential that we get more people qualified as a level 1 umpire by the start of next season to ensure that we have enough umpires to cover all our games. In an average week we need 12 umpires to cover all our games, home and away. Please do your bit

Lions roar to Victory over the Tigers!

Matt Gausden — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:31:55 +0100

Lions 4-3 Tigers

Lions: Ben Stephenson (pf), Mike Joyce, Joe Colantonio, ?

Tigers: Dan Rose (2), Joe Cliffe

The goal fest continued from the Pimps game the night before as Lions and Tigers again showed off their attacking prowess.

Lions took an early lead as they were awarded a penalty flick following a foot on the line by a Tigers defender. Ben Stephenson stepped up and comfortably despatched the flick into the top left corner.
However 5 minutes later the Tigers equalised as Dan Rose showed off his predatory goal scoring instincts to score from close range. This clearly pumped the Tigers up as soon after they scored goal number 2 as Joe Cliffe scored with a diving tap in. Half-time 2-1 to Tigers!

Second half and Lions bit back. 2 quick goals from Mike Joyce and Joe Colantonio saw Lions retake the lead. A goal for each side then followed including a neatly taken sweep from Tigers forward Dan Rose. Full-time 4-3 to Lions

Summer League Results from Tue 8th - Thurs 10th June

Matt Gausden — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:09:26 +0100

Lions 7-1 Skinny Kittens

Joe Colantonio 4

Liam Cassidy 2

Athiq Thamby 1

Tigers 9-1 Market harborough 2s

Dan Rose 5

Anthony Czaicki 2

Scott Flemming 1

Lottie Tulley 1

Oddbods 4-2 Smarties

Gareth Parker (4) - Oddbods

Liam Cassidy - Smarties

LA Checksfield - Smarties

Pimp My Side 5-0 Brixworth

Ladies selected for the JRPC

Matt Gausden — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:57:10 +0100

Congratulations to Courtney Thorpe, Emily Kilner, Alice Kilner who have just got into the Midlands Junior Regional Performance Centre!

From Left – Courtney Thorpe, Emily Kilner, Alice Kilner

Adam Shepherd selected for JRPC

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:22:50 +0100

Not to be outdone by the 3 ladies last week, Adam Shepherd (Mens 6s/Badgers) has also made it into the Midlands Junior Regional Performance Centre! Congratulations to him as well

Pimps beat Lions in inter-club Summer League Match

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:26:04 +0100

Pimp My Side 3-2 Lions

Pimps Scorers: Tim Warburton (2), Danny Whitfield (1)

Lions Scorers: Emma Brennan (1), Joe Colantonio (1)

Pimps had a determined start to the match and took most of the play deep into Lions territory. It wasn't long before a great cross from Ian 'Coops' Cooper found youngster Tim Warburton who slipped the ball into the net, catching Lions off guard. Lions played much of their game through the middle and Pimps made the most by moving the ball around and using Laura Wychgel and Annie Holt on the wings. Lions pushed back and secured a couple of penalty corners but were unable to make anything of them thanks to Pimps keeper Ed Holt. Pimps surged again and Tim Warburton slotted home another to make it 2-0 just before half time. In the second half Danny Whitfield made some excellent play through Lions defence and struck a tremendous reverse shot to give Pimps 3. Lions were determined to get onto the scoreboard and after a few attempts scored two in quick succession through Emma Brennan and Joe Colantonio. A highball struck Lion's Athiq Thamby on the finger which resulted in a trip to A&E and Lions becoming more determined. The last five minutes saw Pimps coming under increasing pressure from the Lions as they tried desperately to even out the score, however the final whistle called time and Pimps won 3-2.

Other Summer League Results and scorers:

Smarties 10-1 Market Harborough 2nd XI

Goal Scorers: Liam Cassidy (4), Max Heaphy (2), Jim Askew 1, Ash (2), LA 1

Oddbods 4-0 v Daventry HC

Goal Scorers: Simeon Bird (4)

Sky Blues 6-2 Tigers

Goal Scorers: Dan Rose (2)

		NMHA SUMMER LEAGUE 2010
		NMHA SUMMER LEAGUE 2010

		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
1	OddBods	6	6	0	0	44	8	36	18
2	Sky Moons	6	5	0	1	29	12	17	15
3	Lions	6	5	0	1	25	9	16	15
4	Smarties	6	4	0	2	30	14	16	12
5	Pimp My Side	6	3	1	2	20	13	7	9
6	Tigers	6	3	0	3	21	19	2	9
7	MKHA 1	6	2	1	3	19	25	-6	7
8	Brixworth	6	2	0	4	10	32	-22	6
9	MKHA 2	6	2	0	4	9	37	-28	6
10	Daventry HC	6	1	1	4	8	21	-13	4
11	Skinny Kittens	6	1	0	5	9	25	-16	3
12	Rhinos	6	0	1	5	7	16	-9	1

Summer League Results (20-21 June 2010)

Karl Flowers — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:55:31 +0100

Level 1 Coaching Course - Dates Announced

Matt Gausden — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:26:01 +0100

Level 1 Coaching Course

Venue: LeicesterGrammar School, Great Glenn, Leicester LE8 9FL
Start date: 19.09.2010

Duration: 3 days - 19th Sept & 3rd & 10th Oct 2010 - Varying Times

Contact:Jamie Fleet - 01509 228676

Hockey Open Day - Saturday 21st August 2010

Claire Baker — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:47:37 +0100

Open Day Flyer

CLUB OPEN DAY – Sat 21stAugust 2010, 10am - 4pm

Why not come along and see what our club and sport is all about. It’s being held at Moulton Sports Complex. (Pound Lane, Moulton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 7SD)

Junior coaching session in the morning; qualified coaches on hand to offer refresher training to all; friendly 7-a-side matches to participate in plus a BBQ, bouncy castle and other fun activities.

What do you need to bring? - Just yourselves and maybe (optional) some shin pads and a gumshield. We'll provide the rest (sticks, balls etc.).

Registration times:

9.30-10am: Junior Registration

Up to 11.30am: Badgers (12-16 yrs) and adult registration

Timetable for the day:

10 – 11 am: Junior coaching session

11 – 12 pm: Junior 7 a-side games (teams organised dependant on age range and numbers available)

12-1pm: Adult and badgers (12-16 yrs) coaching session

1 pm – 2pm: Mens demonstration match (watch the game and enjoy some food from the BBQ!)

2pm – 3 pm: mixed 7 a-side – badgers (half pitch) and adults (other half)

Off pitch activities:

Tuck shop running throughout the day

BBQ: 12.30 – 2.30pm

Bouncy castle all day

Crossbar challenge

If you would like any more information about this event or our hockey club please contact Matt Gausden (07708948646) or Jon Keep (07970676622)

Summer League Table Update (25/06/10)

Matt Gausden — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:13:10 +0100

		NMHA SUMMER LEAGUE 2010
		NMHA SUMMER LEAGUE 2010

		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
1	OddBods	7	7	0	0	53	8	45	21
2	Lions	7	6	0	1	28	9	19	18
3	Sky Moons	7	6	0	1	27	13	14	18
4	Smarties	7	5	0	2	36	14	22	15
5	MKHA 1	7	3	1	3	27	26	1	10
6	Pimp My Side	7	3	1	3	21	19	2	9
7	Tigers	7	3	0	4	22	27	-5	9
8	Brixworth	7	2	0	5	11	40	-29	6
9	MKHA 2	7	2	0	5	9	46	-37	6
10	Daventry HC	7	1	1	5	8	24	-16	4
11	Rhinos	7	1	1	5	10	18	-8	4
12	Skinny Kittens	7	1	0	6	11	28	-17	3

Summer League Table and Results from 29th June - 1st July

Matt Gausden — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:03:43 +0100

		NMHA SUMMER LEAGUE 2010
		NMHA SUMMER LEAGUE 2010

		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff	Points
1	OddBods	8	8	0	0	61	8	53	24
2	Sky Moons	8	7	0	1	35	13	22	21
3	Smarties	8	6	0	2	41	16	25	18
4	Lions	8	6	0	2	30	14	16	18
5	MKHA 1	8	4	1	3	30	28	2	13
6	Pimp My Side	8	3	1	4	21	27	-6	9
7	Tigers	8	3	0	4	25	33	-8	9
8	Brixworth	8	3	0	5	17	43	-26	9
9	MKHA 2	8	2	0	6	10	49	-39	6
10	Rhinos	7	1	1	5	10	18	-8	4
11	Daventry HC	7	1	1	5	8	24	-16	4
12	Skinny Kittens	8	1	0	6	11	36	-25	3

	Results from 29th June - 1st July:
	Skinny Kittens 0 Sky Moons 8
	Oddbods 8 Pimp My Side 0
	Brixworth 6 Tigers 3
	Smarties 5 Lions 2
	Mkh 2 1 Mkh1 3

Mens 1st XI Trials - All Welcome

Matt Gausden — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:29:10 +0100

Want to try out for the Mens 1st Team?

Then come along to the trials on Tue 3rd, Thurs 5th August from 8-10pm at Moulton College Water.

And Saturday 7th August (Moulton Sports Complex) 10.30am-1pm (bring home and away kit as matches will be part of the training).

GB win ten goal thriller

Karl Flowers — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:27:42 +0100

Jason Lee handed Great Britain debuts to six players, including 18 year old Andy Bull and 17 year old Harry Martin, both of whom took to the pitch for the first time ever at senior international level.

World Young Player of the Year Ashley Jackson netted his tenth goal for Great Britain and Nick Catlin bagged his first for GB as a Tindall double and one from Jonty Clarke gave an experimental side victory over Japan.

Full Match Report here

Great Britain Lose Narrowly to Germany

Karl Flowers — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:37:56 +0100

Germany had taken a two goal lead late in the first half before Reading’s Simon Mantell pulled one back just before the break. Tobias Lietz extended the Germans’ lead from close range just under ten minutes into the second half before World Young Player of the Year Ashley Jackson set up a tense finish with a trademark penalty corner goal late on.

Read the full match report here.

Northampton HC enter Charity Netball Tournament!

Matt Gausden — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:18:48 +0100

Pimp My Side swapped hockey sticks and shinpads for trainers and bibs as they tried their hand at netball in the annual 'Moulton Charity Netball Tournament, held at Moulton College. This was open to mixed teams, so some of the men were in for a bit of a shock as they tried netball for the first time in their lives!!

As by far the most in-experienced team there, with no actual netball players, Pimp My Side were definite underdogs, and this clearly showed as they lost their first 2 games! However with the Pimps quickly learning the game, and their secret weapon, John Stone arriving, they knew that a victory was in sight.

Thanks to hot shot goal attackers Rachel Langley and Tom "Don't Panic!" Warburton the Pimps won their next game. This was as good as it got!!

Cassidy stars for British Colleges

Matt Gausden — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:52:00 +0100

After travelling upto Stirling on the Friday, 2 matches were played on the Saturday (1 in the morning & the other in the afternoon). The normal squad of 22 players had been reduced down to 16 due to unavailabilty (probably partly due to the distance needing to be travelled), with 3 of those 16 players being goalkeepers, so only 13 outfield players!

Liam played mainly left or right wing & after a poor team performance in the 1st game which they lost 4-2 (I think most of the lads thought they were still playing summer league rather than against A top opposition!), they suffered a couple of minor injuries against the well drill & hard playing Scottish team.

In the afternoon game with weary legs the British Colleges surprisingly they rallied to show their fighting spirit & reverse the mornings scoreline to win 4-2! with Liam setting up the 3rd & winning goal with a nice bit of skill on the byline, tapping the ball into the pitch to get it to pop over his opponents stick & then cross for an easy tap in!

So all in all a good performance to end with & make the journey well worthwhile!

Written by Dermot Cassidy

Fitness Training - "It's really worth it" says Jim the Squirrel

Matt Gausden — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:09:50 +0100

Hi All,

Dont forget Fitness training every Saturday morning: 9.30am - 10.30am.
We do circuit training, pilates and sprint work

Held at Moulton Sports Complex.

We recently interviewed one of the members who's been along to all the fitness sessions so far this summer:

"I've been going for the last 2 months and really enjoyed myself. I'm fitter than I've ever been and my body looks great. I'm going to be the fittest player in the mens 3s next season! and best of all, Mrs Jim loves it!"

2010-11 Season Fixtures and Training Dates Announced

Matt Gausden — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:21:01 +0100

2010/11 training and fixture dates are now out. Click on the below links to take you to the relevant pages:

http://www.saintshockey.org.uk/sports - Senior Club Training Dates

http://www.saintshockey.org.uk/junior_training - Junior Club training dates

http://www.saintshockey.org.uk/teams - Fixtures

Cheers,

Matt

Update on Club Open Day - 21st August

Matt Gausden — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:50:02 +0100

Following discussions with Moulton SC, we now have access to more facilities on the day:

The tennis courts will be open all day for members (new and existing) to come up and play a bit of tennis. And the sports hall will also be open, where we'll have exclusive use of the bouncy castle, and the rest of the hall to play unihoc

Open Day Flyer

Ladies' 3's and 4's training

Claire Baker — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:22:30 +0100

Training for the ladies 3's and 4'd starts tomorrow, 24.08.2010 at 8pm on the Moulton School sand based pitch.

Please do your best to attend this session so that you and your team mates can make the most of the chance we have here in pre-season training. Start the seson as we mean to go on.

Club Open Day a Success!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:45:45 +0100

Saturday 21st August saw the first Northampton Hockey club open day. The aim of this was to provide both a fun day for the club, and give potential new members the opportunity to see what the club was about and join in with us on the hockey pitch.

The day was broken into several sections. The juniors started the day with around 25 children aged from 3-11 joining in on a training session followed by some small matches. A number of new juniors had come along some who were playing hockey for the very first time. All had a great time and enjoyed the experience.

Next up were the adults and badgers: This session was focused on basic skills and enabled some of the new players to learn some basic hockey skills. Once this was over the main hockey match of the day took centre stage. The mens 2s/3s and 4s had a friendly ‘demonstration’ match. Some great hockey was seen throughout, with the game being played at a strong pace. There was some great play from both teams, but it was the side in black that took the honours 4-2. Tom Warburton giving that side the attacking edge; although Dermot Cassidy did try hard to even the balance by giving a P-flick away with a foot on the goal line.

To finish the day a mixed match was organised for the players that were involved in the earlier training session. This was a good fun game, which saw James Knibb and NHC new boy Antony Pearce frustratingly beaten by a girl (Amie Hone!) and young Maddy Wightman beating Paul Madeley to score much to the delight of the spectators!

A big thanks goes out to all those that helped throughout the day, especially to Robyn Wright who worked hard to provide everyone with burgers and sausages. Finally a big thank you goes to everyone who turned up, and joined in on the day.

By Jon Keep

Club Training starts tomorrow!

Matt Gausden — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:15:41 +0100

Don't forget club training officially starts tomorrow night!

Junior training from 6-7.30pm.
Senior training from 8-9.30pm.

Junior training is also running on Saturdays: 9 - 10.30am

All at Moulton Sports Complex.

See you there!

England Masters event

Claire Baker — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:32:15 +0100

Our first games in the England master's event will take place at Moulton School on 10th October for both the ladies, over 35's and the mens, over 40's. The ladies will play at 11.30 against Edgbaston, with the men following on at 1.30pm against Solihull Blossomfield. Anyone who qualifies (is of the minimum age) and who wants to play please contact either Claire Baker, ladies or Matt Gausden for the men. This is the first time the ladies have entered, so we want to go out there and do the club proud. The men have entered before, I believe, so they need to go out and shine again for us.

Anyone who wants to play and is eligible, please let us know. Those who are still too youthful, but want to shout from the touch line, feel free to do so.

Under 18’s and 16’s Girls Training and Trials

Matt Gausden — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:36:07 +0100

Under 18’s and 16’s Girls Training and Trials

Sunday 26th September 2010 1000 to 1130

Girls, as some of you are aware the club has entered the Moulton College under 18’s league. This is a new league aimed at the 13 to 18 year group. There are 5 other teams in the League for this season, which are Kettering, Nuneaton, Olton and West Warwick’s, Cannock and Sutton Coldfield. Along with that the Club has also entered the National Cup competition for both U16’ and 18’s. So this training session will help us decide the squads for the U16 and 18 cup and the Moulton College League.

It will be a prompt 1000hrs start so please arrive in plenty of time at the Waterbase pitch, Moulton College.

Thanks

Tony Brennan

07701021089

Match Reports from 18th & 19th September

Matt Gausden — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:18:33 +0100

Mens 1st XI 1 - 5 Litchfield

Goals: Tom Hewitt

Saints were eager to start the new season well and with the exception of their Player of the Season from last year, Ross Gillanders, fielded a full strength side for their opening game. Unfortunately all did not go to plan and Saints slumped to a 3-0 deficit at half time following some ragged defending which gave the visitors the chance to put away some clinical short corner routines. Despite trailing 3-0 Saints did have more possession and did create chances to score. Unfortunately they were not as well drilled in an attacking sense and could not convert their possession effectively into corners or goals.

After half time Saints continued to work hard and again had more possession than the visitors. This led to Tom Hewitt getting the team's first goal of the league campaign when he converted a rebound from his own short corner. The defending didn't improve however and Saints shipped two more goals before the final whistle from a well drilled attacking opposition. We all hope for an improvement next week.

Mens 5th X1 2-2 Peterborough 5th Xl

Scorers: Marcus Spencer Brown, David Henry

The 5th team were robbed of a third straight victory by a late equalising goal from an experienced and well drilled Peterborough XI. To be fair, a draw was probably a fair reflection on the game with both sides enjoying good spells of possession and chances at either end.

The 5ths welcoming back James Ruse into defence but they were still without Luke Pibworth who was on wedding duty yet again. (4 Weddings and a Puncture) The game began in glorious sunshine and Peterborough were soon putting us under pressure with some well worked passing movements. An early short corner needlessly given away led to the first goal, a well struck shot from the top of the D beat keeper Ed Holt low to his left hand side. This spurred on the 5ths who were beginning to venture more into the oppositions half. One such attack led to a short corner and when the ball broke to Marcus Spencer Brown he managed to get a shot away on the reverse which went in off the post - 1-1.

Later in the half Saints went 2-1 up also from a short corner. After good work from Rob Cary the ball went right to Marcus again who put in a hard cross into the goal mouth, David Henry then guided it goalward with an angled stick and it was 2-1 to the 5ths.

For much of the 2nd half Peterborough enjoyed a lot of possession and were passing the ball around in midfield well. However, the Saints defence (Ed Holt, Adam Shepherd, George Roberts, Callum Scott Collins and James Ruse) were excellent and successfully restricted Peterborough to a few half chances. Steve Morris and Joe Cliffe were working hard in central midfield closing down the opposition, whilst Marcus, Ed Arnold and Jon Keep were using the width well to attack. Saints were much more composed in the second half and were working the ball around well. Rob Cary was having an excellent game holding up the ball up front and laying off passes.

Late in the game Callum picked up an injury and had to go off. This proved to be a turning point as -with a reorganised defence -a moment of confusion at a 16 yard hit let to a soft penalty corner to Peterborough, from which they scored the equaliser. The goal will be remembered for Ed Holt’s impersonation of a `log’ after the initial save which cost him the DoD vote! Never mind Ed!

MOM: Adam Shepherd –great defending and surging runs!

DOD: Ed Holt

Ladies 3rd XI 1-2 Leighton Buzzard

Goals: Fran Warburton

Yet another bright and sunny morning for the ladies 3’s to play their final friendly of the pre season warm up to the league starting next week! The weather was to play a huge part in our match but more of that later. As we have come to expect the pre match warm up consisted of many an “ooh” and an “aah” as the none to young team warmed up slowly in the tennis courts, followed by a rousing game of catch a small ball, where I am convinced there was a vast amount of cheating going on. Anyway back to the match in hand. Ladies 3’s started very strongly and had most of the possession for the first 50 minutes, then the overriding want to stand and sunbathe and let the opposition have a go for a while kicked in and we might have leaked a goal. Apparently there was another goal in the first half but unfortunately I had a call of nature to attend to so had to be subbed off and missed the goal.

Saints pulled one back from an excellent piece of play involving all players, whether they were just standing watching Fran Warburton pinch the goal, or actively involved in the buildup. But in all honesty we didn’t deserve to lose that match. I would just like to highlight some of the more entertaining moments that happened in the sunshine at Moulton. We had a few suntan injuries remedied by baby sun tan lotion kindly supplied by Poppy Dale. Nicky Milford saving a penalty corner, I assume off her defensive line and not “doing a Steph”. Annie Holt having some mint shots on goal and as Jonno said “any shot is a good shot”. Some random defensive decision making leading to Claire Baker doing some fine goal putting off (the Centre forward missed by a mile). At that point I think someone shouted “swing and a miss” I wonder who that could have been? We had great positional play and using a favourite quote “we made the ball do the work”.

A big thank you must go to our supporters for their efforts on the sidelines to encourage us, however, this week it wasn’t to be.

As usual we have our list of names this week, some more obvious than others:

Claire “scary feet” Baker

Karla “need a wee” Tate

Nicky “I’m captain of course I can do it” Milford

Chloe “off for a jog again” Arnison

Nic “close to vomit” Holton

Sally “Forrest Gump” Adlen

Annie “had another fan club” Holt

Nat “need a wee too” Raca

Amy “wrong end of the pitch” Decaro

Steph “clown feet “Brennan

Hannah “try to get a tan” Wilkins

Fran “goal poacher” Warburton

Ladies 2nd XI 5-1 Lutterworth

Goals: Ness Kingston (3), Ferne Sanders, Caz Whitehouse.

Team: Claire Leech (GK), Claire Dale (c), Clare Noble, Kate Barnetson, Tara Doyle, Alice Kilner, Ness Kingston, Sarah Walker, Ellie Bleech, Caz Whitehouse, Molly Ogden, Ferne Sanders, Laura Wychgel, Courtney Thorpe.

Saints Ladies 2s continued to show improvements in the last friendly before the start of the league. 2s debutant Tara Doyle impressed from the start with strong tackling & determined runs from right back frustrating the Lutterworth defence. She was well supported by Kate Barnetson returning from injury at centre back.

Saints first goal game from the infamous ladies 2s in-out short corner. Ness Kingston receiving the ball top D, passing out to Caz Whitehouse, then receiving it back on the P spot to clinically convert.

Lutterworth were soon to equalise from a short corner. The shot was deflected off a defenders stick over the top of keeper Claire Leech. Claire Dale was unable to save it off the line despite her confident call, once again earning herself the title of Dick of the Day!

Dale’s blushes were spared shortly after half time when Ferne Sanders put Saints back in front, neatly converting another short corner. Lutterworth were tiring in the September sun & Saints were quick to capitalise. Great interplay between Kingston & Molly Ogden set Whitehouse up & she ‘buried it’!

Kingston soon made it four, deftly converting a penalty flick. Lutterworth looked down & out. In the final play of the game Saints were awarded a short corner. With the whole team surrounding the D, Kingston coolly slotted home her third to finish off a great team performance.

Man of the Match: Ness Kingston

Dick of the Day: Claire Dale – again!!

Mens 2nd XI 1-7 Peterborough 2nd XI

Scorers: Chris Brimyard

Where's Dad's Army when you need them?!

With a few unavailabilities and last minute withdrawels from the Dad's Army members of the squad, Saints went into this game with a young squad. (an average age of 19!). Fortunately they persuaded Jon 'Captain Mainwaring' Noble to help them out, nicely boosting the average age! There was also the welcome return of student Kyle 'Hobbit' Taylor who'd returned from Middle Earth for the season!

Pre-match team talk was lead by new coach Colin Biddle. The talk was about keeping your shape, repeat what we did at training on Thursday and whatever we do, "dont panic!!".

The game started and all the hard work of training and the team-talk went out the window as Saints ran around like a group of headless chickens! Peterborough raced into a 4-0 lead at half-time. The second a rather dubious goal, but none the less well deserved from a well drilled, more experienced side.

Half-time, back to the drawing board? Coach Biddle reminded everyone what they were supposed to be doing! And when you get your chance to attack, make the most of it! "They don't like it up um you know"!

This inspiring team-talk seemed to do the job as for 15 minutes Saints controlled the game. The defence held firm, the midfield dictated the play and the forwards started to get into some promising positions. It wasnt look until Saints got a goal. A well worked short corner resulted in Chris 'Pike' Brimyard firmly (or was it a bobbler?!) placing the ball in the bottom corner. A couple more chances fell Saints way, including a 3 on 1 which they badly wasted. This was then as good as it got, as the bad habits of the 1st half crept in and Peterborough were allowed to score 3 soft goals. All as a result of Saints needlessly giving away possession.

With half the team disappearing after the game, there wasn't much to report from after the game, other than George Mellor eating half the teas as usual! However James Knibb will definitely regret missing out on the MOTM and DOTD voting!!

MOTM: Liam Cassidy - a commanding display from centre midfield. And he was on a date that night! Could the day get any better for him?!

DOTD: James Knibb - Bad afro hair, an ear piercing, throwing a strop on the pitch, need we say more?!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Matt Gausden (c), Jon Noble, Matt Wilde, Kyle Taylor, Alex Mcindoe, Liam Cassidy, George Mellor, Andy Smith, Chris Brimyard, James Knibb, Tom Warburton

Mens 3rd XI 2-6 Peterborough 3rd XI

Goals: Danny Whitfield, Max Heaphy

Team: Scott Bashford, James Miller, Jason Hillier, Danny Whitfield, Jon Holland, Kieran Lane, Max Heaphy, Ian MacIlwaine, Sean Henry, Matt Swansborough, Dan Rose, Patrick Pacheco

The 3s travelled to Peterborough to play what they thought would be a good challenging encounter, and where not disappointed. With a few changes from last week’s fixture, and the introduction of a new defensive system, the focus of the game was on fitness and discipline.

The early exchanges were fast paced, with the home side enjoying the better of the possession; it didn’t take long for them to open the scoring from a penalty corner. Saints heads didn’t drop however, and some good attacking passages of play were led by Max Heaphy and Kieran Lane. The home side doubled their lead midway through the first half, again via a penalty corner, and a third PC followed shortly after, which again lead to another Peterborough goal. Throughout however, Saints maintained a good level of effort and continued to play attacking hockey. Unfortunately, before halftime the home side made it 4-0. However, on the stroke of halftime, Saints pulled a goal back from a penalty corner, when Danny Whitfield converted a sublime drag flick.

Halftime and the score at 4-1, the visitors could desperately have benefited form some oranges, mince pies or even some fresh plums, however, Captain Miller provided none of the above. The focus of the halftime team talk was continuing to work on the shape and to keep the effort up.

The second half was a much more even affair with both sides enjoying a more equal share of possession. The home side extended their lead mid way through the half, and added a sixth not long after that. Max Heaphy pulled back a consolation goal with 5 minutes to go, when he went on a foraging solo run, and via a deflected pass he volleyed the ball into the net to make the score 6-2, and it remained at that until the final whistle.

Post game, the food offerings of pizza and chips were gratefully received, however as is becoming the norm, a disappointingly small number of players maintained their hygiene levels by showering.

MOTM: Max Heaphy for some goal attacking play and a great individual goal
DOTD: James Miller for a) overtaking a lorry, just to be stuck behind two other lorries, and b) to see the original lorry turn off 100 yards later!!!!

Mens 4th XI 0-2 Peterborough 4th XI

It was expected this week that the 4th team would have a very difficult game
against the well drilled Peterborough 4s. Before the match the team had one of Gary (gosh aren’t my shoulders big) Paterson’s old school warm up’s alongside some genius one liners coming in from the Jim Phipps School of Comedy.

Once the team were all drilled and ready to play they stepped onto the field of
play ready for the task in hand.

Right from the whistle it was a real eye opener as Peterborough played some
silky one and two touch hockey, unfortunately running rings around Saints,
and within 20 mins were 2-0 down. If it had not been for some galiant
defending by Aiden Walker and Tom Wightman it could have been more.

At half time the talk was all about being patient and not to panic on the ball,
but right from the off the second half carried on the same pattern with
Peterborough’s insistant pressure and even though Saints did string together
a few avid attacks Peterbourgh came out worthy winner.
This game has been a good test for the 4s as made them realise that when
they have their backs to the wall they do have some fight in them.
Here’s to the next match and hope the 4s will use this game as a stepping
stone to greater things in the future.

Jim The Squirrel's Journey Continues...

Matt Gausden — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:58:52 +0100

In order to be fit for the start of the season, Mens 3s mascot Jim the Squirrel has been training hard in the Brecons this week:

There’s a very quiet rumour that he might have snuck into the pope-mobile for a ride during last weeks visit and that he might be sighted in Turin during the next couple of weeks as well! Watch this space for more photgraphic evidence!

New Rule Changes for 2010/11 Season

Matt Gausden — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:58:23 +0100

Hi all,

Please read the following release from England Hockey, regarding rule changes for this season:

Rule Changes for the 2010-11 season

Match Reports from 23rd September

Matt Gausden — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:00:19 +0100

Ladies 1st XI 3-1 Towcester Ladies 1st XI

Goals: Amie Hone, Jess Lovell, Fran Lee

Ladies league campaign starts in style!

Northampton’s league campaign started in fine fashion as they comfortably saw off local rivals Towcester, in this Midlands Premier Division encounter. Goals from Fran Lee, Jess Lovell and Amie Hone ensured Saints 3 points and local bragging rights!

Edgbaston 1st XI 5-1 Mens 1st XI

Scorer: Mike Tillson

After a poor opening week to their season Saints started their 2nd league game against Edgebaston positively and could consider themselves unlucky to go in 1-1 at half time. Some suspect goalkeeping led to Saints drawing level with the home side - when Mike Tillson received a pass from Ross Gillanders at the top of the D he hit an un-convincing looping reverse stick shot at goal, only to see that the goalkeeper had logged on the ground. In the goalkeeper's attempt to get back to his feet he aided Tillson's shot into the back of the net.

Saints showed a battling spirit in the first half and had the larger share of possession in the first half, but as per their opening game lacked conviction in front of goal to make the possession count. Unfortunately the 2nd half provided a ragged and poor display of hockey by the away team which resulted in Saints losing the half 4-0. A lack of concentration and the combination of numerous individual errors resulted in Saints being on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline for the 2nd week in a row. We can only hope for better things next week.

Squad: Chris Vine (GK), Guy Roberts, Ross Gillander, Ian Cooper, Pete Riches, Ross Wickens, Ben Scott (c), Alex Press, Michael Tillson, Joe Colantonio, Stuart Clark, Gareth Parker, Liam Cassidy, Grant Carlin

Mens 2nd XI 2-1 Corby 1st XI

Goals: Martyn Cory (2) pc

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Matt Gausden, Ben Northedge, Ben Stephenson, Kyle Taylor, Alex Mcindoe, George Mellor, Lloyd Atkinson (c), Martyn Cory, Athiq Thamby, James Knibb, Chris Brimyard, Andy Smith

Saints make sure they don't Fluff it!!

Despite a couple of last minute call ups to the 1st team, a re-organised 2nd team went into the game in confident mood, despite last weeks result!

They must have known it was going to be there day when James Knibb did a bit of breaking and entering without getting caught!!

The pre-match preparation was mixed. Athiq Thamby run the team through the warm up. If you can call it that, most players felt colder and less stretched out by the time Athiq had finished!! After that though, the players switched on and were set for the battle ahead, as both teams competed to be the "2nd best team in the County" (after our Mens 1s).

Saints started the game in very confident fashion. They comfortably moved the ball around and starving Corby of any space to launch an attack. However very much against the run of play, Corby finally found some space to win a penalty corner. Up stepped Saints old boy "Brooksy" to slam the ball into the bottom corner, 1-0 Corby.

Despite this early set back Northampton continued to play the ball around nicely and were slowly beginning to threaten in the final third. A well worked move saw Saints win there first corner of the game, and up stepped the ever reliable Martyn "I can do the warm up much better than Athiq" Cory to drag the ball into the left bottom corner, beyond the reach of ex Saints 1s keeper Coe. The first half finished 1-1.

Half-time team talk was good, Colyn Biddle talked about keeping the shape and the press, and for once the team actually listened and took onboard what he said!

The second half carried on as the first time had, lots of possession, and slowly Saints began to create a few half chances, Andy Smith, Chris Brimyard and James Knibb all coming close. However the winning goal was scored from a predictable route - another penalty corner! Martyn Cory again dragging the ball into the same spot as he did in the first half! After this Saints lost a bit of momentum, and a few defensive lapses began to creep into there game, however the back-line held firm, thanks to some great last ditch tackling by Ben Stephenson.

Other points of interest from the game:

James Knibb for his bizarre cross-field aeriel/lob/chip pass. WTF?!
George Mellor for starting the game in a shirt the same colour as the umpires!!
Ben Northedge for only making 1 dirty tackle all game (although he did give away a pc which corby scored from!!)
Corby player Neil "Fluff" Parker for having the cheek to wear his old Saints away kit!!

Next week sees the 2s league campaign start. An easy game against Beeston, away!! (welcome to the Midlands Prem!).

MOTM: 2 way tie between Matt Gausden and Ben Stephenson. 2 strong performances at the back

DOTD: Predictably James Knibb again! For breaking the law and his horrendous cross-field pass!

Mens 3rd XI 2-1 John Player 2nd XI

Goals: Max Heaphy, James Knibb

Mens 4th XI 1-3 John Player 3rd XI

Saints Tumble to defeat!!!

This game was Northampton 4’s last friendly before the start of the new
season and the mood in the dressing room was high and after the team talk
followed by a skip and a jump to warm the team up.

Now John Player arrived with only 10 men and Saints kindly lent them one of
their second team players (Lloyd ‘Orlando’ Atkinson) Boo, hisssssss, traitor,
which instantly bulstered their team.

From the whistle Northampton looked like they were going to walk away with
the game as were on the attack constantly, and even when they had not got
the ball were pressing John Player into countless mistakes, but unfortunately
they could not turn the pressure and possession into goals.
Now with all this constant attack minded play left Saints extremely exposed at
the back and allowed a rogue attacker from the opposition to scramble
through and put Saints 0-1 down. This urged Saints to then attack even more
and again leaving Titanic size holes at the back exposing poor Mr Tumble in
goal.
Now as we all know Mr Tumble has many talents but could not for all the sign language in the world drag his defence back to help and just before the end of the first half John Player managed to score again.

Unfortunatly even the half time team talk did not drag Saints back from their
demise, as mid way through the second half were caught again when Saints
pushed further forward and allowed John Player to counter attack and finish
with a shot passed the ever annoyed Mr Tumble.
Saints continued to attack and from their persistence scored a perfectly
executed short corner.

This game finished 3-1 to John Player, but on reflection saints should of won
due to superior possession. Here is to the first league game and think it can
only be onwards and upwards, oh and the forwards learning to navigate their
way to the general area of the oppositions goal.

Leamington 3rd XI 0-5 Mens 5th XI

Goalscorers: Rob Cary 2 (1pc), Luke Pibworth 2 (1pc), Lewis Ward pc

Squad:Ed Holt (GK), James Ruse, Adam Shepherd, Lewis Ward, Joe Cliffe, Jon Keep, Ed Arnold, Tom Dysko, Steve Morris, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Rob Cary, Luke Pibworth

Attendance:3

Tea:Very small plates of food

News:Ed "The Red" Milliband makes it a hat-trick of Eds.

Return of The Pib

Luke "Four Weddings and a Puncture" Pibworth chose a comfortable warm-up game to make his goal-scoring return for Saints Vs as they prepare for the first league match of the season against Sutton Coldfield next week.

Once Ed Holt had completed his deodorant-based pre-match routine, Saints quickly took control of this encounter, playing some flowing hockey for the inevitable Pibworth to make it 1-0 as the ball bounced of his stick from a penalty corner and into the goal.

Another short corner and Saints were two up as Rob Cary opened his account with a second attempted flick, again from a penalty corner.

And Caryshould have made it three with a glorious cross from Jon Keep which somehow missed the net and drew groans from Saints' travelling supporter.

Apart from Steve Morris not wanting to take off his woolly cardigan and slippers, the second half started pretty much in the same vein, as Lewis Ward dispatched another penalty corner which nearly broke the back-board.

Later on, the game became a bit stretched as Saints got complacent, and Leamington's pacey attackers started to run with the ball. The oppo even managed to draw a save from "Woody" Holt, whose dead tree technique finally paid dividends.

A few more hairy moments (including James Ruse randomly falling over) though were easily mopped up by Ward and Adam Shepherd as the visitors extended their lead courtesy of Pibworth's second, his first reverse-stick goal of the season.

Leamington's goalie did his best to keep the score down with a cheeky back-heeled save, but could not prevent Cary from making amends for his first-half miss with a well taken, flicked shot to make it five.

MOM: Lewis Ward

DOD: Rob Cary

Ladies 2nd XI 0-0 Kettering Ladies 2nd XI

Squad:Claire Leech, Claire Dale, Hanna Wilkins, Jane Ogden, Tara Doyle, Ness Kingston, Sally Adlen, Caz Whitehouse, Laura Wychgel, Molly Ogden, Becca Wilkinson, Clare Noble, CJ Thompson

Saints 2s faced local rivals Kettering 2s in their first game of the Midland Feeder League East. Saints started the game at pace & quickly had Kettering on the back foot. Becca Wilkinson made an early impression with her pace at right midfield, making a number of crosses which went begging at the far post.

Strong tackling from Jane Ogden & Hanna Wilkins denied Kettering any opportunity of making it into the D. Although Wilkins did cause slight panic when she was taken out by a stray landmine midway through the first half!

Saints dominated both territory & possession in the first half but were unable to convert any chances they had.

The second half saw Saints continue to dominate. Kettering spent much of the half camped in their own half. Saints worked the ball well from one side of the pitch to the other through Claire Dale at centre back & Ness Kingston at centre midfield. Sally Adlen, making her 2s debut showed great strength & discipline alongside Kingston at centre midfield.

Despite their dominance Saints found themselves unable to convert the numerous chances they had. Maybe nerves got the better of them in this opening league fixture.

Man of the Match: Becca Wilkinson

Dick of the Day: Hanna Wilkins

Mixed 1st XI 2-2 Mixed 2nd XI

Scorers: Aaron Hill 2, Matt Herbert, Liz Hone

Match Reports from 2nd October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:52:54 +0100

Mens 1st XI 7 - 0 Chesterfield 1st XI

Goals: Stuart Clark (3), Ben Scott (2), Gareth Parker, Martin Corey

After defeat in their two opening league games Saints came into their home game against Chesterfield in needing a win to kick start their season and put their first points on the board. Saints knew they would be in for a physical game against a Chesterfield team who press intensely and are very strong in the tackle. Saints started the game in fantastic fashion, having the lion's share of possession and converting two early penalty corners into goals - with both goals coming from a much improved short corner routine which saw Ben Scott drag flick the ball into the bottom left corner.

Saints entered half time only 2-0 up, which flattered the visitors. Saint's started the second half slowly, and it took 15 minutes before they sealed the game with another goal from a short corner - with Mike Tillson and Alex Press combing before Stuart Clark edged the ball over the goal line. Following the 3rd goal the visitors lost their composure and this allowed Saints to really got into their rhythm. Two more Stuart Clark goals followed - the second of which saw him beat an on-coming keeper one-on-one and slide the ball into the goal. Further goals from Gareth Parker and Martin Corey completed a 7-0 rout for the home side.

Beeston 2nd XI 6-0 Mens 2nd XI

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Kyle Taylor, Ben Northedge, Matt Gausden, Ben Stephenson, Matt Wilde, George Mellor, Liam Cassidy, Lloyd Atkinson, Grant Carlin, Athiq Thamby, James Knibb, Andy Smith.

The Mens 2nd XI started there Ener-G Midlands Premier Division league campaign with possibly the hardest game of the season, Beeston away!

The team talk was good, Colyn Biddle came prepared with a magnetic clipboard!

Kyle “Hobbit” Taylor led the warm up, a slight improvement on last week as the team seemed more stretched and warmer than previous attempts (Athiq, you're fired!). It must be that Elvish magic!

Onto the game: Perhaps they were over-awed by the opposition, but within 1 minute of the game starting Saints fell a goal behind, as they backed off and allowed a Beeston forward to waltz through the defence to score. Clearly this was the wake-up call Saints needed, as 30 seconds later they attacked and a lovely cross found Atkinson with a clear strike on goal from a few yard out, unfortunately the Beeston keeper pulled off a great save. From then on Northampton played with great confidence and belief, really putting the pressure on Beeston, unfortunately they were just lacking that clinical edge in the final third. And this is where Beeston made Saints pay as they converted 2 penalty corners in quick succession. Half-time 3-0 down.

The second half continued in the same pattern, Saints putting the pressure on Beeston, but again they were not clinical enough in the final third as they wasted good chances through Athiq Thamby, James Knibb and Andy Smith. This proved to be costly as Beeston scored from 1 further penalty corner, a magnificent reverse stick shot and then picked up on a defensive error to finish the game 6-0.

A harsh result on Saints who certainly showed they shouldn’t be afraid of competing in this league.

Special mentions:

George Mellor– How many 2 yard aerials can I try in 1 game?
Kyle “Hobbit” Taylor – why make a simple pass when you can try and take on the whole Beeston team from right back!
Colyn Biddle – only took him 10 minutes to be told off by both umpires!! Good work!
Ben Northedge – actually made some good tackles (along with a few stick tackles!)
Grant Carlin– for possibly being hungover before the game?

MOTM: Ben Stephenson, some superb tackling
DOTD: James Knibb – just look at him!

Mens 3rd XI 2-2 Edgbaston 3rd XI

Scorers: Simon Ellison; Matt Swansborough

Team: Paul Madeley, James Miller, Jason Hillier, Danny Whitfield, Patrick Pacheco, Kieran Lane, Ian McIlwaine, Nigel Down, Chris Brimyard, Matt Swansborough, Dan Rose, Simon Ellison, Tom Bradshaw, Sean Henry, Max Heaphy

Saints entertained Edgbaston for their first game of the new season, and the first in the Midlands Premier Division. Knowing the standard of hockey would be much tougher and quicker this year, Saints pre match warm up and team talk centred around playing simple, quick hockey.

The early exchanges were relatively even with both sides working out their opposition. The breakthrough came about halfway through the half when the visitors scored from a well converted Penalty Corner. Saints didn’t lose their composure though, and McIlwaine, Down and Brimyard controlled the midfield and provided a few good attacking opportunities. Saints drew level shortly after when debutant Simon Ellison scored by way of a lob of the keeper from the top of the D. Saints seized upon this momentum and continued to enjoy a good chunk of possession. Shortly before half time, Saints took the lead when Kieran Lane fed the ball into the D and Matt Swansborough beat the keeper to the ball to direct it into the goal, despite the best efforts of the Edgbaston defence. The score remained at 2-1 at halftime.

Miller’s team talk pointed out that we all looked knackered, which meant the team was working hard. Despite the lack of provision of oranges, more hard work was demanded in the second half.

The second half took a similar pattern to the first half, with Saints shading the possession, however, despite good work from Sean Henry on the right, Saints failed to create any clear cut opportunities. Danny Whitfield was the hero midway through the half when he miraculously cleared the ball of the goal line when the visitors seemed destined to score. With 10 minutes to go however, the away side did draw level, through another Penalty Corner. The last few minutes were end to end with both sides looking for a winner, but neither side creating a clear chance. The final whistle went and the spoils were shared.

A draw was a fair reflection on the game, although both side will think it is 2 points dropped in what is bound to be an extremely competitive league. Next week sees the 3s travel away to Beeston 3s, which will inevitably be a difficult encounter.

MOTM: Danny Whitfield for his goal line heroics

DOTD: Dan Rose for overrunning a ball and injuring himself by running into the fence!

Belper 4th XI 2-1 Mens 4th XI

Goals: Lewis Ward

Saints 4s had their first league match of the season, and on arrival at Moulton
the team were down to 10 men due to people falling by the wayside. While the
team were getting ready to leave Andy Dale had the task of mustering up
another player.
Now the savour of the day fell to the young Ali Rose who that night had been
subjected to walking in the rain while on a Duke of Edinborough Expedition
and had only had a few hours sleep. Dragging him out bed bleary eyed his
mum drove him all the way to Belper (good work Jackie!).

Once Saint’s arrived there was not enough time for a general warm up, so
had to get down to business straight away, but due to this Saints seemed to
build some convincing play down both wings with some cutting ball fired into
the box only for the sleepy forwards to wander in few seconds late.
Most of the game was being played in the centre of the park with only the odd
telling ball being played in to box, and was Belper to score first from a break
that cut down the left and beating Scott Bashford at his near post.

Saints went in at half time 1-0 down but all to play for, and mid way through
the second half with some persistent attacking Lewis Ward thundered
through the Belper defence to score past the flagging Belper keeper.
With some aggressive attacking from both side the game sat in the balance
and in the last ten minutes Belper broke down the saints defence to score the
winner.

For all the want from the saints players they could not then bring the game
back, and with frustration setting in the not so level headed Andy Dale gained
himself a yellow card due to having a sudden burst of verbal diarrhea.
Saints 4’s can draw some positives from this match as the opposition
admitted they did not find the game an easy ride.

MOTM: Ali Rose and his Mum Jackie, for driving all that way at the spare of the
moment
DOTD: Andy Dale for his outburst and not having enough player’s

Mens 5th XI 2-1 Sutton Coldfield VI

Goalscorers; Pibworth, Sargent

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), Aidan Walker, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Joe Cliffe, Jon Keep, David Henry (c), Marcus Spencer-Brown, Ed Arnold, Luke Pibworth, Rob Cary, Timsch Sargent

Attendance; 8

Tea; Extra fluffy sausages.

In the news; Lithuanian blonde island plan raises eyebrows.

Sargent Slugs it Out

The start of the season saw a welcome return of Tim Sargent to the fray, sponsored by Morrisons. Heading up Saints’ attack alongside Rob Cary, the stripey-socked attacker wasted no time in putting the home side 1-0 up with a shot that dribbled over the line with the speed of an arthiritic slug.

Saints kept up the pressure in the first half with Joe Cliffe and Ed Arnold skinning the opposition on the right to create chances for Sargent Morrison and Corporal Cary.

This was a competitive match in which the visitors made Saints work hard. But solid teamwork gave the home team the edge and it was somewhat surprising that Sutton were able to draw the scores level just before half time as a deflected shot squeezed past Phil Preen’s legs.

Saints took control again in the second half, and an outstanding run by Callum Scott-Collins set up the winning goal for Luke Pibworth to score from the top of the D. Indeed, Pibworth could have scored a hatful, if it were not for a surfeit over-zealous swings of the club.

Sutton didn’t give up, though, as Saints midfield was sorely tested. David Henry’s battery light was flickering wildy and Marcus Spencer-Brown’s primeval screams of agony could be heard in Bellinge as he went down with leg-ache. Quote of the day goes to Grandpa Spencer-Brown, “You’re too young to get cramp, what you need is a pint of Guiness!”

Jon Keep ran the clock down beautifully in the last minutes and that rounded off an excellent, gritty, team performance and puts Saints in a great spot for the new campaign.

MOTM: Joe Cliffe

DOTD: Luke Pibworth

Mens 6th XI 4-1 Leicester Westleigh 4th XI

Goal Scorers: Rob Tee (2); Tim Warburton and Sam Russell

Kryptonite and burger patties

In a galaxy far, far away the forces of good battled the multitudes of evil. Dastardly Dermot cried: “Guys, I love you but we only have 4 goals to save the Earth!!” The heroes set out to save the day. Kindly not wearing their undies on the outside (due to health and safety rules) the motley crew boarded their super cruiser (put a fiver of fuel in) and blasted into the nether regions of space.

The nubile virgin cried out for help. 12 muscle bound super heroes spread out desperate to vanquish the foes. With tactics in mind, weapons sharpened and limitless wit at their disposal, the first 20 minutes of the game showed that all those years in super hero school had been completely wasted. Never mind the pants on the outside the heroes were completely pants, period.

Then against the odds Cunning Chris Easton dashed through the centre and passed to Wrecking Ball Rob Tee who slotted the first goal past Darth Vader. The mood picked up and the Fighting Sixes transformed into a battle unit. Desperate Dan gawped at James Jehovah Ruse who collected a mighty blow across the shins (DD had left his shin pads at home – risking everything for the cause).

The match was characterised by solid defending from Krazy Karl McGregor and Gorgeous George. Ed “The Duck” Holt was called upon to make 3-4 valuable saves. But, in accordance with the flow of play, Fireman Sam dashed in to the opposition’s D and slotted home some food for their half time talk. The foes skulked into their lair to recollect their powers and prepare for mayhem.

At the half time talk DD was asked to mark Danger Mouse. We drastically underestimated his side kick Penfold who in the opening exchange put one home and ran shouting something like “Aww ‘Eck!!!”. With X-ray vision we saw the enemies weakness, stealing their supply of kryptonite we mustered forward and insurmountable pressure on their defenders we forced a penalty flick. Rob put it home and we were 3-1 up.

Pressure was back on us and Karl “Kickass” Flowers was required to throw life, limb and all of his 11 stone into a short corner defence. Leicester was awarded a p-flick and Ed was required to dig deep and save it with his throat. Leicester has another goal disallowed after slapping one into the net with first shot on short corner.

With loads of argy bargee, Nigel “Nam” Riches was forced to the ground and the resulting free hit resulted in Georgeous George passing across their goal for Rob to clinch the winner and save the world from inevitable doom. The last part about “saving from doom“ was in question as the super hero contribution to global warming after the beans for tea probably negated it.

Teas: Bread, Beans, Burger Patties and Chips

MOM: Rob Tee (awesome goals) AND Sam Russell (goals and outstanding play)

DOD: Tim Warburton (watching the game)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Ed Holt (GK); Karl McGregor; Chris Easton; Sam Russell; Karl Flowers; Dan Burge; James Ruse; Nigel Riches; George Roberts; Rob Tee and Tim Warburton.

Ladies 1st XI 4 - 3 Birmingham Uni 2's

Goals: Fran Lee, Amie Hone, Esther Kejbit (pf), Jess Lovell

Saints started the game strongly and were rewarded with their first goal when Lottie Tulley made a good run down the right side which was followed up with Fran Lee making a diving reverse stick sweep past the keeper.

Shortly after Birmingham levelled the game scoring their first goal from a free hit outside the D. Saints replied strongly hungry to get the game back in their favour and Fran Lee took the ball along the back line to an awaiting Amie Hone who powered the ball into the back of the net.
Moments later Hone was swept off her feet by the brummy keeper with the ball no where in site, a penalty flick was awarded and skillfully converted by Esther Kejbit.
The final goal before half time came when Emma Cooper made a run along the back line and passed to Jess Lovell who gracefully pushed it past the keeper.

The second half started scrappy by Saints and continued this way. Birmingham deflected a short corner to achieve their 2nd goal this was then followed by another goal from another Birmingham short corner. It was a tense finish to the game but saints managed to hold on for a 4-3 victory!

Man of the Match: Amie Hone

Written by Lisa Coe

Ladies 3rd XI 0-6 Towcester Ladies 2nd XI

It was all something and nothing…… well 6 nothing to be precise.

Saints eventually turned up ready to go on a beautiful day at the High school. That was where the beautiful game ended. We passed the ball beautifully with confidence and some great play. Our defence worked tirelessly to thwart the Tows forwards and were unfortunate to leak some goals in the first half. Our midfield ran their socks off and although they didn’t see much of the ball, our forwards worked hard and at one or two moments looked as if the ball was goal bound, only to be denied by the opposition keeper. There were a few highlights I would like to mention:

Lizz Hone showing her experience and keeping calm when a very talented, but temperamental young opposition player took exception to her style of tackling and threw herself at the floor at Lizz’s feet. Then had the audacity to blame Lizz. How rude?

A certain left back and goalkeeper turned into forwards having a surprise 2 on 1 with thedefenceand after foiling the centre back, were denied their first goal by a very agile keeper. Maybe next time!!!

Nic Holton for asking (telling) Steph Brennan to go into midfield as she was a bit tired then missing a perfectly timed pass across the top of the D. Shameful Holton for a player of your experience.

Chloe “thou shall not pass” Arnison playing an absolute blinder in centre back and very well deserved player of the match. Even her opposite number gave up trying to get past her in the end. At this point I would like to point out Chloe was chased around the pitch for a good ten minutes by a stray dog and even managed to take the ball off it too! Well done Chloe!

Jo Askew showed us her spider keeper abilities again by saving a great shot off her right hand and then padding it over the fencing. She then, still fully padded up, scaled the fence and retrieved the ball much to the amusement of the whole audience.

Annie “jagerbomb” Holt for stupidly turning up still a little bit drunk then actually admitting it in the changing rooms. Silly silly Annie, or as we know her “dick of the Day”.

I would also like to draw the attention of the committee to installing a pay per minute match fees system as yet again I seemed to get injured in the first half, although it was an excellent ball though which I thought I had until their centre back ruthlessly shoved me to the floor, again dislocating my knee. Just plain rude!!

And our last point must go to all 7 of our disallowed goals: well done ladies for your attempts, maybe not throwing, kicking or bowling the ball into the net next week. Just a plain old whack it with your stick will do!!

MOTM: Chloe Arnison

DOTD: Annie Holt

Winner of the fines meeting with a massive 41 fines and has to get her tots out nest week Lizz Hone.

Thanks again to the travelling support, we’ll see you pitch side very soon.

Northampton "Saints" Badgers 1-3 Rugby & EW 7th XI

Goals: Hayley Evans-Smith

Northampton played Rugby & East Warwick today for the first time.For many players in the team this was one of their first league games for Northampton Badgers. While Northampton’s defence was strong Rugby still managed to slot away an early goal.

After a few half time oranges Northampton continued a strong and evenly matched game. However Rugby scored 2 more goals after wearing the keeper down in two very long plays. But with five minutes to go Greg Summers pulled off a great pass for Hayley Evans-Smith to finish the play with a goal, leaving the score: Northampton 1-3 Rugby & East Warwick

Written by Lewis Moran

Welford Badgers 6-1 Northampton "Lions" Badgers

Goals: Jeremy Wan

After a disappointing first half by Northampton, Welford went into half time leading 4-0. But after an uplifting team talk by the captain and coaches, Northampton pulled back with an excellent goal by Jeremy Wan from a penalty corner which lifted their heads as they went on to dominate the second half. Unfortunately towards the last 10 minutes Northampton tired out and Welford scored another 2 late goals to leave the final score Welford 6 – Northampton 1.

MOTM: Jeremy Wan for his excellent goal and outstanding commitment throughout.

Written by Lee Thompson

October Newsletter

Matt Gausden — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 13:15:34 +0100

Read the October edition of our newsletter for all the latest news around the club:

NHC October Newsletter

Club Success at the Borough Council Sports Awards!

Matt Gausden — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:17:48 +0100

Last night saw the annual Northampton/Daventry Borough Council Sports Awards.

Nominations from the club were:

Sportsman of the year – Liam Cassidy (Northampton HC)
Leader of the year – Steph Brennan
Team of the year – Mens 4th team
Coach of the year – Jon Noble

Daventry Sports Awards

Sportsman - Liam Cassidy (Moulton College)

We're delighted to say that Mens 2s player Liam Cassidy won sportsman of the year for Daventry and Ladies 3s player Steph Brennan won leader of the year for Northampton. Well done to both of them.

Match Reports from 9th & 10th October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:02:25 +0100

Mens 2s 3-2 Barford Tigers

Goals: James Knibb, James Askew, Alex MacIndoe

After a ‘Fantastic’ warm-up from George Mellor and the comments from Alex Mcindoe stating “I’m even colder now than before the warm up” Saints stepped out on to fortress Moulton feeling confident. From the Whistle the team played fantastically and pressed the Barford team well in their 25 for the majority of the half, There where a Mcflurry of chances including the Liam Cassidy ‘Girlfriend strike’ (a reverse hit while blowing kisses to his girlfriend on the side line).

We were rewarded when the Young James Knibb danced through the defence and slot the ball nicely under the Barford keeper… Moments later ‘Old boy’ James Askew dived (I say dived ;)) for the ball at the far post, 2 – 0 saints!!! At the end of the first half Barford score a top of D far post screamer, how our ‘Tallest’ keeper 6’ 6’’ Sam Biddle didn’t reach it we’ll never know! 2 – 1 Saints.

The second Half started poorly with Saints not switched on with school boy errors all over the pitch, Barford managed to capitalise and scored 2 – 2.

Saints began to pick up their game and were finally rewarded when our ‘Smallest’ place Alex Mcindoe unleashed a rocket at the top of the D and drilled it straight through the Barford Keeper.

Final result 3 – 2 Congrats on first Prem win, may it continue this Saturday!!!

Points of note:

George Mellor's awful aerial (if you can call it that!), and for wearing a hair band without realising he'd had his hair cut!
Biddle for turning 18, having a "wild" party the night before our game, and buying a jug. "lad"!
Ben Northedge for being the next Billy Elliot
Liam Cassidy for bringing his fan base (girlfriend and dad).

MOM - Ben Northedge

DOD – Should be Knibbs, but the captain is overriding this vote and giving it to Martyn Corey even though he doesn’t even play for our team “Just look at him”

Mens Vets 2-1 Solihull Blossomfield Vets

Goals: Andy Blake, Dave Henry

A solid performance by Northampton Vets saw them through to the second round of the England Hockey National Vets Cup. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Northampton beat a confident side from Soilihull Blossomfield 2-1 with goals from skipper Andy Blake following a skillful piece of play from Ian Macilwaine, and Dave Henry.
Fantastic defensive play led by Colyn Biddle in goal and featuring tireless marking from Jim Phipps and Jason Hillier ( the baby of the team at a mere 40 years old) kept Solihull at bay for the last tense 10 minutes. Northampton march onto a 2nd round home fixture with Barford Tigers on 7th November.

Ladies Vets 4-1 Edgbaston Ladies Vets

The ladies made it through to round 2 of the EHB Cup with a comfortable victory over Edgbaston. Full match report to follow shortly...

Ladies 1st XI 1–1 Bedford 1st XI

Goals: Esther Kejbit (pf)

Bedford were comfortably the better side in this game, however Saints even though playing badly dominated the possession. The first half was scrappy, with Saints not on form and not playing their usual fluid game. Things got slightly better just before half time but unfortunately the whistle went before we were able to capitilise on this slightly improved performance.

The second half was an improvement with us managing to string a few more passes together and find some gaps. Things still weren't up to our normal standard and on a break after a few missed tackles Bedford scored. It wasn't looking hopeful for Saints as we frantically tried to level the score. With some great work in the D, Lucy Ann Chacksfield won a short corner and as a deflected shot was saved on the line by a Bedford shoulder, we earned a flick which Esther Kejbit slotted past the keeper. With five minutes left Saints pushed on for the win but came away with just a draw.

Ladies 2nd XI 1-2 Matlock 2nd XI

Goals: Katie Barnetson

For the third game of the season the 2nd team took on a strong and well organised Matlock team. Initially having the majority of the possession, with excellent forward runs from Becca Wilkinson and Clare Noble, with excellent support play from Ness Kingston and Molly Ogden. Unfortunately we were unable to capitalise on this possession and an unfortunate error in defence led to Matlock getting a lucky goal against the run of play.

The second half began with some strong attacking play from the opposition, met by an in form Claire Leech in goal, whilst on the back foot the defence worked hard to defend several short corners, until finally after a slightly dubious umpiring decision led to another Matlock corner which even “Leechy” couldn’t stop!

Further Saints attacking play led to a short corner, which was scored from close range by Katie Barnetson. With Matlock on the back foot, Saints had all the play but were unable to score any further goals. A good performance all round with special mention to “man of the match” Claire Leech.

Coventry & N. Warwick 1st XI 1 - 4 Mens 1st XI

Goals: Jamie Webb, Ben Scott, Stuart Clark (2)

The Saints go marching on!

An absolutely stunning performance from Saint's on Saturday saw them defeat top of the league Coventry & N.Warwick 4-1. Two games ago Saints sat despairingly in the league table with zero points from their opening two games. Now they are only 1 point behind the 3rd placed team in the league. A fantastic turnaround! Little needs to be said about individual details of the game since Saints dominated every area of the pitch and were simply better player-for-player than their opposition. Goals from Jamie Webb, Ben Scott and a Stuart Clark brace ensured a well deserved victory.

Mens 3rd XI 1-3 Beeston 3rd XI

Goals: Matt Swansborough

Squad: Paul Madeley, James Miller, Jason Hillier, Danny Whitfield, Lewis Ward, Kieran Lane, Ian McIlwaine, Nigel Down, Sean Henry, Matt Swansborough, Dan Rose, Simon Ellison, Max Heaphy, Joel Bird

Saints travelled to away to Beeston for an encounter which they fully expected to be a tough challenge. The pre-match warm up was limited due to having to warm up in the car park, whilst avoiding traffic.

The game started, and continued throughout at a fairly frenetic pace; however the early exchanges were fairly even, with both sides creating half chances. Solid work in the Midfield by Nigel Down and Ian McIlwaine, kept the early Beeston pressure at bay, whilst the pace of Kieran Lane and Sean Henry created some attacking impetus for the Saints. After 15 minutes Beeston capitalised on a defensive error and scored the first of their goals. 5 minutes later the score was doubled, when again the home scored finished well after a defensive lapse. To round of 10 minutes of madness, Saints conceded a 3rd goal on 25 minutes, and at 3-0 down, the away side were in danger of being overwhelmed by their hosts. On the half hour Saints pulled a goal back, when Lewis Ward injected some pace down the wing and crossed to the top of the D, where Matt Swansborough swept home a first time effort catching the Beeston keeper off guard. The score remained 3-1 at halftime.

James Miller delivered the half time team talk (minus mince pies, oranges and fresh plums…..in fact, minus any sustenance at all!). The words focused on the need to believe that we could compete at this level, and the need to work harder in all areas of the pitch.

The words were well heeded in the second half, and Saints created more opportunities, as well as defending resolutely. Paul Madeley made numerous good saves during the half, and the back line of Ward, Hillier, Whitfield and Miller kept clear opportunities down to a minimum. With ten minutes to go, it was Saints who were looking the more likely side to score, and they managed to force their first penalty corner of the game. This led to 4 PCs in succession, each of which forced the Beeston keeper into making some high calibre saves, including two from Danny Whitfield drag flicks.

The game finished 3-1, and the Saints came off the pitch feeling proud of there performance, particularly in the second half.

MOTM – Kieran Lane, for an outstanding performance in the midfield

DOTD – Max Heaphy, primarily for not bringing Jim the Squirrel with him!

Mens 4th XI 1-3 Rugby & EW 4th XI

Goals: Chris Godman

Although the 4s were beaten last week the team were happy to be back on
home turf and ready to make ammends. After some creative warm up techniques from the excitable Gary ‘Mr Motivator Patterson it was on with the job in hand.

Now as soon as the whistle sounded for the start of the match Saints somehow managed to put themselves into sleep mode as within no more than two minutes Rugby strung 5 passes together and played the ball into the back of the Saints net. They then realised where they were and what was going on and started to rebuild and block Rugbys advances. The game sat at 1-0 right through until 15 minutes into the second half where through sheer frustration the ‘Stealth like, Stick Like Godman’ forced has way through from the left side of the D beating 3 players, finding himself at the top
of the D to rifle a shot past the Rugby defenders and Keeper.

The game now sat in the balance and although Saints had some new found confidence and played the ball around with conviction, this only lasted for 3-4 minutes as another ‘LA LA land’ moment allowed a Rugby striker with a one on one with Lord Bashford to slip a ball through his legs into the waiting goal.
To the round a dismal grey day off the unfortunate Tom Shaggy Whiteman
was mugged at the top of the D to allow another one on one for Rugby to
finish the game 3-1 winners.
Saints 4s need to go back to the drawing board and rethink tactics and look at
wether they want to compete at this next level.

MOTM: James Ruse for sturn like determination.
DOTD: The whole saints 4th team for just not turning up.

Leicester5th XI 1-2 Mens 5th XI

Scorers; Rob Cary, Luke Pibworth

Phil Preen (GK), Grant Stevens, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Aidan Walker, Jon Keep, Joe Cliffe, David Henry (C), Marcus Spencer-Brown, Rob Cary, Luke Pibworth, Ed Arnold, Adam Shepherd

Attendance; 5

Tea; Curry and Poppadums (No, they weren’t crisps, Luke).

In the news; Red Sludge Reaches the Danube.

Furry Friend Wins the Day

Another hard game and another extremely well-battled victory for recently-promoted Saints V. It looked as if the visitors were at last going to be found out as Leicester’s skilful players put Saints under pressure from the start.

But some excellent defending from the back four kept the whites in the game and eventually Saints hauled themselves back into contention. At last they began to move for each other off the ball and started to make the opposition do some of the running. Rob Cary went close with a powerful flick being deflected over the bar and onto the neighbouring pitch. And another fine save from the Leicester keeper meant he was keeping them in the game.

0-0 at half-time, and it was all still to play for.

Saints at last opened the scoring in the second half with a move down the right involving Joe Cliffe and Ed Arnold, culminating in Luke Pibworth’s third goal of the season.

It wasn’t long though before Leicester equalised after a high velocity goal-mouth scramble.

But Saints kept up the pressure. A run of five short corners and only Jon Keep’s injection ability kept the visitors from scoring.

Enter Callum “Ferret-Nutter” Scott-Collins. Despite his nastily bruised finger, Scott-Collins set off on another trade mark run into the heart of enemy territory. Leicester’s defence was thrown into panic by the visitors’ secret weapon and as their full back kicked it towards his own keeper, Cary gratefully gobbled up the loose ball and put into the back of the net.

At last, the final whistle and Saints went home victorious, via the pub.

MOTM; Callum Scott-Collins

DOTD; Luke Pibworth

NorthamptonBadgers 0-4 Welford

After a very quick goal from Welford, Northampton played very defensively throughout the first half, but Welford still managed to break the defence before scoring for the second time in the first half. Northampton had two opportunities to score but, despite the ball entering the goal, they were disallowed. The first was for the Northampton shooter was just outside of the D, the second chance came from a penalty corner. With Alexander Rose taking a powerful hit at goal, this was demonstrated after it had hit Welford’s defender and therefore being too high.

In the second half Northampton fought back hard, with Tom Wightman making many attempts to shift the ball into the D. But Welford’s defense remained unbreakable, allowing them to steadily rack up their goal tally. One last goal by Welford in the final minutes of the game sealed the deal. Leaving a disappointed Northampton with a final score of Northampton 0 – 4 Welford.

NorthamptonLions 4-1 Long Buckby

Goals: Tim Warburton, Gregory Summers (2), Jeremy Wan

Northamptonwent a goal down in the first 15 minutes to a rather controversial goal, however pulled it back straight from the restart with Tim Warburton scoring the equaliser. Not long after, Gregory Summers put Northampton ahead with a cracking reverse shot sending Northampton into the break 2-1 up. Northampton were straight back on it in the second half and Jeremy Wan yet again scoring from a penalty corner! With five minutes to goGregory Summers sealed the victory with a sensational goal set up by a great run down the right wing from Anthony Condon.

Final Score: Long Buckby 1 – Northampton Lions 4

MOTM: Gregory Summers

Match Reports from 16th & 17th October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:42:02 +0100

Ladies 4th XI 2-1 Towcester 3rd XI

Goals: Alice Kilner, Lou

Well , What can I say but we won!! And it was thoroughly deserved. The midfield of Alice Kilner, Hannah, Becky Mellor and Mizzy were sterling, constantly driving and never giving up.

The Forwards this week were passionate, Sophie, Nadine, Annie and Lou Harte.

Alice Kilner’sgoal was glorious ,Lou’s put us in the lead and left Towcester scrabbling.

I’m glad to say I (Sue Wightman) had nothing to do this week, as thedefencewas solid with Becky Mellor and Rose Brewhill.

A big thank you to Alice Kilner for helping the 4s this week, you are always welcome!

MOTM: Hannah - whose legs never gave up!

Boots 1st XI 2 – 1 Ladies 1st XI

Goals: Lucy Ann Chacksfield

Saints got off to a lethargic start. Despite having a lot of possession, they failed to score. Boots took advantage of a lapse in defence and scored from free play, putting the ball in the far corner. This did not help Saints to wake up, and gave Boots extra energy to press. A series of short corners followed, with some excellent goal keeping from Abi Fitzgerald. On one of them the Saints defenders were slow reacting to a save after a straight strike, leaving the Boots forwards free to pick up the ball and score their 2nd goal.

After strong words at half time, Saints played an improved second half, gaining the majority of possession. Continued pressure on the Boots' defence resulted in a number of short corners for Saints. Lucy Ann Chacksfield stepped up to the task and managed to put a straight strike behind the Boots goal keeper. Saints kept pushing for a draw but failed to equalise, despite a number of chances.

Woman of the Match: Abi Fitzgerald- great saves won her this award

Dick of the day: Sarah Cosford- for forgetting her skirt and then having to play in Gavin's shorts

Ladies 2s 1-5 Derby Asterdale

Goals: Ferne Sanders

Northamptonladies 2’s took on top of the table Derby Asterdale last weekend. From the off Northampton were defending and due to some unfortunate defensive errors by Katie Barnetson that left Claire Leech in goal with little chance of saving, Northampton were a goal down in the opening minutes of this encounter. A short corner was conceded shortly after the re-start and Northampton were 2-0 down inside the first 10 minutes.

Some good defensive work from Sally Alden and Ferne Sanders steadied the ship, until just before half time when again, after some defensive pressure another goal was conceded.

After half time Northampton displayed some slick passing and great interplay which led to a well deserved short corner, converted by man of the match Tara Doyle. For some time after, Northampton saints showed promise and had a Derby team rattled at the back, however the team were unable to capitalise on this pressure.

Some good forward play by Courtney Thorpe and Emma Matthews was met by a strong Derby defence. Mid way through the second half derby scored after a catalogue of errors from defence and midfield and the win was completed at the stroke of full time by another converted short corner.

Mens 3rd XI 2-1 Nottingham University 3rd XI

Goals: Si Ellison, Dan Rose

Saints 3's less their skipper on 2's duty at Leek faced a stern test from Nottingham Uni, the side that had piped them to the championship title last season.

And so it was. The first 15 minutes were evenly matched in terms of possession, but the University boys looked most likely to score. The 15 minutes that followed was even tighter, with Saints chasing shadows, and unable to get hold of the ball, and if it was not for 3 or 4 inspirational saves from M-O-M Scott Bashford Saints could have been 2 or 3 goals down. The only success that Saints were able to enjoy was down the flanks with Sean Henry and Andy Smith providing the pressure.

As the half progressed It seemed likely that the score line would be 0-0 at half time, an injustice to the play and possession from the students, then with 2 minutes to go, a sharp Saints move down the left found Dan Rose in just a little space, and he was able to wriggle along the bye line, coming perilously close to working the ball out of play, before his final pass to the P spot was calmly swept into the empty net by Si Ellison. Half time 1-0 but with a lot of hard work ahead.

Stand in skipper Nigel Down decided to juggle the midfield for the second half, switching Henry to the left and dropping Brimyard from the attack to the right flank. This allowed Andy Smith to move into the centre of midfield to work alongside the tireless McIllwaine, with the instruction to "run at them" and the intention of pushing the Uni midfield deeper.
This semed to have back fired within 2 minutes of the restart as the Uni boys got the goal they deserved and drew level with a neat deflection.
However as the half progressed, Saints found more and more space and the chances started to come. At the other end the backline of Jason Hillier and Simon Stringer who had an assured game after returning to competition after a 6 week lay off with a back injury, Keiran Lane and Danny Whitfield started to get to grips with the Uni attackers, and were able to move the game further up the pitch, Stringer and Hillier even finding time to join the attack on occasions!

The break Saints were looking for came 10 minutes before time when Andy Smith, who had a fine game throughout, picked the pocket of his opposite number in midfield and his pinpoint pass was collected and taken past the advancing Uni goalie by Rose, and he was able to watch the ball run into the empty net. This was a just reward for his hard work during the game. Saints then slowed the game down, and "shut up shop" to hold on for a valuable 3 points in this tough league. It proves hard work can get results, and this was a good team performance.
Next week will be an equally challenging trip to top of the table Leek.

MOTM: Scott Bashford

Mens 5th XI 2-1 West Bridgford

Scorers:Rob Cary (PC), Tom Dysko (PC)

Attendance:4

Tea:Sausages, chips and beans.

In the news:Scientists discover a new kind of snail fish in the Peru-Chile trench of the Pacific Ocean.

Déjà vu

The fives juggernaut rumbles on as yet another South East Midland rival succumbs to a 2-1 scoreline.

Fired up by Joe Cliffe and Adam Shepherd’s x-rated art work in the pre-match huddle, Saints set off at a scintillating pace as erstwhile right-back Cliffe and the speedy Tom Dysko skinned the opposition on the right wing to set up a short corner to be clinically despatched by the Polish marauder.

And the home team’s exhaustive penalty corner drilling paid off again minutes later as Rob Cary made it 2-0 with a powerful flick from Saints’ second short of the game.

David Henryshould have made it three before the break, but as he himself admitted, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. And that proved to be the case as he took half an hour to get his feet round the ball instead of just shooting on the reverse like any of his many young sons would have done. In the end he just got tackled.

The half time team talk featured Cary’s instructions not to let a goal in and put ourselves under pressure for the last 20 minutes of the game.

Which is exactly what happened! Just as the home team’s back four sat back to stop Steve Morris from getting lonely, the visitors bundled in a short corner of their own, mid-way through the second half.

Indeed, if it were not for Cliffe’s heroic goal-line save moments earlier, Saints would have been looking at a disappointing draw.

Carydid his best to get another goal (in the absence of any meaningful contribution from Luke Pibworth), almost accelerating to a canter at one point, but perhaps he should have passed, “the bl**dy ball”, to Dysko, who started to cry.

Not that Dysko was completely free of blame. In fact he was lucky not to get DOD for a truly outstanding miss, as he took it so far past the keeper that by the time he got his shot off the ball had eroded into a microscopic pebble which dribbled past the side of the goal.

Anyway, with half the team on a duvet day next Saturday, it is fortuitous that Saints have another home game against West Bridgford’s second string team in this division coming up.

MOTM: Rob Cary

DOTD: Luke Pibworth

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Aidan Walker, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Joe Cliffe, Jon Keep, David Henry (C), Adam Shepherd, Tom Dysko, Rob Cary, Luke Pibworth

Mens 6thXI 1-3 Rugby and East Warwickshire 7th XI

Goal Scorers: Will Gamble

Note: Anyone struggling with understanding the following needs to use the 80s dictionary. It is the 80s week…

We were short of players. Dermot “flamer” Cassidy had been haggling at the team selection on Tuesday and we were short. We had to get some 80s cats. We needed to get with the lingo and get down with the Badgers and get 11 players out there. Basically, Dermot had a problem and no-one could help him…maybe he shoulda called….the 6thTeam…

In a world made of steel …made of….stone…da da dada dun dad a…

Ross “buppie” McLean sportin’ his leg warmers and possibly a new skitch was the first to deliver. Off a controversial decision, his goal was dissed but the opening exchanges looked like it was going to go the way of the Fighting Sixes.

In the beginning of the game the F6s made some fantabulous runs and many chances were lost until Will “spiffy” Gamble prevented a goal, ran the length of the field (without any support), beat some huge, enormous, and possibly quite large defenders, crossed the chasm of sheer death and slotted the goal in to put us up. It was most triumphant and most excellent!!

But, the pressure became too much for the steely defenders and midfield. Jeremy “mondo” Wan tried his hardest and together with Sam “tagging“Russell tried to repel the attacks. Karl “joanie” Flowers and Ed “Diesel” Holt could not keep out 2 of Rugby’s short corners.

At half time Dermot kirked out and some say that one of the F6s may have done a little wee in fear. But he was heard to say: “Cowabunga dude, surfs up!” We were confident we could make it back. Karl was norvilling the umpire to try and get some decisions, but nothing was going our way. Nigel “tinkerbilly“Riches felt like he had been given a swirly and he was sporting a calf injury and had to go off. Tim “gamer” Warburton had to replace Nigel and tried on several occasions to put in the many good crosses to no avail.

Rob "Bitch'n" Tee made some trippin’ runs and was even heard to say: “See ya later, Pop. Whooo, time to change that oil.” Owen “trunkicular” Jones also had an awesome game, linked up well with Anthony “in the mix“Condon and repelled some very good attacks, but it wasn’t enough to let the last goal in. 3-1. We had lost…it was mung.

Dermot collected all the chicken at the clubhouse and after a freddy then returned to Moulton for Ed to bounce another game.

Grindage: Fun Dip, Nerds, Pop Rocks and Pixie Sticks

MOTM: Jeremy Wan (radical defending) AND Sam Russell (dag spanky midfield play)

DOTD: Ross McLean (Aerials off the park)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Ed Holt (GK); Karl Flowers; Sam Russell; Nigel Riches; Tim Warburton; Jeremy Wan; Will Gamble; Anthony Condon; Ross McLean, Rob Tee.

Northampton “Lions” Badgers 3-2 Rugby and East Warwick

Goals: Tim Warburton (2), Jacob Price

Northampton arrived at Rugby’s home ground ready for a good game, and right from the start it seemed like Northampton were in control with great passing play between Jacob Price, Tim Warburton and Anthony Condon leading to a goal from Tim Warburton. Northampton’s second goal was a spectacular diving goal, with Jacob Price throwing himself at the floor to knock the ball in. Tim Warburton then scored his second goal after a pass coming in and drawing the opposition keeper away from him, leaving Tim with an open goal. During the second half Rugby fought back, resulting in a well earned goal. But Connor Wright shone through the rest as a brilliant defender, rarely letting a player past him, but in the last moments of the game Rugby pulled another goal back leaving the final score,

MOTM: Connor Wright

Northampton “Saints” Badgers 1-1 Daventry

Goals: Cade Jenkins

Northamptonplayed Daventry for the first time this season and started strong, with Cade Jenkins getting an early top-D goal. But after that great start the game became a very even affair with possession often switching between the two teams. Daventry had many breaks towards the Northampton goal but Mike Joyce was solid in defence letting very few runs past him. There were many great turnovers in the midfield due to Emily Kilner’s ability to take on players twice her size, but Northampton never got the perfect chance to add to their total, and Daventry capitalised on this by getting on goal in the last 10 minutes of the game, leaving the final score at

MOTM: Emily Kilner

Junior Training - Half Term Dates

Matt Gausden — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:32:18 +0100

Dear Parents and Players,

The following information concerning Badgers Hockey and Junior Training activities, is applicable over the October Half Term Period:

Saturday 23 October 2010:

9.00 - 10.30am Junior Training at Moulton Sports Complex Pitch.

Badgers Matches - No Matches Scheduled

Tuesday 26 October 2010:

Junior Training - No Junior Training (Half Term)

Saturday 30 October 2010:

Junior Training - No Junior Training (Half Term)

Badgers Matches - No Matches Scheduled

Tuesday 2 November 2010:

6.00 - 7.30pm Junior Training at Moulton Sports Complex Pitch.

Saturday 6 November 2010:

9.00 - 10.30am Junior Training at Moulton Sports Complex Pitch.

Badgers Matches - Badgers League Matches Scheduled. Details to follow by separate email.

Match Reports from 23rd October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:19:59 +0100

Mens 1st XI 4 -3 Melton

Goals: Ben Scott (2), Dave Saunders (2)

The trials and tribulations of the half-court press

Saints came into this game on the back of three wins and so confidence was rightly high. Melton, however, were bottom of the league with zero points. All the signs pointed to a comfortable Saints victory. That was not to be the case...

The first half was dire. To be honest the less said the better. The only moments worthy of a mention were Captain Ben Scott scoring another decent drag flick, Ian Cooper getting green carded for a pathetic act of petulance and Melton scoring a sloppy break-away goal. 1-1 was not what Saints had expected.

The half time talk was focussed on not letting Melton drag Saints down to their level. Everyone agreed that there was plenty to come from Saints in the second half.

Within moments of the restart Saints were 2-1 down. The back four were not having one of their strongest games (and that is being generous –details to follow). Unfortunately the ball was being turned over far too often, and as Melton were playing a half court press there really was no excuse for the number of unforced errors. The defence was not solely to blame for the insipid display however. Everyone seemed off the pace for some reason, perhaps complacency was to blame.

Unfortunately things were to get worse for Saints. More defensive errors led to Guy Roberts being left chasing back to try and thwart a one on one. Instead of trying to play the ball he simply swung his stick through the legs of the Melton forward and took him down. A yellow card was very much deserved. Thankfully Melton did not capitalise from the ensuing short corner. With Saints down to 10 men they seemed to create a bit more up front but still could not get a goal. Then, not wanting to be outdone by Roberts, Ross ‘De-Jong’ Wickens decided to give Melton a chance from the penalty spot. Again with a man through on goal Wickens decided the best way to bring the play to an end was to lunge two-footed from behind at the forward. It would have been a red card in most other sports but for some reason no card whatsoever was given. Melton scored the flick, 3-1.

Saints were reeling, even coach Lars Prevo was struggling to hold it together. Luckily for everyone involved Alex Press was on hand as acting assistant coach to make some vital calls. Almost immediately after some Press wisdom Ben Scott scored his second drag flick of the game. But then he recklessly got himself sent off for not retreating 5 yards from a free hit. Saints were down to 9 men and looking like they were in real danger of being embarrassed. Everyone seemed flat and looked like they were waiting for someone else to spark the turn around. Thankfully Dave Saunders decided he had had enough of losing games and stepped up. His two goals in 5 minutes were two of real quality. The first, a brave finish nipping in before the keeper wiped him out and his second, a speedy run preceded a deft finish which again left the keeper floundering. Melton were suddenly silenced as Joe Colantonio led the celebrations.

Saints had bagged the three points but will know that to get anymore they will have to put in more effort and raise their game in all areas.

Mens 2nd XI 4-3 Olton & WW

Goals: Lloyd Atkinson (2), James Knibb, Christian ‘Paddy’ Howard

Saints travelled up to Olton with 12 men and ‘Biscuit boy’ Christian ‘Paddy’ Howard. It was going to be a tough test as Saints finished a close second behind Olton last year in Midlands 1.

The game got off to a blistering start with Saints dominating the game pressing high in the Olton half, within 10 Minutes Athiq Thamby broke from Midfield and found himself in the Olton D crossed the ball to Lloyd Atkinson who slotted the ball home 1-0 saints.

Saints continued to dominate the game and quickly rewarded with a penalty corner, all the practice on Thursdays had paid off a perfectly executed drag and stop allow Lloyd Atkinson enough time to nicely slot the ball in the goal 2 – 0 Saints.

Saints began to take their foot off the pedal and allowed for Olton to start pressing forward they were rewarded with a goal after an unlucky defensive error 2-1.

Just before the end of the first half Saints got a short corner and it was the turn of James Knibb to step up “Please can I have a go, I practice every night”. He dragged the ball top left, a fantastic goal 3 -1 Saints.

Second half started and within 30 seconds Olton walked in to the D and scored 3-2 we needed to wake up!!!

The game continued with Olton pressing hard and really working the defence ragged, but some how managed to soak up the pressure with some last ditch efforts from the Two Bens (Northedge and Stephenson) and Simon Stringer.

Fortunately Saints broke with an impressive walk out from Lewis Ward to the forwards, a selfless pass from Andy Smith allowed for Paddy Howard to slot the ball home 4-2 Saints.

Olton didn’t give up and proved they could still damage us they took a well worked penalty corner but it was too late and Saints ended up winning 4-3.

Points of note:

Paddy was ridiculously late for the meet, leading to half his time having to break the speed limit to get to the game on time!
James Knibbs for stropping because he couldn’t take the second PC.
James Knibbs for taking out an opponent, going off "injured", then played mixed at 6pm!
Andy Smithfor missing a sitter in the 2nd half.
Grant Carlin for poorly translating what Athiq told him in the warm up.

MOTM – Lewis Ward – for an impressive display at right back

DOTD – Andy Smith – for not 1 but 2 sitters!!

Mens 3rd XI 1-9 Leek

Goals: Sean Henry

Travelling to top of the table Leek (2 hours) without their Skipper, and without Jim the Squirrel should have been omen enough for the match to come.
Thanks must go to all who did travel, especially Andy Dale, Ali Rose, Hugo Day and Tom Whiteman who stepped up from the 4's. The game set off at a hectic pace, with the home side looking comfortable on the ball and clearly a settled and experienced team. Saints on the other hand played the first 35 minutes like strangers, and gave the ball to their opponents far too easily. The grateful Leek midfield and forwards took full advantage, and although there was some doubt about their opener, the 6 that followed were for the most part well constructed and taken.
The second half was all about pride, and although saving the game was beyond reach, Saints played much better as a team and were rewarded with a goal by Sean Henry in between 3 more from Leek.

Mens 4th XI 2-1 North Notts

Gary Paterson, Ant Czaicki

Saints 4’s arrived at Mansfield “unprepared” without the customary whiteboard, but set forth to the job in hand with another warm up from the school of Gary Patterson, with Ant telling some more of his poor jokes.

As soon as the whistle sounded saints were straight on the money and looked good enough for the job in hand. Saints dominated the first half with many attacking moves across the majority of the pitch, with some great link up play between Max Darby and Chris Brimyard upfront, the chances kept coming and going. With the last missed deflection on his mind, Chris Brimyard missed ¾ of the goal on a diving reverse after great build up play from Max.

After some epically failed aerials from Ant Czaicki, Saints great play was finally rewarded late in the first half from a penalty corner converted by the great clean strike from Gary Paterson. Saints went in at half time with a clean sheet thanks to great defensive efforts from the saints’ backline.

After a motivation speech and a lovely girlish cheer from Max Darby, Saints were ready to go for the second half.

After a great burst of energy from saints at the start of the second half they were then pinned slightly onto the back foot with the opposition having some decent efforts but nothing good enough to beat the saints shot stopper Phil Preen who was well up for the challenge.

After some good counter attacking from the saints forward line they were sent back onto the back foot again, this time with the Saints backline being unusually penetrated and the shot to good for the Saints keeper.

This goal sent saints even hungrier for their second goal and what would be the winner, after a great load of pressure and attacking possession, saints were finally rewarded with a penalty corner. With the first effort being failed they instantly won another, this time with Czaicki pushing the ball straight down the middle through the confused keepers legs and into the goal.

Shortly after, the final whistle was blown and saints were rewarded for a great all round performance from the team.

Man of the match: Sam Bigley

Dick of the day: Chris Brimyard

Mens 5th XI 3-0 West Bridgford VII

Scorers; Tom Dysko, David Henry 2

Attendance; 8

Tea; Sausage, chips and beans.

In the news; Frenchiesstill striking on the streets of Paris.

Riders on the Storm

West Bridgford’s second visit to Northampton saw them take on the combined elemental might of Saints Vs and The Great Storm of October 2010.

Some would argue the weather was Saints’ twelfth man on Saturday. Some would argue the home team got away with a lazy foot on the goal line. Indeed, some would argue that was the turning point of the game. But no! As Jon Keep concisely put it, “It was the three goals we scored that were the turning point of the game”.

Indeed it was. Saints Vs again proved they’ve developed some real backbone in addition to their strong team spirit, and despite fielding a depleted side this week, the team in black once again brushed aside a strong opposition.

Buoyed by the temporary bolstering in midfield of Joe and Max Russell (who both played stormers), and in defence by Jon Holland, Saints took the game to a grass-hockey-playing West Bridgford.

Tom Dysko opened the scoring, picking up on a fine move by Ed Arnold and Steve Morris to nutmeg the keeper.

Dysko was again involved in the second, crossing for David Henry to bundle the ball over the line.

The heavens opened just before half time, but Saints kept up the pressure. A third goal in the second half – another Henry bundle from an Arnold cross – put the game beyond West Bridgford’s reach, and they were reduced to questioning Captain Henry’s morals.

Immoral he may be, but his team has proven they can win the ugly games too.

After the game, Arnold was presented the Luke Pibworth award for missing more goals in one game than a Frenchman’s string of onions.

MOTM: David Henry

DOTD: Ed Arnold

Ed Holt (GK), Grant Stevens, Steve Morris, Jon Holland, Joe Cliffe, Jon Keep, Joe Russell, Max Russell, Tom Dysko, Ed Arnold, David Henry (C)

Ladies 1st XI 3-0 Matlock

Goal scorers: Amie Hone (2), Lisa Coe

Saints had a strong start putting pressure on Matlock's defence, however Saints were unable to penetrate the 'D' and score any goals. Just before half time Saints had a series of short corners and as the whistle blew for half time a penalty corner was converted by Amie Hone who pounced on a ball that rebounded off the keeper.

Saints got off to a good start immediately in the 2nd half with two early goals. One from Amie Hone after an excellent one on one with the keeper and the second from Lisa Coe which came from a good pass by Jess Lovell to Lisa Coe who swept the ball into the net (attempt no.2 at this).

Saints lost concentration for a short period and Matlock gained a short corner that narrowly missed the right post. A small blip from Lottie Tulley unfortunately saw her yellow carded after stopping the ball with the back of her stick. Saints then picked up concentration again, finishing stongly and gaining a well deserved win.

Player of Match: Amie Hone
Dick of Day: Lottie Tulley

Ladies 2nd XI 3-1 Beeston

Goals: CJ Thompson, Ellie Bleech, Caz Whitehouse

Saturdays game was against a young Beeston side who were also eager to get some points on the board. Saints fielded a slightly changed side and a new formation. From the push back saints were dominant and some great forward play from Molly Ogden and CJ Thompson soon led to Saints first goal, where CJ showed great skill to turn the keeper and score. Saints second goal was a result of some great passing from a confident saints side, slick passing from Caz Whitehouse and Tara Doyle found Ellie Bleech free in the D to sweep into the goal from an acute angle.

Beeston broke forward and tested the defence with some quick passing and were rewarded when they played the ball past an advancing Claire Leach. For a short while afterwards a new look defence withstood some pressure from a more confident Beeston, but Ferne Sanders andClaire Dale worked well to maintain the score line.

After the break Saints continued to progress up the pitch with good running and passing moves from Ness Kingston and Clare Noble. The game was soon put beyond the reach of Beeston whenCaz Whitehouse swept the ball reverse stick past the keeper in spectacular style to seal the victory. A confident team performance all round with special mention to man of the match, Tara Doyle and dick of the day being awarded to Caz Whithouse for her spectacular misses!!

Ladies day

Claire Baker — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:53:22 +0100

Ladies from any of the teams, including badgers, juniors and mixed, can come along to Moulton School pitch at 9.45 ready to start at 10am. Games will be just 10 or 15 minutes long, so there will be lots of short breaks to get your breath back and prepare for the next game.

Please bring both Black kit and White kit.

The cost will be £7.00 (to include teas).

If you are planning to come along, please let your captain know or text Claire Baker on 07742 892508, telling me your name.

Look forward to seeing all the ladies from the club on Saturday 30.10.2010

Annual Subs due 31st October!

Matt Gausden — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:40:17 +0100

All senior club members,

Don't forget your annual subs are due this coming weekend. Failure to pay this weekend will result in a £20 penalty.

Amount due this weekend is:

£120 for adults

£80 for students/U18

How Can I pay my Subs?

To ensure all money can be traced, annual subs must be paid by cheque or by bank transfer. Cheques are made payable to ‘NSHC’. You can pay these in with your match fees on a Saturday.

The club bank details are as follows:

Account Name: Northampton Saints Hockey Club
Sort Code: 40-35-04
Account No.: 42057395

Match Reports from 30th October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:44:06 +0000

Mens 1st XI 0-3 Rugby and East Warwick

Saints fine run of form came to an abrupt end in this very one sided game, as Saints put in one of there worst performances of the season to resulting in a 3-0 defeat. The result still leaves them in mid-table in the Ener-G Midlands Premier Division with all to play for.

Mens 2nd XI 3-4 Loughborough Students 2nd XI

The pre-match talk was all about putting the Students under some early pressure. And this was exactly what Saints as the Pound Lane side raced into a well deserved 2-0 lead with goals from Liam Cassidy and Lloyd Atkinson. Further chances went begging as Saints controlled the half. Moments before half-time and Saints switched off allowing the Students a goal from a short corner.

The second half started as badly as the first half finished, as 3 goals were conceded within the first fifteen minutes. With a sudden realisation that all was to play for, Saints stepped up a gear, and like the first-half they dominated the rest of the game, unfortunately all they had to show for there efforts was an Andy Smith strike moments before the end.

Comedy moments from the day/previous week:

Liam Cassidy for missing an open goal, and then blaming James Askew for the bad pass!
Lewis Ward for his power nap at training
Athiq and Knibb's for there 'Diva' tantrums
Athiq for passing out after training (Man up!!)!

MOTM: Phil Preen - cat like reaction saves in goal

DOTD: Liam Cassidy - for reasons mentioned above!

Squad: Phil Preen, Simon Stringer, Kyle Taylor, Ben Stephenson, Pete Riches, Lewis Ward, Matt Gausden, Grant Carlin, Lloyd Atkinson, Andy Smith, James Askew, Liam Cassidy, James Knibb, George Mellor, Athiq Thamby, Christian Howard

Mens 3rd XI 4-2 Rugby and East Warwick

Goals: Jon Noble (pc), Czaicki, Brimyard (2)

This last weekend saw Saints welcome Rugby and East Warwick for what was to be a vitally important game following a tough away game at Leek the previous weekend, with both teams needing a win to inject some momentum back into their season.

The game started brightly for Saints with a good deal of possession and they found themselves moving the ball around confidently and with purpose. However after 15 minutes of play Saints took their foot of the pedal and allowed Rugby more and more possession, culminating in the hosts’ goal being placed under more and more pressure. Rugby though for all their possession couldn’t convert and actually looked more dangerous on the counter attack. It wasn’t long thereafter when one of their players found himself unmarked at the back post for a simple tap in over the keeper. The visitors then scored again, with Saints in a state of shock to make the score 2-0 at half time.

At half time there were a few choice words about the performance thus far, however the overriding feeling that a bit of patience, plus a bit more intensity from everyone would see some goals in the second half.

Sure enough the second period started brightly, and as in the throes of the first half the hosts controlled the game and really placed the Rugby defence under some pressure. This ultimately paid off when Noble stepped up and slotted a fine shot home to the keeper’s right from a penalty corner. Czaicki then placed the ball low to the keepers left following a well worked routine in to bring the scores level. Saints then stepped up a level, with the visitors seeing very little of the ball, and with the hosts camped in the Rugby half it wasn’t long before Brimyard found himself in the circle to slot home a fine reverse stick shot past the keeper for his first goal of the season, shortly followed by his second, a thunderous drag flick to the keepers left from a penalty corner.

With the score at 4-2 the game was by no means over, with Rugby always looking threatening on the break down the right hand side. Despite the last minute drama of a Rugby resurgence and accompanying penalty corner, Saints held on for the win to remain unbeaten at home thus far this season.

MOTM: Chris Brimyard. Had a very strong, committed game up front leading to two well taken goals.

DOTD: Kieran Lane. Unfortunately colluding to spoil the DOTD vote against Macca for his new pumps and flash new mobile ultimately led to his downfall...

Squad: Scott Bashford, James Miller, Jason Hillier, Danny Whitfield, Matt Wilde, Nigel Down, Ian McIlwaine, Jonno Noble, Sean Henry, Max Heaphy, Kieran Lane, Ant Czaicki, Chris Brimyard, Dan Rose

Mens 5th XI 4-0 Boots

Scorers: Steve Morris (2), Rob Cary, Dave Henry

Dave Henry’smerry band of men travelled to Nottingham with a 100% winning record to defend. Due to a sat nav mishap the team caught the sites of Maid Marion Way and the Robin Hood shop on the long route toBoots’ ground, an error that seemed certain to earn Henry DOTD before an arrow had been fired in anger.

Having assembled the troops and discussed battle tactics the game commenced (but only after‘LittleJon’ Keep received extra instruction as to which was the left side of the battle ground). For once Tom Dysko, Grant Stevens and Marcus Spencer-Brown turned up for battle without their green tights, but their axes had been sharpened and were used well during theskirmish.

The first half was an even affair with the Saints defence absorbing the initial boots cavalry charges. Good work by the Saints midfield and attack saw some consistent pressure as the chinks in the opposition’s armour were discovered and then exploited. The first half ended with a 1-0 advantage following a short corner strike from Morris that flew, straight as an arrow, ina blur of colour. Dave‘Robin Hood’ Henrywithdrew his troops on the half time whistle where refreshments of mead were taken on by all but Ed‘Maid Marion’ Holt, who seemed to have brought his own‘special sample’ to consume.

The second half saw the saints up the pressure with a well worked (according to Ed) short corner between Ed Arnold and Steve Morris doubling the lead before Rob‘Friar Tuck’ Carycoolly slotted in a penalty flick for the third. Some great goal line defending from Callum Scott-Collins and Ed‘MaidMarion’ Holtensured the Saints maintained a clean sheet. Maid Marion however clearly over did the half time refreshments and had to take a nap in the second half. Whilst laying prone on the goal line Boots mounted an attack that the saints were luckyto escape from– an incident that rightly won Maid Marion DOTD. With the battle won there was still time for Robin Hood to slot in a fourth goal following good work down the right hand side.

A great win despite the Sheriff of Nottingham coming close to capturing Little Jon, Maid Marian and Aidan Walker during the battle......

Man of the match went to Callum Scott-Collins for some great defending.

Mens 6th XI 2-1 Warwick 5th XI (Home)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Rob Tee (GK); KF&DB; DanB; Rob O’Donnell; DanB; Karl McGregor; Jeremy Wan; Tim Warburton; Owen Jones; Ross McLean; Luke Pibworth; Dan Burge and James Ruse.

Goal Scorers: Tim Warburton and Dermot Cassidy

Kings, Castles and Gruel

The battle started with rousing words from Dan “Scullery Maid” Burge: “No sacrifice, no victory” and “What we do in life echoes in eternity” and “This jock itch is the worst I have ever had.” The last one might have been as the megaphone was still on. The F6s quickly bristled into their new 3-2-3-2 formation like a hedgehog on Viagra and from the whistle went all out offensive. After several exchanges, Saints were rewarded with a blistering gallop up the left by Dan who linked up a square delivery with Karl “Wizard’s Sleeve” Flowers, who cannoned a shot into Tim “Town Crier” Warburton, who breached the ramparts. With elation, we were ahead.

The play at times was sloppy and Scrappy, some would say related to Doo. Shaggy was the only one missing which is maybe why Monsters Inc. could have done better. Rob “Gatekeeper” Tee brandishing Excalibur did a magnificent job of keeping us in the game with several excellent saves. The dying seconds of the first half saw Owen “Offa” Jones get struck on the finger resulting in some time off.

At half time, Dermot "Executioner" Cassidy after a visit to the garderobe, felt buoyed up and encouraged us to keep a tighter structure and to keep the fast moving pace.

The second half saw more structured play from Warwick and a number of incidents resulted from this. Jeremy “Friar” Wan had to do some valiant defending as the majority of their strikes took place up their right. Dan Burge was injured to the extent that it required first aid and had to depart the field of battle.

Ross “Eunuch” McLean had to do some serious running to keep Saints in the game and we were rewarded with a centre play from Flowers finding Luke “Charlemagne” Pibworth’s stick that deflected it to Dermot. Dermot, known to fire off a quick one, drilled the winner home. Someone was heard to say: “OMG! Dermot scored, that hasn’t happened since those lookers in the kebab shop on Saturday”

The last 20 minutes saw the Saints dominate and the back three repelled many invasions across the barricades. Rob “the Bruce” O’Donnell, Karl “Beefeater” McGregor and James “Nearly Headless” Ruse did some excellent defending and counterstriking, but it was not enough to keep out a short corner which was very professionally put away.

As we disappeared into the Ladies change rooms we felt slightly deflated that we couldn’t shower there. There was only one shower and it wasn’t working. So we resigned to retire into Slimming world for post match teas…

Teas: Tepid chilli con carne gruel with lightly defrosted, stale, gluten-rich naan and mead

MOTM: Rob Tee (Finally in the correct amount of padding for his own safety)

DOTD: Tim Warburton (Talking on the phone in game)

Calling all Men - It's MOVEMBER Time!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:03:57 +0000

We've started a Movember Northampton Hockey team. If you want to join in, click on the below link:

http://www.facebook.com/l/581d6SCnO4X2xUvUMC3e33dty7Q;uk.movember.com/mospace/922496/

Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. It's to help raise awareness and funds for the number one cancer affecting men – prostate cancer. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.

Maybe with a bit of luck, you can grow a fine moustache like Magnum P.I.!!!

Match Reports from 6th and 7th November

Matt Gausden — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:45:07 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 4 - 1 Leicester Ladies 2's

Scorers: Amie Hone (2), Lottie Tulley, Fran Lee

After a closely fought first ten minutes, Saints upped there game to dominate possession, a well worked ball from Fran Lee resulted in Amie Hone scoring the first goal. After a quick break, and a lapse in defence, Leicester broke through and won a short corner, which they scored creating an equaliser.
The rest of the first half was closely fought, but saints won a shot corner as the halt-time whistle went, which Lucy Ann Chacksfield hit across the goal for Lottie Tulley to put away.
In the second half saints went out dominating most of the play. Fran Lee scored shortly after the opening whistle, from a ball passed in from Emma Cooper off a long corner. After a series of unsuccessful short corners, saints cemented their win with an Amie Hone solo effort, making the final score 4-1 to Saints.

Barton 3-0 Ladies 2nd XI

A confident Saints side took to the field and initially found themselves in ore of a well organised Barton side, however, Saints soon found their feet and where able to compete with some gusto. There were few scoring opportunities from Saints in the first half which is more than can be said for Barton, but unfortunately for them they met an in form Claire Leach who kept goal with some spectacular saves.

The deadlock was broken just before half time which was an unfortunate blow to Saints who battled well, with performances of note from Ellie Bleech and Molly Ogden who defended from the front. Clare Noble made some positive runs forward but was halted by some dubious tackling from the opposition. Barton converted two short corners later on in the half which was an unfortunate blow to a well organised defence with some good performances from Fern Cotton, Claire Dale and Jayne Eyre. Man of the match was awarded to Claire Leech who kept goal in style and Ellie Bleech was awarded DOTD for a graceful fall to the floor!!

U18 Girls 7-5 Nuneaton U18’s Girls

Scorers: Jessica Lovell 3, Ellie Bleech 2, Lottie Tulley 1, Emily Kilner 1

The day started well with everyone arriving on time (including the smelly horses and taekwondo kids), except for Molly Ogden. Even the skies were looking forward to this glorious day to push back our under 18s league campaign.

Newly appointed captain Stephanie Brennan took the team for a warm up, and Jessica Lovell showing her first team class by complaining about the full pitch jog!

Saints had a bright start early on putting pressure on the Nuneaton goal straight from the push back, Ellie Bleech getting in on the end of a ball, and putting Saints 1-0 up, then it was for the maestro from the defence Lovell to slot home from a short corner. Saints were cruising for the victory until the attacking overload backfired, allowing Nuneaton to catch Saints on the break to score. Then it was time for the young guns Emily Kilner to carry on from where Jess left off and slotted home a thunderous short corner.

However Saints didn’t learn from their first mistake and were punished again for pushing too many people forward. Half time was approaching but thankfully Lovell stepped again to show what ever Kilner could do I could also and slammed in yet another short corner, the keeper had no chance.

The second half lacked the same amount of fire as the first half, and unfortunately the same defensive mistakes were made, however it was fortunate that Ella Forsyth was on top form but still Saints let in another goal, again on the break leaving Emma Brennan no chance in goal despite her best efforts.

Still the attacking came to good, and Bleech stepped up on the back post again to tap the ball in again.

But this just gave us false hope as Nuneaton struck back with 2 goals of their own to make the score line 5-5.

So wanting to prove that they had more self belief, Saints started playing some dazzling hockey again and Jessica Lovell and Lottie Tulley ghosting past the defence with lots of help from all of their team mates to score some stunning goals. Score 7-5 job done! Phew!

Captains Pick = Ella Forsyth for her defensive performance.

Managers Pick = Saints U18 team for not giving up and keeping him and the crowd on the edge for 70 minutes!

Squad: Emma Brennan, Ella Forsyth, Alice Kilner, Steph Brennan, Jessica Lovell, Lottie Tulley, Emma Matthews, Ellie Bleech, Emily Kilner, Rosie Barnes, Sophie Cattell, Laura Wygchel, Mia Vincent, Mizzy Haines, Molly Ogden

Mens 2nd XI 1-4 West Bridgford 2nd XI

Goals: Lloyd Atkinson (pc)

Remember boys, it’s a game of 2 halves!!

Preparation for the game was good, despite Liam Cassidy turning up late for the meet! George Mellor spent most of the journey talking about his musical talents with wind instruments!

With the team arriving in plenty of time, the warm consisted of Morris-men dancing throughJames Knibb and Lloyd Atkinson. George Mellor did his best to capture a stray cat to keep as the team’s mascot! Unfortunately he’s just not a magnet for cats…..

The first half was an even affair, both teams passing the ball around nicely, but neither giving anything away in the final third. Needless to say the first half finished 0-0!

The half-time team talk was based around doing the same thing, and our break through would come. And most importantly keep focused for the start of the second half!

The team did this for about 5 minutes, then as in previous games they hit the self destruct button! When the umpire blew for a foul for the opposition, half the Saints team started arguing with the umpire, whilst Bridgford attacked and scored on the counter-attack. Minutes later poor marking and a horrendous stick tackle by Ben Northedge led to a second goal for the opposition!

Saints stepped up a gear after this and got a goal back through a well struck penalty corner from Lloyd Atkinson. Surely Saints were back in it? Well that was until Liam Cassidy stupidly got himself sin-binned for a cynical tackle (DOTD vote secured!). Bridgford got there third goal of the game and it looked as though the game was over, however Saints made a fantastic counter attack, resulting in a great ball being played to the unmarked Andy Smith at the back post. Unfortunately his effort missed the goal and as he threw his stick in anger, he became the second Saints player to see yellow!

With 10 minutes to go Saints threw on an extra forward to try and get back into the game, unfortunately they continuously gave the ball away when in good positions (as they had done for the whole second half!), and Bridgford got there 4th and final goal as they scored from a penalty flick after a lethal stick tackle by Atkinson. Had it not been for some fine saves from keeper Sam Biddle, the score line could have been worse!

Post game, not much to say as half the team disappeared to go back to play mixed!

MOTM:Sam Biddle – 3 top class saves

DOTD:Liam Cassidy – late for the meet, yellow card during the game and he forgot the DOTD outfit as well!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Ben Stephenson, Lewis Ward, Pete Riches, Ben Northedge, Kyle Taylor, Matt Gausden, Lloyd Atkinson (c), Grant Carlin, Athiq Thamby, Liam Cassidy, Andy Smith, James Knibb, George Mellor

Mens 5th XI 5-2 Melton IVs

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Grant Stevens, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Joe Cliffe, Jon Keep, David Henry (C), Gary Patterson, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Tom Dysko, Rob Cary, Hugo Day

Scorers; Tom Dysko, David Henry, Jon Keep, Steve Morris, Gary Patterson

Attendance; Rob Cary’s extended family

Tea; Sausage, chips and beans.

In the news; Somali pirates still coining it in.

Twelve Minus Two Equals Five-Two

Melton where one of the few teams Saints were unable to beat last season so the visit of the pie makers was greeted with talented new faces Gary Patterson and Hugo Day playing in David Henry’s new-look attacking formation.

As it turned out, Saints had so much possession in the first half that the middle of the pitch became as congested as a nasty head cold. And despite going three-nil up by half-time courtesy of Henry, Steve Morris and Patterson, no-one was particularly impressed, least of all newcomers Patterson and Day who both left the pitch for personal reasons.

Down to ten men, Saints started to spray the ball around and play some proper hockey. Jon Keep’s amazing mazy runs kept the visitors under pressure and Tom Dysko scored from another short corner.

Shortly after, the opposition got a consolation from a deflected shot, but Keep replied with a snowplough into Melton’s net to make it five.

Rob Cary was unlucky not to make it six; if only he could have relied on a decent service from his team mates, despite loudly informing Joe Cliffe that, “The goal’s over here, boyo!”

One minute from time and Saints won another short corner. Naturally both of the home team’s full-backs had drifted to the edge of the D in the hope of picking up some scraps when Cary fluffed his lines and the ball ran free. By the time Joe Cliffe and Grant Stevens had scampered back into defence, the ball was in the back of the net. Luckily for Cliffe, he wasn’t spotted and the hapless Stevens ended up with DOTD.

Credit goes to Callum Scott-Collins for playing the entire match with his shorts on back-to-front.

MOTM; Marcus Spencer-Brown

DOTD; Grant Stevens

Mens 6th XI 3-1 Melton Mowbray 5th XI

Goal Scorers: Chris Easton, Luke Pibworth and Ross McLean

“Order, order…” cried the Speaker, there was dissent in the ranks and the officials were having trouble quelling the uprising. Scott was stuck in traffic and we had to start with Rob “Keyes” Tee in goal.

Remember, remember the 5th of November

At the home of the pork pie, the Mowbrayers were determined to keep a 4th placed Fighting Sixes in their place. We were determined to blow their Houses of Parliament to smithereens even if it involved softening home pitch chips in baked beans and eating them.

The match started with great pace, vigour and a Roman candle attack up the centre (this is the right-side after all). Instead of doing the Catherine wheel manoeuvre like planned, the F6 were determined to thunder cracker through the middle. Some great saves by Tee kept us in the game, only to be substituted by a fresh Scott “Rookwood” Fleming. F6 always take an extra keeper to games to keep up the tempo.

But, the opening volley terminated in an explosive shot off Socrates (the actual Greek) and an Olympian ping pong tournament. In the end, Chris “Percy” Easton fizzled a sparkler shot in to trouble the scorers.

Melton riposted, but were unlucky not to score thanks to rock solid George “Grant” Roberts and ice solid Rob “Wintour” O’Donnell. Luke “Garnet” Pibworth, forgetting to take his beta blockers, decided to abuse the match officials in a whine that outlived the white noise of the Big Bang.

Great support play and left hand drives by Sam “King James” Russell and Will “Wright” Gamble, allowed Nigel “Digby” Riches win a short corner. A squib-like shot off the keeper fell to Pibbers who putted it in, in a manner that would have made Bernard Langer proud.

At half time, Dermot* “Catesby” Cassidy, sporting a massive, hairy tache (for Movember) informed the other conspirators of the game plan - the “not going” up the right plan was going to be switched for the real going up the right Peony plan.

In the second half, a barely above average Karl “Infanta Isabella” Flowers was switched to the right to replace an aging Jeremy “Tresham” Wan. The resulting switch to right resulted in excellent drives up the right hand side. However, Melton replied with a goal of their own allowing them back in the game.

Ross “Fawkes” McLean, on a green card warning for hooking, stepped forward to bury the hopes. After a goal mouth scramble by Tee and Pibbers, an aging McLean sent a Salute home which sealed the victory. In the clearing smoke, the F6s revelled in their hard won 3rd place spot…

* It must be stressed that this was Catesby either before his marriage or after his return to Catholicism.

Teas: A rather tasty pasta or a pilfered rugby player pie…mwhahaha

MOM: Sam Russell (holding the midfield)

DOD: Ross McLean and Scott Fleming (For general buffoonery)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Rob Tee (GK) /Scott Fleming (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; George Roberts; Jeremy Wan; Will Gamble; Sam Russell; Ross McLean; Luke Pibworth; Nigel Riches and Chris Easton.

Match Reports from 13th & 14th November

Matt Gausden — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:47:50 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 2 - Kettering 0

Goals: Lucy-Ann Chacksfield, Nikki Stringer

The nerves were high on Saturday within the Saints team for the match against Kettering. Not only is it THE local derby, but their current coach is ex-Saints coach Ian Hughes-Rowlands. Saints has had a good run and wanted to show in their home game against Kettering that they are serious about promotion and hoping to create a gap with the numbers 3 and 4 in the league table.

Saints came out of the changing rooms and immediately put the nerves into something positive. The ball was played around the back, focussing on keeping possession and movement off the ball. At the right time the ball was passed into midfield and pressure was put on the Kettering defence. It seemed as if Kettering were afraid of the Saints ladies, who continued to keep possession for most of the first half. Good movement off the ball resulted in a series of chances for the forwards, with Lucy-Ann Chacksfield stepping up and drawing on her experience to place the ball behind the Kettering goalkeeper. Saints kept the pressure high and a series of short corners was awarded. As always, Nikki Stringer was ready to stop the ball. However, when the ball came out on her front stick she was quick to change her position and determined to score her first goal of the season. With this comfortable lead Saints slowed down their play and Kettering was allowed to get back in the game.

The second half saw a change of traffic. Kettering stepped up their game and increased pressure on the Saints defence, who initially allowed them. The game slowed down, and Saints were struggling to pick up their high pace from the first half. Play went up and down the pitch with the better chances being for the Saints ladies. From a defensive point of view it was however a great game: a clean sheet and no open play shots or corners against. From an attacking point of view there will be some focus to increase the efficiency, but overall it was a good team performance.

Ladies 2nd XI 2-1 Newark

Goals: Katie Barnetson, Molly Sugden

Saints took to the field in a confident mood, knowing 3 points was a must. From the start Saints looked positive and were well organised with some early attacking play leading to a short corner. The short corner was injected by Katie Barnetson and after a straight strike was deflected to Barnetson on the near post, the current top goal scorer converted from close range.

Some great defensive work from Ferne Cotton and Claire Rayner frustrated the opposition and they began to loose their temper, mainly with the umpires. Great attacking play from Clare Noble and Molly Sugden soon led to another short corner. A variation in the routine meant a short switch to Sugden who converted her chance in spectacular style. The opposition were fortunate to pull back one goal against the run of play.

Overall a well deserved win from a much improved saints side who worked tirelessly for one another. Stand out performances were Ness Kingston for encouraging the oppositions No.40, but also some great saving tackles as well as Jean “Madge” for some last ditch defending. Man of the match went to Ferne Cotton, for her calm and confident performance in defence.

Mens 2nd XI 3-1 Stourport 2nd XI

Goals: James Knibb, Kyle Taylor, Martyn Cory

2s win the hard way!

Despite it being early on in the season, this really was a “6 pointer” for Saints. A win and they’d move themselves away from bottom side Stourport, or a loss and they’d be back in the relegation zone.

Saints drew first blood, as midway through the first half James "Leo Sayer" Knibb converted a simple opportunity, further chances went begging and shortly before half-time, things were all square as Stourport converted a penalty corner.

The second half saw Saints continue to create chance after chance, but time and again they missed or were dealt with by the Stourport keeper. With 20 minutes of the game to go, Saints got a well-deserved goal. A superb break started on the left and was quickly switched to the right to allow midfielder Kyle "Hobbit" Taylor to waltz through and hit an unstoppable shot in the far corner. Minutes later the same move was repeated as Taylor again found himself in plenty of space, this time the he passed the ball to the back post for Martyn Cory to tap in.

Points of interest:

Liam Cassidy - Has a shots to goal ratio worse than Andy Cole!!
Martyn Cory - How did he miss an open goal?!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Ben Northedge, Pete Riches, Jon Noble, Alex Mcindoe, Ross Wickens, Matt Gausden (c), Liam Cassidy, Kyle Taylor, Athiq Thamby, Andy Smith, James Knibb, Martyn Cory, James Askew

Mens 3rd XI 2-3 Loughborough Students 3rd XI

Goals: Dan Rose, Chris Brimyard

Saints 3s traveled up to Loughborough for an anticipated tough game, especially given that their squad was reduced to 12 on the morning of the match. The chat before the game centered around playing hard and starting well, something Saints had failed to do in the last few games.

This seemed to have had at least some effect as Rose opened the scoring for the visitors within the first few minutes, rounding the keeper and gracefully peeling away to celebrate. The home team with a full bench didn’t then take long to find their rhythm with the Saints midfield and defense working tirelessly to repel attack after attack from the Students, who were remarkably sober for a Saturday morning. Inevitably then the home side equalized after 20 minutes with a well worked goal pushed in off the back post, which was followed shortly by a further goal to bring the score to 2-1. Saints hard work in midfield paid off, and with Swansborough a constant outlet from the back almost equalized when Rose was fed in from the left to be denied by the Loughborough keeper. Loughborough got a further goal shortly before half time when a penalty corner shot got through Miller on the left hand post to be hoovered up by a Loughborough forward.

Despite being 3-1 down at half time, Saints could be happy with their performance and more of the same was asked for at half time. The overriding feeling was that if Saints could enjoy a bit more possession and look after the ball then they could worry the Loughborough defence.

Sure enough the second half was played at a frantic pace, with Loughborough starting to make their bench tell and looking ever dangerous on the attack. Despite this Saints worked extremely hard in defence and midfield to keep the home team at bay. A brilliant ball from Ward across from the right led to a Saints penalty corner, which Brimyard duly stepped up to drag flick home past the keepers left, and with the score at 3-2 Saints started to believe that a point could be on the cards. However Loughborough kept the ball well and the game finished 3-2. A great team effort from Saints though, which if maintained through the year will surely lead to better things!

MOTM: Dan Rose, for his goal and tireless running in midfield and attack.

DOTD: Nigel Down, mainly for trying to leave his car boot open at Moulton, which was luckily spotted as we were driving away. Also for leaving the fines meeting early to watch the rugby.

Squad: P Preen, J Hillier, J Miller, L Ward, M Wilde, S Henry, N Down, I McIlwaine, A Czaicki, M Swansborough, D Rose and C Brimyard.

Mens 5th XI 0-3 Beeston 6th XI

November 13th was an unlucky day for Saints 5th team. The league leaders in the ENERG midlands central league south east division 1 suffered their first defeat for more than a year at the hands of Beeston 6th team. The 5s were expecting a tough match, but their over-confidence having won every match in this years league was soon to prove their undoing. From the outset Beeston pressed Saints hard, giving them very little space to attack from, and with the very capable Beeston defensive keeping the forwards busy. Even Ed Arnold doing his best Michael Johnson impression couldn't manage to find any space to create an opportunity for Saints. As the half went on Saints started to learn to deal with the Beeston tactics and were moving the ball around much more confidently, creating some better space and a few more opportunities. A strong attack down the right hand side lead to a short corner for Saints: Rob Cary played his trademark flick to the top right hand corner of the goal, only to be denied by a great stick save by the Beeston keeper sending the ball over the fence.

In the dying stages of the half Beeston broke through Saints defensive lines and managed and scored their first goal. Going into half time Saints were disappointed but the match was not yet over and everyone felt we were capable of getting a result from this match.

The second half started brightly with Saints putting Beeston under further pressure, moving the ball around well and making some testing runs into the Beeston half, but as the half wore on Saints frustration became more and more apparent. Passes into the last 25 yards became more and more desperate as saints sought that one goal-scoring opportunity to get back into the game. The frustration was clear at the back too as having easily cleared up another Beeston breakthrough, goalkeeper Bash loudly complained about one of the Beeston forwards (aptly nicknamed 'Bambi' by his teammates) falling over yet again, this time taking out Steve Morris in the process. The outburst earnt the hapless keeper a green card, and earnt Beeston an unexpected short corner. Beeston converted this to put them 2-0 up.

Saints fought hard, but the pace of the game started to tell and Saints started to loose their shape, and Beeston buoyed by their second goal were pressing Saints back into their own half. Beeston's skillful young right winger picked up a pass on the top of the D and turned Saints defenders inside out and sent a good shot into the right side of the goal. Scott bashford saved the first but the deflection fell kindly for Beeston's forward who put the ball away to put the match beyond reach of saints.

MoM - Adam Shepherd for his hard work in midfield

DoD - Bash - for giving away the short that lead the to the second goal

Teas - chip butties

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Grant Stevens, Sam Bigley, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Jon Keep, Dave Henry (c), Adam Shepherd, Tom Dysko, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Ed Arnold, Rob Cary

Mens 6th XI (Home) 4-2 Kettering 4th XI

Goal Scorers: Ross “No jug hat trick boy” McLean (3) and Tony Brennan

The North wind blowing across the pitch dropped the mercury to -58°C. The sound of icicles jingling on Dermot’s Mo was not going to put off those from the Niflheim.

Hrafnagaldr Óðins

Extracting their strength from Yggdrasil the Fighting Sixes were ready for any challenge. With ale and mace (not the spray kind); shield and spear; the bearded men (and the slightly fuzzy) loomed on the field, oozing experience.

The F6s had a great squad, Dermot “Baldr” Cassidy lead the midfield with a mighty roar in a charge that electrified the opening volley.

The first goal by Ross “Meili” McLean was an example of the deep skill the F6 have. On an individual run from deep, Ross blasted into the opposition D and harpooned a shot into the goal. The F6s returned to the safety of three valkyries bearing ale in Valhalla, to re-organise and celebrate had to stave off a few minor skirmishes. Scott “Odr” Fleming kept out some good saves (using Thor’s hammer like a fly swat) to keep us on top.

The second goal resulted from Ross finishing up from an angle on the right applying even more pressure on Kettering. Chris “Loki” Easton nearly won MOM by exemplary play, awesome runs on the left and excellent all round play. Nigel “Gylfi” Riches had a few chances at the front and had some spritely runs to connect up with through balls.

For the 3rd F6 goal it required an inspired Dan “Freyr” Burge to beat 2 defenders, past outside to Rob “Hodr” Tee who speared a cross in to Wossy who slammed his hat trick home. To the plaudits of the team he was heard muttering: “I only buy jugs for cricketers, hockey is for wannabe men!”

Owen “Bragi” Jones and Rob “Tyr” O’Donnell and the other defenders could not keep Kettering from putting 2 goals away in reply. One, a very well worked short corner went under Karl “Sigyn” Flowers’s stick on the back post which nearly earned him the DOD title. Like Asgard, a 3 goal lead seemed insurmountable, but a rapid 2 goal reply made us feel vulnerable.

Flowers sympathised with an opposition friendly fire incident and then encouraged umpire Steph “Vár” Brennan to send her father off for repeated stick tackles. Tony “Odin” Brennan responded with a solo run from his own 22’, dribbled past 7 men (one of them twice, to show off) got into the D and muscled a shot off the post, deflecting off the keeper’s helmet into the goal. Only to have been heard saying: “It was nothing, without you guys!!”

The F6s moved to second on the log almost securing their places in Ragnarok.

Teas: Tenderloin steak, potato Dauphine, green beans and a cranberry jus

MOM: Ross McLean (hat trick)

DOD: Tony Brennan (shocking miss)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Scott Fleming (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Dan Burge; Tony Brennan; Owen Jones; Chris Easton; Ross McLean; Rob Tee and Nigel Riches.

Mixed 1st XI 1-0 Bugbrooke – Abandoned

Goals: James Knibb

We started the game and after going 1 goal ahead, scored by James Knibb, the lights failed. After they were fired up again, we played for another 10 minutes or so, and they went out again. The umpires and captains then decided to call it a day and abandoned the match. BAD LIGHT STOPPED PLAY. We will be re-arranging in the near future.

Mixed 2nd XI 3-2s Long Buckby

Goals: Casey Humphries (2), Aaron Hill

Saints went into the lead with a scrambled shot from a short corner, scorer Casey Humphries. Long Buckby equalised then went ahead with another goal. In the second half another goal from Casey, which was an awesome shot from the edge of the D, which rocketed into the goal, beating the keeper. Asking her where that came from, the answer was 'I haven't a clue'. The winning goal came from Aaron Hill well into the half.

NorthamptonBadgers 4-2 Daventry Badgers

Goals: Anthony Condon, Jacob Price, Lee Thompson, Tim Warburton

Northamptontook an early lead with Anthony Condon scoring a hectic goal after a beautiful solo run down the wing. Daventry never really came back after that though getting very little possession, however with 3 seconds to go they scored from a penalty corner; which was unfortunately disallowed as an adult had scored, which, due to the laws of the badgers league was illegal.

The story was much the same in the second half with Jacob Price scoring to make it 2-0. Then the tides changed though with Daventry getting back into the game with 15 minutes to go, but it was not enough; Lee Thompson and Tim Warburton struck home quickly to increase the lead and Daventry’s last minute goal was more of a consolation than anything.

Boys U16 3-6 Edgbaston Boys U16

Saints were dealt a harsh lesson in finishing in the 2nd Round of the U16 England Hockey Board National Cup. Despite enjoying the majority of possession, and creating numerous chances (including 25 penalty corners!), they just couldn’t get the goals they deserved as Edgbaston ran out 6-3 winners. Credit to the players for working hard throughout the game and playing some fantastic hockey. Special mention must go to 13 year old Joe Wightman who performed superbly in goal to keep the score down.

So with a 6-3 defeat we don’t progress to the next round of this knock out cup competition, but the players who will be too old for next year are shaping up to make a great U18 squad, and we fielded two U13 and several U14 and U15, so this bodes well for future U16 triumph.

Highlights off the pitch:

Escapades in funny lanes behind the botanical gardens (!!)....having found some opposition in the Edgbaston School for Girls car park, made the mistake of following them down track and over dale – all in view of the pitch but no actual access from where they were leading us...
Tim snoring on the way there
Spectator groans as yet another lovely cross eluded the tip of a stick and failed to be nudged into goal.
Game of how many can you squeeze into smallest car for journey back (NB only the tallest players were allowed to be selected for this...)

Thanks go to:

Joe the coach
Marga, Geoff, John and Joe for ferrying folks and the early start at Sixfields (and if I missed a driver forgive me and thanks)
Everyone for paying their subs {Note the adults – not one person’s match fees are missing!}
NICKY – for arranging the team sheet, the shirts, the practice balls, the goalie kit, the coach and generally making the whole thing happen
JACKIE – for aforementioned and diligent emailing and arrangements

Without our parents, the drivers and supporting behind-the-scene effort these things don’t happen. And the lads did us proud on the pitch, so that’s good enough reward for us all.

Squad: Anthony Condon, Ben Cooper, Oliver Hartfield, Lewis Moran, Jacob Pryce, George Roberts, Mark Shepherd, Lee Thompson, Anthony Walder, Jeremy Wan, Tim Warburton, Joe Wightman (GK), and Adam Wright

Girls U16 1-3 Banbury U16

Goals: Emily Kilner

The girls battled really hard but it just wasn't to be, despite an Emily Kilner goal. They now go into the plate competition on the 28th November.

Match Reports from 20th & 21st November

Matt Gausden — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:43:45 +0000

Loughbourough University 2nd XI 0-2 Ladies 1st XI

Scorers: Esther Keijbets, Amie Hone

Another early start took the Ladies 1st team away to Loughbourough University. Knowing they would be up against a young and fit side, Saints knew they would have to use all their experience and team work to come away with a win. Saints looked like they were still half asleep at the start of the game with Loughbourough putting the Saints defence under pressure causing them to make a few errors. Saints had a lucky escape after a defensive error allowed one of the Loughbourough forwards to pick up the ball at the top of the D with only the keeper to defend the shot, however luckily for Saints the shot narrowly missing the goal. This was the wake up call Saints needed and with some good work from the midfield and forwards Saints held off the pressure until half time.

After an inspirational team talk from coach Gavin Markham, Saints stepped up a level and started playing their hockey, playing the ball around the Loughbourough players and making some great runs. Finally Saints hard work paid off winning a short corner that was expertly converted with a strike from player of the match Esther Keijbets. Saints continued to work as a team with some great possession and switching of the ball around the back from the defence. Saints 2nd goal was scored from open play by Amie Hone who's shot took a deflection off one of the Loughbourough defence. Saints looked strong until the end and came away with a well deserved win and great team performance. The Ladies are now joint top of the league, with one league game left before the Christmas break.

Player of Match: Esther Keijbets

Mens 1st XI 7-2 Warwick 1st XI

Goals: Gareth Parker (3), Dave Saunders, Ben Scott (3) pc

Saints started very brightly and went 1-0 up within 45 seconds of the start through Gareth Parker but Warwick quickly responded with a breakaway goal. Saints displayed more fight and energy than in previous weeks and went ahead again through Captain Ben Scott, coolly converting a short corner. Scott extended the home sides lead again with a short corner. A second from Parker saw saints go 4-1 up before Warwick responded with a penalty flick. Dave Saunders restored saints three goal cushion before half time.

A very professional performance in the second half saw saints finish the game 7-2 winners with both Ben Scott and Gareth Parker sealing hat tricks.

Harborne 2nd XI 6-2 Mens 2nd XI

Goals: Grant Carlin, Liam Cassidy

Man Flu, Hot Fuzz and Poetry, and that’s just before the game!

Saturday got off to a bad start with the late withdrawal of Alex McIndoe, who became a victim of the deadly man flu virus! The journey to the bright lights of Harborne proved eventful! James Knibb sealed his DOTD award on route as he made some interesting hand signals to his team-mates in the car behind, only to discover the car behind was in fact the police!! Whilst in the other car Grant Carlin and Liam Cassidy’s romance blossomed as they tried to rival the great Shakespeare at poetry. Pete Riches got horribly lost in Birmingham centre, and had to rely on some sketchy directions from James Knibb to get to the pitch. Amazingly he made it to the pitch in plenty of time!

Missed opportunities cost Saints dearly!

Onto the game itself! The game started off at a frantic pace, and Harborne got the first goal within 10 minutes, following a sweeping move from side to side. As Harborne continued to pile forward and overload Saints down the right hand side, it was no surprise when Harborne got a second. Despite this early setback, Saints carried on playing some great hockey, and they deservedly got a goal back as they launched a superb counter-attack, resulting in Grant Carlin tapping in from a few yards out. The rest of the half was closely fought but every now and then Harborne just stepped up a gear, and with minutes to go before half-time, they scored a third from a penalty corner.

For once, Saints actually produced a great second half performance! They soaked up the pressure well and time and time again they launched some fast moving counter-attacks. Unfortunately they were up against a formidable goal keeper who produced 3 top class saves to deny Saints a goal. When he wasn’t there his defence was as another shot was cleared off the line. Other chances were wasted as well when the goal was gaping. As these chances went begging you knew it would only be a matter of time until Harborne punished Northampton. And this was the case as they scored 3 quick goals to quash any hope Saints had of getting back into the game. Late in the game Saints did get a deserved goal, as Liam Cassidy was in the right place at the right time (although James Knibb still claims he got the last touch on it!).

This was a harsh result on Saints but it showed them the difference between being top (like Harborne) and near the bottom of the league like Saints. If you don’t take your chances then you won’t win anything!

Other points of interest:

Andy Smith– I have to mention his land mine incident at Thursday night training and also his huge windmill shot during the game that flew miles over the goal!
Kyle ‘Hobbit’ Taylor – I know he’s got little legs so it feels like he’s running further than everyone else, but we did possibly the shortest distance sprint warm up ever!

MOTM: Grant Carlin – a commanding display in centre midfield.

DOTD:James Knibb,for reason mentioned above

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Pete Riches, Lewis Ward, Ben Northedge, Matt Gausden (c), Athiq Thamby, Liam Cassidy, Grant Carlin, Andy Smith, Kyle Taylor, Martyn Cory, James Knibb

Mens 3rd XI 4-1 West Bridgford3rd XI

Goals: Dan Rose (2), Jason Hillier, Matt Swansborough

Saints hosted an experienced West Bridgford side in a game between two teams both in need of the points. Buoyed by a 14 man squad, Saints set about their warm up with good intensity, optimistic of a good result. Miller’s team talk focused on the fact that we had been slow starting in the last few weeks, and needed to hit the ground running.

Dan Rose heeded Miller’s words when put through in the first minute of the game, where he produced a cool finish to out the home side 1-0 up. After 5 minutes, Saints forced their first penalty corner. Jason Hillier’s strike proved too hot for the West Bridgeford keeper to hold, and the score was doubled at 2-0. Two further penalty corners followed in quick succession although, neither tested the visiting keeper.

The first ten minutes had acted as a wake up call for the away side and they soon found their rhythm, with the game settling down into a more even affair. Both sides had further opportunities to score in the first half and Phil Preen made a number of good stops through the half. Saints main attacking threat came through James Askew and Sean Henry up the right hand side, with Gavin Markham and Jon Noble supporting through the middle. The forward trio of Rose, Brimyard and Swansborough looked lively throughout with a number of chances created, however the score remained 2-0 at half time.

The Second half was again evenly matched; with no clear cut chance in the early exchanges. Ten minutes in however, the visitors struck back with a well worked ball drilled into the Saints D and coolly slotted into the goal. This acted as a reminder to the home side that the game wasn’t over. The game remained even, but with 15 minutes to go, after some trickery by Dan Rose in the D, Matt Swansborough was passed the ball in space, and slotted the ball through the keeper’s pads to restore the two goal lead.

Phil Preen was again called into action to make a couple of outstanding saves to ensure the visitor’s deficit was not reduced once more. More pressure came from the visiting side, with Hillier, Miller, Wilde and Askew defending resolutely. With ten minutes to go, the experienced visiting side went down from eleven to ten players, then ten to nine players in very quick succession. This all but put pay to the visiting side as an attacking threat, and allowed Saints to score a forth goal with five minutes remaining when Dan Rose swept the ball home after being found in the D from a Nigel Down cross.

MOTM: Phil Preen for a number of top notch saves
DOTD: James Miller for…A) Starting the warm up, breaking for ten minutes so we all got cold again, and then carrying on the warm up. B) For lack of any form of half time sustenance, and C) for leaving the fines meeting early to go to ‘Kent’ – not sure if this was a euphemism James?!

Squad: Phil Preen, James Miller, Matt Wilde, Jason Hillier, Jim Askew, Gavin Markham, Jon Noble, Ian McIlwaine, Sean Henry, Dan Rose, Chris Brimyard, Matt Swansborough, Nigel Down, Ant Czaicki

Mens 4th XI 0-4 Beeston 5th XI

Saints braved the winter chill on Saturday to travel up to Highfields Sports Centre to take on Beeston 4s who were top of the league. everyone got there in good time apart from Jim Phipp's car who had to stop for warm sausage rolls on the way!!

After a really chilly warm up run by Gary which involved dodging cars on the access road, we got under way with Beeston enjoying some quality possession. Saints stood off too much giving the Bees too much respect but after 5 minutes Saints were contesting the game with some intelligent runs from Tom Bradshaw down the right flank. Beeston opened the scoring with a well worked right wing move to leave GK Holt no chance at the bask post, unfortunatley they scored again in the next two minutes to lead 2-0.

However this didn't deter the Saints who according to the Beeston skipper played the best half of hockey against them all season, quality spells from Gary Paterson and Chris Rowlands in centre midfield saw the black and gold create several opportunities with Sidhu and Ellison shooting wide. Half time saw the score remain the same due to the dogged nature of the Saints resistance.

Shortly after half time Beeston added to the score with a smart deflection into the roof of the net from a short corner for the best goal of the game. again the Saints battled hard and enjoyed several chances from open play falling mainly to Ellison whose reverse stick shooting was nothing if not spectacular!

Beeston's control of the ball gave them a dominant 5 minutes when they circled the Saints goal and fed many passes into the D to be foiled by the dogged tackling of Wightman and Phipps. The rest of the half was very evenly matched but Saints failed to convert their open field opportunities and finished a clear second according to the score but not in terms of effort and perservearance.

Probably the best performance of the 4's this year with a special mention to Max Heaphy for his Pele like trick to beat the Beeston centre midfield with a large dollop of cheek to set up a goal attempt.

Team: Ed Holt (GK), Jim Phipps, Andy Dale (c), Tom Wightman, James Ruse, Gary Paterson, Max Heaphy, Tom Bradshaw, Aidan Walker, Chris Rowlands, Simon Ellison, Simon Sidhu, Ally Rose

Mens 5th XI 4-0 Leicester 4th XI

Goals: Sam Bigley, Steve Morris, Rob Cary, Tom Dysko

To score or not to score against 9 men -that was the question.

The 5th team returned to winning ways this week with a convincing win over Leicester 4th team during an ill tempered encounter at Moulton. The 5s welcomed back Joe Cliffe who slotted back in at right back. Sam Bigley pushed up to his more natural position of right midfield and Marcus started at left back. The pre match preparations were disrupted by the late arrival of Adam and captain, David Henry going AWOL temporarily.

The game started with Northampton immediately on the attack down the right hand side. Sam Bigley, Tom and Joe were linking up well and put the Leicester defence under pressure. Rob Cary playing as a target man was putting himself about with some robust forward play -and managing to get into a verbal battle with the Leicester captain. This was to prove a fore-taste of things to come in the second half. Northampton won a series of penalty corners against a rather one-dimensional Leicester team. Eventually the pressure told and Rob Cary fired the 5s into the lead with a well taken shot into the corner.

Leicester were getting themselves more wound up by umpiring decisions which didn't help their quest to get back into the match. The occasional Leicester attacks were easily snuffed out by a solid back line of Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins , Joe Cliffe and Marcus Spencer-Brown. At half time the talk was all about converting pressure into goals. After a few disagreements over second half tactics the game resumed. More pressure on the Leicester goal led to a fine individual goal by Sam Bigley who swept the ball high into the net on the reverse. Callum Scott-Collins was making some excellent surging runs forward and Adam Shepherd, Ed Arnold and Grant Stevens were controlling matters in midfield With Leicester weakening Tom Dysko forced the ball in after a goalmouth scramble.

Things then took a turn for the worse as the oppositions frustration with umpiring decisions led to their captain getting himself a yellow card for aggressive play. He then, stupidly, carried on arguing with the umpire and got himself a red card. The game was then in danger of descending into farce as, after another yellow card for Leicester. Play carried on and Saints should have scored again when Marcus Spencer-Brown missed an open goal much to the amusement of his team mates in the bar afterwards!

The scoring was finally concluded when Steve Morris drilled in a characteristic penalty corner strike to make it 4-0. The only other incident of note was Jon Keep's 'blood injury' and Callum giving a black eye to a Leicester player.

quite an eventful afternoon!

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Grant Stevens, Callum Scott Collins, Steve Morris, Jon Keep, David Henry (C), Rob Cary, Tom Dysko, Marcus Spencer Brown, Adam Shepherd, Ed Arnold, Sam Bigley, Joe Cliffe.

Mens 6thXI 1-1 Coventry & North Warwicks 4th XI

Goal Scorers: Chris Easton

“Dennis! There's some lovely filth down here!” was the cry as we arrived at the pitch. In freezing temperatures. It was going to be a tough game with the top of table team. They had already dug in and were shouting challenges over the ramparts.

Father smells like Elderberries

The game was explosive to start with both sides showing their anxiety of putting in a good performance.

Coventryand North Warwicks pressed a seething attack down our left side and managed to force an overlap. Between Paul “Lancelot” Crawford slipping and Karl “Dead Collector” Flowers missing his tackle the opposition managed to put in the opening goal.

With great determination the Fighting Sixes started building with great passing hockey. Dermot “Black Knight” Cassidy and Karl “Mr. Praline” McGregor acting as defensive midfielders helped distribute the ball well. Cassidy after being badly mauled was told he had no arms, to which he replied: “It’s only a flesh wound.”

The F6s then decided to use the holy hand grenade. Owen “Deadly Dirk” Jones linked up well with Will “Arthur Name” Gamble on counterstrike, who rapidly passed the ball to Ross “Harry the Hagler” McLean. Ross sent the ball by aerial to Luke “Brian” Pibworth. Luke crossed it to Chris “Herbert Anchovy” Easton who put it away to equalize.

After half time the game got frenzied, both sides not knowing the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow started playing some great hockey. Ross peppered one of the opposition only to have George “Urban Spaceman” Roberts give the player the nickname “The Knight of Ni.”

Ross then got given a green card and when asked, the umpire was heard saying: “He is not the messiah- he is a very naughty boy!” Coventry and North Warwicks demanded a stoning, but after ascertaining that there were women in the crowd (with false beards) it was called off.

Sam “Sir Bors” Russell had some outstanding runs in the second half, but just couldn’t seem to link up with Nigel “Dennis” Riches and Rob “Mr. Creosote” Tee, who later couldn’t manage the wafer thin after- dinner-mint.

Rob “Papadopoulous” O’Donnell made some brilliant tackles to dispossess their strikers on attack and kept the opposition from troubling the keeper. O’Donnell, master in the art of camouflage, knew the first lesson of subterfuge was not to stand up when asked to.

The draw, whilst it didn’t merit full points, did prove that this F6 side is truly capable of being promoted. After being described as an ex-parrot before season, we proved that we were not howling for the fjords…

Teas: Minestrone soup for starters; Beans, Jacket Potato and Sausages

MOM: Rob O’Donnell (Excellent defensive play)

DOD: Ross McLean (Missed penalty flick and green card)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Paul Crawford (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; George Roberts; Karl McGregor; Owen Jones; Luke Pibworth; Sam Russell; Will Gamble; Chris Easton; Ross McLean; Rob Tee and Nigel Riches.

NorthamptonBadgers 3-2 Welford Badgers

The first half was a close fought affair as two teams went in at half time goalless. In the second half Northampton's Jacob Pryce took the lead, but they couldn't hold it as Welford replied minutes later. Northampton new boy Jamie regained the lead with a superb debut goal and shortly after Lee Thompson doubled the difference. Welford came back late on but it wasn't enough, final score: Northampton 3 - Welford 2.

Olton & West Warwick U18 4-2 Girls U18

All the U18 girls and the hung over Umpire met on a bright and sunny day at Sixfields McDonalds for a healthy breakfast such as, celery rolls and carrot sticks. If only, it was cold and dull and our breakfasts weren’t really that healthy, bacon rolls and hash browns. We set off at 9.15 in plenty of time in case events from last week reoccurred. However, we all got to the pitch with plenty of time till the match actually allowing us to get ready and to warm up. After a random argument about who should take the warm up, we finally got on with it! We were told our positions and what we were expected to do. All of us were ready and pumped to face the team that disappointing beat us last week.

Then the game begins, the whistle goes and the ball is passed. With some amazing passes between the speedy Emily Kilner and the not so speedy Laura Wychgel, the ball is straight in Olton’s D and short corner was won. With a very unconfident injector and a hell of the hitter at the top of the D, the ball went to Emily, who gave it straight back to the injector who swiped and missed, FAIL!

The ball then went back and forth, attack was the only way Saints knew and it was starting to pay off. Another short this time it was going to work, it had to work and ... IT DID WORK. With an absolute beauty of an injection to Ellie Bleech, she hammered the ball straight to back post heading straight for goal, until the defender got in the way and deflected it in the goal!!! The pitch went silent and then suddenly a massive cheer coming from the Saints side, 1-0 up and getting more confident. The game went from end to end with great defending from both sides, however just 5 minutes before halftime Olton managed to get a corner back and tried to do what we attempted, passing back to injector, but they were more successful than us and got one back, 1-1! With more shots on goal by saints but none managing to get pass their goalie, the whistle went for half time.

With hopes high and feeling optimistic, we had an encouraging talk from our coach Athiq Thamby and we were ready for the second half.

The second half than began with Saints pressuring Olton again, with some first class tackles from Lottie Tulley, Steph Brennan and Ella Forsyth. This was not enough to prevent the ball from going into the back of our goal, however this did not make us doubt ourselves as moments after their 2nd goal, Rosie Barnes dribbled the ball with her silky skills into the D with determination in her eyes but as she couldn’t get pass her defender she gave a cracking ball to Emily Kilner who just pelted the ball to back corner giving their goalie no chance in stopping it, making it 2-2. Olton by now were pressing our goal, they broke away, which our speedy players couldn’t even prevent but luckily we have our goalie on pitch, Emma Brennan who made some awesome saves that not even Beth Storry could have done. Georgia Annikythen cleared the ball up to Lottie who did an amazing pass to Hannah Bullimore on the other side of pitch who was sprinting off the pitch in order to be subbed off, but that plan went out the window as Hannah picked up the ball clearly getting round her player with ease running into the D passing the ball to Rosie who had a shot on goal but unfortunate not to score. More pressure from Olton resulted in two more goals but the team kept battling but it wasn’t our day.

This score did not reflect the game as the saints were constantly attacking with Olton only attacking in short periods but finishing was the difference on the day. Everyone tried their hardest from the first and last whistle.

Man of the match – Laura Whchgel

The future is bright!

Squad: Emma Brennan (GK), Ella Forsyth, Georgia Anniky, Steph Brennan (c), Lottie Tully, Laura Whchgel, Emily Kilner, Ellie Bleech, Sophie Cattell, Hannah Bullimore, Mizzy Haines and Rosie Barnes

Support a Sapper

Matt Gausden — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:13:56 +0000

Support a Sapper

3 Troop of 34 Field Squadron in the Royal Engineers are currently away on Operations in the Middle East. Though not directly in a war zone, they are living in fairly basic conditions and will not be returning until March 2010. So I am collecting some goodies for morale packages to send out to them, especially over the Christmas period. These “Support a Sapper” packages will be sent out at the end of November and could do with some help!
I am looking for some things to put in them like magazines, sweets, biscuits, silly toy, handheld games, tshirts, Christmas decorations etc or you can write a Christmas card, a letter or draw a picture…something that will cheer these 30 guys up whilst they are away!
So if you get a chance to throw a few extra bits in your trolley or could spare a few minutes to put pen to paper, then Nicky Milford will be at Moulton Sports Complex on Saturday and club training on Tuesdays. Or you can just send an email to forward on to the guys at supportthesappers@hotmail.com

PS Goodies must weigh no more than 2kg and be able to fit in a A4 size jiffy bag. No alcohol, no aerosols / gas, no explicit material. Please see http://www.bfpo.mod.uk/mail_prohibitions.htmfor more details on prohibited items.

By Nicky Milford

Is your game/training on at Moulton this weekend?

Matt Gausden — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:05:35 +0000

*Update* 6:01pm. U16 Boys, U16 Girls and U18 Girls games to be played on Sunday have been cancelled due to the bad weather.

*Update* 9:10am

All home games have been cancelled due to standing snow and ice. Snowman building is arranged for later - will let you know when. Sunday games will be assessed later in the day.

Moulton Sports Complex have cancelled junior training and don't think the 10.30 badgers game has any chance of going ahead so are recommending we cancell that. I have agreed that a pitch inspection will take place at 10am to give the ladies 2 's opposition time to avoid coming from Leicester.

Andy Dale

Chairman

Tuesday night (30th Nov) training cancelled

Matt Gausden — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:16:31 +0000

Hi all,

Due to the snowfall overnight, all junior and senior training is cancelled tonight.

So enjoy a night in watching Hollyoaks and Eastenders..........

We'll keep you updated on conditions for Thursday night training and weekend matches.

Nov/Dec Newsletter

Matt Gausden — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:06:24 +0000

Hi All,

Please click on the below link to read the November/December edition of the newsletter:

Nov_Dec Newsletter

Big Image Photography

Matt Gausden — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:26:48 +0000

Big Image recently attended one of our junior tournaments to take some snaps of our juniors as they showed off their hockey skills!

Big Image offer an efficient & professional event photography service covering every type of social, sporting and corporate event. We print studio quality photographs at the event using state of the art portable studio equipment. All photos can be purchased on the day or from our secure website after the event on a range of photo gift items. We also offer Private Portrait Photoshoots at a fraction of high street studio prices.

o Private Portrait Photoshoots
o Wedding Receptions
o Black tie Events
o Motor sports
o School proms
o Sports events
o Charity events
o Equestrian events
o Talent competitions
o Parties & celebrations
o Pre-school & schools
o Dance school productions
o Plus many more….

Contact us
e: mark.james@bigimagephotos.co.uk
m: 07505 108104
w: www.bigimagephotos.co.uk

Saturday 4th Dec 2010

Karl Flowers — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:01:58 +0000

Due to freezing temperatures, snow and ice (laying about like a house husband and an Xbox) all training and home games are once again cancelled. Further details about Sunday games and Tuesday training will be posted here. Have a great day and do great and wondrous things!

Unihoc mini-tournament

Karl Flowers — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:29:41 +0000

Dear Parent / Player,

We find ourselves in a similar situation for the second week, where weather conditions have limited hockey training and league matches.

Under the current circumstances, we have arranged a small "Unihoc" tournament, which will be played inside the Sports Complex between approximately 11.00am to 12.20pm. This is aimed mainly at the Badgers Group Players, but interested parents, family and friends are welcome to join in. Age Group: Approx 11years +. We hope to have a few members of the Adult Mens and Ladies Teams also participating. Please try to be at the Moulton Sports Complex by about 10.50am.

Some players may be familiar with "Unihoc", but for those who are not, it is an indoor game, similar to ice hockey which is gaining popularity, particularly amongst hockey and other sport participants. Instead of the traditional hockey stick and ball, a plastic ice hockey type stick and a puck are used. Teams comprise of approximately 4 - 6 players on pitch and games last about seven minutes each. Players are permitted to play the puck off of walls and as there are extremely limited penalty circumstances, the game can be extremely fast, interesting and good fun.

Players should ensure that they bring a pair of standard trainers with them, for use indoors. All sticks and kit for "Unihoc" are available to us (without additional costs) at the Sports Complex.

If all players could please bring the usual £ 5.00 game fee with them to offset costs. Based on numbers, a tea (Soup + Rolls) could be arranged for approximately 12.15 - 12.30, after the "Unihoc".

Please indicate by return, who will be attending, to allow us to make necessary arrangements for team allocations and also for catering?

Del
Northampton Junior Hockey - Badgers
Saints / Lions
saintshockeybadgers@gmail.com

Level 2 Coaching Course

Matt Gausden — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:05:52 +0000

There’s a Level 2 Coaching Course that will be taking place during Feb half term at Beaconsfield High School, Buckinghamshire.

If you’re interested get your application form in fast! (click on below link)

Level 2 application form

As a focus club, we have 2 weeks to get applications in before it is open to all clubs, so please make the most of this! This course is only open to a maximum of 24 people.

No Training Tonight

Matt Gausden — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:36:27 +0000

Training at the college and sports complex is cancelled tonight due to frozen pitches.

No Junior training either.

Thursday night training at the College (1st teams) is also cancelled.

Keep checking the website and our club facebook page out for further updates about the weekend.

Dec/Jan Junior Training Dates

Matt Gausden — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:54:59 +0000

This Saturday (11th Dec) is the last Junior Training session of 2010.

Junior training starts again in the new year on Saturday 15 Jan 2011 and also on Tuesday 18 Jan 2011

Match Reports from 11th and 12th December

Matt Gausden — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:54:35 +0000

Mens 2nd XI 4-3 Belper 2nd XI

Goals: Martyn Cory (3), Liam Cassidy

The 2nd team secured a vital 3 points in there mid for survival in the Ener-G 2nd XI Midlands Premier Division. Saints started off the better team however showed some clear signs of rustiness having not played for over 2 weeks. It was a tense opening 15 minutes, however Martyn Cory helped settle the nerves as he coolly slotted home from a penalty corner. A second followed minutes later as Cory again converted from a penalty corner. However shortly before half-time Belper pulled a goal back.

The second half started with a Belper equaliser. It like a scene from the Matrix as in slow motion the ball deflected off a defender’s stick, rolled over Sam Biddle’s helmet before trickling over the line!

Saints came back into the game and looked to have sealed the result through goals from Martyn Cory and Liam Cassidy, however some sloppy defending lead to Belper pulling a goal back, but fortunately for Saints they held out for the last ten minutes to secure victory.

Other points of interest:

Matt Gausden for sliding about 20 yards on the floor after colliding with a Belper winger!
Grant Carlin for having to wear a ladies shirt all game after forgetting his own!!
Liam Cassidy and Grant Carlin – there bromance was blossoming before the game in the dugout
Athiq Thamby – rubbish warm up (or should that be cool down!) before the game.

MOTM: Martyn Cory – hat-trick hero!

DOTD: Grant Carlin – for reasons above.

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Jon Noble, Pete Riches, Ben Northedge, Matt Gausden, Alex Mcindoe, Gavin Markham, Liam Cassidy, Grant Carlin, Kyle Taylor, Lloyd Atkinson, Martyn Cory, James Askew, Athiq Thamby

Mens 4th XI 7-1 Coalville 4th XI

After an unanticipated break away from the hockey field due to the rather harsh cold spell it was back to business for the 4th Team. All refreshed after the break and raring to go this fixture against Coalville was a bottom of the table decider. Saints had had a crazy run of bad form in that no matter if they played well or not they still managed to lose by the odd goal.

Anyway this is where the tide turned for the Fours, and from the start Saints piled on the pressure and were 1-0 up after a piercing run from the flightily Sidhu to cut the Coalville defence in two with a pin point pass to Godman’s reverse stick side, to then slip the ball on the outside to his strong side and
then firing the ball under the diving keeper. Saints were adamant they were going to win this in convincing style and by half time they were 3-0 up with goals coming from the spritely AJ with a very
cheeky finish, along with the third being scored using a wall pass off the post by the young Aiden Walker for the ball to be drilled hard and low in the corner.

Half time came and Saints were worried that maybe complacency would creep in so when the second half started it was ‘all hands to the pump’ and within 10 mins Saints were now 5-0 up. They continued to press and bought the score line to 7-0, but unfortunately were unable to keep a clean sheet due to a minor lapse in concentration in the dying minutes. Anyway Saints 4s have put a convincing win on the board and can only mean that maybe they are on a winning streak.

Nuneaton IV 0-10 Mens 5th XI

Scorers; Dave Henry 3, Steve Morris 2, Rob Tee 2, Ed Arnold, Jon Keep, Luke Pibworth

Attendance; The Sam Bigley Appreciation Club

Tea; Proper chip shop chips

In the news; Car bombs in Sweden

In From the Cold

David Henry warned us before the match not to be complacent about the opposition. Oh how wrong he was! Poor old Nuneaton appear to have suffered from an exodus of players and their fourth team in reality was their fifth team. They didn’t stand a chance. Champing at the bit after an enforced three weeks on the sofa, Saints were in no mood to take prisoners.

From the outset Nuneaton had no answer to Sam Bigley’s pace down the right, supplied by an infinite number of passes from Joe Cliffe at right-back, who had never seen so much space.

Steve Morris kicked off the scoring, his short corner routine getting ever more clinical as the season draws on. David Henry was next up with the first of two spawny deflections. Jon Keep scored the best goal I’ve ever seen him score after ten minutes and Luke Pibworth made it five.

Another exocet from Morris , followed up by a rocket from F6 escapee Rob Tee made it six, and another embarrassing deflection for Henry rounded off the first half.

The second half was a different story as Saints forgot where the goal was and didn’t score for about fifteen minutes. Bigley ran out of Duracell and Cliffe was surrounded by four defenders every time he got the ball. At one point Scott Bashford even had a kick. He didn’t really need to but just wanted to get involved.

Frustration led to Keep murdering one of their minors. Harsh but fair and that seemed to kick start the visitors back into action.

Tee celebrated his second goal like an over paid footballer, Ed Arnold scored a cracker (despite his silly Marcus Spencer-Brown-style headband) and Henry at last scored a proper goal to get his jug avoidance and make it ten. Anything less would have been a travesty.

MOM; Steve Morris

DOD; Grant Stevens (wrong kit)

Scott Bashford (GK), Grant Stevens, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Joe Cliffe, Jon Keep, David Henry (C), Marcus Spencer-Brown, Sam Biddle, Ed Arnold, Luke Pibworth, Rob Tee

Mens 6th XI (Home) 5-0 Hampton-in -Arden 4th XI

Goal Scorers: Ross McLean (3), Tony Brennan (2)

Hampton had arrived with nine, a rearranged; close-to- Christmas away fixture had seriously depleted a side with lots of quality. Dermot “Santa Claus” Cassidy urged the Fighting Sixes to try and get the maximum number of goals.

Wheel him around the other side Nana

Twas a fortnight before Christmas, when all through the Astroturf players were determined to go back to second on the league table. Cheerleader promises of incorrigible things with mistletoe only spurred the players on.

The opening hors d'œuvre was as delicious as a goats cheese and rocket offering as Ross “Prancer” McLean ran up the centre right had a deflection off the keeper only to put it away to put the F6s up. It was as obvious as a Snowman saying “I smell carrot”, that this was going to be a one-sided affair and with 9 no-one could blame Hampton.

Ross, like a one horse sleigh proceeded to run up the left through 7 players to put away goal number 2. This was an individual effort, which would not have been possible without the rest of the team holding off the mounting numbers of mince pies, which are available as performance enhancing substances to hockey players of calibre.

Just before half time, Dermot called for the Utility Striker to take the pitch. Brennan took to the pitch and immediately linked up with a solid run from Gareth “Comet” Voss. Gareth passed to Chris “Dancer” Easton who assisted Tony to put away a fine Christmas offering. Tony still wasn’t happy mentioning something like “If I can’t get better through balls, I am going to go and strike for the 4s.”

Defensively, comedy was the order the day as Rob”£3.99 Satnav” O’Donnell had a blistering run at our own goal and Karl “Vixen” Flowers shoulder charged the Schmidt house wall. Owen “Cupid” Jones made some outstanding tackles and together with Rob buttoned down any serious offensive threats. Paul “Blitzen” Crawford wasn’t asked to do much, except handing out eggnog and canapés.

The half time Sherries and Iceland party treats were complimented with a rousing chat from skipper who handed out Christmas cards and M&S vouchers.

In the second half Ross finished off his hat trick with a team effort from Nigel “Nutmeg”Riches holding up the ball well while waiting for Will “Rudolph” Gamble and Ross to catch up. Will then assisted Ross who tucked the ball away like a pig in a blanket. The jug of mulled wine did not materialise in the pub later, with some saying that cricketers didn’t make good hockey players as they want to break for tea and bad light.

The final goal of the game was a festive run (some would say a cracker) by Dan “Donner” Burge who set up Will and Tony (Tony finishing) in another great goal. Going for three Tony “Pantomime” Brennan couldn’t link up with the pass “it’s behind you” from Dermot. Dermot’s miss of an open goal was the Christmas comedy moment with some saying that as a Santa he is known to go up the wrong chimney…

Teas: Sliced Churkey with Cranberry sauce, Roast Potatoes, Chestnut stuffing and Napoleon Brandy Christmas Pudding.

MOM: Tony Brennan (Utility striker)

DOD: Dermot Cassidy (Up the wrong chimney)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Paul Crawford (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Dan Burge; Owen Jones; Gareth Voss; Will Gamble; Chris Easton; Tony Brennan; Ross McLean and Nigel Riches.

Ladies 4th XI 2-3 Towcester 3rd XI

Goals: Claire Baker, Hannah Richards

The ladies 4s dusted themselves down after a 2 week snow break to put in a great performance against Towcester in this mid-season friendly, held at Moulton Sports Complex.

Claire Baker got the first Saints goal from a penalty corner. Baker injected to Hannah Richards who returned it to Baker just in-front of the back line, slap shot in, back of the net. The second Northampton goal was from Hannah Richards who expertly slotted the ball past the keeper following a superb solo run.

This performance should inspire confidence into the Ladies 4s when they return to league action after in the New Year.

Mixed 1stXI 8-0 Welford

Goals: James Knibb (4), Dave Langley, Christian Howard, Ben Northedge

Saints experience showed in this match as they convincingly saw off Welford 8-0. James Knibb's was the main destroyer as he scored 4. Also on the score sheet were Dave Langley, Christian Howard and Ben Northedge.

All home games are off - Saturday 18th Dec

Matt Gausden — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:08:02 +0000

the pitch is still covered with snow and the temperature is forecast to stay between -3 and -5 tomorrow. So regrettfully all home games are off.

Enjoy yet another weekend at home!!

Indoor Hockey

Karl Flowers — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:10:02 +0000

With all matches cancelled tomorrow, the club has organised the College indoor pitch for tomorrow 1300-1430. you will need to arrive by 1230 to sort teams, black & white tops, light soled trainers & £5 fee applies. sticks will be supplied. if your interested then you need to let Jon Keep know 07970676622 ASAP

Unihoc at MSC.

Karl Flowers — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:13:06 +0000

The Badgers are playing Unihoc at Moulton Sports Complex at 11:00. All other hockey players are welcome. You need £5 fee and soft soled shoes. Sticks provided. A good time for all...

Training dates for January

Matt Gausden — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:04:18 +0000

Happy New Year all.

It's nearly time to get back to playing hockey!

Senior club training starts this Tuesday (4th January).

Junior club training starts on Saturday 15th and Tuesday 18th January.

See you all there

Match Reports from 8th and 9th January

Matt Gausden — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:35:19 +0000

Mens 1st XI 6-5 Bedford 1st XI

Goals: Ben Scott (2), Joe Colantonio, Jamie Webb, Stuart Clark, Lloyd Atkinson

Sainst started quite slowly in their first fixture after the Christmas break, going 2-0 down within ten minutes. After soaking a lot of early pressure, Saints gained control of the game and scored through a Ben Scott short corner, only to let the scoreline slip again to 4-1. A Joe Colantonio screamer gave Saints hope going into the halftime break.

Some motivational words from coach Lars Prevo saw Saints start the liveliest of the two teams and drew level with Bedford when Jamie Webb bobbled in a short corner and Stuart Clark scored a great solo effort. This topsy-turvy game then took another change of direction as Bedford again took the lead after some sloppy Saints defending making the score 5-4.

A fantastic counter attack by Gareth Parker and Dave Saunders saw Lloyd Atkinson level things up at 5-5. Five minutes from time Saints won a short corner which captain Scott converted to edge Northampton ahead for the first time in the game. A frantic final five minutes saw Saints hang on and take a well-earned win ahead of the first league game back away at Chesterfield next week.

Mens 2nd XI 4-2 Rugby & EW 2nd XI

Goals: Martyn Cory (2), Tom Warburton, Grant Carlin

After a 4 week absence from hockey, Saints blew off the cobwebs in this mid-season friendly away at Rugby. With some of the team unavailable, they welcomed back former players Rhys ‘Golden Boy’ Linnell and Tom ‘Toast’ (possibly the most original nickname ever…) Warburton. So a 12 man squad headed to Rugby.

With Rugby waiting for their keeper to arrive from London, Saints enjoyed an extended warm up, and seemed to rediscover what a hockey ball looked like! When play finally started Saints began as the more comfortable team, passing the ball around nicely and pressing the opposition well. It came as no surprise when Northampton got the first goal from a penalty corner. Martyn Cory dragged the ball into the bottom left corner. Minutes later it was 2-0 as a cross from James Knibb found Cory who beat his man to slot the ball past the keeper.

Shortly before half-time, Ben Northedge wielded his axe to give away a penalty corner, this led to a Rugby goal.

The half-time team talk was all about team shape, holding your positions, playing the simple hockey. This was duly ignored in the second half as the team played like a bunch of school kids for 15 minutes, losing all shape and pattern. However some solid defending (along with some horrendous stick tackles from Ben Northedge) from the make-shift defence of Pete Riches, Alex Micindoe, Ben Northedge and Matt Gausden kept Rugby at bay. And this allowed Saints to hit Rugby on the counter-attack, a swift move saw Athiq Thamby in space on the right, he hit a superb cross into the D that Warburton beat the keeper to score to make it 3-1.

Some soft-marking lead to Rugby pulling a goal back, however Saints had the final word as Grant Carlin found some space in the D to hit an unstoppable shot past the keepers near post.

Other points of interest:

The other 20 stick tackles Ben Northedge committed during the game!
Liam Cassidy’s stunning swing and miss at the back post
Martyn Cory for completing 70 minutes! I think that’s a record for him!!

MOTM: Martyn Cory – 2 great goals

DOTD: Ben Northedge for reasons mentioned above

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Pete Riches, Alex Mcindoe, Ben Northedge, Matt Gausden (c), Athiq Thamby, Liam Cassidy, Grant Carlin, Rhys Linnell, James Knibb, Martyn Cory, Tom Warburton

Mens 3rd XI 1-8 Cannock 3rd XI

Goals: Tristan O’Conner

Saints 3s rearranged fixture from 4th December was a tricky home encounter against Cannock. Both sides played some good hockey early on, but the difference in the first half was the clinical execution of short corners from the away side. Within the first 15 minutes, Saints found themselves 3 goals down after 3 penalty corners in quick succession, all resulting in drag flicks to various parts of the goal leaving Phil Preen with little chance.

Saints continued to play some good passages of hockey, however didn’t really find any testing shots for the Cannock keeper to deal with. Before half time, Cannock added another couple of goals through more good finishing to leave the score at half time 0-5.

The half time team talk was more around performance than result, and to keep working hard throughout the game.

The second half was more evenly contested, with Saints providing more attacking impetus and creating more chances. However, it was the visitors who continue to have the more clear opportunities, with more penalty corners won. The away side scored 3 more unanswered goals leaving the score at 0-8.

There was time however for Saints to grab a consolation goal, when Matt Swansborough found Tristan O’Conner on the top of the D in space, and he coolly rounded the keeper to take his goal very well.

Saints will be pleased with some aspects of the game, and played some nice hockey. However, there were disappointing elements, including not winning any attacking Penalty Corners throughout the entire game. In order to stay in the division, Saints know they will need to up their game in what will be tricky ties from now until the end of the season.

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), James Miller (c), Matt Wilde, Jason Hillier, Gavin Markham, Sean Henry, Ian MacIlwaine, Nigel Down, Max Heaphy, Tristan O’Conner, Andy Smith, Matt Swansborough, Hugo Day

Mens 4th XI 0-4 Burton 4th XI

Sundays rearranged match against Burton saw the return of two Saints legends, Mike (The Axe Man) Derbyshire and Trevor (The Terminator) Fidler.

The game started and Saints played the ball freely around the pitch working the ball back and forth across the back, waiting for a killer opening, which unfortunately did not arise, and with a small lapse in concentration they allowed Burton to slip through and give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Although this spurred saints on they could not break down the Burton defence in the last quarter of the field, and as Saints pushed up the field this left gaps at the back for Burton to hack long balls onto running forwards. This allowed

Burton to gain in confidence and were awarded a short corner from which they went 2-0 up.

The second half came and Saints pushed harder and although having some great runs and scoring chances the ball would not settle in the back of the net for them. As frustration set in the Axe Man Derbyshire lost his cool and gained himself a nice yellow card and a minimum of 5 mins off the pitch for hacking apart one of the opposition.

This bought Saints down to 10 men and left a hole in defence which Burton capitalised on scoring a third. Saints refused to lay down and continued to press but with a few minutes to go a stray back cross-field pass from an embarrassed Jim Phipps allowed

Burton in for their final goal. Although losing 4-0 Saints did have more of the possession, they just have to find where the goal is situated on the pitch.

DOTD – Mike (The Axe Man) Derbyshire

MOTM – Aiden Walker

Mens 5th XI 4-1 Rugby and EW 6th XI

Goals: Ed Arnold, Steve Morris, Luke Pibworth

The 5s emerged from their festive break with a reasonably convincing win against a spirited Rugby team. With 2 weeks missed due to the snow added to the Christmas break, the 5s were eager to get back onto the hockey pitch. Things didn’t start too well when the 5s were rocked by the sudden withdrawal from the side by ex captain Jon Keep. Apparently lost sleep due to recent fatherhood had taken it’s toll ( not that his gained any sympathy from the other dads in the team). The start was slightly delayed to allow keeper, Bash, to get kitted up having umpired the previous game. Rob Cary led us through a rigorous warm up and we were ready for the off.

Rugby started the brighter side and enjoyed a lot of the early possession. A needless short corner was given away by Joe (rule book) Cliffe for not retreating the minimum 5 metres from a free hit. Being a slow learner Joe was guilty of exactly the same offence later in the game. However, Saints struck well on the counter and scored two quick goals. The first was a tap in from Ed Arnold after good work on the left by Marcus Spencer-Brown. It was Ed’s second goal in 2 games but only his second all season ( a bit like London buses....). A penalty corner award led to Steve (exocet) Morris firing another strike hard and low into the bottom right of the goal. Rugby were clearly angered by the way the game was going and things started to get a bit heated on the pitch. Rugby were stringing passes together well and had some neat interchanges between midfield and attack. Northampton’s defence held strong with Callum Scott-Collins and Steve Morris resolute in the centre, well supported by Grant Stevens and Joe Cliffe at full back. Chris Godman was posing a threat down the right and made several penetrating runs into the D. During one attack Luke Pibworth tucked the ball away having previously narrowly missed the goal with a shot over the bar. Poor marking at the back led to a goal back for Rugby and at half time it was 3-1.

The second half lacked the quality of the first with neither side producing much flowing hockey. Bash made a few good saves to deny the Rugby centre forward, but Saints were having the better of the goal action and at a penalty corner a Steve Morris shot was deflected into the net by skipper David Henry. Further chance fell to Rob Cary but as the game petered out the final whistle went with the score 4-1. The 5th team remain top of the league table having lost only once in the first round of league fixtures. However, there is still al long way to go......

Tea proved a bit of a comedown after the festive fayre. Joe moaned about the beans being cold, but overall it had been a good New Year for the 5th team.

MOM: Callum Scott-Collins

DOD: Jon (parent trap) Keep

Welford Badgers 1-1 Northampton (Lions) Badgers

Goals: Greg Summers

This game was the most Dramatic of the season so far, with continual end-to-end action!

After a tough battle in the first half the teams went in at the break goalless, and came out with even more determination. Northampton took the lead half way through the second half through Greg Summers but Welford pulled it back with 5 left on the clock. The two teams struggled through the dying minutes desperately trying to get the win but neither could manage it.

Mixed 2nd XI 5-6 Fat Cats

Goals: Claire Baker (2), Athiq Thamby (2), James Knibb

Saints lost out in this thoroughly entertaining, end-to-end match against Fat Cats. A brace each from Claire Baker and Athiq Thamby plus one from James Knibb just couldn’t prove enough as Fat Cats replied with 6 impressive goals of their own.

Match Reports from 15th and 16th January

Matt Gausden — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:56:14 +0000

Mens 1stXI 5-4 Chesterfield

Goals: Ben Scott (2), Joe Colantonio, Gareth Parker, Lloyd Atkinson

Saints went into their first league game back after the Christmas break full of confidence as they made the long journey up to Chesterfield. After soaking up some early pressure from the home side saints countered and won a penalty stroke following a foul on Lloyd Atkinson. This resulted in a sending off for the chesterfield keeper. Ben Scott slotted home for saints. With chesterfield still down to 10 men saints doubled their league when Joe Colantonio cleverly deflected in a short corner. With saints looking to build on their lead they let their concentration slip and chesterfield pulled a goal back after some slack defending from saints. Just before half time however Scott restored the away sides two goal lead, drag flicking in from a short corner for his second of the match.

In the second half saints started well and two quick goals from Gareth Parker and Lloyd Atkinson looked to put the game beyond doubt. Saints then took their foot off the gas and very nearly paid the penalty. Shocking defending from the away side let Chesterfield score three times in the last 15 minutes and led to a very nervy last 2 minutes. The game ended 5-4 to Saints, a great game for the neutral but Northampton will have to sure up their defence when they host Coventry next week.

Ladies 1st XI 0-5 Oxford Hawkes

Saints were on the back foot from the starting whistle with a different formation due to some key players missing and it took a while for Saints to organise themselves and get a grip on the game. Oxford Hawkes quickly capitalised on gaps in the game with great movement from the blonde twins on the opposing team in the middle with in quick sucession they scored 2 goals.

Saints remained positive and played some good hockey, but failed to prevent 3 more well-worked Hawkes goals. Despite some great balls from the midfield to the forwards, Saints were unable to finish and ended the game 5-0. The scoreline did not reflect the play and Saints came away with some positive areas to work on for the second half of the season.

Player of the match: Lucy-Ann Chacksfield
DOTD: Clare Sibley

Mens 2nd XI 2-3 Beeston 2nd XI (Saturday)

Goals: Martyn Cory (2)

Saints went into this game as underdogs as they faced top of the table Beeston. Having lost 6-0 at there place at the start of the season, Saints knew they were going to be in for a tough game. However they stepped up to the mark in this closely fought match at Moulton Sports Complex.

The opening spell saw both teams play some neat tidy hockey, with neither side willing to give anything away, however midway through the half the deadlock was broken as Beeston scored from a penalty corner. This seemed to spur Saints on as they dominated the rest of the half. They deservedly drew level through a penalty corner of their own, converted by Martyn Cory, and just before half time it was a feeling of deja vu as Cory scored again from a penalty corner.

Minutes into the second half and disaster, as Beeston finished off a quick attacking move with a well taken goal at the far post. With all things level again both teams pressed for a winner, and had Saints been more clinical in front of goal it would have been them. Sadly with five minutes to go Beeston forced there way into the D and hit a powerful shot into the goal. This was a harsh result against the league leaders, but shows why Beeston are top, as they made the most of the chances they created.

MOTM: Matt Wilde – outstanding performance at left back

DOTD: James Knibb – just look at him!!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Pete Riches, Simon Stringer, Matt Wilde, Jon Noble, Ben Northedge, Matt Gausden (c), Alex Macindoe, Gavin Markham, Andy Smith, Athiq Thamby, James Knibb, Martyn Cory

Mens 2nd XI 1-6 Cannock 2nd XI (Sunday)

Goals: Athiq Thamby

Having had just under 24 hours rest, Saints 2s played there second game of the weekend against a very strong, experienced Cannock. Minutes into the game a defensive mistake allowed Cannock a first goal, and as they dominated the half they scored a further 2.

The second half continued in the same vain, as Cannock pressed. When Saints did have possession they gave it away cheaply as they continuously tried to run with the ball rather than playing a simple pass. Three further goals went in for Cannock, although on a more positive note the one time Saints did play a passing game, it resulted in a well taken goal by Athiq Thamby.

MOTM: Matt Wilde (2 in 1 weekend!).

DOTD: James Knibb – only lasted a few minutes before hobbling off.

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Pete Riches, Simon Stringer, Lewis Ward, Matt Wilde, James Askew, Matt Gausden (c), Gavin Markham, Grant Carlin, Liam Cassidy, Andy Smith, Martyn Cory, James Knibb, Athiq Thamby

Ladies 2nd XI 1-0 Rothwell

Scorer: Ellie Bleech

A friendly encounter for these two teams just before the start of the league, enabled Saints to play a strong side and practice their new formation which they finished last year with.

Saints were in control from the start and displayed some slick passing throughout the team. There was some great forward running from Rebecca Wilkinson and Ellie Macpherson , well supported by Ness Kingston. A welcome return to the side from KJ, highlighted what we have been missing, in her passing ability.

Frequent short corners were well defended by Rothwell with special mention to their keeper who kept the score down to a minimum. The deadlock was finally broken by a short corner routine, KJ passing to Ellie Bleech who converted from close range.

A reasonable performance from Saints who face Leicester in the League next week.

Edgbaston 7-0 Mens 3rd XI

Saints travelled away to an Edgbaston team who before the start of play were only a couple of points ahead of them in the league table, and knowing that a positive result would give some good impetus to the second half of the season and for the relegation battle ahead.

Things didn’t start well however, with the team quickly finding themselves 1-0, 2-0, then 3-0 down within the first ten minutes. Despite the deficit, the team galvanised and didn’t let their heads dropped, and for the remainder of the first half produced some good hockey and competed well with the opposition. Tom Wrightman produced some good attacking intent, as did Sean Henry and Max Heaphy from the midfield. Unfortunately, the first half produced very few opportunities from the visiting side. And despite enjoying some good possession, the score line remained at 3-0 until halftime, and it could have been more but for some stout defending and sharp saves from Phil Preen.

Miller’s half time team talk was positive in as far as the despite the early deficit, the team re-gathered and worked their way back into the game. And who knows, with some oranges the second half may have gone differently…

…However, as it was the critical first goal of the second half again went to Edgbaston. At 4-0 this meant the away side had to throw more into the attack, ultimately leaving more gaps to be exploited. Saints will again rue a game where very few clear opportunities were created. In fact only 2 short corners were earned by the visitors in the entire game. By full time, the home side had accumulated a further 3 goals, and whilst 7-0 wasn’t necessarily reflective of the effort of Saints, or indeed to balance of play, Edgbaston were well worthy of the victory on the day.

MOTM – Whilst there were some nominations, the team as a whole were undeserving of a MOTM award

DOTD – Likewise, the whole team were ‘winners’ of this award. Special mention to James Miller however, for beating the first man and dribbling off the pitch on ‘multiple’ occasions. Also, mention to Tom Wrightman for his attempted ‘Scrap’, and also to Lewis Ward for his aerial pass which left the confines of the pitch!!

Team: Phil Preen, James Miller, Jason Hillier, Sean Henry, Lewis Ward, Tom Wrightman, Max Heaphy, Ian MacIlwaine, Nigel Down, Hugo Day, Dan Rose, Matt Swansborough, Ally Rose

Mens 4th XI 5-0 Belper 4th XI

Goals: Sam Bigley (2), Simon Sidhu (3)

As the second half of the season commences Saints 4’s have gained in confidence due to some strong win’s at the back end of the first part of the season.

With a fired up attitude Saints began from the off and pressed hard into heart of the defence with some promising build up. This all paid off when ‘AJ, The Duracell Bunny’ tore down the right hand side cutting the ball flat across the D too the spritely Godman, who would normally shoot from a silly angle but this time slipped the ball under the keeper for the oncoming Sam Bigley to sneak in to smack the ball into the net.

The second goal for Saints came when “Twinkle Toes Sidhu” skipped his way through three Belper players to then coolly take the keeper on and slot the ball in the bottom right corner.

As Saints went in at half time it was apparent that all they had to do was play sensible hockey to come away worthy winners. So as they came out it was not long before they added more to the score tally, with almost a carbon copy of Sidhu’s first goal. The Belper defence had nothing on the skilful Sidhu so as he beat several players he then as cool as a cucumber slipped the ball past the stranded keeper.

Then the Young Sam Bigley was thinking I can do just as well, and about 15 minutes into the second half the ball was driven hard into the D for Mr Bigley to spin and deflect the ball into the Belper net.

All that was left was for either Sam or Sidhu to get their hat-trick, and up steps the aggressive Sidhu to make his final mark. Saints come away from this with a 5-0 win and also pushes them into mid table safety for the first time this season.

MOTM – Sam Bigley (For some great determination)

DOTD – Ed Holt (For not properly taking out the Belper Centre Forward!)

Mens 5thXI 6-1 Sutton Coldfield 6thX1

Goals: Luke Pibworth (3), Rob Cary (2), Tom Dysko

Pibworth on Fire for the 5s

Luke Pibworth found his shooting boots again with a well taken hat trick, securing another win for the high flying 5thteam.

The game started with Saints being pressed in the own half by the opposition, however, as in the previous week, they scored against the run of play with a well worked goal from Luke Pibworth. Marcus Spencer-Brown produced a good run and pass for Luke to slot into the far corner. Marcus wa also involved in the second with a pass to Tom Dysko who finished with a firm shot past the Sutton goalkeeper.

By this stage Saints had fallen foul of the umpires with both Joe Cliffe and Scott Bashford receiving green cards for offences. Sutton were still working hard as a team without creating many clear cut chances. Steve Morris and Callum Scott Collins were their usual rock solid defence and George Roberts at right back was having a fine game with some excellent tackles and link up play. Scott Bashford made one spectacular diving save with his stick to deny the opposition. A third goal came when Joe Cliffe linked up well with Luke Pibworth who finished with a fine directed shot into the Sutton goal. Towards the end of the half Sutton did manage to find the net when the ball was slid slowly past Scott Bashford and into the empty net.

The second half saw the opposition more on the defensive and Saints were able to push more men forward in the search for goals. Steve Morris seem determined to score an outfield goal and made several sortees into the opposition’s D. A few light-hearted moments of the second half occurred when a stray football was ably returned to the right pitch via Callum’s boot. Callum and Grant Stevens were playing their own game of keep ball in their own D until the inevitable short corner resulted. Joe Cliffe was also also doing his best to mop up all the water from the pitch as he rolled around on the ground on several occasions.

Rob Cary then entered the goal scoring chart with a simple tap in from a slightly off target shot from Rob Tee. His second goal came from a penalty flick, awarded after a short corner flick (also from Rob) was deflected over via a Sutton defender’s head! The score was now 5-1 and the opposition’s resistance had crumbled. Luke Pibworth achieved his hat trick with the best goal of the game. A fine individual effort saw Luke rounding the keeper and finishing in style from a tight angle.

The 5thteam are now in a strong position in the league and now have their sights firmly set on promotion come the end of season.

MOTM: George Roberts. Great defending and forward movement.

DOTD: David (where did I put that car park ticket) Henry

Squad: Scott Bashford, George Roberts, Callum Scott Collins, Steve Morris, Grant Stevens, David Henry (c), Joe cliffe, Tom Dysko, Rob Tee, Jon Keep, Rob Cary, Marcus Spencer Brown, Luke Pibworth.

Mixed 2ndXI 3-1 Welford

Goals: Athiq Thamby (2), Trudy Wellington

This was a hotly anticipated match against 2 young up and coming sides. Saints came out victors as an Athiq Thamy brace, and one from Trudy Wellington sealed a deserved victory.

Match Reports from 22nd & 23rd January

Matt Gausden — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:50:42 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 3-4 Harborne

Goals: Hone (2), Chacksfield

Saints fielded a depleted squad on Saturday and made hard work of this week’s fixture which resulted in a disappointing 3-4 loss against Harborne.

Amie Hone opened the scoring within minutes of the starting whistle, however, the visitors promptly replied with an equaliser and then again with a second taking full advantage of Saints lack of discipline. Hone was quick to respond and bailed Saints out with her second goal levelling the score line going into the break.

Lucy Ann Chacksfield then took the ladies 3-2 ahead with a well rehearsed penalty placed perfectly in the corner. Harbourne continued to look dangerous benefiting from Saints poor decision making as the home side struggled to retain possession. Unfortunately, the ladies were unable to sustain their lead and Harbourne scored a further two goals to secure victory.

Ladies 2nd XI 1-1 Leicester 3rd XI

Goals: KJ Wilkins

In a must win game saints fielded a strong side and whilst a little apprehensive to start with, they soon settled into their defensive duties, with strong tackling from Tara Doyle, Ferne Sanders and Claire Dale. Saints had little forward play in the first 15 minutes but began to build in confidence as the half progressed with some challenging runs from Becky Wilkinson and Ellie Bleech.

After a closely contested first half the honours were even at half time. However, early in the second half Leicester were on the attack and a long corner was conceded and converted, giving Claire Leach in goal little chance from close range.

The goal inspired Saints to fight a bit harder and several short corners were won by KJ Wilkins silky skills. Solid defending kept the chances down to a minimum, until a slick exchange of passing between Caroline Whitehouse and Wilkins around a now dizzy defender ended in Wilkins slotting the ball past the keeper for her first goal of the season. Shortly after, Saints won another short corner, which was worked fantastically well by Ness Kingston,which KJ less gracefully booted with her left foot!!!

A good team effort with some good individual performances, especially of note from man of the match Ness Kingston.

Mens 1st XI 1-4 Coventry & North Warwick (Saturday)

Goal: Lloyd Atkinson

Saints went into this mid table clash feeling confident from the 3 points won at chesterfield the previous week. Unfortunately saints started slowly and paid the price when a lack of concentration led to conceding a lot or early short corners. Coventry converted two of them to take the lead. Saints were denied a clear goal when Ben Scott drag flicked the ball into a defenders chest on the line only for no penalty to be given. Saints missed three clear cut opportunities which would have led to a half time lead. The half ended 2-0. The second half wasn’t much better as Saints conceded another two after very sloppy defending. Only winning one short corner in 70 minutes really punished Saints Tireless running from Gareth Parker, Liam Cassidy and Stuart Clark created an opening for Lloyd Atkinson to poke home a consolation goal.

Mens 1st XI 2-7 Khalsa (Sunday)

Goals: Ben Scott, Lloyd Atkinson

Saints travelled to top of the table Khalsa with nothing to lose. Khalsa , unbeaten in the league started strongly and led the way through two short corner goals. Plenty of energy from the Saints midfield led to Lloyd Atkinson winning Saints’ first short corner of the game. A Ben Scott drag flick against the post proved a real let off for the home side and they countered to take three goal lead. A real lack of opportunities and ability to retain possession from Saints meant Khalsa were comfortable for the first 20 minutes of the second half. Two more goals put the game beyond reach but did speak up a bit of life from the home side. Scott pulled one goal back for the Saints before Lloyd Atkinson smashed in a Stuart Clark cross into the roof of the net. A fantastic finish diving in at the back post. Unfortunately this was the end of the Saints fight back as Khalsa converted two short corners late on to cap a convincing 7-2 win. Saints inability to convert goal scoring chances and only win 3 short corners over the weekend proved a real problem. Saints travel to North Staffs next weekend which is a must win game.

Mens 3rd XI 1-2 Beeston 3rd XI

Goals: Sidhu

Saints 3s came into this game on the back of two heavy defeats, and knowing that points from all of our remaining games are needed in a bid to avoid an immediate relegation to the East Midlands Premier Division.

The first half was a very even affair with both sides sharing good chunks of possession. The opening 20 minutes was played at a good pace, with difficult openings carved at both ends. Solid defensive work from the backline of Pacheco, Miller, Hillier and Wrightman kept opportunities down to a minimum. The best chance of the half for saints came when Noble put Swansborough through, with the latter steering his shot wide of the target.

The halftime talk concentrated on making sure the simple pass was made, and generally continuing with the same determination in the second half.

Shortly after the second period got underway however, the visitors took the lead though with a well taken opportunity leaving keeper Phil Preen with little chance. Saints heads didn’t drop however, and they continued to play with good endeavour. After 15 minutes of the half, the visitors score was doubled with another good opportunity.

Saints will lament the fact that they again failed to carve out many clear opportunities, only winning 3 PCs throughout the whole game. A Superb individual effort from Simon Sidhu did reduce the arrears and give the home side hope with 10 minutes to play. However, despite enjoying the majority of the late possession, Saints were unable to salvage anything from the game.

A good performance with a disappointing (but fair) result leaves Saints firmly planted in the relegation dog fight. With an away trip to Nottingham University next week, 3 points is surely now a must.

MOTM: Dan Rose, who worked tirelessly up front for the whole game. Special mention also needs to be given to Wightman and Down who both had solid performances.

Team: Phil Preen, James Miller, Patrick Pacheco, Jason Hillier, Tom Wrightman, Sean Henry, Hugo Day, Jon Noble, Nigel Down, Max Heaphy, Matt Swansborough, Simon Sidhu, Dan Rose,

Mens 5th XI 0-0 Leicester 5th XI

Attendance; The Grant Stevens Hareem

Tea; Sausage, chips & beans

In the news; Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus

Toothless Old-Timers

Fielding a patched-up squad of old-timers and new boys, Saints’ reputation preceded them as Leicester made the trip down the M1 and set their stall out to defend.

They needn’t have bothered.

Despite a glittering array of attacking talent on show in the shape of Rob “Ivor the Engine” Cary, Mike “Comeback” Derbyshire and Ross “Papa” McLean, Saints were unable to get a shot on target.

Plenty of openings created by midfield but the ball just would not hit the back of the net.

Airshots a-plenty, woodwork from McLean and a disallowed goal from Adam Shepherd were no consolation. Even the normally reliable Steve Morris was unable to put away a string of short corners.

Derbyshire’s best moment was providing a spare pair of boots for the bare-footed Joe “Goldfish” Cliffe, before going off with a honey-roast hamstring.

Saints were lucky not to loose by the inevitable one goal as the best player on the pitch shot narrowly wide with the back of his stick.

Having said all that, Saint’s defence held firm against Leicester’s sporadic attacks. The oppo never came with any ambition other than a draw, but to their credit, Saints stayed calm and kept playing hockey.

Back to business next week, more goals needed.

MOM; Steve Morris

DOD; Ross McLean (Beardy weirdy)

Scott Bashford (GK), Grant Stevens, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, George Roberts, Ross McLean, Gareth Voss, Joe Cliffe, David Henry (C), Adam Shepherd, Tom Dysko, Rob Carey, Mike Derbyshire, Rob Tee

Northampton Badgers 4-2 Rugby & EW

Goals: Anthony Condon (4)

Northampton eased to a 4-2 victory against Rugby last weekend.
Anthony Condon opened the score sheet for Northampton with a super solo run with an even better finish. Rugby closed the gap not long after though with a goal which was scrambled across the line. Condon struck twice more taking a well deserved hat-trick before the close of the first half.
Rugby continued to threaten Northampton throughout the second half but could only pull one goal back before Anthony took a fourth! He looked like taking a fifth after a Rugby defender attempted an areal pass which went in the opposite direction, but he could only put it wide of the post.

Match Reports from 29th and 30th January

Matt Gausden — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:19:48 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 4-2 Towcester 1st XI

Goals: Sarah Cosford, Esther Keijbets, Lucy Ann Chacksfield, Amie Hone

Saints started the game with great vigour and positive attitude aiming to improve from last week’s performance. Minutes into the game a quick free hit, taken by man of the match Lucy-Ann Chacksfield, was picked up by Amie Hone and converted by Sarah Cosford.

Newly married Esther Keijbets took the opportunity to confidently slap a rebounded ball past the keeper to get the 2ndSaints goal.

The second half saw Saints continue with high energy , Lucy Ann Chacksfield got the 3rdgoal from a straight strike smashed past the keeper on a short corner.

Moments later Towcester managed to pull a goal back from a miss hit short corner to make it 3-1.

The 4thSaints goal came from a short corner picked off the keeper’s pads by Amie Hone who swept it into the goal.

Towcester managed to get one more goal off a straight strike from a Towcester short corner making the final score 4-2 to Saints.

Ladies 2ndXI 2- 1 Kettering

Goals: Caz Whitehouse (2)

Saints started this must win game with confidence and after a shaky opening few minutes soon settled into the game. All the pressure was made by great forward running from Ellie Bleech and Becky Wilkinson. Sally Adler and Ness Kingston controlled the midfield with very little getting through to the defence.

Initially Saints were unable to capitalise on a shaky Kettering defence who struggled to deal with the pace and skill of Saints young attackers, supported by KJ Wilkins. But finally a short corner was awarded after relentless pressure and numerous fouls. The short corner was not quite according to plan but never the less, the ball found its way to Caz Whitehouse who made no mistake and buried the ball in the goal.

After half time, Saints continued with their attacking pressure and after a shot from Katie Barnetson was saved by the keeper, who’s save found Caz Whitehouse, who was on hand to double her goal tally and score Saints second. Kettering had few chances thanks to great defensive work, especially by Man of the match Molly Ogden. Unfortunately, a short corer was conceded against the run of play and a sweetly struck shot found the corner of the goal.

Kettering continued to press after their goal but Saints stood firm to claim a well deserved three points.

Mens 2ndXI 2-1 Leek 2ndXI

Goals: Martyn Cory, Gavin Markham

Saints set out in this game looking to avenge Leek for the defeat they inflicted on them earlier in the season. They started the game well as they pushed Leek back and moved the ball around well. However they were struggling to break through a stubborn defence. Midway in the half they won a short corner, which forward Martyn Cory converted with ease. The rest of the half saw Saints threaten but lacked that cutting edge in front of goal.

The second half was a more even affair, and clearly the next goal was going to be important, fortunately this went to Saints as a well worked short corner routine resulted in Gavin Markham deflecting the ball in at the far post. As the game progressed Saints began to sit back and gave away a soft goal. The final ten minutes saw some frantic defending from the home side and they held out to be deserved winners 2-1.

MOTM: Jon Noble – rolled back the years with a strong performance at the back

Joint DOTD: Marty Cory – failed to make the most of his 10 penalty corners!

Joint DOTD: Lewis Ward – for declaring himself fit before the game then failing to last more than 35 minutes!

Squad: Sam Biddle, Ben Northedge, Simon Stringer, Lewis Ward, Alex Mcindoe, Matt Gausden (c), Gavin Markham, Jon Noble, Grant Carlin, Andy Smith, Simon Sidhu, Martyn Cory, James Knibb.

Mens 2ndXI 2-10 Birmingham University 2ndXI (Sunday)

Goals: Andy Smith, Martyn Cory

Well the less said about this game the better, so having ended the first half 1-0 down following some poor marking, Saints looked like they could get something from this match away at Edgbaston Campus. However with a poor attitude and application, the second half saw Saints embarrassingly ship 9 goals. The only two shining moments from the second half was a well worked goal which Andy Smith converted, and a Martyn Cory drag flick. This was a huge disappointment on the back of a great result on Saturday.

Now onto the more enjoyable part of the day:

Having arrived over an hour before the game, the team were treated to some entertaining admissions from Ben ‘Billy Elliott’ Northedge. The ballet, Boyzone (twice), Take That, he just continued to dig himself a hole. And he seemed to misunderstand the phrase ‘testing the water’ after turning on the showers (and they say these Uni students are the future of our country!!). Following this Martyn ‘Ramsey’ Cory took centre stage as he proceeded to tell his team-mates at great length how best to re-heat a Sunday roast!!! It’s no wonder the team were half asleep during the game!!

The warm up was led by twinkle toes Northedge, who led the team through some triple runs, sissonne and plie.

Despite Ben’s best efforts, the DOTD vote was secured by Martyn Cory. His new cook book ‘ready, steady, microwave’ will be available in all good retailers soon and is highly recommended (if you want to send your kids to sleep!)

Squad: Sam Biddle, Ben Northedge, James Miller, Kyle Taylor, Alex Mcindoe, Matt Gausden (c), Grant Carlin, Andy Smith, Matt Wilde, Martyn Cory, James Knibb, Athiq Thamby.

Mens 4thXI 5-2 Beeston 5thXI

Goals: Sam Bigley, Aiden Walker, Marcus SPencer-Brown, Tom Bradshaw (2)

" You don't win anything with kids!"

A young Northampton team with 7 under 18s ensured their run of form produced the correct result after a dissapointing loss to Rugby last week. The games was free flowing with both sides trying to attck and be positive all game. Saints took the lead with a smart goal by Sam Bigley after neat interplay withAidan Walker opened up the Beeston defense,this was cancelled out by a reverse stick shot by a Beeston forward to beat Ed Holt in goal. The game continued to be very open and the forward line of Pibworth, Bigley and Bradshaw sucessfully pulled the Beeston back line from sideline to sideline creating large gaps behind the defense allowing Walker to score for a half time lead of 2-1.

The second half witnessed a magnificent goal involving 4 young saints players in the Beston circle allowing Marcus Spencer Brown to glide a deflection past tthe Beeston GK. This was swiftly followed by a cannon of a ball through the home defense for Bradshaw to deflect past the wacthing keeper. Beeston pulled one back from a short corener but as they tired from chasing kids "15 years younger than me" as one Beeston defender put it they considered another well worked goal for Bradshaw to claim his second. Ed Holt was very safe at the back and kept out a definate goal right at the death.

West Bridgford 5th XI 2-1 Mens 5th XI

Attendance; 4

Tea; Sausage, Small baked potatoes, beans, cheese and coleslaw

In the news; Egypt kicking off

Sorry Saints Slump to Defeat

Not having learnt from last week’s lesson, Saint’s travelled to Nottingham with another patched up team which looked good on paper, including skilful youngster Ally Rose and £50M signing, Chris “Torres” Godman.

Unfortunately, for the second week running, Saint’s squad proved to be less than the sum of it’s parts. Due to a lack of midfielders, Saints kicked off with a new 4-3-3 formation which, despite a few flashes of skill on the right from Joe Cliffe, Godman and Rose, meant that the visitors lacked any real width.

With most of the play going through the middle, Saints had no choice but to soak up the pressure and it was only Scott Bashford who was keeping the whites in the game.

George Roberts did his best a left back, mostly by manhandling players two feet taller than he is.

As is often the case though, Saints scored against the run of play, with Ally Rose scored a brilliantly taken back-stick shot half way through the first half.

A 1-0 lead then at half time flattered the visitors. Changing back to a 4-4-2 was too little, too late and the pattern of play was set with long balls from midfield being picked up by the oppo who then started to overrun Saints’ defence.

Bashford continued to keep Saints in contention, although not without much controversial flapping of legs.

West Bridgford inevitably equalised in the second half as midfield floundered and Cliffe’s legs were too slow to get back and prevent the goal.

The home team made it two shortly after when a short corner wasn’t quite stopped on the line by Roberts.

By no means a walkover, Saint’s could still win this division, but have now started to look over their shoulders.

MOM; George Roberts

DOD; Ally Rose (New boy)

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), George Roberts, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Joe Cliffe, Grant Stevens, David Henry (C), Ally Rose, Jon Keep, Rob Tee, Rob Carey, Chris Godman

Mens 6th XI 1-4 Rugby and East Warwickshire 4th XI

Goal Scorers: Will Gamble

The Fighting Sixes performance in the first half was better than in the second half. Some would say that it is because the credit crunch was worse in the Second half and there was a threat of snow interruption at Heathrow…

At half time we were 2 goals down.

35 minutes earlier…

Karl “Mr Blonde” Flowers arrived late with one of the umpires for the game. The pressure was already on the team as Dan “Dr Malcolm“Burge was seen practicing his dribble on to his back stick like the velociraptor in Jurassic Park.

The half started with the F6s immediately on the back foot. Within a very short space of time Rugby and EW had put their first goal as a result of good pressure and below standard defence. Rob “Old Big ‘Ead” O’Donnell did well with his tackles, but confusion between the left and right backs seemed to be the F6s weakness.

Time and time again the F6s seemed to push up only to make poor choices and passes allowing excellent counters by Rugby and EW. Dermot ”Col. Nicholson” Cassidy and Karl ”Maj. Warden” McGregor tried to offer as many defensive options as possible but couldn’t stop the defence letting REW put in a second across the River Kwai.

Up front, the superstar was Gareth”Skywalker” Voss who worked well with Ross”Hans Solo” McLean and Will “Obiwan” Gamble, but successful strikes on the Death Star were just not happening. Chris “Charlie Croker” Easton, Nigel”Mr. Bridges” Riches and Jamie “Professor Peach” Hawkins just couldn’t move their minis fast enough to get the gold.

At half time, the mood was sombre. The F6s facing their credit card bills and 2 goals down just couldn’t lift their spirit.

After the break the F6s started well, hungry to get the first goal and put the pressure back on to REW. Adam “Forrest Gump” Shepherd did some good running to try and link up with the forwards, but their seemed to be no chocolates and the F6s were not getting quick passes through. The defensive short corner that resulted from errors in the D was diabolical. No structure in the defence let an easy ball in.

Some consolation returned with a phase of good pressure resulting in Will Gamble jabbing it in around the keeper’s legs.

Then, Paul ”Rocky” Crawford, bringing a striker down in his D had to face a penalty flick which REW put in and earned Paul the joint honour (with Owen “Paulie” Jones) of “villain of the game gong.”

Teas: Steaming Sausages, Golden Crispy Chips and Musical Fruit

MOM: Gareth Voss (Paying the judges)

DOD: Paul Crawford and Owen Jones (Siamese hangovers)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Paul Crawford (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Dan Burge; Owen Jones; Gareth Voss; Will Gamble; Chris Easton; Jamie Hawkins; Ross McLean; Adam Shepherd; Karl McGregor and Nigel Riches.

Mixed U11s vs Welford U11s (tournament)

Saints Under 11’s recorded a 10-1 and a 7-1 victory over Welford in a ‘double header’ competition last Sunday. Despite the cold weather, many supporters turned out to watch these mixed 7-a-side games, The standard of play by both teams was great to watch. Saints scorers were Daniel Newsway, Arvind Pooni, Rhys Noble, Archie Darby, Lewis Pywell and Toby Clifton. Welford worked extremely hard during both games but tired towards the end. Saints were able to rotate three substitutes at any one time, with their fresher legs making a big difference as the games progressed . The Welford goalkeeper deserves a special mention for making some fine saves but even he couldn’t stop the Saints forwards finding the back of the net. Saints Under 9’s also recorded a victory over their Welford rivals.

Squad : Rhys Noble, James Morris, Samuel Hardwick, Arvind Pooni, Sophie Main, Daniel Newsway, Lewis Pywell, Toby Clifton, Lauren Dawes, Imogen Thorpe

Match Reports from 5th & 6th February

Matt Gausden — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:10:28 +0000

Mens 2nd XI 5-0 Olton & West Warwick 2nd XI

Goals: Dan Rose (2), James Knibb (2), Liam Cassidy

With Saints going into the key period of the season, they knew 3 points was vital in this battle between 2 of the league's relegation candidates. Due to 1st team call ups and unavailability, Saints were lacking a few players, so up stepped James Miller and Dan Rose from the 3s to showcase their talents.

Rose was the first to make an impression as he finished off a swift Saints counter attack with a simple back post tap in. Saints continued to dominate the first half and a fine defensive performance from the team allowed them to continously hit Olton on the break. This fine work was duly rewarded with another goal just before half-time, Liam Cassidy the scorer.

The half-time team talk was all about keeping shape, soaking up the expected early pressure from Olton and getting the all important third goal to kill off the game.

For once, the team listened to the team-talk and did exactly as requested! The defensive 5 held firm with Matt Wilde in particular doing well in the unfamiliar defensive midfield role. This allowed the attacking five the licence to roam, with Cassidy and Gavin Markham leading the way. Midway through the second half the all important third goal came courtesty of a James Knibb drag flick off a penalty corner. Saints then finished off an impressive team performance with further goals from Dan Rose (another close range tap in) and James Knibb.

MOTM: 3 way tie between: Matt Wilde, Liam Cassidy, Gavin Markham
DOTD: Martyn Cory - for leaving the game early to watch the Rugby!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), James Miller, Simon Stringer, Pete Riches, Matt Wilde, Matt Gausden (c), Liam Cassidy, Gavin Markham, Athiq Thamby, Martyn Cory, Dan Rose, James Knibb.

Mens 5thXI 5-1 West Bridgford

Scorers: Tom Dysko (3), Rob Cary, Rob Tee

Saints travelled to West Bridgford, for the second time in as many weeks, looking to redeem themselves from the disappointing display last week. Saints started the match well. The desire and drive of early season returned and from the outset Saints were piling the pressure onto the West Bridgford defence. With Bridgford pressed into their half, Callum Scott-Collins picked up a loose ball at the halfway line and made a strong driving run towards the D. West Bridgford defenders seemed to be content to dive aimlessly towards Callum, giving him an easy task to find his way into the D, he then slipped a neat, accurate pass through to birthday boy Tom Dysko, who put the ball cleanly into the goal.

Saints continued in this manner, with some strong pacy attacks down the right had side – courtesy of Tom Dysko and Gareth Voss. Rob Cary had several chances to increase the score, but was denied by the hard working Bridgford keeper. Tom Dysko picked up one of the keepers many clearances from Rob’s shots to put the goal tally up to 2.

As the half wore on Saints started to lose a bit of momentum allowing Bridgford to attack, however they soaked up this pressure well and hit back on the counter attack allowing Rob Cary to score.

The second half started and it didn’t take long for Tom Dysko to find space in the D to slot home another classy flick into the goal to secure his hat-trick.

Soon after this the game became more notable for the number of people eating astro-turf than the actual hockey. Firstly Gareth Voss charged in low (and a little late) to pick up a loose ball, up-ending Bridgford’s experienced centre midfielder. Then in the Saints D, Callum Scott-Collins was felled by two of Bridford’s forwards - he scored high artistic impression points for his swan dive as he fell, and unfortunately for Callum, he landed on top of one of the forwards, getting a poke in the ribs from his stick. Lastly Scott Bashford came charging out to collect the ball, but collected Bridgford’s player instead, knocking him flat on his face causing the unfortunate player to lose the crown from one of his teeth. This secured Bridford a flick, which they converted well.

Saints continued to keep some pressure on and even decided to give the keeper a good work out having 5 or 6 shots in sequence all directly at the keeper. After several misses off the back of Gareth Voss crosses (most notably Jon Keep hitting the ball straight at the keepers feet, before clumsily kicking the ball back to the keeper) he managed to find Rob Tee who swept the ball through the legs of the fully stretched Bridgford keeper and finished the scoring for Saints.

MOTM: Birthday boy Tom Dysko – Hat trick, and MOM – not a bad birthday really

DOTD: Scott Bashford – for taking out the oppositions teeth!

Team: Scott Bashford, Callum Scott-Collins, Steve Morris, Grant Stevens, Gareth Voss, Jon Keep, Dave Henry, Chris Rowlands, Tom Dysko, Ally Rose, Rob Cary, Rob Tee

Ladies 3rd XI 1-6 Daventry

Goal Scorer: Annie Holt

We were expecting a tough match against these guys, and you know it’s never a good start when we can’t even match our socks ‘cough cough’ Jane Ogden!

They had a lot of experience and strength which definitely showed as we were 1 down in the first minute. After the shaky start, we regained composure and were looking stronger up front with some great runs from Emily Kilner and Anya. Unfortunately we could not convert them into goals and quickly found ourselves conceding 2 more goals from a couple of quick breaks. We kept fighting and won ourselves a short corner Annie shot from the top of the D and scored a great goal. The score was now at now 3-1, which definitely lifted our hopes as we were starting to believe we could go and get a few more goals. The first half ended with us pressing them very high so the half time break didn’t really suit us.

We were ready for second half and were pressing their defence straight away, unfortunately, like the first half they were quicker on the break and ended up scoring 3 more goals. However we were fighting until the end and the score definitely did not reflect the game!

Unlucky girls, hopefully luck will be with us next week!

Badgers 4-3 Daventry Badgers

Goal Scorers: Anthony Condon, Lee Thompson (2), Greg Summers

Northampton dominated the first half with Anthony Condon opening the scoring early on. Lee Thompson doubled the lead 20 minutes in, before taking his second shortly after.

Daventry made a come back in the second half pulling a goal back early on, which was to be followed by 2 more soon after. The two teams battled through the wind desperate for a breakthrough but in the end it was a superb solo run from Northampton's Greg Summers which ended Daventry's hopes of home victory.

Club night out

Karl Flowers — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 08:32:06 +0000

Matt G and the club’s Party Liaison Officer (Dermot ‘Van Wilder’ Cassidy) are proposing a club night out down the Welli Rd on Sat 26th Feb.

7.30pm start in the Pickering Phipps, and then we’ll do the usual pub crawl. We’ve been pretty rubbish at socialising this season so time to make amends!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194683493892299

Match Reports from 12th & 13th February

Matt Gausden — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:44:02 +0000

Mens 1st XI 2-3 Rugby & East Warwick 1st XI

Goals: Ben Scott, Joe Kopka

Northampton got off to the worst possible start in this game as they fell 2 goals behind after 10 minutes. From nowhere Saints sprang into life and thanks to a Ben Scott penalty corner and a fine Joe Kopka goal, the game was level at half-time.

With a spring in their step, it looked as though Northampton would come out victors, however an ill-disciplined second half performance in which 3 players were sin-binned allowed Rugby to score the all-important winner.

This result pushes Saints further down the table and they’re now starting to look over there shoulders at the relegation zone. They travel to North Staffs and Telford&Wrekin next weekend in a double header that is likely to shape there season.

Mens 2nd XI 3-3 Barford Tigers 2nd XI

Goals: Martyn Cory (2), Dan Rose

Saints travelled to Birmingham on Sunday with a real sense of drive and determination after a shock defeat the day before. Things didn’t get off to the best of starts as captain Matt Gausden had given his team the wrong directions and the team found themselves in the middle of a housing estate with not a hockey pitch in site! The team eventually found the pitch thanks to good old Sat Nav (much more reliable than Matt Nav!). Pre-match talk was all about Grant and his massive ego (yes Liam was jealous!). The warm up was painful with the team still aching from the game on the previous day.

The game started with Saints in control, however Barford continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack. The first goal of the game went to Saints as Dan Rose converted from close range (lets be honest, he never scored from further than 5 yards). Shortly before half-time Barford replied from a short corner (which James Miller neatly deflected past his own keeper) to leave the score at 1 apiece.

The second half seemed a repeat of the first half as Saints enjoyed plenty of the ball. They once again took the lead through a Martyn Cory penalty corner. However not to be outdone Barford came back again after converting a penalty flick (skipper Gausden confirming his DOTD award after conceding this flick!).

With 10 minutes on the clock it looked as though Northampton had scored the all important winner as Martyn Cory converted. Saints then wasted a further chances to put the game to bed. And with only a minute on the clock, Barford won a penalty corner, and neatly converted. The game finished 3-3 and this was definitely 2 points lost for Saints.

MOTM: James Miller – easily had the beating of the centre forward he was marking.
DOTD: Matt Gausden – got lost off and on the pitch!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), James Miller, Ben Northedge, Pete Riches, Matt Gausden (c), Grant Carlin, Matt Wilde, Kyle Taylor, Liam Cassidy, Athiq Thamby, James Knibb, Martyn Cory, Dan Rose, Andy Smith

Mens 2nd XI 1-5 Loughborough Students 2nd XI

Goals: Martyn Cory

Against a strong looking Loughborough, Saints fell apart in the first half. After fifteen minutes they were 3 goals down, however after stabelising themselves, they saw out the rest of the half without further problems.

The second half saw a much improved performance from Northampton, however a dubious fourth goal all but finished Saints off. With chances going begging at the other end as well it clearly wasn’t Northampton’s day, and a further goal from Loughborough added salt to the wound. A late Martyn Cory goal failed to brighten spirits.

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), James Miller, Ben Northedge, Pete Riches, Matt Gausden (c), Grant Carlin, Matt Wilde, Kyle Taylor, Liam Cassidy, Athiq Thamby, James Knibb, Martyn Cory, Dan Rose, Andy Smith

Mens 5th XI 6-1 Boots IV

Goals; Rob Carey 4, Joe Cliffe, Ally Rose

Attendance; 7

Tea; Sausage, Chips & Beans

In the news; Egypt – They Sphinx it’s all over. It is now.

6-1…But…

A bit like a smelly student with a hangover hitting the snooze button on a Monday morning, Saints only really woke up in the second half of this game.

Even then it wasn’t pretty as the home team responded to David Henry’s half-time roasting by battering the oppo into submission with a blunt instrument.

That blunt instrument was four-goal hero, Rob Carey.

Saints first goal was started from defence by Steve Morris, linking up with Chris Godman and Joe Cliffe, who’s surging run to the top of the D set Carey up for number one.

Number two was a well-placed flick from a short corner.

Godman would have made it three but for a flicked shot which eventually came down with snow on it.

But the home team were by no means having it their own way in the first half and were nearly embarrassed by Boots’ diminutive number ten more than once.

After a no-nonsense half-time talk from Henry which made us all feel like naughty school boys, Saints started to wake up.

Not before a well-taken own goal from Callum Scott Collins however, who volleyed an acrobatic goal-line save from Morris back into the net.

From then on though, Saints woke up. A thirty-yard drive into the D was deflected in the goal by a slightly surprised Carey for his hat-trick, and number four was put away after a fine cross from Rob Tee.

After making one of the visitors cry, a well-positioned Cliffe got in on the act for number five and Tee was provider again for Ally Rose to make it six.

The only player who never really got into the game was Tom Dysko. Having complained at half time that nobody would pass to him, Dysko’s day was made worse by being smashed in the face with a Boots hockey stick. The boy now looks like Pudsey Bear and was last heard from at casualty.

MOM; Rob Carey

DOD; Callum Scott-Collins

Scott Bashford (GK), Gareth Stevens, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Gareth Voss, Jon Keep, Joe Cliffe, David Henry (C), Ally Rose, Tom Dysko, Chris Godman, Rob Carey, Rob Tee

Mens 6th XI (Home) 5-1 Warwick 5th XI

Goal Scorers: Adam Shepherd, Ross McLean, Greg Summers, Nigel Riches and Will Gamble

The rose is red, the violet's blue
The honey's sweet, and so are you
Thou are my love and I am thine
I drew thee to my Valentine
The lot was cast and then I drew
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

This is what is read on the match day programme. It went straight to the Fighting Sixes player’s head with Jamie hitting on George immediately before the game even started.

Good building hockey was the nature of the day. The F6s built well with good pressure and excellent running into space. Adam “Wild Rose” Shepherd was gifted a box of chocolates with easily getting the ball past their defence and keeper.

With F6s holding most of the possession and territory there were some interesting defensive manoeuvres like Karl “Learning to Fly” Flowers falling over (like someone had shouted timber). Warwick won a short corner and with a well deserved move put it past Paul “Tulip” Crawford on rebound.

Tight midfield control by Karl “Daisy” McGregorand Greg “Lily” Summers couldn’t seem to link up with Jamie “Snapdragon” Hawkins who missed, stood on or kicked the ball (earning him DOTD).

Just before the half time whistle, Rob “Violet” O’Donnell decided to get into a argy bargy with the opposition’s left wing, nearly getting him a vote for DOTD.

Dermot “Foxglove” Cassidy gave us a rousing talk at half time inspiring us to greater heights.

With excellent drives both ways it took the F6’s patience, tenacity and a credit card charge for teddies and a bottle of Pinot Grigot to get Greg "Bluebell" Summers assisted by Will “Lavender” Gamble to squeak it into the goal. (It was heard that it was a goal because we didn’t have to hit it in, let’s say we were missing a lot…)

After an excellent clearance from Owen “Leek” Jones it connected with Ross “Dahlia” McLean who dribbled to the right (as his girl will testify) drove it in, for it to then cannon off the keeper into the goal.

With play moving up the middle and the left it was the chance of George “Marigold” Roberts to link up with Jeremy “Buttercup” Wan who advanced quickly. A poor clearance by the opposition and the instincts of a spritely Nigel “Petunia” Riches resulted in a straight slap into bottom left past the keeper.

The final goal was a great assist by Greg through to Will who pushed it into the corner finishing things off. Some would say that Ross was deliberately missing goals so that he could get out of “not buying a jug for a hat-trick”

Teas: Sausage shaped soya substitute, Chip shaped potato substitute and the nemesis of climate change.

MOTM: Greg Summers (Awesome debut goal)

DOTD: Jamie Hawkins (Drunk on duty)

Squad: Dermot Cassidy(c); Paul Crawford (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Karl McGregor; Will Gamble; Adam Shepherd; Jeremy Wan; Greg Summers; Owen Jones; Ross McLean; George Roberts; Jamie Hawkins and Nigel Riches.

Ladies 1st XI 1-2 Bedford

Goal scorer: Lucy Ann Chacksfield

The 1st team took a trip down to Bedford on Saturday. Sitting just behind us in the table it was an important game.

Coming from a good week of training we were all in a positive mood though unfortunately this didn’t translate to the pitch. From the start Bedford looked like they wanted it more, making the 50/50 balls and putting the defence under pressure. Northampton made some attacking moves but struggled to gain anything from them.

It wasn’t long before a Bedford short corner was converted into a goal as the defence struggled to clear the ball off the keeper’s pads. Unfortunately even going behind didn’t spur on the Saints who still looked sluggish and were struggling to communicate and string their passes together.

Further Bedford pressure allowed them to score another before the half time whistle. This couldn’t have come soon enough as Northampton needed to regroup and work out how to improve for the second half.

A half time discussion and a change of formation gave Saints some renewed energy. The half started on a much better note with Northampton still not at their best but looking much more positive and challenges the Bedford defence on multiple occasions. However despite the improvement and a number of short corners Northampton were unable to capitalise, which meant the renewed energy dropped and Saints often resorted to trying to fire the long ball through with limited success.

Losing a player to a yellow for a very deliberate tackle without retreating 5yards, left Bedford on the back foot and allowed saints to pick up the pace once again. This time a short corner was converted by Lucy Ann Chacksfield, leaving Saints within touching distance with 10 minutes to go. Unfortunately play dropped again and the second goal was not come as balls repeatedly were fired off the end of the pitch and opportunities were lost.

The game ended with a 2-1 loss, and a lot of downhearted Saints players. It was one of those days where things didn’t click or go our way, and it gives us plenty to think about and work on as we approach the last stretch of the season.

Player of Match: Nikki Stringer

Ladies 3rd XI 0-1 Grammarians

We all turned up early and prepared for the match ahead, even Natalia …. As we knew that this match was going to be tough.
As soon as the umpire blew the whistle, we went out strong and attacking, we were determined to get a win. Straight away we were in their D having shot after shot on goal by Emily Kilner and Courtney Thorpe but none were successful. With the help of the defence, Jane Ogden, Annie Holt and Laura Wychgel, we were able to keep the ball away from our D preventing them to have a shot on goal. We continued to dominate the first half with a great defensive performance from the team allowing us to continue to hit them on the break as we knew that we the speed over them.

The half time whistle went, with the score still at 0-0, with us having the majority of the ball procession and having plenty of shots on goal.

After a positive half time talk from our coach Stu, we were psyched for the second half. When the whistle was blown we were on them like a pack of wolves, with some fantastic runs from Laura … and Anya Hartgroves into their D allowing us to have shots on goal. Unfortunately the Grammarians got a lucky break and managed to get a goal making it 1-0. This made the team more determined to score, pushing everyone up above the half way line. However the final whistle went with the final score as 1-0.

Unlucky girls, we played brilliantly and should have won. Next week Towcester better be prepared because there’s a new team in town

MOTM – Laura Wychgel for playing well in an unknown position (don’t actually know the reason)

DOTD – Tony Brennan for calling players the wrong names

Mixed 1st XI 3-1 Brixworth

Scorers Casey Humphries 1, Nathan Hernandez 2

In this morning game at Campion School, Saints came out victors thanks to the Northampton University students of Casey Humphries and a Nathan Hernandez brace. This was a well deserved win, although commiserations to Brixworth who put in a fine performance.

Mixed 2ndXI 6-1 Amateurs

Scorers James Knibb 3, Athiq Thamby 1, Dan Whitfield 1, Aimie Hone 1

In this evening match, Saints came out victors after a superb second half performance. The first half was a closely fort affair as neither side wanted to give anything away. They both exchanged goals to go in 1-1 after 35 minutes. Amie Hone the scorer for Saints.

The second half saw Northampton come out all guns blazing as they scored an impressive 5 goals through youngsters James Knibb (3), Athiq Thamby and Dan Whitfield.

Mens 5th Team Win Promotion (...again!)

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:01:52 +0000

Congratulations to our Men's 5th team for securing promotion on Saturday, following a superb 2-0 victory away at Melton.

With over a month of the season still to play this is a fantastic achievement, and if they can secure one more victory next week then they'll be confirmed as Champions.

Promotion next season will see them playing in the Central League, Midlands Division One. They'll join our 4th team in this league. So we look forward to some friendly rivalry between our 2 teams!

Please pass your congratulations onto Dave Henry and his team when you see them.

Stay tuned for more updates over the next month as our Ladies 1s and 2s, Mens 1s, 2s and 6s are involved in either promotion or relegation battles.

Match Reports from 19th & 20th February

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:04:49 +0000

Mens 5thXI 2-0 Melton 4thXI

We are going up, say, we are going up (again!)

Goals: Gareth Voss, Jon Keep

The Mens 5th’S secured promotion for the second year running after a well deserved victory against Melton 4s last Saturday. The victorious team will play in the East Midlands Premier Division of the Midlands Central League next season. With 4 games of the season remaining the 5th team only need one point to be league champions, a feat they hope to achieve in their next match against second in the table Beeston.

With a number of Saints payers unavailable this week, the 5s started against Melton with a somewhat unfamiliar line up. Steve Morris decided a James Blunt concert was a better alternative to hockey, and Joe Cliffe was penalised for not being able to play away, with a game for the 4th team. Several players had been promoted from the 6’s but they all did themselves credit, and contributed to a good team performance. Saints quickly set into a good tempo and were passing the ball around well. Gareth Voss was particularly impressive in central midfield. Jeremy Wan in central defence and Ryan James in midfield were putting in good performances as Saints took the game to the opposition early on. Melton were also putting together some slick passing routines with two young midfielders particularly impressive. Callum Scott Collins was having a commanding game at the back showing good dribbling skills to get his side out of trouble on a number of occasions. (except for the two times he dribbled directly off the end of the pitch)

The first goal came from an incisive through pass from captain David Henry which split two defenders and allowed Ryan James to surge forward towards goal. His cross led to some panic defending by Melton and the ball was finally tapped in at the far post by Gareth Voss. Saints were playing well and a second goal arrived from a short corner. Rob Cary pushed the ball goalward and Jon Keep was there to sweep the ball into the net to make it 2-0. Melton were mainly relying on long balls into the Saints D and from one of these efforts a shot struck Callum’s foot and a penalty stroke was awarded. The flick was saved however, by new boy Kurt Jenkins with a fine effort. Half time.

In the second half Saint’s lack of substitutes started to show as the tempo of their play dropped and the 5s sat back in defence a bit more. George Roberts had a few good surging runs forward and showed aggression and tenacity. Rob Tee stuck to his task up front well and was unlucky on a number of occasions not to score. One notable event of the second half was Gareth Voss taking one for the team with a ball into the abdomen. As the game came to a close the Saints were fairly comfortable and kept Melton at bay for a well deserved victory.

Bring on Beeston!

Man of the match: Gareth Voss
DOTD: Callum Scott Collins

Squad:Kurt Jenkins (GK), Grant Stevens, Jeremy Wan, Callum Scott-Collins, George Roberts, David Henry (c), Gareth Voss, Ryan James, Jon Keep, Rob Cary, Rob Tee.

Ladies 1st XI 5-2 Boots

Goal scorers: Lisa Coe 2, Amie Hone 2, Sarah Cosford 1

Saints got off to a good start gaining an early short corner which was put away by Amie Hone. Saints continued to dominate with some great defensive work by player of the match Esther Keijbets controlling the game at the back, although a quick break through the middle from Boots led to a scrappy goal. Saints stepped up their game again with some good team work leading to Lisa Coe putting another one in the net so saints were back on top. Just minutes before the half time whistle saints earned a short corner, which after many attempts was scored by Sarah Cosford on the line.

Boots took their opportunity as saints started the second half slowly resulting in a goal bringing them back into the game. After maintaining possession Amie Hone eventually scored another goal for saints to increase their lead. With the final whistle looming Lisa Coe slotted away a fifth to take Saints to a 5-2 win and a much deserved three points.

Player of Match: Esther Keijbets

DOTD: Abi Fitzgerald

Ladies 2nd XI 1 – 0 Derby Asterdale 1st XI

The ladies 2s went into this game against second in the league desperately in need of some points to ensure Midland League survival. Not surprisingly they started the game nervously against a team that had beaten them 5-1 previously.

Good communication & solid tackling from Ness Kingston at centre back & Claire Dale at left back during the first ten minutes allowed Saints to settle.

The two sides were evenly matched for the remainder of the half. Youngsters Steph Brennan & Ferne Sanders gave a mature & disciplined performance in the midfield alongside veteran Nicky Milford.

0-0 at half time & the game was there for the taking. Courtney Thorpe & Laura Wychgel showed youthful tenacity alongside the ever influential KJ Wilkins to cause Derby some concern.

Meanwhile at the other end of the pitch always reliable keeper Claire Leech & man of the match Clare Noble kept Saints in the game. Right back Noble making intelligent forward runs as well as many determined tackles.

With ten minutes to go Saints seemed to have the upper hand. Fantastic interplay between Molly Ogden, Sally Adlen & Caz Whitehouse kept the pressure on the Derby defence. Three minutes from time Saints were awarded a penalty corner. Wilkins & Kingston combined resulting in Wilkins converting top right.

Milfordmade it a tense final two minutes by conceding a penalty corner & receiving a yellow card. Fortunately Saints were able to defend the corner. The ball was then shipped to Whitehouse who took it to the Derby 25 where she teased the defence for the remaining 90 seconds.

MOTM: Clare Noble

DOTD: Nicky Milford (It was unanimous!!)

Ladies 3rd XI 2-2 Towcester 2nd XI

The Ladies 3s turned up to Towcester in high spirits following an excllent game (and unlucky defeat) the previous week. Facing top of the table Towcester they hoped to steal some much needed points in the battle to stay in Division 1. With a couple of our players being called up by the twos, we had a bare eleven so we knew we needed to capitalise on our team play to ensure that the ball did all the work.

The first half saw the team come out strong with some fantastic play. Hannah, Jane Odgen and Alice Kilner in defence kept Towcester out of the 'D' and the midfield skillfully played the ball around the opposition hitting CJ, Emma and Laura up front. Towcester didn't know what had hit them and resorted to trying to do all the work individually, but Emily, Annie Holt and Natalia continually broke down the play and forced them into making numerous errors. Saints continued to put pressure on Towcester and were unlucky not to score. Towcester managed to go one up from a short corner where they dribbled the ball into the goal.

One nil down at half time and Saints were ready for a fight, but Towcester quickly secured a second. Two nil down the girls stepped up . A quick ball from the centre to Nic who played it into the 'D' for CJ to deflect saw Saints come back to 2-1. The game was back on. Towcester pushed the defence but Emma made some fantastic saves keeping the score to 2-1. We had nothing to lose and grew ever confident. The youngsters (being the only ones with any energy left) worked as a unit forcing their way into the 'D' resulting in Emma scoring and drawing the team level 2-2 against a virtually undefeated Towcester. Alice made a final lone run taking on several defenders and finding herself in the 'D' but was unlucky not to score. An excellent performance form the whole team and in particular man of the match Emma Brennan on her debut three's performance.

MOTM Emma Brennan

DOTD Natalia (for not knowing how to put petrol in her van)

Mens 1stXI 1-3 Telford 1stXI (Saturday)

Goals: Ben Scott

Saints travelled to Telford hoping to end their losing streak and regain confidence lost over the last few weeks. The away side started very brightly carving an opportunity in the first two minutes only to put the ball wide. Continued Saints pressure finally paid off when Saints went ahead with their second short corner. Lloyd Atkinson and Gareth Parker combined well to win a foul in the Telford ‘D’ and Ben Scott drag flicked home to give the Saints a lead. Saints should have increased their lead several times in the first half but were wasteful in front of goal. Telford drew level just before the break when a controversial short corner was converted y the home side. Saints again started very brightly in the second half but could not turn the pressure into goals with short corners and opportunities in the opposition ‘D’ being wasted. Telford scored twice against the run of play and from then on never looked like being pressured as Saints took their foot off the gas.

Squad: Paul Madeley (GK), Guy Roberts, Ben Stephenson, Ian Cooper, Ross Wickens, Ben Scott (c), Joe Kopka, Joe Colantonio, Christian Howard, Gareth Parker, Grant Carlin, Dave Saunders, Lloyd Atkinson, Stuart Clark

Mens 1stXI 1-5 North Staffs 1stXI (Sunday)

Goals: Gareth Parker

Saints made a long away trip for the second time in a weekend to Newcastle Under Lyme to play fellow strugglers North Staffs. A win was needed for Saints who are currently on a five match losing streak. Unlike the previous day Saints started very slowly and were two nil down in the first fifteen minutes. Saints again were wasteful with short corners and possession in the Staffs half of the pitch and failed to score before half time. Staffs extended their lead shortly after the break with another short corner – Saints still not learning to protect their feet. Saints pulled a goal back when Gareth Parker scrambled home on the goal line after good work by Clark and Scott on the left. Although Saints spent the rest of the game camped in the Staffs half they were hit twice on the break and their failure to capitalise on possession saw the score end 5-1. A thrashing. Saints desperately need points against West Bridgford next week in order to pull themselves clear of a relegation dogfight.

Squad: Paul Madeley (GK), Gavin Markham, Guy Roberts, Matt Gausden, Ian Cooper, Ross Wickens, Ben Scott (c), Joe Kopka, Joe Colantonio, Christian Howard, Gareth Parker, Grant Carlin, Dave Saunders, Athiq Thamby, Stuart Clark.

Men’s 2nd XI 6-5 West Bridgford 2nd XI

Goals: Liam Cassidy, Dan Rose (2), Andy Smith, Gavin Markham, James Knibb

It’s a good job Alan Hansen wasn’t watching, as he’d have had a field day with the defending in this thoroughly entertaining goal fest of a match! With West Bridgford 3 points ahead of Saints before the game started, this really was another “6 pointer” as Northampton looked to pull away from the relegation zone.

Unsurprisingly the game started off in cagey fashion as both teams tried to suss each other out. However midway through the first half and the flood gates opened!! Liam Cassidy finished off a well worked team move to give the home team the lead. However moments later and some school boy defending led to West Bridgford equalising. Back came Saints to take the lead as a Jamie Webb cross found Dan Rose to sweep home a reverse stick shot. With a feeling of déjà vu, Northampton again conceded a sloppy goal to see the game back at 2-2. However with 10 minutes to go before half-time Webb and Rose combined again to give Saints the lead, with Rose tapping in from close range. Unfortunately this seemed like a good time for the home team to switch off as they conceded 2 goals before the end of the half to finish 4-3 down at half-time.

With Saints in a state of disbelief at half-time, coach Colyn Biddle rallied his troops to come back strong, and to “mark your bl**dy men” when defending!

True to their coaches word they did come back strongly, as some early pressure allowed Andy Smith to tap in at the back post after picking up a James Knibb cross-shot. Surely this was the chance for Saints to now go and kill the game off? Apparently not! Some rather lacklustre defending allowed Bridgford a chance to re-take the lead (5-4). With 15 minutes to go Northampton knew there was still time. And sure enough after failing to convert a number of penalty corners, one finally went in! Martyn Cory dragged the ball to the far post for Gavin Markham to tap in. Like buses, another penalty corner and goal came! With Cory off the pitch the ever enthusiastic James Knibb stepped up. With calls to drag it to the bottom corner as per the previous goal, he proceeded to place the ball into the top right corner, just grazing the inside of the cross-bar. This led to his appalling aeroplane footballer style celebration! Back in front at 6-5, all they had to do was kill off the game for the last 5 minutes. To a large extent they did this fairly comfortably, however with only seconds left a Bridgford forward found some space in the D to launch a superb shot to the bottom corner which Sam Biddle somehow got foot to! This kodak moment lead to his Man of the Match award.

MOTM: Sam Biddle – some vital saves in the match, particularly right at the end. James Knibb came a close second.

DOTD: This was shared between Martyn Cory (0% conversion rate for penalty corners, and moaner of the day!), and Ben Northedge for the usual stick tackles, being a student, etc.

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Ben Northedge, Simon Stringer, James Miller, Jon Noble, Matt Gausden (c), Athiq Thamby, Jamie Webb, Liam Cassidy, Andy Smith, Martyn Cory, James Knibb, Dan Rose, Gavin Markham.

Mens 3rd XI 2-1 Nottingham University 3rd XI (Sunday)

Goals; Danny Whitfield, Matt Swansborough

Saints travelled to Beeston to take on Nottingham University with both teams embroiled in a battle against relegation, and both teams in need of the 3 points.

The early exchanges were typically cagey with both sides eager to stamp there authority on the game, although there were no clear cut chances in the first ten minutes. It was the home side who broke the deadlock with a goal from open play after ten minutes. Saints didn’t let their heads drop however and responded strongly producing much of the better hockey for the remainder of the half. After twenty minutes Saints drew level via a penalty corner. Danny Whitfield’s original drag flick was saved by the keeper, the rebound however fell straight back to Whitfield, who dispatched the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. With the scores level, Saints continued to press forward looking to take the lead, however the scores remained deadlock as the half time whistle blew.

Saints half time team talk centred on more of the same. Keeping calm and patient, and keeping the hockey simple.

The second half started much the same as the first with both sides having a good share of possession. Nottingham University had a number of opportunities from penalty corners; however some sharp work from the defence, and some outstanding saves from Sam Biddle kept the home side at bay.

After fifteen minutes of the second half Saints took the lead. Michael Williams Combined with Lewis Ward to find Matt Swansborough free at the far post who swept the ball home clinically. 2-1 to the visitors.

The remainder of the second half remained even, with Nigel Down, James Miller and Lewis Ward standing out for the Saints from a defensive point of view. Continued attacking threat came from Sean Henry and Michael Williams.

The match finished 2-1 to the Saints, with a hard fought 3 points in the bag. Next week Saints entertain Loughborough Students at Moulton hoping to gather more points in the fight against relegation.

MOTM: Lewis Ward; had a really strong game both defensively and offensively.

DOTD: Captain Miller, firstly for a lesson in 'do what I say not what I do', plus getting a yellow card pretty much cemented a DOTD award.

Mens 4th XI 3-1 Belper 5th XI

Goals: Antony Condon, Aiden Walker, Andy Dale

"You don't win anything with kids 2"

Saints 4th team welcomed National league club Belper at Moulton with a good soaking from the February rain likely outcome. Fortunately the rain held off except for a light sprinkling to keep everyone cool. Saints were ravaged by the half term break and multiple skiing holidays and so with 8 players missing gave debuts to teenagers Anthony Condon, Adam Shepherd and Will Gamble and welcomed back Joe Cliffe after a 5 year sabatical in the 5ths and a call up for Ross (flat track bully) Mclean. After a series of introductions the game got underway.

Saints started well with quality possession and the ever young Chris Godman teasing his opponent who was at least 15 years his senior (Chris is 35!). Anthony Condon quickly showed his pace and received some quality through balls to attack the Belper defence who had lost their sweeper to injury in the first 5 minutes. Without their defensive stalwart the visitors passed repeatedly to Saints which put them under increased pressure which eventually led to a goal by Condon swooping in at the back post to deflect in at the back post. Will Gamble came on to turn the screw and skipped past the Belper defence on many occaisions. The energy and commitment of the youngsters continued to cause Belper problems and both Gamble and Condon harried the defence dispossessing them many times. Half time 1-0

The second half saw early pressure pay off and Condon again appeared beghind the Belper defence and sqaured a pass to Aidan Walker who swept home. The Saints defence was solid with Adam Shephard and Joe Cliffe calm and collected against every attack.

Many opporunites were misssed especially by Ross Mclean whose roaving runs had caused Belper problems all day. A third goal came from a thunderous short corner strike from skipper Dale make the game safe, He then obliged the opposition by mis controlling an aerial pass to set up a consolation goal for Belper to finish 3-1.

Mixed 2nd XI 5-3 Northgate

Goals: James Knibb 4, Aimie Hone 1

Mixed 1st XI 1-2 Welford

Goals: Casey Humphries

200 Club Launched!

Matt Gausden — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:30:55 +0000

What is a 200 Club?
For those of you who have not come across a 200 club before, here is a
description of the scheme -

The Plan

Up to 200 people buy one or more 'shares' per year. Half the
total sum raised goes to the Club and the other half is distributed on a
monthly basis to winning 'shareholders' whose share numbers have been
drawn.
Membership

The cost of each yearly share is £60 - £5 for each month.
Shareholders may hold more than one share. The first draw will
take place at the Black Tie Evening in April 2011.

What is a 200 Club?

For those of you who have not come across a 200 club before, here is a
description of the scheme -
The Plan

Membership

The cost of each yearly share is £60 - £5 for each month.
Shareholders may hold more than one share. The first draw will
take place at the Black Tie Evening in April 2011.
Shares

Each share is numbered and that number belongs to the member
to whom it is allocated for as long as he or she is a paid-up member of the
200 Club.

Prize Draw

All share numbers are included in each monthly draw. The
draw is made by at least two Club Executive Committee Members. Prize
money depends on the number of paid-up shareholders that month.
Example
Income from 200 shares @ £60 per share £12,000
Monthly prizes (1st prize £200, 2nd prize £120,
3rd prize £80, 4th prize £50) x 12
Annual Draw
£5,400
£600
Profit for the Club £6,000
You can see that this scheme raises serious money for the Club -
and gives you a chance of winning your money back each month -
and more!

You can obtain an application form from Matt Gausden
(matthew.gausden@giltedged.co.uk) or on the club’s website:
www.saintshockey.org.uk/members_download_page
If you are buying the number as a gift, please write the name and address
of the recipient on the application form. We will then send you a gift card
for you to give to the person.

Don't forget you can purchase as many shares as you like. All shares
purchased in a calendar month will be included in the next month's draw,
which will take place on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.

The results will be posted on the website and will appear in the
newsletters and on the clubs facebook page.

Investing in the Future:

Whilst our U18s are technically very good they
lack the knowledge and understanding for the tactical side of the game.
Therefore the Club wants to develop an academy to help these young
players make the early transition to 1st team hockey. This format has been
successfully applied by a number of National League Clubs (Beeston, etc).
If these kids improve their game knowledge then this will benefit every
team in the Club as these young players work their way through the XIs.

As the financial incentive is so good, why not get family and friends into
this 200 club? It’s such a simple way to raise money (for you and the
club!), but this will only work if we all do our bit selling these tickets!Each share is numbered and that number belongs to the member
to whom it is allocated for as long as he or she is a paid-up member of the
200 Club.

200 Club Standing Order Form

Match Reports from 26th & 27th February

Matt Gausden — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:23:30 +0000

Men’s 5th XI 2-2 Beeston 6th XI

Goals: Ali Rose (2), Rob Tee

5s fight back against Beeston to become league champions

The 5th Team drew against Beeston 6th team on Saturday and gained the vital point needed to become league champions with 3 games left of the seasons. The opposition were the only team capable of denying the 5th’s the league title. But they had to win this game. Saints were expecting a hard game against a Beeston outfit who had beaten them convincingly earlier in the season. Saints were fielding a changed side once again with a number of players not available.

The game started with both teams looking to pass the ball around and develop openings down the flanks. Beeston fielded some talented youngsters and were playing some neat hockey. The first half proved to be an entertaining affair but did not produce any goals. Steve Morris, Jeremy Wan, Adam Shepherd and Callum Scott Collins were holding things together well in defence. Keeper,Kurt Jenkins was dealing well with the Beeston goal threats. Ally Rose was making some good runs in midfield showing considerable skill.

The second half started badly for the Saints as Beeston scored within a minute of the restart. This spurred Saints into action and Ally Rose equalised with a well struck volley into the roof of the net after good work from Rob Cary. Saints were now passing the ball around at a faster pace and the second goal arrived after a penetrating run into the box from Steve (I want to play centre forward) Morris led to Ally Rose converting with a well placed flick into the corner of the goal. Gareth Voss and new boy Ollie Hartfield were having good games in midfield closing down the Beeston players well.

Beeston then hit back with two quick goals as Saints took their foot of the gas a little in defence. Saints were now behind for the first time in the match. The tempo of the match lifted as both teams went looking for further goals. The equaliser came in somewhat controversial circumstances, as two offences were not spotted by the umpire which led to a loose ball falling to Ally Rose on the right wing. He drilled in a hard and low cross into the circle and Rob Tee just beat the keeper to the ball with a deflected shot which went high into the net. Protests from the Beeston keeper earned him a yellow card. However, despite the opposition being down to 10 men. Saints were unable to capitalise with a winning goal. At the final whistle there were scenes of wild jubilation (aided by Rob Cary providing alcoholic refreshments pitch-side) as the 5s were LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!

MOTM: Ally Rose/Steve Morris (joint award)

DOTD: Kurt Jenkins

Squad: Kurt Jenkins (GK), Adam Shepherd, Jeremy Wan, Callum Scott-Collins, Ollie Hartfield, David Henry (c), Gareth Voss, Ryan James, Jon Keep, Rob Cary, Rob Tee. Ally Rose, Steve Morris

Mens 1st XI 5-3 West Bridgford 1st XI

Goals: Joe Kopka, Dave Saunders, Lloyd Atkinson, Stuart Clark, Grant Carlin

Saints finally put an end to their losing streak at the weekend with a well-deserved victory over West Bridgford.

Saints started strongly and a goal from Joe Kopka put the home side 1-0. Although there were further chances for the home side it was Bridgford who scored next after a very fortunate short corner strike. Saints re-took the lead when Lloyd Atkinson powered home a corner. Saints again let their concentration slip and Bridgford drew level after an unmarked forward deflected in a cross.

Saints started the second half the brightest and a fantastic solo goal from Stuart Clark put saints 3-2 up. Again Saints conceded immediately from the restart and the game shaped up for a great last 20 minutes. Finishing was to be the difference between the two sides and when Grant Carlin bobbled the ball home followed by a Dave Saunders strike saints lead by two goals for the first time in the game. Luckily for Saints, Bridgford were very wasteful in front of goal and hung on for a very important victory.

Saints travel to Warwick on Saturday. A win would cement their Midlands Premier status next season.

Mens 2nd XI 1-2 Stourport 2nd XI

Goals: James Knibb

Saints throw away this match with some woeful defending and even more woeful finishing!!

With a generous 4.15pm push back, Saints arrived nice and early to find a “fully booked”’ pitch free for them to use for their warm up!

They made a great start to the game as the controlled the pace and tempo, with the midfield of Matt Wilde, Matt Gausden and Liam Cassidy running the show. This early pressure led to some chances which the forward line just couldn’t convert. And they came even closer to scoring when a James Knibb penalty corner rocketed against the cross-bar. Andy Smith followed up the re-bound with the goal gaping, only to strike the ball straight onto a defenders stick on the goal-line.

Minutes later and against the run of play Northampton found themselves a goal down. Some woeful defending led to Saints conceding a penalty corner. From this they scored to the bottom corner as post man Simon Stringer forgot the basics of putting your stick on the floor! This didn’t put Saints off as they continued to press and play the better hockey. However despite James Knibb causing Stourport all sorts of problems, there was a lack of killer instinct in front of goal. A Pete Riches howler (see Aunties Sporting Bloomers!) led to Stourport taking a 2 goal lead.
Despite a 2 goal deficit at half-time, Northampton remained confident of victory. Just keep playing as they had done and the forwards would eventually score!

The second half started and finally the forwards found the back of the net! A slick move led to James Knibb tapping in from close range. However after this moment Saints bizarrely took their foot off the gas! Despite camping themselves in Stourport’s half, they failed to force the keeper into any saves, despite creating the chances.

This was definitely a case of 3 points lost, and despite a good performance they must be more clinical in front of goal!

MOTM: James Knibb – his pace and skill caused all sorts of problems for the Stourport defence
DOTD: Pete Riches – for reasons mentioned above and for kidnapping before the game!!

Special mentions also to:

Liam Cassidy for asking to be subbed at half-time! Clearly working at a gym hasn’t got him as fit as he should be!!
Athiq Thamby for wearing that ridiculous hair band before the game.
Matt Gausden for his woeful navigating on the way to Stourport!
Ben Northedge for driving a granny’s car, and for admitting to watching the ballet on Thursday rather than going to training!!
Pete Riches for being unavailable next Sat. (booking his stag do on a hockey weekend…no commitment!)

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Ben Northedge, James Miller, Pete Riches, Matt Gausden (c), Matt Wilde, Liam Cassidy, Athiq Thamby, Andy Smith, James Knibb, Dan Rose, Kyle Taylor.

Mens 3rd XI 4-4 Loughborough Students 3rd XI.

Goals: Matt Swansborough (3), Sam Bigley

Saints came into this game on the back of a good victory against Nottingham University last Sunday. With that, there was an air of optimism in the team to continue the fight against relegation.

Saints started the game against the Students very brightly, and enjoyed the best of the possession in the opening exchanges. It didn’t take long for the scoring to start. On 5 minutes, Saints won their first penalty corner. Jason Hillier’s effort was saved by the keeper, but Matt Swansborough reacted first to sweep in the rebound. It didn’t take long for Saints to double their lead. After some good work down the left from Hugo Day, he found Sean Henry in space, and after a mesmerising run, Henry found Matt Swansborough in space at the back post to score his and Saints second goal. Loughborough started to come back into the game and looked more threatening going forward. However on 20 minutes, Saints score their third goal. Sam Bigley produced a fantastic individual effort – A reverse shot – from the top of the D that beat the visiting goalkeeper all ends up. On 25 minutes, Saints went 4-0 up. Matt Swansborough completed his hat-trick, with a well struck reverse sweep after Lewis Ward found him with a defence-splitting pass.

Loughborough pulled their first goal back shortly after, with the first of their Penalty Corner goals, a well-executed drag flick, and on the stroke of half time they further reduced the arrears, again from a Penalty Corner. 4-2 at half time, and the team talk focused on the positives. Good simple Hockey, clinical passing and finishing.

The second half continued to be an even affair, although Loughborough had more of the possession. Saints defended resolutely with Jason Hillier, Danny Whitfield, Lewis Ward and Tom Wrightman keeping the visitors down to minimal meaningful efforts. When the D was penetrated, Phil Preen produced a number of good saves. Saints had fewer opportunities in the second half, the best of which was a one-on-one for Sam Bigley, after being released by Alex McIndoe, which was well saved by the visiting keeper.

With 10 minute to go, Loughborough scored their third goal, another penalty corner. The scores were levelled with two minutes on the clock. Again from a penalty corner.

The game finished 4-4 in this thrilling encounter. In truth both sides will have been a little disappointed not to have taken the full spoils.

Next week sees Saints 3s Travel to West Bridgford with the chance to stay in the Midlands Premier division likely to have disappeared with this draw.

MOTM: Jointly awarded to Matt Swansborough (for his hat-trick) and Danny Whitfield (for an outstanding defensive performance)

DOTD: Again jointly awarded to Matt Swansborough and Jason Hillier for seeing yellow.

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), Lewis Ward, Danny Whitfield, Tom Wrightman, Jason Hillier, Sean Henry, Alex McIndoe, Chris Rowlands, Hugo Day, Sam Bigley, Matt Swansborough.

Rugby & East Warwick 5th XI 2-6 Men’s 4th XI

Goals; Chris Godman (4), Ross McLean (2)

Attendance; 5

Tea; Pie, Beans & Bread. (No chips)

In the news; Gaddaffi & Christchurch

The Stick of God

Another patched-together fourth team, as Joseph Cliffe hangs on at the dizzying heights of fourth team hockey, along with promising youngsters George “Fingers” Roberts and Ross “Nigel Mansell” McLean.

With the formalities over (Scott Bashford “politely” squaring up to the umpire in the first two minutes) Saints took the game to Rugby, and were one-up within five minutes with a beautifully crafted goal finished off by Chris Godman who calmly placed the ball into the corner.

McLean opened his account with a short corner strike to make it two nil and shortly after made it three by dribbling past the entire Rugby defence and slotting the ball into the back of the net. The ex-cricketer was on fire!

Rugby weren’t beaten yet however, as they changed tactics and stuck three old men in attack. Cliffe sulkily dropped back into defence where he was supposed to be but was unable to prevent a goal from a short corner by the opposition. Perhaps if Roberts had been there the ball wouldn’t have gone in, but unfortunately his Mum had banned him from defending shorts due to an impending piano exam!

Half time and a right telling off from Andy Dale tightened things up. Roberts was praised for his majestic skills on the ball but was told to wake up when Rugby were in possession.

After Godman made it four one with a slapped shot that bobbled over the line, Rugby’s only answer was to replay the 1986 quarter final of the FIFA World Cup. A lobbed ball arced gracefully into the D, and Rugby’s answer to Maradonna out-jumped Bashford, raised his stick to the lord and slammed the ball into the net. Great skills, thoroughly illegal and despite Bashford’s eloquent protestations the goal stood. He was still foaming at the mouth in the bar afterwards as he received the DOTD award for flappy jazz hands.

Clearly upset, McLean took his frustration out on a Rugby defender by flicking the ball with uncanny accuracy into a delicate area.

But Saints were now fully in control. Godman got his hat-trick with a reverse-stick shot to make it five and an uncharacteristically selfless pass from McLean let the Man of the Match in to make it six.

MOTM; Chris Godman

DOTD; Scott Bashford

Scott Bashford (GK), Joe Cliffe, Andy Dale (C), George Roberts, James Ruse, Aidan Walker, Gary Patterson, Tom Bradshaw, Ross McLean, Anthony Condon, Chris Godman.

Ladies 1st XI 0-1 Matlock

Saints took the long drive to Matlock this weekend and following on from a great game last weekend Saint's started strong and dominated the first half against Matlock. Joint players of the match Lisa Coe and Amie Hone Saints kept the pressure on the Matlock defence and created plenty of short corners and chances, unfortunately Saints were unable to convert them. Matlock also had a few chances but where cleared away by the defence. Half time ended with Northampton unlucky not to be 3 or 4 nil up. However, during the second half Matlock stepped up their game and put alot of pressure on the defence and after having short corner after short corner they finally converted their chances to get a 1-0 lead on Northampton. With Matlock continuing to lay on the pressure on Saints throughout the second half, they didn't allow Saints many more chances to shoot. The game ended 1-0 to Matlock.

Joint players of Match: Amie Hone & Lisa Coe

Ladies 2nd XI 2-2 Belper 3rd XI

Goals: KJ Wilkins (2)

Saints Ladies 2s had a miserable journey to Belper. The sat nav left them 200yds short of the hidden entrance to Belper Hockey Club. In her attempt to find the hidden entrance captain Claire Dale ended up in a queue for a car wash! Having finally found the club there was not a Belper player in sight so thirteen girls hopped around the car park desperate for a wee!!

The misery was not confined to pre match. Within thirty seconds of the start Saints were 1-0 down, caught out by the awful Belper pitch. Saints settled quickly and went on to dominate the first half. KJ Wilkins slotted home from two short corners in quick succession for Saints to go 2-1 up. Laura Wychgel put in a determined performance at left midfield and was extremely unlucky not to score, her shot hitting the post.

Once again Molly Ogden gave a mature performance making great leading runs and combining well with Becca Wilkinson. Wilkinson was making her return to the 2s following an incident with a dugout three weeks ago left her with two broken ribs!

Saints concentration lapsed and Belper broke through the middle. A young Belper player unleashed an awesome reverse stick shot. Keeper Claire Leech was unsighted yet managed to get a touch but the ball still ended up in the net, top left. Despite Saints dominating possession they were unable to convert any chances and the game finished 2-2.

Man of the Match: Molly Ogden

DOTD: Ellie “I can’t see” Bleech

Quote of the Day: “You lot couldn’t penetrate a paper bag” Mrs Snelson – in relation to our inability to score.

Ladies 3rd XI 2-3 Wildkatz

Goals: Hannah Richards, Alice Kilner

Saint's Ladies 3's were in high spirits following a fantastic draw against Towcester 2's last week. With only 2 changes to the team - we had a sub this week for the first time in 3 games, the outlook was positive.

The game started strongly, with Saint's attacking from the first whistle. We took our first knock, when CJ took a ball to the face - breaking 2 teeth and fracturing her nose.

CJ's injuries knocked us off track a little, but soon enough we were back in the game.

Emily Kilner made good runs down the right wing, with a fantastic cross through the D, which Hannah Richards came soooo close to converting!

At the start of the second half we came out fighting and didn't give up! After missing an almost open goal in the first half Hannah Richards scored our first goal.

Saints seem to be winning a lot of short corners, but were unable to convert - although there were some fantastic strikes on goal from both Hannah and Emily.

Alice Kilner was so close to scoring in the game against Towcester last week from a run from defence down the wing and into the D, this week she didn't let any of the Wildcatz player take the ball from her and she score her first goal of the season!

Wildcatz took us off guard 3 times during the game, the 3rd goal coming too close to the end of the game. Saints fought to the end to try and grab a goal back, but unluckily couldn't convert.

Afterwards we all enjoyed a treat of a chocolate cake that CJ had made for the team (and left with Chloe after rushing to A&E)! With all of the events from the game we missed nominations for MOM and DOD so I have taken

MOM - Whole team (another fantastic team effort)

DOD - drawen between Natalia Raca (aka Natalie according to Stu) for her interesting stories before the game & Nic Holton for a fantastic slide/fall in the first half - whilst the ball and play was no-where near her!

Girls U18 XI 7-1 Nuneaton U18s

Alice Kilner (2), Emily Kilner (1), Lottie Tulley(1), Emma Matthews (1), Ellie Bleech (2)

Take no prisoners!" The u18 motto for the day...

As the under 18 team travelled to Nuneaton, even with the early start we were still all hyped up and ready to win!
With an inspiration team talk and positive attitudes the whistle blew.
Saints had a slow start and unfortunately within a few minutes into the game Nuneaton caught us napping and scored, 1-0 to Nuneaton!
At this moment, saints became more motivated and determined and came back with strong runs on both flanks from Leah Sanders and Courtney Thorpe and great hold up play from our forwards Rosie Barnes and Sophie Cattell leading to Lottie Tulley scoring the equaliser. Soon after another 2 more goals came from Emily and Alice Kilner proving that saints were living up to the phrase of the day...The final goal of the first half was a spectacular cricket shot from Ellie Bleech making the score line 4-1 at half time.

When the second half started it was obvious the Nuneaton weren't going to give up and kept pressuring the defence but with some immense saves from Emma Brennan and along with the defensive duties of Stephanie Brennan, Ferne Sanders and Ella Forsyth the score line remained the same. With further sustained pressure from the team especially debutants Hayley Evans-Smith and Laura Thomas up front, Ellie scored her second goal and with Saints continually keeping possession Alice soon scored another awesome goal from a long corner. The last goal of the game was scored by Emma Matthews making the final score end as 7-1 win to Saints.

It was a great game and ever though the score line does not show it, Nuneaton never gave up and continuously put great amounts of pressure on the defence.

Well played to all the girls and thank you to for the travelling support, who kept the girls motivated and encouraged.

MOTM - Emma Brennan
DOTD: - Nicky Milford for talking herself in to umpiring, quiet next time coach!

Team: Emma Brennan (GK), Ferne Sanders, Leah Sanders, Stephanie Brennan (C), Alice Kilner (2), Emily Kilner (1), Rosie Barnes, Sophie Cattell, Laura Thomas, Hayley Evans-Smith, Lottie Tulley(1), Emma Matthews (1), Ella Forsyth, Ellie Bleech (2) Courtney Thorpe.

Manager Tony Brennan

Coach Nicky Milford

Match Reports from 5th March

Matt Gausden — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:31:29 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 3-0 Leicester Ladies 2nd XI

Goal scorers: Lucy Ann Chacksfield, Esther Keijbets, Nikki Stringer

Saints got off to a slow start yet managed to find themselves with the lead after a well struck corner from Lucy Ann Chacksfield. The rest of the first half was scrappy with Lecicester receiving two yellow cards.
Second half Saints dominated possession and created a number of chances but it wasn't until 15 minutes later and a player down that Saints extended the lead after Nikki Stringer scored from another short corner. Amie Hone made up for her ill-discipline combining with Fran to win a penalty stroke. This was duely dispatched by Esther Keijbets to complete a comfortable win for Saints.

Player of Match: Amy Tuffs

Men’s 1stXI 4-2 Warwick

Goals: Ben Scott, Christian Howard, Stuart Clark (2)

Saints went into their game against Warwick full of confidence after last week’s win and knew that victory would seal their Midlands Premier status for next season. Saints started very brightly enjoying large amounts of possession and went very close when Dave Saunders went through on goal. Saints pressure paid off when they won their first short corner of the game which was converted by Ben Scott. Saints continued to press and doubled their lead when Gareth Parker and Ben Scott combined to find Christian Howard free in the D, pouncing on a loose ball to scramble home. Unfortunately Saints conceded just before half time when a lack of concentration led to Warwick finding a free player in the D who pulled one back.

Saints enjoyed the majority of possession again in the second half and further increased their lead through two Stuart Clark goals. Both goals coming from great pressure by Clark and Saunders. Saints wasted other chances to put the game beyond doubt but were in full control of the game. The only blip coming 2 minutes from time as Warwick scored consolation from a short corner. A comfortable and much needed three points sees Saints go into their remaining games against the top three with nothing to lose. With Saints finding their form again, no team will relish the journey to Moulton. Saints have the chance to seriously influence who wins the race for promotion.

Ladies 2s 0-3 Barton 1s

Saints Ladies faced a stern test against top of the league Barton. Unbeaten this season Barton needed just three points to claim the league title.

Saints started tentatively giving Barton a little too much respect. Strong performances from Ferne Sanders & Caz Whitehouse in midfield along with keeper Claire Leech’s dominance in the D kept Saints in the game. Saints were unlucky to concede two goals shortly before half time.

A rousing team talk from coach Jon Noble led to a strong start from Saints in the second half. Sanders & Whitehouse continued with both flair & determination. KJ Wilkins troubled Barton’s keeper & Kate Barnetson was solid in the midfield.

Unfortunately Barton’s fitness & finesse eventually broke down a tiring but determined Saints to score a third goal. Against any other oppostion Saints would have had three points. All credit to Barton who thoroughly deserved the victory & with it the league title.

Man of the Match: Caz Whitehouse, Ferne Sanders, Claire Leech.

DOTD: Becca ‘I’ve dropped my phone down the loo’ Wilkinson.

Ladies 3rdXI 1-2 Wildcatz

Goals: Hannah Richards

With the temptation of Emma Brennan's banana bread as after match sustenance the team were ready to give it their all. After a good warm up the 3s took to the pitch and dominated from the start. Emily Kilner was everywhere at centre mid and connecting well with Hannah Richards and Courtney Thorpe. Jayne Ogden was strong at centre back ensuring Wildcatz didn't get near the goal. After a prolonged attack Hannah Richards scored and the team celebrated their first first match goal of the season. Saints continued the pressure with Alice Kilner using her silky skills to drive up the left, but the team couldn't finish. Saints were out strong again in the second half. Emma Brennan made a number of tricky saves to keep the team ahead. Anya driving up the right and working well with Annie Holt. Natalie Raca worked hard in defence channelling the play and distributing to the midfield.

But it all went wrong. A loss of concentration from a worn out side saw Wildcatz secure themselves a flick that they quickly disposed of. Minutes later they slotted home a goal behind keeper Emma Brennan's back. There was nothing that could be done, with minutes left the team gave it their all but couldn't score leaving the result at a disappointing 2-1.

MOTM: Jayne Ogden

DOTD: Natalie Raca

Men’s 2nd XI 1-4 Harborne 2nd XI

Goals: Dan Rose

Saints faced 2nd in the table Harborne at Moulton in quietly confident mood that they could get a result from this. However things started off badly as 5 minutes in they were a goal down as Harborne quickly broke down the left and hit the ball across for a simple tap in. It then went from bad to worse as shortly after a defensive mistake gifted the away team a second goal.

With a mountain to climb, Saints finally joined in the game and slowly began to get back into it. Shortly before half-time they got a goal back as they brilliantly broke down a short-corner, and hit a swift attack down the right hand side to find Dan Rose unmarked for a simple tap in.

Minutes later another break away found James Knibb and after his initial shot was well saved, the rebound by Gavin Markham was cleared off the line. Half-time 2-1.

The second half started off cagily as neither side looked to give anything away. Northampton were enjoying more of the possession however Harborne showed exactly why they’re second in the table with 2 clinical goals to kill the game off.

Next week sees the 2s travel to top of the table Cannock. Good luck boys!

MOTM: Simon Stringer for his numerous diving tackles!

DOTD: Ben Northedge for his nose bleed moments on the right wing, and for going to the ballet!

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), Simon Stringer, Ben Northedge, James Askew, Matt Gausden (c), Alex Mcindoe, Jon Noble, Liam Cassidy, Athiq Thamby, Kyle Taylor, James Knibb, Andy Smith, Dan Rose, Gavin Markham

Men’s 4th XI 2-1 Beeston 4th XI

Goals; Ant Condon 2

Attendance; 7

Tea; Sausage Chips & Beans

In the news; Libyans still at it

Bees Stung by Saints

Evening clouds turned from grey to purple, and supporters gave their all, as the home side put in a performance worthy of champions to silence the much-vaunted visitors from Beeston, who went home, with stings stuck firmly in their own sorry tails.

And so it prevailed as Saints weathered the early storm, the clattering of balls on the home side’s goalposts did nothing to dim the enthusiasm of the team in black. Saints rode their luck and, like a ferret up a drain pipe, hair slicked back, up popped Ant Condon in the opponent’s D, one-on-one with the goalie, he slides the ball past advancing pads and BUZZ! One-nil to the Saints!

Breathless and with a tangible sense of relief, came the half-time whistle. Encouragement all round and back into the fray, ready for an onslaught of vengeance.

But it didn’t come. Beeston’s attack force of future stars, with skill by the bucket load appeared to have run out of ideas. But not so, Northampton’s attack. Man of the match Condon kept running and running. A short corner. Tom Scott-Collins shoots. Just wide of the goalie. And who is there to mop up the pieces? Beekeeper extraordinaire Condon. Two-nil, and the visitors are stunned.

But not dead yet, the visitors score with a firm shot from the top of the D. Can Saints hold on? George Roberts dribbles the ball out of defence and is caught in possession by a ginger attacker. Bearing down on goal, are Saints going to throw it away? No! The chance is wasted and Saints hang on for a historic victory over top of the division visitors.

MOM; Ant Condon

DOD; George Roberts

Ed Holt (GK), Joe Cliffe, Andy Dale (C), George Roberts, James Ruse, Aidan Walker, Anthony Stevens, Will Gamble, Tom Bradshaw, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Ross McLean, Ant Condon, Luke Pibworth.

Mens 5th XI 6-1 Leicester 4thXI

Goals: Ally Rose, Steve Morris, Rob Tee, Ollie Hartfield, Rob Cary (2)

Saint’s arrived at Leicester to find that the home side had decided to play on a water-based pitch. This was perhaps a cunning use of tactics from the Leicester team who might have guessed that a couple of the Saints team had never played on this type of pitch before. Ally Rose got quite excited by this prospect and decided to knock over the corner flag and do a belly dive down a slope in front of the home players, earning himself DOD before a touch of the ball.

5 minutes into the match it became apparent that the choice of pitch did not suite Leicester as they struggled to control the ball. Despite some good passing across the pitch and a decent amount of possession Saints lacked penetration and reduced strikers Rob Cary and Tom Dysko to frustrated observers. Rob Cary was particularly frustrated when David Henry did not pass to him when he had time and space but instead David’s through ball put Ally Rose through on goal and he lifted the ball over the opposition keeper like a true Scotland International. The half ended at 0:1 to Saints.

At the start of the second half Saints were complacent and allowed Leicester too much possession. The result was a controversial equaliser in which several tackles in the D and a clearance from keeper Martin Griffin all looked to hit Leicester feet, however play was allowed to continue and a far post tap in gave the home team hope. Saints struggled for the next 10 mins and Leicester were in the ascendancy but lacked a cutting edge. Saint’s took the lead from a short corner as Steve Morris found the bottom right of the goal with power. Somewhere around this time Steve hurt his finger, a fact he was eager to remind the team for the rest of the match.

The home side’s heads went down and Saint’s took control of the match with good midfield play from Ollie Hartfield and Ally Rose who’s passing was much faster than in the first half. A brilliant pass from Ollie Hartfield set up Rob Cary for Saints 3rdgoal and further goals were to follow shortly forRob Tee and Ollie Hartfield with Saint’s dominating the all round play.

The final nail in Leicester’s coffin went in when Rob Cary managed to poke a cross around the advancing keeper with a stretching dive for his 2ndand Saint’s 6thgoal.

Food: No food was provided by Leicester following the match leaving Saint’s to invest in cheese and ham rolls at the pub.

MOTM: Ollie Hartfield

DOD: Ally Rose

Squad: Martin Griffin (GK), Callum Scott-Collins, Ollie Hartfield, David Henry (c), Gareth Voss, Jon Keep, Rob Cary, Rob Tee. Ally Rose, Steve Morris, Tom Dysko

Mixed 2nd XI 7-1 Long Buckby

Goals: Steve Roffe (3), Dan Rose (2), James Knibb, Athiq Thamby

After a 2 year layoff, Steve Roffe returned with a vengeance, scoring a hat trick. Dan Rose joined in with 2 goals, The other goals were scored by James Knibb + Athiq Thamby. Long Buckby scored a consolation goal close to the end.

Mixed 1st XI 1-2 Bugbrooke

Goals: Nathan Hernandez

Saints lost out in this closely fort encounter against Bugbrooke. Nathan Hernandez got on the score sheet for Northampton with a well worked goal, but Bugbrooke’s experience came through as they ran out 2-1 winners.

Northampton Badgers 0-0 Long Buckby

Both teams struggled through the first half of the match, with Northampton dominating possession, however neither team was able to get a shot on goal finishing the half 0-0.
The second half was much the same as the first, but this time shots were being fired in by the Northampton forwards... But after some great goalkeepeing on behalf of the long buckby goalie, there were still no goals!
Final score 0-0

MOTM: Greg Summers

Match Reports from 12th March

Matt Gausden — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:53:37 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 2-0 Kettering 1st XI

Goal Scorers: Amie Hone, Lisa Coe

On a beautiful day Saints didn't get off to the greatest start and within the first 10 minutes gave away the first short corner to Kettering, fortunately after some good defending Saints managed to keep Kettering from scoring. Saints then started to put the pressure on the Kettering defence and an excellent through ball from Esther Keijbets was picked up by Lisa Coe who scored with a reverse stick shot and luckily wasn't distracted by Fran Lee who decided to do a theatrical dive in front of her at the goal.

Saints started the second half strongly and were playing the ball around with confidence keeping good possession. Caroline Avery took advantage of a foul taking a quick self pass and passing the ball through to player of the match Amie Hone who took on a couple of Kettering players and went on to score a well deserved goal, making it 2-0. For the rest of the game Saints continued to battle with some good possession from both teams, and finished the game securing an important 3 points.

This result took Saints back to top of the table on joint points with Bedford but ahead on goal difference and with a game in hand.

Saints take on Students Loughborough Uni 2's at home next Saturday, 12:30 on the Water Base at Moulton, please come and give them your support.

Men’s 1stXI 4-8 Khalsa 1stXI

Goals: Stuart Clark, Ben Scott (2), Dave Saunders,

Saints started this game full of confidence and nothing to lose after winning their last two games. The game was very even for the first 15 minutes and Stuart Clark cancelled out an early goal from Khalsa with a great individual effort. Khalsa’s clinical finishing proved the difference for the remainder of the half as they punished mistake after mistake from Saints and took a 5-1 lead into half time. Stern words during the break seemed to spark Saints into life as they pushed to get back into the game. The home side still failed to convert easy chances until Ben Scott pulled one back; his drag flick hitting a defender on the line before converting the resulting penalty stroke. Khalsa then hit Saints on the break after the home side gave away possession on the halfway line. Saints continued to dominate possession and Dave Saunders scored to unnerve the away side. Again Khalsa broke away to re-establish their 4 goal advantage. Scott converted another short corner to make the score 4-7 and was unlucky not to grab a hat trick as another flick smashed into the crossbar. Unfortunately Khalsa converted their last short corner after time to finish the game 8-4 winners. A fantastic second half from Saints who will feel disappointed that early mistakes once again have cost them dearly.

Men's 2nd XI 1-5 Cannock 2nd XI

Goals: Martyn Cory (pc)

The 2s arrived at Cannock knowing they were in for a tough afternoon against the league champions.

After some motivational words from Simon Stringer, the game started as Saints got off to a flyer! Passing the ball around, movement off the ball, short sharp passing. Suddenly everything they'd been coached to do was paying off as for the first 15 minutes Saints camped themselves in Cannock's half. Unfortunately like previous games they lacked that killer instinct in front of goal, and were punished as a Cannock long ball wasn't dealt with properly by keeper Sam Biddle and allowed them to score. Cannock then went onto punish Northampton with 3 further goals before half-time. Before the half ended Martyn Cory proceeded to hit the post twice as the forwards once again wasted some good chances.

A half-time rally, and the 2s came out in determined fashion again for the second half. They again began to create chances, and this time kept the Cannock forwards at bay. Stephan Williams, on his 2s debut was getting stuck in in the middle of the park. Saints pressure and persistance finally paid off as Martyn Cory dragged the ball into the bottom left corner from a penalty corner (and he actually meant to put it there!). With their heads up high Northampton continued to press and threaten the Cannock goal, and as Cannock became more frustrated it looked like another goal was coming. Unfortunately it wasnt to be and with a few minutes to go a defensive lapse allowed Cannock to score an underserved fith.

Not for the first time this season, Saints were taught a lesson in clinical finishing!

Points of interest from the day:

James Knibb for forgetting his astros!
Andy Smith for forgetting his kit, then making his car load drive back to Northampton to get it!!
Ben Northedge for missing training to go to the ballet!.....
Colyn Biddle for missing the start of the pre-match team talk!
Pete Riches for turning up just before half-time (with Knibb's astros!).
Ben Northedge for picking a fight again!
Sam Biddle for wiping out Cannock's centre forward (who then had to be subbed himself whilst in a daze!)
Martyn Cory and Dan Rose for having the most boring conversation ever about Weed Killer! (Wouldnt recommend this topic as a chat up line!). That was almost as good as Cory's conversation about re-heating a sunday roast!!

MOTM: Stephan Williams - great debut.

DOTD: Pete Riches (for missing half the game!), and Sam Biddle for his opening howler!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Pete Riches, Ben Northedge, Alex Mcindoe, Matt Wilde, Matt Gausden (c), Athiq Thamby, Liam Cassidy, Andy Smith, Stephan Williams, James Knibb, Dan Rose, Martyn Cory

Burton 4th XI 1-2 Men’s 4th XI

Goals; Ant Condon, Luke Pibworth

Attendance; 7

Tea; Veggie spagbol

In the news; Japan

Bish Bash Bosh

A 9am meet meant tired eyes for many Saints players who didn’t even know whether it was still light or dark at that time of the morning.

Up the motorway then, for what proved to be a bad tempered and bruising encounter in the shadow of Marston’s brewery.

Saints started brightly with Anthony Stevens running all the way down the wing, taking it past seven or eight players.

The visitors’ principle tactic however, appeared to be Luke Pibworth not getting dressed when the umpire told him to. It paid off though, when Ross McLean counter-attacked, smacked a diagonal ball to Marcus Spencer-Brown, whose poor first touch tricked a defender into a false sense of security. Spencer-Brown then gleefully rolled the ball to Ant Condon who stroked the ball past the keeper and into the net.

The now-fully-clothed Pibworth got in on the act shortly after with a reverse-stick shot which was blocked; he then jammily scored from the rebound.

2-0 up at half time and Jim Phipps’ team talk was completely ignored as Saints were turned over in the first two minutes by a fired up Burton who collectively roared the ball into the goal with their hair on fire. Half-time oranges laced with performance enhancing drugs had obviously done the trick as Burton spent the second half peppering Scott Bashford with shots from all angles.

But Saints heroically held on. Spencer-Brown got taken out by a big lad and Tom Bradshaw got his first ever card for tussling with a Burton attacker in front of the umpire. George Roberts was a rock in defence, easily taking out attackers three times his size.

Bashford kept the visitors in it, taking out Burton’s big forward and screaming “Noooooooooooo!” in slow motion at the umpire’s every decision.

Saints didn’t cave in though; McLean’s hard work in the D led to a shot hitting the post and a strong run from Joe Cliffe could only be stopped by a firm tackle from Spencer-Brown. Call it a communication error. Whatever it was, it was catching, as Stevens and Chris Godman exchanged a pass and then simply admired their handywork as a Burton attacker picked it up and ran away with the ball.

Tactically though, the second half was instantly forgettable. As punishment, half the team was taken out in a drive-by shooting after the game.

MOM; Scott Bashford

DOD; Scott Bashford

Scott Bashford (GK), Joe Cliffe, Jim Phipps (C), George Roberts, James Ruse, Anthony Stevens, Will Gamble, Tom Bradshaw, Gary Patterson, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Chris Godman, Ross McLean, Ant Condon, Luke Pibworth.

Supporters Required for tomorrow!

Matt Gausden — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:25:41 +0000

It's a big game tomorrow for the Ladies 1s: They need a win to keep them top of the table! Please go along and support them. It's a 12.30pm push back at Moulton College on the water base.

Match Reports from 19th March

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:51:10 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 5-1 Loughborough Students 2nd XI

Goals: Lisa Coe (2), Emma Cave, Esther Keijbets

Knowing that this was a very important game Saints started well with vigor and gusto attacking Loughbourough's 'D', however this was followed by a quick break away from Loughbourough resulting in a well taken goal. Saints didn't let their heads go down and immediately responded gaining a short corner resulting in a goal by Esther Keijbets. Saints continued to put the pressure on the Loughbourough defence resulting in a number of open play chances some narrowly missing and hitting the post. Finally Saints were rewarded with an indiviual goal from Emma Cave who dribbled quickly round a number of players and slotted the ball in the back of the net.

The second half Saints continued to put Loughbourough under pressure keeping possesion of the ball but still aiming for the posts instead of the goal! Loughbourough had a couple of very close chances from short corners with the ball being cleared off the back line from player of the match Caroline Avery. Saints went on to stretch the Loughbourough team passing a number of balls along the back line for the attack to run onto resulting in 2 goals from Lisa Coe. Saints looked the winning side throughout the second half and maintained composure and control for the full 70 minutes.

Many thanks to all the supporters who game to cheer us on.

Saints are away for their final game of the season to Harborne next Saturday to seal their promotion.

Player of match: Caroline Avery
DOTD: Amie Hone

Mens 1st XI 2-6 Lichfield

Goals: Ben Scott, Stuart Clark

Saints travelled to Lichfield with nothing to lose and knew that Lichfield would be desperate to keep themselves in the promotion race. Unfortunately it was the home side that started the brightest and took the lead 20 seconds into the game after horrendous defending by Saints. The game then evened out and both sides took a while to get into their stride with both teams only winning one short corner. Lichfield converted theirs, Saints didn’t, 2-0 at the break. The second half continued to be very even in possession but Saints lack of composure in the opposition 25 led to the ball being given away too many times. This, coupled with soft defending meant Lichfield were able to further increase their lead with 3 open play goals. Saints did score through a Ben Scott short corner and good team move finished by Stuart Clark but after Lichfield grabbed their sixth the game was over. Saints played well in patches but a seriously improved performance is needed against third placed Edgbaston on Saturday.

Men's 2nd XI 2-2 Birmingham University 2nd XI

Goals: Martyn Cory, Gavin Markham

Saints lost out on their chance to secure their place in the league after conceding a 4 minutes before time as they drew 2-2 against Birmingham University at Moulton Sports Complex.

Northampton started the game in confident spirits and this showed as they went on to dominate most of the first half. Several chances were created and wasted during this half and Saints actually went a goal down before Martyn Cory converted a penalty corner to leave the game 1-1 at half-time.

Having created so many chances it seemed only a matter of time before Saints would finish the game off, unfortunately the opportunities seemed to dry up. Midway through the second half and Northampton re-took the lead as Dan Rose picked up the ball in the far right corner. He neatly controlled in and passed to Cory,who then found Gavin Markham at the far post who neatly lofted the ball over the keeper. As the game reached it's closing stages it seemed as though Saints would hold on, unfortunately it wasnt to be as Birmingham scored in the final few minutes.

This result now leaves Saints having to travel to Belper next week and pick up the one point they need to secure their place in the Midlands Premier Division for next season.

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Pete Riches, Simon Stringer, Ben Northedge, Alex Mcindoe, Jon Noble, Matt Gausden (c), Athiq Thamby, Stephan Williams, Gavin Markham, Martyn Cory, Dan Rose, Matt Wilde

Men’s 5thXI 1-1 Rugby & East Warwick 6thXI

Goals: Rob Cary

It was a rather sunny day in Rugby as Northampton Saint’s 5thteam rocked up to the pitch in the nick of time. After a brisk warm up and a good inspiring team talk by Captain Dave Henry the 1sthalf commenced. The first half was mainly dominated by Saints, which led to some brilliant midfield work by Steve Morris and Greg Summers to set up Rob Cary and Ally Rose with some good opportunities. Ally Rose decided to take the keeper on with a reverse from top D which resulted in him hitting the ball over the fence and getting some abuse from the open Rob Tee at back post.

Rugby fought back with some breaks but some amazing keeping by Ed Holt, accompanied by defensive work from Callum Scot-Collins and Steve Morris, helped keep the ball out of our net. Finally in the last 10 minutes of the first half Rob Cary went on a rampage going past 1, 2, 3 players and sent a well placed flick in the bottom right corner of the goal, which left their keeper flabbergasted

In the second half things heated up as Saints missed a couple of opportunities for a second goal. But Rugby weren’t giving up easily with a goal for Rugby scored from a short corner, after the combined efforts of Callum Scot-Collins and Ed Holt making a good first save, ended in one of the Rugby players scoring where the ball shot past the keeper’s pads, missing them by inches.

The battle began after that with some good attempts from the Saints forwards. One attempt led Rob Cary going through a Rugby player; this resulted in a confrontation and a telling off by the umpire. Rugby were on the attack again trying to lob the Saint’s keeper but he saved it with a “tennis shot” which made the ball fly out of the D with effortless power and precision. The final whistle blew with a 1 all draw.

MOTM: Greg summers and Steve Morris

DOTD: Ally Rose for many things including sitting on a cream egg in the back of johns car on the travel home to Moulton.

Squad: Ed Holt (GK) Dave Henry (c) Harry Stobart, Callum Scot-Collins, Steve Morris, Grant ,Gareth Voss ,Jacob Pryce, Greg Summers, Rob Tee, Ally Rose, Jon Keep

Teas: sausage and chips and beans

Weather: sunny with a light breeze

Mixed 1st XI 2-1 Mascot

Goals: Casey Humphries (2)

A superb effort by Saints 2 saw them become the only side in the League to beat Mascot this season. Two goals from demon striker Casey Humphries and a wonderful defending performance from 'Winnie' Jones, Claire Baker and Goal Keeper Scott Fleming saw them home

U11s Success!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:35:15 +0000

Dear all, just writing to say how proud I am of the 14 young people that represented the club on Sunday. You were great ambassadors for Saints Hockey Club and you really showed everyone how far you have come this season. Mums and Dads, your children were a real credit to you.

Why was today so great?

We managed to get two teams out! We actually had two very good teams with more players joining the squad and showing how talented they are
We came first and second out of five teams, beating Welford, Wellingborough and Kettering by a hatful of goals in each game.....it’s great to win!
All the players had great fun and looked like they were really enjoying themselves!
The players played with a great attitude – we played like a team and everyone worked so hard for each other. It again showed what impact the coaching sessions on a Tuesday and Saturday are having
The boys have been superb, but we’ve hardly had any girls playing this year and is was great seeing Sukhmani, Sophie, Eloise and Imogen playing so brilliantly. Well done girls!

A BIG THANK YOU to all the family and friends who supported us, it is much appreciated.

Also BIG THANK YOU to the umpires, Del, Anthony , Robyn and Adam (yes he does umpire just like his mother!). It was lovely to see two junior players having the confidence to umpire games and develop their knowledge

Well done everyone, next tournament is in two weeks (3rdApril) so I will contact you next weekend with the details. More importantly, a week later on 10thApril is the big end of season tournament where we play every other club to decide the under 11 champions.

Thanks,

Darren Thorpe

Northampton HC Under 11's Manager

Party!!!

Karl Flowers — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:28:09 +0000

End of season (for some) drinks this Saturday, 26th. In the Pickering from 19h30, then heading towards town via the Spread Eagle for a cheeky port!!!

Match Reports from 26th March (Ladies 1s promoted!)

Matt Gausden — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:31:15 +0100

Harborne 1st XI 2-2 Ladies 1st XI

Goals: Esther Keijbets (2)

Ladies 1s promoted into the National League

Despite leading the table at the start of the last game of the season, Saints where not guaranteed the champions trophy yet. It all depended on the last game against Harborne, who previously beated the Saints Ladies at home. In addition to this ... the Saints pride was at stake. A win would see them end top of the table, and guarantee National League status for next season.

A week of relatively relaxed training sessions continued in the changing room prior to the game. However, Gavin Markham did not allow the girls to get distracted and wrote down the rules: DO NOT LOOSE, DO WIN. And more importantly, follow the game plan and stick to it at all times. In a more serious mood the players entered the pitch and warmed up. Abi Fitzgerald was quick out of the starting blocks for this last game, wanting to proof a point. Whilst the rest of the team continued their warm up under the capable lead of LA Chacksfield, goalkeeper Abi showed off her quick responses and moves, sending the opposition a warning.

The game started and Saints clearly were not fully awake yet. Harborne put the Saints defence under pressure from the start, but luckily they were not dangerous. Although there was good work in defence playing the ball around the back and not letting number 99 from Harborne get involved in the game, at times Saints struggled to get the ball out from the back. At other times, Saints were amazing and played quick balls that cut through the Harborne side as if slicing a cake. Amie Hone and Fran Lee worked well together in the centre, putting a high pressure on the Harborne defence, with some cracking tackles and great passes. Without real danger at either side of the pitch the umpires decided it was time for half-time.

Saints started the 2nd half pretty much the same way they finished the 1st half, with some strong powerful play. Harborne responded by putting more pressure on the Saints defence, and with some quick forwards they managed to get a number of short corners. Without runner Emma Cooper Saints had to make some changes, but they did not fear Harborne and went out strong on the short corners, keeping a clean sheet. The relief was clear on the faces of the Saints defence, but it did not last long. The ball was given away easily by Saints, and within minutes Harborne had scored twice. From that moment Saints decided that this was not how they wanted to end the season and as a team they stepped up their game. Playing the ball quickly around the back and midfield, Saints turned the game their way. A series of short corners was awarded, and it was Esther Keijbets who scored from two different angles. Back in the game Saints kept pressing for the winning goal through hard work up front from Sarah Cosford and Lisa Coe. Unfortunately there was not enough time, and the excellent umpire duo gave the last whistle.

In silence Saints celebrated. The reason for these quiet celebrations is not known: Saints Ladies 1st XI CHAMPIONS of the Midlands Premier League of the season 2010 - 2011.

The celebrations back in Northampton were definitely not quiet, that is all we can say!

Next year, Saints Ladies 1st XI are back in the National League. We would like to thank everybody who has been cheering us on from the side lines, and look forward to your continued support next season when we need it again. In addition, we would like to thank the club and in particular Gavin who stuck with us at all times and never gave up!

MOTM: Fran Lee and Esther Keijbets

DOTY (Year): Lisa Coe

Written by Esther Keijbets

Ladies 2nd XI 1-1 Leicester Ladies 3rd XI

Goals: Ness Kingston

Saints Ladies 2s travelled to Leicester for their final league game of the season. A thorough warm up meant that for once Saints were not out done in the first ten minutes of the game.

Despite struggling to come to terms with the bounce of the water based pitch Saints matched Leicester during the first half. Nicky Milford excelled at centre back with support from Kate Barnetson & Ferne Sanders. Meanwhile, Ness Kingston back playing up front caused the Leicester defence some trouble.

0 – 0 at half time & coach, Jon Noble, made a few tweaks to the line up. An error from the otherwise faultless Nicky Milford resulted in Leicester competently putting the ball in the back of the net. From the restart Saints worked the ball through the Leicester midfield to find Ness Kingston on the edge of the D. Kingston fired off a shot which came off the post, hit the goalkeeper’s bottom & finished up in the back of the net.

Both sides continued to work hard for the win. Clare Noble & Sally Adlen worked tirelessly in Saints midfield with Noble taking a number of hits from Leicester players.

The game finished 1-1 which was probably a fair reflection of the match. Leicester’s hospitality after the game was fantastic making for a pleasant afternoon out.

This result now sees Saints heading into a play-off next Sunday against Birmingham University. A win guarantees them a place in the Midlands Feeder league, defeat will see them drop into the Northants Ladies League, Division 1.

MOM: Nicky Milford, Clare Noble, Sally Adlen.

DOD: Ferne “will you go out with me” Sanders, Becca “slippers” Wilkinson.

Men’s 1stXI 4-4 Edgbaston 1stXI

Goals: Dave Saunders, Ben Scott (pf), Grant Carlin, Joe Colantonio

Saints went into their last game of the season hoping to end on a high against visiting Edgbaston. The home started very well put the third placed side under some intense pressure and went ahead through a well taken Dave Saunders strike. The game opened up very quickly with both teams enjoying attacking phases but it was Edgbaston that scored the next two. A lack of concentration suddenly saw Saints behind and the home side needed a change of attitude quickly. Saints pressed the away side for the next ten minutes and forced Edgbaston into conceding a penalty flick which Ben Scott converted. Five minutes from half time Saints scored two quick goals through Grant Carlin and Joe Colantonio to take a 4-2 lead into half time.

The second half was a very even affair with neither side able to convert a chance and with ten minutes to go Saints looked like ending their season with a win. But, in typical Saints style they threw it away. Just needing to keep possession in the Edgbaston half, Saints twice dribbled into flat sticks when there was no need to run with the ball, Edgbaston countered and scored twice, the second after winning a short corner.

A stern lesson for Saints who need to learn to use the heads when trying to close out a game. The last 5 minutes summed up their season and there is definitely a lot to work on before September.

Written by Ben Scott

Men’s 2ndXI 4-5 Belper 2ndXI

Goals: James Knibb (3), Simon Stringer

In the words of Alex Ferguson, it was “squeaky bum” time as the Men’s 2s travelled to Belper in search of the 1 point needed to secure their place in the 2ndXI Midlands Premier Division. They also had half an eye on results elsewhere as defeat for Leek against Stourport would mean safety secured regardless of Saints result. They say that hockey is a game of 2 halves, this game definitely was!!!

First Half….The good, the bad and the ugly! (minus the good!)

Preparation wasn’t ideal as Matt Wilde and Andy Smith arrived late. Ben Northedge took the warm up and used all he’s learnt in his Sports Science Exercise Degree to great effect as he put the team through their worst warm up of the season!! (Has he actually attended any of the lectures?!).

The team-talk was all about keeping it simple, tight, don’t do anything silly and lets attack them at pace. For the first 10 minutes the team did exactly this as they pushed Belper into defending deeply. However no clear-cut chances were created. Some-what against the run of play Belper took the lead as the defence switched off to a free hit. Minutes later they pressed the self-destruct button again as some lack lustre marking allowed Belper a free shot on goal which they duly converted. The mad spell continued when Saints fell another goal behind. All of this within a 15 minute period! Saints gradually began to regain their composure and exert themselves on the opposition as they had done when the game started. Unfortunately it was Belper who got another to leave a shell-shocked Saints 4 goals down.

With minutes to go before half-time, Saints deservedly got a goal back as James Knibb expertly converted a penalty corner.

Half-time and 4-1 down, things weren’t looking good! This lead to a rallying call from coach Biddle and Captain Gausden. Put everything you’ve got into these 35 minutes. Unfortunately these motivational words didn’t sink in until 5 minutes into the second half! By which point the team had fallen another goal behind, again due to some non-existent marking (Ben Northedge!). This led to Stringer and Gausden exchanging a difference of opinions across the pitch!

Second Half…..The Great (or should that be lucky?) Escape

5-1 down and the team then sprung into life as they spent the rest of the half attacking Belper. James Knibb scored a second goal from a penalty corner and with 15 minutes to go there was still time! Knibb then completed his hat-trick courtesy of another short corner so with 10 minutes to go, 2 goals needed maybe they could pull off a great come-back? Saint switched to a 3-4-3 formation in a desparate bid to get the goals. During this time Knibb hit a corner just over the cross bar, and forward Dan Rose also blazed over the bar when it seemed easier to score. With time running out it looked like it was the end of the road, however up-stepped Simon Stringer to convert a short corner to leave the score 5-4. Unfortunately that was it and the whistle went for full-time, and they fell just short of what would have been a stunning come-back.

So a dejected team headed off the pitch with all eyes (and I Phones!) on the Stourport vs. Leek result. At 6pm the result was confirmed, Stourport 2-1 winners over Leek, leading to jubilant celebrations (and relief) in the Saints camp. The Great Escape complete!

A huge thanks go to coach Colyn Biddle for his hard work and chauffeuring this season! Same to Rachel Langley who’s travelled with the team to umpire all their away games and again has driven to most of them. (And even more thanks to her for listening to Martyn Cory telling her the rules of hockey!!). Also thanks to Lloyd Atkinson for captaining the team till November (before going off to play for the 1s). Lots of work to be done for next season if the team wants to avoid relegation battle.

MOTM: James Knibb – who needs Martyn Cory!

DOTD: James Knibb – bad hair day (again!), and shot by a sniper during the game! It must also be mentioned he won the fines meeting as well!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Simon Stringer, Pete Riches, Danny Whitfield, Ben Northedge, Matt Wilde, Alex Mcindoe, Matt Gausden (c), Liam Cassidy, Stephan Williams, Athiq Thamby, Dan Rose, James Knibb, Andy Smith

Written by Matt Gausden

Men’s 3rd XI 2-10 Birmingham University 3rdXI

Goals: Lewis Ward, Jason Hillier (pf)

The last weekend of the Midlands Premier league saw Saints 3s welcome a strong University of Birmingham side to a rather overcast Moulton (annoyingly for Hillier as he had packed his sun cream), who needed a win to finish the season as champions. The talk before the game was of not committing silly turnovers and intelligent defending to try and absorb as much pressure as possible from an anticipated strong opposition.

Indeed the first 20 minutes were extremely cagey, with Saints defending deep and exceptionally well to frustrate the visiting team. However it was a case when not if, and Birmingham made the breakthrough to take the lead after 25 minutes. This was the catalyst for the game opening up a little bit more, with Saints enjoying some good periods of possession and moving the ball effectively down the left hand channel though good work from Ward and Day as well as Swansborough and Scott-Collins putting the centre backs under pressure in defence, the chances starting appearing for Saints. This period of pressure was then rewarded by a goal from Ward after a mix up in defence between the Uni defender and keeper allowed the ball to be simply slotted home from close range.

With the score at 1-1, this should have been the time to consolidate possession and see out the half. Instead Saints started committing cheap mistakes, leading to turnovers in dangerous positions that were duly converted by the visitors; making the score at half time 4-1.

Unfortunately this trend continued for the duration of the second half, the lessons learned from a season at this level not being heeded, with game going out of reach after 4 unanswered goals from the visitors. Despite this Saints never gave up going forward, with Heaphy and Down playing some nice balls through for the forwards to run onto. Saints persistence was rewarded in the last 10 minutes when a well worked passage of play down the right channel led to a penalty flick. A sunburnt Hillier stepped up and duly converted the flick, taking great delight in the Uni keeper diving exactly where he told him he would put the flick! Despite this the visitors managed to score 2 more goals before the game was out making the final score 2-10.

Overall the 3s season has been pretty tough and the squad has been plagued with inconsistency with regards to selection which definitely hasn’t helped in getting the right results. Despite this the attitude has been exemplary and no one has been going through the motions even after relegation from the Midlands Premier, as highlighted by some good results towards the end of the season against strong opposition in Stourport and Loughborough. Special thanks also needs to go to Down, Swansborough and McIlwaine for running things in the absence of the 3s captain for a large part of the year.

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), James Miller, Jason Hillier, Lewis Ward, Tom Wightman, Nigel Down, Ian McIlwaine, Sam Bigley, Sean Henry, Max Heaphy, Tom Scott Collins, Hugo Day and Matt Swansborough.

Written by James Miller

Coalville 4thXI 0-3 Men’s 4thXI

Goals; Tom Bradshaw, Chris Godman, Ross McLean

Attendance; 3

Tea; Three pints of Rutland Best and a Coke

In the news; Anti-cuts demonstrations in London town

Smiley Pointers

Saints dragged themselves up the motorway for one more game before the end of the season.

They needed have bothered as this pointless game dragged on to it’s inevitable anti-climax by way of three dubious goals.

There first was put away by Chris Godman to the resounding silence of the crowd as the umpire checked the rulebook to see if it was legal. It was!

Highlight of the first half was Ant Czaicki’s aerial back towards the Saints’ goal, gleefully picked up by a Coalville player who then lost it. Czaicki later complained that, “Nothing else was on”. Running a close second was the umpire mistakenly pointing the wrong way on a free hit and arousing the fury of Andy Dale.

Much of the same in the second half, punctuated by a close range goal by Tom Bradshaw and a third from Ross McLean who, “Turned on a sixpence” to put the ball in the back of the net. Apparently.

Highlight of the second half was Scott Bashford going head-to-head with an enraged umpire for smiling too much and, running a close second, was the umpire mistakenly pointing the wrong way on a free hit and arousing the fury of Andy Dale. Again.

MOTM; Anthony Stevens

DOTD; Andy Dale (For letting Joe Cliffe run off with his car keys, thus prompting domestic re-arrangements)

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Joe Cliffe, Andy Dale (C), George Roberts, James Ruse, Ant Czaicki, Chris Rowland, Anthony Stevens, Ross McLean, Tom Bradshaw, Chris Godman

Written by Joe Cliffe

Men’s 5thXI 11-0 Nuneaton

Goal Scorers: Callum Scott-Collins (3), Rob Cary (3), Tom Dysko, Rob Tee, Grant Stevens, Greg Summers (2)

In the absence of Dave Henry, soaking up the sun in Barcelona, Jon Keep went back to his skipper roots and lead the fifth team to battle against the battered Nuneaton squad. The fifth team went in with confidence after the last meeting against this team and were set to put another two figure score against them.

From the outset fifths went in hard and pummelled Nuneaton’s defence quickly putting away four goals. First of which was finished with an incredible flick perfectly executed by Grant Stevens, followed up by a sneaky slap placed in the bottom right corner by new found centre forward Callum Scott-Collins. The next goal was a super shot nailed into the top corner by Rob Cary. Gareth Voss experienced what it felt like being a rabbit in the head lights when a ball was struck towards his head, Tom Dysko took the advantage and coolly flicked the ball into the net.

The game looked one sided through the majority of the first half and was help by a solid performance from the whole back line, although Ed Holt found not touching the ball too much hard work and thus made himself comfortable on the astro. Another surge from the fifths resulted in well placed flick into the side netting by Callum Scott-Collins. From that the fifths found themselves messing around inside the oppositions D, which eventually produced another goal by Rob Cary who has a simple tap in at the post from a cross by Tom Dysko. A surge down the left by Scott Fleming and Tom Dysko lead to an easy slap in at the back post by Rob Tee, however the fifths admitted a blatant foot that lead to the goal and sportingly gave up the goal. The final goal of the first half was by Greg Summers who picked up a deflection after Rob Cary was denied by the cross bar.

The second half started with some good attacks from Nuneaton, much to Ed Holt's disgust as he had to get off the floor to make a quality diving save. However the possession quickly turned and fifths won a short corner, where Callum Scott-Collins struck into the goal, claiming a hat trick in his first game as a striker. Another attack, this time on the right, and a lovely bit of play by Tom Dysko, worked his way into the D and Greg Summers finished for his second goal of the game. Sam Mitchell felt left out by not getting a goal and took his anger out on Scott Fleming, if were not for Scott’s ballerina skills he may have been out for the count! Another short corner followed with Rob Cary placing it into the net with a well placed flick setting him up for a hat trick and sealing his position as fifth team top scorer. The final goal of the game was a one man effort by Rob Tee, despite the whole team creating space and shouting ‘PASS’ over and over again, Rob went in pursuit of goal and trickled by the keeper, making it 11-0 to Saints, the goal was not enough for Rob Tee, who did an awful celebration which rubbed salt into the wound for Nuneaton.

MOTM: Callum Scott-Collins

DOTD: Rob Tee (Greedy)

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Grant Stevens, Jeremy Wan, Steve Morris, Adam Shepherd, Sam Mitchell, Jon Keep (c), Greg Summers, Gareth Voss, Tom Dysko, Rob Tee, Rob Cary, Callum Scott-Collins, Scott Fleming

Written by Callum Scott-Collins

Badgers 5-3 Daventry Badgers

Goals: Jacob Pryce (4), Greg Summers

With a late afternoon push back at Moulton, Northampton started the brighter with a lot of possession and by 10 minutes were 1-0 up, scorer Jacob Pryce with the first of his 4 goal. With great team work Lions pushed and pushed and by 30 minutes 4-0 up all from Jacob, then a beautiful drag flick from Greg Summers after some really good link up play should have sealed the first half for Northampton. However seconds before the half time whistle went, Daventry smashed their way through Lions to claw one back! 5-1,at halftime.

Daventry must have had a very good team talk at half time and came out very strong and quickly scored minutes into the second half, 5-2. Northampton tried to counter but Daventry’s goalkeeper Will Powell stood firm to deny Northampton any further goals. Daventry pushed and scored again, 5-3. Northampton’s defence held strong and even though we couldn’t score any more, 5 was enough to seal a victory. 5-3 to Northampton.

Well played both Teams.

Match report by Hayley Evans-Smith

Mens and Ladies Top Scorers for 2010-11

Matt Gausden — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:14:30 +0100

Pre-season fixtures included in the overall chart.

Men's/Ladies Club Top Scorers
Ben Scott	23
Martyn Cory Ross Mclean	20 19
Rob Cary	19
Stuart Clark	12
Amie Hone	11
Matt Swansborough	10
James Knibb	10
Dan Rose	10
Luke Pibworth	10
Dave Henry	10
Tom Dysko	10
Chris Godman	9
Esther Keijbet	8

Support our Ladies 2s this Sunday!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:48:22 +0100

The ladies 2s face a play-off match against Birmingham University this Sunday (3rd April) at Leicester Grammar School. A win guarantees them a place in the Midlands Feeder league, defeat will see them drop into the Northants Ladies League, Division 1.

Push back is at 1pm.

Please go along and support them!

Restructuring - April Fool

Karl Flowers — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:50:40 +0100

This year's April Fool's Prank....

"After 8 months of negotiation, Andy Dale and Martin Wilkes have signed a 3-year deal with Allan Robson of Saints Rugby Club. The deal means that all members effectively become members of the Rugby club. Mr Robson commented that "...members, although under no pressure to play rugby...would be welcomed into the sport." Hockey activities would taper down over the next season as players transfer across to rugby training and teams. The remaining hockey teams would be few and would effectively be social sides.

Mr Dale commented on the deal by saying "goalkeepers would be the hardest hit as they have invested the most in terms of equipment. " Further he joked that "...the Mens 3s would make the easiest transition with the style they play not being far from the quality of rugby that the Saints play!"

There have been a range of reactions from members, with some stating categorically that they would be quitting, while most members saying that it was positive to the development of sport in Northamptonshire. Mr Robson commented that ladies would be most welcome into Saints rugby club, being able to choose the Touch version or full contact rugby.

Mr Dave Kelly said "Junior players would need to buy the new rugby uniforms, but there would be a hockey stick auction for other clubs to enter, to help offset equipment change". Mr Del Bowie, a well known hockey/rugby player told reporters that the club would be training up at Moulton College rugby pitches."

Several people were fooled by this. Dan Burge contacted me wanting to be a hooker, but was sent away disappointed when told his lipstick was too bright. Ross McLean had already bought a pocket of oranges for half time snacks. You guys must always check what date it is when it seems too good to be true!!!!

The acting Mens 3s captain, Del Bowie, vehemently defended his team by saying that they don't back chat. But, when explained it was only an April Fool's joke, sniggered and even started to lighten up at the end of the phone call...

Ladies 2s win crucial play-off match

Matt Gausden — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:06:36 +0100

Ladies 2nd XI 2-1 Birmingham University The ladies secured their place in the midlands feeder league next season with this 2-1 win over Birmingham university at Leicester Grammar School. Full match report to appear here shortly.....

Ladies 2ndXI 2 -1 Birmingham University Ladies 4thXI

Goals: Ness Kingston, Clare Noble.

Facing relegation into the Northants County League Saints 2s finally fulfilled their potential. In this ‘do or die’ game Saints faced a young, fit Birmingham side.

The first half was largely played in the middle of the pitch with both sides midfields cancelling each other out. Clare Noble worked tirelessly at centre midfield showing both discipline & determination. Lottie Tulley at left midfield provided most of Saints penetrating runs. Laura Wychgel continued this when she replaced Tulley. Solid tackling from Ferne Sanders and Nicky Milford kept Birmingham at bay.

At half time coach Jon Noble urged Saints to keep up the intensity and press Birmingham higher up the pitch. Saints did as they were told and the second half began with much more pace and determination. Becca Wilkinson’s pace at right midfield and Ellie Bleech’s tenacious running began to cause Birmingham some problems. Claire Dale made full use of the 5 metre rule, tempting the opposition into tackling her before releasing Nikki Stringer to expose them with real skill!

Goalkeeper Claire Leech dominated her D and managed the team well in their defensive duties. With ten minutes to go Saints were starting to tire. Birmingham’s youth and fitness dominated resulting in a goal.

Coach Noble decided to take drastic action and resorted to two at the back. It was an inspired decision. With seven minutes to go Sanders played a long ball to KJ Wilkins on the edge of the D. Wilkins, with her back to goal, played a sublime square ball to Ness Kingston who fired the ball in to the back of the net. 1-1, game on!

A revived Saints side then pressed Birmingham looking for the victory. With four minutes to go intelligent play from Molly Ogden resulted in a short corner. Noble injected to Kingston who played it back to Noble. The goalkeeper committed to the ground and after a bit of a scramble, and screams of ‘lift it’ from Wilkins, Noble managed to find the back of the net.

An exhausted Saints managed to hold on for the remaining few minutes despite a determined effort from Birmingham.

Man of the Match: Ferne Sanders

DOTD: Becca ‘safe’ Wilkinson

Squad: Claire Leech (GK), Claire Dale (c), Nicky Milford, Ferne Sanders, Sally Adlen, Clare Noble, Nikki Stringer, Laura Wychgel, Becca Wilkinson, Ellie Bleech, Lottie Tulley, Molly Ogden, Ness Kingston, KJ Wilkins.

Match Reports from 9th-10th April

Matt Gausden — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:31:35 +0100

Mens 1st/2nd XI 9-2 Rugby & EW

Goals: Tom Ashcroft (3), Dave Saunders (2), Grant Carlin (2), Christian Howard, Jamie Webb

On a baking day at Moulton College, Northampton Saints fielded a mish-mash side of 1st and 2nd team players, plus the guest appearance of former player Tom 'Joe Cole' Ashcroft.

The warm up was very relaxed, with most players trying to remember what a hockey stick is after a 2 week break! This relaxed atmosphere was clearly present when the game started as Saints carelessly gave away possession and nearly allowed Rugby an early goal.

Fortunately Saints regained their composure and exerted themselves on the game. This allowed them to storm into a 3 goal lead through goals from Tom Ashcroft (2) and Dave 'I can take a short corner' Saunders. In a comfortable position Saints switched off and allowed a Rugby reply. Northampton replied with 1 more before through to leave it 4-1 at the break.

The second half and after a sloppy 10 minutes, Saints upped the intensity again and as in the first half they scored 3 goals in quick succession. Ashcroft completed his hat-trick, whilst Grant Carlin scored 2 from close range. Once again Rugby pulled one back through some laid back defending before the final word was had by Saunders who finished off a swift counter-attack and a defleected Christian Howard strike.

MOTM: Tom Ashcroft

DOTD: Jamie Webb, stupidly got himself sin-binned.

Squad: Paul Madeley (GK), Pete Riches, Ben Stephenson, Ben Northedge, Ian Cooper, Matt Gausden, Jamie Webb, Athiq Thamby, Grant Carlin, Christian Howard, Dave Saunders, Tom Ashcroft

Mens 5/6thXI 1-3 Rugby & EW

Goals: Chris Easton

Imagine sharks with lasers shooting out their eyes, riding on dinosaurs dressed as pirates or ninjas. That is how cool the new look Mens 5s team was. Rugby and EW dressed as accountants lacked the cool factor but they made up for it flair. Two goals in the first half and one in the second was their offering.

Chris Easton was the goal scorer in the second half for the Saints with a lovely finish from some good driving play.

Girls U18s 2-1 Kettering U18s

Goals: Kate Clayson, Sophie Cattell

Northampton Saints under 18 ladies travelled to kettering in the hope of redeeming themselves after their last meeting ended in defeat. Saints bought a strong side with plenty of subs which was advantageous in the spring heatwave. The game started off with both sides on an even keel with plenty of chances blocked by strong defensive play. Saints broke away with a one goal lead when good passing movement stared by Lottie Tulley resulted in debutant Kate Clayson slotting one home, 1-0 saints. Kettering then turned on the attack, winning a number of penalty corners, only to be stopped by quick running out by Georgia Linnell and Leah Sanders. Half time came as a relief as both sides were feeling the effect of the heat.

A refreshed Saints side returned to the pitch for the second half. There were some great runs made by Courtney Thorpe, Rosie Barnes, Hayley Even-Smith, Ellie Bleech and another debutant Rachael Hill and this helped Saints to break away, with Sophie Cattell slotting home for Saints second goal. Kettering stepped up the pressure but for the good work from Alice Kilner, Anya Hartgroves and Ferne Sanders in midfield and Ella Forsyth, Steph Brennan and Georgia in defence maintained the score 2-0. However In the last 10 minutes Kettering responded by scoring a fantastic goal which even the skills of Emma Brennan as keeper, couldn't save. The final score was 2-1 to Saints under the proud direction of Manager Tony Brennan and Captain Steph Brennan. It was a deserved win as the whole team worked really hard together.

Man of the match was awarded to Kate Clayson.

DOTD:went to Rachel Jones who spent more time on the floor than on her feet and is worried that the scars may not heal before black tie !!

You may get this a few times today as I'm having it issues!!!!!!!'!!!!!

Come along and watch our Ladies 1s face National League Opposition!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:25:49 +0100

We’ve got some home games at Moulton this Thursday night (14thApril). So please come along and support:

7.15pm: Mixed 1s vs Bugbrooke Mixed at Moulton Sports Complex.

8.15pm: Ladies 1s vs. Buckingham Ladies 1s at Moulton College Water Base (this should be a great game, Buckingham are currently top of the National League Conference)

Black Tie Details this Saturday

Matt Gausden — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:15:47 +0100

Black tie: Please arrive at 7pm.

Venue: St Georges Conference Centre (by the Racecourse).

We’re on course to have a record turnout this year (110 tickets sold so far!). If you’ve not already got a ticket there’s still time (just!).

Please let me or your team/club captain know today if you want to come.

Club AGM - Saturday 7th May 2011

Matt Gausden — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:25:39 +0100

Please click on below link for notification of the club’s AGM on Saturday 7th May.

3pm-5pm at Moulton sports complex.

We're currently looking for a ladies rep to join our committee and replace Claire Baker who's stepping down after 2 seasons. Speak to her if you'd like more information on her role.

We will also be holding a 7-a-side inter-club tournament beforehand at Moulton Sports Complex, 11am – 2.30pm. This will be a mixed tournament so all club players are welcome. Just turn up and teams will be sorted out on the day.

(the club’s annual golf day will now be held later in the summer, date TBC)

2011 AGM

Performance Injury Clinc

Matt Gausden — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:53:49 +0100

For all Northampton Hockey Club members throughout May they have the chance of having sports massages priced at £10 for half hour and £20 for a full hour.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter, Further more, I have a new website www.ppinjury.co.uk for you to add to my current profile on the Saints website. I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.

Kind Regards

Peter James BSc MSc MSST

Injury Specialist 07816959708

peter@ppinjury.co.ukPeak

Performance Injury Clinc

2011 Black Tie Awards Hall of Fame

Matt Gausden — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:32:19 +0100

Congratulations to the following individuals and teams who won awards at our annual black tie awards dinner:

Team	Top Goal Scorer	Players Player	Most Improved

Ladies
1's	Aimee Hone	Aimie Hone	LottieTulley

2's	Caz McCabe	Claire Leech	Ellie Bleach

3's	Hannah Richards, Courtney Thorpe, Emily Kilner	Jane Ogden	Alice Kilner

4s	Lou Harte	Becky Bridgens	Anghared Toman

U18		Fern Sanders	Ella Forsyth

Mens
1's	Ben Scott	Joe Colontonio	Ben Stevenson

2's	Martin Cory	Matt Gausden	Matt Wilde

3's	Matt Swansborough	Phil Preen	Tom Wightman

4's	Chris Godman	James Ruse	Aiden Walker

5's	Rob Carey	Steve Morris	George Roberts

6's	Ross McLean	Ross McLean	Will Gamble and Chris Easton


		*Clive Terrett Endevour Award:*	Del Bowie


Team	Players Player	Most Improved	Committee Player

Mixed	Winnie Jones	Emma Brennan	Sam Mitchell + John Parkin


	Team of the Year - Ladies 1s

	Mike Taylor Award for Most Improved Team - Mixed Early

Level 1 Umpire Course on the 15th & 22nd June 2011

Matt Gausden — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:38:52 +0100

Where: Moulton Sports Complex
(Pound Lane, Moulton, Northampton NN3 7SD)

When: 15th & 22nd June 2011
Times: 7.00 till 10.00pm

Cost: £50.00 (Inc. Rule Book, Whistle, Cards, Guide to Umpiring book, Match Record Cards, Tutor & Assessor fees (for practical assessment)

To book call 01604 771189
or email futuressports@gmail.com

Level 1 Umpire Poster

Level 1 Umpire Candidate Registration Form

May Newsletter

Matt Gausden — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:53:37 +0100

All the latest news from around the club.

Click on the below link to download the May edition:

May Newsletter 2011

U16s and U13 Boys Tournament

Karl Flowers — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:54:56 +0100

In an exciting tournament that saw a number of motivated juniors have a great day out, the Leceister Westleigh hockey club hosted a tournament to finish off the hockey season. In an early start the U13s travelled to Leceister under the able organisation and guidance of Lesley Easton, Robyn Wright and an army of mums and dads.

At the ground it was then over to Matthew Bowden, as coach extraordinaire who, handled the strategies and positional aspects of the team. The juniors played exceedingly well and put a particularly strong effort against Burton, who were one of the strongest teams at this tournament, the result being a draw.

The U13s finished 3rd in their group and then went onto a playoff game to decide their final placing. A huge thanks needs to go out to all the organisers, coach, umpires and taxi drivers that braved the early start to be there.

Later in the day, the U16s met and beetled off to Leceister to have their turn of glory. A tournament with a very high level of hockey turned out to be a complete load of fun for all those concerned. Organisation from Del Bowie and Jackie Rose had covered everything from taxis, food, drink and rastafarian hair. Del had even organised a bag carrier in the form of Plugsly Flowers...

The hockey was slow to start from the U16s with Jeremy Wan only waking up after the 3rd game. Exceptional play from all the youngsters and a string of goals from Ally Rose and Greg Summers meant that the U16s had a real chance to be one of the top clubs there.

The U16s played all their games with excellent comraderie and sportsmanship, ate all the food Jackie had provided and anything that walked past their base camp. Winning both of the friendlies (including the Coach and Team friendly against SLV) resulted in a day enjoyed by all. The final game played was that of the 5/6th playoff which Northampton won to be crowned 5th out of the 12 teams that entered. Belper won the tournament with Melton second with some monster U16s (grown in a chemistry lab somewhere) but the most enjoyable day was had by all.

Huge vote of thanks goes to drivers: Steve Summers and Jeff Moran; feeders and massive support: the Rose family (particularly Jackie); team organiser and umpire: Del Bowie. A big thanks also goes to Jake and his dad John for being there and helping Northampton Hockey Club. Thankz to the boyz: Ally, Jeremy, Greg, Anthony, Lewis, Tim, Mark, Patrick, Jake and Ben.

Men's 7-a-side Hockey Tonight

Matt Gausden — Mon, 23 May 2011 10:59:33 +0100

We'll just be running the early session tonight: 6.45-7.45pm at Moulton Sports Complex.

There's no 1s/2s late session (7.45-8.45pm) due to most of the 1st team playing in the County Championships at the weekend.

There's no 7-a-side at all next Monday (30th May) due to the bank holiday.

Both sessions will resume on 6th June.

Men's County Side Progress

Matt Gausden — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:08:41 +0100

Well done to Northants Men's team who have made it past the prelimary round of the county championships. They now go on to play Gloucestershire in th Division C semi-final. Full details below:

POOL 6 – RAF Halton, Aylesbury
RAF to host

Saturday

10.30 RAF  4-2  Somerset
12.00 Northamptonshire  0-6 Cornwall
13.30 Royal Navy  4-2 RAF
15.00 Somerset 6-0 Cornwall
16.30 Northamptonshire 6-2 Royal Navy

Sunday

09.30 Somerset 4-3 Royal Navy
11.00 RAF  1-1 Cornwall
12.30 Northamptonshire  2-1 Somerset
14.00 Cornwall  5-1 Royal Navy
15.30 Northamptonshire 2-1 RAF

Standings - Soms 9 pts (+8), Northants 9 pts (0), Cor 7 pts, RN 3pts, RAF 1 pt

MENS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011

FINALS WEEKEND

Following this weekend's Preliminary Round the qualifiers for the A, B & C Division Finals at Abbeydale, the home of Sheffield Hallam HC are now known.

Saturday 4 June (Draft)

09.00 - C Division Semi 1 – Somerset v Isle of Man
10.50 - C Division Semi 2 – Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire
12.40 - B Division Semi 1 – Durham v Bedfordshire
14.30 - B Division Semi 2 – Hertfordshire v Northumberland
16.20 - C Division Final –
18.10 - B Division Final –

Discussion Forums

Karl Flowers — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:39:19 +0100

The Discussion Boards promised in the latest upgrades are live on the club website. You need to log in to see them and access them. So make sure your username and password are active and that you can indeed log in. Any trouble have a word with Karl Flowers, Chris Godman or Matt Gausden to do this.

The function of the discussion board is for you to raise any topic that you feel the club needs chatting about. All topics and language need to be child friendly and illicit links and spam type articles will be moderated. Abusers of the forums will be perma banned. Please enjoy the forums and lets get populating it...

Do your bit for the Ladies 1s National League Campaign!

Matt Gausden — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:34:42 +0100

The ladies 1s are currently in discussion with a couple of overseas ladies, with view to them joining the club for the 2011/12 season.

In order to help these ladies out, we need to offer them somewhere to stay whilst they get settled.

So if you have a spare room and you think you can help, then let me know:
matthew.gausden@giltedged.co.ukor call me on 07708948646

Ladies 1st XI Sponsorship Package

Matt Gausden — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:05:21 +0100

Are you a company interested in sponsoring one of the midlands leading hockey teams?
Or do you know of a friend or family member that may be interested?

If so then click on the below information:

Ladies 1s Sponsorship Pack

Ladies 1s fixtures announced!

Matt Gausden — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:01:47 +0100

The Ladies 1s begin their National League campaign against Durham University at home on the 17th September.

Click on the below link to view their full fixture list:

Ladies 1s fixtures 2011-12

Latest Summer League Table

Matt Gausden — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:56:02 +0100

Latest league table from the Northants Mixed Summer League.

All Northampton HC teams are underlined. (the top 4 teams at the end of the season will go through to the semi-finals).

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1. Oddbods	7	7	0	0	54	10	44	21
2. Tigers	7	6	0	1	34	10	24	18
3. Smarties	7	5	1	1	33	15	18	16
4. Sky Blues	7	4	2	1	32	11	21	14
5 Cubs	7	4	1	2	21	15	6	13
6 Lions	7	3	1	3	25	15	10	10
7 Pimp My Side	7	3	1	3	24	19	5	10
8 Rhinos	7	3	1	3	26	23	3	10
9 Mungoes	7	2	0	5	13	41	-28	6
10 Skinny Kittens	7	1	0	6	8	45	-37	3
11 Bobcats	7	0	1	6	11	32	-21	1
12 Brixworth	7	0	0	7	4	49	-45	0

Men's 1st XI Meeting Tomorrow

Matt Gausden — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:19:04 +0100

Mens 1st team have got a fitness session and meeting to discuss 2011/12 plans up at moulton sports complex tomorrow starting at 8.40pm. All the guys that want to play Elite hockey either this year or in the up and coming future should come along.

Only Smarties Have the Answer

Matt Gausden — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:09:00 +0100

Congratulations to Smarties who won the 2011 Northants Mixed Summer League Final last night.

It was an all Northampton HC final as they faced the champions for the last 4 years, Oddbods. The final score was 4-2 to Smarties.

Well done to all that played and commiserations to Oddbods who I'm sure will be looking to win back the trophy next summer!

Junior Training is Back!

Karl Flowers — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:48:03 +0100

Junior training starts again on the 10th September. 9.00 start and there will be an extended training due to the Northampton Hockey Club Open Day that will take place at Moulton Sports Complex. There will be BBQ and games and merriment...

The first Tuesday night training will take place on the 13th September at the usual times...hope to see you all there!

Club Open Day - Saturday 10th September

Matt Gausden — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:58:53 +0100

We’re having an Open Day on Saturday 10th September,from 9am – 4pm.

Why not come along and see what our club and sport is all about.

It’s being held at Moulton Sports Complex (Pound Lane, Moulton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 7SD).

Junior coaching session in the morning, Qualified Coaches on hand to offer refresher training,friendly 7-a-side matches to participate in, plus a BBQ, bouncy castle and other fun activities.

What do you need to bring? – just yourselves and maybe some shin pads and gumshield.We’ll provide the rest (sticks, balls, etc).

Registration times:

9am: Junior Registration

Up to 10.30am: Adult Registration

Off pitch activities:

Tuck shop running throughout the day

BBQ: 12.30 – 2.30pm

Bouncy castle all day

Tennis

Timetable for the day:

9am – 11am: Junior coaching Session and Matches

11am - 12.30pm: Adult Coaching session

1pm – 4pm: Adult Mixed 7a Side Tournament

If you’d like anymore information about this eventor our hockey club then please speak to:

Matt Gausden (07708948646) or Jon Keep (07970676622) or Northants Mixed Hockey (0797697359)

Open Day Flyer 2011

Club Training Starts Tonight

Matt Gausden — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:18:27 +0100

Senior Club Training Starts Tonight: 8.00-9.30pm at Moulton Sports Complex.

This is open to all club members (Mens 2s-6s, Ladies 2s-4s and Mixed) and any new members as well.

Please be there at 7.45pm to warm up, stretch, etc.

Jonno will be coaching the ladies, Colyn will be coaching the men.

1stteams will be training on the water base Tuesdays and Thursdays – this is invitation only.

2ndXI training starts this Thursday @ Moulton Sports Complex. 8-9.45pm – invitation only.

Don’t forget – friendlies start this Saturday so make sure you’re free!

Match Reports from 27.08.11

Matt Gausden — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:38:34 +0100

Ladies 2nd/3rdXI 8-0 Long Buckby

Goals: Emily Kilner (3), Caz McCabe (2), Natalia Raca, Emily Wilkins, Clare Noble

On a warmish Moulton Saturday ladies 2’s gathered themselves together to try to remember what Saturday hockey is all about. It seemed to take a few by surprise but eventually all were playing the same game and a great match was had by all. I had originally taken notes at timed intervals, but by the second half I had reverted to taking pics and forgot about the minute by minute match report, so please excuse the lack of detail in the second half.

Within the first half Saints worked the ball well around the pitch using the good mix of youth and experience to make the play all go our way. Unfortunately long Buckby arrived a player short so we had to give them a saint’s lady for ten minute intervals, just to balance the teams. This didn’t seem to affect any of the saints players too much as they all seemed to be able to swap into “left forward” quite well (even Steph!!)

Some great pieces of play were seen from little Emily “Duracell” Kilner who worked well with Caz “tiger Woods” McCabe up front to score some excellent goals, Emily scored 2 and Caz scored 2 (even though Caz missed the following: 1 pushed wide, 1 open goal, 1 chip into the keeper hands and maybe 2 more tapped wide) Others who shone in the first half were Emily Wilkins who also scored 1 despite having to play for the opposition and never being passed the ball, Clare Noble who only fell once but was the first of the vets to feel an ache or pain (probably due to wearing roller-skates for trainers) and a fantastic break out of defence from Catherine Best to Courtney “Thorpedo” Thorpe but unfortunately that was one of the missed goals. The first half ended 4-0.

After an inspired team talk from coach Jonno, the girls once again gelled into action and looked like they wanted to win from the get go. The ball was well worked from defence through Steph “swing and miss” Brennan and Nicky “sorry” Milford through the midfield to Emily Kilner again to score what can only be described as a sweeeeeet goal just in the first few minutes of the second half. Due to a slight lapse in concentration Clare “landmine” Noble won a penalty corner, but as she was doing her ten minutes for the opposition, this was the only real test Claire “Spiderkeeper” Leech had the whole match. The opposition were dispatched with ease and saints broke through the midfield to score another goal through Natalia “chicken” Raca. Not to be outdone by her namesake, Emily Wilkins then scored another beautiful goal to make it 7-0 and to finish off and show that experience pays, Clare Noble then “reverse stick shovelled” (quote Jonno) our 8thgoal of the match.

Todays’ match was brought to you by the colour white and the flapjacks of Emma Brennan.

When all said and done a good first performance with players showing plenty of promise for the new season. Let’s see how next week goes against the Ladies 1’s. Well done ladies!!

Tuesday Night Juniors

Karl Flowers — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 07:04:57 +0100

Tuesday-night Junior training is back in full swing tomorrow night (6th September). Starting at 18.00 till 19.30, hosted by a collection of world class coaches and cheerleaders. Turning you from so average into a super slick player in 6 easy moves (or sometimes more).

Would love to see you there so please come down...

Moulton College Hockey Academy

Matt Gausden — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:24:32 +0100

Moulton College would like to make you aware that there are still places available on the Moulton College Hockey Academy for this year!

The Academy runs alongside a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sports Development, Fitness and Coaching which at the end of the two year course is the equivalent to 3 A-Levels which can facilitate their transition into University.

Within the 4 days a week the student will be attending the college they will receive coaching every day and all afternoon Wednesdays either playing fixtures in the BCS league (British Colleges and Schools), Tournaments and ‘Friendly’ fixtures. Then additional training sessions when there are no fixtures.

One hour a week with a Strength and Conditioning expert and access to a full time Physiotherapist

The students will also undertake Functional Skills in Maths, English and ICT equivalent to GCSEs showing academic currency using these skills and aiding those students who did not achieve a C grade at GCSE

Moulton College offers the very best facilities within the region and possibly the country for Hockey

High Specification Waterbased pitch (Equal to the Beijing Olympics)

Indoor Hockey Pitch

Exposure to a Strength and Condition expert within an Olympic lifting gym

Full time access to a Physiotherapist

Opening January 2012 a brand new Rehabilitation Centre (only one of its kind at an FE College)

We believe this course offers a fantastic opportunity to both increase your Hockey abilities as well as improving your employability gaining a nationally recognised sporting qualification which can be used to access University courses.

Prospectus’ are available upon request, please feel free to reply to this email or call on the extension below and I try to answer your query as soon as possible. Here is the Moulton College website linking to sport studies courses, along with the Hockey Academy.

Thanks,

Brett Holland

Hockey Academy Course Manager

MoultonCollege, West Street, Moulton, NN3 7RR

Tel: (01604) 491131 Ext 645

Email: Brett.Holland@moulton.ac.uk

JRPC Success

Matt Gausden — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:06:27 +0100

After the completion of the JRPC training sessions the following 12 club players have been selected to play in the 2 tier one tournaments on the 11th and 25th September.

Boys U18's

Matt Wilde, Max Heaphy and Tom Wightman

Girls U18's

Ellie Bleech

Boys U17's

Ally Rose

Girls U17's

Georgia Linnell

Lottie Tulley

Boys U16's

Adam Croutear

Girls U16's

Emma Brennan

Lydia Macdonell

Boys U15

Greg Summers

Girls U15's

Emily Kilner

From this the following 3 players made it to the HIPACs:

Evan Morris, Emily Kilner and Lydia Mcdonnell.

Match Reports from 3rd and 10th Sept

Matt Gausden — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:45:55 +0100

Men's 4th XI 5-2 Bedford 4th XI

Goals: Luke Pibworth (5)

Five-Star Pibworth

Luke Pibworth hit five as Saints eased past local rivals Bedford in this two-way grudge match which saw Bedford resident Pibworth travel up the A428 to face off against Northampton resident Mike Haines in the Bedford defence. Clearly Pibworth came off the winner, as Haines was softened up by an Ant Cziaki cross which failed to meet it’s intended target, Chris Godman.

Saints had been slow to start however, as they struggled to come to terms with a new 3-2-3-2 triangulated apex formation, as devised by Saints GCHQ. Luckily the oppo were even more confused as the home team went on to a convincing victory.

Any further match incidents are lost in the mists of time as only three players came back for the post-match analysis.

MOM: Ant Cziaki (assists)

DOD: James Ruse (greedy)

MVP: Ant Cziaki

Squad: Scott Bashford, James Ruse, Jim Phipps (c), Will Gamble, Trev Fidler, Luke Pibworth, Chris Godman, Joe Cliffe, Greg Summers, Ant Czaicki, Lewis Moran, George Mellor

Men's 5th XI 3-2 Rugby & East Warwick 5th XI (3rd September)

Goals: Jacob Pryce (2), Callum Scott-Collins

Saints 5ths returned for their 2nd pre season game against Rugby's 5th team in lovely weather the saints started slowly thinking that the win was already in the bag but that wasn't the case as the 5th went one nil down to rugbys first shot of the game.

After the goal, the 5th relised they had to go up a gear if they wanted to come away with a win and after some good work on the right side of midfield by Tom Dysko his cross found Jacob Pryce who placed his shot into the left of the goal.

There was drama to follow Richard Smith who hadn't played for years to only last 13 minutes after receiving a stick to the top of the head with blood gushing down his head a bandage was required before a trip to hospital to have his head glued back together!

In the 2nd half the 5ths pushed on for a winner and they thought it came in bizarre fashion Rob Carys hopeful effort which he hit into the ground bounced over the opposition keeper with Jacob Pryce on hand to volley the ball into the net for 2-1.

The 5ths looked comfortable at 2-1 but a counter attack from rugby came and a good cross lead to the equaliser for 2-2 with 10 minutes to go but Callum Scott-Collins had other ideas a lovely reverse shot from the edge of the D that left rugbys keeper with no chance (Callum then telling Ally Rose thats how you do it after Ally had missed about 3 reverses in the game!). This made the score 3-2.

Rob Tee had a glorious chance he took on 5 players beat them all like Michael Owen did in the infamous game with Argentina but unfourtenately the goalkeepers stick got the touch to take it away from him with Rob Cary there for the tap in needless to say Rob Cary was not a happy bunny as he wanted the pass!

Rugby still had time to threaten but a lovely save by Paul Crawford kept the Saint's from going away withonly a draw.

After the game the 5ths went back to Rugbys Club House for Sausage, Chips and Beans. As Dave Henry had to go off to take Richard to the Hospital Rob Cary was taking the subs when Gareth Voss stupidly threw his beer all over the team sheet and Rob Carys lap!
Surely that would guarantee him DOTD!

But no...

MOTM: Callum Scott-Collins (Awesome Finish)

DOTD: Rob Tee ( didn't pass when he should of)

Men’s 5thXI 2-1 Milton Keynes 4thXI (10th September)

Scorers: Disco Tom, Rob Cary

Monday to Friday, Saints captain and teacher David Henry earns his pupils respect with geographical facts, but when he faces some of his pupils on the hockey pitch he delivers a proper education as Saints win back to back matches.

A make shift line-up saw Saints start slowly and they soon found themselves under early pressure as they failed to cope with a bouncy water based pitch, but with some resilient defending from Rob Tee and Steve Morris, Saints defence were able to soak up the pressure and allow Ally Rose to carve out some slick patterns of play down the wings which also resulted in Tom Dysko's and Saints first goal.

No sooner had the whistle blown to restart the match that David Henry found himself the centre of some wayward passing that was intercepted and converted by Milton Keynes that gave a half time score of 1-1

Saints grew in confidence in the second half but equally became frustrated after having their feathers ruffled by some spirited youngster that resulted in David Henry losing his cool and swearing (often) and Rob Tee kicking out….. Never the less, goal scoring chances went begging as Ed Arnold either missed the through balls or failed to pass the ball in front of goal in favour of glory / off-target shots.

Regardless of the missed opportunities, it was yet another Ally Rose run from defence that results in his reverse stick shot luckily being deflected in off Rob Cary’s stick for a Saints second goal and the win.

Man of Match: Rob Tee (versatility and a new contender for centre back)

DOTD: David Henry

Bedford 5s 0-1 Mens 6th XI

Goal Scorers: Richard Smith

From an episode of Ashes to Ashes, Bedford Hockey Club, set the scene for a long awaited Clash of the Titans between these two teams...
Hauoli makahiki hou (Hawaiian - Happy New Year) In every sense it is a new year in hockey, it’s a new season and it brings in a whole raft of new players. The new look squad started on a First Footing, with a period of very nervous settling. The defensive centre from Rob O’Donnell and Karl McGregor having to repel some good little runs by Bedford.

Tentative passing and poorly struck attempts to link with Joshua Pibworth and Luke Howard, meant plenty of counter attacks that Paul Crawford stormed to MOM with. The Fighting Sixes were making hard work of it and Tony Brennan was heard saying “Pongal!” The Epiphany came when a pass by Luke on the right resulted in Karl “Gandalf” Flowers putting in, what some have described as ‘National League quality assisting’, to Richard Smith who neatly put it through the legs of the Bedford keeper in a Wassail stylee.

At half time, Tony read us the Tu B’Shevat, which inspired the F6s to play in a Festival of Lights.

The second half saw more structure by the F6s. Good runs up the right by Lee Thompson, linking with Alasdair Townsend, who put in several dodgy crosses and insisted on telling the umpire ‘Eid Mubarak’ (earning him DOD).

In the last 10 minutes, the F6s were playing good hockey with Josh Wright trying to reach Nirvana with some determined tackling and passing. Tim Warburton, playing like it was Christmas, just couldn’t seem to get to get on the end of the crosses to finish Bedford off...

Good result F6s.

Teas: Spicy Chicken Pasta
MOM: Paul Crawford (hat-trick and outstanding play)
DOD: Alasdair Townsend (too much backchat with umpires)

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Paul Crawford (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Karl McGregor; Josh Wright, Luke Howard, Richard Smith, Alasdair Townsend, Joshua Pibworth, Tim Warburton and Lee Thompson.

Ladies 4th XI 3-0 Long Buckby & Ladies 4th XI 1-1 Coventry

Scorers: Lou Harte (2), Jules Herring, Hannah Wilkins

What a cracking start to the 2011/12 season! The girls worked really well together in both games and played some fantastic hockey.

Long Buckby faced a strong Saints midfield and defence. The whole defence team

presented a solid front, marking well, making some awesome stops and minimising

any attempt on goal. Georgia moved the ball around well, finding space and

clearing out to the midfielders. The mids and forwards attacked for the whole

game resulting in the 3-0 victory. Some fantastic passing between Alice,

Courtney and Jules and the forwards negotiated their defence well demonstrating

some great hockey skills. In the D the girls worked really well together moving

the ball around and creating space for that shot on goal. Game over and a few

minutes later we were back on the pitch to take on Coventry who looked like they

meant business!

As expected tiredness got to us all at the beginning of the second game and

against a stronger team we lost our structure and our marking became sloppy.

Coventry took advantage and got an early goal. However this didn't last long and

we found our form again making Coventry work that bit harder. Emma made some

fantastic saves and supported the defenders helping to improve marking. The game

ended 1-1. We had some new faces join us on Saturday, all of whom should feel

really pleased with their performance.

Well done - everyone! You all worked very hard and deserved that victory.

Hopefully this is a sign of times to come! :)

Annual Subs Deadline - Senior Club

Matt Gausden — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:41:47 +0100

Hi All,

If you want to pay your annual subs by instalment, then you need to fill in a Standing order form (click on below links). The deadline for doing this is Tuesday 20thSeptember 2011.

SO form - Students

SO form - adults

So please get your forms filled in and back to your captain ASAP.

(you can also give your forms to club captains; Nicky Milford or Jon Keep, or return them to me).

Any forms received after this date will not be processed, so you will therefore be required to pay your annual subs in one lump sum (by cheque or bank transfer).

The deadline for lump sum payment of annual subs is Saturday 29thOctober 2011. Payment must be made in full!

3 strikes and out

Karl Flowers — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:35:31 +0100

The Club Committee has given approval to team captains to enforce the 3-strikes-and-you-are-out rule for the 2011/2012 season. Basically, if players don't pay their match fees, totalling to 3 weeks worth (without an arrangement), that player will then become ineligible for selection and will not be able to play in any section of the club until they have paid their arrears.

Please ensure that all match fees and membership subscriptions are fully paid if you want to be selected to play.

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EHB Children Site

Karl Flowers — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:34:36 +0100

Please follow the link http://ehb.imagiweb.co.uk/ and work through the questions on the web-site. For a little bit of your time, you could be part of designing the web-site that you will be using in the next few years. The site will almost be the way you want it to be...

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Match Reports from 17.09.11

Matt Gausden — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:24:42 +0100

Men’s 1st XI 5-4 Telford & Wrekin 1st XI

Goals: Joe Kopka (2), Gareth Parker (2), Ben Scott (pc)

A young Saints side took the field against Telford hoping to start the season on a high after a positive pre-season. The opening ten minutes were fairly even but Saints started creating a lot of chances only to be wasteful in front of goal. Despite the pressure from the home side it was Telford who took the lead from a short corner. Slack defending allowed Telford to break into the D and after the initial shot was saved, the away side scored a deflected finish after the ball was fired back across goal. This seemed to kick Saints into life and immediately went up the other end with Joe Kopka scoring a great solo effort. Two minutes later Saints were in front as Gareth Parker cleverly rounded the keeper and added a second five minutes later, coolly firing home after a mistake by the Telford defence. With Saints completely on top, Joe Kopka scored his second, a reverse stick shot which the Telford keeper found too powerful to keep out.

A 4-1 lead going into the second half should have proved enough for a comfortable win for Saints but this was not the case. The home side seemed to lose concentration and Telford slowly started to claw their way back into the game. Defensive lapses saw Saints conceding two quick goals in the middle of the second half and Saints started to panic. More mistakes from the home side led to Telford winning a short corner. With two minutes to go they equalised to leave Saints in shock after seemingly being in control of the game. A never say die attitude saw Saints break towards the opposition D and win only their third short corner of the match in the dying stages. With less than 40 seconds left in the game Ben Scott drag flicked the ball home to end a very dramatic last five minutes and seal all three points for Saints.

A very positive first half followed by a lacklustre second. Saints will have to improve when they travel to new boys South Nottingham next week.

Ladies 1st XI 0-7 Durham University

Saturday the 17th of September saw the debut of newly promoted Saints Ladies 1s in the North Conference league. The team arrived buzzing with anticipation, not only for the tough game ahead but for their first glances at the new kit! Trying-on session over and the team looking professional in the new attire, coach Gavin gave an encouraging team talk and the girls were ready to go.

The half started off at an intense pace, with the noticeably fit Durham University taking full advantage of their speed to attack the Saints defence. Amy Tufts, Charlie White, Caroline ‘Bird’ Avery and Lisa Coe produced some memorable performances at the back but even this wasn’t enough to stop a skilful Durham and they opened the score line with 2 goals in quick succession. A determined Saints side continued to attack, with some skilful play up the lines by Jessica Lovell, but were unable to slot the ball home. Durham continued to pressurise the Saints defence, scoring another 2 goals from open play and one from a drilled penalty corner sequence, finishing the half 5-0 up.

The 2nd half arrived quickly and a refreshed Saints side returned to the pitch after another inspirational team talk from Gav. Our dick of the day moment arrived when Rachel ‘keeno’ Jones decided to forget the 11 aside ruling and join the girls on pitch. 5 minutes into the half it was pointed out that Saints were playing with 12 and she returned embarrassingly to the bench!

Saints started the half encouragingly and began to look a more determined side. Despite injury, Captain Amie Hone dominated the middle and leads from forwards Ellie Bleech and Lottie Tulley opened up play in the Saints attacking half. Durham responded with 2 fantastic goals which even the skills of keeper Abi Fitzgerald, couldn’t save.

Despite a final score of 7-0, the girls demonstrated fantastic team effort throughout so well done!

MOTM: Birdy, for some fantastic defensive play.

DOTD: Rachel Jones, for forgetting the 11 aside rule.

Ladies 2ndXI 5-2 Nuneaton Ladies

Goals: LA Chacksfield (4) , Caz McCabe

On a particularly sunny day Ladies 2’s travelled to Nuneaton for our last pre-season friendly, hoping to win another confidence boosting goal fest of a match. All started off well with every car negotiating the one way system and therefore getting to the pitch on time. Once changed, appropriate pre match pain meds had been consumed and interesting articles up nose stories had been swapped, the ladies were ready to warm up and get in the zone.

This zone proved more difficult for some than others to find as in the first 5 mins LA “my goal” Chacksfield had found the net with a beautiful piece of skill. Saints 1-0 up. Then it all went a bit wrong for about ten minutes as “the Nuns” came back and scored two in quick succession. I put this down to some of us still trying to get in the competitive zone and this seemed to be that case as not long after we fought back with some excellent skill from the midfield of Alice “confoosed” Kilner and Clare “rollerskate” Noble which led to Chacksfield wiping another goal. Score levelled at 2 all.

Soon Saints were into their stride and the older generation were passing the ball round smoothly and letting the youngsters run about getting themselves into great field positions to disrupt the habits of the Nuneaton players (poor, but I couldn’t resist). Chacksfield then decided to try warm up the Nuneaton keeper as they played to you to me on the goal line for a few minutes before Chacksfield shovelled it in for goal number 3. Still no goal for Ness “my turn now” Kingston, much to her dismay.

Second half arrived very quickly after Jonno’s inspirational team talk and some well deserved fruit pastilles and the ladies looked as if they owned the very sandy pitch. Some fine work in the back three of Ferne “suntan” Sanders, Nicki “eggs for sale” Stringer and Clare “ pass and Doh” Sibley led to the ball doing all the work and trundling up the midfield and another goal from LA “needs to buy her own jug every week” Chacksfield leaving the scoreline 4-2 to Saints.

Not to be outdone, Caz “ forget to defend in the middle” McCabe waited her turn and eventually pounced on a beautiful delivery from Beca “Can’t read a map” Wilkinson to split the nuns defence and score a lovely goal making the score 5-2 to Saints. This is how the scoreline finished despite valiant efforts from Ness and LA to score even more.

Well done to all the girls for a fantastic team effort.

MOTM: Clare Noble who for the first match in a few seasons didn’t fall over!!

DOTD: Ness Kingston for tripping over her own feet and thought no one saw

Ladies 3rd XI 3-1 Rugby Ladies

Goals: Hanna Wilkins, Jane Ogden, Laura Thomas

On Saturday the 17th of September, and to what looked like controversial weather, the ladies 3s took to the Moulton school pitch for the first time in the 2011/2012 season.

With a good warm-up under their belts, the ladies began their first game with an impressive attack which involved excellent play from the forwards Laura Thomas, Sophie Herring and CJ Thompson. However, after Saints pressing high up the field, Rugby found a gap in the defense and even after Powell's excellent goalkeeping, they were able to slot the ball into the goal.

However, the ladies did not give up, and remained on the attack for the majority of the game. Excellent midfield play by Hanna Wilkins saw her score a goal, Jane Ogden and Laura Thomas also worked well to score their goals. The score-line could have been written as 4-1, after a penalty flick was given against Rugby, however, Tunni stepped up to the plate and threw a lovely aerial into the fence.

Very well played by all girls on the pitch!

MOTM: Hanna Wilkins, for excellent midfield play and a sweet goal.

DOTD: Tunni, for an aerial instead of a flick

Men’s 2nd XI 2-4 Peterborough 2nd XI

Goals: James Knibb (2)

With some of the senior players missing due to a wedding and 1st team call ups, a young inexperienced Saints side travelled to Peterborough in this pre-season friendly hoping to continue their recent good form. George Roberts and Adam Croutear made their 2nd team debuts whilst keeper Scott Bashford made his first 2nd team appearance in more than 5 years.

Unfortunately they came up against a strong Peterborough side who came out 4-2 winners. This was harsh on Saints as they twice hit the woodwork during the match. James Knibb scored both goals for Saints, including one drag flick from a penalty corner.

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Pete Riches (c), Adam Croutear, George Roberts, Josh Hawkins, Lee O’Donnell, Max Heaphy, Sean Henry, Tom Wightman, Scott Mahoney, Tom Scott-Collins, Dan Rose, James Knibb.

Men’s 5th XI 1-5 Peterborough 5th XI

Goals: Gareth Voss

Prior to the match, captain Dave Henry reminded the team how tough the match was last year, and this years’ match was to prove a much tougher proposition. The first half was close, with chances going begging either end of the pitch. Gareth Voss was working hard in midfield, covering a lot of ground until he managed to sustain a blow to one leg, leaving him crawling off the baseline. The ever versatile Rob Tee rushing to Gareth's aid shouting loudly for a medic and calling on the umpires to hold play! In spite of this setback Gareth soldiered on. It was end to end for much of the half, and it was Saints that finally broke the deadlock, with a great break lead by forwards Ed Arnold and Tom Dysko, who worked the ball into the D and then laid the ball back for the now recoverd Gareth Voss to blast the ball into the top right of the net (according to Gareth.....). The rest of the team saw Gareth hit the ball into the goal at just below waist height, catch the keepers pads then just trickle over the goal line. Either way it was 1-0 to Saints.

This initial goal brought Peterborough to life and they put Saints under pressure to gain the equalizer within a few minutes. The rest of the half played out and both teams hit halftime feeling they could do better. It was unfortunately Peterborough who managed to make the best of things in the second half. After some heavy pressure Peterborough managed to get a second goal. Shortly after this Peterborough managed to pick up an unexpected break from a mis-hit midfield pass and scored their 3rd goal. Saints were working hard, but the pace of the game was beginning to take its toll. Many players were struggling to keep pace, and the defensive line up set about entrenching themselves around 23 metre line. Callum Scott-Collins managed to defend a shot with his knee and give away a short corner in the process. The pressure from Peterborough even managed to force a rare mistake from Steve Morris who decided to pass a 16 metre hit directly to one of Peterborough's forwards. Peterborough managed a further 2 goals before the end of the match to finish the game with a 5-1 win. The score-line is not a completely fair reflection on the play, Saints had some great periods of play in both halves, and the younger players Jeremy Wan, Jacob Pryce and Harry Stobart injecting some much needed life into the 5th team ‘old guard!’

MOTM: Rob Tee for some great work in goal

DOTD: Jon Keep - First game of season and it showed - spent the match one step behind play!

Squad: Rob Tee (GK), Owen Jones, Steve Morris, Callum Scott-Collins, Jeremy Wan, Jacob Pryce, Harry Stobart, Dave Henry (c), Gareth Voss, Jon Keep, Ed Arnold, Rob Cary, Tom Dysko

Peterborough 6s 0-8 Mens 6th XI

The match was a pretty much one-sided affair, with Peterborough running at the Fighting Sixes from the start to the end. There were some signs of hope from the F6s with some nice runs by man of the match Luke Howard, who linked well with Joshua Pibworth and Alex Jeffery. But, the majority of the work being done by the defence.

All 8 goals were well worked and the Peterborough team never looked like once letting one in. Peterborough exploited poor man marking and a rather large midfield gap to work brilliantly executed 1-2 passes down the field.

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Paul Crawford (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Karl McGregor; Alex Jeffery; Luke Howard; Richard Smith; Alasdair Townsend; Joshua Pibworth; Mark Shepperd; Pete Malpass and Lee Thompson.

September Newsletter

Matt Gausden — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:50:10 +0100

Click on the below link to download the September edition of the Club Newsletter

Sept Newsletter 2011

England vs. Scotland

Karl Flowers — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:56:38 +0100

This Saturday, the England vs Scotland kicks off at 8.30am.

The doors will be open ready for the start at 8.30
There will be bacon rolls in for the event
Junior training will proceed for the children, while parents have Hot Chocolate...yes hot chocolate (nothing else) in the club house
Much frivolity etc...

Thanks
Nick (post edited by Flowers)

Match Reports from 24.09.11

Matt Gausden — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:07:12 +0100

Ladies 2nd XI 4-2 Derby Asterdale

Goals: LA Chacksfield (3), Meg Patrick

Clare's 40th Birthday present!!

On what turned out to be a sunny day in Derby, saints ladies 2’s prepared to open their league campaign against a team who last year had “whooped our asses” quite significantly. No nerves this year and after all had assembled on the school field and had an inspirational talk from Jonno and super captain Leechy we got down to the serious nature of the inaugural conker competition. There were unfortunately no conker winners, only total losers, such as Ferne for hitting her own arm so hard it left a mark, Leechy who couldn’t hit a conker and so gave up and I Karla who managed to hit herself on the thigh and leave a perfectly conker shaped bruise.

So after a rousing conkerific warm up saints took to the pitch and looked ready to win. In the first 5 minutes LA Chacksfield made a friend with the opposition and we could see that we could easily rile them. If we hadn’t of sat back and watched the match unfold in front of us we could have scored more goals but as it was LA scored goal number one from a wonderful penalty corner, won by Emily Kilner. (those who were there can giggle to themselves at this point over the wonderful umpire’s signal). Then Derby scored twice in succession from open play which took us by surprise. Saints managed to level the score just before half time with a quick spot of theft at the top of the D from Tango (Beca Wilkinson) which led LA to have a swipe that Meg Patrick tapped in sweetly.

2-2 at half time! Big team talk sponsored by skittles and jelly babies this week. Clearly a good choice as in the second half we switched on the beautiful hockey we are more than capable of and scored two sweeeeeeet goals to ensure the win. Our 3rd goal was a penalty corner injected from Caz McCabe to LA and then a beautiful strike straight past the dwindling Derby keeper. Our last goal just to wrap up the win came in the last ten minutes from open play. Sally Screaming Adlen took the ball through a wonderful space created by Ness Kingston removing the “shadow”, straight toLA who smacked it into the back of the net as if there was no defence.

A brilliant scoreline to reflect our ability, but next week we must switch on quicker and react to every ball, or we may have to sedate Jonno on the sideline.

MOTM: Emily Kilner

DOTD: Claire Leech

Ladies 3rd XI 3-0 Towcester 3rd XI

Goals: CJ Thompson (2), Jules Herring.

Saturday saw the ladies 3s take on their first opponent in a league match. After a sterling warm up led by their captain, the ladies took the pitch raring to go.

After a predominantly attack-heavy first half, full of wonderful play towards the forwards CJ Thompson and Vex Bailey from the midfield the half time whistle blew on a 0-0 score line.

The half time talk led by Jonno and Emily Wilkins gave the ladies that extra push they needed (along with a chance to catch their breath...).

Within minutes of the whistle blowing commencing the final half of play, saints skilfully manoeuvred the ball and worked their way through Towcester's defence. An excellent finish from CJ Thompson put Saints exactly where they deserved to be - in the lead at 1-0. Impressive play along the wings fed the ball back into the D for Jules Herring to finish it off in the back of the goal making it 2-0. A break in the Saints' play gave Towcester a chance to score for themselves but Emma Brennan's supreme goalkeeping and the defence's strength stifled that chance straight away.

Fancy another goal? CJ Thompson did, which saw Saints sitting at a 3-0 lead; excellent.

MOTM: Jules Herring for excellent, committed play throughout the game.

Written by Georgia Anniky - DOTD

Ladies 1st XI 1-2 Springfields 1st XI

Goals: Caroline Avery

The ladies played host to Springfields in their second match of the National League Conference campaign. Both teams were searching for their first points of the season so it looked as though it would be a tight affair. Indeed it proved to be as both teams contested in an even first half. Unfortunately for Saints, the opposition were 2 goals up through 2 short corners.

The second half saw the ladies come out all guns blazing as they proceeded to dominate the rest of the game. They won a series of short corners which they couldn’t quite convert however with 10 minutes of play left midfielder Caroline Avery popped up at the back post to finish off a well worked team move. They pressed and pressed for a deserved equaliser, unfortunately it wasn’t to be and the game finished 2-1 to Springfields.

Men’s 1st XI 2-0 South Nottingham

Goals: Ben Northedge, Grant Carlin

The Men’s 1s made it 2 wins out of 2 in the league as they beat newcomers South Nottingham away. Goals from Ben Northedge and Grant Carlin ensured a comfortable victory. They now play host to one of the pre-season favourites, Coventry & North Warwick on Saturday at Moulton College. Push back is 12pm.

Men’s 2nd XI 0-2 Corby 1st XI

They now call it the ‘Knibb’s of the Day’ Award!

Saints travelled to sunny Corby for their last pre-season match. Having arrived over an hour early for the game (captain Matt Gausden a bit keen!), the team were led through a warm up by Tom Wightman that included ‘herding the guinea pigs’?!

The match started positively for Saints as they kept possession against a Corby team intent on defending their half. However despite all this possession they couldn’t break down the defence as time after time they played a silly pass or tried to beat a defender when an easier option was available. Midway through the first half Saints thought they’d scored as defender Danny Whitfield dragged a short corner onto the underside of the cross bar, only to see it somehow bounce the wrong side of the goal-line and away from the D. Other chances then fell to forwards Dan Rose, James Knibb and Tom Scott-Collins. However half-time finished 0-0.

The team talk led by Matt Gausden and Guy Roberts focused on being patient with the ball, wait for the space to open up, and hold your discipline.

Surprisingly the team listened to this as for the next 15 minutes they did all of this to perfection and again they had chances to take the lead. This was as good as it got. Saints then pressed the self-destruct button as James Knibb stupidly got himself sin-binned for dissent (clearly he wasn’t listening at half-time!). The team then fell apart as they lost complete shape within midfield. This allowed Corby to score one from a short corner. They then scored the killer second goal 10 minutes, despite what appeared to be a forwards foot in the build-up. Saints pushed for a way back into this but couldn’t break a stubborn Corby defence.

A fairly positive performance for 3/4s of the game, but plenty still to work on before their first league match next weekend.

MOTM: Guy Roberts – commanded the back-line.

DOTD: James Knibb for getting sin-binned. Having now won the award at least 10 times during the last year, there have been some calls to change the name of the award to Knibbs of the Day!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Pete Riches, Guy Roberts, Danny Whitfield, Matt Gausden (c), Tom Wightman, Josh Hawkins, Athiq Thamby, Sean Henry, Max Heaphy, Scott Mahoney, Tom Scott-Collins, Dan Rose, James Knibb

Men's 4th XI 2-3 Men's 3rd XI

Difficulties with opposition pulling out of games meant that the thirds and fourths had a training game against each other. The form books went out of the window as the thirds were put under considerable pressure from the 4s and went down two goals to nil in the first twenty minutes. The thirds pulled themselves together and scored one then two goals and started to play in a more coordinated fashion, giving them a lead with 5 minutes to go. A good loosener before the league starts next week.

Special mentions to Ally Rose, George Roberts, Sam Bigley and Dan Whittaker who all played well.

Men’s 5th XI 2-1 Corby 2nd XI

Goals: Steve Morris, Tom Dysko

The Saints came out fighting after a heavy defeat last week. After some rousing pre-match encouragement from stand in Captain Rob ‘Temp’ Cary, and the knowledge that all umpiring decisions would be fair and equal (thanks to the dream team of Rachel Langley and newbie John Keep) the push back came.

Saints spent most of the first quarter in the opposition half, with the youth and vigour of Jacob ‘Quick Stick’ Pryce and Luke ‘Danger’ Howard wreaking havoc on the wings and allowing Gareth ‘The Boss’ Voss and Tom ‘Dancer’ Dysko to dominate the midfield. When the ball did make it through to Saints defence, Steve ‘So Solid’ Morris and his crew beat the opposition back, first with open stick blocks, then with reverse. It was not long before use was made of the acres of space in the middle of the park that the ball found it’s way into the D for Ed ‘Desperate’ Arnold to find an opponents foot and win the short, which ‘So Solid’ Morris dispatched into the bottom corner with the expertise of somebody who has been doing so since before most of the team were born.1-0.

After the break both teams were feeling generous, as Corby kindly pushed the ball back to Saints, only for Jeremy ‘Gentle Touch‘ Wan to send off the pitch and donate possession back. After some frantic play from Corby, the ball found its way into the back of Saints net after a short corner. 1-1. Then as the frivolity came to an end, tensions grew and the opposition began to draw the attention of the (fantastic) umpires. It was not long before Corby were a man down to a yellow card, Rachel was informed she was on a ‘learning curve’, and Saints were back to dominating. Rampaging into the D and peppering the keeper with shots from ‘Temp’ Cary, ‘Danger’ Howard, ‘Quick Stick’ Pryce and ‘Dancer’ Dysko (one aimed at the Goal Keepers face, the other neatly into the back of the goal). 2-1.

Saints stayed hungry for more until the end and couldn’t resist one more attack before the final whistle. Observing the oppositions incisive arials throughout the game, ‘Dancer’ Dysko could not resist throwing one of his own. Perfectly weighted, beautifully high, and stingingly dangerous… Dysko could hear DOTD calling as the ball disappeared backwards over his own shoulder.

MOTM: Luke ‘Danger’ Howard, for striking fear into Corby’s left back.

DOTD: Tom ‘Dancer’ Dysko, for the new move- ‘The Backwards Arial’

Attendance: 9

Tea: Sausage, Chips and Beans

Match Reports from 01.10.11

Matt Gausden — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:09:28 +0100

Men’s 1st XI 3-3 Coventry & North Warwick 1st XI

Goals: Ben Scott, Joe Kopka, Lloyd Atkinson

Saints went into their game with Coventry hoping to make it three wins on the bounce but knew this would be there biggest test yet. A strong looking Saints side dominated possession in the opening 15 minutes only to see three short corners and several chances go begging. Against the run of play it was the away side that opened the scoring after a mistake by the Saints defence and Coventry soon doubled their lead after they got the better of Saints down the left side to set up their second.

Saints did not panic and when they won their fourth short corner of the game, Ben Scott flicked home to have the deficit going into half time.

Again, Saints started brightly and controlled the game and equalised through Joe Kopka scoring his third in as many matches. Five minutes later Lloyd Atkinson did well to deflect a high ball into the net to take the lead for Saints after some great work by Matt Wilde. At this point it should have been easy for the home side but Saints took their foot off the gas. A succession of mistakes let Coventry attack time and time again and they eventually equalised through a very weak short corner. Ben Stephenson then saw yellow for a bad challenge and it was Saints who had to hand on until the final whistle.

An exciting game but Saints will be disappointed to drop two points. Next week they travel to Rugby for another tough match.

Men’s 2nd XI 5-0 Barford Tigers 2nd XI

Goals: Dan Rose (2), Andy Smith, Scott Mahoney, Tom Scott-Collins

Saints 2nd XI made a fantastic start to their league campaign with a well-deserved victory away in Birmingham.

Pre-match didn’t get off to the best of starts as Liam Cassidy arrived 30 minutes late for the meet (despite his girlfriend having arrived bang on time!!) ensuring half the team left late for the drive up the M6! Coach Colyn Biddle frank team talk seemed to do the job as the team came out all guns blazing for the start of the match.

Dan Rose opened the scoring following a fast counter-attack. This led to wild celebrations from Saints away support (all 4 of them!). Minutes later the score was doubled as Andy Smith sneaked in at the back post. After this fantastic start Saints then took their foot off the gas as they began to carelessly give away possession. Shortly before the end of play in the first half, Saints scored a third as Scott Mahoney found some space on the left of the D to hit the ball firmly past the keeper.

Half-time team talk led to an old fashioned ‘rollicking’ from Colyn as the team had been sloppy in possession and failed to take all their chances.

The second half saw Saints continue to pile forward, however chances again went begging. Midway through the half saw Northampton finally score goal number 4. Tom Scott-Collins ran through the defence and beautifully chipped the ball over the keeper from the top of the D. The final goal of the game fell to forward Dan Rose. Who neatly reverse sweeped the ball in from close range.

Other notes of interest from the day:

Danny’s stunning aerial that went about 2 foot off the ground!!
Andy Smith for trying to shin the ball into the goal!
Colyn for trying his best to break the water bottles.

MOTM: Josh Hawkins for a dominant display in midfield.

DOTD: Andy Smith – for reasons mentioned above!

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Guy Roberts, Danny Whitfield, Pete Riches, Matt Gausden (c), Josh Hawkins, Athiq Thamby, Liam Cassidy, Max Heaphy ,Lee O’Donnell, Tom Scott-Collins, Andy Smith, Dan Rose, Sean Henry, Scott Mahoney.

Men’s 3rd XI 14-0 Chesterfield 3rd XI

Goals: Pibworth (4), Morgan (4), Mitchell (2), Dale, Hillier, Gamble, Whittaker

Massive sympathy for Simon Thompson in goal who for turning up with the team an hour early and didn’t touch the ball the whole game. Also to Chesterfield to, for having to travel 90 miles with only 10 players on one of the hottest days of the year.

After Andy Dale had run through the importance of passing (it really is important), rather than being selfish, also to have plenty of water (really needed), Saints set about the task in determined fashion hitting several well worked goals despite ‘not so clinical finishing’. To be honest I can’t remember what order goals came in but I remember Mitchell weaving in and out and around, to score a couple of crackers. Whittaker, Gamble, and Dale each scored one, with Dale absolutely lambasting the ball in to the roof of the net after the defenders backed off. Hillier added to his goal tally from a penalty corner, as Chesterfield must have felt the day couldn’t end soon enough. Pibworth scored 4 of the usual miss-hit 2 yard goals, and Morgan also scored 4 but from what I remember they were of a much better standard.

Defenders often must feel hard-done by in match reports as they don’t always get to claim the goals (apart from Hillier), so I’ll say it… WELL DONE Dale, Croutear, Roberts and Hillier…and Thompson, for the clean sheet and not letting the ball into the 23.

This must have been one of the first matches I have seen so much unselfish play. Play was knocked around with pace, midfielders used the width well, and forwards learnt the lesson of passing back, rather than trying to take on the whole team. This meant that the likes of Down, Mcilwaine, Whittaker, Gamble, Mitchell and Rowlands could exploit space and create chances for Bigley, Pibworth and Morgan.

Saints now sit pretty and the top of the East Midlands Prem, with a very healthy goal difference!

Squad: Simon Thompson (GK), Andy Dale (c), Adam Croutear, George Roberts, Jason Hillier, Nigel Down, Ian Mcilwaine, Dan Whittaker, Will Gamble, Sam Mitchell, Chris Rowlands, Sam Bigley, Luke Pibworth, James Morgan

Loughborough Town 5th XI 1-4 Men’s 4th XI

Goals: Ant Condon, Ally Rose, Greg Summers, Matt Swansborough

Phew What a Scorcher!

Loughborough switched on the heaters for this season’s opener, dispensing with their traditional tactics of fisty-cuffs and a rubber pitch to gain home advantage. And it appeared to work. Toiling in temperatures of 27C, Saints went dizzy and let Loughborough’s dome-headed ringer skip through the defence and put the home side one-up in an otherwise forgettable first half.

After a half-time roasting from Jim Phipps, Saints came alive in the second period. The equaliser was scored by Ant Condon, and although he couldn’t remember exactly what happened, apparently there was blood and bodies.

Despite some fish-like floundering from Scott Bashford, and James Ruse being confused, Saints persevered and began to dominate. Ally “Steroid” Rose made it 2-1 with a “poorly-placed” drag flick into the oppos’s net.

The biggest danger to the visitors’ was the sniper in the nearby MOD barracks, who picked off Ally and Evan Morris. Saints forged forward regardless, and scored their third courtesy of some fine wing-work by Max Dymmond and Joe Cliffe, culminating in an “average” reverse by Greg Summers which bobbled over the line.

Max…turned provider again with an intuitive lob into the D which was dispatched into the onion bag by a “ridiculous” Matt Swansborough cover drive.

The Fantastic Fours will need to be quicker out of the blocks next week against The Furious Fives.

MOTM: Ally Rose(drag queen)

DOTD: Matt Swansborough (ridiculous)

MVP: Max Dymmond

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), James Ruse (c), Jim Phipps, Ally Rose, Joe Cliffe, Gary Patterson, Will Gamble, Greg Summers, Lewis Moran, Max Dymmond, Chris Godman, Ant Condon, Matt Swansborough, Matt Kerr, Evan Morris

Men’s 5th XI 6-1 Loughborough Town 4th XI

Goals: Rob Cary (3), Harry Stobbart, Ed Holt, Jacob Pryce

The men’s 5th team met at Moulton with the prospect of their first league game of the season to come. Needless to say the team was ready and focussed following a warm up from Rob “The Hero” Cary. All that is except for Tom “The Driver” Dysko who turned up with only 10 minutes until hit off.

Saints started well controlling the game but the passing and movement was not quite clicking and a goal eluded them for the first 20 minutes. However eventually the pressure told as Harry “Clinical” Stobbart popped up at the back post to finish off a good Saints move. The lead was soon doubled when Tom “The Driver” Dysko and Steve “The Rock” Morris worked a short corner well to create space which Dysko used to flick another goal past the Loughborough goalkeeper. With all the optimism of a 2 goal lead Saints let themselves slip into a false sense of security and the opposition made them pay with an incisive counter attack. This served as a wake up call for the 5th team who responded well to finish the half strongly with a 2 goals in quick succession from Rob “The Hero” Cary and Ed “Selfless” Arnold. Ed was also denied another as for some reason Tom “The Driver” Dysko’s rugby tackle on the goalkeeper was deemed to be unfair play.

The 2nd half some some really good attacking play from Saints with the front line creating chances for each other over and over again. Rob “The Hero” Cary made the chances count with 2 more goals to add to his tally making for an open day hat-trick! Both came from good Saints moves with involvement from Dave “Captain Fantastic” Henry, Anthony “Plimsoll” Pearce and Jon “Slippery Stick” Keep throughout midfield as well as the strikers. However chances were also missed with Jon”Slippery Stick” Keep and Harry “Clinical” Stobbart both dropping their sticks with the goal begging and Dave “Captain Fantastic” Henry performing a dramatic air shot under similar circumstance. Their was also time for what can only be described as a wonder save from Phil “The Human Wall” Preen and for Karl “Cannonfodder” MacGregor to take a hockey stick to the chest. Saints concluded their scoring with a brilliant reverse stick strike from Jacob “Goal Machine” Price. Loughborough were not be outdone though and got a consolation with an unstoppable reverse stick shot.

MOTM – Rob “The Hero” Cary: for a great hat-trick

DOTD – Jon “Slippery Stick” Keep: for dropping his stick on multiple occasions

North Nottingham 5th XI 1-3 Men’s (World Famous, Fighting) 6th XI

Goals: Mark Shepherd, Karl Flowers, Lee Thompson.

In a very evenly fought match the final outcome lay with the World Famous Fighting Sixes. The team statistician stated that the possession and territory lay with the WFF6s at 77 and 73% respectively.

The scorecard was opened with Mark Shepherd finding an opening in the North Notts defence and neatly slotting one away to take the F6s 1-0 at half time.

The second half saw, what some have described as a poached goal, where Karl Flowers put away an excellent assist by Richard Smith who made a run from the right and cannoned it in from the top of the D to a Karl Flowers waiting at back post.

North Notts recovered by driving up our centre to beat the defence and put in a well worked goal to Jake’s left.

The nail in the coffin was a brilliant piece of running by Lee Thompson, up the right to beat North Notts’s left back and put away a well hit goal.

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Jake Bennett (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Darren Thorpe; Alex Jeffery; Phil Marillat; Richard Smith; Joshua Pibworth; Mark Shepherd; and Lee Thompson.

Teas: Chip Butties with Tommy K

MOTM: Mark Shepherd (good use of space)

DOTD: Alex Jeffery (not tracking back)

Men's Vets 1-0 Rugby Vets

Goals: Andy Dale

Saints vets beat Rugby for the first time on Monday evening. With a host of new vets on display sainsts controlled the first 20 minutes and should have been comfortably ahead by half time. Jon Noble and Dave Henry created a number of chances but failed to beat a determined goalkeeper. As the game progressed Rugby came more and more into the game and almost against the run of play Saints took the lead with Andy Dale striking home from open play.

The last 20 minutes saw Rugby pile on the pressure aided by Saints inability to keep the ball and were only kept out by several good saves by keeper Colyn Biddle. The game was a great advertisement for vets hockey and Saints head for the first round of the national vets cup against Rugeley on Sunday bouyed with this hard earned win.

Squad: Colyn Biddle (GK), Jason Hillier, Andy Dale, Jim Phipp, Ian Macllwaine, Steve Morris, Dave Henry, Richard Darby, Jon Noble, Martin Skinner, Tony Brennan, Richard Smith

Ladies 2nd XI 3-0 Boots

Goals: LA Checksfield (3)

Our ladies started well on a very sunny day and were very keen to prove the point that experience and youth are an excellent mix when it comes to hockey. As usual Saints made it hard work for themselves for the first few minutes, by putting themselves under pressure from the off, but then focussed and clamed themselves down and made some exceptional moves culminating in many many short corners. LA Checksfield scored from a cheeky little short corner to lift saints spirits and keep us going. Soon after LA scored again from a delightful bit of play set up by mostly the whole team and a few tickles in the D from a few people, but another delightful finish from LA.

Team talk at half time was mainly focussed on getting as much water down as possible and how we were much fitter than they were and tactics concerning their keeper. Anyway off we went and we started the second half as the dominant force and soon won a series of penalty corners and eventually LA scored her third of the day.

Thank you to Andy, Clare and Alisdair who brought water up to the pitch to keep the soaring temperatures down.

MOTM: Nikki Stringer

DOTD: Karla Tate

Ladies 3rd4-0 Ladies 4thXI

Saturday's game proved to be an extremely tough first league game for the Saints 4's. Not only were we up against a very strong opposition but the sun was blazing and the heat almost unbearable. The Saints 3's started strong attacking immediately and making great use of the space and passing well. The 4's didn't respond well losing formation and making very hard work of it. The 3's took advantage and the first of 4 goals came within the first 5 minutes. The loss of formation meant a lack of marking and a lot of confusion in the defensive D. It was Verity Anderton Johnson's first game in goal for the Saints 4's and she made some great saves and worked hard against a continuous attack by the 3's. Half time saw us addressing the key issues and for the second half the 4's upped their game considerably making the Saints 3's work a bit harder. There were some great breaks through their mid and defence made by Jules Herring and Ella Forsyth. Becca Herring made some great runs and twice we saw ourselves on a one on one with the Saints 3's goalkeeper and opportunities for shots on goal.

Unfortunately despite a couple of well executed short corners we did not get a goal but the team certainly redeemed themselves in the second half and worked very hard to keep the score down.

MOTM was Jules Herring - worked very hard throughout the whole game and gave us some great breaks up the pitch.

DOTD Becky Mellor! serious lack of marking

Mixed 1stXI 2-1 Northgate

Goals: Athiq Thamby (2)

Mixed 2ndXI 3-4 Fat Cats Mixed Hockey

Goals: Casey Humphries (2), Matt Herbert

Two goals from Casey Humphries (she plays better when she's hungover!) and the one for the season from Matt Herbert, were the Saints 2 scorers. A very tight defence from Winnie Jones (they're not getting past me), Anna Kingstone + Matt Herbert unfortunately couldn't keep FCH down and a goal in the last minutes saw Saints disappointed to go away without a point.

Club Night Out This Saturday (8th Oct)

Matt Gausden — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:54:03 +0100

Lottie & Rachel are organising a meal at Bella Italia, at Sixfields. It's this Saturday and the whole club's invited (plus all family, friends and other halfs)! The more the merrier!

Please can you all ask your team-mates.

If this is successful we will be planning more and more social events for all players like this.

Please could you let any of the following know which players (friends, family, etc) will be attending by Thursday morning.

- Lottie Tulley lottie.tulley@hotmail.co.uk

- Rachel Jones rae-j.19@hotmail.co.uk

- Lisa Coe

- Annie Howard

The girls are looking to book the tables for 8pm, but as soon as players have confirmed we will update you with all of the details.

Ladies 3s & 4s league table

Matt Gausden — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:17:45 +0100

Ladies 3s top of the league! Let's hope they're still there at the end of the season

NORTHANTS COUNTY LADIES HOCKEY LEAGUE

DIVISION 2 TABLE (as at October 6th 2011)

					Goals
	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Diff.	Points
SAINTS 3	2	2	0	0	7	0	7	6
OLNEY	2	2	0	0	10	4	6	6
KETTERING 3	2	1	0	1	6	5	1	3
WELLINGBOROUGH 3	1	0	0	1	1	3	-2	0
TOWCESTER 3	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0
SAINTS 4	1	0	0	1	0	4	-4	0
RUSHDEN & HIGHAM	1	0	0	1	1	6	-5	0

Match Reports from 8th & 9th October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:40:25 +0100

Mens Vets 5-1 Rugeley Vets

Goals: Jon Noble, Richard Darby (2), Max Darby, Guy Roberts

The Saints travelled to Cannock full of optimism bouyed this year by several new sets of legs and a morale boosting win over Rugby earlier in the week. Saints soon took control of the game with Mcilwaine and Roberts controlling the game from midfield - and it was no surprise when they took the lead through the subtlest touches by Jon Noble to fierce pass into the D. The lead was extended to 3 by half time with goals from Richard and Max Darby. Such was the control being exerted by the saints that the only limitation to scoring more goals was the unusual surface and the final pass. The half time team talk centred around keeping control and the ball and working the opposition - this never really materialised and although Guy Roberts added a 4th - Rugeley put up a more dogged resistance in the second half and scored a we;ll taken consolation goal of their own to make it 4-1. Saints whilst creating numerous chances only managed one further goal before full time when Richard Darby slammed the ball home. A comfortable win and an enjoyable afternoon for all those concerned. The Saints look forward to the next round with some confidence.

Squad: Colyn Biddle, Jim Phipps, Jason Hillier, Andy Dale, Richard Smith, Steve Morris, Guy Roberts, Ian Mcilwaine, Gary Paterson , Martin Skinner, Jon Noble, Richard Darby, Max Darby

Men’s 1st XI 0 – 5 Rugby & EW 1st XI

A very disappointing day for the Saints as their unbeaten record came to an abrupt end. From the first whistle Saints were second best with Rugby winning every 50/50 challenge and showing far more effort and desire than Saints.

Rugby opened the scoring through a weak short corner and followed this up with a scrambled goal at the near post after a Rugby player ghosted past the Saints defence. Saints did break the opposition D a few times but wasted any chance they got through poor decision making, Rugby made it three after an initial short corner was saved but the second shot sneaking in at the near post. Just before half time Rugby put the game beyond doubt through another short corner.

The second half was much the same and although Saints had more possession it was in the middle of the pitch rather than threatening the Rugby goal. The travelling side couldn’t string more than two passes together with most of the side struggling to stop and pass the ball. Rugby scored a fifth goal mid-way through the half but the game was over by then. Saints did not win a short corner all game.

A deserved result for a lazy, arrogant Saints who will need a marked improvement to get anything out of next week’s fixture. Away at top of the table Khalsa.

Men's 2nd XI 4-2 Rugby & EW 2nd XI

Scorers:Scott Mahoney (2), Danny Whitfield

Saints produced a stunning comeback in this thoroughly entertaining match at Moulton. They got off to a dreadful start as Rugby opened the scoring after 5 minutes. It then went from bad to worse as skipper Matt Gausden left the field injured (fortunately nurse Steph was on the sideline dying to use her new first aid kit!!). With Saints still chasing shadows on the pitch it came as no suprise when Rugby scored a deserved second. With steam now blowing out of coach Colyn Biddle ears on the sideline, the team knew they were playing badly!

Realising this they suddenly stepped up a gear and launched the comeback. Scott Mahoney set things off as he neatly converted a swift counter-attack, and shortly before half-time it was all square as ?? got on the score sheet.

With Saints in the ascendancy, it came as no suprise that Saints scored a further 2 in the second half. However a stubborn Rugby defence meant Saints had to work for it, as it wasn't until midway through the half that they took the lead. Danny Whitfield dragged the ball into the top corner off a short corner (cue the hop, skip and jump celebration from Danny!!). With minutes left Northampton put the result beyond doubt as man of the match Scott Mahoney tapped in at the far post after some great work by Tom Scott-Collins.

Squad: Sam Biddle (GK), Pete Riches, Guy Roberts, Danny Whitfield, Matt Gausden (c), Josh Hawkins, Dan Whitakker, Sean Henry, Athiq Thamby, Scott Mahoney, Liam Cassidy, James Morgan, Max Heaphy, Tom Scott-Collins, Tom Wightman

MOTM: Pete Riches

DOTD: Matt Gausden

Men's 3rd XI 4-1 Burton 3rd XI

Scorers: Hillier x 2 (pc), Hunter (pc), Pibworth

After an emphatic league win last week, Saints welcomed Burton for the home friendly at MSC. Welcoming several players into the team, saints looked to keep to the fast moving, passing game that served them well in previous matches. Despite Bigley comically slipping over in the first 10 minutes, it was saints who looked to build a lead first, with Hillier, then Hunter each scoring from penalty corners. Despite the lead, Saints began to relax back in to the old habit of taking on the team, and consequentially Burton scored to get back into the game. Chances still came either way, but the pressure from saints finally told as Pibworth knocked a rebound into an empty goal for 3-1. The game meandered on, slightly lacking the desired flow, but crucially saints maintained a 2 goal lead. In the final act of the game, saints won a penalty corner, from which Hillier dispatched to claim his second. 4-1 the final result.

Next week Saints travel to top of the table Nottingham University, in what will be a good measure of how far saints can go this year. Also hopefully i'll remember pen and paper so the match report won't sound like an obituary.

Team: ed holt (gk), andy dale (c) , jason hillier , jon hunter , james miller , adam croutear , nigel down , ian mcilwaine , sam mitchell , stephen williams , chris rowlands , will gamble , luke pibworth , jon noble , sam bigley

Mens WFF6th XI vs. Nuneaton 4th XI

Goals: Mark Shepperd (2), Joshua Pibworth and Richard Smith.

Described by the umpire, Mike Taylor, as: “a masterful exhibition of passing hockey” - the World Famous Fighting Sixes showed their true calibre as they destroyed a Nuneaton 4th team. The first league match of the year was a major boost to morale as the WFF6s toyi-toyied well into the night (sort of).

The account was opened with some masterful work from Joshua Pibworth who put it away after some great building hockey up the right. This was shortly followed by a nutmeg goal from Mark Shepperd from left of the p-spot.

At half time the talk was spent mainly on whether poaching eggs was indeed faster and better than scrambling them...

Back in the second half, the rampant F6s were keen on finishing off the away team. In what modern scientific equipment has described as the slowest shot in hockey history, a Richard Smith put in one from the right. He stated after that: “he felt it was just going to cross the line and not hit the backboard...”. There were claims that Mark Shepperd may have touched it...but they were rapidly squashed.

The final goal was again from Mark Shepperd, some people, not myself of course, can hardly remember it. It was even alleged that, except for hat-trick enforcement, it may not even have taken place. But, the record does show we scored 4 and that Mark scored 2. A good win.

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Colyn Biddle (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Darren Thorpe; Alex Jeffery; Phil Marillat; Pete Malpass; Richard Smith; Joshua Pibworth; Mark Shepperd; Jon Keep and Lee Thompson.

Teas: Chips, Sausages and Beans

MOM: Richard Smith (excellent positional play)

DOD: Alex Jeffery (Match fixing)

Ladies 1st XI 2-4 Liverpool

Goals: Thea Jackson, Emma Cave

This was a game of 2 halves as the Saints continued their winless run in their National League Conference campaign. The first half was dominated by Northampton and they well have felt hard done by to only be 2-1 up at half-time. Thea Jackson and Emma Cave were the scorers.

Unfortunately the second half saw the ladies press the self-destruct button as they shipped 3 goals to lose 4-2.

Ladies 4thXI 3-0 Towcester 3rdXI

Goals: Nadine Moll, Lou Harte, Jan Sanders

The Saints 4's made an impressive start to the game attacking and making a

number of attempts on goal. However Towcester's defence remained strong and put

up a good fight against the Saints clearing the ball and giving their mids and

forwards an opportunity to attack. The Saints pushed too far up at times and

this loss of formation left the Saints defenders defending a 4 - 5 strong attack

by Towcester. Liz Hone stayed strong in defence and managed to win the ball and

clear out to the wings to ensure a 0-0 score by half time. 2nd half saw the

Saints reform and we attacked for the duration of the second half. Savanna Jones

and Annie Toman played a great game supporting defence and the mids ensuring the

ball moved up the pitch. Becca Herring used the space well in the D and Jan

Sanders made some strong hits on goal and finally beat the goalie to make it

1-0. Lou Harte joined the score sheet with a cracking hit in from a short corner

and finally Jules Herring skillfully fed a ball through to Nadine Moll who,

perfectly placed on the post knocked in the 3rd goal for the Saints 4's. Job

done! A huge thanks to Tone Brennan who cheered us on from the sideline and

helped motivate the team!

MOTM - Jules Herring. Consistantly worked hard throughout the game, tackling well and pushing forward feeding the ball up to the forwards and setting up some great goals.

DOTD - Jules Herring. Lost the skin off her finger rolling around on the floor

Moulton College Match Reports

Matt Gausden — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:10:08 +0100

Moulton Men’s Hockey Academy 1stXI 1 – 1 University of Northampton

The men’s hockey academy stepped up for their second game of the season against an older, bigger and more experienced UoN side. Both teams started well, UoN adopted the aerial attack early on but the new defensive pairing of Matt Caton and James Knibb snuffed this route off early. Moulton looked strong and created chances but were unable to find the back of the net an unfortunately it was UoN who went ahead first with a penalty flick competently converted. Not to let this faze Moulton, the men continued to play to the game plan and finished the half well.

Moulton started the half as they finished, hitting the post from a penalty corner with some great play by Sam Bigely. The breakthrough finally came a little after following some tireless work from first year David Marroitt to convert from a few yards out. It was all Moulton subsequently with more and more pressure and chances going begging at short corners and in open play, any spectator would have thought it was only a matter of time before the college would score, however it was never to be. Unfortunately some ill discipline led to two players being sin binned in the final stages of the game and even though the University weren’t able to capitalise on this situation, before this the college looked destine to score and earn their first win of the season. Overall an encouraging performance to take in to the new season.

Moulton Ladies Hockey Academy 1stXI 7 – 1 University of Northampton

The game started slow as both teams sussed each other out. UoN scored first from a lapse in concentration as a 3 on 1 attack led to a shot from 5 yards out, giving Verity Anderton-Johnson in Goal absolutely no chance. This didn’t dampen the spirits of Moulton and after a barrage of chances luck eventually fell the colleges way with Megan Patrick calmly slotted home a slick penalty corner.

It wasn’t long after the restart that it was normal service being resumed. It was Leah Sanders who put the ladies ahead for the first time in the match with a great hit! Not long after, some skilful play down the right with the ball ending up on the goal line and Laura Wychgel was there to finish it off. The colleges dominance then went up another gear and 3-1 accelerated to 4 – 1 with Wychgel getting her second from a fantastic counter break after defending a penalty corner. 5 – 1 was an excellent team goal coming from a long corner, the ball was played in to space for Ella Dagnall to engage the defender in a 2 on 1 slipping the ball with precision timing for Megan Patrick to pick the ball up one touch in to the D to unleash a thunderbolt into the bottom left hand corner. The scoring was complete when a well worked team move earned space in the D for Leah Sanders to again shoot for Ella Dagnall to tip in.

Match Reports from 15th, 16th & 19th October

Matt Gausden — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:57:46 +0100

Ladies 1stXI 0-5 Doncaster

Saints faced mid table team Doncaster this weekend but made the journey north with a positive attitude and a passion to get their first win of the season. in the first ten minutes Doncaster showed their intent to get on the score board early. Some excellent goal keeping from new signing Sophie Rossi kept the sheet clean. With a constant pressure from an experienced and well-rehearsed team they put three points on the board going into half time. Saints were not without opportunities in front of goal, from a number of well worked passes up the pitch and a handful of penalty corners being awarded. Unfortunately these opportunities were not converted.

In the second half the Saints defence continued to withstand the strong attack and many more goals were kept off the score sheet by the defensive team on penalty corners and in particular through man of the match goal keeper Rossi. Saints continue to look for their first win of the season to move them from the bottom of the table. They have the players and the passion and will hope to find the magic to make it happen. Final score 5:0.

We can't finish this report without a special mention to Charlie White - "thanks for coming"!!

Ladies 2nd XI 6-2 Ashbourne

You’ve seen the Bourne trilogy but now read the Bourne Thrashing!!

Ladies 2s settled quickly into a routine of flowing hockey interspersed with some randomness as usual in the first ten minutes of the match. Everyone had listened to the inspirational team talk in the changing rooms and had come out determined to win at home and keep up our excellent record so far. For some if our players this meant passing accurately or striking the ball sweetly but for others it meant make noises like a gorilla or tripping over our own feet. Anyway match well under way and goal number one from LA Chacksfield who scored so many yesterday, it was hard to keep count! Anyway saints 1 ashbourne 0. Although we let the opposition put is under pressure for a few minutes at a time the midfield combinations of Noble, Kilner, Macdonnell and McCabe worked tirelessly and up popped Ellie Bleech to score goal number 2. Saints 2 others 0.

There was some more hockey played and this meant LA had the chance to score even more goals and although Ashbourne tried they just couldn’t get through our rock solid defence of Sibbers, Milford, Sanders and Leech. Well they couldn’t get through without the rather huge helping hand that Nikki Stringer gave them by wandering off her post during a penalty corner and letting them muller one into the back of the net. Saints 2 opps 1 (boo hiss)

Half time and after a rousing game of charades from Jonno and Alfie digging for victory, saints started strong again and threaded some excellent passes though the left, mid and right via McCabe, Wilkinsion (formerly known as Tango) and Kilner ending in LA scoring another cracking effort. Saints 3 opps 2. Opposition have such a long name, so opps will have to do!

Again pressure being applied from the right back led to a wonderful reaching long ball to Meg” Luna Lovegood” Patrick who fed LA a sweet ball to score goal number 4. Nice work ladies.

As for the other two goals, I know LA scored them and I am going to assume from Penalty corners as I forgot to write down any build up play.

MOTM was a 4 way tie between 4 different people!

DOTD was Luna as at half time she fell through the goal netting instead of balancing in the backboard. Genius!

Ladies 3rdXI 0-1 Olney

After a delayed start due to Olney being at the wrong pitch, the ladies were ready to go after a thorough warm up and skills practice led by the captain. We were raring to go with the sight of birthday cake for the end of the game.

Both teams were equally matched throughout the game, and it was tough for both sides. There was a lot of tackling, passing and back and forth running, however Olney had a break and took the lead in the first half.

A swig of water and a team talk the game was underway for the second half, Saints had many chances for goals but there was just no luck. We spent about 15 minutes in one corner of the pitch near our D, trying to win something but no short corners were given and no goals were scored.

A frustrating and undeserved lose for the ladies 3’s, but all was forgotten after the famous sausage, beans and chips and a slice of birthday cake.

Man of the match was tied between Alice Kilner and Hannah Richards who both played relentlessly for the duration of the game.

Written by Sophie Herring- Birthday girl therefore DOTD

Squad: Steph Brennan, Emma Brennan, Chloe Arnison, Hanna Wilkins, Jane Ogden, Sophie Herring, Alice Kilner, Rosie Barnes, Hannah Richards, Courtney Thorpe, Annie Howard, Cj Thompson, Natalia Raca

Ladies 4thXI 2-5 Kettering 3rdXI

Scorers: Lou Harte, Liz Hone

A game of extremes for the Saints 4's this week. At times the team played exceptionally well, using the width and passing swiftly to negotiate around Kettering. At the other extreme the hockey played was sloppy with players being drawn across the pitch leaving large gaps which Kettering took advantage of.

They picked holes in our defence and the second half saw the score move from a respectable 1-1 to 5-2. The real highlights for the Saints were our short corners from which Lou Harte scored a cracking first goal. During the first half we had a few good chances to score and the mids and forwards worked very well together in Ketterings D. Another fantastic short corner and Liz Hone sends the ball flying past their goalkeeper. Becca Herring played very well staying strong against Kettering and Savanna Jones held her position well and had a great game.

MOTM: Liz Hone - strong in defence and driven by sheer determination pushed up to score our second goal

U16 Girls 1-1 Blueharts U16 girls

Goals: Courtney Thorpe

The Saints U16 girls arrive in Hitchin for their first match in the newly formed EH U16 Club Championship. The starting XI started the match rather slowly, mainly because as it was their first match playing as a team, but fortunately it didn’t take long for the girls to get into the swing of things, and after some great link up play from Toman, Clayson and Kilner who fed the ball to Thorpe to sweetly hit the ball pass the keeper.

Half Time 1-0 Saints.

The second half started quite promisingly, with some impressive play from MacDonell and Thomas in the middle, however with sequence bizzare events led to Blueharts equalising. This made the girls spirits drop slightly. However, excellent play from from the trio of Forsyth, Jones and Instrell in defence, and with the travelling support from the side lines, the girls held on for a draw.

Squad: Tamara Ragiste,(GK), Courtney Thorpe(C), Laura Thomas, Kate Clayson, Sara Ashmore, Emily Kilner, Grace Nolan, Holly Harris, Charlotte Newton, Lydia MacDonell, Annie Toman, Ella Forsyth, Savanna Jones, Rosie Instrell.

U16 Girls 5-2 Buckingham

Goals: Lydia MacDowell (2), Clayson (3)

The girls started the second match of the day with much more positivity and confidence. The team attacked from the very start applying heavy amounts of pressure to the opposition. Near the end of the first half, the hard work paid off, as three short corners were won, with the last one finishing with a beautiful strike from MacDonell. Half Time 1-0 Saints

After another very promising start to the Second half, the team won another short corner. Again, MacDonell scored another beautiful goal, making the score 2-0 to saints. Buckingham managed to pull one back afterwards, much to the disappointment of the team. This however this galvanised Saints and with further great link up play between Kilner and Clayson, with Clayson slotting home for her first of the afternoon. Further determined team work from Nolan, Clayson and MacDonell, who then ran through the middle, taking a strike at goal, allowing Clayson to cheekily tip in for her second and Saints 4th. The score was now 4-1. Buckingham still applied pressure but further great team work from Newton, Harris, Ashmore and encouragement from Ragiste in goal kept them at bay and led to Clayson getting her 3rd of the afternoon. Buckingham came back strong and scored a late goal.

Final Score Saints 5 Buckingham 2

We would like to mention the new players; Rosie, Holly, Charlotte, Grace and Savannah and congratulate them on their success within the team. Thank you for getting stuck in and involved! Hope to see you on the 13th!

U18 Girls 0-3 Sutton Coldfield U18 Girls

A new season of EH Cup matches started badly for Saints U18 girls. With players unavailable and 2 no shows, Saints starting XI were the only XI! The Girls started really well and matched and at times bettered Sutton’s game. Great team work from the back to the midfield was starting look like Saints were going to take the lead but a quick break away from Sutton saw them take the lead. 0-1. Saints kept their heads and kept working hard as a team with the forwards Hill and Patrick trying to disrupt Suttons defence and midfield but it wasn’t to be, as Sutton scored from a scrappy encounter in the D.

Half Time 0-2 Sutton

Second half, even with the Saints girls now starting to feel the effects of a busy hockey weekend, they pushed and pushed Sutton with most of the play in the midfield being bossed by Tulley and wilkinson but with 20 minutes left Patrick’s Ankle made contact with the ball and that was end of her match. Saints rallied as a team and with fine and messy saves Emma Brennan kept the score 0-2. Even with the heroics of Ferne Sanders, Leah Sanders, Steph Brennan, Anniky and Herring could not keep Sutton out of the goal, 0-3.

Squad : Emma Brennan (GK), Ferne Sanders, Georgia Anniky, Steph Brennan (C), Georgia Linnell, Lottie Tulley, Leah Sanders, Becca Wilkinson, Sophie Herring, Rachael Hills, Meg Patrick

Men’s 1stXI 2-3 Khalsa

Goals: Dave Saunders, Ben Scott

Saints travelled to Leamington to face top of the table Khalsa in hope for a better performance than last week. The match was very even with both sides having chances but it was Khalsa that broke the deadlock. A short corner was saved by keeper Paul Madeley but a Khalsa forward got to the rebound first and beat the Saints keeper at his near post. After this Saints did enjoy long periods of possession but were undone again when another rebound fell to a Khalsa midfield player after a poor clearance by Saints. Not shaken by going two down, Saints controlled the first half thereafter, being very patient and moving the ball around very comfortably. The away side got a goal back through Dave Saunders after he beat three players to fire through the opposition keepers legs.

The second half carried on in the same way with Saints enjoying far more possession than the home side but a drag flicked short corner from Khalsa increased the home sides lead. Again, Saints showed a lot of maturity and kept the ball well. Long periods of possession resulted in Saints winning a short corner and a chance to get back into the match. Ben Scott flicked the ball and struck a defenders body on the line. Scott converted the resulting penalty. For the remaining ten minutes it was one way traffic with Saints pressuring Khalsa and the home side defending for their lives. Every time Khalsa got the ball it was smashed clear only for Saints to pile on the pressure again. Unfortunately, to the relief of the home crowd, Khalsa held out for victory to end a very exciting game. Although Saints went home with no points they will be very pleased with their performance and go into next week’s game against Harborne full of confidence.

Men’s 2nd XI 2-2 Birmingham University 2nd XI (Saturday)

Goals: Andy Smith, Max Heaphy

Birmingham University started off strongly with a lot of possession and a very early shot on goal. Saints absorbed pressure for most of the first half and created numerous breakaway opportunities from good turnovers and interceptions. Andy Smith and Max Heaphy scored from two of these brak aways, with the latter being setup after a brilliant pass from Dan Rose. Two nil saints at half time and it could easily have been more.

But Birmingham come out the better team in the early second half scoring a quick goal and had saints reeling for the first ten minutes of the second half. Throughout the rest of the second half Birmingham pushed for an equaliser, but while doing so committed mistakes which allowed more breakaways by saints who could have scored a third. Caused by excellent hassling and interceptions by the forwards in particular Tom Scott-Collins man of the match for Saints.

With about ten minutes to go a Birmingham long ariel and breakaway led to an equaliser. The last ten minutes were tense for saints as they repelled attack after attack and having a chance or two themselves, either team could have nicked a winner late on. Upon reflection saints will be disappointed with the draw but it turned out to be fair result for both teams.

MOTM: Tom Scott-Collins

DOTD: Ed Holt – nail varnish, need we say more?!

Men’s 2ndXI 4-1 Loughborough Town 2ndXI (Sunday)

Goals: Scott Mahoney (2), Tom Scott-Collins, Danny Whitfield

Saints advance into second round of the EH Trophy with a 4-1 win over Loughborough Town.

A slow start from both teams turned into a scrappy first half. Both sides had chances but one goal was scored coming from a short corner, a low drag flick by Danny Whitfield that went under the diving goalkeeper. One nil saints at half time.

The scrappy play from the first half continued into the second half but Saints managed to score another goal through Scott Mahoney, from a rebound off the keeper. Loughborough Town had their passage of play after this threatening to score several times on breakaways and finally managing to. 2-1 Saints.

Conceding a goal had a positive effect on Saints who after a few scary minutes began to consistently string some decent passes together for the first time in the game. An excellent shot from Tom (Scott-Collins) went straight through the goalkeeper made it 3-1 Saints. The scoring was completed by Scott Mahoney who walked through two defenders before pushing the ball past the keeper into the bottom corner to collect his second goal of the game.

An unconvincing game from Saints but in the end a decent win and into the next round of the cup they go.

MOTM: Scott Mahoney

DOTD: Ed Holt – still had nail varnish on!!

Nottingham University 5-1 Men's 3rd XI

Goal: Jon Hunter

Out skilled by students, outsmarted by the council

Dear Nottingham Council,

The Saints 3’s feel slightly aggrieved to each car gaining a parking ticket during our trip.

You see the day started with firstly Gamble leaving his stick at home, then Sam Mitchell phoning to ask whether he needed to park (think he meant pay!!). Then Bigley practicing drag flicks, skyed a ball over the high fence, and hit a child (Timmy Cratchett) on the head. Despite rocking us, Nigel Down’s wise words of “if its a 50/50, f*****g hit ‘em, got us back on task before the match. Goodness knows why Mitchell felt the need to pose topless to ‘air himslef out’ though.

Nottingham University got the game underway in fast paced fashion, and despite expecting a fast flowing game, the students did not take long to take the lead. It took about 10 minutes for Saints to soak up the pressure, before they started creating half chances, and having more and more possession, without success. This continued to half time 1-0 down, though still with 11 players despite the best efforts of hillier and his slide tackles

Despite knowing we had to start the 2ndhalf well, Saints got off to a terrible start with the defence failing to clear a harmless ball, before a striker scored under the nose of Thompson. This led to the students gaining momentum in which 2 more we scored, through fast breaks and precise passing. When the score reached 4-0, Saints felt hard done by, particularly as they had had a significant amount of possession. Eventually Saints did score, thanks to a drag flick from Hunter. This however did not stop him from continuing to whinge at the umpires. Despite pushing hard in the last 15 minutes , with michell trying to head the ball home, it was too little, too late, and an eventual final score of 5-1, though hard to take, showed Saints the benchmark that they need to perform at.

Post match Hunter had the delight of finding that the University had a juice bar, a few lad got to experience James Miller stall his car, others got to see a barman trying to flip and catch bottles, before we all got to see that our car’s had been ‘got’, contrary to belief that ticket wardens did not check areas 20 minutes before permit parking areas were free.

Guess that might have put paid to some of the lad’s planning to have a drink back in Northampton

So you see, Nottingham council, we would love to be let off.

Food: One slice of Pizza (Will Gamble, I saw that 2ndslice), a few chips, and some salad stuff

MOTM: Macca, for a never say die attitude

DOTD: Sam Bigley – for hitting children on the head

simon thompson gk , andy dale (c), jason hillier, jon hunter, james miller, adam croutear , nigel down, ian mcilwaine, sam mitchell , chris rowlands, will gamble , luke pibworth, sam bigley

Men's 4thXI 2-1 West Bridgford 6th XI

Scorers; John Noble, Ally Rose

Saved by the Bash

Clearly lacking confidence after last week’s humiliating defeat at the hands on the Fives, and beset by technological difficulties, Saints Fours got off to a stuttering start on this hot October afternoon. Despite some floppy defending early doors however, Saints scored against the run of play with a tomahawk into the bottom corner from Ally Rose.

The visitors kept up the pressure and it was no surprise when James Ruse gifted the oppo’s attacker the ball, who gratefully slotted home past the outstretched stick of Jim Phipps.

One all at half time and on came Jon Noble at left midfield. Gradually Saints got more into the game and it was Noble who dispatched a loose ball at the top of the D for the home side to take the lead. The game wasn’t over though and Saints had to battle to hold onto their lead. West Bridgford’s sprightly young forward was causing all sorts of problems for the home team and Scott Bashford had no choice but to take the boy out: penalty flick. Tension mounted but Bashford saved at the right post and kept the lead for Saints.

All very exciting but Saints should never have been struggling to keep a 2-1 lead. Still, a win’s a win and things can only get better from here on in.

MOTM: Scott Bashford (amazing save)

DOTD: Ross McLean (undercutting)

Squad: Scott Bashford (GK), Ally Rose, Jim Phipps, James Ruse (c), Joe Cliffe, Ross McLean, Gary Patterson, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Lewis Moran, John Noble, Ant Condon, Chris Godman

Men’s 5thXI 1-1 West Bridgford

Goals: Ed Arnold

Saints arrived in sunny West Bridgeford on the back of two straight victories, for what turned out to be a bit of an agricultural contest. The initial headcount at Moulton resulted in minor panic when it was discovered we were a man down, however thanks to Dave Henry’s intimate knowledge of Northampton bus routes Max “is this the right bus?” Dymond was found somewhere near Lumbertubs.

Saints took the lead early in the first half, when a well worked short corner resulted in Ed Arnold harvesting a low flying drag flick which defeated the keeper when it deflected off a grain of sand. Shortly after passions rose, primarily due to some scythe like tackles. The umpires took control of the situation, and shortly after blew for half time.

A focussed talk at half time sent the saints onto the field with a renewed level of eagerness. Unfortunately though an uncharacteristically weak pass, was picked up by the floating centre forward, who strode into the D a slotted the ball home for the equaliser. Harry Stobartenthusiastically toiled away at left back,and reaped what he sewed with Man of the Match. In addition the second half contained a number of other incidents; the highlights including Rob Tee being bulldozed off the ball in a jousting contest and Rob Cary being deemed “a disgrace” by a Freddie Mercury look a like.

MOTM – Harry Stobart

DOTD – Gareth Voss (that uncharacteristically weak pass) closely followed by Rob “Coco the Clown” Tee.

Attendance – 2

Teas – Pasta bake or Pie (not sure on flavour – genetically modified cheese and onion??)

Moulton Mixed Hockey Academy 1stXI 2 – 3 John Leggot College

Goals: James Knibb, David Marriott

“The wrong side of a close encounter”

It was Moulton who had the first of the opportunities forcing the keeper in to a good confident save. Moulton were finding acres of space in Midfield and occasionally got round the back to the baseline. Then the breakthrough was made and a goal came from the space in the middle of the pitch, James Knibb picked up the ball and beat a couple of players and finished well across the goal. Inevitably in such a close fought game the away team that got their first goal after some good team play the ball was played through the middle of the D and Ed Holt was beaten by some good play just before the half time whistle.

The second half and Moulton committed too many players forward not retaining 3 at the back as practiced. The away team found space in the left hand side of the D and were able to put a bouncing ball past Ed Holt in goal which was seemingly going harmlessly across goal was then in avertedly turned in by the trailing defender Matt Caton, 2-1 John Leggot. Moulton went through phases of good play but couldn’t convert until finally hitting the base line and coming back up paid off with Megan Patrick supplying the ball for David Marriott to finish well, 2-2. The game didn’t end well for Moulton College who were careless again not leaving the 3 players back and conceding a penalty corner which was initially saved well but not cleared efficiently to give John Leggot another opportunity which they took.

What are you doing on Friday 28th October?

Matt Gausden — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:36:42 +0100

Dear All

Please can you let me know if you are available on 28thOctober to attend a large publicity event at Northampton University between 12.00 and 6.00pm. We will need some assistance setting up in the morning too as we are hoping to secure the large inflatable hockey pitch for the event.

We intend to use the inflatable to launch the new Rush Hockeygame. It is aimed at those over 16 who want to get back into hockey, try it out for the 1st time etc. rather than those committed players we have.

This is an ideal opportunity to raise our profile but will need a fast response as we have just over a week to get sorted.

Regards

Martin

martin.wilkes@futuressports.com

Match Reports from 22nd October 2011

Matt Gausden — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:53:02 +0100

Ladies 1stXI 0-4 Loughborough Students

A great performance from the ladies ones this week. Getting off to a good start we kept students out for a high majority of the first half with some quality defending by Thea Jackson. However they scored a good goal going into half time. Students continued fight hard against saints, who also continued with good whole team performance although allowing them to score 3 goals. Nevertheless we fought to the bitter end finishing the game with a short corner which Lisa Coe drag flicked narrowly missing the top left corner. The final whistle blow and it was 4-0 defeat.

Ladies 2ndXI 3-3 Towcester 2ndXI

Goal scorers: Ness Kingston, LA Chacksfield and AN other

Saints played poorly throughout the match and never really got into any rhythm of play. We deserved the draw as we worked hard in parts to get the 3 goals but other patches of play we let ourselves down badly. Luckily our nearest rivals in the league were beaten so we remain top of the table by one measly point. If we are to succeed in this league, we must pick ourselves up and improve drastically on individual and team performance.

MOM Ness Kingston for securing goal numer 3 to ensure the tie and one league point

DOD Nicky Milford (reasons best unexplained)

Men’s 1stXI 3-5 Harborne

Goals: Dave Saunders, Ben Scott, Alex Press

A very sloppy start from Saints gave Harborne what turned out an unassailable lead in this game. A sever lack of concentration let Harborne score four times in the first 15 minutes and left Saints with a mountain to climb. Just before half time Dave Saunders pulled one back for Saints with a clever reverse stick shock.

After half time Saints turned the game around and completely dominated the game. A Ben Scott short corner and a comeback goal for Alex Press made the score 4-3 and Saints had the away side against the ropes. Unfortunately for Saints they could not find the net again and Harborne scored their second short corner to seal the win.

West Bridgford 5th XI 3-1 Men’s 4th XI

Scorer; Ross McLean

Scott Bashford, Ally Rose, Jim Phipps, James Ruse ©, Joe Cliffe, Ant Czaicki, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Anthony, Lewis Moran, Greg Summers, Max Dymmond, Ant Condon, Ross McLean

Saints’ second encounter of the season with West Bridgford was a temporally unbalanced affair. The visitors fielded a side primarily composed of academy youngsters, three overgrown teenagers and just two grown-ups, while the home team’s combined age was well on it’s way to half a millennium.

Away at West Brdigford, it was the home team who struck first, out-passing Saints and slapping a squared ball into the back of the net.

Unlike last week however, Saints showed much more spirit and were right back into it with a well-struck penalty corner from Ross McLean. From then on, Saints tightened things up. Scott Bashford made a great save with his goolies, while Max Dymmond narrowly missed a great opportunity to take the lead.

Unfortunately the turning point came as the half-time whistle blew on a penalty corner. West Bridgford filled Saints’ D and shot the ball into the bottom right corner to re-take the lead.

From then on it was asking too much for the visitors’ inexperienced youngsters to come from behind. West Bridgford’s old-timers gradually took control of the game and inevitably extended their lead despite some brave defending by James Ruse with the wrong side of his stick.

Saints didn’t give up however, and if only Greg Summers’ effort had finally dribbled over the line, it might have been a different story. Much better effort, despite the loss, and Saints can be confident to win next week’s home tie versus Burton.

MOM: Greg Summers (despite miss)

DOD: Ally Rose (running like Chris Godman)

Men’s 6th XI 1-0 Leicester Westleigh 4th XI

Goals: Harry Stobart

This was a very tense game. A new look Leicester team who were very determined to let a young nimble side take the World Famous Fighting 6s down.

In the first half both teams showed the range of versatility they had with play moving back and forth, testing both defences to the maximum. At the half time whistle, the strategies were adjusted to try and get some chances.

In the second half, the first 20 minutes saw a repeat of the first half with a number of chances being saved or repelled by the defender. Colyn Biddle made some excellent saves and kept us in the game. In the dying minutes, Leicester scored for the goal only to be disallowed due to obstruction. With Leicester riled, the WFF6s managed a drive up the left, quick injection from the sideline to central position, Richard Smith finding Mark Shepperd who immediately pushed a ball through to Harry Stobart, who put it away.

A hard fought win.

Teas: Chicken, Faggots, Chips, Peas, Beans, Sausages

MOTM: Colyn Biddle (Incredible saves)

DOD: Karl MacGregor (Silly questions)

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Colyn Biddle (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Karl MacGregor; Joshua Pibworth; Phil Marillat; Richard Smith; Alasdair Townsend; Mark Shepperd; Luke Howard; Matt Caton and Harry Stobart.

Northampton Saints Badgers 2-1 Welford Badgers

Goals: George Roberts, Jeremy Wan

Congratulations to the young squad of Will Powell, Connor Wright, Jack Knight, Michael Dicken and Callum Taylor, supported by the more experienced George Roberts, Jeremy Wan and the older adult team members. What this team lacked in experience, they made up for in determination and were able to contain the Mighty Welford Team from their usual compelling victory.
Both teams maintained constant pressure on each other, providing a well balanced and interesting match, but with Northampton Hockey Saints Badgers Team eventually moving on to finish the game, one goal ahead of Welford Badgers.

Umpired by Jon Harte and Adam Powell.

Moulton Mixed Hockey Academy 1stXI 2 – 3 John Leggot College

Goals: James Knibb, David Marriott

“The wrong side of a close encounter”

Match Reports from 29th October 2011

Matt Gausden — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:26:00 +0000

Men's 1st XI 5-0 Edgbaston

Goals: Gareth Parker (2), Alex Press (2), Tom Scott-Collins

Goalscorer Parker helped himself to a brace on Saturday.

Saints travelled to Birmingham to face in form Edgbaston who were boasting a 100% record so far this season. It wasn’t the best preparation for the Saints as half the side arrived 5 minutes before push back after heavy delays in Birmingham. But, Saints settled well and the first 10 minutes was very even with no serious chances for either side.

Although Edge started having a lot of possession they never really threatened the Saints goal with Gavin Markham and Jamie Webb standing firm and only conceding one short corner. The Saints defence provided a strong platform for the rest of the team and after a slick 5 pass move the away side broke the deadlock. Great play by Joe Colantonio and Ben Northedge set up Gareth Parker to nudge the ball past the Edgbaston keeper. 1-0 half time.

Saints started the second half much the same way and looked extremely comfortable. Possession was fairly even but every time the home side broke away, the Saints defence soaked up any pressure and never looked fazed. Saints doubled their lead when Alex Press, returning from injury scored a reverse stick shot that went through the goalkeeper’s legs. As Edge could see their spot at the top of the table slipping away they got more desperate but still never really threatened the Saints goal. Another goal each for Parker and Press put the game beyond doubt before Tom Scott-Collins scored a poachers effort to bag his first ever goal for the Saints in only his second game.

A 5-0 whitewash and Edge didn’t know what had hit them. A great performance by the Saints defence and midfield, Jamie Webb in particular and Gareth Parker making a return to the goals with a fantastic man of the match performance.

Men’s 2ndXI 2-3 Harborne 2ndXI

Goals: Danny Whitfield (pf), TomWightman

After last weeks’ awful display at West Bridgford the team were looking to bounce back against an industrious Harbourne side. Preparation for the game saw a marked improvement with only three players late….

The match started at a high tempo with Dan Rose charging around up front and some decent opportunities for Athiq Thamby. Despite some territory in the oppositions half no real chances were created and Harbourne managed to score a breakaway goal. This gave them more confidence and they could have extended their lead but for some fine saves. Just before half time Scott Mahoney thought he had scored from short corner but the P flick was given for a foot on the line and Danny Whitfield tucked it away anyway.

Tom Wightman celebrates his goal with a bit of Karaoke!!

The second half saw a loss of a few players through injury but Saints battled back from conceding a second goal to square the match at 2-2 through a fantastic flick from Tom Wightman, roofing the ball into the net. Saints had chances to win it near the end but it was Harbourne who managed to score the winner to condemn Saints to a second successive defeat. A result which was a little unfair on a side that deserved at least a draw. However the performance was a dramatic improvement on last week giving Saints the confidence to get a result in Leek next Saturday.

MOTM – Scott Mahoney

DOTD – Danny Whitfield (over sleeping by an hour)

Men’s 3rdXI 2-3 Leicester 3rdXI

Scorers: Hillier (pc), Bigley (pc)

Saints travelled the short distance up to Leicester with a bare 11, yet with about 5 cars. Hunter pulled in to the car park, foliage on car, hat slanted exclaiming “This school is amazing”. Saints were further excited to be playing on the water base.

The first half saw Saints struggling to live up to their potential, save Hunter receiving a card again (think it was him anyway), endless players lying sprawled out on the pitch, and Andy Dale making friends with each opposition. Both sides several half chances, but it was Leicester who scored 2 in quick succession, both from penalty corners.

Half time brought the wise trio of Dale, Down and Hillier to make tactical changes, Roberts moving to provide cover for the defence, allowing others to attack. This brought new vigour and numerous penalty corners, finally bearing fruit with Hillier smashing a penalty corner at the second attempt. As Saints pressed Mitchell was at the receiving end of a pole axing, Roberts had his legs grabbed, and Croutear performed a face plant. Amongst this Leicester struck back scoring after an initial save from Thompson, to extend their lead to 2 again. The final 15 minutes saw mounting pressure from saints with Pibworth and Bigley holding the ball up for the midfield to press. After many penalty corners, Bigley scrambled in a second leaving a tense few minutes. Despite several cards shown to Leicester players, and huge time wasting, Saints failed to complete the comeback failing to use 2 penalty corners in the final 2 minutes.

Despite this loss, Saints were able to stock up on pizza, (though mysteriously Gamble disappeared), and canned bear (or coke), though no-one was up for a real pub, save Luke and Andy.

MOTM: George Roberts

DOTD: Jon Hunter...for being Jon (this could become a feature)

Squad: Simon Thompson (GK), Andy Dale (c), Jason Hillier, Jon Hunter, George Roberts, Adam Croutear , Nigel Down, Sam Mitchell , Will Gamble , Luke Pibworth, Sam Bigley

Men’s 4th XI 2-3 Burton 4th XI

Scorer: Ant Condon (2)

Floundering Fours Fluff Flick

Rumors of a crisis in the fours’ camp were put aside as Saints’ young guns came out fighting against Burton on Saturday. Buoyed up by another no-nonsense pre-match talk from Jim Phipps, Saints took the lead with some great wing play from Joe Cliffe and a yo-yo pass from Chris Godman to set up Ant Condon.

But Burton were no pushovers and Saints’ fragile confidence was rocked as the visitors equalized with what was eloquently described as a, “Good shot”. Ten minutes later Burton took the lead from a penalty corner.

Not out of it yet, a Saints attack just before half time led to a penalty flick and a perfect opportunity to stay in the game. Up stepped Ant Czaicki…only see the ball roll limply off the end of his stick as he was dazzled by the shiny pinkness of the umpire’s shirt.

Another rollicking at half time and Saints made a decent fist of it as Greg Summers’ mess was cleared up by Condon and dispatched into the net to make it 2-2.

With the game heading to an exciting final climax, the home team was about to hold on for a draw when disaster struck and Burton slipped home the winner after a period of sustained pressure. “Better luck next time” is beginning to sound a bit repetitive.

MOM: Scott Bashford (comfort-eating)

DOD: Ant Czaicki (fluffed flick)

Squad: Scott Bashford, Joe Cliffe, Jim Phipps, James Ruse (c), Ant Czaicki, Gary Patterson, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Max Dymmond, Lewis Moran, Anthony Richardson, Greg Summers, Ant Condon, Chris Godman

Litchfield 4thXI 1-2 Men’s 5thXI

Goals: Rob Cary, Matt Kerr

Halloween Nights – terrifyingly good

Saints 5ths travelled to Litchfield for a top of the table contest with both teams undefeated; few would have expected such a ‘thriller’. Saints welcomed new boys ‘Mat the moustache’ and ‘Mat the Mohican’ to bewitch the opposition with their cunning and guile.

The first half saw Saints playing some outstanding hockey with Luke, the young wizard, producing some great attacking runs down the right wing and Rob and Mat carving up the opposition’s defence on a number of opportunities. A scarily dominant performance in the centre of the park by Tom Dysko and Gareth Voss only helped to petrify the opposition. Despite all the pressure, dominance and close chances the Saints failed to score in the first half. The home team launched a number of devilish counter attacks, but the Saints defence stood solid. A goal line save from Steve Morris kept the away team in the match as the half time whistle was blown.

With the score still even the second half started as the first half had ended; staunch defence and enterprising attack by the Saints young devils. The youthful defensive line-up of Mat, Jeremy Wan and Harry Stobart were all outstanding, so it was a shocker for the opposition to draw first blood. At 1-0 down the Saints kept their nerve and battled manfully back into the duel. Phil ‘the werewolf’ made no howlers in goal, in fact some spooktacular saves helped see out the oppositions limited attacks. Harry defended with body and soul which seemed to drain the blood out of the opposing hoards.

The Welsh boys’ inability to communicate with each other led to some fierce shaking of wands. Having got that out of their system they both decided to bewitch the opposition rather than confront each other. The fight back was started by Rob Cary with a sweetly struck thunderbolt from the edge of the D. From then on the away team’s magic was too strong for Litchfield. Dave Henry orchestrated his army for the final act. Good work from Rob Tee created the opening for Matt Kerr to hammer the final nail in the coffin.

Men's 5s go on the attack in formation!!

A stunning performance from every boy, man and wizard sees the Saints 5ths top of the league with a game in hand. Spooky.

MOM – Harry Stobart for brilliant defensive

DOD – Rob T for rather going paint balling than playing a part in a historic win

Special mention – Luke’s mum whose pack up helped sustain the whole team after the opposition failed to provide teas.

Men’s Vets 4-0 Northampton University

Goals: Jon Noble, Max Darby, Dave Henry, James Ruse

The Saints over 40s warmed up for their 2nd National masters cup game against Shrewsbury on Sunday with a convincing win over the students. After a brief warm up comprising mainly of discussions about injuries picked up at the weekend - Saints took control of the game in the midfield which was not relinquished until the final whistle. The first goal arrived midway through the first half when Jon Noble sent a drag flick into the top right hand corner - a lead doubled 10 minutes later when Max Darby pitched up with a trademark poachers goal. With Downs, Morris, Roberts and Noble running the midfield the uni side were restricted to attacking on the counter. The second half comprised again of Henry and Darby terrorising the uni defence with their pace and it was no real surprise when further well taken goals were added by Henry and Ruse to round off a comfortable win for the Masters. Again an enjoyable night of good hockey from the Saints over 40s who head off to Shrewsbury on Sunday for the second round of the EH Cup in good spirits.

Brixworth MHC 2-9 Mixed 2nd XI

Saints Goals: Steve Roffe (4), Tom Scott-Collins, Janine Sanders, Athiq Thamby, Ant Pearce

Brixworth Goals: Craig Reilly (1), Will Pettitt(1)

It was always going to be a big ask for Brixworth, playing a late game at Moulton with a depleted squad, but when facing a Saints team with the likes of Athiq Thamby and Tom Scott Collins in it the task became a lot harder. Although the scoreline doesn’t reflect it the game was quite close for large periods, but unfortunately for Brixworth numbers told in the end and, despite goals from Craig Reilly and Will Pettitt, Saints ran out comfortable winners as forward Steve Roffe ran in 4 goals whilst Tom Scott-Collins, Janine Sanders, Athiq Thamby, Ant Pearce all scored a goal a-piece.

Brixworth Player of the match: Craig Reilly

Rush Hockey

Martin Wilkes — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:01:43 +0000

The new exciting Rush Hockey game is launching in Northants at Moulton Sports Complex this Wednesday 8.45 - 9.45pm

Teams comprise just 4 or 5 players - no keepers or umpires - with a max squad of 7. Matches are made up of 4 x 10 minute quarters.

So if you fancy a mid-week run out just turn up at Moulton Sports Complex at 8.30pm every Wednesday.

The cost is £20 per team per session (£5 max per person).

Contact Martin Wilkes for more information.

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Team Manager Required

Matt Gausden — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:09:26 +0000

As I will hopefully be fighting fit to play hockey by January, the ladies 1s will be looking for a new team manager from January until the end of the season (March).
National league rules state we must have one, so it’s vital we get someone in place ASAP!

LADIES 1ST XI MANAGERS’ JOB DESCRIPTION:

· contact the opposition liaison officer, umpires, match official and any other personnel appointed to the game i.e. umpire selector, assessor, coach to confirm match details (push back times, etc). This can be done by email.

· Meet & greet match officials/umpires/opposition before and after the match.

· Ensure home pitch is prepared (flags up, pitch watered, etc).

· Look after the subs bench during a match.

· Help prepare the match day programme (home games).

Match Reports from 5th & 6th November 2011

Matt Gausden — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:40:28 +0000

Mens 1st XI 2-2 Warwick 1st XI

Goals: Ben Scott (2)

Saints took the field full of confidence after last week’s thrashing of Edgbaston and knew there were a definite three points up for grabs against struggling Warwick. The first half showed a very controlled performance by the Saints who were patient and took fifteen minutes to win their first short corner. Ben Scott converted to make it 1-0. Although Saints continued to dominate possession a few silly mistakes were creeping into their game. Despite this it was Saints that again scored next – great work by Joe Kopka and Gareth Parker down the Saints right gave Grant Carlin a chance in the D but as he went to shoot, he was fouled by a Warwick defender. Scott again converted the resulting penalty stroke. A two nil lead into half time would have been ideal but that wasn’t o be the case. A quickly taken free hit saw the ball thrown over the top of the Saints backline and the Warwick forward beat the last standing defender and smashed past Paul Madeley for a very well taken goal.

At half time Saints re-grouped and set about a more controlled second half. A scrappy opening ten minutes saw half chances for both sides with the Warwick keeper making a double save from Carlin and Martyn Cory seeing his reverse stick fluff cleared off the line. As Warwick got themselves more into the game they equalised through a short corner. The initial shot was saved but the rebound fell to a Warwick forward and with Saints sleeping he finished well into the corner. With ten minutes left it was all Saints but the home side were unable to break the deadlock. A disappointing short corner was the last of Saints efforts but probably a result they deserved.

Next week, away at bottom side Burton. A far more professional performance needed.

Men’s 3rd XI 3-0 Rugby & EW 3rd XI

Goals: Ally Rose, Jason Hillier, Sam Bigley

Saints welcomed Rugby, the league leaders to Northampton looking to work on an encouraging 2nd half performance the previous week. Mind games had already started pre-match with Andy Dale befriending the opposition. It was a scrappy opening, with newcomer Krisha learning that the rules have changed since he last played a few years earlier. As the half wore on, Saints started to come into their own, and it was Rose who was on the back post to score from a great pass from Hillier. This sparked Saints into life and it wasn’t long before Hillier added to tally, smashing home his 2nd attempt from the penalty corner. Sadly Hillier injured himself so all he was good for was the bar for the rest of the match.

The second half was a tense affair for Rugby, determined to get back into the match, getting more frustrated as time went on. Saints took advantage and Mitchell pressing the fullback, gave room for a lovely arial by Dale (not hitting the wire this time) to Pibworth outside the D, who in turn slipped the ball in to the path of Bigley who lifted the ball past the keeper for the third goal. Great win, and not to forget a clean sheet for Thompson.

MOTM: Ally Rose & Jon Hunter – both had excellent games, bossing the park

DOTD: Jon Hunter (though reasons were not forthcoming)

Simon Thompson (GK), Andy Dale (c), Jason Hillier, Jon Hunter, George Roberts, Nigel Down, Sam Mitchell, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth, Sam Bigley, Ally Rose, John Noble, Chris Rowlands, Krisha

Men’s 5th XI 1-0 Belper 4th XI

Goal: Matt Kerr

Saints 5th team were at home this week after a number of away games. Welshman ’The Orange’ Rob also stood in as captain as Dave had injured himself the Sunday before. The 5th team went into the game still undefeated.

After the way we had played the week before and winning the game after going behind we knew we had to play like that for this game too and keep the winning momentum up. The first 10 minutes was a case of settling in to the opposition as they had a few speedy breaks that were dealt with by the defence.

The greater possession was had by the home team for most of the half although Belper had chances and keeper Phil Preen was kept busier than he wanted to be. After 20 minutes the team made 3 changes for the remainder of the half. A few initial breaks came to nothing then new boy ‘Matt the moustache’ Kerr received the ball in the opposition D from a run Gareth Voss had made. One touch to stop the ball and a quick turn and strike left the keeper on the spot and the ball in the corner of the goal. Saints were 1 nil to the good.

After some goal mouth oranges courtesy of Rob Cary, the team were ready for the second half.

After 20 minutes of the same kind of end to end hockey the game was brought to an abrupt halt when the head of defender Karl McGregor was hit at pace by the ball. The result was a blood stained pitch and a bandaged head.

The last fifteen minutes saw chances for Belper saved by the keeper causing frustration in the team and opportunities by Saints cut out by the defenders, either side of Rob Tee ‘ballet dancing’ around the pitch. With the slim lead Saints held on and ended the game in Belpers goal area pleased to have held on for 3 points in a game that they could have made easier for themselves but stayed top of league and undefeated.

MOTM: Phil Preen for the great saves

DOTD: Rob Tee for his numerous attempts at ballet dancing

Special mention to the paramedics who checked on Carls head injury and they got their share of the food in the end!

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), Steve Morris, Jeremy Wan, Harry Stobart, Karl McGregor, Matt Caton, Luke Howard, Tom Dysko, Rob Tee, Rob Cary, Ed Arnold, Matt Kerr, Hugo Day Gareth Voss

Melton Mowbray 5th XI 0-5 Men’s 6th XI

Goal Scorers: Alasdair Townsend, Joshua Pibworth and Alex Jeffery (3).

In a game of 2 halves the World Famous Fighting Sixes decided to make the job harder for themselves. The First half was dominated by over-complications, forced balls and heartless tackling. A good umpire also helped to ensure a fair match.

At the Half-time whistle the WFF6s retired to the goal for a stern talking to and a refocus of their strategy.

Whatever was said, worked. The Fighting Sixes came out guns blazing and the first goal from a controversial shot by Alasdair Townsend resulted in Melton dropping their heads and taking half a yard off their pace.

Alex Jeffery then put three in a row in spectacular fashion. Joshua Pibworth put in the last, but it was fine goal keeping by Dean Gibson who earned him Man of the Match.

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Dean Gibson (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Darren Thorpe; Joshua Pibworth; Phil Marillat; Richard Smith; Ant Condon; Alasdair Townsend; Mark Shepperd; Ben Reynolds; Alex Jeffery, Jon Keep

Shrewsbury Vets 6-2 Men’s Vets (2nd Round of National Masters Cup)

Goals: Guy Roberts (2)

The Saints over 40s were dealt a harsh lesson in finishing as Shrewsbury ended their hopes of an extended run in the National Cup. Shrewsbury started strongly and controlled the first 15 minutes establishing a two goal lead through well worked short corners. The saints then started to come to terms with an overly physical approach by their opponents and started to create chances of their own. After a number of glorious chances went begging - Guy Roberts pulled one back 5 minutes before half time to give a glimmer of hope, The two goal cushion though was re-established by Shrewsbury on the stroke of half time with another short corner routine.

Even at 3-1 down Saints there was real belief that the game could be salvaged as Saints continued to push forward with great purpose and movement - unfortunately the final attempts just lacked precision. Against the run of play Shrewsbury added a fourth as Saints had to commit more men forward looking for a way back into the game. Rather than deflating the Saints it spurred them on for a more concerted effort on the Shrewsbury goal and were almost immediately rewarded with another goal for Guy Roberts. The last 10 minutes saw a lot of honest endeavour by the Saints masters in seeking further goals - unfortunately only to get hit with two late Shrewsbury counter attacking goals. The 6-2 score line certainly flattered the hosts in what was a highly competitive and enjoyable game and against a very capable Shrewsbury outfit. The Masters look to keep their season going with a number of "friendlies" throughout the rest of the season - all opposition will be considered !

Saints U18s 0 – 9 Beeston U18s

Warriors come out play

It was the first gathering of the Saints U18’s this season after 2 Mercian matches had been cancelled, so preparation to face mighty Beeston last years national champions wasn’t the best! However there were 14 Warriors ready for the battle! Well when I say 14 really it was 13 as Max Heaphy arrived with Maddie Wightman’s playing shirt; Maddie is 9 years old!!!!!!!!

It took the Saints Warriors several minutes to wake up when they started playing some surprisingly lovely hockey, however with not long gone Beeston made the break through with a flowing move, straight from the training ground 0-1 Beeston. They continued to press our young warriour and despite valiant defending from Caton, Wilde, Roberts, Thompson, Wightman plus heroic goalkeeping from Holt, Beeston were 6-0 up at half time!

A few stern but encouraging words of wisdom from Tony Brennan and Ben Stephenson had the Warriors out with a new found confidence in the second half and had several promising attacks. Every ball was keenly fought for and despite conceding a further three goals, the Warriors put in a solid performance and even had passages of play where they looked very much in charge – making Beeston looking very average at times. Final Score Saints Warriors 0-9 Beeston U18

It was a well fought game, with the score line not doing the young warriors justice. Although much to improve on, this was a good start to this years campaign. The Warriors will strive forward and show other sides that they are a team to be reckoned with.

MOTM: shared this match between Ed Holt and Max Heaphy.

Special Mention to Tom Wightman for his leadership.

DOTD James Knibbs, we won’t mention why

Squad: Ed Hol (GK), Matt Caton, Matt Wilde, Sean Henry, George Roberts, James Knibb, Jamie Hawkins, Lee Thompson, Ant Condon, Tim Warburton, Tom Wightman, Max Heaphy, Ally Rose, Jacob Pryce

Ladies 1st XI 0-4 Wakefield

The ladies travelled to league leaders Wakefield in this National Conference North clash. Preparations weren’t ideal as a water logged pitch delayed the start time by over one hour.

The first period saw Saints be the dominant side, and they really should have taken the lead with 2 clear shots on the keeper early on from Ellie Hand and Lisa Coe. They continued to be the better side and some-what against the run of play Wakefield scored. They then doubled their lead shortly before half-time.

The second half was a disappointing affair as the ladies took their foot off the gas and allowed Wakefield to dominate them. Keeper Sophie Ross was in inspired form however even she couldn’t prevent 2 further goals going in.

Next week sees the ladies travel to Whitley Bay for a ‘6-pointer’.

Ladies 2nd XI 5-1 Nottingham Uni 1st XI

Goal scorers: LA Chacksfield (3), Becca Wilkinson, Emily Kilner.

Another top quality display of hockey from Saints 2’s mixing experience with youth to prove the students are no match. We did start quite badly as we let the students score a quick goal against the run of play which quickly prompted us to start playing our game our way. We quickly fought back scoring a peachy goal from LA, followed by another from Emily Kilner then another from LA. Saints finished the first half 3-1 up. After a stern team talk and a few pointers from Leech in the dark art of defending we started the second half in earnest. A few some excellent passages of play led to saints potting two more lovely goals from Beca Wilkinson and LA. Saints finished the match 5-1 worthy winners.

Man of the Match went to Alice Kilner, and also mentioning excellent displays from Nikki Stringer (in the second half) Ferne Sanders (one handed) Sally Adlen and Clare Noble.

DOTD went to Sally Adlen for not only taking out two players in one go but showing us and the home support her backside too!!

Thank you for your support and encouraging comments from the sidelines

Ladies 3rd XI 4-2 Kettering 3rd XI

Goals: Hannah Richards and Natalia Raca, CJ (2)

Ladies 3s had a great win on Saturday with the final score being 4-2. The whole team played well together with great cohesion between the midfield and forwards securing the goals. Jane Ogden gained man of the match for excellent play in the midfield. Goals were scored by Hannah Richards and Natalia Raca and CJ (2), two scored by well drilled short corners. The final goal showed off the team's excellent hockey skills with a great ball into the D from Hannah Richards and tactful touch from CJ into the net. Special mention also to the defenders including Georgia Anniky and keeper Emma Brennan who made strong tackles and saves throughout the match. Thanks must go to the support on the sidelines which really encouraged players on the pitch. This win now puts us back in the top three!

Ladies 4thXI 5-0 Olney

Well the score does not reflect how hard the team worked. Olney had a bit of a shock in the first half as the Saints went on a continuous attack from the whistle. We had numerous shots on goal and the team really deserved to get few goals. Their performance in the first half was faultless - all held their positions and the team moved the ball around very well making Olney work for it.

Unfortunately our downfall in the end came from a lack of marking and loss of structure giving Olney the advantage and they soon stepped up their game. Easy one to fix though Saints - keep on the attack those goals will come!

Cheer on the ladies this Sunday (20th Nov)

Matt Gausden — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:43:20 +0000

The ladies 1s host Beeston at Moulton College on Sunday (20th Nov), 12pm push back.

Please come along and support them, this match is really important to their survival hopes in National League.

Come and be the 12th player for your club!

Thanks,
Matt

Match Reports from 12th & 13th November

Matt Gausden — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:21:58 +0000

Ladies 1stXI 1-4 Whitley Bay

Goals: Lisa Coe

After a good night of team bonding everyone was up for the game. Northampton didn't have a good start but were up for it. As Sunderland kept possession and managed to score 3 good goals in quick succession we were keen to score winning a short corner. Lisa Coe took the ball well and the score was 3-1 as the half time whistle blow.

The second half saw Saints keep their own and defend the line well. Unfortunately they allowed the oranges to come back and score making the result 4-1. The game continued with some strong leads from the Saints forward line although no outcomes.

Next weekend sees them host Beeston at Moulton College on Sunday, 12pm push back. Please come along and support them in this crunch match.

Ladies 2nd XI 5-2 West Bridgford

Goals: Lucy Ann Checksfield (3), Becca Wilkinson (2)

A few stats for you to put you in the picture: combined age of the back 5 players: 193 (not including keeper!). Average age of front 5 players: 15! (if you don’t count Lucy Ann. She was 22 years older than our youngest player!!). Hmmm what have we let ourselves in for???

Saints started badly and for the first ten minutes they carelessly gave away possession to West Bridgford. With a few words of encouragement from the side they soon started to play the beautiful hockey we are more than capable of and scored first through Lucy Ann Checksfield after a lovely ball from Emily Kilner, leaving the score 1-0. Not long after Checksfield won a penalty corner which she converted to make it 2. Seemingly in control of the game, Saints pressed the self-destruct button as some sloppy defending led to a goal for the opposition just before half-time.

The Half time team talk was a bit miserable and grey but the ladies did manage to consume a bag of jelly babies quickly, and recompose themselves to start the second half.

The second half saw some great play from Saints both in defence and attack. Some excellent pieces of play from Becca Wilkinson up front and Checksfield led to Wilkinson scoring goal number 3 for Saints. The pairing of Caz Whitehouse and Clare Noble was working so well in the middle that they forced the opposition to run down either flank into the welcoming stick of both Ness Kingston and Nikki Stringer, both who had excellent defensive games (note Stringer you play in defence!!!!!). Alice Kilnerl worked hard in midfield to steal the ball from the opposition and then pass to Lydia MacDonell who ran past two players into the D and pass a lovely ball to Checksfield who scored making it 4-1 to Saints. Great teamwork from young players and finished off by experience!

Our last goal was scored soon after by Becca Wilkinson. Again from a well worked piece of play from Lucy Ann making the score 5-1 to Saints. There were ten minutes left and we thought it was all over until West Bridgford scored from an unlikely penalty corner to make the final score 5-2 to saints.

Well done girls another win to leave you at the top of the table by a point! Next week a trickier match against Newark away.

Man of match: Clare Noble

DOTD: Karla Tate (admin error!!)

Ladies 3rd XI 5-1 Wellingborough 3rd XI

Goals: Hannah Richards (3), Sarah Telford, ?

Match report to follow....

Ladies 4thXI 3-0 Rushden & Higham

Goals: Lou Harte (2), Lizz Hone

Saints came out as deserved victors in this match. The first half was an end to end encounter, although unfortunately no goals were scored by either side. The second half saw Lou Harte put two goals away in open play, and the game was sealed with an outstanding goal from Lizz Hone. Special mention to some great play from Jules Herring and Christie Walsh as centre and right midfield.

Men’s 1st XI 3-4 Burton 1st XI

Goals: Dave Saunders, Joe Colantonio, Ben Scott

Saints travelled to Burton hoping to get back to winning ways after last week’s disappointing result against Warwick. However, the away side made a shocking start conceding three goals in the first fifteen minutes. Bad mistakes and weak defending cost Saints as they now faced an uphill struggle. Saints found it difficult to keep hold of the ball and turned over possession far too easily. Towards the end of the first half Dave Saunders pulled a goal back after a good cross from Ben Northedge.

The second half was slightly better but Saints still struggled to create chances once in the Burton half and were lucky not to concede further goals as Burton missed a host of chances. Joe Kopka was sent off after taking down a high ball which made the job tougher for Saints but they never gave up. The last ten minutes was all Saints and after some contacts pressure, Joe Colantonio made it 3-2 slamming home after an initial short corner was saved. With three minutes to go Saints won another corner and Ben Scott drag flicked home to equalise – a great comeback.

Unfortunately this was not enough as Burton broke away and won a dubious short corner in extra time. Burton scored to win the game.

With two games to before the Christmas break, Saints need a win to avoid getting drawn into a relegation battle next year.

Men’s 2nd XI 2-7 Olton & West Warwick

Goals: Andy Smith, ?

The game started well as Saints managed to keep Olton out and make a few chances of their own. After the game being like this for a good 10 minutes Olton managed to break the Saints defence and score the first goal. Saints knowing they needed to bounce back early restarted with a positive attitude and began attacking, not long after the restart saints managed to pull it back to 1 – 1. This remained the score until half time despite both teams creating chances.

After an inspiring team talk from Collin and Guy we set up to begin the second half with a positive belief of taking the win, the second half started the same as the first with Olton having the majority of the attack. Saints were defending to the last breath but unfortunately couldn’t help but concede a penalty corner, cue the Olton forward who stepped up and drag flicked the ball ridiculously fast past Guys head. 2 – 1.

The majority of the second half was the same with Olton having the majority of the attacks where they went on to get more short corners with their forward stepping up and slotting another 2 drag flicks in, not sure if he was aiming for Guy but as they both went down the left of the goal. They then scored another short slipping it back post and slapping it in. They also managed to get a penalty flick after a controversial tackle by Pete Riches, 6 – 1. Saints looking at a loss still held their heads high as we continued to push forward finally getting a goal, which came from a well-executed pass from Max Heaphy to Andy Smith on the back post who calm as a cucumber slotted it in, 6 – 2. The game continued with Olton still pressing for more goals when they managed to grab another. The game finished 7 – 2 but saints were not disheartened as we put in a good effort rate and played quality hockey.

MOTM: Ed Holt - great saves

DOTD: Liam Cassidy – Liam DOTD (is that enough emphasis on DOTD?) for when asked who his man of the match was he looked at the sheet and I quote said “can’t believe nobody voted for me to be man of the match” he then took the pen and wrote his own name and put a vote next to it, cue everybody changing the vote to Liam for DOTD!

Men's 3rd XI 5-1 Boots

Goals: George Roberts, Luke Pibworth (2), Evan Morris, Ian Maciiwaine

Saints came out to Nottingham to play Boots, via KFC & Starbucks for some. After being led to use the 1940’s ladies changing rooms, then waiting for ages while Umpires from the previous match decided whether lights would help, the match was finally here. Whether Spencer-Brown finished reading his novel is another matter. A scrappy start saw a goal line clearance from Hillier... hang on a minutes wasn’t Jason Hillier told to rest for 6 weeks after damaging bones and ligaments. Apparently so!!

Saints took the lead when Bigley passed to the back post for Roberts to tap in. The lead was doubled when Pibworth hit home from just inside the D. With Saints looking to dominate, Boot came back into the game scoring, before saves from Thompson kept Saints’ lead at 2-1. As the half wore on Saints began to dominate with Pibworth giving newcomer Evan a tap in at the far post for 3.

The second half saw Saints in control with some majestic passing that was quite enjoyable to watch (or would have been if I was a spectator), giving the Boots keeper a chance to make some fine saves. Saints scored their fourth with Mcilwaine scoring a delightful, skilful, magical goal scooping the ball into the corner (he wanted it to sound impressive). The fifth was really the work of a rampaging Down who, in the last 10 minutes seemed possessed. His pass gave Pibworth the tap in, but further rampages didn’t give Down his glory. Wightman was unlucky not to score as his drag flick cannoned of the crossbar, while Hillier’s ‘injury’ brought on a massive air shot from a penalty corner. Also Andy Dale made up for lost time by having his friendly chat to the opposition post match this time instead of before.

Next week Saints are at home to the new league leaders, but are confident after recent performances.

MOTM: Evan Morris, for a fine newcomer performance

DOTD: George Roberts – Incessant stupidity, and over enthusiastic apologising during the match

Men’s 5th 1-2 Loughborough Town 5th XI

Goals: Matt Kerr

Motorway delays puts paid to 5s unbeaten run.

The 5th team went down to their first defeat of the season in unfortunate circumstances. A broken down lorry on the M1 motorway delayed the whole squad for over an hour which led to the game starting late. The team had to start the game minutes after arriving at the Loughborough University pitch. Not surprising in these circumstances, they fell behind by two goals to nil within the first 10 minutes. The opposition started much more brightly and stand- in keeper Rob Tee, who himself had not had any warm up, could do nothing about either shot on goal.

The game settled down into a more even contest after this shocking opening, and the 5s started passing the ball around down both flanks. Tom Dysko and Gareth Voss were pulling the strings in midfield and Hugo Day started to use his pace and skill to attack down the left wing. Loughborough were still looking threatening but it was Northampton who scored next. A fine taken effort on the turn by Matt Kerr. Captain David Henry had to leave the field due to a leg injury and with a number of substitutions being made, the 5th's were finding it hard to get their rhythm seen in previous weeks.

In the second half Rob Tee excelled in goal with some fine saves. Dysko showed a little bit too much competitive spirit and was yellow cared for a dangerous challenge. The pitch was playing well but this did not stop a number of players being hit by shots being lifted. Rob Cary was also guilty of missing two penalty corner stops. Did the ball bobble?

The 5s kept pressing for another goal and Ed Arnold and Ro Cary went close with efforts. However, it wasnt to be and the 5s need to pick themselves up for next week's game against West Bridgford.

MOTM: Rob Tee (heroic goalkeeping)

DOTD: Tom Dysko (Yellow Fever)

tea: Pasta bake in loughborough pub

Squad: Rob Tee (GK) Steve Morris, Jeremy Wan Harry Stobart, Matt Caton, Gareth Voss, Hugo Day, David Henry (capt), Luke Howard, Rob Cary, Matt Kerr, Ed Arnold, Tom Dysko.

Men’s 6th XI 0-1 Ashby 4th XI

Goal Scorers: None

In a very physical game, a simple formula was going to be applied: whoever gets the other team to change their game plan will win. Ashby succeeded in getting the World Famous Fighting Sixes to change their plan and they put the golden goal away.

The WFF6s did not play with enough commitment, passion and were easily bullied off the ball. Poor passes, sloppy tackling and lazy man marking meant the F6s were constantly under pressure. Darren Thorpe was absolutely dogged in defense and Dean Gibson made some fantastic saves to keep the scores tied at 0-0 going into half time. Umpire dissent from senior F6s players hampered further efforts to win 50/50 decisions and all of this was pointed out in a fiery half time talk.

The second half was a rinse and repeat of the first half with one difference. In the dying minutes of the game an Ashby striker lobbed a shot over a committed keeper to take them 1-0 up. Moral of the story: stick to your game plan WFF6s, no matter how the other team are playing.

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Dean Gibson (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Darren Thorpe; Pete Malpass; Phil Marillat; Ian Boddington; Lee Thompson; Alasdair Townsend; Jamie Hawkins; Tim Warburton; Alex Jeffery and Phil Adams

England Honours for Saints Girls

Matt Gausden — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:23:14 +0000

Emily Kilner has also been invited along to the England U16s Girls Assessment Camp at Lilleshall National Sports Centre over the next two days.This is the first stage of the National Age Group programme for the 2011-12 international season.

Emily now joins fellow Saints player Lydia Macdonell at the camps.

Congratulations ladies

Match Reports from 19th & 20th November

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:46:58 +0000

Ladies 3rd XI 6-0 Towcester 3rd XI

Goals: Hannah Richards, Alice Kilner, Rosie Barnes, Annie Howard, Laura Thomas

The pressure was on before the game as they knew 3 points were required to regain 2nd place, as their nearest challengers Kettering had claimed 3 points earlier in the day. Thankfully the ladies 3s stepped up to the plate and secured a superb win against Towcester. By half-time they were 3 goals up as Rosie Barnes, Laura Thomas and Hannah Richards got on the score sheet. The first goal in particular deserves special mention as the ball was passed around at pace with most of the team getting a touch before they split open the Towcester defence allowing a 3 on 1 which Saints duly took advantage of.

The second half saw the one-way traffic continue as further goals were scored by Laura Thomas, Alice Kilner and Annie Howard. Credit must also go to Emma Brennan and her defence as they held firm for all the game and constantly held off the pressure of the Towcester forwards.

MOTM- Annie Howard for strong midfield play and a great goal

DOTD- SarahTelford for falling over with no ball and no player close to her

Ladies 1stXI 0-10 Beeston 1stXI

Fog threatened the fixture with Beeston, but cleared enough before push back for the game to be played.

The Sunday fixture attracted a sizeable crowd of supporters who were rewarded with some skilful hockey and a plethora of with goals which crept into double figures; sadly the goals were all scored by the visitors.

Saints conceded their first goal within minutes of the start and continued to defend for the remainder of the first half. The home side appeared to need more energy and urgency in their play and while they welcomed Amie Hone back to the midfield, who had been absent for three weeks with an ankle injury, they were still unable to capitalise on opportunities to score. Saints Amy Tuffs and Lisa Coe received green and yellow cards respectively, which for a period of time found Saints battling it out with a meagre nine players.(Amusingly, Tuffs’ card coincided with her substitution, which initially went unnoticed, and the home side played on with a full team for a further minute).

Saints struggled to retain possession awarding their opponents various chances which Beeston duly converted in both open play and penalty short corners.

The hosts came alive in the final ten minutes repeatedly making the attacking D but sadly the whistle called time before a scoring opportunity arose. The final score declared Saints ten goals down to top of table Beeston.

Ladies 2ndXI 2-2 Newark

Goals: Lucy Ann Chacksfield (2)

This top of the table clash proved to really be a game of 2 halves. Newark took the first half bragging rights as they scored two soft goals as Saints defence were turned over twice in quick succession. This was perhaps a slightly harsh score-line for Saints as they had played a fairly solid if unspectacular half in general.

However the second half Saints returned to playing their hockey, their way as they brought the game back to 2-2. The first goal was from open play through the midfield of Caz Whitehouse and Clare Noble leading to Lucy Ann Chacksfield scoring a peachy goal past a stumbling Newark defence. This silenced the baying crowd and Saints then turned the screw on a fading Newark as they won a succession of penalty corners. From one of these Chacksfield scored from a direct hit into the bottom left corner of the goal. With time still left Saints should have finished Newark off as they wasted 2 gilt edged chances. However the winning goal was lacking for either side so it finished 2-2.

MOTM: Caz Whitehouse

DOTD: Lucy Ann Chacksfield (that sat nav told me to do it)

Men’s 1stXI 2-2 West Bridgford

Goals: Ben Scott, Gareth Parker

Saints hosted Bridgford in what was expected to be a tight game given previous fixtures between these two teams. Saints started very brightly and controlled form the start and within two minutes won their first short corner after good work from Alex Press and Dave Sanders. A perfect injection from Grant Carlin enabled Ben Scott to drag flick home and give the home side the perfect start. Saints continued to have the majority of possession and although Bridgford pressured Saints midway through the half they never really threatened. Saints scored their second after a very good move down the left. Saunders, Kopka and Press all combining to leave Gareth Parker with a tap in at the far post. 2-0 half time.

The second half way started evenly with both sides enjoying breakaways. After ten minutes Bridgford scored from their second short corner of the game. A clean straight strike beating Paul Madeley down his left hand side. After this Bridgford piled on the pressure and Saints had to defend frantically for ten minutes. Every time Saints cleared their lines Bridgford broke back as the home sides forwards were unable to keep the ball. Eventually Bridgford’s pressure told and they equalised. A mistake in the Saints midfield gave possession away and from the resulting cross a Bridgford player beat the Saints defence to the ball to deflect past Madeley.

Although Saints had just been pegged back they showed great character to gather themselves and create further chances to win the game. A couple of three on one chances were wasted by the home side as well as two misplaced shots which could have stolen all three points. All in all a disappointing end but a fair result.

Next week Saints travel to Stourport for their last game before Christmas

Lichfield 4th XI 1-1 Men’s 4th XI

Scorer; Ross McLean

Piranha Preen Sees of the Firing Squad

Fired up after last week’s win, Saints started this game in positive style. Good job too, as Lichfield’s lowly league position belied a strong passing team who would have threatened to take the visitors apart had they not fielded a strong side.

With Gary “Wing Commander” Patterson’s pace slowed down by the extra drag created by his ginger mo’, Saints did well to withstand the early pressure, and it was the home team who were peppering the goal. Luckily Phil “Piranha” Preen had been dropped to the fours and was able to keep out a string of efforts crying, “Stop firing that ball at me!” as shot after shot pinged off his scaly body armour.

The turning point came mid-way through the first half as Preen saved a penalty flick given away by James Ruse. From then on, the home team got more and more riled by Saints dogged resistance and some questionable decisions by their own umpires.

Lichfield took the lead later in the half with an opportunistic flick but Saints soon equalised with a no-nonsense strike from Ross “Snake” McLean.

The second half turned into a bit of a tennis match as Lichfield’s game broke down, despite Ruse’s attempts to let them in by falling over a lot. Saints surely would have won the game if it were not for a disappointing lack of scoring opportunities created up front. Jim Phipps later went on record as saying, “We’ve turned the corner!”

MOM: Will Gamble(cheery disposition)

DOD: James Ruse (ice skating)

Squad: Phil Preen, James Ruse (c), Jim Phipps, Anthony Richardson, Ant Czaicki, Gary Patterson, Joe Cliffe, Lewis Moran, Will Gamble, Greg Summers, Krish Jasinaranchi, Ant Condon, Chris Godman, Ross McLean

Men’s 3rdXI 3-4 West Bridgford

Goals: Hillier (2pc) Knibbs, Rose

Classy Goals, Messy Game

Saints played the new leaders of the East Midlands Prem, knowing the challenge ahead, after West Bridgford had scored 24 goals just last week. The start seemed ominous too, with some slick passing leading to their first goal of the match. Five minutes later Saints gained a short corner, and Hillier left the opposition in no doubt that Saints meant business, 1-1. The game started to settle down and it to a magical reverse from Ally Rose to give Saints the lead. Once again Bridgford struck back, the defence hoping for a whistle allowing the striker to pop the ball home. West Bridford started to exert their game once again and their 3rdgoal soon came along. Both teams were fired up to take control, and a moment of over exuberance saw Rowlands and an opposition player see yellow. Saints once again pegged West Bridford back, with James Knibbs seemingly passing the whole team before another fine reverse shot in to the bottom corner.

The second half saw no further action from Spencer-Brown who was seemingly struck down with illness. Both teams saw a standard of play much lower than desired and despite retaking the lead, West Bridford’s ill discipline saw 2 further yellows during the course of the second half. Despite this Saints failed to capitalize, including Dale’s Aerial’s more often than not hitting the first defender, and it was West Bridford who increased their lead thanks to a penalty corner. Simon Thompson, made some crucial saves as Saints looked like giving up for loss, but with 7 minutes remaining Hillier struck inch perfect from another penalty corner setting up a tense final few minutes. Despite gaining to further penalty corners, Saints could not find the equalizer. In fairness the best team won, but Saints knew a draw was within their grasp.

MOTM: Simon Thompson for some excellent saves at crucial moments

DOTD: Jon Hunter for not knowing the score after the match

Squad: Marcus Spencer-Brown, Sam Bigley, Luke Pibworth, James Knibbs, Chris Rowlands, Simon Thompson (gk), Andy Dale (c), Jason Hillier, Ally Rose, Nigel Down, George Roberts, Ian Mcilwaine, James Miller, Jon Hunter

Men's 5th XI 0-3 West Bridgford 6th XI

Great Disappointment !!!

Saints 5th team at home again welcomed the West Bridgford 6th team listed on the bottom of the league. 13 players turned up this week on the pitch giving the Saints 5th team an advantage of having 2 subs on the bench. As usual every player was showing a great fighting spirit from the first minute.

David Henry the captain decided to change the team formation slightly moving Gareth Voss (centre midfielder) to the defensive line, Tom Dysko (centre midfielder) to the right mid wing, Hugo Day landed in a centre midfield and Luke Howard was moved to the left wing.

The first half started as normal, Saints were pressing and trying to make a use of Dysko on the right wing as agreed before the match. This strategic idea did not really work due to the difficulties in passing the ball accurately. However Dysko managed to do a couple of one-hand runs trying to bring the ball into the D.

The opponents were breaking Saints defence line a number of times and one such move resulted in a penalty flick, which seemed a little bit harsh at the time. West Bridgford converted this to take a 1 goal lead. Shortly before half-time and against the run of play, Saints lost another goal as a result of Gareth Voss playing the ball across the D.

The second saw numerous chances for Saints to get back into the game, however time and time again the ball kept passing the wrong side of the post . With time running out and Saints pushing forward, West Bridgford got an undeserved third goal to seal the victory.

Lesson to be learned: Rob Tee needs to find out how long the hockey match lasts and he should not use the feet out of the D when he plays in the goal.

MOTM: Jeremy Wan for his good skill in looking for the gaps for a pass.

DOTD: Ed Arnold for his bad passing skills.

Squad: Rob Tee (GK), Steve Morris, Jeremy Wan, Harry Stobart, Luke Howard, Tom Dysko, Rob Cary, Ed Arnold, Matt Kerr, Hugo Day, Gareth Voss, David Henry (capt), Adam Shepherd

Boys U18s 6-2 Northampton University

Goals: Will Gamble, Andy Smith (2), Ed Holt, Max Heaphy, Tom Wightman

In this battle of boys against men, the boys came out the victors against the University Men’s team.

The heavy rain before and during the first half added a bit of zip to the ball meaning the game started off at a frantic pace with both teams intent on attacking and moving the ball around at speed. The game slowly started to calm down as Saints got a stronghold on things. As they camped themselves in the University’s half, it came as no surprise when Saints took the lead, with Will Gamble finishing off a some good interchange of passing from the midfield. Saints then proceeded to take their foot off the gas as the rest of the first half just faded out.

With some stern words said at half time, the U18s came out all guns blazing. Minutes into the second half they scored the goal of the game, as Charlie Cox played a clever lobbed pass down the right to Max Heaphy, who in turn played a brilliant cross-field ball that split the Uni defence and found Andy Smith who ran it into the D, turned his marker and struck the ball into the roof of the net. Minutes later it was the turn of keeper come centre forward, Ed Holt to get in on the act as he scored from the top of the D. Saints then made it 4 as Max “somebody vote for me” Heaphy scored.

The Uni then pulled one back from a penalty corner, however not to be outdone, Saints came back to score again through forward Andy Smith.

With this becoming an end to end encounter, it was no surprise when the Uni pulled another one back, following some slack marking at the back by Saints.

However the final say was had by Saints One Direction look-a-like, Tom Wightman as he dribbled through a sea of defenders to tuck the ball past the keeper.

MOTM: Charlie Cox for the hard work

DOTD: Ed Holt for sliding tackle and scoring!

Squad: Jake Bennett (GK), Adam Shepherd, Charlie Cox, Greg Summers, Tom Wightman, Max Heaphy, Ally Rose, Will Gamble, Sean Henry, George Roberts, Ben Reynolds, Andy Smith.

Moulton Mixed Hockey Academy 1stXI 4 – 1 Loughborough College

Goals: David Marriott (3), James Knibb

The game started brightly for Moulton with a chance very early on involving Ant Condon and David Marriott. The play was completed dominated by Moulton for the first 20 minutes but without finding that opportunity to score. Chances came and went and against the run of play, Loughborough scored first. Moulton managed to draw level with David Marriott’s first of the afternoon, pouncing on a bobbling shot deflecting the ball passed the flailing keeper.

A positive half time talk, reinforcing everything the team had done well, did the trick and David Marriott was on the score sheet again. This time the tireless work of Ella Dagnall paying off to dispossess Loughborough’s playmaker as he tried to advance up the pitch, making a 3 on 2 in to goal, making the game 2:1 but far from over. Fittingly a great team goal made the game 3:1 and a little more comfortable, with the defence working hard to regain the ball and a super quick counter break allowed Abi Dalton to pass to Ant Condon who made David Marriott’s Hat-trick easy by slipping it to him back post for an tap in. James Knibb then made it 4:1 with a good solo run getting the ball on to his strong reverse stick leaving the keeper with no chance. Loughborough then had their strong phase of the game and Moulton did well to dig deep, putting bodies on the line to prevent them from getting back in to the game.

Top Scorers chart 2011/12

Matt Gausden — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:32:35 +0000

Due to many requests (and not just Jason Hillier telling me "I want everyone to know how many goals I've scored"!!), I've listed below the clubs top scorers so far this season. These goals include any friendlies and mixed games you've played in.

(If you think you've scored more than this then let me know, I am missing goal scorer data from some matches. Email me at matthew.gausden@hotmail.co.uk)

**Updated 29/11/11**

2011-12 TOP GOAL SCORERS (goals include friendlies, mens, ladies and mixed matches)
Name	Total Goals
LA Chacksfield	24
Luke Pibworth	12
Ben Scott	9
Dan Rose	8
Jason Hillier	8
Danny Whitfield	7
Lou Harte	6
Tom Scott-Collins	6
Rob Cary	6
Scott Mahoney	6
Gareth Parker	5
Alisdair Townsend	5
Andy Smith	5
Joe Kopka	5
Emily Kilner	4
CJ Thompson	4
James Morgan	4
Mark Shepherd	4
Alex Jeffrey	4
Janine Sanders	4
Casey Humphries	4
Steve Roffe	4
Ally Rose	4
Jon Noble	4
Sam Bigley	4
Caz McCabe	3
Becca Wilkinson	3
Dave Saunders	3
Alex Press	3
Ant Condon	3
Jacob Pryce	3
Matt Kerr	3
Richard Smith	3
Joshua Pibworth	3
Guy Roberts	3
Athiq Thamby	3
Ross Mclean	3
Tom Wightman	3
Hannah Richards	2
Laura Thomas	2
Natalia Raca	2
Jules Herring	2
Lizz Hone	2
James Knibb	2
Sam Mitchell	2
Jon Hunter	2
Tom Dysko	2
Harry Stobbart	2
Ed Arnold	2
Ben Northedge	2
Andy Dale	2
Richard Darby	2
Max Darby	2
Max heaphy	2
Will Gamble	2
Thea Jackson	2
Sean Henry	2
Greg Summers	2
Steve Morris	2
Dave Henry	2
Meg Patrick	2
Sophie Herring	2
Alice Kilner	1
Rosie Barnes	1
Annie Howard	1
Emily Wilkins	1
Clare Noble	1
Hanna Wilkins	1
Jane Ogden	1
Caroline Avery	1
Emma Cave	1
Lisa Coe	1
Ellie Bleech	1
Ness Kingston	1
Nadine Moll	1
Grant Carlin	1
Lloyd Atkinson	1
Joe Colantonio	1
Lee O'Donnell	1
Dan Whitakker	1
George Roberts	1
Ian Mcilwaine	1
Evan Morris	1
Matt Swansborough	1
Callum Scott-Collins	1
Gareth Voss	1
Matt Caton	1
James Ruse	1
Dave Langley	1
Rachel Langley	1
Matt Herbert	1
Trudy Royer	1
Ant Pearce	1
Ed Holt	1
Ant Czaicki	1
Laura Wychgel	1
Adam Shepherd	1

Ladies 1s - Thanks for your support

Matt Gausden — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:02:04 +0000

Hi All,

We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who came up to support us on Sunday. It was brilliant to see so many of you there cheering us on.

We’re sorry that our performance didn’t match your enthusiasm on the side-lines.

We hope to see you there for more of our home games in the New Year as we fight for survival in the National League.

Thanks once again,

Gavin Markham (Ladies 1s coach) and the Ladies 1st Team Squad

Match Reports from 27th & 28th November

Matt Gausden — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:17:06 +0000

Men’s 1stXI 3-5 Stourport

Goals: Ben Scott, Joe Kopka(2)

Saints made long journey over to Stourport hoping for a first win in four games. The away side started well as they soaked up any pressure Stourport produced and counter attacked with pace causing panic to the experienced Stourport defence. A three on one chance went to waste as Saints continued to threaten on the break. Saints defended two short corners very well and then won their first fifteen minutes into the half. A solid injection and stop from Carlin and Colantonio enabled Ben Scott to flick home. 1-0 nil Saints. Three minutes later Saints doubled their lead as Joe Kopka rounded off a great move, coolly sliding the ball under the advancing keeper when put through on goal.

Stourport responded well and pulled a goal back through their third short corner. A change of injection foxing the Saints and the Stourport forward beat Paul Madeley at his near post. Saints immediately responded when another counter attack resulted in a goal mouth scramble and Kopka was there to see the ball over the line for his second. Saints should have held this lead until half time but conceded twice before the whistle. The first, a short corner deflected into the corner and the second a back post tap in after Saints had failed to stay with their men. 3-3 half time.

Stourport came out very strongly in the second half and it took quite a while for Saints to fashion any chances. It was a scrappy 15 minutes but Stourport eventually took the lead when very casual defending led to a one on one chance and the home side squeezed the ball into the Saints goal. The away side responded well and created a couple of great chances. One of these being a one on one chance just missing the far post. Saints were made to pay when Stourport broke down the right and fired a threatening ball into the D. The Stourport forwards showed a lot more bravery than the Saints defence to deflect the ball into the goal.

Another one on one chance went begging for Saints as well as two more half chances and a last ditch short corner which Scott failed to convert. A very disappointing defeat especially after holding a two goal advantage twice in the first half. A lot of growing up needs to be done to protect these leads after Christmas as Saints have dropped 8 points from winning positions so far this season. Aside from this the dressing room is very positive and a good start after Christmas away at Coventry and home to Rugby will settle any nerves going into the last few games.

Men’s 3rdXI 0-0 Loughborough Town

Brainless was the word mentioned, otherwise choose from un-inspiring, disjointed or carbon copy of last week. Saints went into the game with Loughborough Town knowing a win was essential to keep pressure on the promotion places. What they didn’t take in to consideration was Saints leaving their form at home.

First half showed end to end play, yet few chances were created. Loughborough seemed to forget the 5 metre rule, along with wild tackles on both sides made ragged viewing as play was repeatedly broken up. Saints best chances to break through often came from through balls past the deference, but as the game went on percentage passes were used more and more, resulting in lost possession.

Loughborough took heart from staying in contention and into the second half created a couple of shots on goal, Thompson on hand to keep them at bay. Saints started to push for a goal, resulting in several short corners. None were taken and Loughborough almost scored from their short corner, only for the shot to be adjudged to have been over the backboard. As Saints pushed for a late goal, Loughborough exposed the defence, and after Thompson was grounded from an initial save, Hillier was needed to stop the follow-up shot on the line. Dale cleared the ball, after clipping his own post in the process. Saints couldn’t find the goal despite a last minute penalty corner. Something will need to change in the performance if Saints are to be taken seriously this year.

MOTM: Lucy the Barmaid!!!! Jon Hunter a close 2nd

DOTD: Andy Dale, for multiple failed aerials

Andy Dale (c), Simon Thompson (gk), George Roberts, James Miller, Jason Hillier, Jon Hunter, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Sam Bigley, Nigel Down, Evan Morris, Ian Mcilwaine, James Knibbs, Luke Pibworth, Krish Jasinaranchi

Men’s 4thXI 3-2 Beeston

Goals: Jon Noble, Ant Czaicki, Ross Mclean

The 4ths bouyed by recent strong form entertained the undefeated and top of the table Beeston with some confidence at home. Saints dominated the early exchanges and within the first 20 minutes had established a two goal cushion. The first being a deft flick by Jon noble after some fine approach play and the second a pole driver of a short corner from Ant Czaicki. Beeston were stung into action and responded just before half time with a short corner goal to reduce the deficit 2-1 at half time.

Beeston started to apply much more pressure in the second half and equalied midway through the second half to ensure a tense finish. The young saints forward line had created chances all game and with 15 minutes left rising badgers starlet Ross Mclean scored a fine individual goal to restore the saints lead. The last 15 minutes ebbed and flowed with saints having an equal share of the chances created and finished the stronger team to record another morale boosting win. This was a fine team performance by the whole squad reflecting the growing confidence within this young side - who now turn their attention to Belper this Saturday.

Men’s 5thXI 3-3 Burton 4thXI

Goals: Dave Henry, Rob Cary, Steve Morris

The men’s 5s were keen to halt a mini run of bad results against Burton 4thteam this week. In a competitive game, which ebbed and flowed in both directions, the spoils were shared with a 3-3 result. The 5s had been suffering from a lack of goalscoring in recent weeks and the pre match team talk was all about the need to push forward and create more chances in the D. Burton started the more brightly and were soon putting Northampton under a lot of pressure, Scott Bashford was kept busy in goal and Steve Morris and Karl McGregor kept it solid at the back with resolute defending. Northampton were struggling to string passes together and gave away a lot of possession, but then, against the run of play he ball came loose in the Burton D and David Henry scored in the bottom right corner with a less than convincing, but effective, flick! Soon after Rob Cary added a second with a much more accomplished flick over the goalie. 2-0 rather flattered the Saints who were still playing somewhat disjointed hockey. Jeremy Wan and Harry Stobart were having solid games at the back, Tom Dysko and Hugo Day were enjoying surging forward from midfield but it came as no surprise when Burton scored a goal back after the ball was not cleared from the Saints D. Half time came and a chance to regroup and discuss tactics.

The second half started disasterously for Northampton as Burton scored from a short corner after less than a minute of the game restarting. The opposition could now smell blood and were attacking regularly through the middle. After a number of very narrow escapes for the 5s, The third Burton goal seemed inevitable, and eventually it came and the 5s were behind in the game for the first time. Tom Dysko was then yellow carded for repeated stick tackles further adding to the woes of the team. The 3rdBurton goal though had a positive effect, and the 5s started to play the quality passing hockey that had brought the success earlier in the season. Luke Howard, Hugo, Ed Arnold and Rob Tee enjoyed some good possession and Burton’s goal came under sustained pressure. The well deserved equaliser came as a deflection off Steve Morris’s stick and the 5s were back in the game. Further pressure at both ends could not bring a goal with the game finishing at 3-3. Probably a fair result, although Burton felt they should have won.

MOTM: Steve Morris ( great goal to rescue game)

DOTD: Tom Dysko ( failure to follow yellow card warning)

Squad: Scott Bashford, Steve Morris, Karl McGregor, Harry Stobart, Jeremy Wan, Hugo Day, David Henry (capt) Tom Dysko, Ed Arnold, Rob Cary, Rob Tee, Luke Howard.

Boys U18s 7-0 Bournville Boys U18s

Goals: Sam Bigley (2), Jacob Pryce, James Knibb, Tom Wightman, Adam Shepherd, Sean Henry

After being knocked out of the Cup competition; the boys were out once again this time in the Plate to face Bourneville in the first round. The original 13 man squad was cut to 12 the night before and then 11, just hours before the game as the commitment of the boys was tested. To make matters worse, Tony was late arriving from the U16 girls, leaving the team with just one ball to warm up with – for which Sean swiftly hit over the fence.

Poor preparation fortunately didn’t cause the Warriors to slack, as the boys came out with real strength and determination and after a ball from Matt Wilde broke through the Bourneville defence, Sam Bigley was on hand to deflect the ball past the keeper. After several more minutes of pressure Saints went 2-0 up with a recreation of the first goal with Sam once again slotting home. The boys had chance after chance for the next 20 minutes, but failed to put any in. Saints finishing the half at 2-0 but had opportunities to score double figures.

The half time team talk was very much centred around the failed attempts and emphasis was put on the strikers to attack the ball in the D. After a long half Saints could really have done with a drink, only to be disappointed by Tony again– leaving the water bottles in his car!

With refreshed enthusiasm the boys went out searching for more goals and were patience paid off as three quick goals found their way into the back of the net from Jacob Pryce, James Knibb and a fantastic short corner routine finished off by Tom Wightman – making it 5-0. Several runs from the midfield group of Sean Henry, Max Heaphy, Charlie Cox and Tom Wightman led to nothing. With Max making some brilliant runs only to completely miss the ball on the shot... TWICE!

Possibly the most unexpected part of the game occurred when Adam Shepherd, yes Adam Shepherd scored making it 6-0! Continued pressure resulted in Sean Henry slotting in a reverse after a powerful attacking run, leaving the score 7-0, which is the way it finished. Safely through to the next round, however lots to work on. Saints need to begin to take more of their chances if they are to continue in this competition but overall a successful afternoon.

MoM Sam Bigley

DOTD Max Heaphy – for his swing and misses!

Squad: Ed Holt (GK) Tom Wightman (C), Matt Wilde, George Roberts, Matt Caton, Charlie Cox, Sean Henry, Max Heaphy, Sam Bigley, Jacob Pryce, Adam Shepherd, James Knibb.

Ladies 1st XI 1-2 Springfields

Goals: Thea Jackson

Another long journey away saw Saints face Springfield. With just 4 points and 1 place separating these 2 teams it meant victory was key for both teams.

The game started and saints pushed high as Springfields continued to defend their D. A great run from Lisa Coe ended in a well-deserved short corner which was struck well by Thea Jackson to put saints on top going into the second half. Further chances came and went as Saints failed to take advantage of their dominance with the ball.

The second half unfortunately went downhill as Springfields tested Saints defence which seemed to be holding up well. However Springfields won possession back and after a succession of good saves from Bex, they final shoot took the score 1-1. Springfield continued to test the Saints defence as they won a short corner, after running out hard they managed to score a second goal. Realising the game was slipping out of reach, Saints rallied and spent the final ten minutes camped in the oppositions half. With barely a minute left on the clock they won a well-deserved short corner. Unfortunately they couldn’t convert this and the game was lost.

Ladies 3rdXI 3-1 Ladies 4thXI

3s Goals: Sophie Herring (2), Meg Patrick

4s goals: Laura Wychgel

3s report:

After hanging around all day for our late push back, the ladies 3s set off in their warm up and the meant to go one during the game. A good pulse raiser of rollerball left the girls ready to go on the pitch.

The ladies 3s set off with their foot on the gas, some great midfield play from Sophie Herring, Natalia Raca and Jane Ogden saw Meg Patrick get some great opportunities within the first 15 minutes. However, it was superstar midfielder, Sophie Herring to put away the first two, minutes between each other.

The 4s launched some good counter attacks during the game, but Chloe Arnison, Georgia Anniky and Annie Toman cleared them up nicely, not forgetting Emma Brennan in goal, who made some excellent clearances of stray balls inside the D.

After a half time team talk courtesy of Paddy Howard, the girls set off onto the cold pitch to ensure the win. Once again some great hockey played between Meg Patrick, Sophie Herring and Rosie Barnes saw Meg make the score line 3-0.

The 4s did not take their eye off the ball, and with a swift counter attack, managed to get one in the net, but this didn’t faze the 3s, as they kept pushing till the final whistle.

4s report:

This was exciting and a real challenge for the 4s. They fought back well, and despite spending the 2nd half of the game camped in the 3rdteams half they could not find a way back into the game. Final result 3-1. A great display for the 4th team girls.

3s MOTM: Joint between Sophie Herring & Chloe Arnison

4s MOTM: Lizz Hone

Girls U16s 20-0 Towcester U16s

After a late arrival due to miscommunications the Northampton HC U16 girls turned up at Bloxham School, Banbury with the determination to qualify for the next round. Eventually, the girls were able to warm up after another slight mishap by Lydia Macdonell walking into the boys changing rooms and scaring some innocent lads half to death!

Things didn’t get any better after finding out, the opposition didn’t have a goal keeper, however Saints were determined to play. Next came a very productive warm up and confident team talk from Lisa Coe and the girls were set to go. Pressure was applied from the very start and after about 20 seconds the first goal was scored and the total for the first half 9, scored by Lydia, Emily, Courtney, Holly, Laura and Kate. Towcester U16’s didn’t stand a chance!

After another determined team talk at half time by our team manager Tony, the Saints were ready to go again. The girls worked excellently as team, completely out classing the opposition. Ella, Emma and Annie barely touched the ball in defence! And our stand in goalkeeper did not even touched the ball! Another 11 goals were scored by Lydia, Laura, Emily, Kate and Grace ensuring a 20-0 victory.

The girls were ecstatic with the result now we are just awaiting the final matches to see if the girls have done enough to qualify to the next round.

Squad: Hollie Wright (GK), Annie Toman, Ella Forsyth, Emma Brennan, Lydia Macdonell, Emily Kilner, Hollie Harris, Laura Thomas, Courtney Thorpe (C), Rosie Instrell, Grace Nolan, Sophie Herring, Kate Clayson.

Saints U11s

Saints 3 Kettering 0
Saints 0 Long Buckby 0
Saints 0 Daventry/Towcester 0
Saints 0 Rugby 2
Saints 1 Welford 0
Saints 0 Wellingborough 0

P 6 Won 2 Drawn 1 Lost 3

Top scorers were Mason and Katy Roffe

Saints had a mix of results in the monthly U11s tournament on Sunday. They got off to a great start with a 3-0 victory over Kettering with Katy Roffe among the scorers. However 0-0 draws against Long Buckby & Daventry followed by a 2-0 defeat against Rugby saw them up against it. Determined to finish on a high they secured a 1-0 victory against Welford and finished the tournament with a goal-less draw with Wellingborough.

The team played well with each player adapting to new positions and having to be substituted on a regular basis due to the number of players that wanted to play.
It is fantastic to see the talent that these youngsters have and how there hockey is progressing well.
Special mention to James Roffe for a good performance in goal and to Holly Adams for having to go off with an injury after some great defence work.
In general a good performance by all in the cold weather.

Match Reports from 3rd December 2011

Matt Gausden — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:45:31 +0000

Ladies 4th XI 3-0 Towcester 3rd XI

Goal Scorers: Becca Herring (2), Nadine Moll

The Saints 4's kept up their form this week and played a storming game. The start of the game saw the play concentrated down the middle which led to crowding around the ball. However the Saints turned this around keeping the ball wide and playing the ball round and back using the space well. The first goal came from some smart play up the right hand side, driven by Jules Herring who passed the ball through Towcester's defence to Becca Herring who then scored from the top of the D with a strong hit. The second goal came from Nadine Moll who positioned herself perfectly on the post to knock the ball in from a rebound. Becca Herring sealed the score with her second goal of the game finishing 3-0. Well done Becca!

Towards the end of the game however, the Saints began to tire leaving players unmarked and Towcester took advantage with a few long balls down the pitch and were unlucky not to score. Nothing a little fitness training won't sort out though Saints! Dominating for most of the game the Saints should be proud of their performance with special mention to Christie Walsh, Ella Forsyth and Savanna Jones who all had a great game. Thank you to our supporters too!

MOTM: Becca Herring

Men’s 3rdXI 7-0 North Notts

Goals: Mitchell (2) Hunter (2pc) Hillier, Pibworth, Jasinaranchi

Jon Hunter v the World

Saints back at HQ, looked to get back to winning ways after 2 lacklustre results. In warm up Ally Rose demonstrated the perfect aerial by hooking the ball over his head in completely the wrong direction, while Evan Morris showed the latest fashion, sporting a ladies home shirt.

Saints worked hard in the first few minutes to gradually push North Notts back, and this pressure led to the opening two goals. First Hillier nailed home from a penalty corner, followed by a Hunter drag flicking home a second penalty corner. Saints meandered through the first half with several telling runs behind the defence. Sam Bigley ghosted along the back line before setting up Mitchell to sweep home. Bigley himself was unlucky to havea goal disallowed, before Pibworth made it four with his back to goal, after Morris had done the leg work.

The second half should have brought more of the same but saints went back into their mode of taking on the team through the middle without using the width. In the midst of the chaos Mitchell crashed home a well directed shot from the top of the D to make it 5. Jon Hunter scored his second short corner to make it six, and it was he that busied himself all over the pitch putting heart and soul into each challenge and 50/50 (or 10/90). Nigel Down’s enthusiasm was also there but his eagerness to take quick free hits quickly saw his efforts spiral the ball out of play. Saints rounded up their haul with Krish Jasinaranchi running in to squeeze the ball past the oncoming keeping, giving the ball just enough energy to crawl over the line. Notts did have a few chances in the second half, most notably from a short corner where somehow Hilliers’ face protecting stick deflected the shot over but saints took the plaudits.

MOTM: Jon Hunter – working harder than a steam train

DOTD: Ally Rose

Squad: Andy Dale (c), Simon Thompson (gk), Jason Hillier, Jon Hunter, Marcus Spencer-Brown, Sam Bigley, Nigel Down, Evan Morris, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth, Krish Jasinaranchi, John Noble, Chris Rowlands, Ally Rose, Sam Mitchell

Men’s 4thXI 3-3 Belper 4thXI

Goals: Ant Cziacki 2, Ross McLean

PG Phipps and the Bobbly Pitch

Confronted with a dirty, legionnaires-ridden waterbased pitch, Saints took the game to the opposition on a cold damp Saturday afternoon. Nevertheless, the home team took advantage of their bobbly pitch to go one up early in the first half. Not to be outdone, the visitors equalised through an Ant Cziacki short corner which went in at the third attempt.

Saints’ second goal was more accomplished. As the visitors took control of the game they won a short corner which was soundly converted by Cziacki after a great pass from recently demoted Private Gary Paterson.

In the second half, Belper picked up their game, capitalizing Saints’ lack of width and a catastrophic mistake by Jim Phipps to equalize. Phipps later blamed the mistake on the lack of a pre-match cup of tea. Things then went from bad to worse as the home team then took the lead with a knee-high finish.

Luckily, despite not being passed to by Will Gamble, Saints’ woodland creature, Ross McLean, was on hand to salvage a point for Saints who really deserved to come away as winners.

MOM: Ant Cziacki (polish seed)

DOD: Joe Cliffe (no tea vicar)

Squad: Phil Preen (GK), James Ruse (c), Jim Phipps, Anthony Richardson, Ant Cziacki, Gary Paterson, Joe Cliffe, Max Dymmond, Will Gamble, Matt Caton, Ant Condon, Ross McLean

Men’s 5th XI 9-0 Lichfield

Goals: Rob Cary, Hugo Day (3), Dave Henry, Ed Arnold, Luke Howard (2), Jacob Pryce

Saints welcomed Lichfield to Moulton brandishing a new formation and a bench bursting with talent. Fired by captain David Henry's team talk and Rob Cary's statutory warm up, Saints pushed back expecting to dominate the match.

However, Lichfield pressed hard in the early exchanges and successfully penned Saints back in their own half for much of the opening 10 minutes, putting Saints defence under pressure and drawing saves from stand-in keeper Rob "t-bag" Tee. Eventually the Saints midfield engine kicked into gear with Dave Henry, Adam Shephard and Gareth Voss pushing Lichfield back and distributing the ball well, marking an improvement from a sloppy start. Pressure soon came to bear, and Rob Cary opened the scoring, before Hugo "hear me roar" Day added a second and then a briliant individual third. Saints continued to dominate the first half, despite Tom Dysko attemptintg to take out Rob Cary with his below-par (and below shoulder height) aerial skills. With Jeremy Wan and Harry Stobart controlling the flanks, Karl MacGregor and Steve Morris holding the centre of the pitch,Tom Dysko, Luke Howard and Ed Arnold were able to dictate much of the play and trouble the Lichfield defence. Northampton were so dominant in some phases that even captain Dave Henry added to the score, whilst striker Rob Cary was so relaxed, he found space and time for a few push ups on the right wing. Ed Arnold added a fifth to ensure Saints finished the first half well on top.

Lichfield started the second half with the same direct energy as the first, and again Saints were slow to find their touch. Lichfield were immediately rewarded with a short corner, but the defence cleared the lines and move quickly up field to re-open the scoring. Young gun Luke Howard added a fine sixth and then a seventh for Saints as they built attack after attack, possibly spurred on by Gareth Voss, who threw a hissy fit in the middle of the pitch at some of the sloppy play. So imagine the laughs when Voss misplaced a pass to the opposition, starting a move that led to Rob Tee being unfairly blown up for an outstanding sliding tackle on the edge of the D. Short Corner duly saved, Saints continued to exert pressure and Jacob Pryce added an eighth. Hugo Day completed his hat-trick with a frankly disappinting bobbling short corner that bamboozled the Lichfield defence. A great win, but it will be a step up for the away trip to league leaders Beeston next week.

MOTM: Hugo Day - "Hat-trick Hero Hugo" has a ring to it.

DOTD: Rob Cary - Default Choice in the absence of any worthy contenders.

Squad: Rob Tee, Steve Morris, Karl MacGregor, Harry Stobart, Adam Shephard, Jacob Pryce, Jeremy Wan, Hugo Day, David Henry (capt) Tom Dysko, Ed Arnold, Rob Cary, Rob Tee, Luke Howard.

Northampton HC signs up to the Sports Charter

Matt Gausden — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:44:06 +0000

Northampton HC has recently signed up to the Sports charter which is calling for anyone and everyone with an interest or involvement in sport to unite in a common cause to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport.

On Monday 14 March 2011 the government, together with major sporting bodies, launched a Charter calling for anyone and everyone with an interest or involvement in sport to unite in a common cause to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport.

Lynne Featherstone, the Minister for Equalities said: “There is no room for prejudice of any kind, anywhere in sport. The Government has created a Charter for Action which commits signatories to challenge discrimination and work to rid sport of homophobic and transphobic abuse both on the stands and in the field, so that everyone can take part in and enjoy sport.

“Northampton Hockey Club join over 2500 other organisations and individuals who have signed the Charter so far and I thank them for their pledge. Everyone who loves sport should sign the Charter and help kick homophobia and transphobia out of sport for good.”

Support the charter - like us on Facebook

You can help spread the message far and wide that there is no room for homophobia or transphobia in sport. Show your support - email us, like our Facebook page(Opens in a new window) and invite your friends, team mates and local clubs to sign up too. Together, we can make sport equal for all.

For further information click on: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equalities/lgbt/sports-charter/

Match Reports from 10th December 2011

Matt Gausden — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:49:05 +0000

Men's 3rd XI 4-6 Belper 3rd XI

Scorers: Knibbs (3) Pibworth

Saints faced a Belper side who in recent weeks have been scoring for fun. The muddy wet pitch wasn’t as fun. After starting fairly confidently it was Belper who caught Saints napping to tap home the opener. This was followed by end to end action, with Rose unlucky not to score. Saints did however hit the mark, twice. Both times James Knibbs was fed the ball through, majestically scoring from the top of the D leaving the Belper defenders lost in awe. Same could have been said for Dale’s arial, if indeed it hadn’t gone the wrong side of the fence. Belper fought back and scored a clever penalty corner, lifting the ball deftly over Thompson. Saints however had the last say in the first half, Hunter crashing through defenders to cleverly pass / badly mishit straight to Pibworth to divert past the keeper. 3-2 at half time.

The opening first 5 minutes of the second half should have seen saints establish a firm lead, but by not using the chances created, Belper had weathered the storm. From here they equalised, only once again for Knibbs to crash the party, (only just) after deciding a tap in was too easy, so made the reverse, much to the bemusement of the others. Saints turned their attention off and the lapse of concentration allowed the Belper attackers twice to get in 1-on-1 with Thompson, scoring once. Instead of being happy with the draw Saints were exposed as they were caught again to go 5-4 down. In the final minutes it was hard luck as Belper struck a sixth to win the game, though Hunter was lucky to only see green. Saints felt they deserved something from the match but the end of the day if you concede 5 you deserve to lose.

As we didn’t have a vote I’ll decide

MOTM: James Knibbs – Great Strikes for the hatrick

DOTD: Choice between Ally Rose (fashion Sense) Adam Croutear(almost getting left in Belper) or Andy Dale (for his misdirected aerials)

Men’s 5th XI 1-1 Beeston

Goals: Matt Kerr

So to the game, Saints knew that if they were to win this game they would go into the Christmas break top of the league. They passed the ball around well and creatied chances from the start but it was Beeston who struck first with the winger in open space crossing the ball to another unmarked player on the back post to slot the ball in an open goal. This was a major blow to the saint’s team with heads going down. However Saints soon got their act together with Rob Cary and Hugo attacking down our left. The ball came loose to Dave Henry, who passed it to Matt Kerr, who slid it under the goalie to draw Northampton level.There were chances for both teams, but both sides failed to capitalise on these chances. Jeremy Wan managed to keep the scores level at half time by saving a flicked attempt at goal sending the ball skywards and into safety.

The second half soon came around with Saints again passing the ball around well, getting into the opposition’s D and causing trouble for the Beeston defence. The unfortunate departure of Karl McGregor with a torn calf muscle and their captain Dave Henry due to the ball hitting his hand made the last 15/20mins interesting but saints held strong and defended as a team and deserving of the draw. Saints could go away feeling like they have battled well even though they did not get the win; a point against top of the league is not a bad result.

Squad: Scott Bashford, Steve Morris, Karl Mcgregor, Jeremy Wan, Harry Stobart, Hugo Day, David Henry, Rob Tee, Matt Kerr, Matt Caton, Gareth Voss, Jacob Price, Rob Cary

Man of the match: Gareth “I like singing” Voss

DOTD: Rob “Money Grabber” Cary

Action from the Badgers 3-0 victory over Long Buckby

Boys U18s 1-1 Aylesbury U18s

Goals: Ally Rose

Match: The saints got off to a bad start with Team Manager Tony Brennan getting half the team lost in Aylesbury only to be rescued by Matt Wilde who also driving managed to come and find the team and lead them to the pitch with time to spare.

After a great warm up lead by Alexander Rose the team then proceeded to an inspirational team talk by Tony and Coach Ben Stephenson to then have the loudest team huddle by far.

Then thanks to Matt Caton’s sound advice of "tails never fails" captain Matt Wilde won the toss getting the saints push back... GAME ON!

Saints started the first half brightly with the first 10 minutes showing there attacking skill and were unlucky not to score on many occasions most just wide of the left post. The opposition then started to wake up and play good strong wide hockey but some great defending from captain Matt stopped them from getting any attempts off on goal. The opposition then got their first attempt on goal through a short corner and scored with their flick for them fortunately glancing of goalkeeper Kurt Jenkins glove after a great dive to save.. 1 nil to Aylesbury. Saints then went on to attack with ferocity with many attempts again just going wide of the post. A quick counter from the opposition quickly saw a promising saints attack turn into a fast paced counter which if not for some great keeping by Kurt and a spectacular diving save by Matt C could have been up further. After a few more attack and short corners it was noticed by the saints that the oppositions goal post where off there line which after stopping time was promptly fixed.

Half time 1- nil to Aylesbury

The second half started well with both teams having their fair share of attacking opportunities. Mid way into the second half a great opportunity from Greg Summers after running into the D and beating the keeper shot then from the tight angle which unfortunately slid just past the post. Saints pushed on and solace arrived 15 minutes from time when our Scotland international Alexander scored during a short corner routine. The last 5 minutes of the match where largely spend in the saints half but some solid defending and great man marking only allowed the opposition to get a short corner which was due to questionable calls but none the less saints kept there cool and ran out with the lessening energy remaining only for the opposition to fail to stop the ball.

Great Under 18’s debut for Lewis Moran and Evan Morris

Team: Kurt Jenkins (GK), Matt Wilde (C). Matt Caton, Alexander Rose, Greg Summers, Lewis Moran, Tarak Patel, Daniel Fieldwin, Tom Wightman, Evan Morris, Max Heaphy, Sean Henry, Ben Renyolds, Ed Holt

Coaching Staff: Tony Brennan, Ben Stephenson

Supporters: Emma Brennan, Sue Wightman and Sue Wilde and at times the subs

DOD: Greg MOM: Greg

Special thanks to: Tony for buying the team tea's (literally)

British Colleges Joy for Saints Youngsters

Matt Gausden — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:50:19 +0000

Northampton HC & Moulton Colleges' Stephan Williams and Ed Holt were successful in their campaign to gain selection for BCS national squad during a very competitive trials day at Cannock HC - 24thNovember 2011. Ed was still competing against 6 other goalkeepers for which was the 3rdround of selection trials, which saw him succeed from the East Midlands and then the North division, to finally be given the news after a full day of intense training being announced in the BCS National Squad.

Stephan Williams’s journey was completely different after being part of the squad last year the pressure was really on with a new intake of eager and competitive first year students. Stephan was even quoted saying “the trials were much stronger than last year and I need to be on top of my game to succeed”. The outfield players had to show what they had in game play situations which can always prove difficult, yet Stephan who is only just back after an ankle injury, played to his strengths and obviously impressed the selectors enough to force them to re-select him.

The future is bright for Ed and Stephan, meeting with the squad again for a two day training camp in the spring, in a training squad of 22 players. If then selected in the full playing squad of 16 they will engage in fixtures against England and Wales U18 squads. Culminating in an end of season tour to Holland, where they will be able to pitch their talents against their continental counterparts, finishing the season off in style. Knowing this, they now need to continue to work hard in training at the college, ensuring that their skills are put to best use helping the Moulton team gain the success they deserve in the league and cup ready for the BCS National Squad training camp. We wish them every success in their endeavours!

Training Dates for 2012

Matt Gausden — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:44:19 +0000

Happy New Year to you all,

The festive break is now over and it's time to start thinking about hockey again!

Training will re-start in January on the following dates:

The Senior Section (1st team and club training) will resume on Tuesday 10th January

(2nd XI training on Thurs 12th Jan).

The Junior Section returns on Saturday 14th & Tuesday 17th January

Watch the Big Local Derby this Saturday

Matt Gausden — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:26:57 +0000

Forget Saints v Tigers, Cobblers vs Peterborough or Man U vs Man City. The real local derby is at Moulton this Saturday!

Watch our Men's 1st team take on Milton Keynes at Moulton College (water base) this Saturday in this friendly local derby.

Push back is 12pm.

Come along and see who can claim the local bragging rights!!

Level 1 Coaching Course in February

Matt Gausden — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:40:13 +0000

There are only 6 places left on the level 1 coaching course at Leicester Grammar School on 12th, 19th, 26th February.

Please complete application forms and return them to Elaina Leithead as soon as possible, as places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, on receipt of form and cheque. Cost is £160.00 and cheques to be made payable to Leicester Men’s Hockey Club.

Elaina's email address is: EHB-MidlandsOffice@englandhockey.co.uk

L1 coaching course form

Junior Hockey Training at Caroline Chisholm School

Matt Gausden — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:26:21 +0000

Northampton HC are pleased to announce an additional Junior training session for children of all ages, at Caroline Chisholm School, starting from Sunday 29th January. Please click on the below flyer for more information.

Sundays 10.30am - 12noon

Location: Caroline Chisholm School, Wootton Fields, Northampton, NN4 6TP

Junior Training Flyer

Senior Club: Coaching Structure Changes for 2nd Half of the Season

Matt Gausden — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:44:37 +0000

Coaching Structure Changes for 2ndHalf of the Season

Some changes have been made to the Coaching Structure for the 2ndhalf of the season in the Senior sections of the club. These changes are as follows:

Men’s 1stTeam – Gavin Markham

Men’s Club Coach – Jon Noble

Ladies 1stTeam – Colyn Biddle

Ladies Club Coach – Steve Finch

If you have any questions on the above changes please contact your captain or club representative.

Men’s Rep: Jon Keep Tel:07970676622

Ladies Rep: Nicky Milford Tel:07767831427

January 2012 Newsetter

Matt Gausden — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:48:45 +0000

Please click on the below link to read the January edition of the Club Newsletter.

January 2012 newsletter

Our thanks to Annie Howard for producing this edition of the newsletter. If you have any articles you think will be of interest to Annie then please email her at: annabelhoward@hotmail.co.uk

Join the race to Wembley

Matt Gausden — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:36:54 +0000

On Sunday 29 January England’s premier men’s and women’s clubs will battle it out to be crowned Maxifuel Super Sixes Champions.

Maxifuel Super Sixes is hockey’s thrilling, skilful six-a-side indoor version where goals are guaranteed in action-packed, lightning-quick, 20 minute halves.

Click on the below link for ticket information:

englandhockey.co.uk/maxifuelsupersixes

Match Reports from 21st January 2012

Matt Gausden — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:50:23 +0000

Men’s 1st XI 6-3 Rugby & East Warwick 1st XI

Goals: Joe Colantonio, Alex Press (2), Gareth Parker, Christian Howard, Joe Kopka.

Saints attempted to get back to winning ways at home to rugby on Saturday. Without a win in 5 games Saints faced their bogey side who they haven’t beaten for two seasons. From the first whistle Saints put a lot of pressure on Rugby, pinning them back in their own half and creating a lot of early chances. Saints made the breakthrough when Joe Colantonio ghosted into the D and smashed the ball into the corner. Saints quickly doubled their lead when Alex Press finished a great move down the right and a sneaky deflection. Two more goals through Gareth Parker and Christian Howard cemented Saints’ lead, both close range finishes after fantastic attacking movement by Joe Colantonio and Dave Saunders. Rugby pulled a goal back through some slack defending down the right hand side but Saints soon restored a four goal lead when Press grabbed his second.

A great first half.

Early in the second half Saints stood strong when Rugby inevitably came out all guns blazing. After ten minutes the game then opened up and included some cracking end to end action. It was mid-way through the second period when Rugby pulled a goal back. A controversial short corner was allowed to continue after striking an attackers foot. Saints did create chances themselves but were unable to find the net and Rugby scored another. A second short corner in a row for the away side coolly deflected home. With time ticking on and the score now 5-3, Saints broke away and kept the ball in the Rugby half. After a swift passing move on the left the ball was left to Joe Kopka to cleverly reverse stick the ball home after Howard had struck the bar. 6-3 and game over.

A great all round performance especially Seb Jones making his debut in defence.

A great win for Saints who host top of the league Khalsa next week. Khalsa beware...

Men’s 2nd XI 3-4 Barford Tigers 2nd XI

Goals: Dan Rose, Andy Smith, Tom Scott-Collins

With just 24 hours recovery from their previous game, Saints hosted Barford Tigers in this re-arranged league match at a windy Moulton Sports Complex.

The game started off with Saints on the back-foot as Barford pressed for an early goal. The Northampton defence held firm and after riding the early storm, Saints then settled into their rythem and started to move the ball around nicely. They lacked a cutting edge upfront though and time and time again needlessly gave away possession around the half-way mark.

Barford took the lead in this match following the award of a penalty corner. Shortly before half-time they doubled their lead by converting another penalty corner, after Saints had needlessley given away possession.

The second half saw a much improved performance from Saints, although against the run of play they fell a third goal behind, once again from a penalty corner. This spurred the home side on though as they then camped themselves in the Barford half for the rest of the game. This pressure led to what seemed to be a great come-back. Dan Rose got things started as he deflected a Scott Mahoney drag-flick into the roof of the net from a penalty corner. Ten minutes later it was 3-2 as Tom Scott-Collins got in front of the keeper to deflect the ball into the net following a swift team move. And it looked as though the come-back was complete with minutes to go as Andy Smith reacted quickest to a rebound corner to tuck the ball past the keeper. 3-3 and only a few minutes on the clock, it looked as though the game was going to finish that way, but it wasn’t to be as Saints conceded a pointless penalty corner, and from this they again fell for the same routine as Barford stole the winner!

A harsh result on Saints, however they only have themselves to blame for not closing the game out, and for gifting Barford a 3 goal lead.

MOTM: Dan Rose – great goal to get Saints back into the game

DOTD: Dan Whittaker – for 2 epic fails at aerials! (both of which went about 2cm off the ground!!)

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Guy Roberts, Lee O’Donnell, Matt Gausden, Tom Wightman, Jon Noble, Dan Whittaker, Andy Smith, Max Heaphy, Scott Mahoney, Dan Rose, Athiq Thamby, Tom Scott-Collins, Sean Henry, Matt Wilde.

Men's 3rd XI 4-2 Burton 3rd XI

Scorers: Pibworth (2) Morris, Whitfield (pc)

Saints travelled to Burton, for a league friendly still waiting to continue with the league campaign after last week’s abandonment.

Saints started brightly with Mo unluckily diverted his stretched dive just wide. Saints took the lead after Rowlands and Pibworth combined for Morris to connect with the ball. The second goal came courtesy of confusion in the D with Pibworth the grateful recipient. After the positive start Saints started to lose the plot, allowing Burton to string some passes together. Soon this brought about a goal through a penalty corner. After more indecision in the Saints ranks, Burton found the equalizer and could even have taken the lead.

Half time, Saints were urged to do the simple stuff well , i.e. pass, not a one man assault. Dispite this warning Saints seemed to play worse and worse as the cobwebs and un oiled cogs seemed to take there affect on the team. Despite this Saints retook the lead after Mo and a defender missed the ball giving Pibworth the chance to score past the oncoming keeper. He was then completely flattened by a defender who clearly had a faulty satnav. While Saints did show flashes of what they are capable of, it was Danny Whitfield who scored the fourth with a lovely low drag flick from a penalty corner. 4-2 was as good as it got, but Saints will feel satisfied to have gotton a game under their belts as they prepare for the visit of Nottingham University next week

Squad: Andy Dale (c), Simon Thompson (gk), Nigel Down, Evan Morris, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth, Adam Croutear,George Roberts, Danny Whitfield, Chris Rowlands, James Miller , Mo

Men’s 5th XI 0-3 Men’s 4th XI

The time had once again come for the 5ths to play the 4ths, and after their victory over the 4ths earlier on in the season, were hoping to move further up in the table.

The game began with both sides having good time on the ball, however, the 4ths just began to edge ahead with the number of attacks. Fortunately Steve Morris was solid, as always, at the back. With a few attacks the 5ths looked as if they had one or two chances that couldn’t quite find the final player to score from. As the first half wore on the pressure at the back began to mount up and a short while later a poorly marked man and a scrambled goal effort trickled through Bash’s legs and into the goal.

The second half began and the 5ths had some good passing plays as well as some good individual efforts that unfortunately didn’t account to anything. They the 4ths had some good counter attacks and after a lot of pressure in our D they scored another trickling goal. As the second half wore on the tensions began to rise, as people weren’t passing when there was a call or an easy ball to play. This lead to Saints 4ths countering again and unfortunately scoring another goal. The 5ths heads were well down by this point and this forced Steve to try an aerial that failed spectacularly. As the game neared the conclusion the 5ths began to tire as this was their first game back after Christmas, however, Steve still had the energy to wipe out Ross Mclean as they both battled for the ball.

Shout out goes to Jacob Pryce for bringing the wrong shoes.

MOTM: Steve Morris

DOTD: Rob Tee

Squad: Scott Bashford, Harry Stobart, Steve Morris, Jeremy Wan, Gareth Voss, Antony Pearce, Luke Howard, David Henry, Tom Dysko, Matt Kerr, Ed Arnold, Rob Tee, Jacob Pryce, Rob Cary

Loughborough Town 0-1 Men’s 5thXI (Sunday)

Goals: Tom Dysko

The 5thteam bounced back with an excellent win against a strong Loughborough team. just 24 hours after the disappointment of losing to the 4thteam at Moulton. With a slightly altered side due to availability, the 5thteam showed great character to withstand a lot of pressure from Loughborough to come out on top. Northampton started brightly but despite a lot of possession, created very few chances in the Loughborough D. Bash was barking out orders from the back as Northampton aimed to improve their marking; a feature which had led to their downfall on the Saturday. Steve Morris, James Ruse and Antony Pearce were soon kept busy at the back as Loughborough came more into the game and won a series of penalty corners. Gareth Voss was doing an excellent job of harrying in midfield along with Max Dymond. Tom Dysko went on a few surging runs and Luke Howard was getting the better of his opposite number on the left flank as Northampton started to enjoy more possession. Neither side could create any clear cut chances although Loughborough probably came closest in the first half. The half ended with a head injury to Luke (given by his own player) who played no further part in the game.

In the second half Saints took the lead with a well worked penalty corner which was flicked high into the roof of the net by Dysko. Northampton went pressing for the second goal and were denied by a goal- line clearance from a Loughborough defender after Max Dymond had a shot. Northampton survived a series of late penalty corners to hang for a memorable victory which takes them into joint second place in the league. Next up, a game against the leaders West Bridgford 5thXI.

MOTM: Gareth Voss ( great determination in defensive midfield)

DOTD: Rob Tee (forgot his astro shoes and turned up late)

Mens WFF 6th XI 2-0 Nuneaton 4th XI (Away)

Goal Scorers: Tony Brennan and Dave Kelly

In an incredible display of hockey, the World Famous Fighting 6s pulled off a great victory.

In the first half, the game was typified by many attempts by the WFF6s to flummox the Nuneaton side, for example a Dean Gibson kick to the Nuneaton Striker with no defenders in support provided some laughs. The game was heavily in WFF6s favour with most of the possession and territory.

The score of the half, came from a short corner scramble with a Nuneaton player knocking it in. Many people have come forward to claim the goal. The match scorecard shows Tony Brennan to be the scorer. Richard Smith’s claim was outright rejected as he wasn’t even playing.

The Second half saw some of the best hockey that the WFF6s have played all season. Total dominance did not result in scores though. A brilliant diving goal from Dave Kelly, rushing from top of the D to the back post to put a cross from Joshua Pibworth away.

Navigational difficulties by Jon Keep and prolific bean eating by Alex Jeffery resulted typified the journey to the club house for post match teas.

MOM: Dave Kelly (Brilliant goal) - Special mention to Aidan Walker who won it, but was vetoed.
DOD: Jon Keep (Navigational ability of a mole)

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Dean Gibson (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Darren Thorpe; Pete Malpass; Phil Adams; Ryan James; Alex Jeffery; Jon Keep; Dave Kelly; Aidan Walker and Phil Adams

U11s Tournament

The Black team played three games the first losing 5-0 to a very good long buckby side . The team picked themselves up and thrashed Kettering 7-0 with a brilliant team display with some great passing dribbling and finishing. The last game was a hard fought affair with saints coming from 2-1 down to earn a well-deserved draw at the death. The team worked hard all three games with goals coming from Rhys (7) Sam (2) and Katy (1) All in all a very good performance with Holly Adams and Rhys Noble between them being man of the match.

The Gold team played extremely well with what was there first match as a new team. Leading from the front was the new captain Harmony with some impressive and strong defence work from Lauren and Louisa. Jessica worked hard with Dylan.

Running around tirelessly. The soon to be goalkeeper Tia looked good and we await her performances in goal. A big thanks to Ollie who had played for the under 9's earlier and then played for the under 11's.

U9s Tournament

On an extremely cold and blustery day at Moulton, the Mighty Nines regrouped for the first time this year.

Unlike their sideline ‘coach’ it was clear that none of them had over indulged in too many mince pies during the break as they roared into their first tie against an undermanned but very determined Wellingborough squad. After a closely fought opening few minutes, our good passing work soon took it’s toll on the stretched opposition defence and Emma and Ewan both took their chances well to give us a great start to the day.

With barely pause for breath, we were straight into match 2 against Long Buckby. With a full squad, the opposition offered us no numeric advantage this time and the spectators were treated to a well matched battle covering the whole pitch and testing both defences. With just a few minutes remaining, however, an epic goal mouth scramble ended with Oliver persuading the ball to finally visit the backboard to give us victory by the slimmest of margins.

A quick sprint up the turf to the second pitch later, we were lined up against Welford. Always a tough game due to their attacking skill, my assistant coach-for-the-day (Holly) came to the fore and gave the troops a few motivational words and tips for putting up a strong defence... and a few words of warning to keep an eye on their speedy centre forward. The message was definitely taken on board and we put on a great show with Oliver once again putting the finishing touch on some good attacking play by William and Ewan. Alas, despite some great holding midfield work by Ben, debutant George, Emma and Trinity, Welford eventually split the defence and with a clear view of goal, their centre forward made no mistake to square the match.

Finally we had a pause between games and we enjoyed the spoils of our Kettering tournament victory, and topped up our reserves of energy with a few mouthfuls of chocolate before facing our collective bête noir.... Rugby! As expected, an epic battle ensued and despite a chorus of support from the sidelines we found it difficult at times to break out of our own half and we’re subjected to a number of short corners, which we battled bravely to defend. Eventually, however, Rugby broke the deadlock and the thud of defeat left a few glum faces at the end of an otherwise great day.

Final results:

Saints 2 Wellingborough 0

Saints 1 Long Buckby 0

Saints 1 Welford 1

Saints 0 Rugby 1

Overall standing: 3rdbehind Rugby and todays winners, Welford.

Congratulations to Alex, William, Trinity, Ewan, Oliver, Emma, Ben and George – who played well in his first tournament for the club.... and thanks to the clubs Young Umpires for braving the cold to support our tournament.

Club launches Men's 7th XI side

Matt Gausden — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:30:40 +0000

With the continued growth of the club, the Men's section has found it in particular difficult to accomodate the growing number of players in it's ranks. As a result the club has now launched a Men's 7th XI side. The purpose of the side is to allow the adults to play fun, sociable hockey as well as offering even more of our badgers players some experience of adult hockey. As such they wont be entered into any leagues. They will just play a number of friendlies.

It's another positive step for a club that always looks to offer hockey for everyone of all ages and ability.

The first outing of the 7th XI sees them play host to Uppingham School 5th XI at Moulton College, on the 4th February. 2pm push back.

If you don't currently play Men's hockey, but are looking to begin or get back into it after a number of years out, then perhaps our 7th XI team is what you're looking for! If you're interested please contact Tony Brennan on 07701021089 or email Tony Brennan tonebrennan@hotmail.co.uk

Junior Training is on

Martin Wilkes — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:45:36 +0000

Junior training for Saturday 28th January is on - but please do not drop off your children in the car park without first checking with session Head Coach as there is always a chance that sessions may be cancelled at the last minute due to safety reasons.

Maxifuel Super Sixes

Karl Flowers — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:20:24 +0000

East Grinstead Men's team produced a thriller to beat Beeston in the final of the Maxifuel Super Sixes Indoor competition. East Grinstead scored 8 and Beeston scored 5 with Ashley Jackson's goal shaving past the keeper at a ridiculous angle.

Leceister Ladies beat Reading by 1 goal to nothing to win the second year in a row. Lauren Turner scoring the winner.

Match Reports from 28th & 29th January 2012

Matt Gausden — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:47:20 +0000

Dave Saunders goes on the attack in the Men's 1s vs Khalsa game

Men’s 1st XI 1-2 Khalsa

Goals: Joe Colantonio

Saints took the field against unbeaten Khalsa full of confidence after last week’s game. For the first 15 minutes it was all Saints as the home side pressed Khalsa and kept them in their own half. Saints took a well-deserved lead after great work down the right hand side by Parker and Carlin which ended with captain Joe Colantonio firing in at the back post. The game became more open towards the end of the half with both teams enjoying plenty of possession and chances. A contentious short corner was drag flicked home by Khalsa to equalise just before the break.

The second half was extremely open with both teams counter attacking at every opportunity. Both team had further short corners and Saints failed to score any of their three. Five minutes from time Khalsa won their fourth short corner and it was converted at the back post.

The game ended 2-1 to Khalsa. A disappointing result but a very good performance from the much improving Saints. Losing 3-2 and 2-1 to a team with a 100% record this year is no mean feat. Saints travel to on song Harborne next week. A very tough game.

Men's 2nd XI 2-2 Birmingham University 2nd XI

Goals: Dan Rose, Athiq Thamby

Following last weekend's disatorous results, Saints went into this game with a lot to prove. A last minute withdrawal of midfielder Stephan Williams didnt seem to dampen spirits (apart from coach Jon Noble's as he suddenly realised he'd be getting far more game time than he had hoped for!!) as they turned up at the pitch raring to go.

The game started at a frantic pace, with Saints on the back foot. However despite Birmingham enjoying lots of possession, they very rarely threatened as the Saints defence held firm. With the game still in it's infancy Saints broke up a Brum attack and quickly countered. The ball fell to Scott Mahoney who played a delightful ball through to forward Dan Rose who neatly slid the ball past the advancing keeper. 1-0 to Saints! The rest of the half saw Saints do much of the defending and eventually Birmingham equalised through a well worked penalty corner routine.

The second half and the game opened up with both teams keen to get the win. A couple of early chances fell to Saints with Dan Rose narrowly missing the target and Tom Scott-Collins also coming close. At the other end Birmingham's front 3 were looking threatening but the backline of Guy Roberts, Matt Wilde, Tom Wightman and Matt Gausden held firm. And when they didnt Ed Holt was on hand with some inspired keeping. With the game reaching it's final quarter, Saints re-took the lead. A penalty corner routine "straight from the training ground" saw Guy Roberts initial strike saved, but the rebound shot was brilliantly deflected in by Athiq Thamby. Saints looked to be holding firm and hanging on for a crucial 3 points but with 10 minutes to go Birmingham drew level again with a goal from closr range, after Northampton had failed to close down a cross from the left.

Neither side could find a winner so the game finished 2-2. A fair result and a well earnt point for Northampton, who take on league leaders West Bridgford at Moulton next week.

Special mention must also go to Sean Henry for his superb 'crunching' tackle on the Birmingham playmaker (unfortunately I cant remember what part of the game that happened in!).

MOTM: Ed Holt - great saves kept Saints in it.
DOTD: Stephan Williams - for going AWOL

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Guy Roberts (c), Matt Gausden, Tom Wightman, Matt Wilde, Dan Whittaker, Jon Noble, Lee O'Donnell, Sean Henry, Scott Mahoney, Andy Smith, Dan Rose, Athiq Thamby, Tom Scott-Collins.

Men's 3rd XI 2-2 Nottingham University

Scorers: Bigley, Pibworth

Saints hosted Nottingham University, who after 11 games had only dropped points in one of them. Andy Dale, as well as Mcilwaine’s pep talk focused the team on a fast start, as well as making use of the extra substitutes. Saints did start brightly and several chances were created through open play and penalty corners. Pibworth missed a good chance after good play from Heaphy and Mitchell, but it was Bigley who was in the right place to blast the ball on the reverse stick past the keeper for the lead. Saints continued to play positively but Nottingham looked dangerous on the break and Thompson had to make several blocks. Nottingham University eventually drew level through a penalty corner and went into the break on level terms.

In the second half Whitfield, after a great block was then dispossessed and Nottingham made Saints pay to take the lead. Saints started to meander and it took organisation and cool heads to weather the Nottingham pressure. As time was getting short, a shot in the D, deflected into the air, and Pibworth was on hand to flick it past the keeper. Rejuvenated Saints pressed hard and had chances to win the game but they will be satisfied with the draw, albeit a niggling feeling they could have won.

Squad: Andy Dale (c), Simon Thompson (gk), Nigel Down, Evan Morris, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth, Adam Croutear, George Roberts, Danny Whitfield, James Millar, Sam Bigley, Sam Mitchell, Ally Rose, Max Heaphy , Pete Riches

Men's WFF 6th XI 2-1 Hampton-in-Arden 4th XI (Away)

Scorers: Phil Adams, Richard Smith

It was a chilly, grey morning. The clocks hadn’t even started yet and the World Famous Fighting Sixes (WFF6s) were travelling to their favourite away fixture of the season. The glorious, magical home of the Hampton-in Arden pixies. Set in beautiful countryside and boasting one of the friendliest club houses in the Midlands it was always going to be a treat.

So was the hockey. The WFF6s first and second half performances were in some ways a continuation of the previous week. Punctuated by spells of good play and dogged by diabolical errors at other times, it took an assist by Karl Flowers through to Richard Smith to put away the first goal. Some said Karl managed to make it back post to put the final touch in, but there seems to be no confirmation of that.

Excellent play by Phil Adams in the first half meant that Northampton were constantly attacking. Tony Brennan’s running back from short corner to his centre back position was typical of a man possessed. This lead to a strategic half time talk and a fired up side.

The second half was more of the same. A major scuffle in the Hampton D, with play from Darren Thorpe giving rise to the opportunity that Phil Adams put away the goal. Excellent play by the WFF6s seemed to end there. The last 10 minutes was typically a panicked defense and poor passing which allowed Hampton to get a penalty stroke. After Dean Gibson was nutmegged he did a tiny pirouette to celebrate.

MOM: Phil Adams (Goal scorer and excellent play)
DOD: Karl Flowers (When you are good people hate you)

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Dean Gibson (GK); Karl Flowers; Rob O’Donnell; Darren Thorpe; Pete Malpass; Phil Adams; Rob Tee; Alex Jeffery; Phil Adams; Jon Keep; Joshua Pibworth; Aidan Walker; Richard Smith and Phil Adams

Ladies 1s Emma Cave shows off the perfect hockey pose!

Ladies 4th XI 1-7 Olney

Goals: Becca Herring

Unfortunately this result comes down to some bad decisions made by the captain and the changes made at half time. Everyone worked extremely hard in this game against Olney but we worked hard as individuals and not as a team. However the team should be proud of their performance for the first half of this game. A 2-1 score at half time was a great achievement against the top of the league. And what a goal that was! A break from the back saw the ball passed swiftly between the mids and forwards around the Olney defence to Becca Herring who on receiveing the ball at the top of the D wacked it passed their goalie. Awesome goal! Ella Forsyth had a great game defending very well and providing some great breaks up the pitch for the mids.

MOTM - Ella Forsyth

DOTD - Becky Mellor

National League Hockey Returns to Moulton this Sunday!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:06:16 +0000

Our ladies 1s are back in action in the National League Conference North, this Sunday (5th Feb). They face Brooklands Poynton.

Push back is 12pm at Moulton College on the water base.

Please come along and show your support

Senior Club Training - Cancelled tonight

Karl Flowers — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:26:00 +0000

Senior training has been cancelled this evening as the pitches have frozen. We will let you know of the ongoing decisions concerning the bad weather, as we get closer to Saturday.

18.25

Saints Youngster stars in win for Moulton College

Matt Gausden — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:56:38 +0000

Moulton Men’s Hockey Academy 1stXI 8 – 0 Holy Cross College

Goals: James Knibb (5), David Marriott (3)

“If at first you don’t succeed try and try again”

Saints forward James Knibb stole the show in Moultons emphatic victory against Holy Cross.

After a break in fixtures the Mens 1stteam were back in action in the BCS Cup in a rearranged fixture against Holy Cross College from Huddersfield. After a good warm up and a slight adjustment in tactics it was Moulton who asserted their dominance once the whistle went. Early possession led to early chances for Antony Condon and Danny Foster however both unable to find the back of the net, a penalty corner broke down leaving the game still completely open. Inevitably Holy Cross came back and forced Ed Holt to come right across his goal to make a save on the back post, sparing Moulton’s Blushes after so much pressure at the other end. David Marriott swapping bodies temporarily with Ashley Jackson, going top left from the left hand side baseline, thumbing the crossbar on his occasion.

The Moulton College team starting to get frustrated with the lack of that elusive goal, relief came after the Moulton team kept their composure in the D and a good unselfish lead run away from goal by David Marriott made space for James Knibb to use his eliminating skills in the newly coined “Green Zone” beating the defender and powering the ball pass the on looking goalkeeper on his Reverse. With 10 minutes left in the first half Moulton continued to push and after Ed Holt reminded the Holy Cross forwards who’s D they were in, by boldly rushing out and making a great top of the D save, it was good work this time from Antony Condon and this time in the coined “Happy Area” on the left hand side deliberately slipping the ball to James Knibb on top of the circle who calming slotting the ball home, 2:0 at half time.

During the half time talk the team were given the statistics; they got in the right areas 15 times but failed to produce an outcome on 9 of those occasions. More composure was needed and to keep doing what they were doing especially as the game went on and fatigues set in.

This was obviously understood and the game turned in to one way traffic and it was not long until Moulton got back in that “Happy Area” resulting in a 2 on 1 on the GK for David Marriott to open his account for the afternoon. Praise has to go to Sam Bigely, Stephan William, Lee Thompson and debutant Will Glover who stopped every attack Holy Cross attempted to mount and turning it in to a counter attack situation. Second debutant Danny Foster used his pace well tormenting the Holy Cross defence and as he game went on fatigue was definitely setting in and it was James Knibb and David Marriott who took full advantage of this taking it in turns to score. James Knibb completed his Hat-trick with a well-executed PC drag flick, followed up by David Marriott soon after by James again, who then fittingly set up David for his Hat-trick again with great work getting to and composure in the “Happy Area”.

The great team spirit on the day saw Moulton not content with 7:0 who pushed and were then rewarded with the 8:0 coming again from James Knibb, his 5thof the day capping off a very professional team performance. Thanks to all those involved in the fixture.

If you're interested in joining the Hockey Academy at Moulton College then please contact Brett Holland:

Tel: (01604) 491131 ext 412

Email: Brett.Holland@moulton.ac.uk

Further disruption - Ice and Snow

Karl Flowers — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:45:27 +0000

All teams that train at Moulton College and Moulton Sports Complex are advised that the pitches are again frozen, and as such no training can take place tonight.

A number of factors are taken into consideration when making this decision: whether there is a slip risk in the surrounding areas (and on the pitch); whether the ball moves too rapidly (and is an increased danger); whether falling on the pitch would increase player injury; and if physical damage would occur in the astroturf if people played on it. These decisions are not made lightly and are made with player safety first and foremost.

We will keep you advised of game cancellations as soon as we make them in light of forecasts for: sub zero temperatures on Friday night and snowfalls expected at lunchtime on Saturday. Keep checking here for updates.

Junior training announcements will be made Friday night at 20.00.

Do your bit for Cancer Research

Matt Gausden — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:04:09 +0000

I know that we’ve just had Christmas so the purse/wallet strings might be a bit tight but don’t worry you don’t need to give any money just yet!

This year the Race for Life is being held on 17th June at Abington Park, Northampton I will running (jogging!) with a few of the girls from work, the 10k race.

Cancer Research UK is such an important charity and very close to many peoples hearts. One of the girls lost her sister to bone cancer in September last year and even though it is too late for her it isn’t for many other people that are suffering due to this terrible disease.

Please dig deep and help us raise as much money as possible.

The link to our group page is http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/4bec

Many thanks

Rachel Langley

Junior Training Cancelled - 4 Feb

Karl Flowers — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:12:48 +0000

The Moulton Sports Complex and Moulton College pitches did not thaw today. The pitches are currently rock hard and slippery. The forecast is for minus 3 degrees celsius tonight with a maximum of 1 tomorrow at 12.00.

Snowfall is expected tomorrow afternoon with severe disruption to travel. Decisions about adult games will be made at 9.30 tomorrow (to let opposition know in advance before travelling). None of the early games have been cancelled as yet and players and parents should check the website and Facebook as the situation is clarified.

We will update this post with news as it happens...

Games Cancellation - 4 Feb Update

Karl Flowers — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:03:42 +0000

All home hockey games at Moulton Sports Complex and Moulton College have been cancelled. They will be rescheduled for sometime in the next 2 weeks.

All training cancelled tonight

Matt Gausden — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:32:40 +0000

All junior and senior club training is cancelled tonight at Moulton Sports Complex & Moulton College.

The pitches are still covered in snow.

Please check out the club website and facebook page to see if there's further cancellations for Thursday night training.

1s & 2s training cancelled tonight

Matt Gausden — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:35:05 +0000

Yep you've guessed it, snow = no hockey training tonight.

The big snow clearance - Friday 10th February

Matt Gausden — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:10:32 +0000

I'm sure we're all now fed up of not being able to play hockey because of the weather!

Therefore we need your help to clear the snow off the astro at Moulton Sports Complex.

We're starting this tomorrow evening (10th Feb) at 6pm.

Please come along with shovels, brushes, wheel barrows.

Together we can get our hockey matches on!

Tomorrows Men's 1s & Men's 7s games cancelled

Matt Gausden — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:13:51 +0000

Moulton College have cancelled the Men's 1s and 7s games tomorrow as both the sand and water base pitches are covered in snow.

We're still going to be at Moulton Sports Complex tonight to clear the snow off this pitch. So fingers crossed for the other home games this weekend.

To keep up to date on your games this weekend, keep checking the website and facebook page, or speak to your captain.

Junior Training - Saturday - Update

Karl Flowers — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:43:26 +0000

The Junior Committee have decided to cancel Junior training for Saturday 11th February. The efforts to clear the pitch will take place tonight (to ensure that 12.00 games on Saturday will proceed) and to give a good chance that Sunday games will take place.

The weather forecast for 9.00 tomorrow is minus 4 and the committee have decided that ice and low air temperatures make the training session conditions unsafe.

Lets's hope things warm up during the week...

Home games - 11 February (Cancelled)

Karl Flowers — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:21:35 +0000

After a heroic pitch clearance attempt...it was to prove too much for the 20 volunteers that braved the cold. With too much snow (and no cookies and milk on offer), the energy levels flagged and clearance adjourned to the clubhouse.

The consequence is that the pitch is still snowbound and unplayable. All scheduled League games are called off. Team captains will advise players of away game status.

Never fear however, as we will be having a gas bbq and refreshments at the clubhouse from 11.00. A day filled with TV sport and merriment. Anyone who feels like some Unihoc (or to try their hand at indoor), should bring their stick. Bring a few bob to help pay for the hall cost...

First BBQ - 2012

Karl Flowers — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:28:08 +0000

There will be activities in the Sports Hall from 11.00. Bring a few bob to have a run. Unihoc, indoor and Del/Karl will have a gas bbq for lunch purposes. Bring something to cook...

The rugby will also be on, football, refreshments in the bar, banter and much merriment..

A good turn out in the end. Thanks all those that came down and I hope everyone enjoyed the Unihoc. Bob Langley's goal was voted the best!!! Lesley and Rachel's defense was solid and the youngster's energy endless...

Thanks to all!

Sunday Cancellations

Karl Flowers — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:47:27 +0000

Cancellations for Sunday: U16 Boys, U18 Girls, Ladies 2s. Junior Training at Caroline Chisham has also been cancelled due to frozen pitches...

Match reports from 11th February

Matt Gausden — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:31:59 +0000

Ladies 1st XI 2-2 Liverpool Sefton

Goals: Emma Cave, Amie Hone

Five months and Saints ladies 1's get their first point on the board. An early and icy start to the day saw the team travel to Liverpool. Despite the arctic conditions in Northamptonshire it was balmy up north.

With the team keen to change their fortunes they went out hard and fast with an early goal from a persistent attack leading to 5 penalty corners in a row, the fifth brought a goal for Emma Cave. The teams were quite evenly matched with play going end to end. A raft of penalty corners against Saints and the score was one all at half time.

More commitment in the tackles and to keep our heads whilst those around us lost theirs was the half time focus. This was put into practice with excellent affect by Clare Sibley, Amie Hone and Sally Jones making some fantastic tackles. Liverpool scored to take the score to 2-1 but Saints kept calm. In the last ten minutes Emma Cave weaved through a couple of defenders to set Amie Hone up for a strike, a save and a second strike taking the score to 2:2. For the final 5 minutes Saints worked extremely hard to keep possession and slow the opposition down. A match saving, full pitch run, by Lottie Tully and a tackle at the end of it kept the game at a draw for the final whistle. The team celebration could have been mistaken for a win!

England Joy for Emily

Matt Gausden — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:28:09 +0000

After several England Hockey training, strength and conditioning and assessment camps over the past few months, Saints player Emily Kilner has been selected as part of an England Under 15 girls squad (of 28 girls) to attend a further training weekend at the end of May.

This is a new EHB initiative in recognition of the improved levels of ability demonstrated at the high performance camps for the Under 15 age group and aims to replicate a typical England training camp.

Junior Hockey Training at Caroline Chisholm School - Update

Karl Flowers — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:31:39 +0000

Training at Caroline Chisholm School

Sunday, 19 Feb, 10.30am - 12noon

Location: Caroline Chisholm School, Wootton Fields, Northampton, NN4 6TP

Junior Training Flyer

Match Reports from 18th February

Matt Gausden — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:17:18 +0000

Ladies 2’s 4-1 Towcester 2’s

Goals: Caz McCabe, Becca Wilkinson, LA Chacksfield, Emily Kilner

Two teachers, a copper and the paramedics.

Our pre match team talk was a simple one, enjoy today and give as good as you get. The team certainly did and within the first minute the midfield led a charge like a hot knife through butter to score a wonderful goal from Caz McCabe, score line 1-0 in minute 1 of the match. This seemed to somewhat upset Towcester and Saints continued to pile on the pressure to the Tows defence with players running rings around their opposition. It gave our midfield the chance to pounce on some excellent build up play, with Becca Wilkinson scoring our second goal from a very well worked move.

Towcester’s long ball tactics did lead them to sneak a goal in the first half totally against the run of play. We seemed to have a short lapse in concentration ooops!

The last goal of the first half was a very well executed penalty corner move scored by LA Chacksfield slotted neatly past the Tows diving keeper. Never one to be missed off the score sheet LA made sure she got at least one goal this match, and also left herself plenty more time to pot some more!!

Half time team talk was wet, miserable due to the conditions but we were full of enthusiasm and happy to be playing in the worst conditions of the season. Anyway back to the hockey! The second half started well with saints having the majority of the possession and again proving we have the superior skills and fitness by having at least another five chances on goal. One of which Emily Kilner scored from and the goal must be in contention for goal of the season. Simple pick up a Cazza pass at the left of the D little tap and then BOOM…..back of the net. Some on the sideline were convinced the ball had gone through the backboard, and Emily’s parents were heard to say “it was worth the weather to see a goal like that!” Never a more true word spoken.

No more goals were scored although Towcester had one chance about ten minutes before the end. Unfortunately during one of the her best matches, captain Leechy unfortunately log rolled over her foot and sustained a nasty, season ending injury to her ankle. A short wait later and with help from team saints, Leechy was in the bar ice strapped to her ankle, waiting for the paramedics (hence the title!). A massive thanks to all who helped including Del, Tony, Steph, Steve and Caz. A huge thank you to Nicky Milford for stepping into leechy’s shoes literally to play the last ten minutes in goal. Good news Leechy is up and about on crutches and looking forward to seeing the rest of the season being a winning season!!

Men’s 1st XI 6-3 Warwick

Goals: Ben Scott (3), Alex Press (2), Jamie Webb

Saints travelled to Warwick after a long break in fixtures due to bad weather hoping to continue their form from the last two games. The opening ten minutes was very even as both teams battled the hail storm more than each other. As time progressed Saints started to take control of the game and after a couple of clear breakaways they won their first short corner. Ben Scott flick into the corner to give Saints the lead. Two minutes later Saints won their second corner and Scott doubled the lead. Slack defending down the left allowed Warwick to enter the Saints D for the first time and after two missed tackles Warwick bundled the ball home to pull a goal back. This spurred Saints on and a slick passing move down the inside left channel involving Parker, Kopka and Saunders allowed Alex Press to deflect the ball home to immediately give Saints their two goal cushion back. It was Press that scored next as well, intercepting a cross field ball to hammer the ball home with his reverse stick for his 8th goal of the season. With five minutes to go the action wasn’t over... Saints awarded another short corner and with both Scott and Cory on the bench, good work from Kopka and Saunders won Saints a penalty stroke which Jamie Webb duly converted. Just before the break Ben Stephenson saw yellow for a deliberate back stick which meant Saints started the first ten minutes off the second half with 10 men.

It was Warwick who took control in the second half and while both teams gave away possession a lot it was Saints who were made to pay. A man short, they conceded a short corner and beat Paul Madeley with the resulting drag flick. A series of great blocks by Madeley, the Saints keeper kept Saints three goals ahead until a terrible mistake by the away side defence. The ball was given away cheaply on the ’25 and Warwick broke away and scored, 5-3. It was the turn of Seb Jones to be sin binned for the same offence as Stephenson, Saints again down to 10 men for ten minutes. Saints rallied and took control of the last ten minutes, defending well and breaking with pace. With two minutes to go Press outwitted the Warwick defence to win Saints another short corner. Martyn Cory firing the ball at the back post for Scott to deflect the ball home for his hat-trick and seal the win.

A solid performance but plenty to work on before Saints host in form Burton at the weekend.

Men’s 2nd XI 2-5 Leek 2nd XI

Goals: Dan Rose, Sean Henry

Saints were taught a lesson in possession in this encounter at Moulton Sports Complex. Leek played with a superior confidence on the ball and moved it around very nicely in the opening period. They soon went into a 2 goal lead courtesy of 2 penalty corners. With Leek seemingly cruising, Saints pulled a goal back against the run of play with Dan Rose converting from close range. With Northampton now in the ascendancy they went on to enjoy their best period of the game as they like Leek suddenly discovered the art of keeping the ball as they went onto frustrate Leek for the last 20 minutes of the first half. During this time winger Sean Henry drew Saints level with a superb reverse stick sweep into the near post. With minutes left in the first half Leek re-took the lead, again through a penalty corner.

The second half represented a real opportunity for Northampton to get a valuable 3 points, but they failed to live up to their first half performance and on numerous occasions gifted possession to Leek to enable them to keep Saints on the back foot. Leek went onto score 2 further goals to put the game beyond any doubt.

Squad: Simon Thompson (GK), Guy Roberts, Matt Gausden, Adam Croutear, Dan Whitakker, Matt Wilde, Jon Noble, Sean Henry, Max Heaphy, Dan Rose, Athiq Thamby, Tom Scott-Collins, Andy Smith, Scott Mahoney

Rugby and East Warwick 3rd XI 0-0 Saints 3rd XI

Saints travelled to Rugby to play at the historic Rugby School. Both teams had early possession with opportunities at either end. Saints made good use of the wings creating opportunities through Rowland’s and Wightman, but Saints lacked the final ball. Pibworth went close after rounding the keeper but wasn’t able to convert from the angle. At the other end Rugby and East Warwick went close with a couple of short corners, Preen being alert to clear the danger. Torrential rain coincided with Saints getting into the driving seat with possession building all the time. Saints however were unable to gain from short corners. As time drew to a close Morris and particularly Mitchell had good chances, the latter going agonisingly close. At the other end Rose made a great goal line save. A point sounded good before the game but it could have been so much more.

Squad: Andy Dale (c), Phil Preen (gk), Nigel Down, Evan Morris, Luke Pibworth, Danny Whitfield, James Miller, Sam Mitchell, Ally Rose, Tom Wightman, Chris Rowlands, Lee O’Donnell, Will Gamble

Ladies 3rd XI 4-0 Ladies 4th XI

The Ladies 4's put in a fantastic team effort and managed to restrict the 3's to a 1-0 lead at half time. This was backed by a sterling effort from the defence throughout the game. Special mention goes to Ella Forsyth and Savanna Jones who played exceptionally well together, communicating well and supporting each other and the team for the duration of the game. The second half showed a lack of fitness and structure that allowed the 3’s to score three more goals to win 4-0. Verity Anderton Johnson had a cracking game and saved the 4’s on a number of occasions keeping the score to 4-0. Overall a thoroughly respectable performance by the 4’s

Web page login details

Karl Flowers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:32:55 +0000

Just a gentle reminder to make sure you can log in to the members section of the web page. If you can't or have lost the details, contact Karl Flowers.

Hockey Courses in our region

Karl Flowers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:17:01 +0000

Courses in the East region for 2012

Important please forward onto all your club members. There are spaces on all courses at the moment

Level 1 Courses – minimum age 16. Cost of course £160

22nd April, 6th and 20th May                         Letchworth Hockey Club Herts
2nd May, 6th May and 13th May                      Bedford Sports and Hockey Centre   Beds
3rd, 10th and 17th June                                  Spalding Hockey Club Lincs
3rd, 10th and 17th June                                  Harleston Magpies Hockey Club   Norfolk
14th, 16th and 30th September                      Chelmsford Hockey Club   Essex –will be online registration, details available shortly

Level 2 Courses – minimum age 18. Cost of course £405

12th, 13th, 19th, 20th May Harleston Magpies Hockey Club Norfolk
9th, 10th 16th, 17th June Bedford Sports and Hockey Centre Beds

GK Bronze award – minimum age 18. Must have Level 2 award, working towards Level 2 or booked on a Level 2 course. Cost £100

5th and 6th May Saffron Walden Hockey Club

Foundation Core Skills – suitable for all coaches of juniors and seniors of all abilities. Cost £15

13th April UEA Norwich - Bookings through Active Norfolk –http://www.activenorfolk.org/courses.asp?section=172&view=list&keywords=hockey&activity=&coursetype=1198&itemid=1665

3rd June Saffron Walden Hockey Club

Time to Listen – specifically for Welfare Officers. Cost £15

27th February Peterborough Cambs

19th March Culford School Suffolk

Match Reports from 25th February

Luke Pibworth — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:28:13 +0000

Men’s 1st XI 3-0 Burton

Goals: Joe Colantonio, Christian Howard, Dave Saunders

Saints continued their impressive form with a comfortable 3-0 win at Moulton College. It was all one-way traffic and it came as no surprise when skipper Joe Colantonio opened the scoring.

Further goals from winger Christian Howard and forward Dave Saunders ensured the points were Saints. They were unlucky not to score more goals but will happily take the 3 points that should now see them finish the season comfortably in mid-table.

Men's 2nd XI 0-2 Harborne 2nd XI

Saints all but confirmed their relegation from the Midlands Premier Division with a 2-0 defeat away at relegation rivals Harborne.

The home side started off the better of the 2, enjoying the possession as Northampton struggled for any sort of fluency. This led to them going 1 goal down as a Harborne forward tipped in at the far post. As the half wore on Saints got into their stride and began to push Harborne back, however shortly before half-time Harborne made it 2.

The second half belonged to Saints as they camped themselves in Harborne’s half. This led to forward James Knibb coming close on a couple of occasions. The best chance of the half fell to Matt Gausden who narrowly missed the goal after Greg Summers had beaten the keeper. A reminder to all his team-mates that he should stick to defending!!

Special mention to Greg Summers who put in a very promising performance on his 2ndteam debut.

Squad: Ed Holt, Matt Gausden, Guy Roberts, Jon Noble, Pete Riches, Adam Croutear, Scott Mahoney, Stephan Williams, James Knibb, Dan Whitakker, Greg Summers, Lee O’Donnell, Athiq Thamby

MOTM: Can't remember!

DOTD: Matt Gausden for missing a sitter!! Special mention also goes to Stephan Williams for doing his care in the community on Friday night!!!

Ladies 1st XI 0-8 Loughborough 1st XI

Loughborough had a strong squad enabling them to put saints under a lot of pressure from the off. Unfortunately, saints conceded a early goal in just under 10 mins. Loughborough continued to work hard, putting two more goals away before half time.

Saints came out hard in the second half, although with 3 players becoming injuries and unable to finish the game, loughborough were able to put another goal away. With a narrow miss from chloe cozens, spirits began to lift. However not for long after loughborough won a short corner and scored again, though not before continuous saves by Rebecca howwitt. As the game continued loughborough entered the circle many times but saints defence stayed strong,including when the visitors won a short corner which was drag flicked and then knocked away on the line by sally trappitt-jones.

After a long game saints finished with an 8-0 lose.

Ladies 4th XI 1-0 Kettering

Scorers: Becca Herring

A valiant effort from the 4's this week,particularly our defence who battled tirelessly throughout this game. Claire Baker continuously fought off the attack from Kettering making some excellent saves. The first half saw the Saints in attacking mode which resulted in a fantastic goal from Becca Herring. However Kettering dominated play in the second half, continuously attacking,and a loss of formation for the Saints meant that any attacks on Kettering were often futlie. Something to work on to ensure we attack throughout the game but a great effort from everyone none the less.

Thank you!

Men’s 3rd XI 3-2 Boots 3rd XI

Scorers: Scott-Collins 2, Mitchell

Saints started brightly but quickly realized that this would be no walk in the park, with Boots looking lively. After half chances at either end Scott Collins and Down went close but were unable to direct the shots on target. As the half drew on Scott Collins produced some magic reversing the ball into the roof of the net.

The second half brought a wake up call for saints as Boots equalised after Thompson made an initial save but was left stranded as Boots scored into the empty goal. Minutes later they were in front. Saints were shocked and it didn’t take long for Scott-collins to weave his magic again as he cut into the D, producing a thunderbolt past the diving keeper. Saints claimed all 3 points after an initial shot was saved by the boots keeper allowing Mitchell to claim the glory. Saints didn’t play at all well in the match but were more than grateful for the points, leaving Saints comfortably above the relegation zone.

Squad: Andy Dale (c), Simon Thompson (gk), Nigel Down, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth,George Roberts, James Millar, Sam Bigley , Sam Mitchell, Pete Riches, Tom Scott-Collins, Mo, Richard, Chris Rowlands,

Scottish honours for Saints Youngster

Matt Gausden — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:09:08 +0000

Congratulations to Saints Men's player Ally Rose who's made Scotland U18's training squad to play tests against Wales and a 4 nations team.

We hope you join us in wishing him good luck in these test matches.

End of Season Black Tie Dinner

Matt Gausden — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:27:21 +0000

This year's do will be held at the Masonic Hall, on Saturday 21st April. 7pm till late.

Tickets are priced at £35 for adults and £30 for students/U18s.

Included in your ticket is a 3 course meal, disco and a top fun night out!

You can pay for your tickets now with your captain on a Saturday (when you pay your match fees).

OR if you prefer you can pay online:

Account Name: Northampton Saints Hockey Club
Sort Code: 40-35-04
Account No.: 42057395

Please use your name and "black tie" as the reference if paying online.

You can also sign up to the event on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/events/285351821523084/

Match Reports from 3rd March

Luke Pibworth — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:43:06 +0000

Banbury Masters 3-2 Men's Masters

Goals: Guy Roberts (2)

Saints welcomed masters "new caps" Mike Darbyshire, Dave Tebbutt, Phil Knight and Charles Darby into a squad filled with guile, pace and experience for a difficult away trip to Banbury. Saints struggled to settle due to the slow nature of the pitch and most of the first half activity took place in the middle of the pitch. Two soft goals just before half time gave Banbury an unexpected lead and were real gifts as the Saints defence upped sticks and left goalkeeper Colyn Biddle on his own against the goal hanging centre forward.

The saints really upped the pace in the second half and created much more pressure on the banbury goal and it was no surprise when a sweetly struck Guy Roberts short corned reduced the deficit. Minutes later a real free flowing move from the saints culminated in Tim Daverson playing a beautifully weighted through ball for Guy Roberts to roof an equaliser !! The last 15 minutes saw the Saints pile forward in search of a well deserved winner only for the defence once again to go awol leaving Banbury with a soft winner in the closing minutes.

A thoroughly enjoyable game for both sides - a rematch being in the offing in April at Moulton where revenge will be sought - although it is unlikely we will be able to match the Banbury teas (a main course and rice at the local Indian restaurant)

Ladies 2ndXI 3-1 West Bridgford

Goals: Becca Wilkinson (2), Hannah Richardson

A category D win for Saints ladies.

On a damp miserable day near Nottingham, Ladies 2s were the first in a long line of teams to take on West Bridgford. The ladies started off what some may have called ‘panicky’, but they soon gained their composure and began to dominate the game. A few well worked moves from all the midfield, led to a smashing goal from Becca Wilkinson, in off a defenders toe. OOOhhh the shame!

Goal number two also came from Wilkinson, with some deft footwork in the midfield (she lost her very badly tied shoe mid run) and another backboard crumbling goal from the on form midfielder. This left the usual goal scoring suspects wondering if they would get their turn and even though it looked like a few penalty corners were going in, some excellent saves from West Bridgford kept the score to 2-0.

Despite a good shout from the crowd and other supporters, a penalty flick decision was declined by the umpires and this seemed to get the Saints girls enthusiastic again and after a lot of pressure in the D, Hannah Richards scored her first goal for Saints this season, leaving the score 3-0 to Saints. Not long until the final whistle and Saints relinquish a penalty corner in the last dying moments. Nicky Milford who came prepared for heavy rain and had worn her goggles and flippers today, deftly booted the ball off the line, to give WB a flick in the last few seconds of play. They scored, leaving the final score 3-1 to Saints.

All still to play for in the league and remember to check out Facebook for the last few match pictures!!

Men's 2nd XI 4-4 Beeston 2nd XI

Goals: Andy Smith, Max Heaphy, Liam Cassidy, Athiq Thamby

After a frustrating season of playing well in dribs and drabs, the Men's 2s finally put in a performance for 70 minutes at home to Beeston on Saturday. Perhaps it was all down to the new warm up routine of 'changing room cricket'!!

The game started at a frantic pace with both sides looking to get an early goal. Beeston were enjoying more of the ball however Saints were looking the more dangerous on the counter-attack. And indeed one such counter-attack led to Saints first goal as a defence splitting pass from Dan Whitakker found Andy Smith in acres of space, he then beat one defender before sliding the ball under the keepers body to make it 1-0. As the game continued, Northampton started to get hold of the ball more and passed the ball around at great pace. They scored a deserved second as Max Heaphy's deflected shot hit the top corner. Half-time 2-0.

The second half started and the 2s reverted back to their bad habits of holding onto the ball for too long and trying to make the match winning pass rather than keeping things simple as they had done in the first half. This led to Beeston laying siege on Saints goal, and within a 10 minute period they scored 3 goals. Normally this would have led to Saints rolling over but a new found determination and fighting spirit saw them come back at Beeston. And once again they started playing good simple hockey and equalised through a Liam Cassidy shot.

With 5 minutes to go it looked like it could go either way and unfortunately for Saints it was Beeston who scored from a well worked penalty corner routine. But again Northampton came back and with only 2 minutes left on the clock they got the well deserved equaliser from their own penalty corner routine. Athiq Thamby tapping in from close range.

MOTM: Liam Cassidy - dominant display in centre mid.

DOTD: Max Heaphy - the new Knibbs!

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Matt Gausden (c), Jon Noble, Adam Croutear, Matt Wilde, Lee O'Donnell, Dan Whitakker, Liam Cassidy, Max Heaphy, Sean Henry, Andy Smith, Tom Scott-Collins, Dan Rose, Athiq Thamby.

Ladies 4th XI 0-1 Towcester Ladies 3rd XI

No fire in the belly this week and seemingly no desire to win. Despite this, the team were good at moving the ball around and passing. The first half saw Saints dominate the game but missing a number of shots on goal. At times there was some great play from the defence through to the midfielders. Ella forsyth played particularly well, defending and attacking brilliantly throughout the game. Nic Holton demonstrated some great skills, negotiating the ball around the Towcester defence. We need to get back on form for next week’s game Saints - I know we can do it!

MOTM: Ella forsyth

West Bridgeford 5th XI 2-3 Men’s 5th XI

Scorers: Morris 2, Arnold

The Men’s 5th team travelled up to West Bridgeford, looking to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to Loughborough Town the week before.

The 5th’s nearly started with just the 11 men after Rob Tee and Matt Kerr decided to take a detour through Nottingham chatting up some girls along the way before ending up at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. Rob Cary finally took the squad for a warm up on West Bridgeford’s very own Netball Pitch, unfortunately someone forgot to tell Matt kerr that there were Netball Posts still up, and coincidentally he ran into one of them. Needless to say this would earn him Dick of The Day.

The match started with Saints starting brightly making a lot of good passing. Untouchable Ed Arnold scored to the keepers bottom right after excellent work from Poland’s Number 1, Tom Dysko. Saints looked to push on and Tom Dysko broke through only to be thwarted by West Bridgeford’s keeper, however Solid Steve Morris was there to pounce to score with a neat finish. Saints looked comfortable 2-0 ahead and a lapse in concentration allowed West Bridgeford to pull one back, Saints leading 2-1 at half time.

After a rallying cry from Captain Fantastic Dave Henry, Saints started the 2nd Half but things didn't go to plan as West Bridgeford broke away to equalize, 2-2. At this point Saints could ill afford to lose their heads, however Paulo Di Canio also known as Rob Cary decided to backchat the umpire which resulted in a yellow car. Saints then realized the game could slip away, but a fine solo run and finish (like a knife through butter) by Steve Morris put Saints back ahead. After this after Captain Fantastic Dave Henry had to persuade the umpire not too show Rob Cary a straight red due to more "banter" on the sidelines.

MOTM: So Solid Steve Morris

DOTD : Pole Dancer Matt Kerr

Teas : Pasta
Attendance : 10

Moulton College Academy Men’s 1st XI 0 – 7 Birmingham Met College

“Just too strong…”

The Moulton college Hockey team headed off on their journey to face Birmingham Metropolitan on a fine Wednesday afternoon, with a win meaning a semi-final match up at Moulton College. The first half started bright for Moulton College even though it was clear they were up against a very strong and experienced B’ham Met side, Moulton dealt with the pressure well and Goalkeeper Edward Holt making some fine saves. However the efforts of Stephan Williams, Lee Thompson and Will Glover were undone after 10 minutes when the ball was cheaply slotted past the keeper. The game progressed and Birmingham’s might become very clear in quick succession with two fine reverse stick shots which were well executed and a slick penalty routine meant Moulton were 4:0 down. This did not deter Moulton who actually put together their best plays of the match, stinging numerous passes together but lacking that clinical finish with James Knibb and David Marriott working hard but not getting that elusive goal. Moultons hard work paid off with the award of a penalty corner, which James Knibb has been working hard to perfect, but this time the keeper was equal to it and made a fine save. Sam Bigely, Stephan Williams and Edward Holt put in some heroic performances however it wasn’t quite enough in the first half and Moulton went in trailing heavily.

The second half commenced and the strong words of Nicky Milford inspired the whole team with the iron defence back on track! However new to the defensive 4 was Striker David Marriot taking one for the team and having a storming performance at right back. Unfortunately Moulton were broken down by the Birmingham Met team by some very skilful players. James Knibb took the attack to Birmingham team however he was adjudged no to have been fouled when he clearly thought strongly otherwise and the umpire did not take kindly to him venting his frustrations meaning he was sin binned for 5 minutes. In the closing moments of the game mouton were awarded another penalty corner. Giving Moulton the chance to win back a consolation goal, the story of the match for Moulton College when the injection and the stop were perfect however the Birmingham Met number one runner was too quick and he made an interception before James Knibb could release another drag flick. This does symbolise the end of this year’s cup campaign however the predominately year team have learnt a lot and will look forward to finishing the league strongly and in pursuit of cup glory in the Mixed cup. Best of luck to Birmingham Met College in the Semi-Finals.

Moulton College Academy Ladies 1st XI 1 – 5 Coleg Meirion Dwyfor (Wales)

“4 hours to deepest darkest Wales”

Arrived, after a 4 hour journey, at Portmadog located in the darkest depths of North-West Wales for the BCS quarter final full of hope but wary of the task ahead. After a good warm-up the game got underway and Moulton started with great promise looking very strong down the right with Abigail Dalton and debutante Natalie Richardson linking up well. Leah Sanders looked bright from the start terrorising the Meirion defenders with her relentless defensive work. It was Moulton who had the first opportunity at goal, this time the ball falling to another debutante Cat Broomfield who’s first time shot being deflected by the defender but then was well saved by the goal keeper. It was Coleg Meirion Dwyfor who went on the attack with their pacey and skilful right winger who superbly found herself in the D and fired a very powerful shot across gaol which GK Verity Anderson- Johnston had to deal with. The warning signs were there early on and it was long until the Welsh side found themselves in the Moulton D again this time the hard shot across goal was excellently turned in by the Meirion forward on the left hand post. With the next Meirion attack they managed to do the exact mirror opposite this time deflecting in on the right hand post. On reflection the oppositions attacks and clinical finishing probably deserved the two goal lead, however the real sucker punch came on the half time whistle when from nowhere their left midfielder decided to weave her way into the D and gave the Welsh a favourable 3:0 advantage. Special mention to Steph Brennan and Laura Wychgel who had to work hard but worked very well together to snuff out numerous attacks.

The second half got underway and after works of encourage and praise from the coach Moulton again started strongly knowing full well the task ahead of them 3:0 down away from home would be tough. This did not deter Moulton College who gained strength from staying positive and supporting each other every step of the way, which must have instilled more confidence in the new players with Kiera Lee exerting herself on the game and Rebecca Trist linking up superbly with Leah Sanders looking dangerous every time they went forward. Unfortunately all this momentum going forward at times left the Moulton defence exposed and even with exceptional performances from Holly Donelley-Bush and Verity Anderton-Johnston it wasn’t enough to stop Meririon scoring again. Credit to the players who never gave up, leading the way was Ella Dagnall fighting an illness still managing to run all game and was always on hand to keep the morale high, and was rewarded when the ball rolled to her in front of goal to finish the ball well lifting it into the back of the net. The goal was nothing short of what Moulton College ladies deserved and kept spirits high. Unfortunately the quality of the Welsh team who were a lot older than the Moulton team and all played for the same club side showed when right at the death the centre forward scored with a clever and disguised reverse flick giving Verity in goal no chance of reacting.

Overall the ladies were a great representation of the college on foreign soil and deserve to be proud of their achievements and have hopefully learnt from playing very competent opposition, good luck to Coleg Meirion Dwyfor in the semi-final of the competition.

Club AGM & 7-a-side tournament - Saturday 28th April

Matt Gausden — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:31:47 +0000

Our club AGM will be held on Saturday 28th April 2012 from 4pm at Moulton Sports Complex.

We will also be running an inter-club 7-a-side tournament during the day, from 11am onwards. full details to be confirmed nearer the time.

Match Reports from 10th March

Matt Gausden — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:04:50 +0000

Men’s 1stXI 5-2 Stourport 1stXI

Goals: Ben Northedge, Martyn Cory, Gareth Parker, Scott Mahoney, Ben Scott

Saints started very brightly against a lacklustre Stourport side hoping to avenge their 5-3 defeat before Christmas. Saints pressured the away side from the start and scored very early on a Ben Northedge found himself in the D and swept into the empty net after Saints had struck the post. Stourport who had found it hard on their travels of late conceded again as Saints bombarded their D. Martyn Cory and Gareth Parker both scored near identical goals at the back post. Stourport’s discipline started to drop as they found it hard to compete with a hard working Saints. Heavy tackles and bad language followed but Saints continued with their good play and a first goal for Scott Mahoney fired I from the top of the D. Ben Scott completed the first half rout deflected in a Cory short corner. 5-0.

With the game won by half time Saints had the chance to put in a very impressive score line but the home side performance dropped and they let Stourport back in the game through silly mistakes. Twice Saints gave the ball away on the half way line and this coupled with back marking at the back allowed the away side to pull two goals back.

The game ended 5-2, a good win for Saints but a disappointing second half.

Men’s 1stXI 0-0 Edgbaston 1stXI

True to form Saints again started brightly and were the better team in the opening 15 minutes. Goal mouth chances went begging along with short corner shots saved from the Edgbaston keeper meant the game remained goalless at half time. The second half proved similar to the day before with the away side working very hard and Saints’ poor decision making leading to a scrappy open game. Christian Howard saw yellow for a bad tackle and was joined shortly afterwards by Ben Scott. The game ended 0-0 – a below par performance that need improving for next week’s game at Telford but it extended Saints unbeaten run to six games.

Thank you to all who supported the team this weekend.

Men's 2nd XI 0-3 Cannock 2nd XI

The 2s travelled to Cannock in high spirits after a fine performance against Beeston last weekend. Unfortunately they couldnt produce the goods again as they were once again taught a lesson in clinical finishing.

The game started off poorly for Saints as they allowed Cannock far too much time on the ball and it wasn’t long before Cannock opened the scoring as Northampton were caught napping at the back. This seemed to awaken Saints as they then proceeded to enjoy a good 10 minute spell where chances went begging. The game was a fine spectacle with both teams looking fantastic going forward, but both seemed unsure on the art of defending!! Saints were soon made to regret their earlies misses as Cannock doubled their lead before half-time.

Half-time focused on closing down Cannock and not giving them the time on the ball. This worked for large periods of the second half as Cannock resorted on the long aerial balls to launch most of their attacks. Fortunately for Saints, defender Adam Croutear was on hand to stop them as he put in a man of the match effort. Northampton kept pushing for a goal but Cannock continuously broke down the play through strong tackles or some less than subtle fouling!! A sloppy error at the back then led to Cannock scoring an undeserved third. Further chances came and went for Saints and the game finished 3-0.

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Matt Gausden (c), Adam Croutear, Pete Riches, Matt Wilde, Dan Whitakker, Lee O'Donnell, Tom Wightman, Sean Henry, Andy Smith, Max Heaphy, Athiq Thamby, Dan Rose, Tom Scott-Collins

Ladies 4thXI 2-4 Kettering 3rdXI

Goal scorers: Nic Holton (2)

The pressure was on as the Saints 4's and Kettering 3's battle it out for third place in the table and after winning the last game against Kettering the Saints really had to pull it out the bag today. Unfortunately old issues haunted them and it took the Saints the first half to find their feet only as they went in 2-1 down at the break, with Nic Holton giving Saints scoring Saints goal .

Saints began to dominate the second half with some great however Kettering’s more direct approach caught Saints out as they scored 2 further goals through the middle of the pitch leaving the final score at 4-2. Nic Holton this time scoring Saints second consolation goal. Special mention must go to keeper Rachel Bryant, who considering her age and this being her first game with the Saints did brilliantly making some awesome saves - fully deserving of the MOTM vote.

Banbury Masters 3-2 Men's Masters

Goals: Guy Roberts (2)

The saints really upped the pace in the second half and created much more pressure on the banbury goal and it was no surprise when a sweetly struck Guy Roberts short corned reduced the deficit. Minutes later a real free flowing move from the saints culminated in Tim Daverson playing a beautifully weighted through ball for Guy Roberts to roof an equaliser !! The last 15 minutes saw the Saints pile forward in search of a well-deserved winner only for the defence once again to go awol leaving Banbury with a soft winner in the closing minutes.

Moulton Hockey Academy Mixed 1stXI 5 – 1 Bilborough College

Goals: James Knibb (3), Dave Marriott, Ella Dagnall

The game started perfectly for Moulton who scored with their very first attack, some great interchange by new forward partnership of David Marriott and James Knibb, which was to be a highlight of the match, building up to James Knibbs first goal of the game. It wasn’t long after this when James was again on the score sheet, coming from some great work in the right happy area leading to the award of a penalty corner which was well-executed all round, going low giving the GK no chance. Bilborough College had no answer to James Knibb who completed his hat-trick soon after in exhibition of finishing which the squad had been working hard on in training.

The second half saw much of the same with at times a little too much caution thrown into the wind with Verity Anderson-Johnson having to make some close quarter saves. It was Moulton College who stuck first in the second half with David Marriott this time taking a reverse stick half volley straight off the training ground and in to the back of the net! Hard work all round, from the forward line lead by Leah Sanders untiring defensive work causing a nuisance all game long, to the supporting play from half backs of Ed Holt, Lee Thompson and David Cox meant another goal was evitable. It was Ella Dagnall on hand to show it was not just the boys that could score with a nice deflection on the back post. Bilborough did get a deserved consolation goal, the team worked hard throughout the match and didn’t give up at any point with a special mention to their skilful centre midfield never allowing Moulton to relax. The game finished 5:1.

Moulton Hockey Academy Mixed 1stXI 1 – 1 Greenhead College (6-5 after sudden death Penalty Strokes)

Goals: James Knibb

Moulton started the stronger of the 2 teams and as soon as they’d adapted to the oppositions half court press they found ways around the positions allowing them to keep attacking, with passes coming from the width into the centres and back out again Moulton soon found success through the opening spaces being left by the Greenhead players, this resulted in frustration and with an obstruction on James Knibb’s shot at goal a penalty flick was awarded to Moulton. A great flick performed by James Knibb’s put Moulton in front 1-0. A break from Greenhead down the left hand side finished up with reverse shot from their number 8 which found its way in to the left side of the goal putting the score to 1-1.

The second half saw chances go begging for both teams. Moulton had a shot that went wide of the post. The Greenhead team were also unlucky with 2 shots on goal but some great saves made by Verity Anderton-Johnson the score line still stood at 1-1 at the final whistle.

With nothing between the sides and a winner needed to progress to the next stage, the decision was made to go to Penalty Strokes. The drama of the shootout unfolded with a miss from Moulton and a save by Verity Anderton-Johnson leaving the score line again tied for the second time at 4:4, so the game entered the uncertainty and further nerve-racking drama of sudden death! Moulton confidently scored their first flick, this time really putting the pressure on Greenhead however this time they didn’t quite handle the pressure and Verity saved low to her right to leave Moulton the winners.

Watch Hockey at the Olympic Park in May

Matt Gausden — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:30:55 +0000

London Prepares series tickets – on sale today!

Tickets for the third stage of the London 2012 sports testing programme, the London Prepares series, will go on sale today, Thursday 15 March 2012, at 10am.

Full price tickets range from £5-£20 and tickets for young people aged 16 and under and seniors aged 60 and over range from £3-£15. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

Hockey - 2-6 May 2012
The Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament will involve eight of the world's best teams across men's and women's competitions.

As a proud sponsor of London 2012, Visa (debit, credit, prepaid) is the only card accepted for online ticket sales for these London Prepares series events.

For further information, visit the London Prepares series website

Match Reports for 17th March

Luke Pibworth — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:26:20 +0000

Beeston 1st XI 12 - 0 Ladies 1st XI

Beeston had a strong squad, enabling them to put Saints under a lot of pressure from the off. Due to Saints panicking, Beeston went into an early lead. Saints got a well deserved short corner but were unable to convert. Ellie Hand had a 1v1 with the Beeston keeper but unfortunately could not convert. Beeston continued to work hard, putting two more goals away just before half time.

Saints came out hard in the second half, although Beeston put another goal away early on after a counter attack. Beeston forwards were able to press hard, making full use of their rolling subs whereas Saints became tired with a only 12 players. This allowed Beeston to overload the defence finally resulting in a 12-0 loss for Saints.

Men’s 2ndXI 2-6 Belper 2ndXI

Goals: Tom Wightman, Andy Smith

2ndin the table Belper raced into a 2 goal lead in this encounter at Moulton. During this time Saints continuously gave away possession and inviting pressure on them. A third goal followed for Belper midway through the half as Northampton let a long ball go right through the middle of the pitch. This third goal was a killer blow and slightly harsh on Saints as they’d enjoyed a good 10 minute spell before-hand where they camped themselves in the Belper half. But as in previous weeks the killer touch was missing! Minutes before half-time Saints did find a way back. Tom Wightman neatly lifted the ball over the keeper.

The second half saw a marked improvement from Saints. They cut out the long ball from Belper, pressed higher up the pitch and enjoyed a long spell of possession. However Belper looked the more threatening of the 2 sides as they hit Saints on the counter-attack. This led to 2 further goals for them. Northampton then hit back once more as Andy Smith finished off a neat team move. However they then proceeded to hit the self-destruct button and lost all shape and discipline allowing Belper to score one more and close out the game.

Squad: Ed Holt (GK), Matt Gausden, Adam Croutear, Pete Riches, Matt Wilde, Dan Whitakker, Tom Wightman, Tom Lewington, Sean Henry, Andy Smith, Athiq Thamby, Tom Scott-Collins, Dan Rose.

North Notts 3rd XI 3 – 0 Men’s 3rd XI

Saints faced North Notts, another side marooned in the middle of the league. After regular keeper Thompson called up injured, Dean Gibson stepped up from the 6’s, initially believing this was the 5th team till just before hit off. Saints dominated possession in the first part of the match with lovely triangle passes around the pitch. Roberts combined well with Mitchell and Mcilwaine creating space for the team. Unfortunately this did not translate into goals, and Notts took the lead after an opportunistic reverse from a tight angle.

The second half brought more of the same, before Notts doubled their league from a tight angle. Saints thought they had grabbed a goal back, before the umpire decided to award an attacking short corner instead. Again Saints failed to capitalize and when Notts scored their third from a short corner, you just knew this was not a great day for Saints.

Squad: Dean Gibson (gk), Nigel Down, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth, George Roberts, James Millar, Sam Bigley , Sam Mitchell, Ally Rose, Jason Hillier, Evan Morris, Hugo Day

Moulton Academy Ladies 1st XI 8 – 0 University of Bedford Ladies 1st XI

“It’s Raining Goals”

The last time the ladies played a University side the college went and won 6-1 against the odds. This time the stakes were higher, playing a team that was not only leagues above the previous team but also a much older outfit being mainly third year students. After a tactical talk from Coach Brett Holland the girls went to warm up in anticipation of a tough match. As the game started Bedford came out the blocks the quickest and looked to get Moulton on the back foot but right from the off the defence of Steph Brennan, Laura Wychgel and Holly Donelley-Bush were equal to the attack. Moulton then reacted and started to build an attack through new central midfield partnership of Leah Sanders and Ella Dagnall. The ball eventually found its way in to the Moulton colleges ‘Happy Area’ and Cat Broomfield was unlucky not to score from close range. From this point on it was all Moulton College, mainly down to a well structured and disciplined press against a Bedford centre back who had a very hard strike, however not quite hard enough as without fail Moulton were able to win the ball back and mount another attack. It was then a matter of time before we had the first score and it was right midfielder Abi Dalton who came running in to deflect the ball in from the right hand post. This was quickly followed up by Rebecca Trist scoring Moulton’s second, and the third came shortly before half time with a neat finish by Abi Dalton, picking up her second goal. Goalkeeper Verity Anderton-Johnson showed great concentration and awareness after not being engaged in the game until right at the end of the first half, stopping a breakaway one on one, maintaining Moulton’s clean sheet.

The girls came in to the break on a real high and were all enjoying their hockey. Words of praise, but also caution were then delivered to the team to maintain their focus and not let the Bedford University side back in to the game, by ensuring they enjoy themselves by playing good hockey and not enjoying the occasion or the score line. Sure enough these words were taken on board and it was business as usual with Bedford unable to break down the press and Moulton were able to string flurries of passes together, building the attack and still able to utilise the ‘Happy Area’. Moulton was awarded a penalty corner and Leah Sanders had the presence of mind to beat the first on rushing defender meaning she had aches of space to lift the ball speedily pass the goalkeeper in to the roof of the net! Moulton then became more expansive and right half Laura Wychgel was able to get forward and support Abi Dalton causing the Bedford defensive all sorts of problems. It again wasn’t long before Rebecca Trist was deservedly back on the score sheet, after her relentless defensive work, with a great strike. Too good for the Bedford goalkeeper. Some positional changes brought trusty centre back Steph Brennan in to centre Midfield, presenting Ella Dagnall with a new challenge and slightly less leg work after her charity half marathon at the weekend. At 5:0 up you could have forgiven Moulton for taking their foot off the gas however this was not in the script and new addition to the squad Cat Broomfield was in the right place at the right time to tuck away nicely. Leah Sanders then proved her national league stature by picking the ball up on the half way line, engaging defenders and then hitting the space, finding herself on the Bedford baseline in no time and with fantastic support from the rest of the team, and was able to pin point a pass to Cat Broomfield who again found herself in the right place to neatly deflect the ball pass the goalkeeper on the half volley. With only minutes remaining there was a chance for one more Moulton goal and with three girls fighting for a hat-trick it was Cat Broomfield, who become an aunty earlier on it that day, who claimed the eighth and topped off a great day all round for her. Special mention goes to another new member of the team, Keira Lee, who had a fantastic game at left midfield, ever growing in confidence and a great addition to the squad.

Again the girls proving how to play as a team and how to be clinical in front of goal, with fantastic performances all over the pitch!

End of season drinks on Saturday 24th March

Matt Gausden — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:37:04 +0000

For most senior club teams, it’s the last league game of the season on Saturday (24th March). We will therefore be having some end of season beers down the Wellingborough Road (for those of you 18 years and over). The plan is to meet around 8pm in the Pickering Phipps. Hopefully we can all celebrate the Men's 6s promotion!!

If you can spread the word to your team-mates that would be great.

Promotions!

Karl Flowers — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:31:44 +0100

The Ladies 3s (under the captaincy of Steph Brennan) fought hard this season. With a points total that had to be adjusted, they finished second on the table after Olney. By beating Kettering Ladies on Saturday they secured their promotion and go on to play in Division 1. Hearty congratulations to all the Ladies who have fought hard to get there.

The World Famous Fighting Sixes have been working on a promotion for 3 years. Finishing 3rd in 2010 and 2011 (after failing in the last few games), it looked like 2012 was going to be more of the same. But, in a gutsy performance against Warwick they walked away with 3 points. The final game was going to end in one of three outcomes: no points and finish 3rd; 1 point and finish 2nd; and 3 points and finish 1st as champions. They did it as champions!

Match Reports from 24th & 25th March

Luke Pibworth — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:34:13 +0100

Men’s 1st XI 13-1 South Notts

Goals: Ben Scott (5), Gareth Parker (3), Joe Colantonio, Christian Howard, Tom Lewington, Joe Kopka, Alex Press

Saints hosted bottom of the table South Notts in their last fixture of the season.

The home side made the breakthrough when Joe Kopka won Saints their first short corner and Ben Scott drag flicked home. The second goal was exactly the same, Scott doubling Saints’ tally finding the same corner of the goal. The flood gates were now open and Saints continued to press and the goals flowed. Gareth Parker scrambled the ball home after a mistake by a defender and then grabbed his second by stealing a goal from Alex Press on the line.

Grant Carlin and Steve Williams continued to terrorise the South Notts defence to win another short corner. This time is was Kopka’s name on the score sheet as he deflected in a Ben Scott pass. 5-0 and Saints were not finished. Scott came off the bench after a five minute break to play in attack for the rest of the game. Great work by Christian Howard led to Scott sealing his hat trick at the back post and two assists in two minutes by Joe Colantonio led to Scott getting his 4thand 5thgoals. 8-0 at half time.

Saints did start the second half a little sluggishly but soon found the net again as Tom Lewington scored his first goal from Saints from a short corner. Parker then grabbed his hat trick scoring from close range after good work by Stephan Williams. Unfortunately Saints did let their concentration slip and Notts won their only short which was converted by their captain. Saints continued to score though and next it was the turn of Christian Howard firing into the near corner from the top of the D. Joe Colantonio scored next firing into the opposite corner after some good footwork and Alex Press followed up with a goal himself from close range.

A 13-1 victory to end the season off. Saints finished 7thwith a 30 point tally, their best in 4 years.

The Men's 1s in goalscoring mode!

Ladies 3rdXI 4-0 Kettering 3rdXI

Goals: Steph Brennan, Christie Walsh, Courtney Thorpe, Natalia Raca

With a win meaning promotion, 3s dominated from the start against Kettering. With some excellent supportive play from Jane Ogden, Jules Herring, Winnie Jones, Stephanie Brennan, Georgia Anniky and Annie Toman, who made up the back 5, resulted in spending virtually the whole first half playing in the attacking half. A great strike from Stephanie Brennan at the top of the D resulted in an early lead, quickly increased by Christie Walsh scoring before half time.

In the second half, the ladies 3s continued as we left off at half time with a well-structured attack and Emma Brennan not having much to do in goal! With continued attacks creating plenty of chance to score, Courtney Thorpe and Natalia Raca brought the score up to 4-0, resulting in promotion after a brilliant season from the Ladies 3rd team squad!

Mens WFF 6th XI 5-2 Warwick 4th XI (Away)

Goal Scorers: Lloyd Atkinson (3), Tony Brennan and Richard Smith

It was to be the clash for who gets promoted and who doesn’t. The World Famous Fighting Sixes (WFF6s) needed 3 points to be promoted as champions. It was guts or glory.

The game started off with a lot of energy and the WFF6s looked very dominant, a break in the attack saw a great counter by Warwick who put in the opening score with a deft touch in by Tony Brennan. The WFF6s came back resilient with 2 quick goals by Lloyd Atkinson, one from an excellent drive by Phil Knight.

A substitution into a striking position by the captain - himself - saw a deft touch in by the capatin to put the WFF6s into a very commanding position. After the break, the Home team managed to make it 2 with an excellent piece of interplay around the D.

The 2 remaining goals by Lloyd and Richard sealed the result. Jubilation by the WFF6s who secure their promotion, as champions, into Central League South East 1 then proceeded and celebrations could be heard in the wee hours of the morning

MOM: The whole team for an outstanding season
DOD: Robert Mugabe

Squad: Tony Brennan(c); Adam Powell (GK); Karl Flowers; Karl MacGregor; Darren Thorpe; Pete Malpass; Phil Knight; Lloyd Atkinson; Ryan James; Phil Adams; Dermot Cassidy; Aidan Walker; and Richard Smith

University of Durham 1st XI 6 – 0 Ladies 1st XI

Once upon a time there was a team who attempted to play hockey. Sometimes they managed it, one of which being today! A 6:30am leave didn’t bother saints, everyone was ready for a fun minibus journey. Reaching Durham with a short stop for some socks as Georgia Linnell and Chloe Cozens forget theres! The game started and Saints pushed hard for a long period of time in the first half as Durham took possession in the saints 23. Some awesome defending occurred, although eventually a short corner was won. Unfortunately Emma Pinny got a deflection on the shot as she put herself in the way of the initial strike resulting in a goal. But saints didn't let their heads drop with some good passing between each other allowing them to rattle the Durham keeper as the whistle blew for half time.

Saints were well up for the hard battle that was about to commence. With a lovely cross from Cozens, after beating 2 of the Durham player’s, Pinny had a shot on goal which was well saved by the keeper. Durham weren't going to give it away easily; evident by the left post deflection from a short corner after 3 consecutive fabulous saves from Rebecca Howitt. Saints now had possession and weren't going to mess around, Amie Hone carried the ball taking on several players and making space to pass to Ellie Bleech, who with very little space managed to get a shot off which was placed just wide of the right post. Saints became tired and Durham began to take advantage of this, but not without Amy Tuffs, today's man of the match, putting up a strong fight. As they overloaded the ‘D’, there were just too many to mark and the ball was played around for Durham's 3rd goal. Saints were still not giving up on this game, ‘we hadn't travelled over 400 miles for nothing’, making it difficult for Durham as they continued to make substitutions. There were 2 goals scored in a short space of time for Durham due to not having the players to make continuous changes. With 5 minutes to go we were playing for enjoyment and were willing to give 110%, and as everyone gave all they had, Durham scored their final goal of the game, resulting in a 6-0 lose, but all was not lost because we had a great journey home with lots of sleepy players all getting very stiff!

Squad: Rebecca Howitt, Amie Hone, Caroline Avery, Georgia Linnell, Sally Trappitt-Jones, Ferne Sanders, Emma Pinny, Amy Tuffs, Lottie Tulley, Chloe Cozens , Ellie Bleech, Sally Adlen

Manager: Carole Bleech

Coach: Colyn Biddle

Ladies 3rd XI 5 – 1 Wellingborough 3rd XI

Thorpe (3), Natalia, Thomas

After a great team effort and win from Saturday's match, the ladies threes had high spirits and combined with the sunny weather were well up for another victory. The whole team played extremely well with great movement between the defence and midfield from Winnie and Emma (goal keeper). The midfield and forwards worked well together, with some great balls into the attacking half from Christine and Jules. A whole team effort secured a well earned 5-1 win, with goals from Natalia (1), Laura Thomas (1) and a hatrick from Courtney Thorpe. The ladies three’s should be extremely proud of their efforts on and off the pitch this season, with great Captain Leadership from Stephanie Brennan, and a dedicated team. They thoroughly deserve their promotion.

Men’s 2ndXI 4-5 Burton 2ndXI

Goals: Tom Wightman (2), Max Heaphy, Dan Rose

Spring was here on a nice sunny day, which only meant this was the last game of a very hard season for the Men’s 2ndXI. Facing a late pushback of 4pm the ‘boys’ left with high spirits even though they have already been relegated.

Due to the Matt ‘Captain Sick Note’ Gausden being injured to a footballing injury, the mantel was passed onto Dan ‘Armband’ Whittaker, who was revelling in his new power.

The trip up was scenic to say the least, we clearly enjoyed the sunshine and the countryside, however this did lead us to having about 30 minutes to get kitted up and warm up before the game.

The game finally started and it was slow start by both teams, but the score line suddenly changed as the saints’ forwards won a short corner, and it was up to Tom Wightman to slot his drag flick into the side netting, 1-0 saints. The pace suddenly changed into saints favour and this lead was doubled after some stunning stick skills by Max Heaphy to slot the ball into the goal. The pressure was applied all through the first half, but against the run of play, Burton scored a goal to bring them back into contention 2-1 to saints. Half time

2ndhalf started and the saints syndrome struck, Burton scored a goal very quickly into the start of the second half, however some quick thinking from Scott Mahoney and Dan Rose led to Rose scoring a nice half volley past the keeper, saints 3-2 up and back in the driving seat, but this wasn’t the case as, Ed Holt decided to come out of his goal and deny a goal scoring opportunity by fouling and this resulted in a flick against him. Saints shot themselves on the foot again scores 3-3!

‘Squeaky Bum Time’ soon approached as saints yet again went ahead with another slick short corner routine, still debatable who got the last touch (Wightman or Heaphy). 4-3 with only 10 mins to go, inexperience showed as saints started getting into trouble with the umpires and this resulted in a short corner which Burton dispatched.

4-4 with 5 mins to go, saints would have settled for a point but newly appointed captain Whittaker saw yellow for a bad tackle and with saints down to 10 just crumbled under the pressure and gave away a short corner yet again.....score line 5-4 to Burton.

With the average age of 18, the Saints boys showed real grit, and this was a very promising performance for next season as they will look to get back into this league.

Mom – Tom Wightman for his supreme finish in the short corner and some monster aerials.

Special note goes to Adam Croutear with yet another commanding position at the back.

Dod – Ed Holt, too some task beating James Knibb and Max Heaphy to this award. He gave the Flick.

The Badgers (in white) in action against Rugby

Men’s 3rd XI 8 – 2 Belper 3rd XI

Goals: Scott-Collins (3), Smith (2), Whitfield, Pibworth, Bigley

One last chance for Saints to try and play hockey, but it was the visitors who took up the challenge, scoring from an angle to take the lead. This was short lived as Saints drew level thanks to the magic of Scott-collins. He again, along with Bigley and Smith, added to the tally leaving Saints comfortably leading at the break.

The second half brought more joy for Saints, and after 2 failed attempts to round the keeper Scott-Collins wrapped up the hatrick, while trying to destroy the net at the same time. Noble’s aerials caused constant problems for the defenders, and it wasn’t long before Smith scored his second, after volleying the ball into the bottom corner. Pibworth added a seventh after wrong footing the keeper, and it was defender Whitfield who needed no second invitation to crash the ball home for the eighth. Belper did score a second, but this did little to dampen the satisfied, if not sweltering Saints.

Squad: Phil Preen (gk), Andy Dale, Ian Mcilwaine, Luke Pibworth, Sam Bigley , Sam Mitchell, Jason Hillier, Evan Morris, Hugo Day,Jon Noble, Richard, Andy Smith, Tom Scott-Collins, Danny Whitfield

Men’s 5th XI 0 – 2 Beeston 5th XI

After the surprise arrival of Mike Derbyshire (as there had been no communication from him to David), Northampton made a bright start and were playing on the front foot, however conceded a sloppy goal from a defensive point of view after two attempts to clear the ball had just given possession back to Beeston inside the 25. Although the goal was well taken, it was poor defensive work from Northampton that gifted the goal and gave themselves an uphill struggle to win the match.

Despite this Northampton came back strong and forced a few penalty corners, the first of which was given away by a nonchalant trip on Gareth Voss inside the “D”. The game was fairly even until half time, changing after the break with Northampton having slightly more of the play. This continued until Beeston received a yellow card giving Northampton a man advantage for 10 minutes. In this time they proceeded to create chances, best of which was created by Matt who drove into the “D” and flashed a shot across goal beating the keeper but hitting the far post. This was where Gareth was arriving but he arrived at exactly the wrong time; too early to touch it in but too late to finish after it came off the post.

The game continued to be balanced after Beeston were back to their full compliment with both teams enjoying a fair amount of the possession. Both teams had attacks and the game was end to end. During a Beeston attack Dysko tracked back from right midfield and made a clumsy challenge through a player, bundling him over inside the “25” and conceding a penalty corner from which Beeston slotted home their second goal. Northampton went back on the offensive; however Beeston put men behind the ball and defended solidly, repelling Northampton time and time again.

Squad: Scott Bashford (gk), David Henry (c), Steve Morns, Adam Shepherd, Rob Cary, Matt Kerr, Gareth Voss, Mike Derbyshire, Alex Jeffery, Jeremy Wan, Harry Stobart, Tom Dysko, Ed Arnold

Rugby & East Warwick Masters 0-4 Northampton Saints Masters

Goals: Dave Kelly, Jon Noble (2), Max Darby

The Saints welcomed yet another new cap Trev Fidler to the fold for a debut against a well organised Rugby side. The Saints setlled very quickly into a neat passing game and really took control of the game from the outset, with Ian McIlwaine and Nigel Down controlling the game from the middle of the park. It was no surprise whenh the saints took the lead when a great goal bound effort from John Noble was touched over the line by Dave Kelly. About 10 minutes later Jon Noble doubled the lead with a well worked short corner routinne. The saints continued to play a fluid game full of the passing and movement usually associated with the great brazillian football sides.

At half time it was a case of carry on as normal - which the Saints did - soon to be rewarded with a screamer of a goal again by the evergreen Noble. After taking the 3- 0 lead and with tiring legs, Rugby applied more pressure as Saints resorted more to longer more speculative balls. The back five maintained their composure and Biddle made a couple of important saves to ensure the sought after clean sheet was maintained. The second half continued with the Rugby keeper making numerous great saves aided by some extremely comical finishing (the perpetrators will remain nameless but one was on debut) - with one final goal coming on the final whistle - a flowing move finished with great aplomb by Max Darby.

A great game with an excellent team performance by the Saints

Squad: Biddle, Phipps, Hillier, Tebbutt, Darbyshire, Daverson, Kelly, Down, McIlwaine, Fidler, Darby R, Darby M, Noble.

Can you help in July?

Matt Gausden — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:25:54 +0100

We have requests from the parents of three separate Spanish students who are looking for local hockey families to host for the weekend of 27-29thJuly (Friday & Saturday nights).

The girls will be attending the Futures Sports Hockey Camps at Moulton College for the week prior to and week after the 27-29thJuly. This could be an ideal opportunity for anyone studying Spanish to practice their language skills.

If you can help with accomodation please let Martin Wilkes know

martin.wilkes@futuressports.com

England Mixed Hockey Trials

Matt Gausden — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:28:55 +0100

The England Mixed Hockey trials are being held on Sunday 20th and Sunday 27th May 2012 at Broxbourne Hockey Club. The sessions will be from 11am until 3pm and players are advised to bring a white and a dark shirt and socks, a drink and lunch. Meet time is 10am to ensure that all paperwork is completed prior to the start of the sessions.

All players need to register prior to attending, and more information can be obtained from Alison Austin - 01983 741409 or email hockeyengland@aol.com

Club Golf Day

Matt Gausden — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:08:43 +0100

A number of you have been asking about this years golf day and at last i can confirm that this has been booked. With the Masters just around the corner and the a sudden burst of summer this week it's seems a perfect time to dust down the clubs and think about emulating Rory, Luke or Sergio

We had a good turnout last time and it would be great to have a few more this year so please pass this on to anyone in the club who might be interested.

Date: Saturday 19th May

Venue: Brampton Heath Golf Club, Northampton

Time: Meet 12pm, first tee reserved for 1pm

Cost: £30 which includes 18 holes of golf, tee/coffee & bacon sandwiches beforehand and prizes.

I have booked for 24 but the club have told me we can increase this if need be

There will be an individual and a team competition...the individual competition will be for the Clive Terrett trophy

Payment on the day but please let me know if you are able to make it so that I can confirm final numbers with the course. Please can you also confiirm your handicap (always an interesting one!)

If there is sufficient interest I will organise a curry in the evening...again, let me know please.

If you're interested please email Gary Paterson: gary.paterson10@btinternet.com

Mixed Cup Final This Saturday!

Matt Gausden — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:06:44 +0100

Cheer on our mixed team in the Northants Mixed League Cup Final this Saturday (31st March), 1.30pm push back at Moulton Sports Complex.

They face Long Buckby in what should be a very evenly contested match.

Phyllis Allinson: 1926-2012

Matt Gausden — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:34:40 +0100

Phyllis Allinson: 1926-2012
Born: 01.09.1926 Northampton.

Phyllis Allinson, a former England international and Hon Life Member of the All England Womens Hockey Association (AEWHA), died on Sunday March 25th at her home in Bakewell, Derbyshire. Phyl, as she was affectionately known, will be remembered as a regular England international soon after the last War, as a coach to national teams, as an umpire but especially for her warm and lively personality.

She made her international debut in 1948 and was capped 15 times. There would have been many more caps for her but they were not awarded for England Touring teams. She went with England to Holland in 1948, South Africa (1950), Australia (1956) and Germany (1958). On the tours to South Africa and Australia, she was vice captain.

Phyl played her county hockey for Kent and Northants and for two territorial sides, the East and the Midlands, being captain of the Midlands for ten years. She went on to be the President of the Midlands and a selector. An AEWHA Advanced coach, she coached national, territorial and county teams. She was also a B register umpire.

Elected as vice president of the AEWHA, the former ruling body of English women’s hockey, in 1976, she was made a Life Member in 1984. Nancy Tomkins, the former Guardian hockey correspondent, said “I am so sorry to hear of her death. I have nothing but happy memories of Phyl. She was a truly lovely person”. Sue Whitaker (formerly Slocombe), was particularly saddened to hear of Phyl’s death. She knew her very well. “When I was at Bedford College of Physical Education, Phyl was my tutor and was the most wonderful person, loved by many students for her care and support. Phyl wrote my reference for my first teaching post and was so supportive throughout both my international playing days and when I moved on to coach England and Great Britain. She was always there to offer gentle help, advice and support. She really was the most special person I could ever hoped to have met. I will always treasure my fond memories of her.”

The funeral will be held on April 12th.

April Fool Everyone - Face masks

Karl Flowers — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:08:16 +0100

As far as we know there are no plans afoot:

"Sally Munday, Chief Executive of the EHB announced on Friday, 30 March that as from September 2012 all outfield players are to wear protective masks that prevent eye and mouth injuries.

In 2011, 115 facial injuries resulted from hockey and it is in the best interest of the game that all players are protected. After a succesful trial of protection for defenders during penalty corners, it has been decided to roll this out to all other facets of the game.

Northampton Hockey Club will work with Sports equipment suppliers to ensure that all players will have protection for the start of the season."

We always have safety in mind and if England Hockey change their position you will be the first to know. Apparently no-one was hurt in the making of this joke...

Mixed Hockey Cup Champions

Karl Flowers — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:41:08 +0100

In a 3 goals versus 1 match thriller, the Mixed section comes away victorious. Beating Long Buckby in the final, NHC takes the cup. A big thanks to Lesley Langley as team(s) manager and all the players who have fought hard all season to produce this wonderful result.

Touring South Africans

Karl Flowers — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:20:38 +0100

The Northampton 'Academy' hosted a visiting South African side. Northcliff High School (from Johannesburg) on a 10 day tour, braved the weather and put on a good show.

Playing on Moulton College Waterbase, the first game comprising of a mostly U17 JAC/ Moulton College side lost 0-3 to a fiery South African side.

In the second game, the NHC U18 side beat the visitors 11-2 in a chilly, rain plagued game. Both teams were excellent ambassadors for their respective clubs and showed a high level of skill.

End of Season Presentation Dinner - 21st April

Matt Gausden — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:30:49 +0100

This year's do will be held at the Masonic Hall, on Saturday 21st April. 7pm till late.

Tickets are priced at £35 for adults and £30 for students/U18s.

Included in your ticket is a 3 course meal, disco and a top fun night out!

If you haven't already paid for yout ticket, you can pay online:

Account Name: Northampton Saints Hockey Club
Sort Code: 40-35-04
Account No.: 42057395

Please use your name and "black tie" as the reference if paying online.

If you're unable to pay online please email matthew.gausden@giltedged.co.uk to make an alternative arrangement.

Summer League Fixtures 2012 Announced

Matt Gausden — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:00:23 +0100

Please click on the below link to view the fixtures for this season's Northants Mixed Summer League at Moulton.

Summer League Fixtures 2012

This year Northampton HC is entering 8 teams into the league (Tony Brennan once again showing what a hockey keeno he is!!).

If you're interested in playing in the Summer League, and dont yet have a team then please get in touch with us and we'll endevour to find you a side to play in. matthew.gausden@giltedged.co.uk

TEAM	CAPTAIN/MANAGER	TEAM COLOURS
Pimp My Side	Annie Howard / Matt Gausden	Pink
Smarties	Andy Dale	Red
Odd Bods	Ben Scott / Lizz Hone	Navy
Lions	Tony Brennan	Orange
Tigers	Tony Brennan	Orange
Bob Cats	Tony Brennan	Orange
Cubs	Tony Brennan	Orange
Panthers	Tony Brennan	Black

Web Down

Karl Flowers — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:37:12 +0100

Northampton Hockey Club would like to apologise to anyone who was inconvenienced by our website going down. The analytics show that a on a day to day basis we have a good viewership and they would have been put out.

The problem lay with the DNS settings that forward our clubs website address (saintshockey.org.uk) to the company that host our website (www.clubbuzz.co.uk). Even though the problem didn't lay on their side, Clubbuzz have been fantastic in helping us to get back online. They were working way after hours, last night, to fix things.

After fixing what we could it was then a waiting game for those changes to come into effect. Anyway we are back up to speed and we have a whole raft of announcements due shortly.

Thanks again for your patience!

AGM Information - 28th April

Matt Gausden — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:12:20 +0100

Dear Members,

Have your vote in what happens to your club and see what’s planned for the next season at this season’s AGM on Saturday 28thApril at 4pm (Click here for the Agenda)

Why not have a run around and some hockey fun before the AGM at the 7-a-side tournament starting at 11am up at the Moulton Sports Complex pitch – it’s just for fun so teams will be drawn on the day, please arrive for 10:45am bringing both white and black kit.

At the AGM the committee will be proposing a new club structure, we feel that we are a big club with a small committee and this needs to change. Click here for the proposed structure. You can also find out more on the roles we expect from our new committee:Committee Job Descriptions . Why not come along and have you say about this proposed change? It’s your club and your decision. As part of this proposed structure change no one person will be responsible for decisions about your club and you will have more opportunity to voice your decision and make it count. The committee want to communicate more to all players, letting you know what’s happening with your club – this will start at this seasons AGM.

To reflect the proposed changes to the committee structure, there is a few proposed amendments to our Club Constitution (click here).

The committee look forward to seeing you all at the Black Tie Dinner on Saturday 21stApril and then the following week at the AGM and 7-a-side tournament!

If you haven’t bought your Black Tie Ticket it’s not too late – buy your ticket today and celebrate the end of the season with your team! See the website for more details on how to buy your ticket.

Thanks,

Northampton HC Committee

Midlands Masters Honours

Matt Gausden — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:51:45 +0100

Following a series of trial sessions, the following Northampton HC players have been selected for Midlands Masters squads:

Jon Noble for the Over 40s.
Max Darby for the Over 45s.
Ian Mcilwaine for the Over 45s.
Guy Roberts (Captain) for the Over 45s.

They will now have a number of training sessions and practice matches before attending their respective Divisional Tournaments later this month for the Over 40s and mid-May for the 45s. The Tournaments act as the first stage of selection for England squads. Following further trials, there is the opportunity to play in the 4 Nations Tournaments in June in Edinburgh and the Masters World Cup in August in Canterbury.

Congratulations to all those players,

Junior Training Cancelled Today at Caroline Chisholm

Matt Gausden — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:18:21 +0100

Junior Training is cancelled today at Caroline Chisholm. Sorry for the inconvenience

MK Hockey Festival - Junior Match Reports

Matt Gausden — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:12:04 +0100

MK Festival Under 11s report

U12s MK Festival Match Report

The under 11's play their last tournament under the guise of the under 12's.

We started off against Milton Keynes in usual fashion - going behind early on but a great goal from Daniel Owen saw us draw level, and through several shots from Katy Roffe and Mason could have seen us go ahead.

The second game was brilliant, seeing us win 4-2 with a goal from Mason, two from Rhys, and Daniel popping up again to score.

We needed to win the last game against our great rivals Leicester as they had the same results as us. This seemed to make us more determined, giving us a win by 3-2 with the ever determined Katy scoring and the ever reliable Rhys getting two. This meant that we won the tournament, our second tournament win of the season. This time the winners received medals which went down very well.

I am so proud to coach a fantastic bunch of children who always give their best. I could mention lots of players who consistently play well. Sam Hardwick was excellent constantly running, Holly being strong at the back, Louisa being strong in any position she played.

Steve Roffe

U11s Coach

Under 9 MK Festival Match Report

A sunny morning in Roundabout City saw a few of my usual Mighty Nines merge with some of the younger U11 squad members to create a crack team of Tenacious Tens, ready to take on all comers.

After a bit of on-the-hoof juggling of positions to comply with the tournament rules we lined up for our first game against Milton Keynes 1. Dauntingly to say we were outsized by the opposition would be an understatement, however although they were obviously players at the upper end of the age band, we were not completely outclassed. Some very furious and committed midfield work gave us an opening and Sam Wood slotted the ball home to give us an early lead to lift our spirits. Our advantage was not to last long however, and Milton Keynes soon pegged the scoreline back before stealing a winner in the closing minutes as their greater size and experience began to come to the fore.

Next up, Bedford. As with the first match the Tenacious Tens lived up to their name and fought hard but despite coming close on a few occasions could not quite get the ball over the goal-line. Bedford however, despite equally not producing many chances of their own did manage to make the most of the opportunities presented to them and got the result in very closely matched game.

Quickly switching pitches again, we were then into our 3rdgame in succession against an extremely strong Leicester side. Leicester dominated possession and despite some fantastic tackling and defensive work – including a excellent goal line save by Amelia – we just could not extract ourselves from their vice-like grip on the game and they ran out comfortable winners.

After a good break, and a few tactical positional changes, we regrouped for our final match against Milton Keynes 2. After the disappointment of the defeat to Leicester, the Tenacious Tens managed to restore some confidence with a complete reversal of roles from the previous game. A rampant display of determination and firepower saw shots peppering the opposing goal with Sam (3), Amelia (2) and Ewan all hitting the target. At the other end – Jack, our final volunteer full back, had to put down his edition of War and Peace just once so he could climb out of his deckchair and swat away the Milton Keynes advance on our goal. It was a great way end to the day.

Thanks to all Amber, Joey, James, Sam, Macy, Jack, Harmony, George, Amelia and Ewan for their great play on the day. Our overall standing in the tournament could have so easily have been different and even with the broad spread of ages within our team, they showed that Saints can compete well against other big clubs in our area.

Players of the day: Macy, Amber, Amelia and Jack for their excellent efforts and fantastic team spirit in volunteering in turn to don the dreaded orange shirt and playing as designated full-back for each of our games.

Final Results:

Saints: 1 MK1: 2

Saints: 0 Bedford: 2

Saints: 0 Leicester: 5 (possibly 6!)

Saints: 6 MK2: 0

Overall standing on the day: 4th

Phil Adams

U9 Coach

County Men's Hockey Trials this Thursday (26th April)

Matt Gausden — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:50:08 +0100

The Men's County team are competing in the County Champs on the 12th and 13th of May at Beeston.

Trials for the Champs will be this Thursday(26th April) at Moulton Sports Complex, 7:45 to 9:15pm and will be open to everybody that thinks they are able to compete at county mens level.

The Squad will be selected from these trials and then progress to waterbase training (which selected players will be made aware of).(Dates 3rd May/8th May)

Ladies Midlands Masters Trials

Matt Gausden — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:17:26 +0100

The trials will be held on Sunday 20th May at Old Sils from 12.00 (first game) until 15.00, there will be a fee of £5.00 to cover pitch hire costs. It would be helpful if you could get there for 11.00 - 11.15 to allow administration 'stuff' to be completed.

If you wish to attend then we need to know your name, DOB, club, preferred playing positions (2) and which age groupyou wish to be considered for. You may, if you are Over 45 be considered for the Over 40's though depending upon numbers and specialist position e.g. Goalkeepers be asked to play for the older age group, if you are adament you do not want to then again please make this clear on your information. It would be easiest for me if you could send the information as a club if there is more than one person from said club and could you mail the information to this address. If you wish to be considered for either of the teams but are unable to attend trials due to a current injury, prior engagement then please make this clear on your information. You will still be given fair consideration for selection. There will be between 4-6 selectors.

Please bring a white and a blue shirt - with regards to socks, club ones will be fine.

The Regional tournemants for the O40's and 45's are both being held at Cannock Hockey Club on the weekend of June 9th and 10th so please make sure you are availalble for these dates.

The DEADLINE for entries will be FRIDAY 11TH MAY to allow time to get all the information to be collated.

If there is anything esles you want/need to know then please contact either Alison Galzier or me

Look forward to hearing from you

Regards

Caroline Frye

carolinefrye@blueyonder.co.uk

End of Season Junior Tournament - Sunday 29th April

Matt Gausden — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:27:22 +0100

Northampton HC are hosting the End of Season County Junior Tournament at Moulton Sports Complex this Sunday (29th April).

1) U13s meet at 9.00 for a 9.30 start.
2) U11s meet at 11.30 for a 12.00 start.
3) U9s meet at 14.00 for a 14.30 start.

All games will be at Moulton Sports Complex and we will be running a BBQ & tombola on the day.

7-a-side tournament cancelled today, but AGM still on!

Matt Gausden — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:50:31 +0100

due to the weather we've cancelled the 7-a-side tournament today. However the AGM is still on at 4pm at Moulton Sports Complex. See you all then

Junior Tournament cancelled tomorrow, but Caroline Chisholm training is still on

Matt Gausden — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:44:40 +0100

The Junior Tournament is cancelled tomorrow.

BUT Junior Training at Caroline Chisholm School is still on.

Big Cats Hockey make MK Debut tonight!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:01:47 +0100

Big Cats Hockey (NHC summer league side) will be making their Milton Keynes summer league debut tonight.

Good luck guys and gals!

Annual Club Golf Day on Sat 19th May

Matt Gausden — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:24:49 +0100

We had a good turnout last time and it would be great to have a few more this year so please pass this on to anyone in the club who might be interested.

Date: Saturday 19th May

Venue: Brampton Heath Golf Club, Northampton

Time: Meet 12pm, first tee reserved for 1pm

Cost: £30 which includes 18 holes of golf, tee/coffee & bacon sandwiches beforehand and prizes.

I have booked for 24 but the club have told me we can increase this if need be

There will be an individual and a team competition...the individual competition will be for the Clive Terrett trophy

Payment on the day but please let me know if you are able to make it so that I can confirm final numbers with the course. Please can you also confiirm your handicap (always an interesting one!)

If there is sufficient interest I will organise a curry in the evening...again, let me know please.

If you're interested please email Gary Paterson: gary.paterson10@btinternet.com

Junior Training Dates and Tournament News

Matt Gausden — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:35:18 +0100

To all juniors and parents,

We have added 2 extra Sunday training dates at Caroline Chisholm: 13th and 20th May. Please note there is no training this Sunday (6th May).

For the full list of training dates click here: Junior Training Dates for 2011-12

Also we're pleased to announce the Junior End of Season Tournament has been rescheduled for Sunday 20th May, The schedule of the day should follow as originally planned:

U13 meet at 9.00 for a 9.30 start. (awards before U11’s start)
U11 meet at 11.30 for a 12.00 start (awards before U9’s start)
U9 meet at 14.00 for a 14.30 start aiming to do awards around 16.00

More Olympic Hockey Tickets Now on Sale!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:33:47 +0100

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced that another 62,000 tickets for the Olympic hockey tournament will go on sale.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has confirmed the details for the sale of contingency tickets for the Olympic Games.

900,000 Olympic Games contingency tickets on sale from 11am on 11 May 2012
Reflects promise made in 2011 to prioritise unsuccessful applicants from previous rounds
Olympic Park tickets will be on sale at £10 for adults and £5 for young people and seniors

Reflecting the promise made by LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe and CEO Paul Deighton last year, tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis exclusively to the one million or so people who applied in previous rounds of Olympic ticket sales and were not successful in securing a ticket.

Tickets will go on sale at www.tickets.london2012.com

To see list of contingency tickets going on sale and a timeline of ticket sales to date click here

First priority will be given to the 20,000 people who were unsuccessful in the initial Olympic ballot application and then again unsuccessful when they applied in the second chance sales due to the high demand. These 20,000 people would have received a notification on 26 June 2011 that their second chance sales application was unsuccessful. They will be given 31 hours exclusive access to the tickets.

The 1 million people who applied in the initial ballot but were unsuccessful will then have an exclusive 5 day sales period.

All customers will be limited to applying for one session and a maximum of 4 tickets. Those eligible for the sales will be contacted directly via email by LOCOG today.

LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe said, 'We know thousands of sports fans were disappointed when they missed out in the initial sales period because of the massive demand for tickets. We promised we would prioritise these fans when we released the contingency tickets, which is exactly what we are doing.'

LOCOG has also confirmed that Olympic Park tickets will be available as part of this sale. These tickets will not allow access to the sport within the Olympic Park, but will allow ticket holders to experience the atmosphere of the Park and watch sport on the big screens primarily in the first week before the Athletics start. Approximately 70,000 Olympic Park tickets will be available as part of this sale, with further tickets will be available closer to Games time.

The schedule for the contingency sales period is:

11 May 2012 from 11am to 6pm on 12 May, tickets will be on sale for that group of 20,000 people in an exclusive pre-sale. There will be tickets for all events apart from Olympic Park tickets. Limited tickets for Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be included.

13 May 2012 – from 11am – Hockey, Tennis, Wrestling (Freestyle), Wrestling (Greco-Roman), Beach Volleyball and Football

14 May 2012 – from 11am – Athletics (Race Walk), Athletics (Marathon), Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint, Shooting, Swimming, Volleyball, Weightlifting and Cycling (Track)

15 May 2012 – from 11am – Equestrian (Dressage), Equestrian (Eventing), Equestrian (Jumping), Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Handball, Table Tennis, Swimming (Marathon) and Water Polo

16 May 2012 – from 11am – Basketball (North Greenwich Arena sessions), Badminton, Sailing, Gymnastics (Artistic), Gymnastics (Rhythmic), Gymnastics (Trampoline), Judo, Taekwondo, Boxing and Fencing

17 May 2012 – from 11am – Archery, Basketball (Basketball Arena sessions), Cycling (BMX), Cycling (Mountain Bike), Cycling (Road), Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Triathlon and Olympic Park tickets

Unsold tickets on each day will be carried forward to the next day’s sales. By purchasing tickets on any of these days, customers will not be eligible to purchase any more tickets in this sales period. In recognition of Visa’s longstanding support of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, only Visa (debit, credit and prepaid) can be used to purchase tickets. Any tickets unsold during this period will go back on general sale from 23 May 2012 at 11am.

LOCOG has also announced that remaining tickets for the Paralympic Games will go on sale from 11am on 21 May 2012 – exactly 100 days before the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. There has been unprecedented demand for tickets to the Paralympic Games so far and availability remains in many events. Further details will be released prior to tickets going sale.

LOCOG has also confirmed that new tickets will be on sale from 29 May 2012, which will help more people get to the Games. These tickets are:

Cycling Road Race at Box Hill, in Surrey. Tickets will be £15 full price and £5 for young people and seniors for the viewing area at Donkey Green and £10 and £5 for the viewing area at Dormouse Drive.
Cycling Individual Time Trial at Hampton Court Palace. These tickets will be £15 full price and £5 for young people and seniors at Viewing Area A and £10 and £5 at Viewing Area B.
There will also be tickets available for Wimbledon which will provide access to The Hill and the big screen only. These tickets will be priced at £10 full price and £5 for young people and seniors.
The Orbit. Tickets will cost £15 full price and £7 for young people aged 16 or under and seniors aged 60 or over. These tickets should only be purchased by people who have an Olympic Park ticket or a sport ticket for an event in the Olympic Park for the day they wish to visit the Orbit.

LOCOG has also confirmed its ‘babes in arms’ policy. Babes in arms, aged 12 months or under, will be permitted access to all London 2012 venues without a ticket except for Wembley Stadium, St James’ Park, Old Trafford and North Greenwich Arena where existing licensing agreements mean that all spectators require tickets regardless of age. Babies must be securely strapped to their parent or carer by way of a baby carrier, sling, papoose or similar. Customers who have queries about this policy should contact the London 2012 ticketing team on 0844 847 2012.

Potential customers are urged to only buy from official London 2012 sources. A full list of authorised ticket resellers is available on www.tickets.london2012.com where there is also a URL checker to confirm whether websites are authorised to sell tickets

http://www.englandhockey.co.uk/news.asp?itemid=17899&itemTitle=62%2C000+more+hockey+tickets+go+on+sale&section=22&sectionTitle=News&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

Men's County Tournament this Weekend

Matt Gausden — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:49:54 +0100

The Men's county championships this weekend at Beeston. Why not come along and cheer the boys on :

Saturday:

12.15 Northamptonshire v Cumbria
17.30 Northamptonshire v Herefordshire

Sunday:

12.30 Northamptonshire v Isle of Man
16.00 Northamptonshire v Nottinghamshire

Special mentions to Saints youngsters: Adam Croutear, Stephen Williams and Ed Holt for making the squad after selection training. They join a number of experienced Saints first teamers in making the final county squad.

Scottish honours for Saints Youngster

Matt Gausden — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:11:04 +0100

Congratulations to Saints youngster Ally Rose who's been selected for the Scotland U18 Men’s Squad, for the upcoming trip to Belfast to play Ulster (8-10th June). This is being used as another opportunity for the coaches to see the players prior to making selection for the Celtic Cup in July and is not necessarily an indication of the squad for that tournament.

Squad:Grant Scott, Lyle Hill, Simon Carmichael, Ally Rose, George Adams, Jamie Wong, Peter Akyol, James Ross, Danny Cain, Ross Davies, Aidan Docherty, Aedan McCrossan, Lee Morton, Ed Greaves, Murdo Elwis, Fergus Sandison, Thomas Barton, Andrew Leslie

Reserves: Angus Robb, Archie Breckenridge, Michael O'Donovan and Euan Christie

County Men's side get off to great start!

Matt Gausden — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:24:38 +0100

Well done to the county men's side yesterday at Beeston, in the County Championships.

They played 2 and won 2!

3-0 win over Cumbria and a 7-4 win against Herefordshire. They've got 2 more games to play today, good luck boys

County Men Qualify for Finals Day!

Matt Gausden — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:45:29 +0100

The County Men's Squad returned victorious from Beeston on Sunday evening, winning 4 games out of 4 in group C of the County Champs.

Saturday saw a 3-0 win over Cumbria and a 7-4 win against Herefordshire.

Whilst on Sunday they were victors over the Isle of Man and Nottinghamshire (6-4).

Well done guys, and good luck for the finals.

Level 1 Umpire Course in June

Matt Gausden — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:10:08 +0100

Northampton HC is running a level 1 umpires course on the 13th and 20th June at Moulton Sports Complex.

L1 Umpire Course Info

If you are interested in attending then please contact Martin Wilkes(martin.wilkes@futuressports.com ) or Karl Flowers (plugsly@gmail.com )

Club Communication and AGM Minutes

Karl Flowers — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:11:30 +0100

As discussed at the AGM, and mentioned on numerous occasions by the membership, members want to be able to see what is discussed in the committees. The Executive Committee met, last night, for a monstrous inaugural meeting that ended at 12.30. It was proposed and seconded (without objection) to do exactly what the members want.

Every time the Executive Committee, Junior Section, Academy and Senior Section meet minutes will be recorded and they will be published on the web. AGM minutes will also be published so those that disn't attend can see what was discussed.

Members are encouraged to read the minutes when they are published and quickly adress any questions to the Secretary who will then email support/objections/queries to the relevant section or committee. The governing bodies will then respond to members as soon as possible.

The first minutes can be found on the Club Minutes page.

Annual Club Golf Day - This Saturday (19th May)

Matt Gausden — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:20:31 +0100

The annual club golf day is this Saturday. It's not too late to enter

We had a good turnout last time and it would be great to have a few more this year so please pass this on to anyone in the club who might be interested.

Date: Saturday 19th May

Venue: Brampton Heath Golf Club, Northampton

Time: Meet 12pm, first tee reserved for 1pm

Cost: £30 which includes 18 holes of golf, tee/coffee & bacon sandwiches beforehand and prizes.

I have booked for 24 but the club have told me we can increase this if need be

There will be an individual and a team competition...the individual competition will be for the Clive Terrett trophy

Payment on the day but please let me know if you are able to make it so that I can confirm final numbers with the course. Please can you also confiirm your handicap (always an interesting one!)

If there is sufficient interest I will organise a curry in the evening...again, let me know please.

If you're interested please email Gary Paterson: gary.paterson10@btinternet.com

Guy Roberts Charity Cycle Ride

Matt Gausden — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:16:15 +0100

Hi All

This summer, along with 43 other cyclists some of which are novice cyclists (such as myself!), I will be riding from Llandudno to Shrewley near Warwick in aid of Molly Olly’s Wishes. Over 200 miles in 3 days, with the small matter of Snowdonia National Park on the way!

Molly Olly's Wishes is a charity whose mission is “to support emotionally and financially, where appropriate, the lives of children with terminal or life threatening illnesses through the UK and to advise and assist their families”. The charity was set up by Molly Ollerenshaws parents and friends after Molly lost her five year long battle with cancer, in June 2011, aged only 8 years old.

Molly’s parents, Tim and Rachel have been friends of mine for over 30 years, so I really would appreciate any donations you can make.

In order to make a donation, please visit my fund raising page www.charitygiving.co.uk/guyroberts, this also includes a link to the Molly Olly’s Wishes website, which I feel demonstrates what a fantastic cause this is for and what a special girl Molly was. Also, SG Fleet, the company I work for, have been incredibly generous and very kindly agreed to match £ for £ any monies I raise (up to £2,000), so anything you donate will effectively be doubled. Fantastic!

Any donation, however large or small will be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to pass on this email to any friends/family who you think may sponsor me and/or may be interested in the charity

Many thanks,

Guy Roberts

Northampton Hockey Club News Articles

National Yazoo Festival

Mens 7-a-side Summer Hockey

Level 1 Umpire Course

Lions roar to Victory over the Tigers!

Summer League Results from Tue 8th - Thurs 10th June

Ladies selected for the JRPC

Adam Shepherd selected for JRPC

Pimps beat Lions in inter-club Summer League Match

Summer League Results (20-21 June 2010)

Level 1 Coaching Course - Dates Announced

Hockey Open Day - Saturday 21st August 2010

Summer League Table Update (25/06/10)

Summer League Table and Results from 29th June - 1st July

Mens 1st XI Trials - All Welcome

GB win ten goal thriller

Great Britain Lose Narrowly to Germany

Northampton HC enter Charity Netball Tournament!

Cassidy stars for British Colleges

Fitness Training - "It's really worth it" says Jim the Squirrel

2010-11 Season Fixtures and Training Dates Announced

Update on Club Open Day - 21st August

Ladies' 3's and 4's training

Club Open Day a Success!

Club Training starts tomorrow!

England Masters event

Under 18’s and 16’s Girls Training and Trials

Match Reports from 18th & 19th September

Jim The Squirrel's Journey Continues...

New Rule Changes for 2010/11 Season

Match Reports from 23rd September

Match Reports from 2nd October

October Newsletter

Club Success at the Borough Council Sports Awards!

Match Reports from 9th & 10th October

Match Reports from 16th & 17th October

Junior Training - Half Term Dates

Match Reports from 23rd October

Ladies day

Annual Subs due 31st October!

Match Reports from 30th October

Calling all Men - It's MOVEMBER Time!

Match Reports from 6th and 7th November

Match Reports from 13th & 14th November

Match Reports from 20th & 21st November

Support a Sapper

Is your game/training on at Moulton this weekend?

Tuesday night (30th Nov) training cancelled

Nov/Dec Newsletter

Big Image Photography

Saturday 4th Dec 2010

Unihoc mini-tournament

Level 2 Coaching Course

No Training Tonight

Dec/Jan Junior Training Dates

Match Reports from 11th and 12th December

All home games are off - Saturday 18th Dec

Indoor Hockey

Unihoc at MSC.

Training dates for January

Match Reports from 8th and 9th January

Match Reports from 15th and 16th January

Match Reports from 22nd & 23rd January

Match Reports from 29th and 30th January

Match Reports from 5th & 6th February

Club night out

Match Reports from 12th & 13th February

Mens 5th Team Win Promotion (...again!)

Match Reports from 19th & 20th February

200 Club Launched!

Match Reports from 26th & 27th February

Match Reports from 5th March

Match Reports from 12th March

Supporters Required for tomorrow!

Match Reports from 19th March

U11s Success!

Party!!!

Match Reports from 26th March (Ladies 1s promoted!)

Mens and Ladies Top Scorers for 2010-11

Men's/Ladies Club Top Scorers