Spalding Ladies’ 1st 5 St Neots Ladies’ 1st 2
On a cold Saturday afternoon, Spalding Ladies’ 1st set out in a mid table clash against St Neots Ladies’ 1st.
During the first few minutes, a lapse in concentration allowed St Neots to go one-on-one with goalkeeper Freya Lee, however, fast thinking from player of the match Ellie Holland, who performed an outstanding tackle, prevented this opportunity.
Just three minutes in, a powerful ball from Karen Timby in the defending 23, found Honor Moore at the halfway line, who carried the ball to the D where she slipped it left to Charlotte Maplethorpe to slot home.
St Neots, however, did not let this deter them and managed to gain a goal back from a short corner.
Within a minute, quick passes from the back line to the forwards allowed Maplethorpe to score a second and put Spalding back in the lead for half time.
The second half started strongly with Spalding firing shots at the opposing keeper, eventually winning a tally of short corners, with one perfectly timed 1-2 slotted home by Timby.
Once again, St Neots responded in quick succession, gaining another short corner to score from.
As the game progressed, Spalding continuously rattled the St Neots’ defence, determined to widen their lead, with constant passes down the line, skillful dribbles from Ellie Holland and continuous transfers around the defence.
In the 63rd minute, a slip round the defender to unmarked Moore in the D gave Spalding another goal, making the score 4-2.
As the game drew to an end, Spalding capped off their lead with a fifth and final goal after Sophie Wilson intercepted a pass across the D and found Lauren Spencely on the left post to knock it in.
Pictured by Nigel Cookson.
Spalding Ladies’ 2nd 6 March Town 1st 0
Spalding Ladies’ 2nds faced March Town 1sts early on a rainy Saturday, playing some well-structured and formed hockey.
This structure and teamwork allowed Spalding to capitalise in the 16th minute of the first half, with Stephanie Wilson slotting it in past the keeper.
This momentum continued with Vicky Worrall putting another into the net just four minutes later.
Spalding continued to hold the ball in the midfield, playing some passing hockey right into the March D, where Camille Rogers slapped the ball across the goal into the bottom corner.
Just one minute later, Worrall scored again, ending the first half with Spalding four in front.
Five minutes into the second half, it was Worrall again, who completed her hat-trick after a deep run into the March territory.
March began to take advantage of a slightly complacent Spalding side, putting constant pressure on the Spalding defence.
Player of the match Sam Maltby prevented the March side from capitalising, making several goal line saves and sliding tackles.
It was the strong Spalding defence that allowed the midfield to attack one last time into the March D, where Kelly Tizzano scored an outstanding reverse flick into the top right roof of the net, making the final score 6-0 to Spalding.
Spalding Ladies’ 3rd 4 Kettering Ladies’ 3rd 0
Spalding Ladies’ 3rd team produced a dominant performance to secure a convincing 4-0 victory, controlling the game from the early stages and taking their chances clinically.
The breakthrough came in the third minute from a free hit, Terri Robinson drove powerfully into the D before finding Sam Foston, who reacted quickly to push the ball past the goalkeeper and give the side a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Great support and consistent hard work whilst encouraging and guiding the young team came from Zoe Moore and Lauren Grimer.
Spalding couldn’t quite capitalize on the penalty stroke awarded at 30 minutes but just a minute later, the team doubled the advantage.
A reverse stick pass from Robinson which Foston finished confidentlymade it 2-0 going into the break.
Spalding continued the pressure in the second half and were rewarded in the 46th minute.
A great strike from Lucy Wilson forced the goalkeeper into a save, but Millie Barker was perfectly positioned on the far post to slot home the rebound for 3-0.
The scoring was completed in the 56th minute as the captain Terri Bateman finished an excellent all-round performance by the team by sweeping the ball beautifully into the far corner, sealing a comprehensive 4-0 win.
A strong team display, built on solid defence, saw sharp attacking play, and standout contributions across the pitch.
Spalding Men’s 1st 7 St Ives Men’s 1st 0
Spalding Men’s 1sts produced an implacable performance to secure a 7-0 victory against St Ives Men’s 1sts on Saturday.
Coming into the game, St Ives sat second in the league and were unbeaten since the restart after Christmas, making them a strong test for the Spalding side.
Conditions were dry, with a wet pitch following light rain before the start.
Emphasis was placed on starting strongly, and Spalding did exactly that.
Early pressure paid off almost immediately, with Harry Walsh opening the scoring inside the first two minutes to set the tone for the afternoon.
St Ives struggled to cope with Spalding’s intensity and found themselves under sustained pressure.
A dominant 12-minute spell saw Spalding add three further goals through Jacob Baker, Ethan Pearson and Dan Azzopardi, all following excellent team passing and movement.
Spalding continued their strong first-half performance, with Matt Hulme adding a fifth just before the break.
The second half saw Spalding focus on controlling the game, frustrating the opposition, and seeing the match out professionally.
Goals followed in the 42nd minute from Jacob Baker via a well-worked short corner deflection, and again in the 46th minute when Matt Hulme added his second.
As frustration grew for St Ives, the match saw two yellow cards and a green card awarded to the visitors.
Spalding kept their composure throughout, avoided any cards themselves, and comfortably saw out the game.
Spalding Men’s 2nd 0 Kettering 1
In what promised to be a tough away trip to third in the league, Spalding started well with strong passing, before Kettering grew into the game culminating in a wonder goal reverse stick into the top corner.
This was to be the turning point in the game and though Spalding regained composure and remained resolute, Kettering, in reality, controlled the game.
Although Spalding’s backline continued to repel Kettering’s attacks, they were unable to reach the levels of previous games in their passing play and Kettering’s assault countered Spalding’s, usually effective, press through.
However, despite a lot of aerials, they all worked hard showing how good their system was on the counter with Spalding keeping possession especially from Will Steed and George Goode passing well.
Danny Wright earned man of the match for a strong performance in midfield but Spalding couldn’t break down thier strong opponents and lost 1-0.
Spalding Men’s 3rd 3 Cambridge City 6th 1
Spalding Men’s 3rds showed strength and resilience, overturning a half-time score of 1-0 to claim a 3-1 win against Cambridge City 6ths.
Despite a period of heavy pressure in the second half, Spalding’s commitment to using the full width of the pitch ultimately found an opening in the visitors’ defence.
The match began with the possession split 50/50 between the two sides.
Spalding looked composed, focusing on moving the ball around the backline and down the sides.
However, it was Cambridge who managed to break the deadlock, ultimately finishing and leaving Spalding 1-0 down at the first whistle.
The second half really tested Spalding’s resilience when Cambridge came out firing, putting the home side under significant pressure.
The defensive unit of Tom Eve, Sam Willerton and Eddy Sawyer in goal had to remain strong to handle the pressure.
The momentum shifted when Spalding began stretching the game.
By testing the wings and utilising Rafa Read and Lawrence Smith-Hughes on the flanks, the ball movement became too swift for Cambridge to grasp.
Ultimately this led to Smith-Hughes finding the back of the net to make it 1-1, rewarding Spalding’s persistence.
Another goal was then found when Cheston Palmer clinically put the home side ahead to make the result 2-1
To close, Dylan Hind sealed the victory with a third goal by an amazing crossbar finish, though his afternoon ended early after a shoulder barge — following two prior warnings — resulted in a green card.
Pelicans Men’s 4th 5 Spalding Men’s 4th 3
Spalding Men’s 4ths travelled to King’s Lynn to face The Pelicans Men’s 4ths and were edged out 5-3 in an entertaining and closely fought contest.
From the first whistle both sides looked eager to play attacking hockey, and the game quickly settled into an end-to-end battle.
Pelicans made the early breakthrough, capitalising on a loose ball in the Spalding circle to take the lead.
Spalding responded well and drew level when James Giles opened the scoring for the visitors, finishing confidently after a well-worked passing move.
Pelicans then regained the lead, but Spalding fought back again, with Henry Gibbons scoring to level the match.
The home side edged ahead once more, before Will Clark put Spalding back on level terms, showing great composure to finish a strong attacking move.
After that, Pelicans scored twice more in the latter stages to secure the win, despite a spirited performance from Spalding who created several further opportunities but were unable to convert them into additional goals.
Spalding had a number of youngsters in the team who worked tirelessly throughout the match, showing great energy and commitment alongside the more experienced players.
One of those, Isaac Davidson, showed real progress and skill throughout the game and was deservedly named player of the match for an excellent all-round performance.
Goalkeeper Steve Thurlbourne was also key, producing a number of crucial saves to keep Spalding in the contest.
