Spalding Ladies’ 1st 0
St Ives 1st 5
After an unfortunate loss last week, Spalding Ladies’ 1st were determined to come back fighting against St Ives.
St Ives scored their first goal from a penalty flick, which Freya Lee almost saved with a great dive to the left of the goal.
St Ives continued their aggressive attack with multiple short corners achieved, converting two to take them 3-0 up at half time.
After an inspiring team talk, Spalding were determined to fight back and attack aggressively from the off.
They had multiple chances with short corners and were unfortunate not to convert.
St Ives managed to score two more, with Spalding battling until the end.
Spalding Men’s 1st 1
Cambridge University 2nd 0
Goals: Stuart Cunnington
Spalding took control of the game and won numerous penalty corners but to no avail. They continued to press, and Cunnington finally dispatched a penalty corner between the keeper’s legs.
Tireless work in the midfield from Barney Harris, Jacob Baker, Harry Blackman and Harry Naylor saw Spalding remain in control and see out the half comfortably.
Words of encouragement from skipper Sam Howitt saw Spalding come out in the second half looking to add to their goal tally.
A controlled second half saw Spalding see the game out without conceding a penalty corner or shot on goal.
Spalding Ladies’ 2nd 2
Bourne Deeping 1st 3
Goals: Charlotte Maplethorpe
The match began with a quick offensive move by Bourne Deeping, leading to an early goal from a short corner just minutes into the game.
Spalding responded swiftly, showcasing their determination, Maplethorpe displaying her scoring prowess, netted an impressive goal for Spalding, capitalizing on a well-executed pass from Karen Timby.
As the first half progressed, Bourne Deeping managed to find the back of the net once again.
The teams regrouped during the break and Spalding came out firing in the second half.
After a well-fought battle in midfield, Spalding pushed the ball forward to Maplethorpe, who worked it around the goalie scoring her second and equalising in the final ten minutes of the game.
However, with just four minutes remaining, Bourne Deeping managed to break through the Spalding defence, securing the victory with a deflection off the stick of a Spalding defender.
Spalding Men’s 2nd 2
Cambridge University 3rd 0
Goals: Steve Rogers
Spalding started well and quickly found their passing game but failed to break through the disciplined Cambridge defenders.
Cambridge started to get into the game and pushed Spalding back, winning a few penalty corners but failed to convert and at the midpoint of the half Spalding took the lead through a Rogers finish.
This spurred them on and after a good spell of pressure, they were rewarded with Rogers converting a penalty corner to give Spalding a 2-0 advantage.
The second half was a pretty even affair with both teams having spells in the half which should have seen more goals added but the keepers stayed strong.
Spalding Ladies’ 3rd 3
Bourne Deeping 2nd 0
Goals: Lucy McClements, Sam Foston, Charlotte Morris
Spalding, keen to build upon the positive play from last weekend, began passing the ball around beautifully utilising each other and trying to keep the ball wide.
It didn’t take long before some battling in the D saw McClements win a short corner. Spalding ensured they nailed the first goal home smoothly from Foston.
Morris saw an opportunity from a hit out to reach the attacking D where McClements picked up the ball and slotted it past the Bourne Deeping keeper to make it 2-0.
Spalding were keen for more and hassled continuously, breaking down play and winning the ball, ensuring Spalding had many more opportunities.
At half time, manager George Morris encouraged the team to continue to work hard, which is exactly what they did.
Honor Pearson and Terri Bateman made some wonderful passes linking with the attackers that presented the side with more chances.
With Bourne fighting back in the last ten minutes, Spalding had to dig deep and show some creativity with a well placed aerial and a super strike from Morris to conclude the game at 3-0.
Spalding Men’s 4th 0
Newmarket 3rd 11
It was a good performance from Simon Goode, who got player of the match, but also goalkeeper Eddie Sawyer, who made some quality saves against the opposition.
The opposing side scored some very good goals, but several goals were avoidable, the opposition only won one short corner in the game despite the scoreline.
For an 11-0 game, it wasn’t all one-way traffic and the game transferred from end to end throughout.
While this is a disappointing result, it will act as a learning curve for the youngsters in the team.
