Spalding Ladies’ 1st 5 Peterborough Ladies’ 3rd 0
Spalding Ladies 1st put on a dominant performance against a tough opponent.
It took some time for the first goal, but Spalding’s fluid ball movement was evident. From Evie Maltby to Tabitha Dunnett to Lauren Harvey, the ball was transferred around the back, setting up the midfield for a forward push.
At the 28th minute, Honor Moore passed to Laura Graves, who slotted the ball home to give Spalding the lead.
Early into the second period, Georgina Maplethorpe delivered a precise ball to Graves, who scored again.
Spalding continued to find their rhythm, and the goals kept coming.
At 50 minutes, Moore took advantage of a brilliant counterattack, adding another goal.
In the 61st minute, a well-executed short corner saw Graves score once more.
Finally, in a display of individual brilliance, Moore sealed the victory with a beautiful reverse shot.
Photos by NIGEL COOKSON.
Spalding Ladies’ 2nd 0 St Ives 7
Spalding started off well, dominating the first ten minutes, however shortly afterwards St Ives scored their first goal.
There was brilliant play from Spalding and plenty of opportunities for both sides; the first half ended 3-0 to St Ives.
After a good team talk Spalding were determined to score some goals but, even with the brilliant play from Spalding, they just couldn’t find the back of the net.
Spalding Ladies’ 3rd 2 March Town 1st 8
Spalding knew top-of-the-league March Town was going to be a tough game but held their own from the start.
They made some beautiful passes and a ball across the goal from Sam Foston saw Elouise Doughty leap forward to connect her stick and secure Spalding’s first goal.
Spalding managed to hold March off until a lucky ball found their strongest player, who made it past the defence to equalise at 1-1.
Shortly after, March scored again, leaving Spalding 2-1 down.
Spalding were not fazed by this and worked hard. Some beautiful passing between Poppy Hooker and Jess Bail-Bedford saw the ball enter the D to Lucy McClements, but the March goalkeeper kept the ball out.
Before the halftime whistle, March scored two more, taking the score to 4-1.
After an encouraging halftime talk, Spalding came out strong.
Despite the efforts of the defence, March were able to score two more past goalkeeper Eliza Morris.
Undeterred, Spalding saw a ball from Kelly Tizzano enter the D. After some scrambling, Jess Worth managed to slip it past the keeper, scoring Spalding’s second of the game, 6-2.
Spalding found their stride, dominating March with textbook play and passing the ball wide to winger Jessica Pilgrim. Pilgrim’s fast pace carried the ball into the attacking D, but Khloe Brewster was unable to get past the goalkeeper.
Despite dominating possession for much of the game, Spalding conceded two more goals.
Spalding Men’s 1st 3 Cambridge Uni Men’s 2nd 2
Spalding started brightly, taking an early lead through Dan Azzopardi, who finished off a well-placed pass with a tidy reverse tap-in.
The early momentum was quickly checked as Cambridge responded immediately with a goal of their own.
Despite the setback, Spalding maintained their composure, showing high energy levels.
Captain Sam Howitt led the defensive effort with crucial tackles, setting the tone for a determined display.
As the first half drew to a close, Spalding earned a penalty corner. Up stepped Stu Cunnington, who dispatched a thunderous strike.
Spalding went into halftime with a 2-1 lead and a renewed sense of determination.
The second half saw Spalding continue to apply pressure, which paid off when Darren Grooby extended the lead with a pinpoint reverse finish into the corner.
Cambridge came back into the game and two crucial saves from Oscar Haunch kept the lead.
With the game slipping away, Cambridge threw everything forward, enjoying a sustained ten-minute spell of pressure. Eventually, they found a way through, closing the gap to 3-2.
Spalding Men’s 2nd 0 Cambridge Uni Men’s 3rd 2
Uni began the game with most of the possession but Spalding dug in deep, keeping their shape and man marking limiting Uni’s chances.
Uni finally broke the deadlock with a well worked short corner routine to deflect a shot into the roof of the net.
Spalding continued to defend well with some smart saves from Rob Callaby.
The second half continued much the same as the first half with Uni keeping a large amount of possession. Spalding had a small number of counter attack opportunities with Lawrence Smith-Hughes and Tim Maltby running in behind the defensive line.
Uni doubled their lead but Spalding worked tirelessly to defend and keep it 2-0 at full time.
Spalding Men’s 3rd 2 Wisbech 2
Spalding started brightly and dominated possession in the early exchanges with Wisbech struggling to keep up with the pace.
This resulted in a deserved goal from Simon Goode in a scrappy short corner after two initial saves made by the keeper.
In the second half Wisbech equalised through a short corner against the run of play.
Goode then scored from a well worked short corner which was deflected in.
Wisbech got lucky at the end with a short sneaking in.
The final result reflected an open game, but Spalding will be disappointed not to have taken all three points
Spalding Men’s 4th 0 St Ives 4th 2
The game started with high energy, as Spalding pressed forward and moved the ball well.
Both teams fought hard to break the deadlock, but neither side could find the goal, leaving the game level at 0-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Spalding continued to push forward.
Spalding earned several short corners but struggled to make them count.
Meanwhile, St Ives capitalised on their opportunities, scoring twice from penalty corners.
Despite Spalding’s efforts to respond, they were unable to find a goal before the final whistle.
