Spalding Men’s 1s 6 St Ives 1s 1
Spalding welcomed St Ives to Glen Park following a week’s break, looking to bounce back following two defeats on the road.
Spalding came flying out of the traps and Tom Amess opened the scoring within five minutes following superb forward play by Jacob Baker.
Spalding continued to be on the front foot and doubled the lead with Amess finishing a well-worked penalty corner routine with a smart deflection.
St Ives responded and Spalding lost some tempo which resulted in St Ives pulling a goal back.
Spalding then had to reshuffle their defence after losing Phil Callow to injury.
Spalding, regrouped and re-energised, came out with purpose and intent for the second half.
Joe Rogers smashed one into the bottom corner from the top of the D closely followed by Stu Cunnington ruthlessly burying a penalty corner into the roof of the net to take the lead to 4-1.
Spalding began to play with flowing confidence and some intricate forward play between James Grant, Will Baker and Jacob Baker resulted in Jacob Baker finishing off a well-worked team goal.
With the last play of the game Cunnington got his second from another penalty corner to end 6-1 to Spalding.
Spalding Men’s 2s 1 Cambridge City 3s 5
Spalding faced unbeaten league leaders City 3s and despite coming out in the wrong side of the result were buoyed by a strong performance.
In a game where Spalding more than held their own, momentary lapses caused by good movement and sustained pressure from City led to Spalding trailing 3 -1 at half time. Their goal came courtesy of a well-worked move finished by Danny Wright.
The second half saw two further goals from the travelling side but was very much an end-to-end affair and Spalding felt they were well deserved of at least one further goal.
All in all, the result was a fair one but Spalding were left feeling positive by the performance.
Ely City 3s 7 Spalding Men’s 4s 1
Spalding Men’s 4s faced one of their toughest tests of the season against a strong Ely 3s side, eventually going down 7-1.
Spalding got off to a fantastic start, taking the lead through Andy Barlow.
However, Ely soon demonstrated their attacking strength, putting Spalding under sustained pressure and unleashing a relentless series of strikes at goal.
The Spalding defence and goalkeeper were kept extremely busy as Ely pressed forward.
Things became even more challenging for Spalding when goalkeeper Steve Thurlbourne sustained an injury during the first half. At half-time, a change was required, with James Morris stepping up to take over between the posts.
Despite the disruption and Ely’s relentless pressure, Spalding continued to battle hard and showed plenty of determination throughout.
Unfortunately, Ely’s attacking threat proved difficult to contain.
It was undoubtedly one of the toughest games of the campaign for the 4s.
Despite the scoreline, there were some great individual efforts, plenty of commitment and valuable experience gained by the younger players.
Spalding Ladies’ 1s 5 Cambridge South 4s 0
Spalding Ladies 1s took to the pitch against Cambridge South 4s at home in the hope of securing a win.
They started strongly, securing their first goal in the sixth minute with a great through ball from Roz Dennis to Lily Hooker who took on the keeper and finished with an excellent ball on the rebound.
Emily Wright doubled the lead in the 20th minute, tapping home a lovely cross from the left of the D.
They continued to create chances with their third goal coming in the 30th minute which saw a great passage of play from Ellie Holland to Lauren Spenceley who then linked up with Hooker before setting Amy Naylor up to finish.
Although half-time saw them in a comfortable position, Cambridge did not make it easy with some great play and their experience in defence.
Spalding played their game in the second half, moving the ball more effectively and playing a more composed game.
Their fourth goal came in the 52nd minute with another great ball through from Dennis finding Laura Graves, who produced a fantastic solo run and finish.
They continued to push forward, winning a penalty corner in the 70th minute which saw Dennis and Graves combine for a well-worked one-two for Dennis to round off the scoring.
Defensively, Spalding worked hard as a unit, dealing with several penalty corners beautifully controlled by Bec Howitt who was outstanding in goal.
Spalding Ladies’ 2s 3 Cambridge South 5s 1
A fantastic team performance from Spalding 2s saw them secure a 3-1 victory against Cambridge South 5s.
The first goal came in the 12th minute, when Megan Wright delivered a precision pass to Vicky Worrall on the baseline, who fired a shot across goal, finding her daughter Isla Worrall perfectly positioned near the post to slip the ball into the goal.
Spalding continued to press, moving the ball confidently and creating further opportunities to extend their advantage. However, Cambridge South fought back and won a penalty corner in the 27th minute, converting to bring the score level at 1-1 and set up a fiercely contested battle.
Spalding showed great resilience and determination, refusing to let their momentum slip away. Spalding’s second goal arrived in the 45th minute from a well-worked short corner. A great injection from Eloise Hull found Wright, who confidently slapped the ball into the back of the net.
With the game entering its closing stages, Spalding continued to hunt for another goal rather than settle for a narrow lead. The final goal came in the 65th minute, with Lucy Wilson playing a lovely pass into the D to find Hull, who finished it off to secure the victory.
