Dominant Spalding Poachers 1st roared back to the top of East Women’s Hockey League Division 2NW on Saturday with a whopping 8-2 win over hosts Ely Ladies’ 1st.
They needed just 16 seconds to open the scoring as good work by Katie Gray enabled Steph Wilson to score from close range straight from the pushback.
That soon became 3-0 as Jacqui Hunter (13 minutes) and Georgina Maplethorpe (16) got in on the act.
Katie Gray then scored number four when she bravely dived to deflect the ball past the keeper and into the corner of the goal.
Two Ely goals before the break got the home side back in the match at 4-2, but Poachers managed to regain control and a great solo run by Gray, allowed Kelly Tuplin to finish with ease on 45 minutes to extend their advantage.
Spalding then scored two goals in as many minutes from well-worked short corners. The first was a great strike by player-of-the-match Karen Timby, with the second a good move which Gray finished at the back post. Timby then crowned off a superb individual display by making it 8-2 with a fine finish late on.
The victory, Spalding’s 12th from 13 league games, moves them two points clear at the summit.
The two games in Division 3NW (N) didn’t go quite as well for the Poachers.
A player-of-the-match performance from Kelly Varley helped Spalding Poachers 2nd earn a 0-0 draw with a talented young Lincoln Ladies’ 3rd outfit, while Spalding Poachers 3rd were hammered 7-0 by Lincoln Ladies’ 2nd.
A small amount of games were played in East Men’s Hockey League too, with Spalding 5th enjoying the pick of the results.
They earned a super 7-0 success over Louth 2nd in Division 6NW (N), with Alan Charevicius, Andy Barlow, Tom Mayhew (penalty flick) and Adrian Bettinson putting them 4-0 ahead at the break.
Further goals from Barlow, Mayhew and Charevicius after the interval secured an emphatic victory at Glen Park.
Also victorious were Spalding 3rd, as they saw off COP 6th 3-1 in Division 4NW.
A couple of goals from predator striker Tom Shinkins and a further strike from Darren Grooby were enough to keep Spalding in the promotion hunt in a game that was played on Sunday.
Some 24 hours earlier, Spalding’s 3rd side had failed to hold onto a 2-0 lead against St Ives 3rd as they drew 2-2 in another league clash. Harry Bettinson and Sam Sly stuck to put hosts Spalding in a commanding position, but two second-half strikes left them frustrated.
Meanwhile, the game between Spalding 1st and Chelmsford 2nd in Division One was abandoned at half time due to a player injury.
Spalding were leading 2-1 at the time thanks to goals from Connor Allen and Jack Drury. However, a Chelmsford player then collapsed with breathing difficulties – and it was later discovered he had suffered a broken rib and partially collapsed lung.
