The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding 2nd were involved in one of the best games of the weekend in the East Men’s Hockey League on Saturday.
Their Division 3NW fixture at Cambridge City Vets ended in a thrilling 5-5 draw at the Wilberforce Road Sports Ground.
Glenn Perkins (2), Ryan Mountney, Steve Rogers and William Steed all found the net for Spalding in the ten-goal thriller, leaving them sixth in the standings.
As a result of that draw, Long Sutton 2nd have leapfrogged their South Holland rivals into fifth place in the 3NW table.
They cruised to a 5-0 win at Bourne Deeping 2nd as Josh Fyson helped himself to a hat-trick.
Brad Sargeant and Luke Jackson also netted, while Dan Oldfield was named player of the match.
Up in Premier B, Spalding 1st are fifth in the standings after slipping up 3-1 at Waltham Forest 1st.
Jacob Baker bagged the only Spalding goal in what was their third defeat from eight league games so far this season.
Down in Division 4NW, Spalding 3rd continued their impressive start to the new season by beating Cambridge City 5th 3-1 at Glen Park.
Goals from Peter Wright and Michael Morris found the net as Spalding moved third in the table, one point behind the table-toppers.
However, Spalding 4th were handed a heavy 5-0 beating at Cambridge City 6th in Division 5NW and are now three points off the summit.
In Division 6NW (N), Long Sutton 3rd are second in the standings after a hard-fought 2-1 triumph at City of Peterborough 8th.
Josh Woodrow and Charlie Riddington grabbed the all-important goals in a game that saw Adam Taylor shine as player of the match.
In the same division, Spalding 5th’s clash at Horncastle 2nd was postponed.
- Long Sutton 1st kick-started their East Women’s League Division 2NW campaign with a 3-0 victory at St Ives 2nd on Saturday.
A double from Amber Jones, a Jemima Dodd strike and Katie Collingwood’s player-of-the match showing ensured that Sutton secured their second victory of the campaign and move into the relative safety of mid-table.
In the same division, Spalding Poachers 1st earned a creditable 1-1 draw at fellow high-fliers Saffron Walden 1st.
Both sides started well, moving the ball around and it was Saffron Walden who took the lead when an unfortunate sequence of events allowed the ball to be squeezed over the line.
Great link-up play through the midfield resulted in Spalding creating several chances but they were unable to find the net before the break.
Poachers continued to dominate for large parts after the break, creating plenty of chances – but found the home defence in fine form.
Spalding distributed the ball well utilising players’ strength and speed.
Numerous runs down the line by Cally Priestly and Maddie Haunch created more chances that Spalding were unfortunate not to convert, while great forward movement from Charlotte Maplethorpe and Evie Maltby created a barrage of short corners.
Finally, the Poachers’ efforts were rewarded with a stunning strike from player-of-the-match Maltby, which levelled the game late in the second half and secured a share of the spoils.
In Division 4NW (N), Spalding Poachers 3rd saw their fixture at Horncastle 2nd postponed.
- Hennie Boekestyn helped herself to five goals as Spalding Hockey Club’s under-16 girls romped to an 11-0 cup win at their counterparts from Market Harborough.
Hannah Baker also scored a hat-trick to ensure that Spalding reached double figures, while Hollie McDonell, Amy Naylor and Georgia Smith also found the back of the net.
Also impressing was Angelina Harkus, who has stepped up as captain of the team. She was full of encouragement for the team throughout and played a key role in the huge win.
The girls now move on to the next round brimming with confidence.
