The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding Ladies’ 1st 1
St Neots 1st 3
Spalding were anticipating a tough East Women’s League Division Two North West game, especially with half the team suffering colds.
However, they were determined to not let that affect their play and came out attacking.
Both teams made some nice passes into their attacking halves but had no opportunity to score and the first half ended 0-0.
St Neots sneaked in a goal to break the deadlock but Spalding continued to battle and won a short corner, which player of the match Evie Maltby converted with a great slap in from the side of the D.
St Neots scored again with a deflection off a short corner and made it 3-1 towards the end.
Wisbech Town 2nd 1
Spalding Ladies’ 2nd 10
The second team stayed on track for promotion from Division Three North West with a comprehensive win at Wisbech.
They know a point from their last match of the season against third-placed St Ives on Saturday will be enough to secure second place.
With only one minute gone, Charlotte Maplethorpe showed why she is vying for top spot in the top scorers’ table with her first goal of the day after some neat dribbling along the baseline.
It was a 3-0 within quarter of an hour when Honor Moore struck with a smart finish from Kelly Cooper’s pass and Maplethorpe added her second.
A defender’s foot on the goal-line gave Karen Timby the chance to put away the resulting penalty stroke. Moore then scored her second when she swept home Maplethorpe’s cross.
Wisbech pulled one back to make it 5-1 at the break.
It took almost 20 minutes of the second half before Maplethorpe completed her hat trick. Textbook passing led to goals from Moore and Roz Dennis and two more in two minutes from player of the match Maplethorpe made it double figures.
Spalding Ladies’ 3rd 2
March Town 1st 2
Honours finished even in Division Four North West after captain Charlotte Morris put the hosts ahead.
Player of the match Camille Rogers and sidekick Vicky Worrall dominated midfield but just before half time, a flurry of short corners ended with March levelling things.
The visitors went ahead when a short corner was slipped past Eliza Morris, who had an excellent game.
In the last minute, Spalding were awarded a short corner. Morris struck it sweetly but the goalkeeper kept it out, only for Camille Rogers to force the ball in for the equaliser.
St Ives 1st 4
Spalding Men’s 1st 3
A lightning start earned Spalding a two-goal lead in their East Men’s Division One North encounter but they could not hang on in a seven-goal thriller.
A short corner early in the first half saw the ball played out to Stuart Cunnington and he dragged the ball hard into the bottom corner to give Spalding the lead. Dan Azzopardi then received the ball at the back post for a tidy finish to put Spalding 2-0 up.
Some crucial saves from Oscar Haunch kept the hosts at bay until they won a penalty corner to pull a goal back before half time.
Another penalty corner brought an equaliser but Spalding hit back with a precise reverse ball from Cunnington met by William Baker to score.
St Ives won another penalty corner and made it 3-3 before taking the lead for the first time to take all the points, with a green card for Harry Naylor leaving Spalding fighting an uphill battle.
Man of the match was Phil Callow.
Spalding Men’s 2nd 2
Cambridge South 3rd 4
Adolfo Chantre and Matt Pottle scored in a 4-2 defeat at home to Cambridge South in Division Three North West.
City of Peterborough 6th 0
Spalding Men’s 3rd 4
Spalding Thirds completed their away matches in style with a stunning 4-0 victory in Division Four North West.
They opened the scoring after 15 minutes through Ben Scholes and he doubled the advantage before half-time.
Peterborough’s second-half revival was snuffed out by a third goal from Glenn Richardson and he added another to complete the tally.
St Ives 4th 7
Spalding Men’s 4th 0
A very young side, missing five seniors, faced a tough game at Division Five North West third-placed St Ives.
They played well in the first half but St Ives took the lead after 20 minutes. Steve Thurlbourne saved a penalty flick before the hosts scored another. Despite the efforts of George Curio and Simon Goode, the home team added five more after the break.
