FIRST TEAMS SECURE VITAL POINTS
Wisbech Town Hockey Club’s first teams both picked up vital points in their bid to retain their places in the Men’s, and Women’s Division 1 North for another season.
Hosting University of East Anglia at Harecroft Road, the Ladies 1st XI saw a call for patience and composure from captain Jo Bland prior to the game, with a win set to put daylight between the Fenland side and the relegation zone. The visitors defensive setup proved difficult to break down initially, leading to a somewhat disjointed start to the game before Vicky Herbert broke free for Wisbech, beating the UEA goalkeeper one-on-one.
Bland’s side doubled their lead before the break, with Amber Scott pouncing on a rebound opportunity to put Wisbech in control. The second half proved just as disjointed as the first, with a succession of minor infractions, as well as two green cards for the visitors. Despite the scrappy nature of game, Wisbech continued to seek opportunities to put the game to bed, and were awarded a short corner ten minutes from the end, which forward Jo Gomm capitalised on to make it 3-0 to Wisbech.
“The ladies did the job required, and kept their heads.” Team Manager John Sullivan said following the game, with the result moving Wisbech four points clear of the relegation zone, with two games to play, starting with this weekend’s trip to mid-table St. Neots.
A Jamie Hallatt goal inside the first minute looked to have set the Men’s 1st XI on course to a valuable win away at Cambridge South, but the game proved to have more than a few twists and turns before the final whistle. Wisbech defended well following their early goal, and were unlucky not to score again before the break, when Player of the Game Josh Porter was denied by a superb stick save from the Cambridge goalkeeper, who managed to turn the ball onto the post before his defence was able to scramble the ball clear.
JAMIE HALLATT SCORED AFTER JUST 20 SECONDS FOR THE MENS 1ST XI
Wisbech continued to defend with conviction, and press hard, during the second half, but the hosts did eventually equalise to leave the game finely balanced. When Porter was brought down by the Cambridge keeper six minutes from time, Wisbech received a golden opportunity to move ahead, with Tom Jupp scoring the resulting penalty flick. Despite Wisbech’s best efforts to hold on, Cambridge were awarded a short corner in the dying seconds of the game, with the hosts converting the opportunity to leave Wisbech dejected as they were forced to settle for a draw.
The result leaves Wisbech 8th in the table, one point above the relegation zone with two games to play, starting with this weekend’s home clash with league leaders Spalding, before a trip to last placed Sudbury on March 26th.
The Men’s second team travelled to Ely in a top of the table clash, with Jonathan Shippey’s side looking to not only cement their position in second in the league, but also inflict a first defeat of the season on the hosts. Wisbech made a strong start to the game, moving the ball well, but fell behind when Ely converted a short corner opportunity. Shippey’s team were quick to respond however, with Tom Peggs getting Wisbech back on level terms, before Scott Welcher put Wisbech ahead shortly before the break.
Ely came out all guns blazing in the second half, scoring twice to move ahead of Wisbech, who had their chances but found themselves unable to find the back of the net again, with the hosts wrapping things up with a fourth goal before the end. Wisbech remain in 2nd place in the Division 3 North West table, but both Cambridge South and March Town hold two games in hand on Wisbech, who do not play this weekend.
SCOTT WELCHER WAS ON TARGET FOR THE MENS 2ND XI
Wisbech Ladies 2nd XI also faced the league leaders on Saturday, travelling to a Newmarket side which had already secured the league title, having won all 19 of their previous games. Wisbech worked hard, but found themselves 3-0 down at half time. Newmarket continued to put pressure on the Wisbech defence during the second half, and despite some great tackling from Ali Mason and captain Harriet Bateman, the hosts continued to pull away, claiming a 7-0 win.
“We knew it would be a tough game,” Bateman said following the final whistle. “Our defence did a great job keeping Newmarket away early on, and we were unlucky not to convert at least one of our short corner efforts; I can’t fault our effort. We worked hard as a unit against a very good opposition.”. The Ladies will look to bounce back this weekend when they host Shefford & Sandy at Harecroft Road (15:30PM).
There was success for the Ladies 3rd XI away at Cambridge South. Facing the city side’s sixth team, Wisbech took the lead through Lily Cooper, before Laura Dudley doubled the lead as Wisbech’s link up play helped create plenty of chances on goal. Player of the Game Penny Scott put in a strong performance in defence, ensuring the hosts were kept at bay, with Wisbech heading into this weekend hoping to secure back-to-back wins when they host last placed Kettering (10:30AM).
WTHC LADIES 2ND XI VERSUS NEWMARKET (PHOTO: MIKE BENNETT)
Despite relegation having already been confirmed for the Men’s 3rd XI, Wisbech hoped to build on an encouraging performance from the previous week when they welcomed Cambridge South 5th XI to Harecroft Road. The visitors took the lead from a short corner ten minutes into the first half, but Wisbech were quick to respond with a swift counter attack allowing team captain Brodie Ellis to score.
In an even game, in which both sides had chances, it was Cambridge that again took the lead with a well worked goal, adding a third before half time, only for Will Davis to hit back for Wisbech. The second half continued to see the two sides trade chances, with Cambridge adding a decisive fourth goal, which saw them claim victory despite Davis adding his second goal of the game late on. The third team takes on Bourne-Deeping on Wednesday (19:30PM), before hosting league winners Long Sutton on Saturday (12PM).
The Men’s fourth team suffered their first defeat of 2022, despite a late rally at home to Peterborough. The visitors jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Wisbech continued to work hard and were rewarded with two goals during the final ten minutes to set up a tense finale, team captain Brandon Ruff netting his nineteenth goal of the season during the late flurry of action. Peterborough held on however, with Wisbech now looking to regroup away at Kettering on Saturday.