Bramhall trip proves fruitful for men’s firsts
MACCLESFIELD Hockey Club had another busy weekend with the Men’s 4s playing their first game of the season as one of the four teams playing at the home pitches.
Some good wins for the club this week as we are starting to settle into the new season.
The Ladies 1s played the first match of the day, travelling away to City of Manchester 1s and leaving with a 1-1 draw.
An early start led to a tough match for the Ladies 1s this week who took the lead in the first half with a goal from Lizzy Jones (1). After a dominant performance from Macclesfield, the Manchester side converted a short corner with a flick into the top corner.
Both teams defended well in the second half with a great performance from Player of the Match Emma Bolton but the score line stayed at 1-1.
Also away this week were the Ladies 2s who were victorious with a 2-1 win over Warrington 1s.
A strong performance from the Macclesfield team led to a goal from Mia Ullmer (1) to start the match. Some excellent work in the middle from one of the Players of the Match, Pippa Crook, aided in keeping Warrington at bay.
The second half started with an early goal from Warrington which was quickly countered by Victoria Alexander (1) who scored the winning goal helped by the second Player of the Match, Niamh Middlemass. A positive result for the team to take into next week.
Starting off the home team matches this week were the Men’s 3s who had a 3-2 loss to Golborne 2s.
Playing host to Warrington 2s, the Ladies 3s took the home win with a fantastic 6-0 score.
The team put in a dominant performance against a friendly Warrington side, with good teamwork and communication creating
numerous attacking opportunities.
Play was firmly in Macclesfield’s control as the team worked hard and passed the ball around the pitch well stretching the play. The team won a couple of penalty flicks, converted by Helen Saunders and Player of the Match Liz Thomas.
Meanwhile, a determined Men’s 1s travelled over to Stockport Bramhall 1s after suffering an away loss in last season’s meeting and were rewarded with a 2-1 win.
The team got off to a tough start but defended well with some excellent saves from goalkeeper Brian Boardman.
The first half ended with a goal from Stockport just before the whistle blew so the Macclesfield side headed into the second half 1-0 down.
In response, there was an increase in the team’s energy which created lots of chances.
It was an exciting end to the game as with five minutes to go Macclesfield were still not on the score sheet.
Absolute determination from the team led to Player of the Match, Will
Allmand-Smith (1), striking the ball into the top corner of the net levelling the score with minutes to go. The fighting spirit continued to the last minute when Brandon Crichton (1) managed to put another goal past the Stockport team leaving an elated Macclesfield side coming away from the game with a 2-1 win.
Over at Wilmslow, our Beavers team kept a clean sheet with a 2-0 win.
A superb performance from the junior side meant that they held the majority of the possession and were finally rewarded with a goal in the third quarter. Inspired by this, the Macclesfield team managed to convert another goal shortly after.
With some impressive play down the right wing, the team will be thrilled with their performance – a great team effort with contributions from every single player. Lots of positives to take forward to their match next week.
Following the Ladies 3s performance, the Ladies 4s narrowly missed out with a 3-2 defeat to a young Alderley Edge 7s side.
The Alderley side were fast from the start, leading
to an early goal but Macclesfield kept their composure and battled hard. The work rate across the team was superb and the players communicated well, paying off when the equalising goal came from a lovely strike from Lucy Robey (1). The opposition were quick to counter and took the score to 2-1.
Tireless defensive work from Player of the Match, Chloe Swales, encouraged the team to keep building their play resulting in Roisin McAndrew (1) slotting a goal in to level the game once again.
After the match looked as though it was going to finish in a draw, a lastminute goal from Alderley meant that they took away the three points.
A great performance from the Ladies 4s meant spirits were high following the match and the team are looking forward to developing further.
Rounding off the day, the Men’s 4s team took on Alderley Edge 7s coming away with a 6-2 loss in their first game of the season despite a superb performance from Player of the Match Isaac Collins in goals.
There was a good team
spirit and attitude from the Men’s 4s, with great support offered by the more experienced players.
A strong Alderley side showed high intensity from the start leading to a couple of early goals.
Some nice passing between the defence and midfield resulted in Cormac Frazer (1) converting the first goal for Macclesfield. Alderley continued to press high and created further goal scoring opportunities even with the amazing saves from Collins. Macclesfield’s continued effort was rewarded with a second goal, coming from Rob Alty (1) to end the match at 6-2.
On Sunday, the U12s played a mixed game against Crewe and following on from the Beavers success on Saturday bought home another win for the juniors with a 3-2 victory.
A special mention this week too to our Ladies 1s player, Angela Duffy, who is currently playing in South Africa representing team Alliance in the Masters World Cup. Good luck Ange from everyone at Macclesfield Hockey Club!