Goals rain in for Marlow’s men at Oxford University
Hunter and North put visitors in driving seat as Uni boys are schooled
It teemed down with rain all day, but Marlow's men's and women's teams made light of the awful conditions as they returned to league action on Saturday.
The rain certainly made for challenging playing conditions. and, although made teams were able to complete their matches, the men’s 3rd team were forced to abandon their game at Milton Keynes due to standing water on the field. They were leading 3-2 at the time with 15 minutes to play.
The men’s 1st team travelled to Oxford University 2nds and came away with a 5-2 victory which wasn’t quite as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
Goals from Charley Hunter and Sam North put them in the driving seat before halftime before Callum White grabbed a third to seemingly put the game out of reach for Oxford. However, the hosts hit back with two quickfire goals to put the match back in the balance. Marlow composed themselves and re-established their three-goal cushion with goals from Chris Sewell and Mav Girn.
Over at a soggy Pound Lane, Marlow's 2nd string defeated Oxford 2nds 9-0, with the visitors having little answer to the home side’s slick interplay.
From the moment Dan Field fired them ahead from a clever corner routine it was one-way traffic. Field netted a second before the interval by which time Marlow held a 6-0 lead, and they ran out 9-0 victors thanks to goals from Anthony Williamson, Tom O'Docherty, John Butt, Matt Sell, Jonny Mee and Jack Lee.
The ladies’ 1sts visited
Havant for the first ever match between the sides, claiming a hard-earned 2-1 victory. Kiera Foster fired them in front with a penalty stroke and netted a second with a rocket of a shot from the top of the circle in the 25th minute.
Havant hit back in the second half, but Marlow held on to claim the points.
The Ladies 2nds played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Wallingford at home.
Other results saw the men's 4ths draw 1-1 against the 5ths, with the fifths equalising in the last minute.
Both teams are in the same league this season.
There was also a 1-1 draw for the 6ths against Staines 4ths while the run of draws continued with the 7ths playing out a 2-2 draw with Reading Rovers.
There was a heavy 6-2 defeat for the women's 3rds at Wycombe 2nds while the 4ths beat South Berks 2nds 3-1.
The juniors were also in action at the weekend with the boys u18s beating Wycombe 63 and the girls u16s winning 62 away at Cirencester.
There was also a narrow 2-1 win for the girls u14s over Oxford Hawks and the u18s girls claimed a 5-1 win over
Reading away from home.
This week also saw Marlow Hockey Club celebrate 10 years of their all-weather hockey pitch, a facility that has transformed the experience for players and led to the creation of several new teams.
On Thursday evening, chairman Keith Packer gave an update on the club's progress during this period, while former chairman, Graham Sweet, who inspired the project and drove it forward, cut a celebratory cake.
The event was attended by current and former Trustees of the Marlow Sports Club who helped deliver and the finance the facility.
Keith said: “Over the last 10 years Marlow Hockey Club has certainly delivered an exciting future and an excellent hockey experience for all our members. In the last 10 years, and thanks to having our own pitch, we have more than doubled our playing membership from 320 to more than 700 and we have doubled our Senior teams from seven to 14 with seven ladies and seven men's teams.
“We also have over 550 6 - 18year-old girls and boys training and playing in our junior hockey teams that have won a number of National titles over the last 10 years.”
Neil Robertson, Co-Chair of Marlow Sports Club added: “We have been delighted with the growth of membership for all our sports since we purchased the land and invested in new playing facilities.
“We are proud to be such a strong and successful sports hub for the Marlow area.”