Croydon Korfball Club

Game of two halves as Croydon 1 and Bec 2 draw

Croydon took on Bec 2 at Royal Russell school in a match that was bound to be tight after Croydon edged the first encounter before Christmas. Croydon had Andy Withers back for Pete Lindsey alongside Anna Jeanes, Julia Johnson and Vernon Ellis in defence and Hannah Hale back for the injured Lorna Elliott, alongside Dan Pratt, Zak Omar and Grace Stimpson in attack.

Croydon got off to a flyer with Omar stealing a tasty drop-off and then running-in shot after 4 minutes. Withers then missed a penalty and Jeanes a free-pass but the hosts were not to be denied as Johnson hoiked in another signature dish and Withers scored from the feed.

Bec 2 called a time-out to get themselves back in the game and Ingmar Evers did just that after 14 minutes but Omar scored a free-pass to preserve Croydon's 4 goal lead. Hale had had a shaky first quarter attacking-wise but was unfortunate to concede a running-in shot but Ellis scored from down-town as Croydon continued to recycle the ball at will, comfortably out-collecting Bec.

bec were upping the intensity in attack and with the help of some lazy decisions from the ref, Evers had 2 penalty chances. He missed one but scored the other but Pratt replied, also from the spot. With seconds remaining in the half, Withers landed heavily on his ankle and was carried off to be replaced by Hale. Half-time: 7-3.

Bec rang the changes in the 2nd half with Mark Fenton, Jackie Hoare and eventually Tom Brady coming on and this, combined with Croydon's changes and the half-time break, led to a loss of momentum for the home team. Running-in shots were exchanged but slowly and surely Bec scrapped their way back into the match and with a good 20 minutes remaining, Ian Buckle scored a free-pass to leave the scores at 8-7.

Jeanes stole in for a runner but Bec scored one of their own. With 15 minutes remaining coach Paul Jeanes called a time-out to urge his team to concentrate. Both teams attacked with vigour now, with Bec in the ascendancy but they couldn't score, even their delight at a goal from Evers was short-lived as referee Brooks signalled "defended shot". However with seconds remaining Johnson conceded a penalty after one too many darts from her speedy opponent and Evers made no mistake from the spot. Both teams had one last attack but neither could make it count and so the game finished all square at 9 a piece.

Croydon will be annoyed to have lost this game, especially given their control in the first half but they stuttered through the 2nd, looking one-dimensional at times, and gradually allowed Bec to come alive and get back into the match - perhaps a case of needing to be more patient and measured in attack to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Match Report by Andy | Updated by Andy