Bec 1 overcome Croydon 1 Croydon 1 visited newly promoted Bec 1 at St Mary's in the BKA National League. Bec were without the injured Tom Brady whilst Croydon were still missing the injured Steve Jones and had Kim Jones in for Marika Barretto. It was Bec who got off to the better start with Jackie Hoare scoring the first of a hatful with the first shot of the match. The already vociferous crowd warmed to their task and Bec were 3 up after a dubious penalties against Dave Butters and Carla Smith. Anna Jeanes was soon on the scoresheet for Croydon though with a customary mid range shot and it was nip and tuck for the first 10 minutes as neither side was able to assert any control. Bec called an early time-out but the game continued in this patten with Hoare and Meshkat long shots cancelled out by Paul Jeanes and Saskia de Jager. However as the half came to an end Bec edged out a small lead and built on it to go into the break at 11-8. Croydon needed to get back into the game quickly but Mike Brayne stole past Andy Withers for a running in shot and a further long shot from Hoare gave the hosts a seemingly unassailable 6 goal lead at 14-8. Bec called a further time-out, presumably to change their style of play and Croydon brought on Nigel Hudspith for Withers. Croydon's heads had dropped a bit but they came back into it as de Jager and Paul Jeanes scored free-passes and Butters found his range. Croydon called their own time-out with 8 minutes remaining and 5 goals separating the sides and sent on Dan Moore for Paul Jeanes. Bec were shooting well though and despite a late flurry of Croydon goals they were unable to bridge the gap and the game finished 19-16. As always, the teams had different reactions to the referee's whistle: for Croydon another defeat whilst Bec looked to have regained some belief after their heavy defeat the weekend before. Meanwhile one point that was inescapable was that referee Dom MacDonald again showed he is not yet capable at National League level. Match Report by Andy Final Score: Bec 1 19 vs 16 Croydon 1D Butters (5)R Carr-Taylor (1)P Jeanes (3)A Withers (0)N Hudspith (0)D Moore (0)C Smith (3)A Jeanes (2)S de Jager (1)K Jones (0)Submitted by on 04 Dec 05Croydon 2 fall down in the 2nd half against Bec 2 Croydon 2 took on Bec 2 at St Mary's with Mike Moore promoted to the team after injuries, illness and absentees robbed the 1st and 2nd team squad of 6 potential players. The game didn't exactly flow from the start and consequently all the drama was saved up for the 2nd half. Neither team was able to break the deadlock in the first 10 minutes as chances were missed on both sides. Bec scored the first though after a foul by Dan Moore gave the hosts a penalty. Grace Stimpson replied shortly after for Croydon with a long shot and despite another Bec it was Croydon who went into overdrive with penalties from Nigel Hudspith, running in shots from the Dans and long shots from Sarah George and Moore Senior. Ingmar Evers looked lively all game for Bec and scored one in reply but Croydon eased out the half with a free-pass conversion from George to leave them 3-8 to the good. A further goal from George just after halftime should have sealed the game but there was a long way to go and Croydon have made a habit of not making things easy for themselves in recent seasons. They contrived to concede the next 5 goals and coach Steve Jones called a calming time-out at 8-9 to Croydon. Finally the ball found the back of the net as Hudspith scored from distance but Bec replied with a long shot of their own and a free-pass to level the game. Steve Jones had to bring himself on for Dan Moore who was struggling with a knee injury and at the other end it was Julia Johnson who tried to play party-pooper with a goal from close range. However Jones was shortly carried off as his knee buckled underneath him when winning a collect leaving Croydon a man down with 5 minutes left and Bec one goal down. The Bec crowd were now in full voice and with the extra man they exploited the situation to level the scores. Despite some nail-biting near misses on both sides, it was Bec who was to get the final goal and with it the match. The Bec crowd went mental at the final whistle heralding a fine comeback but Croydon will be scenting revenge in the reverse fixture as they will surely fancy their chances with a squad to choose from and 8 players to the end.Match Report by Andy Final Score: Bec 2 12 vs 11 Croydon 2N Hudspith (3)M Moore (1)D Pratt (1)D Moore (1)S Jones (0)S Withers (3)G Codd (1)J Johnson (1)A Tydeman (0)Submitted by on 04 Dec 05Croydon 3 stumble to a better team A slightly weakened thirds never recovered from a disastrous first half showing against a Nomads 3 team which combined a strong blend of youth and experience. A combination of Nomads aggressive, pressing front defence and accurate shooting (in Epsom’s tiny second hall) saw Croydon thrown out of its stride early on, and a with a half time deficit of 10-2, the writing was on the wall. The second-half saw a much better effort from Croydon, as both sections settled down and played at their own pace, however it was obvious that the nucleus of this Nomads team is playing together regularly and their teamwork was of a consistently higher level than Croydon’s. A disappointing result, but the better side – perhaps the best in this division – were worthy winners.Match Report by Lorna Final Score: Nomads 3 18 vs 7 Croydon 3G Heath (2)A Burnham (1)C Etheridge (1)D Smith (0)L Barker (2)J Hudspith (1)C Moore (0)L Palfreyman (0)B Sinclair (0)Submitted by on 05 Dec 05Croydon 4 finally plays! The 4th team got to play their first game of the season against Nomads 4. The team set out: first attack Angela Hook, Steph Robinson, Paul Andrews & Steve Pratt; with Leah Palfreyman, Becky Pratt, Phil Aish & Andrew Lam in the other section. A very ring rusty team were soon 2 down. A bit of stability ensued, but another goal against went in. A Phil Aish penalty gave some hope to make it 3-1. Another quick 2 goals for Nomads 5-1 with Croydon pulling one back just before half time to go into the break 5-2 down. The pep talk allowed the team to settle, and damage limitation ensued, with only 3 goals against in the 2nd half with a further 2 replies. Final score: 8-4 with the feeling of better things to come.Match Report by SteveP Final Score: Nomads 4 8 vs 4 Croydon 4P Aish (2)P Andrews (0)A Lam (0)S Pratt (0)S Robinson (1)B Sinclair (1)A Hook (0)L Palfreyman (0)Submitted by on 06 Dec 05
Croydon 2 fall down in the 2nd half against Bec 2 Croydon 2 took on Bec 2 at St Mary's with Mike Moore promoted to the team after injuries, illness and absentees robbed the 1st and 2nd team squad of 6 potential players. The game didn't exactly flow from the start and consequently all the drama was saved up for the 2nd half. Neither team was able to break the deadlock in the first 10 minutes as chances were missed on both sides. Bec scored the first though after a foul by Dan Moore gave the hosts a penalty. Grace Stimpson replied shortly after for Croydon with a long shot and despite another Bec it was Croydon who went into overdrive with penalties from Nigel Hudspith, running in shots from the Dans and long shots from Sarah George and Moore Senior. Ingmar Evers looked lively all game for Bec and scored one in reply but Croydon eased out the half with a free-pass conversion from George to leave them 3-8 to the good. A further goal from George just after halftime should have sealed the game but there was a long way to go and Croydon have made a habit of not making things easy for themselves in recent seasons. They contrived to concede the next 5 goals and coach Steve Jones called a calming time-out at 8-9 to Croydon. Finally the ball found the back of the net as Hudspith scored from distance but Bec replied with a long shot of their own and a free-pass to level the game. Steve Jones had to bring himself on for Dan Moore who was struggling with a knee injury and at the other end it was Julia Johnson who tried to play party-pooper with a goal from close range. However Jones was shortly carried off as his knee buckled underneath him when winning a collect leaving Croydon a man down with 5 minutes left and Bec one goal down. The Bec crowd were now in full voice and with the extra man they exploited the situation to level the scores. Despite some nail-biting near misses on both sides, it was Bec who was to get the final goal and with it the match. The Bec crowd went mental at the final whistle heralding a fine comeback but Croydon will be scenting revenge in the reverse fixture as they will surely fancy their chances with a squad to choose from and 8 players to the end.Match Report by Andy Final Score: Bec 2 12 vs 11 Croydon 2N Hudspith (3)M Moore (1)D Pratt (1)D Moore (1)S Jones (0)S Withers (3)G Codd (1)J Johnson (1)A Tydeman (0)Submitted by on 04 Dec 05Croydon 3 stumble to a better team A slightly weakened thirds never recovered from a disastrous first half showing against a Nomads 3 team which combined a strong blend of youth and experience. A combination of Nomads aggressive, pressing front defence and accurate shooting (in Epsom’s tiny second hall) saw Croydon thrown out of its stride early on, and a with a half time deficit of 10-2, the writing was on the wall. The second-half saw a much better effort from Croydon, as both sections settled down and played at their own pace, however it was obvious that the nucleus of this Nomads team is playing together regularly and their teamwork was of a consistently higher level than Croydon’s. A disappointing result, but the better side – perhaps the best in this division – were worthy winners.Match Report by Lorna Final Score: Nomads 3 18 vs 7 Croydon 3G Heath (2)A Burnham (1)C Etheridge (1)D Smith (0)L Barker (2)J Hudspith (1)C Moore (0)L Palfreyman (0)B Sinclair (0)Submitted by on 05 Dec 05Croydon 4 finally plays! The 4th team got to play their first game of the season against Nomads 4. The team set out: first attack Angela Hook, Steph Robinson, Paul Andrews & Steve Pratt; with Leah Palfreyman, Becky Pratt, Phil Aish & Andrew Lam in the other section. A very ring rusty team were soon 2 down. A bit of stability ensued, but another goal against went in. A Phil Aish penalty gave some hope to make it 3-1. Another quick 2 goals for Nomads 5-1 with Croydon pulling one back just before half time to go into the break 5-2 down. The pep talk allowed the team to settle, and damage limitation ensued, with only 3 goals against in the 2nd half with a further 2 replies. Final score: 8-4 with the feeling of better things to come.Match Report by SteveP Final Score: Nomads 4 8 vs 4 Croydon 4P Aish (2)P Andrews (0)A Lam (0)S Pratt (0)S Robinson (1)B Sinclair (1)A Hook (0)L Palfreyman (0)Submitted by on 06 Dec 05
Croydon 3 stumble to a better team A slightly weakened thirds never recovered from a disastrous first half showing against a Nomads 3 team which combined a strong blend of youth and experience. A combination of Nomads aggressive, pressing front defence and accurate shooting (in Epsom’s tiny second hall) saw Croydon thrown out of its stride early on, and a with a half time deficit of 10-2, the writing was on the wall. The second-half saw a much better effort from Croydon, as both sections settled down and played at their own pace, however it was obvious that the nucleus of this Nomads team is playing together regularly and their teamwork was of a consistently higher level than Croydon’s. A disappointing result, but the better side – perhaps the best in this division – were worthy winners.Match Report by Lorna Final Score: Nomads 3 18 vs 7 Croydon 3G Heath (2)A Burnham (1)C Etheridge (1)D Smith (0)L Barker (2)J Hudspith (1)C Moore (0)L Palfreyman (0)B Sinclair (0)Submitted by on 05 Dec 05Croydon 4 finally plays! The 4th team got to play their first game of the season against Nomads 4. The team set out: first attack Angela Hook, Steph Robinson, Paul Andrews & Steve Pratt; with Leah Palfreyman, Becky Pratt, Phil Aish & Andrew Lam in the other section. A very ring rusty team were soon 2 down. A bit of stability ensued, but another goal against went in. A Phil Aish penalty gave some hope to make it 3-1. Another quick 2 goals for Nomads 5-1 with Croydon pulling one back just before half time to go into the break 5-2 down. The pep talk allowed the team to settle, and damage limitation ensued, with only 3 goals against in the 2nd half with a further 2 replies. Final score: 8-4 with the feeling of better things to come.Match Report by SteveP Final Score: Nomads 4 8 vs 4 Croydon 4P Aish (2)P Andrews (0)A Lam (0)S Pratt (0)S Robinson (1)B Sinclair (1)A Hook (0)L Palfreyman (0)Submitted by on 06 Dec 05
Croydon 4 finally plays! The 4th team got to play their first game of the season against Nomads 4. The team set out: first attack Angela Hook, Steph Robinson, Paul Andrews & Steve Pratt; with Leah Palfreyman, Becky Pratt, Phil Aish & Andrew Lam in the other section. A very ring rusty team were soon 2 down. A bit of stability ensued, but another goal against went in. A Phil Aish penalty gave some hope to make it 3-1. Another quick 2 goals for Nomads 5-1 with Croydon pulling one back just before half time to go into the break 5-2 down. The pep talk allowed the team to settle, and damage limitation ensued, with only 3 goals against in the 2nd half with a further 2 replies. Final score: 8-4 with the feeling of better things to come.Match Report by SteveP Final Score: Nomads 4 8 vs 4 Croydon 4P Aish (2)P Andrews (0)A Lam (0)S Pratt (0)S Robinson (1)B Sinclair (1)A Hook (0)L Palfreyman (0)Submitted by on 06 Dec 05
