Croydon 1 bounce back with guile and style to see off TrojansCroydon 1 lined up against Trojans 2, the team they had lost to in the season opener just last week. The hosts were out to avenge the previous result and restore some pride, coach Butters wanted the team to play with more guile (def: crafty, cunning). The team remained unchanged with captain Anna Jeanes starting in attack with Grace Stimpson, Andy Withers and Vernon “The daddy” Ellis, coach Dave Butters began in defence along with Zak Omar, Sarah Withers and Hannah Hale. Croydon got off to a flying start with Ellis breezing past his defender to score a runner from the very first attack, quickly following that up with a drop off shot to get his and Croydon’s second. With the hosts looking to pull away Trojans were looking for a bit of luck to get them under way, and it came when they scored a running in shot that to the watching crowd should have been disallowed for cutting. But the goal stood and the lead was halved 2-1 to Croydon. Both teams looked to be settling in and Croydon were making numerous passes in an attempt to find space, after some patient build up play Omar found himself free for a long shot which he buried, Trojans replied after the change around with a middle distance shot but Ellis was on hand again with a long shot of his own. Butters was trying to find his way onto the score sheet and after a couple of efforts he found the target from long range to put Croydon 5-2 ahead. Trojans weren’t troubled by the increasing difference in score and put together a sustained period of attacking pressure, but Omar kept the visitors at bay with a 'reversed Vernon' running in shot which left his defender for dead. The visitors continued to create chances and won a penalty after Croydon had fouled the feeder attempting a risky interception, the resulting penalty was dispatched bringing the scores to 6-3. Prior to throw off Ellis had been eating some pre-match sarnies loaded with some potent egg which some of the team speculate was responsible for his fantastic display, it certainly brought some “vintage” stuff from him as he scored one of his turn in the feed shots that had eluded him in the previous season. With half time closing in Croydon should have been looking to go into the break with their 4 goal cushion intact but some bad passing left Trojans with too much possession and they made it count, scoring a running in shot with no switch attempted and following that up with a drop off shot seconds before the whistle blew. With the second half under way Croydon began where they left the first half, conceding again through a penalty this time after another foul on the feed. Trojans scored from the spot to reduce the deficit to just one goal at 7-6 and last season this may have led to a collapse worthy of any England batting order. This time though heads stayed high and despite A. Withers failing to convert from the penalty spot Croydon continued to score with Jeanes slotting away a running in shot. S. Withers was giving her player the run-around and managed to win a penalty, being fouled as she tried to take a runner. Butters stepped up and reliably found the basket, his radar was tuning in and he scored again this time from distance to give the home team a 10-6 lead. With confidence oozing from the players it looked a matter of how many Croydon would win by rather than whether they could pull off a victory and Ellis continued his scoring run with a long shot that didn’t touch the sides on its way through the basket. The visitors pulled one back with a long shot of their own but it didn’t halt the flow of goals for the hosts with Omar scoring a one handed drop off shot and Hale following suit to quickly put the game in no doubt at 13-7. Trojans sensed the inevitable and gave some court time to their substitute girl, a brief burst of life for the visitors won them a penalty which forced Butters to call for a time out before the shot was taken, a quick talk from the coach and Croydon took to the pitch again. The break must have proved too much of a distraction as Trojans failed to score from the spot. Ellis had been on fire throughout and continued his hot streak scoring again from long range to grab his sixth of the game before Trojans responded to make it 14-8. With the game entering its last 10 minutes coach Butters took himself and Hale off to be replaced by Dan Pratt and Jane Belfourd respectively. Before the substitutes could make an impact in attack the visitors scored a long shot making it 14-9. With two new players in a division Croydon’s attack looked to settle down and set the section up but referee Pete Teague decided this was time wasting as they had changed their style of play much to the bemusement of Pratt. It was the last real action of the game and despite several chances neither team could change the scoreboard. Croydon will be happy to have reversed the opening day defeat, managing to win by the same margin to go level on points with what could be their closest rivals in the battle for the London Regional League title. Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Zuton Final Score: Croydon 1 14 vs 9 Trojans 2V Ellis (6)Z Omar (3)A Withers (0)D Butters (3)D Pratt (0)A Jeanes (1)G Codd (0)S Withers (0)H Evans (1)J Hudspith (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09Croydon 2 fail to make it a clean sweep against Highbury 1Croydon 2 started their first game of the new season against Highbury 1 with Pete Lindsey, Jane Belfourd, Zoe Shewell and Adam Champion in attack, Ben Hale, Julia Johnson, Karen James and Ed (the Raging Bull) Chaney in defence. Highbury started the fastest but Johnson was on hand with a trademark skipping in shot and then Lindsey got another with a long shot but Highbury pulled level and then ahead after 10 minutes. Croydon were passing well but Chaney has yet to learn the universal truth about not throwing a bouncing ball to Johnson so some passes did go astray. The game meandered for a bit as defences got on top until James dropped off for a simple goal to level things at 3-all. Half time came soon after with the same scoreline. Zach and Oscar's favourite, Ed, was running around excitedly and he fell over dramatically. Coach Paul Jeanes (daddy) did some good exercising in the warm up (according to Zach) which was leading to some chances on the pitch. Also observed by the Jeanes boys is that the floor has changed to blue. However, getting back to the action, Highbury scored and then scored again, 3-5. Zach was getting a little bit bored with the match so started telling jokes: Why does a chair walk? Answer: because it has 4 legs (boom boom). Why does a goat fly? Answer: because it has legs to fly (he may have made that one up on the fly (pun intended)). Meanwhile Highbury scored twice and then Champion got a long shot: 4-7. Soon after Belfourd forced a penalty and coach Jeanes called a time-out, where he asked people to keep working hard and to drop into space. Lindsey stepped up and made no mistake: 5-7. Highbury scored another though (to Champion's disgust). Zach was keen to point out that the benches were sticky and Oscar mentioned "that the referee's tee-shirt was different to ours". All true but Highbury was scoring as well 5-9. As Oscar reported that the bottle fell over, Champion scored from a long way downtown to keep Croydon in the game. Highbury were not to be denied though and scored again. Hale scored from distance but then was subbed off as Jeanes rotated his pack, 7-11. Interest tailed off a bit towards the end as Croydon failed to make up ground and time petered out, Lindsey did score a cracker though, final score 8-12. Overall the match was scored rated a 10/10 from Oscar and a 2/10 by Zach, there may have been an element of randomness to those choices though.Match Report by Andy | Updated by Andy Final Score: Croydon 2 8 vs 12 Highbury 1A Champion (2)P Lindsey (2)E Chaney (0)B Hale (1)D Pratt (0)J Hudspith (1)J Johnson (1)Z Shewell (0)K James (1)L Barker (0)Submitted by Andy on 26 Oct 09Croydon 3 power past Bec 4Croydon 3’s opening game of the season was against Bec 4; it would be a good indicator for the rest of the year as Bec are always strong contenders in whichever division they are playing in. The hosts boasted a strong line up with the experienced and influential captain Paul Jeanes linking up with Phil Aish who was making the step up from last season, along with Becki Pratt and Steph Robinson to start in attack, with Andy Burnham, Steve Chadd, Lorna Elliot and Lynda Barker starting in defence. It was the hosts who got off to the better start, Jeanes scoring from the penalty spot to get things under way. This seamed to open the game up after the cagey start and Jeanes almost doubled the lead after a good passing move left him free for a runner but he couldn’t convert as the ball rolled agonisingly over the basket and the watching crowd collectively groaned. Bec were creating chances to and had the ball in the basket but it was disallowed for defended. At this point Croydon were looking to step up a gear and in defence Pratt looked menacing, putting the fear into her attacker when she blammed one of her shots which lifted the crowd off their feet. The visitors though were awarded a penalty but failed to capitalise from the spot, they were given a second chance though as another penalty was awarded in somewhat more controversial circumstances. Bec this time managed to convert the penalty and tied the scores at 1-1. Croydon were awarded another penalty soon after which Elliot stepped up to take, she coolly slotted the ball in to regain the hosts lead. Elliot then followed that up with a sweet drop off shot after Jeanes had rifled the ball to her from the other half of the pitch. With the change around Croydon continued the pressure, Aish looking to throw a cross court pass ended up passing the ball into the net to put an early contender for the goal of the year. At the other end the hosts were doing their best to shut Bec out and Chadd managed to defend both players during a free pass whilst Burnham recovered his position, but that wasn’t enough as the visitors scored a running in shot to make it 4-2. As half time approached both sides looked rushed and chances were being created, Barker found herself in space to score from mid range before Bec ended the half scoring another contentious penalty leaving the scores at the break 5-3 to Croydon. The new half began just as it ended with Bec being awarded another curious penalty which they scored to reduce the deficit to just one goal. The visitors decided this was a chance to bring on some fresh legs and replaced one of their attacking girls to try and level the scores, but it was Croydon’s girls who found the net with Pratt and Elliot both scoring running in shots to stretch the lead once more at 7-4. Bec pulled one back but Aish scored from long distance to restore the three goal lead, the visitors were looking for space but couldn’t find it, shooting from close to the post whilst being defended but the referee did not give the decision and the goal stood. Croydon didn’t let the decision affect them as Barker found the net for the second time after a great feed from Burnham. With time winding down it looked as though that would be the last action of the game but Bec managed to score with their fourth penalty of the match to leave the full time scores 9-7. A win against a strong Bec 4 side was a great way to start the season and Croydon 3 will be hoping they can continue to get results like these throughout the rest of the year.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Sicknote Final Score: Croydon 3 9 vs 7 Bec 4P Aish (2)P Jeanes (1)A Burnham (0)S Chadd (0)L MacKay-Elliott (3)L Barker (2)B Sinclair (1)S Robinson (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09Supernova 4 dispatched to another galaxy by Croydon 4Croydon 4 started off the days matches at Royal Russell hoping to improve on last season’s record and get the club's day off to a flier. They faced Supernova 4 looking to get a win which they failed to do the previous year. The starting line up teamed up family members Jon (c) and Kathy Dean with Dom Bradford and Hayley Rand in attack with Luke James, Mike Lavine, Rhiannon Williams-Clarke and Sarah Hole in defence. Coach Dan Pratt was running late due to an earlier refereeing commitment but arrived just in time to see Croydon score the first goal of the game after an agonising 18 minute wait. Bradford stepping up to score from the penalty spot, claiming a goal in his competitive debut for the club. K. Dean then doubled the lead with a great shot from long distance. The hosts then dominated in defence leaving their attack longer in possession, this gave them extra chances and James went close with a one handed running in shot. His defender had been warned but James’ pace was too much for him again as he breezed past this time scoring his running in shot to make it 3-0. James scored his second of the game from the penalty spot to give Croydon a commanding lead. With a 4 goal cushion Croydon looked more relaxed and Rand certainly benefited scoring her first goal for the club from close range earning herself some love from K. Dean in the process. At this point Croydon should have pushed ahead but they seemed to lose focus just before the break and gave away a penalty which was scored and the letting in a running in shot to make it 5-2. It could have been more but the half time whistle came just at the right time. After the break Supernova brought on one of their more experienced players to try and give them the edge, they had the chance from the spot after Bradford had fouled his player whilst shooting but the visitors couldn’t convert the penalty. They did score soon after thouh with a running in shot and with the scores at 5-3 things looked a bit less comfortable for Croydon. Bradford though calmed some nerves scoring his second goal of the game with a one handed shot from mid range and that deflated Supernova enough for Croydon to close out the rest of the game, the final score at 6-3. Croydon 4 will be delighted to have won the match, they already have more points on the board than they did at the end of last season. There is much to take away from the game too with Dom Bradford scoring 2 goals on debut, Hayley Rand getting her scoring record off the ground and she will be looking to add to that next game. Kathy looked commanding in her section and looked impressive in both attack and defence. The team as a whole looks very well balanced between youth and experience.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Andy Final Score: Croydon 4 6 vs 3 Supernova 4D Bradford (2)U Player (2)J Dean (0)M Lavine (0)K Bradford (1)H Rand (1)S Hole (0)R Williams-Clarke (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09
Croydon 2 fail to make it a clean sweep against Highbury 1Croydon 2 started their first game of the new season against Highbury 1 with Pete Lindsey, Jane Belfourd, Zoe Shewell and Adam Champion in attack, Ben Hale, Julia Johnson, Karen James and Ed (the Raging Bull) Chaney in defence. Highbury started the fastest but Johnson was on hand with a trademark skipping in shot and then Lindsey got another with a long shot but Highbury pulled level and then ahead after 10 minutes. Croydon were passing well but Chaney has yet to learn the universal truth about not throwing a bouncing ball to Johnson so some passes did go astray. The game meandered for a bit as defences got on top until James dropped off for a simple goal to level things at 3-all. Half time came soon after with the same scoreline. Zach and Oscar's favourite, Ed, was running around excitedly and he fell over dramatically. Coach Paul Jeanes (daddy) did some good exercising in the warm up (according to Zach) which was leading to some chances on the pitch. Also observed by the Jeanes boys is that the floor has changed to blue. However, getting back to the action, Highbury scored and then scored again, 3-5. Zach was getting a little bit bored with the match so started telling jokes: Why does a chair walk? Answer: because it has 4 legs (boom boom). Why does a goat fly? Answer: because it has legs to fly (he may have made that one up on the fly (pun intended)). Meanwhile Highbury scored twice and then Champion got a long shot: 4-7. Soon after Belfourd forced a penalty and coach Jeanes called a time-out, where he asked people to keep working hard and to drop into space. Lindsey stepped up and made no mistake: 5-7. Highbury scored another though (to Champion's disgust). Zach was keen to point out that the benches were sticky and Oscar mentioned "that the referee's tee-shirt was different to ours". All true but Highbury was scoring as well 5-9. As Oscar reported that the bottle fell over, Champion scored from a long way downtown to keep Croydon in the game. Highbury were not to be denied though and scored again. Hale scored from distance but then was subbed off as Jeanes rotated his pack, 7-11. Interest tailed off a bit towards the end as Croydon failed to make up ground and time petered out, Lindsey did score a cracker though, final score 8-12. Overall the match was scored rated a 10/10 from Oscar and a 2/10 by Zach, there may have been an element of randomness to those choices though.Match Report by Andy | Updated by Andy Final Score: Croydon 2 8 vs 12 Highbury 1A Champion (2)P Lindsey (2)E Chaney (0)B Hale (1)D Pratt (0)J Hudspith (1)J Johnson (1)Z Shewell (0)K James (1)L Barker (0)Submitted by Andy on 26 Oct 09Croydon 3 power past Bec 4Croydon 3’s opening game of the season was against Bec 4; it would be a good indicator for the rest of the year as Bec are always strong contenders in whichever division they are playing in. The hosts boasted a strong line up with the experienced and influential captain Paul Jeanes linking up with Phil Aish who was making the step up from last season, along with Becki Pratt and Steph Robinson to start in attack, with Andy Burnham, Steve Chadd, Lorna Elliot and Lynda Barker starting in defence. It was the hosts who got off to the better start, Jeanes scoring from the penalty spot to get things under way. This seamed to open the game up after the cagey start and Jeanes almost doubled the lead after a good passing move left him free for a runner but he couldn’t convert as the ball rolled agonisingly over the basket and the watching crowd collectively groaned. Bec were creating chances to and had the ball in the basket but it was disallowed for defended. At this point Croydon were looking to step up a gear and in defence Pratt looked menacing, putting the fear into her attacker when she blammed one of her shots which lifted the crowd off their feet. The visitors though were awarded a penalty but failed to capitalise from the spot, they were given a second chance though as another penalty was awarded in somewhat more controversial circumstances. Bec this time managed to convert the penalty and tied the scores at 1-1. Croydon were awarded another penalty soon after which Elliot stepped up to take, she coolly slotted the ball in to regain the hosts lead. Elliot then followed that up with a sweet drop off shot after Jeanes had rifled the ball to her from the other half of the pitch. With the change around Croydon continued the pressure, Aish looking to throw a cross court pass ended up passing the ball into the net to put an early contender for the goal of the year. At the other end the hosts were doing their best to shut Bec out and Chadd managed to defend both players during a free pass whilst Burnham recovered his position, but that wasn’t enough as the visitors scored a running in shot to make it 4-2. As half time approached both sides looked rushed and chances were being created, Barker found herself in space to score from mid range before Bec ended the half scoring another contentious penalty leaving the scores at the break 5-3 to Croydon. The new half began just as it ended with Bec being awarded another curious penalty which they scored to reduce the deficit to just one goal. The visitors decided this was a chance to bring on some fresh legs and replaced one of their attacking girls to try and level the scores, but it was Croydon’s girls who found the net with Pratt and Elliot both scoring running in shots to stretch the lead once more at 7-4. Bec pulled one back but Aish scored from long distance to restore the three goal lead, the visitors were looking for space but couldn’t find it, shooting from close to the post whilst being defended but the referee did not give the decision and the goal stood. Croydon didn’t let the decision affect them as Barker found the net for the second time after a great feed from Burnham. With time winding down it looked as though that would be the last action of the game but Bec managed to score with their fourth penalty of the match to leave the full time scores 9-7. A win against a strong Bec 4 side was a great way to start the season and Croydon 3 will be hoping they can continue to get results like these throughout the rest of the year.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Sicknote Final Score: Croydon 3 9 vs 7 Bec 4P Aish (2)P Jeanes (1)A Burnham (0)S Chadd (0)L MacKay-Elliott (3)L Barker (2)B Sinclair (1)S Robinson (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09Supernova 4 dispatched to another galaxy by Croydon 4Croydon 4 started off the days matches at Royal Russell hoping to improve on last season’s record and get the club's day off to a flier. They faced Supernova 4 looking to get a win which they failed to do the previous year. The starting line up teamed up family members Jon (c) and Kathy Dean with Dom Bradford and Hayley Rand in attack with Luke James, Mike Lavine, Rhiannon Williams-Clarke and Sarah Hole in defence. Coach Dan Pratt was running late due to an earlier refereeing commitment but arrived just in time to see Croydon score the first goal of the game after an agonising 18 minute wait. Bradford stepping up to score from the penalty spot, claiming a goal in his competitive debut for the club. K. Dean then doubled the lead with a great shot from long distance. The hosts then dominated in defence leaving their attack longer in possession, this gave them extra chances and James went close with a one handed running in shot. His defender had been warned but James’ pace was too much for him again as he breezed past this time scoring his running in shot to make it 3-0. James scored his second of the game from the penalty spot to give Croydon a commanding lead. With a 4 goal cushion Croydon looked more relaxed and Rand certainly benefited scoring her first goal for the club from close range earning herself some love from K. Dean in the process. At this point Croydon should have pushed ahead but they seemed to lose focus just before the break and gave away a penalty which was scored and the letting in a running in shot to make it 5-2. It could have been more but the half time whistle came just at the right time. After the break Supernova brought on one of their more experienced players to try and give them the edge, they had the chance from the spot after Bradford had fouled his player whilst shooting but the visitors couldn’t convert the penalty. They did score soon after thouh with a running in shot and with the scores at 5-3 things looked a bit less comfortable for Croydon. Bradford though calmed some nerves scoring his second goal of the game with a one handed shot from mid range and that deflated Supernova enough for Croydon to close out the rest of the game, the final score at 6-3. Croydon 4 will be delighted to have won the match, they already have more points on the board than they did at the end of last season. There is much to take away from the game too with Dom Bradford scoring 2 goals on debut, Hayley Rand getting her scoring record off the ground and she will be looking to add to that next game. Kathy looked commanding in her section and looked impressive in both attack and defence. The team as a whole looks very well balanced between youth and experience.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Andy Final Score: Croydon 4 6 vs 3 Supernova 4D Bradford (2)U Player (2)J Dean (0)M Lavine (0)K Bradford (1)H Rand (1)S Hole (0)R Williams-Clarke (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09
Croydon 3 power past Bec 4Croydon 3’s opening game of the season was against Bec 4; it would be a good indicator for the rest of the year as Bec are always strong contenders in whichever division they are playing in. The hosts boasted a strong line up with the experienced and influential captain Paul Jeanes linking up with Phil Aish who was making the step up from last season, along with Becki Pratt and Steph Robinson to start in attack, with Andy Burnham, Steve Chadd, Lorna Elliot and Lynda Barker starting in defence. It was the hosts who got off to the better start, Jeanes scoring from the penalty spot to get things under way. This seamed to open the game up after the cagey start and Jeanes almost doubled the lead after a good passing move left him free for a runner but he couldn’t convert as the ball rolled agonisingly over the basket and the watching crowd collectively groaned. Bec were creating chances to and had the ball in the basket but it was disallowed for defended. At this point Croydon were looking to step up a gear and in defence Pratt looked menacing, putting the fear into her attacker when she blammed one of her shots which lifted the crowd off their feet. The visitors though were awarded a penalty but failed to capitalise from the spot, they were given a second chance though as another penalty was awarded in somewhat more controversial circumstances. Bec this time managed to convert the penalty and tied the scores at 1-1. Croydon were awarded another penalty soon after which Elliot stepped up to take, she coolly slotted the ball in to regain the hosts lead. Elliot then followed that up with a sweet drop off shot after Jeanes had rifled the ball to her from the other half of the pitch. With the change around Croydon continued the pressure, Aish looking to throw a cross court pass ended up passing the ball into the net to put an early contender for the goal of the year. At the other end the hosts were doing their best to shut Bec out and Chadd managed to defend both players during a free pass whilst Burnham recovered his position, but that wasn’t enough as the visitors scored a running in shot to make it 4-2. As half time approached both sides looked rushed and chances were being created, Barker found herself in space to score from mid range before Bec ended the half scoring another contentious penalty leaving the scores at the break 5-3 to Croydon. The new half began just as it ended with Bec being awarded another curious penalty which they scored to reduce the deficit to just one goal. The visitors decided this was a chance to bring on some fresh legs and replaced one of their attacking girls to try and level the scores, but it was Croydon’s girls who found the net with Pratt and Elliot both scoring running in shots to stretch the lead once more at 7-4. Bec pulled one back but Aish scored from long distance to restore the three goal lead, the visitors were looking for space but couldn’t find it, shooting from close to the post whilst being defended but the referee did not give the decision and the goal stood. Croydon didn’t let the decision affect them as Barker found the net for the second time after a great feed from Burnham. With time winding down it looked as though that would be the last action of the game but Bec managed to score with their fourth penalty of the match to leave the full time scores 9-7. A win against a strong Bec 4 side was a great way to start the season and Croydon 3 will be hoping they can continue to get results like these throughout the rest of the year.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Sicknote Final Score: Croydon 3 9 vs 7 Bec 4P Aish (2)P Jeanes (1)A Burnham (0)S Chadd (0)L MacKay-Elliott (3)L Barker (2)B Sinclair (1)S Robinson (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09Supernova 4 dispatched to another galaxy by Croydon 4Croydon 4 started off the days matches at Royal Russell hoping to improve on last season’s record and get the club's day off to a flier. They faced Supernova 4 looking to get a win which they failed to do the previous year. The starting line up teamed up family members Jon (c) and Kathy Dean with Dom Bradford and Hayley Rand in attack with Luke James, Mike Lavine, Rhiannon Williams-Clarke and Sarah Hole in defence. Coach Dan Pratt was running late due to an earlier refereeing commitment but arrived just in time to see Croydon score the first goal of the game after an agonising 18 minute wait. Bradford stepping up to score from the penalty spot, claiming a goal in his competitive debut for the club. K. Dean then doubled the lead with a great shot from long distance. The hosts then dominated in defence leaving their attack longer in possession, this gave them extra chances and James went close with a one handed running in shot. His defender had been warned but James’ pace was too much for him again as he breezed past this time scoring his running in shot to make it 3-0. James scored his second of the game from the penalty spot to give Croydon a commanding lead. With a 4 goal cushion Croydon looked more relaxed and Rand certainly benefited scoring her first goal for the club from close range earning herself some love from K. Dean in the process. At this point Croydon should have pushed ahead but they seemed to lose focus just before the break and gave away a penalty which was scored and the letting in a running in shot to make it 5-2. It could have been more but the half time whistle came just at the right time. After the break Supernova brought on one of their more experienced players to try and give them the edge, they had the chance from the spot after Bradford had fouled his player whilst shooting but the visitors couldn’t convert the penalty. They did score soon after thouh with a running in shot and with the scores at 5-3 things looked a bit less comfortable for Croydon. Bradford though calmed some nerves scoring his second goal of the game with a one handed shot from mid range and that deflated Supernova enough for Croydon to close out the rest of the game, the final score at 6-3. Croydon 4 will be delighted to have won the match, they already have more points on the board than they did at the end of last season. There is much to take away from the game too with Dom Bradford scoring 2 goals on debut, Hayley Rand getting her scoring record off the ground and she will be looking to add to that next game. Kathy looked commanding in her section and looked impressive in both attack and defence. The team as a whole looks very well balanced between youth and experience.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Andy Final Score: Croydon 4 6 vs 3 Supernova 4D Bradford (2)U Player (2)J Dean (0)M Lavine (0)K Bradford (1)H Rand (1)S Hole (0)R Williams-Clarke (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09
Supernova 4 dispatched to another galaxy by Croydon 4Croydon 4 started off the days matches at Royal Russell hoping to improve on last season’s record and get the club's day off to a flier. They faced Supernova 4 looking to get a win which they failed to do the previous year. The starting line up teamed up family members Jon (c) and Kathy Dean with Dom Bradford and Hayley Rand in attack with Luke James, Mike Lavine, Rhiannon Williams-Clarke and Sarah Hole in defence. Coach Dan Pratt was running late due to an earlier refereeing commitment but arrived just in time to see Croydon score the first goal of the game after an agonising 18 minute wait. Bradford stepping up to score from the penalty spot, claiming a goal in his competitive debut for the club. K. Dean then doubled the lead with a great shot from long distance. The hosts then dominated in defence leaving their attack longer in possession, this gave them extra chances and James went close with a one handed running in shot. His defender had been warned but James’ pace was too much for him again as he breezed past this time scoring his running in shot to make it 3-0. James scored his second of the game from the penalty spot to give Croydon a commanding lead. With a 4 goal cushion Croydon looked more relaxed and Rand certainly benefited scoring her first goal for the club from close range earning herself some love from K. Dean in the process. At this point Croydon should have pushed ahead but they seemed to lose focus just before the break and gave away a penalty which was scored and the letting in a running in shot to make it 5-2. It could have been more but the half time whistle came just at the right time. After the break Supernova brought on one of their more experienced players to try and give them the edge, they had the chance from the spot after Bradford had fouled his player whilst shooting but the visitors couldn’t convert the penalty. They did score soon after thouh with a running in shot and with the scores at 5-3 things looked a bit less comfortable for Croydon. Bradford though calmed some nerves scoring his second goal of the game with a one handed shot from mid range and that deflated Supernova enough for Croydon to close out the rest of the game, the final score at 6-3. Croydon 4 will be delighted to have won the match, they already have more points on the board than they did at the end of last season. There is much to take away from the game too with Dom Bradford scoring 2 goals on debut, Hayley Rand getting her scoring record off the ground and she will be looking to add to that next game. Kathy looked commanding in her section and looked impressive in both attack and defence. The team as a whole looks very well balanced between youth and experience.Match Report by Sicknote | Updated by Andy Final Score: Croydon 4 6 vs 3 Supernova 4D Bradford (2)U Player (2)J Dean (0)M Lavine (0)K Bradford (1)H Rand (1)S Hole (0)R Williams-Clarke (0)Submitted by Andy on 25 Oct 09
