Croydon's big boys torment title-chasing TrojansAn alternative headline for this match could have been: Optimus Prime and Bumblebee cause havoc to Champions Trojans. In a bold move coach Butters dropped himself, Zak Omar and Vernon Ellis and called up the big boys: 3rd team regulars Ed Chaney and Pete Lindsey and 2nd team captain Dan Pratt and oh how it nearly paid off. For the girls, Grace Stimpson returned in place of the crocked Jane Belfourd (although clearly her head injury at the weekend hadn't affected her voice as the Belfourd Bellow rang out around Trinity School). Dave Brooks got Trojans going with a simple fake and turn at the back of the basket but soon Croydon were on the sheet themselves as Chaney found himself in space 2 metres out and popped the ball home, 1-1. Trojans might have been expected to put this behind them and steam away from here but the visitors were having none of it. Chaney and Lindsey were a constant menace in defence, intercepting passes, lapping up loose balls and claiming every high ball in sight. Croydon won themselves a penalty in attack, Pratt failed to convert but again Trojans were frustrated as the ball wouldn't fall for them and score remained 1-1 until the 18th minute when again Trojans were cute around the post and Chaney and then Lindsey found themselves out of position for 2 simple goals. Croydon's defence continued in the same vein though and Trojans were only able to eke out 2 further goals, another from Brooks and then a Sarah-Jane Hubbard free-pass. Half time score: 5-1. The 2nd half started in similar fashion to the 1st with Trojans unable to make much headway. They did score one but Andy Withers drew a penalty from his player and this time Pratt converted. Hubbard scored again but despite Croydon's excellent defence their attack was faltering badly. Lindsey did net from distance though and with 18 minutes left the scores were 7-3 to the hosts. Trojans brought on Matt Brooks to add some fire-power and with brother, Sam, they did as Trojans scored the next 3 goals unopposed. Pratt turned in the feed though to score a simple one hander. Withers was replaced late on by Vernon Ellis after a touch of cramp and it was left to Dave Brooks to score the last goal with one from distance. Final score: 13-4. So a one-sided result but Trojans were denied for long periods of this match. To their credit they mostly managed to keep their cool and continue to create chances that eventually led to the win. For Croydon, another poor attacking display but the defence was right up there and coach Butters has another option to add to his armoury. Match Report by Andy | Updated by Andy Previous photo Next photo1 of 9 Final Score: Trojans 1 13 vs 4 Croydon 1Daniel(2)Ed(1)Peter(1)Andy(0)Vernon(0)Grace(0)Anna(0)Lorna(0)Sarah(0)
Croydon 2 come up short against Trojans 2On the face of it, Croydon 2 featured a strong team with Zak Omar and Vernon Ellis dropping down from the 1sts but Trojans were never in trouble in this game. Trojans got off to a flyer and despite some better defence in the latter stages, Croydon found themselves 6-0 down before coach Butters called a time-out. This seemed to have the desired, calming effect as the team rallied in defence and Julia Johnson scored what can only be described as a "turn in feed hoik" to get the visitors off the mark. Half time 7-1. Trojans were playing the ball round well and creating chances but were failing to build much on their lead. Croydon were doing little better but Hannah Evans persistence paid off as she scored a drop-off at 10-2 but captain Adam Champion was having trouble staying with his opponent as he scored two from distance, however he did record Croydon's 3rd with a long shot of his own. Trojans had the last laugh though as Kerry Sargeant dropped off for the final goal of the game: 13-3. Match Report by Andy | Updated by Andy Previous photo Next photo1 of 8 Final Score: Trojans 2 13 vs 3 Croydon 2Adam(1)Vernon(0)Ben(0)Zak(0)Hannah(1)Julia(1)Karen(0)Zoe(0)
