Winchester Hockey Club Oracle Edition 62
U14 Boys
vs Basingstoke - 2-2
Scorers: James F, Natt E
An overcast wintery day saw Winchester U14 boys A team away to Basingstoke. A good warm up meant Winchester were hot from the first whistle and even with many regulars out due to injury, those who stepped up were keen to prove themselves. Some great attacking play between Natt, Tom and James supported by a dynamic midfield struck gold when a strong drive to the base line and pass back to the P spot by Ollie was calmly finished by James. A few short corners went wide but they kept the pressure on and were rewarded again when a stroke at the top by Natt slammed into the corner. Basingstoke rallied hard and Winchester had to soak up some pressure however succumbing close to half-time meant they were only one goal up at the break.
The second half was physical with the midfielders battling for control of the centre of the pitch. Eventually Basingstoke got a second back meaning Winchester had to defend hard to hold on to the draw. 2-2 it finished but out could have gone rather way at the end. Well done to Tom for his debut U14 game and a great overall team performance.
U14 Boys
Bs vs Southampton A - 1-3
The U14 boys’ newly created B side had their first game this week, which was played away against a young Southampton A side, and just lost 3-1.
They conceded a very early goal to their hosts - very much on the break - as the Winchester players were trying establish their positions. Understandable, but thereafter they increasingly raised their game to record an overall very pleasing performance for their first match.
Latham in goal had a good solid game after being left stranded for the first goal, and after that only conceded a very smart penalty flick (for a defender foot save on the goal line) and then very late on, losing out on a rebound after he had made a useful first save. Joe in the heart of the defence had an excellent game winning lots of great tackles and starting off many new attacks often with great service to Tim and Harry. In midfield Aedan, Toby and Archie made many telling runs to put the hosts under some great pressure, forcing short corners throughout the game along with many good tackles to win the ball back from their hosts.
Ollie linked in well throughout and caused plenty of concerns in attack, but it was a great through ball which created the Winchester goal, scored neatly by Patrick. The team went close several times to score more, and it was often just the home goalkeeper who thwarted them. The team’s overall positional play was the real bonus for this newly created team. Plenty to build on and hopefully a few players joining more from the training squad can soon join them, as the season progresses. As ever, thank you to all the parents for their support on the day.