Winchester Hockey Club Oracle Edition 33
WHC Holiday Camp
Monday 11th - Wednesday 13th April
Places are filling up for the WHC Easter Hockey camps. To book, scroll down the calendar to April in Teamo - all the information, including dates and times, can be found there.
Any questions please get in contact with Howard Chaplin-White.
U16 Girls
vs Haslemere (friendly) - 5-1
Scorers: Jemima, Kyra, Alice, Mi-a, Esther
Winchester started well with good early pressure that led to a goal by Jemima. Despite keeping the ball in Haslemere’s half for the next 20 minutes and several shots on goal, it wasn’t until just before half time that Kyra scored. Having had no short corners in the first half, there was a flurry in the second half which led to a goal from Alice.
Some good runs and passing by the team allowed Mi-a to add a fourth goal. The defence were organised and defended two short corners well, however a quick break from Haslemere on the half way line led to their only goal. In the dying minutes of the game a final short corner that wasn’t cleared allowed Esther to tap the ball in for a fifth and final goal.
A special mention for Freya and Laura who both stepped into play for Haslemere as they only had ten players and to Viv for playing goalkeeper. Thanks to Mark and Cam for umpiring at short notice.
Under 14 Boys
A’s Vs OLD GEORGIANS - 3-2
Scorers: Charlie (2)
Winchester travelled to Old Georgians for a fixture designed to stretch the team in advance of their important forthcoming league and cup matches that will define their season. Missing a number of key players, it was clear from the outset that this would be a tough challenge against a strong, well-drilled outfit.
It was backs to the wall from the off, and it was only a combination of some fine saves from Finn, brave defending and some near misses that kept the game goalless for the first quarter. Winchester started to gain a foothold in the game, and confidence grew as they began to realise that they could hold their own. Billy, working tirelessly, began to dominate midfield and Rory showed how much he has developed this season, with skill and athleticism creating exits and attacking opportunities down the left. OGs finally broke the deadlock from a short corner, but soon after Charlie scored a fantastic solo goal with a superb reverse from a tight angle. OGs scored a second just before half time, but confidence was high during the half time team talk, as the boys realised they could compete with their illustrious opponents.
The second half started evenly matched, but as a couple of players took knocks and others started to feel the pace of the game, the lack of subs took its toll and OGs began to dominate again. A well taken goal made it 3-1 and for a while it looked as though things could get ugly for Winchester. But once again the boys showed great resilience, digging in to prevent potential breakaways and racing forward whenever opportunities arose. From one of those attacks, Charlie clinically swept in another from close range and against all odds, it was game on for the last 5 minutes. A couple of half chances went begging and OGs held on for the win.
The boys should take great credit for their determination and spirit, and will take further confidence into the next few weeks in the knowledge that they can compete with the best teams in England.
B’s v Alton B - 3-3 (Feb 20th)
Scorers: Monty, Arthur, Ollie
Winchester B squad had four players making their Club and / or team debuts, including U12 goalkeeper Bertie Carter (pictured) who kindly made himself available with about one hour’s notice after the original, selected keeper was withdrawn with a family-positive COVID test first thing on Sunday morning!
This match was played in three 20 minute slots as both sides welcomed the chance to have two coaching breaks to help the newcomers settle into full inter-club match play. Winchester’s senior players all worked very hard to support their newcomer colleagues by constantly swapping positions to accommodate the new players to test out preferred positions. Winchester actually opened the scoring after a goalmouth melee with Monty scoring from a good shot.
Alton fought back with two quick goals whilst some of the more senior players had been rotated off, in an end-to-end game. Arthur scored to equalise after good wing play from Ed and with Oscar helping by drawing defenders away. The Winchester defence was well marshalled by Luke as he guided newcomers Leo, Tristan and Ben in good positions to help nullify many of the visitor’s attacks. Winchester took the lead early in the third period through the tireless Ollie, who had run the midfield play with some very strong running all match. Campbell, Silas and Will all produced some quality all round attacking play and a fourth goal always looked possible until a fast break from the visitor secured their equaliser.
The final whistle went just as Winchester were about to complete a short corner attempt and thus the tension mounted for the last chance in the match for the hosts to snatch victory. Sadly, a firm shot at goal from the short corner routine just brushed the outside of the post and thus leave the match as a very exciting draw.
Under 10s - In2Hockey Tournaments
U10 Boys - Sunday 27th March (am)
Winchester U10 Boys (with Rosie and Eva backing up) narrowly missed making the In2 Hampshire hockey semi-finals by one point. In their six matches they won two, drew two and lost two in a tough draw. The only heavy defeat was 4-1 to Haslemere who looked the best team at the event (Gosport won the other but only very narrowly by 2-1). The squad all performed well with Rory, Rosie and Wilf rotating at the back with James T in goal. Many attacks were repelled and quick restart hit-outs firing the ball down the touchline and not across goal. Midfield saw a combination of Sam, Bertie, Eva and Henry fight hard for every ball and make some nice play at times. Up front Kishan weaved his skills and James B charged into the D looking to poach a finish. Top scorer for the tournament was Henry. Well done everyone - a tiring morning in bright sun, but a positive experience and an upbeat team atmosphere when between games. Top work all!
U10 Girls - Sunday 27th March (pm)
The U10 girls had three matches to play in their pool. After a long wait and some cartwheel practice, their first match started against Fareham. It was a tense opener with the girls passing the ball well, creating some exciting passages of play. The deadlock was finally broken with a brilliantly worked short corner from Charlotte finding the goal and winning 1-0. The second match was against Andover and was played at a high intensity from the start. An early goal from Emily K gave us the lead but Andover equalised. Winchester dug deep and responded with two more goals from Charlotte. Ellenor B made some brilliant saves backed up by Florence & Emily A in defence and Millie, Bea and Sophia in mid field. The final match in Pool A was against Trojans; this was a great game where Winchester defended brilliantly against a relentless attack from Trojans. With more whistles than a 90s rave, the defence worked tirelessly gaining valuable experience in defending short corners. This proved impenetrable resulting in a goalless draw.
As winners of pool A Winchester played Basingstoke in the semi-finals. Having played two tiring back-to-back games, legs were tired but the girls battled on. Basingstoke scored the opener, with Emily K equalising. Sadly it wasn’t quite enough with Basingstoke going on to score again in the dying minutes of the match and going on to become eventual winners of the tournament.
The girls were disappointed they lost their final playoff 1-0 in the bright low evening sunshine, but what a great effort by all the team to finish fourth overall - well done girls!
