East Indoor Championships

Ipswich v Sevenoaks 

Result: Won 4-0

Ipswich v Cambridge City

Result: Won 11-2

Ipswich v Old Loughtonians

Result: Won 5-4

Ipswich v Chelmsford

Results: Lost 3-2

Ipswich travelled to Cambridge on Saturday as the build up to the start of the English National Indoor League reached it's climax with the East Indoor Championships.

Ipswich faced Sevenoaks in their first competitive indoor game since losing on penalty strokes to Bowdon in the Semi-finals of the National Championships last February. Sevenoaks won promotion to the premier Indoor league last year so this was a good test for both sides.  Ipswich started slowly but after a few early scares soon began to find their feet and had the team from Kent on the ropes. A good team performance saw Ipswich cruise to a 4-0 win.

The teams second game was against Cambridge City, who had finished second the previous weekend to St Albans in the race for a place in Div 2 of the Indoor National League. City started brightly but 2 quick goals from Vic Sandall took the sting out of them and soon Ipswich were running up a large total. The final score line saw Ipswich comfortable 11-2 victors.

The final game on Saturday was against a Old Loughtonians side that had been relegated for the Indoor Premier League. This was the toughest game so far and Ipswich looked sluggish after a 3 hour break. However despite being pegged back to 4-4 Ipswich managed to dig deep and won 5-4 to see them advance into the final on Sunday.

Sunday saw them face Chelmsford, the team they had beaten last year to claim the title. Chelmsford took an early led through a short corner strike and Ipswich could not find a rhythm.  Then the Essex side scored a penalty stroke to make it 2-0. Ipswich seemed to finally wake up and Miriam Fabregas scored from a good move. However then in the second half a strange umpiring decision saw Ipswich denied a stroke and still frustrated by some erratic umpiring Chelmsford hit the Suffolk side on the break and made it 3-1. Stepping up their play the defending champions got back to 3-2 with a coolly taken goal by Lizzy Aldous but could not find the third goal as the clock ticked down. Removing the goalkeeper saw Ipswich pin the Essex side in their half but it was not enough and Chelmsford won 3-2 and took the East Title.

Ipswich now turn attentions to the main prize of the English Premier League and know that they still have some lessons to learn should they want to claim a top four finish and a place at the Indoor finals day at the NIA for a fourth consecutive year.

 NE14HOCKEY East League

Div 2C

Cambridge City 2's v Ipswich 3's

Result: Drew 1-1

Scorers: 

Suffolk Premier League

Ipswich v Sudbury 3's

Won 4-1

Scorers:

Suffolk Div 1

NE14HOCKEY East League

Prem A

Bedford v Ipswich 2's

Result: Won 4-1

Scorers: R Rutterford, M Underwood, Dixon

Ipswich took their points tally to 16 for the season and sit comfortably in mid table. Ipswich were never in danger of losing this match and never really  stepped up out of 3rd gear, but at times played some lovely stuff. Cards are  still proving a problem as Ipswich were handed a further 2 yellows, first 
Dixon for trying to play hurling with a Bedford players stick, which now means  Dixon is suspended, Jim walker soon followed for actually a good tackle, but like with every walker challenge the shoulder went in and the Bedford player  went flying. Then 15 secs after that Richard Rutterford decided he could not leave his  fellow friends alone on the bench and decided to talk his way off the pitch.

But all that aside goals from Foxy, M underwood, Dixon and cemented another  3 points. What came later was probably the talking point of the day as  Bedford were handed a red card by a naked umpire in the showers after the game.  Its certainly a first for me!!

EH 2's Cup

Quarter Finals

Ipswich v Havant

Result: Won 2-1

Scorers: K Dixon (2)


Ipswich at home in the cup again had plenty of youngsters on show for the home crowd, Max Underwood, Ed Youngman, Ben Underwood and Ben Glading. It was a fantastic result against a very good Havant outfit who were at full strength and at times played some lovely hockey. Havant dominated the first 15 mins, with Ipswich struggling to get the ball or out the half and on the stroke of half time Havant scored from a short corner which was deflected off Andy Swindin's stick over Ben Glading in goal.

In the second half Ipswich were the better side, enjoying more of the ball and creating some very good chances. Reed back to bottom of the diamond with Woodgate in front were at the heart of most moves.
The very experienced and classy Paul Calver had a very good game at the back, with only 1 pass going straight to the top of the D to the striker.

The best performance of the day was from Max Underwood, his ball possession and tackling was outstanding and with performances like this the 1s defenders should be very alert. This performance was closely followed by Shyam Patel who was his typical rocky self, but we have come to expect this from the Pakistan international.

The game was won from 2 goals from Dixon, the first a drag flick and the second a one on one with the keeper which Dixon did his very best to miss but did put it in!!

Ipswich's young side are now into the semis, a brilliant achievement for the first year in the comp!

NE14HOCKEY East League 

Div 4NE 

Ipswich 4's  v Dereham 3's

Result: won 10-2 

Scorers: Gallagher (T) (3) Reed (2) Holloway (2) Sebborn (2) Scarff

Ollie "The Totem" Holloway was back to lead the attack after playing 37 minutes for the 3rd Xi in the last four weeks. Those with him in their fantasy league teams will be thrilled.

The team also welcomed back captain Godbold from his wedding and Williams from an unfortunate week's umpiring. The team that took to the pitch had an average age of 35 to act as an appropriate antidote to the club's great successes at Under 16 level.

After a lengthy warm up that took Swain back to his years of captaining the 2nd XI when two mile warm up jogs were the norm - the match started. Ipswich as a consequence looked knackered and Dereham pressed forward.

Then Tom "The Enigma" Gallagher scored with a repeat of his reverse stick swish from last week. Whilst this was against the run of play it also served to wake up the Ipswich team who thereafter attacked with a verve not often accomplished by a team with Sebborn in it. Then "The Enigma" swished in another reverse sticker and Sebborn bundled in a short corner follow-up.

Ipswich were clearly on song in the soggy conditions and sprinted from the blocks in the second half with "the Totem" scoring from a short corner, Scarff pushed one in from the top of the D.

Then Williams passed to Dereham and as Whetton and Sneddon combined well to force the attacker wide to shoot from a seemingly impossible angle Kwan dived full length for reasons that are as yet unexplained and the ball drifted under his body into the corner. Not his finest moment but he has been excellent up to that moment this season.

Then five further goals flew in - a second from Sebborn, Gallagher's hat trick, Reed got two and, after Dereham scored a consolation second, Holloway got the final one. So for the fourth game in the first eleven the team reached double figures.

"The Engima" was man of the match and lived up to his name with excellent reverse stick shooting, 60 yard pin point passes in open play and yet a complete inability to shoot on the open stick side. But boy did he bring the average age down a bit!

Top of Division 4NE at Christmas is a considerable achievement with "Mr Motivator" Godbold leading the team dynamically again. The New Year brings the next crucial game with a re-run of last years epic encounters with the third XI. This time though the fourth XI are confident that the third XI wont be able to cope with "The Enigma" and "The Totem".

Happy Christmas.

NE14HOCKEY East League

Div 6NE

Ipswich 5's v Dereham 5's

Result: Won 12-1

Scorers: Payne(3), Fox(3), Robinson, Fish(3), Gobold, Thomas

Ipswich fives at last produced the memorable annihilation that they had been threatening all season, leaving your correspondent with the unenviable task of sitting with a laptop and the latest edition of the Penguin Thesaurus on a Sunday morning trying to remember it all and than describe it.

The picturesque town of Dereham may have been founded by Saxon King Withsburga, but it was the Ipswich side who were like the Viking raiders, asserting their dominance early on despite dark age conditions of biting winds and freezing rain.

Boy wonder and general leg-end George Payne was on the money immediately and showed the more experienced forwards how to finish properly early on, burying two tricky chances under a lot of pressure to secure Ipswich a two goal cushion within the first ten minutes. Payne put his form down to the 70s funk music he was subjected to during the journey to the astro.

It was not long before the rest of the side followed Payne's example and began hitting the back of the net with regularity. However, a thrashing was by no means on the cards from the outset and the Ipswich back line was made to work hard to deal with some fast and furious Dereham counter attacks in the first half. By half time though goals from Ollie Fox and Stuart Robinson, who majestically sped round half a dozen defenders every time he got the ball on the wing, an imposing 4-0 was on the scoreboard. Not that there was scoreboard sadly.

In the second half the team had the considerable advantage of the wind blowing with them and after three goals in three minutes, Dereham fell apart and the floodgates opened (metaphorically, the pitch was semi-underwater from the outset). Payne secured his richly deserved hat-trick with a cheeky reverse through the keeper's legs and was soon followed by the sly Fox and classy finisher Alan Fisher.

All this attacking led to the more defensive stars of the team getting rather cold and Dereham, who all credit to them kept their work rate high, somehow managed to take advantage of this and slide the ball past Joe "the ho" Wroe who's kit had by now frozen up. However, Dereham's futile strikeback served merely to anger the beast and one last tidal wave of blue shirts descended upon their area; leading to Simon Godbold and Hugh Thomas getting their rewards for skillful work in the centre of the park.

Many thanks to Andy "Get out of my face or i'll card you" Mais for taking on the umpire's duties, free Chinese food will be reaching him soon.

The win finally makes our Goal difference respectable, and after Norwich 5's were thrashed by their own 6th team, Ipswich 5 are now 5 points clear in the second promotion place. Happy Days.

NE14HOCKEY East League

Vets

Ipswich v Harleston

Result: Won 4-1

Scorers: Foster 2, Curzon 2

This was a top of the table clash, and an important win for Ipswich who now draw level with Harleston and providing they can win a game in hand will go to the head of the table.

On a bitterly cold and wet afternoon Ipswich made a poor start and the determined visitors enjoyed the best of the early exchanges and in most uncharacteristic mode keeper Steward's clearance found an attacker who duly dispatched the early Xmas present. Ipswich however, regrouped and put the steely Fletton into midfield who was able to break up the Magpies midfield play and eventually the home team drew level when Foster converted with the defense expecting a cross.

The second half started much as the first with Magpies on top, but with Gray and Gaffer not giving an inch, Ipswich gradually gained the upper hand. Tew fired a tremendous shot against the post from a penalty corner and then Curzon should have turned home a superb pass from Crowe. Ipswich gained the lead eventually when Foster broke free and gave the keeper no chance and from then Ipswich really began to dominate. With the appalling conditions mistakes were inevitable, but Cutting came into his own with some mazy runs that the visitors found difficult to deal with. Curzon then made amends for his earlier miss bagging a pair to put the result beyond doubt.

Next week the vets take a break from league action to take on the 4ths.