EHL Premier 1 

Sat 16th October 2004

 BTexact Ipswich v Olton

14.00 @ Tuddenham Road

Won 6-3 (E Millar (2), T Barnard (2), J Ellis, V Roberts)

BTexact Ipswich claimed three well-deserved points on Saturday in the EHL Premier 1 League as they bagged 6 goals in a 9-goal thriller. A superb display of attacking and fast flowing hockey saw the home team record their best win of the season against a tough Olton side.

Olton started the brighter, putting Ipswich under extreme pressure and only some excellent goal keeping by Becky Duggan kept the visitors at bay. Despite the resistance after only 4 minutes Olton opened the scoring, Naomi James pouncing on a rebound from a short corner strike and flicking it over the stranded Duggan.

Ipswich though hit straight back, a superb ball from right defender Lizzy Aldous finding Tanya Barnard who in turn fed the ball to striker Lucy Philp. Philp used her turn of pace to get behind the Olton defence and her slipped pass from the right of the circle found Emma Millar who slotted the ball in to make it 1-1.

Ipswich now stepped up the pressure and were in the lead within 7 minutes. Aldous again providing the through ball that earned the home side a short corner. Tanya Barnard making Olton pay when she saw her shot go in off a defender’s stick.

The third Ipswich goal was a superb move, Cathy Gilliat-Smith out-sprinting her marker and slipping her pass under her arm to the waiting Vanessa Roberts who made no mistake slamming in her shot on the 23rd minute mark.

Ipswich now were unstoppable, tearing open the visitors defence almost at will. The fourth goal was a typical thunderous shot from in form Jo Ellis. Ellis struck it sweetly from the top of the ‘D’ and sent Ipswich into half time with a pleasing 4-1 lead.

 The 2^nd half saw Olton attack with renewed vigour and they were rewarded 5 minutes after the restart scoring their second through a piece of good fortune as a miss hit ball by James lobbed agonisingly over the prone Duggan. Ipswich in usual style hit back almost immediately with Millar scoring the 5^th goal from the best move of the game, a series of one-touch passes involving 5 players. It started from a defensive free hit out to captain Vicki Sandall, who interchanged passes with Leisa King and then Tanya Barnard before striking the ball at the top of the ‘D’. A good save from the Olton keeper went only as far as Millar who pounced to fire the ball home and increase Ipswich’s lead to 5-2.

Olton though were determined to fight to the end and scored their third goal from a Lucilla Wright short corner strike. The home side though had the last word, Barnard claiming her second with a canny lift over the goal keeper from a move straight off the training field!

EHA Cup 

Sun 17th October 2004

Horsham v BTexact Ipswich 

13.00 @ Away

Won 4-0 (L Philp (2), V Sandall, M Sharp)

BTexact Ipswich travelled to South League side Horsham in the second round of the EHA Cup.

Determined to utilise their entire squad and to rest some injured players this was an all-change Ipswich side but expectations were still high among the visitors. Horsham though were obviously up for their chance against one of the topsides, they started brightly and harassed the visitors in the early exchanges. Having settled down Ipswich began to dominate possession and it was only lack of clinical finishing that kept the score 0-0. Captain Vicki Sandall then took control and led by example, blasting in the opening goal on the 20 minute mark after a mazy run through the middle.

Ipswich now increased the pressure but Horsham worked hard and broke play down. Just before half-time Ipswich extended their lead with Lucy Philp finishing off a great move involving Cathy Gilliat-Smith. Ipswich then made several changes and took a while to find a rhythm. However, they continued to increase their lead when Philp grabbed her second of the game after a rebound from the keeper wasn’t cleared. Horsham never gave up and gained a deserved short corner. Inexperience told though and Ipswich cleared the ball to safety. The final goal came from Millie Sharp, drifting into the top of the circle and firing home to make it 4-0.

Mille Sharp defending well.

Not the perfect display but one that enabled all the squad to benefit from pitch time. Ipswich now await the draw for the next round on 7^th November.

East Premier League

Sat 16th October 2004

Cambridge City v Ipswich 2's

12.30 @ Cambridge

Drew 3-3 ( C Anderson, H Golding)

Ipswich started this match in a very confident and positive frame of mind. However it was City that took an early lead. Ipswich heads did not go down and some excellent attacking play by Beth and Hannah Golding saw Ipswich win a free hit just outside the circle, Jo Gray fired the ball in to Hannah Golding whose touch sent the ball over the keepers pads
into the goal.

Ipswich went behind again but once again fought back through Golding and Gray combining at a short corner.

In the second half Ipswich continued to control a lot of the game Nicky Keely and Jennifer Ellis defending the right hand side of the pitch with vigor ,Sam Bennett and Sarah Logan frustrating the City forwards.

City again went ahead, Ipswich as they had through out the game continued to pressure and another fine run by Hannah Golding resulted in  the City keeper with no option but to foul, Charlotte Anderson calmly slotting home the penalty stroke.

In the last 15 mins it was all Ipswich pressure, Golding coming close and Anderson unlucky not to score with a fine reverse stick shot.

Another determined performance form Ipswich who are lying 6th in the East Premier table.

East League Div 2 Central 

Sat 16th October 2004

Ipswich 3's v Brentwood

Lost 2-0

A dull overcast day was contrasted by the powerful determination of the Brentwood team who set about the game with enormous strength and enthusiasm. Within the first minutes they were beating at the Ipswich goal mouth and pushing Ipswich to draw on their skilled defence. Ipswich, however were not phased by Brentwood’s vociverous support and quickly settled into their team roles to build their game and slowly took it back to the opposition. 

During the first half the performances were well matched and Brentwood only gained the upper hand through winning a couple of short corners and pushing the Ipswich defence hard. The second half started in the same vein, but within 10 minutes Brentwood managed to break through the Ipswich defence and slotted home the first of two similar goals. The second half was difficult for the home team with a number of injuries sustained such that they were reduced to 10 players. Ipswich were not overcome by any means and valiantly fought on, the occasional Ipswich attacks were quickly extinguished, but the strong defensive skills of Sue Whiting and Emma Baker held Brentwood at bay. 

There were few opportunities for either side to score, but on the day Brentwood made the most of the opportunities they created. Brentwood should be pleased with the win, but Ipswich should not be disappointed by their performance. Brentwood presented a very coherent strong team but at times Ipswich’s individuals caused them to dig deep into their formation repertoire.

Suffolk U17 League

Ipswich v Christchurch

Sunday 17th October

Won 4-2 (M McWhirter (2), L Ramsden)

A really good game with good play by both sides. Ipswich went 3-0 up after goals from Millie McWhirter (2) and Lucy Ramsden, and looked to have the game under control. Christchurch then came back and scored two quick goals from close range to close the gap. Half-time: Ipswich 3 - 2 Christchurch.

In second half the Ipswich girls took the game to Christchurch. It was surprising that there was only one further goal, scored by Millie to crown a well deserved hat-trick, as the play was end-to-end with many goal-mouth incidents. Special mention must go to Octavia (Lucci) Trevor, who volunteered to be goalie and made two excellent saves which
kept Christchurch out.

Overall, an excellent result following a very good team performance.

East League Premier A

Sat 16th October 2004

Bishop's Stortford v  Ipswich

Won 3-1 (R Fox, I Smith (2))

 Ipswich made it four wins out of four in the East Premier ‘A’ division with a fine display away to old adversaries, Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday. Ipswich are currently sitting pretty at the top of the league and knew that a victory over the Hertfordshire side would send a clear message to the rest of the league that they are a much improved side from last season. 

Ipswich can not attribute their current form to a sudden influx of new signings, in fact there have been no additions to the playing staff over the summer. However, one new addition has made all the difference. New Coach Kath Macdonald has turned the team’s fortunes around and the Henley Road based outfit are now looking every bit the side that deserve to be sitting at the top of the divisional tree. 

The new coaching regime and match day preparation has seen the team strengthen in numerous areas and Saturday’s game was testimony to those efforts. Ipswich started the game with wave after wave of attack. The home side struggled to clear their lines and early chances fell to inspirational veteran midfielder Simon Miller and youngster Will Turner. Andy Cook’s ferocious strike after five minutes ricocheted off the post following a vintage individual move from the player enjoying a rich vein of form and Ipswich sensed that it would not be long before the deadlock was broken.

Indeed with their next attack, Ipswich were a goal to the good thanks to a well-rehearsed set play. Ipswich were awarded a free hit just outside the Stortford ‘D’ and whilst the home side were still organising their rear guard, Miller slipped the ball to Cook to unleash another brutal strike. The strike was heading just wide but captain Richard Fox was lurking on the left post to deflect the ball past the keeper to claim his fourth goal of the season.

Ipswich capitalised on a defence error by Martin Harding to increase their lead five minutes later. From a long corner, Cook’s quick ball into the ‘D’ was fumbled by the Sweeper and fell kindly to Ivan Smith. Smith had time to compose himself before his powerful flick sent the ball high into the net.

Stortford had still not mounted an attack of any gusto when they found themselves three goals down. A neat interchange of passes between Will Faulker and Matt Walker split the defence once again and an exquisite pass from Miller found Smith bearing down on goal once again. Smith shrugged off the efforts of Mark Slack before calmly tucking the ball home.

The home team did manage to put the Ipswich defence under some pressure but their only noticeable attack was more through defensive frailties. A mix-up between James Walker and Chris Palmer left Stortford front man Scott Shearing with space to exploit on the right wing and his pin-point pass found Paul Mayne. Mayne’s first time shot ballooned up off keeper George Pinner’s pads and was goal bound before Asif Rais recovered to emphatically clear off the line.

Ipswich were not happy to go into the break with just the three goal lead and Smith should have secured a fine hat-trick on the ½ hour. Stortford defender, Will Defoe, lost possession to Fox on the left wing and a quick one-two with Cook split the home defence further. A simple pass from Fox left Smith with an open goal to aim at but the nippy winger just failed to connect much to the delight of the home supporters. 

Bishop’s Stortford started the second half brightly and enjoyed longer periods of possession. Ipswich found themselves penned in and chances fell to Ed Bull and former Ipswich & East Suffolk player Richard Cox. For the first time Ipswich look unsettled and Kath Macdonald was forced to make changes to weather the storm. Stortford finally pulled a goal back midway through the second half through Paul Mayne and should have scored again shortly afterwards. The home side broke quickly down the right flank and Paul Mayne was left at the top of the circle with time and space to shoot. His shot beat Pinner but Rais was again on hand to clear off the line and deny Stortford a glimmer of hope in the game.

Ipswich managed to control the remainder of the game thanks largely to the disciplined performances of the Ipswich Rear guard. Chris Palmer marshalled the defence with admirable performances from Andy Swindin, James Walker and Kev Brown.

Ipswich could have increased their lead but sloppy finishes from Fox and Miller only served to frustrate the Suffolk side. Smith again had an open goal beckoning him to secure his hat trick but he couldn’t connect and James Walker’s brilliant effort was well saved by Matt Rice.

In the end Ipswich were more than happy to take the points and run and now have a forced lay-off due to the postponement of next week’s game against Broxbourne. Other results in the league favoured Ipswich this week and they are now three points clear after only four games. At this early stage of the season everything looks positive for the Suffolk side

East League Premier B

Sat 16th October 2004

Ipswich 2's v Havering

Won 4-3 (R Stainthorpe (2) J Smith)

Ipswich 2nds returned to winning ways with a thrilling last gasp victory over high-flying Havering at Henley Road. Striker Richard Stainthorpe scored the winning goal with two minutes left, giving the team a much-needed boost after losing their last two fixtures.

With four minutes to go and the score at 3-3, Havering won a controversial penalty stroke – their third of the game. Keeper Tony Burch dived brilliantly to his right, deflecting the ball onto the post and away to safety. Ipswich manager Graves then made an inspired substitution, bringing both Stainthorpe and Oliver Holloway back onto the field after a brief rest. A minute later, following great work form John Cuff, Holloway supplied a ball for Stainthorpe to slide the past the advancing keeper, securing the points for the home team.

The game had started at a frenetic pace, with Havering soaking up much of the Ipswich pressure, and launching counter attacks towards the Ipswich goal. However, Ipswich fell behind when James Wrinch was adjudged to have kicked the ball, with the resulting penalty stoke dispatched with ease. Ipswich bounced back almost immediately after when Holloway’s perfect through ball found Stainthorpe who smashed the ball into the top right corner from 15 yards.

Shortly afterwards the game turned ugly with a catalogue of horrific challenges as tempers began to flare. Somehow both teams went unpunished, but midfield maestro James Smith settled Ipswich’s nerves after netting Ipswich’s second. Havering continued to pile on the pressure, but Wrinch and the returning Richard Swain held strong in the centre of defence to see out the first half.

After the break Smith claimed his second of the game with a splendid individual effort, and at 3-1 to the good the home side seemed to be cruising. However, Havering were still up for the fight, pulling a goal back with their second penalty flick, and soon grabbed an equaliser before the dramatic last five minutes.

Havering would be happy to admit that they shot themselves in the foot by having three men sin-binned at various points in the second half, effectively playing for much of it with ten men. Ipswich captain Tony Burch was more than happy with the three points. “It is vital that we win our home games, anything away from home is a bonus. We deserved a win here today.”

Next week Ipswich 2nds play title challengers Bourne, and should see the return of midfielder Matthew Stainthorpe for this tough encounter.

Sat 16th October 2004

Ipswich Vets  v Bedford

Won 5-1 (Glading (3), Wheaton 2)

The crowd dispersed after watching the Ladies beat Olton and they would have been disappointed to miss a very entertaining if slightly slower match!!

Bedford started well and looked the most likely side to open the scoring, particularly with the lively Cutting guesting for them in midfield. Ipswich should have taken the lead however, when Gray twice and Glading fired wide their chances. As Ipswich gradually got on top, Wheaton started to find plenty of room to make his trademark surging runs, but the visitors goalkeeper was in exceptional form denying Ipswich on a number of occasions. Glading broke the deadlock pouncing on a defensive error before slipping past the stranded keeper. Ipswich were awarded a penalty corner on the half time whistle which was played out, the routine did not quite go to plan but resulted in Glading firing home to make the score a better reflection of the play.

Ipswich again started to dominate the second half but were unable to increase the lead until Wheaton followed up a penalty corner effort to force the ball home from close range. Morley was denied by a brilliant save just as he was about to celebrate and then Bedford brought themselves back into the game with a wel struck effort past keeper Steward. The Ipswich defence seemed to waver and Bedford were unlucky not to reduce the arrears from the push off, Ipswich lost possession in midfield and were grateful to see the resulting shot trickle narrowly wide. With Ringrose, who had an excellent game, forced to leave the pitch Ipswich looked vulnerable but they carved out 2 magnificent goals to put the game beyond Bedford. The speed and passing of both moves dumb founded the opposition defence, Wheaton converting Hauxwell's cross with a deft deflection and Glading completing his hat trick tapping into an empty net from Hauxwell's unselfish pass.

Ipswich now look forward to next weeks game against Broadland (Henley Rd 3.00) in a fixture which is always a close encounter.