English National Premier League

Sat 7th February 2004

Btexact Ipswich v Doncaster

Result: Lost 4-1

(S Bamfield)

Btexact Ipswich entered this match with high hopes of proving how far they had come since the beginning of the season instead they finished it knowing that they still have a lot of hard work ahead of them.

Already missing the retired Kirsten Spencer in defence Ipswich were hit with another double blow just before the match when both defenders Karla Waddleton and Isabelle Sheldrake were produced unfit to play. A hasty re-shuffle of the team saw Ipswich start the game with several players playing out of position and it was obvious within the first 5  minutes that the new line up was struggling with the changes.  Doncaster utilized their pace up front and some keen running saw them take an early lead through Pippa Jones.

Ipswich though still struggling to adjust to their new positions seemed to settle down after letting in the goal and Tanya Barnard created several half chances in the visitors circle. As has been typical of Ipswich season's so far; as soon as the home side  looked more threatening the visitors broke up the pitch and England U21 player Jo Ellis scored after a rounding Ipswich keeper Hannah Robinson to make it 2-0.

Ipswich again kept working hard but any chances that came the Suffolk sides way were snuffed out by the organized Doncaster defence.

A converted short corner  just on the stroke of half time saw Doncaster stretch the lead to 3-0.

Ipswich started the 2nd half much the brighter, Jo Ellis and Vic Sandall working tirelessly in midfield and with 9 minutes gone Ipswich at last got their reward. Ellis and Barnard broke at pace down the right hand side of the pitch and after some excellent passing moves Ellis fired the ball across the circle for Bamfield to deflect it high into the Doncaster net to make it 3-1.

Ipswich at last started to believe they could get something form the game and pushed up for a 2nd goal. Ellis again sent in a fantastic cross but a slight muddle up between Bamfield and Barnard saw neither really get a clear shot in.

Doncaster finally killed the game off when Ruth Brookes swept in a pin point cross to make it 4-1. Ipswich did have several clear chances to pull the game back but sloppy finishing again saw them miss the vital chances.

A frustrating result for the home team, who now will not play again until the 21st February in a tough away game against Clifton.

Printwize East Premier League
sat 7th February 2004

Crostyx  v Ipswich 2’s
Result: lost 2-1
Scorers: J Gray

Bump - the sound of Ipswich 2nd team coming back down to earth after their recent run of wins. Playing opposition who were by far the weakest team faced in the league since Christmas, Ipswich can kick themselves for throwing this match away. The passing across the pitch was shoddy and the level of desire so evident in games of late was missing from the first whistle.

The first half was a scrappy affair with neither side really creating chances and Ipswich keeper Laura Peskett was rarely troubled. Injuries to Amanda Gee and Jenny Ellis unsettled the defence but Crostyx failed to take advantage. 

Likewise, at the other end of the pitch Ipswich forwards rarely hit top gear and the home goal keeper had an easier game than was warranted. In midfield Sarah Logan was slowed down by a nasty ankle injury, Millie Sharpe, who had not played competitive outdoor hockey since November, was not showing the first touch that she promised when the season started and neither Kirsten Spencer or Sarah Juggins were able to dominate the middle of the field.

The second half did enjoy some goals, Jo Gray kept up her scoring spree with a well worked tap in after a rare moment of sharp passing but seconds later a series of badly timed tackles allowed a Crostyx player to waltz, unimpeded through the Ipswich defence before slotting the ball past Peskett. Crostyx were denied seconds later by a last ditch dive from Dawn Wilkerson while Amanda Todd, a late replacement in the side, emerged as the worthy player of the match after showing the rest of the team how to play effective hockey. The game was wrapped up with Crostyx scoring from a short corner and this result can only serve to galvanize Ipswich against Cambridge University next weekend.

2nd XI National Cup

Sun 8th February 2004

Ipswich 2’s v Wimbledon 2's
Result: Won 3-2
Scorers: J Gray (2), H Golding

Ipswich 2nds have argued for many seasons for the right to play in a national competition so this inaugural 2nd Xl game had all the more meaning for that. The start of the game did seem to bode badly for the home side as the visitors took the initiative and ran the Ipswich team ragged with some quality passing moves and incisive play. Gradually Ipswich got back on terms and began to play their own quick moving game and so the match became more evenly balanced.

Wimbledon scored the breakthrough goal after a defensive misunderstanding but the advantage was quickly wiped out when Jo Gray latched onto a pass across the face of the Wimbledon goal. Still the visitors pressed forwards and heroine of the day was Charlie Anderson who again showed her class as a defender as attack after attack was stopped by her front marking methods and from a position of defence Anderson was able to initiate Ipswich counter attacks. 

All even at half time, although the tempo of play had reached new heights and the excellent umpires, Colin Burton and Steve Mayhew had to take precautionary measures to stop tempers fraying. 

Wimbledon took the lead again early in the second half but a change in tactic by the Ipswich side saw Emma Millar move to the forward line and Jenny Ellis step in to midfield. Millar's tenacity galvanized the forwards while Ellis, Anderson, Sarah Logan and Dawn Wilkerson were able to cut out Wimbledon moves down the right and left flanks. From a period of Ipswich pressure the equaliser was scored, this time Hannah Golding getting the final touch to a series of passes.

Kirsten Spencer was now beginning to use her experience in midfield and had effectively blunted the attacking skills of Wimbledon's South African forward and it was the other roving midfielder Sarah Juggins who played the ball through to Jo Gray for the winning goal. Gray using cool foresight to lift the ball over the prone Wimbledon keeper.

A tense ten minutes followed but by maintaining possession Ipswich were able to leave the field anticipating a next round draw against Leicester.

Printwize East League Div2 North

Ipswich 3's v Old Buckenham

Result: Lost 3-2

Scorers :V Dixon, N Hart

Suffolk League Div 1

Grasshoppers v Ipswich 4's

Result: 1-1

Scorers :B Charley

This was a great result for Ipswich, giving them loads of confidence going into next weeks game. Grasshoppers are higher than Ipswich in the league so a tough game was on their hands. Ipswich couldn't have been more wrong. Ipswich were unlucky not to have been 3-0 up by the half time whistle, but due to some fantastic defending by Grasshopper man of the match Hayley James, Ipswich just couldn't get them through. Alice Christian and Vicky Hemphill were very good and credit is also due to the Ipswich defence as goal keeper Nareen Fenton only touched the ball half a dozen times. A great game, fun, relaxed and friendly.

Printwize East Premier League A
Sat 7th February 2004

Ipswich v West Herts

Result: 2-2

Postponed

Printwize East League Div 4 SE

Ipswich 4's v IES 3's

Sat 7th February 2004

Result: 3-2

(Steve Foster, Matt Godbold, James Ashby)

The 4th XI continue undefeated since Christmas scoring 7 out of a possible 9 points. We are still lying second from bottom but we are inching closer to our nearest rivals.

This was not as good a game as the previous week, we did not play as well and matters were made considerably worse by some very strange rule 'interpretations' by one of the umpires. She seemed to think that Andy Hampton only had to play the ball and he had automatically stick tackled his opponent. To put it charitably, she was not always right.

However, the first goal was a real class goal. Ian Glassford picked out Steve Foster with his first touch after returning from a spell on the bench. Steve was completely unmarked and, with his speed, nobody was going to catch him before the ball was in the back of the net. The rest of the game was fairly scrappy and we allowed IES to catch us twice before we were finally able to secure the winner with only a couple of minutes to go.

Possibly not our best hockey but the pleasing thing is that nobody stopped trying. We fought hard to the end and it was obvious that we were not prepared to settle for the draw. The team now believes that we can still survive in this division. 

 Ipswich Vets v Broadland

Sat 7th February 2004

Result: 2-0

Hauxwell, Glading

As usual this was a very tight game between 2 evenly matched teams. Ipswich welcomed the Wrinch, Gray and Youngman back into defence and they were resolute throughout and it should be noted that the vets have not now conceded a goal in their last three games. In the first half neither goalkeeper was over exerted and Ipswich's best chance came when Youngman's thunderbolt pass was played across goal, but Wheaton just failed to get the finishing touch.

The second half began much as the first had finished, with most of the play in midfield. Ipswich with Pengelly and Hauxwell happy to push forward, from midfield eventually broke the deadlock; Pengelly made a sortie in the oppositions circle and his close range effort was well saved before the ricochet fell to Glading who gleefuly reverse sticked home. Broadland are made of stearn stuff as well as being one of the most sporting and socialable teams on the fixture list, and they were determined to get the equaliser they probably deserved. It was perhaps unfortunate therefore, when their best playable lost possession in their circle when under pressure from Glading and Hauxwell, who had ghosted in behind, converted with aplomb!