I saw Ma’am at the club over the weekend—Saturday and Sunday, no less. A quiet nod of appreciation is due; as Chair she continues to give generously of her time and energy, and her commitment along with many others on our committee or working behind the scenes deserves recognition.

Before we turn to the results and reports, I must raise a matter of some importance.
Vic Shelley, our Umpire Liaison Officer, performs a role that is both essential and, at times, thankless. Each week, we host six home fixtures. Without umpires, those matches simply cannot go ahead. It is a stark truth, and one we are now brushing up against. Vic cannot be expected to carry the burden alone, and unless more of us step forward, we risk cancellations and the loss of a vital figure in our club’s operations.

If you are a qualified umpire—or on the path to becoming one—please make yourself known. You will be paid for your time, exempt from match fees, and, most importantly, you will be contributing meaningfully to the life of the club. For those interested in qualifying, we will cover the cost of the course.

We are reluctant to impose a rota system on teams, but that may become necessary.
For now, we ask only that you respond when contacted, and if you've not umpired in a while, consider this a gentle nudge to return. I'll follow up with contact details in a separate note.

Weekend Results
• M1 W 2–0
• M2 D 1–1
• M3 L 2–12
• M4 W 3–0
• M5 L 1–3
• M6 PP
• W1 L 0–1
• W2 L 0–8
• W3 L 0–6
• W4 D 2–2
• W5 L 0–2
• W6 PP

Men’s 1’s
It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright ugly—like a 2am kebab, dropped in the gutter and still eaten. But Ipswich Men’s 1s won. And in sport, that’s what counts. A 2-0 victory over Cambridge University, forged not in finesse but in fire.

The crowd mattered. The sideline was a cocktail of encouragement, banter, and beer—exactly the kind of atmosphere that turns a match into a battle and a team into a tribe. Ipswich defended like they’d been told their lives depended on it. Fry, Collins, Southgate, Dykes, Wiid—names that sound like a law firm but played like a pack of wolves. Cherry in goal was outstanding, a one-man wall. Young Edwards, still learning the ropes, tackled like he’d been doing it for years.

Cambridge had chances. Plenty. But pressure without precision is just noise. And when Hogwood—new signing already making waves—slipped the ball to Wardy, the veteran pounced like a man who’s seen it all and still wants more. The celebration? Let’s just say it wasn’t subtle. The keeper got some feedback. Probably too much.

Ipswich were lucky to go in 1-0 up. The press misfired, the passes misbehaved, and Cambridge kept knocking. But the second half was about grit, not glamour. Wells, Wiid, Wright broke lines like burglars in the night. Southgate pinged passes like laser-guided missiles and still Ipswich couldn’t quite find rhythm. One corner all game. Cambridge had ten. And yet somehow Ipswich held firm despite Dykes and Wiid having various body parts rearranged running down corner flickers.

Then with a minute to go came the moment. A glorious aerial ball. Collins brought it down like velvet, crossed it like silk, and Hogwood dived in like a man possessed. 2-0. Game over. First goal for the club. Cue relief from Coach Thom and Manager Edwards, who looked like men who knew the team just dodged a bullet.

It wasn’t Ipswich at their best. But it was Ipswich at their most determined. And that sometimes is even better.

Women’s 4s
Second game of the season, and the 4s philosophy remains the same: if we play well, we’ll enjoy it – and if we enjoy it, we might even pick up some points. After a 5–1 defeat last week we weren’t sure how this one would go, but with a few more “seniors” mixed in with the young legs, we found the perfect balance.

We started tentatively but well, moving the ball around in triangles and spreading play, but Colchester caught us on the break for the opener. Soon after, they doubled their lead with a strike so good we could only admire it (through slightly gritted teeth). 2–0 down at half time, but spirits stayed high.

The second half was a different story. Ellie dusted off her stick after a few years and threw in the odd strong tackle and through ball, which helped to stretch play and break Colchester open. A short corner gave us our first goal – some slick improvisation ending with Polly on the post to finish it off. Suddenly, it was game on.

From being quiet as mice last week (apart from Vicky shouting like a muppet from the sidelines), this week we linked up nicely down the wings and even had Abbie squawking from defence to guide those in front of her into position. Whatever the noise was, it worked.

With the clock ticking down, Nic played the ball out to Sukie, who ran, and ran, and ran (possibly still running now) before cheekily lifting it over the keeper to level things up at 2–2. I’m not even sure she could believe it!

The final whistle blew as soon as the ball hit the net and while it wasn’t technically a win, it certainly felt like one. A proper team effort and a huge step forward from last week.

Women’s 1s
Ipswich headed on the road to meet St Albans. The opening stages were sluggish, and although the girls created some early chances, they were unable to convert them into goals. The first quarter was kept at deadlock with end to end play.

The decisive moment arrived in the second quarter, when St Albans scored from a second-phase penalty corner (0-1).

Disciplinary issues made the challenge greater. A combination of green and yellow cards disrupted our rhythm and forced long spells of reactive defending. Despite this, the defensive unit worked hard to absorb pressure and keep us in the contest. POTM Lizzy Wheelhouse, was outstanding at the back and defended with composure throughout. The third quarter saw a well-executed penalty corner shot cannoned off the post and almost allowing Ipswich to equalise.

The final quarter saw Ipswich push higher, but momentum was harder to sustain. Eventually Ipswich being a player down for a total of 16 minutes of the match, GK Maddie White showed off more epic saves keeping the goal difference low. St Albans kept Ipswich out of the game and came away with a narrow 1–0 win.

The team showed so much resilience, despite the challenges before even arriving… The match marked first-team debuts for Annabel Bryce and Nina Shelley, both of whom slotted in well and showed real promise for the games ahead.

In the end, this was a performance shaped by discipline and set-piece execution. Positives can be taken from defensive resilience, while focus now turns to starting sharper, keeping 11 on the pitch and converting chances when they come.

Another big clash next week, Ipswich face off against Chelmsford for the first time in 2 years.