Finally, finally, the sun shone! Tuddenham was packed on Saturday and saw some very impressive performances - a stirring comeback from the Men's 1s to draw 3-3, a strong Women's 1s victory, a narrow loss for the Men's 5s, key wins for the promotion chasing Women's and Men's 3s and an emphatic victory for the Women's 5s. On the road the Women's 4s had a vital draw and the Men's 2's another vital win. 3 weeks to go, plenty still to play for. Reports below:

Men's 1s vs Bedford 3-3
On a glorious day at Fortress Tuddenham, the M1s were looking to rebound after last weeks defeat but knew it would be a tough outing against a good Bedford team.

This proved very true with Bedford immediately starting on the front foot and having the majority of the play. Ipswich were struggling to get any rhythm in attack and Bedford looked threatening in the opening exchanges. With Ipswich in card trouble, Bedford took a deserved lead from a short corner deflection and quickly followed this up with another deflected goal, this time from open play.

Ipswich needed the half time whistle and knew that going into the break at 2-0 down, things had to improve or it was going to be a very long second half and the game could get away from them quickly.

Thankfully, Ipswich did wake up and the game was much more even affair after the break with both sides having chances but the scoreline remained 0-2 for 15 minutes. Then a moment of genius from Cutting, who hit a fierce reverse stick cross which was well finished by Pete Wright in front of goal to half the deficit. With momentum on their side and belief returning to the team, Ipswich kept pushing for the equalizer…obviously this left some gaps at the back but some excellent 1 on 1 defending from Collins & Dykes kept the away side out. Now into the last 10 minutes, there was some good interplay from Ward, Hunnable & Lyne and Ipswich won a short corner. Up stepped the soon-to-be Brit Craig Wiid who rifled the corner home, completely wrong footing the keeper. 2-2 with 5mins to go and the game on the knife edge, Ipswich continued to push and were awarded another corner. It was an exact replica of the corner a few moments earlier, Wiid burying the flick leaving the keeper with no chance. 3-2 Ipswich.

However, with moments to go Bedford were awarded a corner and the final whistle went, it all came down to this…unfortunately after one of the worst short corners you will see, with the ball bobbling around everywhere, the ball was put into the net by the Bedford forward at the backpost. A tough way to lose the victory but over the course of the game, a draw was probably a fair result.

3 games to go now with an away trip to Broxbourne on deck, with the team looking to get back into the winning column after a trying few weeks.

Men's 3s v Felixstowe 2s 6-1
With Felixstowe in the mid table melee Ipswich needing to be careful not to be caught out. Felixstowe passed high but in doing so left gaps that Ipswich took advantage of. A training session masterpiece of passing undid Felixstowe and let Jack get our first. In fact most of our goals came this way with great linking play before laying off for the finish, giving the keeper no chance. Jack's second was one exception with a silent reverse stick rocket into the back of the net, those further back down the pitch had to wait for the umpires whistle for confirmation of what has just happened! Dylan also finished a short corner squeeze from foxy that was looping for the back board until Dylan helped it over the keeper.Scorers were Jack, Gladders, will, Sam, Jack, Dylan. Sadly we let the clean sheet slip in the last play of the game when Felixstowe managed to get a deflection.Motm goes to Jack this week for a great performance at centre mid. Mentions to Jake for a solid performance at the back, especially tidying up behind his captain ;) and Dylan for more strong runs down the right wing.Dotd should go to Sam for his yellow card and the other one he should have got. However VAR heard Oli declare he didn't need anyone backing up at a short corner before promptly cocking up the stop, but wait there's more... Confused by having the legend of foxy back in the team he then tried to call the Cooky short corner option the "foxy" not once but twice and wondered why Adam kept injecting to the top! So Oli takes it yet again, and he didn't even pass to the centre forward all game.

Women's 3s vs BSE
A huge fixture for the ladies 3s in the glorious sunshine of Tuddenham Rd saw us take on Bury’s 3s, who had beaten us last time out and also beaten top of the league, Felixstowe last week. We had a lot to prove and a 16 player squad assembled. In a frantic opening 10 mins, the coach’s instruction to press aggressively was heeded by her loyal players who created many opportunities but either missed the target or the keeper stood firm. A truly competitive first half drew to a close and the planned goals from the team talk had not yet materialised.

A reminder given at half time to keep the pressure on the opposition defence and press as a team lead, in the 46th minute, to another short corner opportunity. This time, the defence were out quickly, Beth struck the rebound on her reverse, deflected by another defender into Rixie’s path who took aim only to be saved by the keeper, coming back out to her again which saw her clear-headedly and unselfishly lay the ball off to Luce who only had to push it into an open goal, thank goodness I didn’t miss!! With the scoring opened, we continued to press hard and create more opportunities and with 2 mins to go, Bury counter attacked and earned themselves a penalty corner. A sharp injection to their striker at the top who hit the ball cleanly and straight into our goal. Our heads went down only for the umpire to step in and disallow the goal because cleanly struck or not, it was done so outside of the D! With seconds remaining, we played out a hard fought and well deserved win. As MoM nominations were announced, the spread across the team was reflective of the excellent team performance but with 3 votes each, Gemma and Beth shared the spoils.

Women's 5s vs. Felixstowe 3’s
On a beautiful spring morning, with the sun shining down, Ipswich got off to a flying start, setting the tone for a dominant performance. A well-organized warm-up by Coach Wrinch ensured the team was focused and ready to go.

The return of the legendary Hannah, back after recovering from surgery, added an extra boost to an already energized squad. With a full bench and high spirits, Ipswich wasted no time making an impact. Just two minutes into the game, a well-worked attack down the right saw the ball find its way to the top of the D, where Emily unleashed a clinical strike to fire home the opening goal. The momentum continued, and in the 17th minute, Frankie drove into the D and struck the ball goalwards. It ricocheted off the post and into the net, doubling Ipswich’s lead. Frankie came close again shortly after, hitting the post once more, though this time, the ball bounced wide.

Second Half: Defensive Resilience & A Final Flourish

Felixstowe 3’s reorganized at halftime and started the second half strongly, testing Ipswich’s defensive resolve. However, the backline—led by Linda, Jess, and the returning Hannah—stood firm. Sukie, Nareen, and Jock worked tirelessly to maintain defensive solidity, while Isla pulled off a fantastic save to deny Felixstowe a dangerous goal-scoring opportunity.

Despite Felixstowe’s push, Ipswich maintained attacking pressure. A well-earned penalty corner saw Chantelle, Frankie, and Alice combine brilliantly, with Alice taking the shot—only to be denied by the post. The team fought to keep the ball alive in the D, but Alice’s follow-up effort went just wide.

Midfield duo Clare and Laura were instrumental in maintaining Ipswich’s control, while Ebs made several incisive runs to keep the forward line threatening.
The final word, however, belonged to Alice. In the 59th minute, with the game nearing its conclusion, Ipswich earned a short corner. Alice stepped up and slotted home the third goal, sealing an emphatic victory.

Final Thoughts
A fantastic team performance from start to finish, with a strong defensive display, relentless attacking play, and a well-deserved win. Well done to the fantastic 5’s!