Boys U16’s

Report: 04-10-2015 – U16 Boys Tournament

October 4, 2015 by Slazenger HC

Slaz 2 Hull 0
The return of the Hockey season gave the boys a nice Sunday morning out in Harrogate. Hull was the first game and both teams played with a good intensity. Slazenger however had the majority of play and the ball and pegged Hull back to their half of the pitch. Solid defending from Scott Carruthers , Alex Jolly and James Armitage meant little came through our back 3. Matthew Chilton warmed to his role of midfield sweeper and took the ball to the opposition half drilling the ball forward with ferocity. Small triangles of play between Matthew, his sister Hannah( a stand in U16 boy) and Harry Gunning lead to the first Slaz goal. A drifting run from Gunning opened the defence and their keeper could keep out his rifle shot finish. Mercurial runs from Chris Gascoigne and Josh Dunstan meant that the Hull goal was under constant threat, yet it was a run up the wing by Dunstan that gave Slaz the second goal. Blaine Bennett , Josh Swallow and Gasgoinge were all waiting for a ball flashed across the box by Dunstan; yet it was ultimately Gascoinge who got his stick to it to press home the advantage.

Slaz 0 Harrogate 4
Harrogate was a horse of a different colour as their well drill squad brought forwards in numbers, the tricky runs and willingness to get behind the back four from Slaz had them all on the back foot. Danny Alderson, the Slaz keeper now had his work cut out and had to batter away shot after shot. Scott Carruthers cleared his lines well but the constant pressure from lightning quick passes meant the Slazenger boys were left standing whilst the Harrogate forwards quickly got around the back four and slotted home an easy goal. This pattern repeated itself before Hannah and Matthew Chilton took control of the midfield. A few flashes from Dunstan were not enough to make a telling reply and Harrogate caught Slaz on the break twice more to take the game.

Player of the day: Scott Carruthers

Report: 09-02-2014 – BU16 EHB Cup (Yorkshire Round)

February 9, 2014 by Slazenger HC

Slazenger Hockey Club U16 Boys produced some outstanding hockey to beat Thirsk HC by 13 – 0 in the England Hockey Board Cup, Yorkshire semi-finals at College Grove on Sunday.

This succeeded in booking their place in the next round of the national competition and setting up a Yorkshire final against City of York. In a convincing team performance, seven players saw their names on the scoresheet including hatricks from captain Aidan Hopkinson and Matthew Stacey.

In a close fought final, both teams again produced some outstanding hockey which was enjoyed by spectators from both clubs. The game eventually finished with a 2 – 1 defeat for the Horbury based Slazenger team. York took the lead with some early pressure, and forcing Slaz onto the back foot. However in the second half, the pressure was with the Horbury team, forcing a penalty flick converted by James Higgins. The team continued to press, but unfortunately a goal was disallowed, and Slaz ran out of time to find an equaliser.

The team progress through to compete against the best in the North of England for a place in the National Finals.

PHOTO – U16 squad;
Back row (L-to-R) Dan Levitt, Will Copley, James Higgins, Isaac Fisher, Matthew Stacey, Rowan Tejura, Alex King,
Front Row (L-to-R) Luke Gueli, Mathew Feather, Tom Pitchforth, Ralph Toon, Aiden Hopkinson, Dan Atkinson, Robert Caan.

Report: 12-01-2014 – Boys U16’s Tournament

January 12, 2014 by Slazenger HC

Slazenger U16 Boys made a great start to 2014 by returning to the top of the YYHL Division 1 following an unbeaten outing to Harrogate on Sunday.
Fresh from the holiday festivities, the team faced main rivals City of York as well as teams from Ben Rhydding and Harrogate.

Slazenger 1 – 1 City of York
Both teams started brightly, moving the ball confidently and creating chances at both ends. It was York who found a breakthrough with just under 10 minutes played, when an attack down the centre of the field produced a probing ball into the ‘D’ to find a striker who had lost his marker giving him time to tip the ball into the top left corner.

The Slazenger boys responded brilliantly to the early setback and within 2 minutes were rewarded with an equalising goal scored by Matthew Stacey, tipping the ball inside the right post of the York goal.

The remainder of the game continued very evenly with neither team managing to create any clear goal scoring opportunities.

Slazenger 2 – 0 Harrogate
The Slazenger team dominated the game from the start so it was no surprise when the opening goal came after 10 minutes when Aidan Hopkinson pounced on a rebound from a Luke Gueli short corner drag flick to fire the ball into the Harrogate goal.

Two minutes later, Slazenger extended their lead when Robert Cann finished off a flowing move involving Will Copley and Isaac Fisher. Despite concerted attacks the team were unable to find the net again. However, Isaac Fisher came very close when his reverse shot from the top of the ‘D’ glanced off the cross bar.

Slazenger 3 – 0 Ben Rhydding
With the Slazenger team now playing confident, flowing hockey, passing the ball quickly and working together, it was only a matter of time before they were rewarded with an opening goal inside 8 minutes. Will Copley finished another passing move with a reverse shot.

Matthew Stacey then scored 2 goals in under 5 minutes. The first picking up a rebounded shot and the second meeting a pass from Will Copley.

In other games, York beat Harrogate 3 – 0 and Ben Rhydding 1 – 0 meaning that Slazenger finished top on goal difference. The game between Ben Rhydding and Harrogate was won 3 – 2 by Ben Rhydding.

Report: 01-12-2013 – Boys U16 Tournament

December 1, 2013 by Slazenger HC

The latest tournament for the Slazenger U16 boys was held at Harrogate on 1st December. Once again, Slazenger were competing in the 1st division.

Slazenger 0 – 2 City of York
The opening game was against main rivals City of York. With the last meeting finishing in a tense 0-0 draw, it was the York team that took the early initiative, playing high tempo passing hockey and putting the Slazenger defence under pressure from the start. Slazenger struggled to find the kind of form that had proved so devastating in the EHB Cup a week earlier and only some goal line defending and outstanding saves by goal keeper Ralph Toon kept the score even. With York dominating the mid field, the Slazenger forwards had little to work with so it was no surprise when York opened the scoring after about 15 minutes, the first goal conceded by the Slazenger defence all season. York increased their lead after 20 minutes when Slazenger failed to fully clear a short corner. To make matter worse, Matthew Feather suffered a painful blow to his thumb preventing him from taking part in any more games.

Slazenger 1 – 1 Bradford
Facing a team that they had beaten 6 – 0 a week earlier, the Slazenger boys again appeared tense, making too many handling errors and misplaced passes. Despite this, Matthew Stacey opened the scoring after 15 minutes with a fine reverse hit. Slazenger began to settle and play some more positive hockey, which resulted in Jamie Young winning a short corner in his first outing with the team. A well executed short corner routine saw James Higgins’ short stopped on the line with a foot. Rowan Tejura missed the resulting penalty flick and with Slazenger unsettled by events surrounding the flick, Bradford took advantage to grab a equalising goal less than a minute from the final whistle.

Slazenger 2 – 0 Doncaster
With Doncaster having already beaten Bradford 3 – 0, it was essential that Slazenger took the full three points from the last game of the day to stay in Division 1. After much positive team building and encouragement from the coaching team and parents alike, the Slazenger boys started more strongly putting the Doncaster defence under pressure and making goal scoring opportunities. Doncaster, needing just a draw to stay up, posed a significant treat which tested the Slazenger full backs, James Higgins and Tom Pitchforth and kept Ralph busy in goal.

After 12 minutes, Slazenger made the first breakthrough when Matthew Stacey, having just switched to the left wing, deflected a fierce cross from Dan Atkinson into the Doncaster goal. Doncaster pressed to get back into the game but Slazenger, now playing with renewed spirit, worked hard to deny them an equaliser, none moreso than Dan Levitt and Alex King.

It was well into the last 5 minutes before Matthew Stacey found the net for the third time of the day, deflecting a well executed short corner into the goal.

Selecting a ‘man of the match’ was not easy with several players putting a lot if effort into all three games. Ralph Toon kept Slazenger in the game several times and Dan Levitt maintained his high work rate throughout but James Higgins gets the vote for his performance at full back. It was a tough tournament but a good learning opportunity for some of the less experienced boys. Most improved player goes to Alex King who continues to grow in confidence and skill with every game.

Report: 10-11-2013 – Boys U16 Tournament

November 10, 2013 by Slazenger HC

Another unbeaten tournament and three more clean sheets for the Slazenger U16 boys.

The day started late due to a frozen pitch with games reduced to 20 minutes instead of the scheduled 25 minutes.

Slazenger 1 – 0 Sheffield
Slazenger dominated the newly promoted Sheffield team, creating several goal scoring opportunities but it was not until the 15th minute that Luke Gueli found a way through the Sheffield defence, keeping the ball alive from a penalty corner. Despite defending for most of the game, the Sheffield boys still posed a threat on counter attacks, winning a last minute penalty corner to ensure a very tense finish. Slazenger were deserved winners.

Slazenger 0 – 0 City of York
With both Slazenger and York boasting several JRPC and Futures Cup players, this was always going to be a difficult game. Both teams demonstrated some excellent passing hockey, making goal scoring opportunities at both ends of the field. The Slazenger defence had to be at it’s best to deny a strong York attack. In the end, a goalless draw was a fair reflection of the game.

Slazenger 2 – 0 Ben Rhydding
Having played out a frustrating goalless draw against Ben Rhydding on their last meeting, Slazenger wasted no time in opening the scoring with Matthew Stacey finding the net in under a minute following a positive passing move involving several Slazenger players. Ben Rhydding were unable to offer any real answer to the Slazenger attack, so it was no surprise when Isaac Fisher connected with a pass from Will Copley to score the second goal after just 6 minutes play. The next 10 minutes of play were largely dominated by Slazenger who were unable to capitalise on their possession to increase the margin. Towards the end of the game, Ben Rhydding began to mount some attacks of their own, resulting in a couple of penalty corners, one of which brought the save of the day from keeper Ralph Toon, diving low to his right to tip a fierce shot around the post with his outstretched stick.

Slazenger will remain in Division 1 along with City of York who also scored 7 points. Sheffield (3 points) and Ben Rhydding (0 points) are relegated to Division 2.

The boys earned their continued success by a combination of skill, teamwork and hard work. Every attack by our opposition was met with solid defense with the whole team working hard to regain possession, none more so than player of the tournament, Dan Levitt. Most improved player goes to Dan Atkinson, playing in unfamiliar wing and inside forward positions.

Area for improvement:
Running into contact
Dwelling on the ball, allowing the opposition to read & intercept passes
Not clearing the ball from defense
For the next YYHL tournament on 1st December, Bradford & Doncaster will be promoted to Divisions 1.

Thanks to John Toon for umpiring, Ian Levitt for collecting subs, Philip Higgins for the supply of very welcome fleeces for the boys and to our loyal band of parents who turned out in force again to support the boys.

The next tournament for the U16 boys is the EHB Cup Round at Pocklington on Sunday 24th November. This is a longer event from 10am to 4pm and consisting of three games, each of 2 x 25 minute halves. Our opposition will be Doncaster, Ben Rhydding & Bradford.

Report – 05-03-2013 – Boys U16’s Qualify for the Playoffs

March 5, 2013 by Slazenger HC

The U16 Boys team qualified for the playoffs with two wins on Sunday.

Slazenger 6 – 0 Bridlington

In Slazenger’s first game of the day against Bridlington, a hatrick from Aidan Hopkinson and goals from Robert Cann, Peter Gunning and Luke Gueli (Pen) ensured a positive start. The team moved the ball around well, though sometimes tried to find the long ‘killer pass’ when short safe passes would have been a better option.

Slazenger 2 – 0 Sheffield

Against Sheffield, the team took time to settle with Luke Gueli finding the net for the second time of the day. Although the teams were more evenly matched than the first game, Sheffield rarely looked like scoring except for the occasional breakaway. The midfield passed the ball much better and we found space on both wings but the game was not made safe until the 24th minute when Isaac Fisher converted a short corner.

Slazenger 0 – 4 Ben Rhydding

The final game of the day was a clash with a very large Ben Rhydding squad. In the first few minutes, Slazenger looked unsure of their capability and consequently found themselves 2 goal down within 8 minutes. However, as the game went on, the team settled and began to string together passes again, causing the Ben Rhydding defence more problems than they had faced all day. Although we conceded two more goals, both from short corners, there was much to be positive about. In fact the game ended with a final whistle being blown as a shot from Isaac Fisher was travelling towards the top corner of the Ben Rhydding net.

With Ben Rhydding beating both Bridlington (7 – 0) and Sheffield (5 – 0) and Sheffield just edging out Bridlington (1 – 0) in a very close contest, Slazenger finished second in the middle league so qualify for the playoffs as the eighth team.

With Ralph Toon away and Bridlington arriving without a keeper, both Dan Alderson and Dan Cass got their first taste of U16 hockey. Despite conceding a few goals both performed well and will have gain a lot from the experience.

Man of the tournament was James Higgins for his solid defensive work and constant encouragement to his team mates.

Report: 07-10-2012 – Boys U16’s (A) Tournament

October 15, 2012 by Slazenger HC

A good first morning for the Slazenger Boys U16 A team. Results as follows:

Slazenger 2 – 2 Doncaster
A slow start against Doncaster meant that Slazenger’s defence had to be sound. With Matt Feather, James Higgins and Rowan Tejura solid in the tackle and Ralph Toon awake in goal, they absorbed the pressure and gradually began to string passes together. A neat break down the right involving Aidan Hopkinson, Luke Gueli and Matt Stacey led to Rob Cann being free top D and he swept the ball past the Doncaster GK to open the account for the season after seven minutes. Doncaster renewed their pressure and within a couple of minutes won a penalty corner. The slaz runners closed Doncaster down quickly but the ball broke to the right and a Doncaster player drilled the ball right into the corner giving Ralph no chance.

The second half was equally give and take, with Slazengers being the better side for much of the first ten minutes yielding a number of clear cut chances one of which was converted emphatically by Alex Calderley, marking his first game as Captain. Within two minutes a swift Doncaster breakaway left them with a three on two. Ralph bravely dived to save the first hit but the rebound fell nicely for Doncaster’s Captain who had the skill to flick the ball past the dispairing Ralph into the net.Doncaster had the better of the last five minutes, but Slazenegr absorbed the pressure and defended stoutly, without conceding a further penalty corner. All in all a draw was a fair result against one of the leading teams from last year’s tournament and an encouraging start.

Slazenger 3 – 0 Bridlington
The second game was a more fluid and interconnected performance from Slazenger, who were too practised and skillful for a young Bridlington team. Plenty of chances led to well taken goals from Matt Stacey and Aidan Hopkinson in the first half and Isaac Fisher from a penalty corner in the second – its good to see the boys finding the target with such regularity early in the season.

Slazenger 3 – 0 Rotherham w/o.
With Rotherham unable to field a team, our boys came away with a total of 7 points from a possible 9 and a positive goal difference of 6.

JAC/ JDC Dates

November 24, 2011 by Slazenger HC

The following JDC/JAC dates are now confirmed

Age Range	Date	Location	Time
JDC Boys U13/14	11th December 2011	Leeds Uni – Weetwood	2pm – 4pm
JDC Girls U13/14	4th December 2011	Leeds Grammar School	1pm – 3pm TBC
JAC Boys U15/16	4th December 2011	Leeds Uni – Weetwood	2pm – 4pm
JAC Boys U17	4th December 2011	Bradford Girls Grammar School Squire Lane BD9 6RB	2pm – 4pm
JAC Girls U15/16	11th December 2011	Leeds Grammar School	1pm – 3pm

Slazenger’s to host YYHL U14 Girls Tournament.

November 9, 2011 by Slazenger HC

Slazengers will be hosting the next Girls U14 tournament in order to help out the Yorkshire Youth Hockey League. This will be Sunday 20th November 2011 11am – 2pm.

This unfortunately means the second training session 10:30-12:00 will be cancelled.

Can all Juniors not competing at with U16 Boys of U14 Girls please attend the earlier session (9:30-10:30), or alternatively, the Monday night advanced Juniors coaching session will be run as usual.

As this is the only time the Girls U14’s are playing at home, please come down to support the team if you can.

Report: 16-10-2011 – Slazenger Boys U16′s Tournament (Pocklington)

October 16, 2011 by Slazenger HC

A disappointing day for the Slazenger U16 Boys, which began with high hopes and some initial positive play. Due to Ben Rhydding not being able to raise a team, the boys were asked to play four matches on the trot at Pocklington, totalling 100 minutes hockey. While they persisted, the back to back matched took their toll.

Slazenger (0) vs. (0) Harrogate
A strong opening ten minutes against Harrogate showed some good passing interplay. Slaz took the game to their opponents and maintaining positional discipline, leading to a number of early strikes on goal, which required good play from the harrogate ‘keeper to avoid Slaz taking the lead. As the game progressed, Harrogate developed their own play and Slaz slipped back into their old, bad habits of mids and half-backs playing too deep. This gave Harrogate the freedom to press Slazenger inside their own half. The horbury side continued to compete hard, but conceded a number of penalty corners through indisciplined play. The last was conceded just as the final whistle was blown, but some quick work by Alex Calderley combined with work from James and Keeper Ralph Toon maintained the scoreline. The result was a fair representation of the game; Slaz had created the better chances, though a combination of good goalkeeping from Harrogate and continued pressure had maintained the equilibrium.

Slazenger (0) vs. (6) Gateshead
The second game on the trot was against Gateshead. After a hard game against Harrogate, the team lacked the fire and strong tackling which they had benefited from in the first game. Gateshead represented a stronger challenge than Harrogate, and took advantage of this weakness. Unfortunately, Slaz had not learned from the first match and continued to play too deep and not mark well enough. The skillful opponents pressed this advantage, forcing errors and playing fast effective free hits. Within 6 minutes, the team were trailing by 4 goals. Ralph Toon’s keeping unusually tentative – reflecting the mood of the team. On the few occasions Slaz broke out of our own 23, they failed to provide an outlet for the ball-carrier, who was too often left with no option but to hit the ball away or take it into contact. In the end, the Slazenger side were fortunate to keep the score to what it was, as it could easily have been in double-figures.

Slazenger (2) vs. (6) Doncaster
After such a coprehensive defeat, it was going to be tough for Slaz to raise their game. However, the team rallied and played a more competitive level of hockey. However in a repeat of the previous match, they were quickly behind by 2 goals, causing frustration and disquiet.

This was not helped by the implementation of a 3-2-3-2 formation which they were still adapting to. A third was conceded through direct pressure by some more physically powerful players on the Doncaster side. With slaz’s more inexprienced players unable to intercept the more experienced strikers, the team were 3-0 behind.

However, the team picked up and created several good chances through quick movement of the ball. Robin Brearton converted 2 to put them within touching distance. Unfortunately, a reversal was not to be, as injury led to 3 of the most experienced of Slaz’z lineup being substituted. With this loss, Doncaster quickly overran and scored a further 3.

In this case the result didn’t reflect the balance of play and there were many positives to take from it. Danny Croxall continued his good run of form from the Mens 4th (Development) team the previous day as a strong defensive anchor. Alex Spencer-Taylor excelled down the right wing, and Captain Tim Hunter who ran himself almost to exhaustion and didn’t let his head drop, which was remarkable. Finally the aggression around the D of regulary Luke Guelli and Brearton.

Slazenger (1) vs. (4) Halifax
The final game against Halifax was a much more even affair. Again, a couple of early lapses of concentration saw the team 2-0 down, but they battled back stronger. Spencer-Taylor and Brearton combined well down the right wing, setting up Gueli to net a response. However, the strains of the day were beginning to tell and gradually the boys faded, conceding two soft goals at the death.

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