Mens 1st’s
Mens 1st’s lost 7-3 to Halifax 1st’s

Mens 2nd’s
Slaz 2nds travelled to top of the table Halifax 2’s, for a tough encounter coming away on the end of a 2-5 loss.

Halifax played a direct, attacking hockey and while Slazenger responded, they looked on the backfoot at the beginning of the game. A couple of breakaway counterattacks saw the hosts quickly go 2-0. Slaz redoubled, with a spell of strong pressure, allowing Asad Baig to carve through the defence and squeeze a shot past the keeper; going into the break 2-1 down.

The second half saw Slaz come out of the blocks with renewed vigour. The high press saw Matt Stacey hit the crossbar and several opportunities going agonizingly wide. However, it was the same story of breakaway attack defeating keeper Harry Buttery. Slaz scored a 2nd through Baig and looked to be back in the game with 10 minutes to go. However a further 2 goals sealed the result for Halifax.

Slaz host bottom of the table Wakefield 4th’s for the local derby next week 1:30pm

Mens 3rd’s
Slazenger 3s looked to continue the recent good run of form against Chapeltown and gave the new look midfield another run out and it wasn’t long till they were in control of the game. Soon slazengers took the lead when Tim Carr slotted the first goal with a composed finish that gave belief that he had remembered his shooting stick. Shortly after this Scott Carruthers decided to clarify the easiest goal of the season after tapping in the ball from 0.1cm outside the line after good work by the slaz team. For the rest of the half slazenger continued to push but couldn’t add any more goals to go with the dominance. However the start of the second half soon saw that change when two quick short corners were put away by PJ to take his short corner conversion rate up to 0.00023% (rounded up). After this it was clear Chapeltown heads had gone as man of the match Matt Banks continued to cover ground and direct play whilst Josh Dunston looked menacing with every play, eventually ever reliable Alan Perry extended the goal difference before more misery was put on Chapeltown when Dave Gascoine slotted a cool short corner. At this point Chapeltown may as well have gone home because Perry, Carr and Haigh slotted a goal each to leave slazenger with a great boost to the goal difference and another 3 points to the league total.

Mens 4th’s
Slaz 4s continued their promotion push at home against Chapeltown. The first half was very even with chances very limited and it ended 0-0.

The second half was much more open as Slaz continued to push forward. Then midfielder Owen Bland pulled off a great opening goal to put the home side 1-0 up. However, Chapeltown were straight back in from a defensive slip up as the away side equalised. Then the game became end to end but goals from Brian Johnson and Dan Cass gave Slaz the lead as the game finished 3-1.

Man of the match went to Harry Lumb as he controlled the game in midfield. Next week Slaz have another local derby as they welcome Wakefield 7s for their last home game of the season.

Mens 5th’s
The two previous games between these two sides had been closely fought and this one was no different. Both sides had their periods of pressure in the first half, Chesterfield missed a couple of chances and the best Slaz chance went to Tyler Townend who ran onto an Alex Stacey through ball and smashed his first time strike into the keepers chest. Half time 0-0.

Chesterfield took the lead early in the second half from penalty corner, Paul Chilton’s brave attempted block only deflecting it past keeper Adam Garside. But Slaz practise has improved their performance from set pieces, their pressure resulting in repeated long and short corners – Eddie Kendall scoring from one for the second game running and then Tyler Townend’s , repeated persistence to get the ball back towards goal seeing it dribble over the line.

In all of this Slaz had gone down from 13 to 11, Luke Minchella and Will Gascoigne both being unable to continue after taking strikes to the ankle and knee respectively – brave boys!

Final score Chesterfield 1-2 Slazenger

Great performances all round, especially Alex Stacey, Eddie Kendall and (one his first ever game) Simon Kendall – but MoM went to Tyler Townend for his goal, hard work and great positional play, all of this on his birthday!

Ladies 3rd’s
Slaz ladies 3s traveled to Chesterfield to face 4th placed Dronfield hopeful of at least a point to keep them in the running to stay in Div 4. With only a bare 11 and 4 not feeling 100% it was going to be a tough game, but the visitors went out with a positive, can win attitude following their victory the previous week. It was envisaged that today’s fixture would need to be played more defensively so a slight change to the starting formation saw Slaz with 4 at the back with the view of keeping the Dronfield attack out. However the home side had a very experienced major game player in the centre who the Slaz midfield struggled to deter and once she penetrated the the Slaz D she used her skill and experience to win penalty corner after penalty corner for her team. As ever, the Slaz defence were regimented in their routine, with Emily Saxton and joint player of the match Emma Eley running and making some heavy duty tackles, Eley taking a lifted ball hard to her bicep in the process, Emily Entwisle and captain Ritchey with strong clearances and keeper Lizzie Tunstall making some excellent saves, meaning Dronfield were unable to convert any of the 9 corners awarded in the first half. When Slaz were on the attack they looked impressive moving the ball well. Justine Birkett worked hard in the midfield making some well timed tackles and passes out wide to Lauren Fealy (left) and Gaby Giggal (right) and to the forwards Caro Schofield and Natasha Wiper, who all made some excellent runs and got in to some good open spaces. Unfortunately the work rate and effort did not pay off for Slaz in the first half and chances on goal were unfulfilled. There also appeared to be some confusion for Slaz with the 4-4-2 formation and Dronfield made the most of the space down the flanks when they won the ball back, pulling the Slaz midfield wide, leaving the Dronfield key player free and able to put further pressure on the visitors. But Slaz again displayed brilliant defensive work which included Tunstall taking a knock to the head after a ball was hit high towards goal and deflected off Ritchey’s stick into the helmet of the keeper, over the cross bar and in fact over the fence and out of the pitch enclosure. Dronfield kept trying but to no avail and Slaz were very happy to keep the half time score at 0 – 0.

A half time change of tactic saw Slaz revert to 3 at the back pushing Entwisle to DCM, Birkett to a slightly higher centre mid position and ACM Lucy Howarth doing a sterling job of marking the Dronfield play maker completely out of the game. With their main player constantly marked Dronfield had no outlet and Slaz were intercepting passes and winning balls left right and centre and were able to play a more attacking game putting a lot more pressure on the Dronfield defence than in the first half. Eventually Slaz were awarded the first of their four penalty corners of the game after forward Wiper placed the the ball smartly on a Dronfield foot. Captain Ritchey stepped up and a hard hit to the right narrowly missed Wiper’s stick to go out of play. The second a left slip and a first time strike by Schofield also went wide of the right post. The 3rd was another well struck ball from Ritchey this time going just left of the post and the fourth a strike from Schofield saved by the keeper. Slaz were the stronger of the two sides in the second half and despite all the possession and chances they began to think they would never score, that is until some well worked attacking hockey lead to a scuffle in front of the Dronfield goal and Slaz were finally 1 – 0 up thanks to joint player of the match Schofield making certain. With renewed confidence Slaz continued to defend well any chances Dronfield had including a couple more penalty corners, but with ten minutes left the game could still go wither way. The home side were now becoming frustrated and were hitting and hoping sending balls high and wide that no one could get on the end of. Slaz remained calm and used the opportunities given by Dronfield to their advantage and were rewarded with a few minutes remaining when in open play Schofield received a beautiful pass from the left, dribbled the ball in to the D beating the defender and tonking the ball passed the keeper. The sound of the ball hitting the backboard was music to the visitors’ ears, knowing that they had sealed their victory and with it another 3 well deserved and much needed points.

Ladies 4th’s
The ladies 4th team faced Doncaster 4th team at home this weekend. The sun came out and layers came off and despite Slazengers being down to 10 players at times, their progress through the season was very apparent.

Unfortunately, Doncaster scored two goals in quick succession within the first 10 minutes and there could have easily been a third shortly after if it wasn’t for keeper – Lideya Booths excellent save of a lifted ball with her hand. The Slazenger ladies tightened their defence and held off any further goals until Doncaster did score their third shortly before halftime.

The Slazenger ladies fought hard throughout the second half and were unlucky for a shot on goal by Julie Bailey not to make it over the line. However, Doncaster managed one further goal the end result being Slazengers losing 4-0.

Mens 2nd’s (7) vs. (2) Sheffield Uni Bankers 6th’s
Slazenger mens 2nd team entertained Sheffield Bankers on Saturday and made it 3 wins out of 3 with a solid 7-2 victory. Slazenger started brightly and put Sheffield under early pressure only to be thwarted by the Sheffield keeper and some poor finishing. The breakthrough came when Matt Stacey attacked from midfield and after a neat interchange of passing, slipped the ball past the onrushing keeper to give Slazengers the lead. Asad Baig quickly made it 2 with a trademark short corner strike only for Sheffield to hit back just before the break to go in to the half at 2-1.

Slazenger were high on confidence following recent good results and some excellent midfield play between Stacey, Amir Khalil and Ben Graham kept Slazenger on top throughout but the main threat came from Ben Jackson who attacked strongly down the right wing. He created a couple of goals and got one himself to complete a man of the match performance. Further 2nd half goals came from Baig who completed his hat-trick, Stacey grabbed his 2nd and a rare strike from Jez Whawell who attacked the ‘D’ and unleashed an unstoppable shot to wrap up the win. Slazengers will travel to promotion chasing Halifax 2’s on Saturday knowing a win should cement safety and Division 3 hockey for the following season.

Mens 3rd’s (3) vs. (0) Hull University 3rd’s
Slazenger 3s took on Hull university in a match that Slazenger were looking to win in order to keep the promotion push going. The game started very evenly before the new look Slazenger midfield started to get on top, with PJ holding the centre that enabled man of the match Matt banks to run the Hull university players ragged. Eventually the pressure paid of when Sam Haigh scored at the back post to put Slazenger ahead. The game continue to be dominated by Slazenger and eventually PJ scored a second to make it comfortable for Slazenger. The game continued to be played in the Hull half for most of the second half with a late goal sealing the 3-0 win they deserved

Mens 4th’s (1) vs.  (0) Wakefield 6th’s

Slaz continued their season with a local derby against top of the league Wakefield 6s. The opening exchanges were fairly balanced with both teams looking strong on the ball. Halfway through the first half Slazenger put some pressure on the Wakefield defence and eventually got the first goal through Tom Hyde. Then Slazenger had a nervy 10 minutes before 10 minutes before half time but manage to keep their clean sheet intact so far.

The second half began brightly for the home side as Dan Cass, Harry Lumb and Owen Bland in midfield looked to control the game. Slazenger continued to create chances but could not extend their lead then Wakefield looked for an equaliser late on but their attempts came without triumph. Slazenger held on to win the match 1-0.

Next week Slazenger welcome Chapeltown 4’s as they looked to extend their winning streak.

Ladies 2nd’s (0) vs. (2) Ben Rhydding 2nd’s
Slazenger went to Ben Rhydding to face a dominant top of the league. Slaz ladies worked well as a team with some beautiful passages of play. They defended extremely well, regularly denying them access for a shot on goal. Stacey Drake, Lauren Carruthers and Nicole Fillingham worked tirelessly in defence. Slazengers were unlucky to concede 2 goals over the course of the game. Player of the match was Nicole Fillingham in defence

Ladies 3rd’s (2) vs. (0) Epworth 1st’s
Ladies 3s came away with a much needed 3 points after a solid performance against Epworth on Saturday which saw them move from bottom of the league. Despite the wind and rain the home side went out strong moving the ball well and creating chances from the outset. Epworth had their fair share of chances in the first half too but Slaz defended well and denied the visitors of any goal scoring opportunities, including a couple of well worked penalty corners. A penalty corner for Slazenger created a further opportunity to take the lead, a strong strike from the top of the Epworth D by Captain Ritchey was deflected wide by a defender straight in to the stick of forward Jess Downing on the right post and was unfortunate to go the wrong side of the post. Slazenger continued to put pressure on the visitors, making the most of the space around the back and down the right flank and were rewarded shortly before half time when forward Caro received a well worked cross from the right and passed to player of the match Gaby Giggal to take Slaz in to the lead.

The second half started slow and slightly scrappy, perhaps as players had gotten cold during the half time break due to the relentless wind and rain, however both the weather and the game improved a few minutes in and Slaz were given plenty of opportunity to break in to the Epworth half with Twis and Loz working well down the left feeding to Gaby who made some excellent runs into space on the left wing. Similarly on the right Emma playing some lovely line balls to Justine, supported by Beth and Lucy in the centre. Centre forward Caro was marked tight throughout the half and battled hard to beat her defender, still managing to send some nice passes into the D but unfortunately none could be converted. Another couple of short corners were well worked by Gaby and Lucy but were denied by the Epworth defence. Slaz continued to apply the pressure and came close to a second following a beautifully executed cross from Justine from the right which was narrowly missed by Gaby on the left post going over the back line.

Slaz began to feel the pressure as the visitors made a counter attack beating the back 3 who were quite flat positionally, however keeper Lizzie made the save to keep the game in Slaz’s favour, The pressure continued for the home side as Epworth were awarded 3 short corners in quick succession all of which were denied by the determined Slaz defence. Finally the pressure eased when at the other end Slaz were awarded another short corner. This time a mis-trap from Ritchey was recovered by Justine and a good call from Caro on the left slip resulted in Slaz’s second beating the keeper on the right post, with Lucy Howarth making sure.

A win for ladies 3s means they are no longer at the bottom of the table but they still have a lot of work to do to avoid relegation.

Ladies 4th’s (0) vs. (12) Rotherham 2nd’s
The ladies 4th team faced Rotherham’s 2nd team this weekend and expected a challenging game with Rotherham being top of the league. However, the 12-0 defeat wasn’t quite expected by Slazengers who struggled to break outside of their defensive quarter for much of the game.
Despite the score line, there were moments of brilliance with Lizzie Tunstall saving a penalty flick in the first few minutes and Josie Hughes making a single handed run for goal shortly before the end of the first half.

Slazengers looked stronger in the second half but by this time, Rotherham were more than aware that they were the stronger team and played a kicking back allowing Rotherham to push forward and focus on shots on goal. Lizzie Tunstall was kept busy and her efforts were awarded by being voted player of the match.

Mens 2nds (2) vs. (1) Huddersfield 2nd’s
Slazengers mens 2nd team made it two wins from two with a deserved 2-1 victory away at Huddersfield Dragons. Huddersfield were the stronger side during the early exchanges but it was Slazengers who took the lead when Asad Baig fired home a penalty corner. Slazengers were bouyed by this and put Huddersfield under further pressure and doubled their lead with an excellent team goal.

Some quick exchanges between the midfield found Baig who thread a ball through for Ben Jackson on the right wing. He attacked the circle and drew the keeper before playing in Sam Haig to finish in an open net giving Slazengers a 2-0 halftime lead. Slazengers were put under pressure early in the 2nd half and Huddersfield pulled one back when Slazengers couldn’t clear a penalty corner. Slazengers didn’t let their heads drop however and came close to a 3rd when Ben Graham’s shot came back off the post but still did enough to hold on for the win. Sam Haigh took the man of the match award followed closely by Ben Stevenson.

Mens 3rd’s (1) vs (1) Doncaster 6th’s
Slazenger’s mens thirds travelled to Doncaster with a team depleted of regular players and had to call in a few fourth team members to make up numbers and assist.However it was clear from the off that this was no disadvantage and Slazenger’s were the better team completely dominating the majority of the first half. Plenty of possession, good passing and attacks on goal ensured that Doncaster were always on the back foot.

The efforts of the team paid off 20 minutes in when Brian Johnson scored putting Slaz in a deserved winning position. The first half continued with most of the possession being with Slaz and plenty of breaks forward but unfortunately 5 minutes before half time Doncaster managed an attack on goal and utilised it well by levelling the game 1-1. In the second half Slazenger’s continued to dominate the game even more so with some solid defending from the back ensuring swift repossession whenever Doncaster did manage a break. This allowed for Slazenger’s barrage of attacks with some good midfield work utilising the flanks, creating attempts on goal and winning countless short corners. Slaz should have gone 2-1 up late in the second halve when a shot from Brian Johnson was kicked away from goal by a Doncaster player resulting in a penalty, however it proved to be just “one of those days” when it was saved by the keeper.

Slazenger’s did all they could to win this game but unfortunately it was not meant to be and Slaz could just not convert the many chances created despite their best efforts. Andrew Birkett and Timothy Carr In particular had a frustrating game with numerous near misses from their many attempts on goal. The final score ended 1-1 but this by no means reflected the performance of the players or the balance of the match.

A well played game by Slazenger’s mens thirds with lots of positive play and attitude from each player. Man of the match went to Brian Johnson from the fourths but it needs to be said that James Armatage and Dan Cass also from the fourth team stepped up, dug in and had solid games along with all the players.

Ladies 2nds (3) vs. (1) Kingston Upon Hull 2nd’s
Despite a forecast for snow and ice the Hobury pitch was declared fit. Slazengers started strongly, moving the ball with purpose. The determination of the forward players put pressure on the Hull defence, keeping them on the back foot. Hull managed to clear their lines with some strong hitting, but an interception by Stacey Drake was fired to Karen Woodhead, who beat her marker and set up Amy Brereton for the first goal. Hull reacted with some strong play resulting in a short corner. The first shot was blocked, but a deflection took the ball past the keeper, to equalise seconds before half time.

The second half was even with both teams creating scoring opportunities. However, it was Slazengers who took the lead with Amy driving down the right, skillfully bypassing the defender and crossing for Karen to angle the ball past a stranded keeper. The third came from a short corner, slipped to Diana Jones, whose slap shot beat the defence. Hull upped the pressure but could not penetrate the defensive wall of Jess, Nicole, Stacey and Lisa Goalkeeper.
Player: Amy Brereton

Boys Under 12’s
It was a case of ‘Rock On, Tommy’ as Slazengers under-12s won promotion back to the top division of the Yorkshire Youth Hockey League ahead of the end-of-season finals day in April.

Tommy Randle scored four of the Slaz boys’ seven goals as they finished runners-up to Sheffield in the six-team second tier after relegation in the previous month’s seven-a-side tournament.

Two of Randle’s goals came in the opening match against Driffield, with Alex Stacey assisting both and adding one of his own in a 3-1 victory.
A 0-0 draw against York followed but Slazengers then won the next 2-1 against Doncaster. Stacey set up Randle again for the opener and then, after keeper Aidan Coughtrey had made a series of saves to preserve the lead, Stacey finished off his own bludgeoning run with a spectacular reverse-stick strike to double the lead. Doncaster pulled one back but could not find an equaliser.

Randle converted again against Ben Rhydding 2nds after Stacey’s initial shot had been saved and Frazer Cass made the final score 2-0 after a shot from a short corner was only half cleared.

The final game against Sheffield would determine which side finished top of the round-robin group and unfortunately Slazengers appeared to switch off as they conceded three goals without reply in rapid succession.

The 3-0 defeat was tough on the team after they had battled well all tournament in the blizzard conditions at Weetwood in Leeds, with Lewis Killey, Sam Alderson and Joe Minchella also impressing throughout an impressive Slazengers display.

Mens 1st’s vs. Leeds 5th’s
The mens firsts were away at Leeds last week, and following some interesting navigational choices started the game without a keeper! This small defensive matter wasn’t going to hold back the Slazenger charge and after 5 minutes the firsts were 2 goals up. At this stage It looked like the game could have been well in hand, however this confident start soon began to erode as individuals took to a dribbling game. When half time arrived this poor play saw the game a little more balanced at 3 – 1. A halftime Chamberlain dressing down worthy of an Eton Headmaster ensued…

Determined to bring the quality back to the game Slazenger started the second half with some excellent passing play. This transformation soon began to pay off and the Leeds backboard was soon reverberating to the sound of goals! Tuddenham turned 40 this weekend, he celebrated the occasion by racking up a double hat-trick taking his tally for the season over 40 goals. Further goals from Perry on the right and Chilton on the left garnished Tuddenham’s tally to put the final score at 8 – 1.

Mens 2nd’s vs. Leeds 6th’s
Slazenger mens 2nd team entertained Leeds on Saturday and came away with a deserved 2-1 victory. These teams drew 0-0 earlier in the season and had almost identical records in the league going into the game so it was always going to be a close game although in the end, Slazengers were deserving of the win. The game started scrappy with both teams wanting to get a foothold but it was Leeds with the breakthrough when they converted a short corner with a smart drag flick. Slazengers responded well and put Leeds under pressure which eventually paid off when captain Ben Graham found himself in yards of space in front of goal.

Some neat skill from Asad Baig found the pass for Graham to finish well to draw level. Slazengers began to create more and more and a series of short corners resulted in Chris Gascoigne finishing a rebound well on the post to give Slazengers a 2-1 half time lead. Both teams pressed in the 2nd half with Leeds losing a couple of players for 5 minutes through indiscipline, and although Slazengers couldn’t find the 3rd goal to kill the game off, they held on well for the win. Will Buckley took the man of the match award edging out Tristan Whittle.

Mens 3rd’s vs. Kingston Upon Hull 3rd’s
Slazenger entertained promotion rivals Hull but struggled to play their normal flowing hockey. The home side had the most of the possession and came close to scoring when Tim Carr saw his shot rebound off the post. Hull broke quickly and took the lead from the counterattack.

Slazenger kept pressing and were rewarded for their efforts following a deft finish by Alan Perry. Dave Gascoigne then splintered the backboard with a fearsome strike to put Slazenger in front going into halftime.
The Horbury side were out of sorts in the second half and unfortunately failed to get any tempo or rhythm. They were duly punished for sloppy marking as the visitors levelled. Slazenger took charge again later with Man of the Match Tim Carr sniffing out a chance. The lead didn’t last long as Hull capitalised on a defensive error. In the final stages of the game Slaz searched for a winner with Matt Banks and Sam Haigh dominating the midfield but it never arrived.

Slazenger travel to Doncaster on Saturday with fire & desire to make amends for this below par performance.

Mens 4th’s vs. Ben Rhydding 4th’s
Slaz 4s travelled to Ben Rhydding for a friendly game in their week off. This match gave the opportunity for captain Danny Croxall to test a few things and to give match time in the 4s to Joe Tebay and Davy Ramsdale. The away side started brightly which lots of attacking opportunities without any reward. This included a number of short corners and a disallowed goal. The half time score was 0-0 but Slaz were on top throughout the first half.

When the second half began, Slaz continued their dominance and Dan Cass opened the scoring for the greens within two minutes. This lead was extended by Davy Ramsdale who made up for a his missed penalty flick to give Slaz a comfortable margin to win the game. Ben Rhydding did pose an attacking threat later in the game with a few counter attacks but Slaz were solid at the back.

The game ended 2-0 with Dan Cass getting the man of the match award for a superb performance in midfield. Next week Slaz start there home run of 5 matches with a visit from Sheffield Hallam.

Mens 5th’s vs. Wakefield 8th’s
Slaz were missing the bulk of their usual midfield so it was time for players to step up and show versatility – a job made harder by the Wakefield side being bigger and older (and always including four adults!).

Slaz got their heads down and worked hard, digging deep in defence and sometimes creating extended periods of pressure in attack, but the task proved too much. Wakefield deserved their 3-0 victory, which could have been more but for keeper Adam Garside. Slazenger man of the match was Joe Minchella for his hard work in defence and skills and running going forward.

Ladies 1st’s vs. Leeds 2nd’s
Ladies 1’s took a well earned point from their weekend tie with Leeds Ladies 2’s. After narrowly missing out last week, Slaz were determined that this weeks efforts would gain some reward.

Slaz tested Leeds from the start, but the Leeds defence stayed strong and denied the home team from taking the lead. Defensively, Slaz were able to maintain control with player of the match, GK Gemma Wilson, making crucial saves to gain the first clean sheet of the season for Slaz.

A number of near misses for Slaz in the second half kept the scoreline at 0:0.

Ladies 2nds vs. Skipton 1sts
Slazengers showed their great team work by dominating the open play of the match, they built play well from the back with Mollie Gilbert, Jess Lloyd and Lauren Carruthers working hard to defend the D. Midfield and forwards held possession well throughout the match with some beautiful passages of play. Unfortunately Skipton earned two short corners, and converted both, leading to the end result of Slazengers 0 – 2 Skipton. Player of the match was Mollie Gilbert in defence.

Ladies 2nds vs. Huddersfield dragons 2nds
Slazengers found themselves on the back foot as Dragons scored from an early short corner. They did not lose confidence or motivation though, and battled hard to keep possession, build play and drive forwards. Lucy Howarth took every opportunity she could to have a shot on goal and left their defence baffled as she ran around them. Towards the end of the first half Karen Woodhead passed the ball to captain Naomi Frith who scored the equaliser. Slazengers started the second half controlling the game and attacking from the off. They had several more chances to score, but it was Amy Brereton who stormed down the right wing, beating her defender to take her shot and score the winning goal in a crucial league match. Player of the match was Lucy Howarth in midfield.

Ladies 4th’s vs. Pheonix 1
The ladies 4th team were expecting stiff opposition from top of the league Phoenix 1 in their rearranged game this Sunday. What they didn’t expect was that in the first few minutes, Sarah Allen scored her first goal for Slazengers, putting the Slazengers team ahead. What followed led to an exciting first half with Phoenix drawing and then going ahead with two successive goals. Lucy Brereton scored the equaliser but Slazengers struggled to defend their experienced attackers and were left conceding 2 further goals before half time.

Whilst Phoenix went on to dominate the second half, Slazengers were not without opportunity with Sarah Allen again, taking a shot on goal but this time failing to get it passed the keeper. Lauren Hattersley fought hard in defence, twice stopping the ball from shots on goal and despite brilliant goal.

keeping from Lizzie Tunstall, Phoenix set themselves up to score and were successful. Whilst the Slazenger ladies lost 8-2, this doesn’t reflect their improvement as a team and they shouldn’t be disappointed. Julie Bailey, captain – continues to be impressed by the teams development and enthusiasm.

Boys U16’s
Slazenger’s u16 boys were in excellent form this weekend gaining promotion to division 2 after straight victories over both Leeds and Bradford.

The first match was well contested match with Slaz feeling the pressure early from a well organised Leeds side. However, some early signs of Slazengers’ potential was evident early on after some fast attacking moves tested the Leeds defence. Slazengers play developed as the game progressed from the strong slazenger outfit, but Leeds held strong. It took an outstanding strike from Mathew Chilton to break the deadlock; crashing the ball off the inside of the cross bar and into the back of the net from a penalty corner. The team galvenised around this and a good team effort kept the lead and the game finished 1-0.

Slaz returned back to the pitch to face Bradford. The game was played at with vigour as Slazenger began to find their rhythm. Bradford’s side was well drilled and came out quick against Slaz. However, the greens defence held firm and 2 rapid counter-attacks put the game beyond doubt. Goals came from a superb reverse stick shot by Owen Bland and a well worked team move, which Davey Ramsdale was on the end of. Slaz move up to division 2 for the next round, chasing a spot in the Championship playoffs.

Mens 1st’s (6) vs. (3) City of York 3rd’s
Post Christmas break the men’s first eleven have only managed 40 mins of hockey. after injury forced last weeks game to finish early. But frozen pitches and injured opposition were to hold us back no more, a triumphant return to January hockey saw the men’s firsts defeat York 3 – 6 and continue the push for promotion.

It’s fair to say that 5 weeks without a full game did show on match fitness levels, substitutions were plentiful, as were tired legs. That said the game started very well for Slazenger’s with early goals from Tuddenham and Perry who linked up gloriously in the first 15 minutes to set the tone of the game.

As the game progressed York managed to keep a foot in the door with the odd goal, however a man of the match performance from super-keeper Loftus put pay to any real chance the opposition had of challenging for the win. The second half saw Tuddenham complete his hatrick, and Swinden (Mark) narrowly avoid a card for a strong tackle. On the whole a competent, if not electrifying, Slazenger performance got the New year hockey off in the right direction.

Mens 2nds (4) vs. (4) Harrogate 3rd’s
Slazengers mens 2nd team travelled to top of the league Harrogate on Saturday and became only the 2’nd team to take points off them this season, coming away with a well deserved 4-4 draw. Harrogate were always going to be tough opposition and they started quickly breaking the deadlock after a fast break. Slazengers responded well and put Harrogate under pressure creating a number of chances, Asad Baig netted the equaliser beating the keeper at the near post. Harrogate showed their skill and forced the Slazengers defence and keeper to work hard but eventually took the lead again to go into the half 2-1 up.

Slazengers were determined to not let Harrogate have things their own way and despite Harrogate going 2 up early in the 2nd half, Slazengers hit back through Ted Richardson. Harrogate again took a 2 goal lead only for Richardson to peg them back again with a quality first time strike after good work from Baig. Slazengers work rate was excellent and they refused to give Harrogate time on the ball pressing time and time again, eventually this paid dividends when Slazengers stole possession and Captain Ben Graham finished with a fierce strike from the top of the ‘D’. Despite a late scare, the final score was 4-4. Tristan Whittle took the man of the match award for Slazengers with excellent work from Slaz keeper Daz Buttery giving him a close 2nd.

Mens 3rd’s (1) vs. (1) Leeds 7th’s
Slazenger 3rds travelled to Leeds in a top of the table clash. Already weakened by injury, Slazenger knew that this game could decide the league champions, but having already beaten them at home, knew they were in for a good game.

Slazenger came out strongly from the start, maintaining possession with Paul Johnson and Matt Banks expertly holding the team together from midfield. Powering forwards, Slazenger were not without goal scoring chances, but the strong Leeds defence seemed almost impenetrable having only conceded only six goals this season. Both sides were evenly matched and neither team was able to find the back of the net, leaving the half time score 0-0.

After a rousing, inspirational, Churchill-esque team talk from Captain and man of the match Simon Taylor, Slazenger came out strong in the second half. Tireless running from Sam Haigh and veteran Tim Carr offered more opportunities, but Slazenger were unable to take full advantage. Finally it was Leeds who were able to break the deadlock, converting a short corner chance to take the lead 1-0.

Rather than letting heads go down, Slazenger were spurred on. Minutes later a short corner was converted, after Josh Dunstans flick was deflected in at the back post by a Leeds defender. Both teams could now smell victory, but the defensive lines held strong. A back post opportunity was thwarted by Keeper Harry Buttery in the dying moments of the game to leave the final scores all level at 1-1.

Mens 4ths (0) vs. (0) Worksop 2nd’s
Slaz 4s went to Worksop away as they continue their campaign with another tough fixture. The first half was very even and few chances created and the score at 0-0.

The second half was much more open as Worksop opened with 2 goals. The game continued to be backwards and forwards as Steve Johnson and Harry Lumb scored 2 for Slaz but another two Worksop goals ensured the home win after a competitive game.

Man of the match went to Dan Cass for a great performance in midfield but notable performances went to Dan Alderson in goal, Harry Lumb and Jack Lee in midfield and also the forward line of Steve Johnson and Michael Plumbley.

Ladies 2nd’s (0) vs. (3) Halifax 2nd’s
Slazengers were forced onto the back foot after Halifax 2nd’s beat the Slazenger defence early in the game. Slazengers kept battling but after two more goals from a short corner and open play they found themselves 3-0 down at half time. They held strong in the second half and didn’t conceed any more in the second half, unfortunately they also failed to convert any of their attacking chances. Player of the game was Mollie Gilbert in defence.

Ladies 3rd’s (1) vs. (3) Sheffield Bankers 3rd’s
Ladies 3s travelled to Sheffield for their away leg with Bankers hoping to secure another win to take them safe and out of the relegation zone. It was a wet start to the day with Slazengers taking a bare 11 to the fixture against a 15 strong Bankers squad. Bankers were quick off the blocks putting pressure on the Slaz defence resulting in an early goal for the home side. More bad luck for the visitors in the first 5 minutes saw key midfielder Jess Reilly take a deflected ball the face, splitting her cheek and a trip to A&E ensued. With Slaz now down to 10 players and still trying to form a strategy to keep the continously fresh legged opposition at bay, a further 2 goals in quick succession were netted for Bankers. With play continuing to be mostly in the Bankers attacking half and 23, Slaz defended with all their might with player of the match Justine Birkett stepping up and executing superbly the DCM role. Numerous penalty corners were defended with vigour and the visitors denied any chance of Bankers increasing their 3 nil lead in the first half.

Slaz seemed to have cemented their strategy in the final third of the first 35 and started the second half confident they could get something back. Utilising space round the back and down the wings Slaz managed to penetrate the Bankers circle but were thwarted by the Bankers defense repeatedly. High balls to Aleks Kapinska were also read well by the opposition and turned over. However the Slaz 10 continued to defend well and keeper Lizzie Tunstall made some outstanding saves to keep the second half nil – nil. Finally Slaz managed to break the Bankers defense with some slick passing down right which found Caro Schofield in space in the 23. Schofield stormed the circle drawing the keeper and crossing to Kapinska on the left post to hit home for the visitors. With only a minute to go a tired Slaz 10 were happy with the consolation goal after a sterling performance from all.

Ladies 4th’s (2) vs. (1) Leeds Adel 5th’s
Having lost 14-2 earlier in the season against Adel 5’s, Slazengers Ladies 4th team were expecting tough opposition once more on home ground. However, within minutes of the first half, it became apparent that the teams were more evenly matched.

Slazengers tried hard to be the first to score but were beaten to it when Adel were successful from a short corner leaving Slazengers 1-0 down at half time.
The cold and rain didn’t deter the home team, spirits were high from last weeks win and the ladies hard work paid off with Josie Hughes finding the goal for the first time. Despite a missed penalty flick, Slazenger’s kept the pressure on and the green shirts dominated the second half with Josie Hughes scoring again to give the Slazenger ladies a well deserved 2-1 win.

Mens 2nd’s (4) vs. (1) Chapeltown 2nd’s
Slazenger took a renewed optimism to Chapeltown after narrowly missing out on the full 3 points the previous week and were rewarded with a 4-1 win.

The team started well, with some aggressive hockey, finding Chapeltown on the back foot. However, some miss-timed passes and lack of clinical finish in front of goal left them searching for a way to convert the pressure. Eventually however, some good running off the ball created space for Asad Baig to set up Ben Jackson to open the scoring. Slaz went into the break 1-0 ahead.

The second half started tougher, with Chapeltown redoubling and putting the visitors defence under pressure. Hard work from Matt Green, James Taylor, and GK Daz Buttery kept the team ahead. However, it was only a matter of time before a scrappy equaliser was scored.

Slaz hit back the following minute, straight from the restart, with a solo effort from Baig to nett the second goal. With wind behind their sails, Slaz continued to press and enjoyed more posession. A series of penalty corners allowed midfielder and man of the match Ted Richardson to net a brace, to put the game beyond doubt.

Slaz look to continue making up lost ground in the league when they host Driffield next week.

Mens 5th’s (0) vs. (3) Sheffield Hallam
Although Slazengers played well in attack they could not capitalise on chances made and failed to work hard enough defensively. Sheffield worked well on the counter taking a goal early in the first half and two more in the second. Final score Sheffield 3-0 Slaz.

Sparkling debut for Tommy Randle and Man of Match went to keeper Adam Garside who prevented the loss being much heavier.

Ladies 3rd’s (1) vs. (1) Doncaster Independent
Slazengers ladies 3s travelled to south Yorkshire to take on Doncaster Independent in an early morning fixture. Being the only slaz ladies team not to fall foul of the cold weather 3s were hoping to make their trip in the cold worthwhile and bring home all 3 points to improve their league position. It appeared that Slazengers were going to be successful in their aim after early pressure in the Doncaster half resulted in the first goal of the game when after only 10 minutes, slick passing in the Doncaster half was finished beautifully by player of the match Lauren Fealy sweeping the ball high into the back of the Doncaster goal.
The lead was maintained until midway through the half when Doncaster themselves completed a good build up and brought the score line even.
The second half continued to be evenly matched and Slazengers fought hard to keep the attack of Doncaster at bay with some strong defending and great saves by keeper Lizzie Tunstall. Slazengers continued to create multiple chances still hopeful of taking maximum points but were unfortunate not to get a final touch on the ball which would have led to them being victors. The game ended with a 1-1 scoreline with Slazengers pleased to take a point away.

Boys U12’s Tournament
A shortage of firepower proved the difference for Slazengers boys as they were unable to retain their place in the top division of the Yorkshire Youth Hockey League under-12s competition. Slaz were below their best but were in contention in all four of their round-robin games without managing to win any of them.

They lost the opener 1-0 to Harrogate, with Alex Stacey and Luke Minchella shooting just wide in the search for an equaliser.

Leeds then took the lead and although Stacey did find a leveller this time after a strong run, their opponents claimed a winner after not being brought back to retake a midfield free hit that had been started with a moving ball.

Next up, a poor clearance allowed Sheffield to go ahead early but constant Slaz pressure was rewarded as Stacey’s run and nudge past the keeper made the final score 1-1.

Ben Rhydding provided the final opposition and although they quickly took a two-goal lead, Slaz then dominated for a spell and looked poised to earn at least a point after Stacey again found the net. But it was not to be as Ben Rhydding broke to kill the game off against the run of play to finish 3-1 up.

Keeper Aidan Coughtrey made some good saves throughout the tournament, while Frazer Cass was strong in defence, but it will need more goals in next month’s event for Slaz to regain their place in the top section.

Mens 1st’s – No Game

Mens 2nd’s (3) vs. (3) Huddersfield dragons 2nds.
Slazengers mens 2nd team returned from their Christmas break at home to Huddersfield on Saturday with the final score in an entertaining game being 3-3. Slazengers started slowly and were duly punished when Huddersfield scored from a short corner however captain Ben Graham quickly got them back level, nicking the ball from the Huddersfield defender to break clear and score. The sides were level at the break but Slazengers started the 2nd half strongly and took the lead through an Asad Baig short corner strike. Slazengers continued to press and scored their 3rd when Ian Hedges found himself unmarked at the back post for an easy finish. Huddersfield weren’t to be denied however and fought back well for a draw.

Mens 3rd’s (6) vs. (2) Doncaster 6th’s
The mens 3rd team were at home against Doncaster for their first match of 2017. Slaz got off to a strong start going 3-0 up with goals from Tim Carr, Scott Carruthers and Sam Haigh. However Doncaster pulled one back before half time with the score at 3-1 at half time.

The lads came out into the second half ready to bring a win home. This looked likely as Slaz won a penalty flick which was tucked away by Tim Carr to get his second of the game. Doncaster came back fighting pulling the score to 4-2 but Slaz kept going and grabbed another 2 excellent goals from Scott Carruthers for his second and Owen Bland on his debut for the 3rds.

The game ended at 6-2 to a strong Slazenger team looking in great form for 2017. Man of the match went to Scott Carruthers.
Mens 4th’s game cancelled – Sheffield conceeded.

Mens 5th’s (3) vs (1) Rotherham
Slaz started the match (and the New Year) brightly. The team was a balance of (very) young and some old, wise heads with the young ones hitting Rotherham hard and early, only for the old ones to let them down! Goals from Will Gascoigne and youngest player Luke Minchella got Slaz to half time 2-1 up. The second half saw Slazengers press hard, Joe Minchella unlucky with many chances but finally getting the assist for Davy Ramsdale to extend his lead as the sides top scorer. Final score 3-1 to Slazenger. It was a tie in the ballot for Man of the Match between Will Gascoigne and the Minchella Brothers (don’t know here they parked the ice cream van) – but casting vote gave it to young Luke MInchella.

Ladies 1st’s – no game

Ladies 2nd’s (2) vs. (2) Skipton 1st’s
Slazengers attacked from the start, with Claire Dunstan scoring for them to take the lead. Skipton worked hard in the first half and dispite the best efforts of the Slazenger’s defence, Skipton went into half time 2-1 in the lead. Slazenger’s started strong again, with the forwards and midfield working together on the attack for Claire to score a second goal. Player of the match went to Gabby Giggal in midfield.

Ladies 3rd’s (0) vs. (1) Epworth 1st’s
Ladies 3s started 2017 in much the same vain as they had finished 2016 with yet another undeserved marginal defeat. Hoping their luck would change and expecting to take 3 points from this fixture against bottom of the league Epworth,Slaz started in high spirits determined to improve their league position and goal difference. However, despite everyone on the pitch giving 100% effort, 100% of the time, maintaining possession well and having numerous chances to score, again the visitors came away without a goal.

Unfortunately Epworth scored a lucky winner which joint player of the match Emma Eley got a stick to but was unable to clear. The ladies 3rd team now sit bottom of the league for the first time in a long time but remain positive that the goals and points will come and they will maintain a safe position in Div 5S.

Ladies 4th’s (0) vs. (3) Rotherham 2nd’s
The ladies 4th team faced Rotherham 2 at home resulting in a 3-0 loss for Slazengers. Rotherham proved to be a strong opponent, scoring their first goal within the first 10 minutes. Slazengers tried to even the score line with several attacking runs but unfortunately, Rotherham scored again leaving Slazengers 2-0 down at half time.

Slazengers were unlucky not to score in the second half with a superb run by Lucy Brereton and timely pass to Josie Hughes who took a shot but failed to hit the target. Rotherham had plenty more attempts to increase the goal difference but managed to get just one further goal past the keeper, and player of the match, Lideya Booth.