Ladies 2nd’s (1) vs. (4) Doncaster
After a week off due to the cold weather Slaz welcomed Doncaster on a wet and windy day! Slaz started slow and took a while to settle into the game but managed to keep Doncaster from scoring. Slaz eventually got into the swing of things and had some great bouts of play but were unfortunately caught on the break allowing Doncaster to get the first goal. Slaz battled on well but were again caught on a break from Doncaster and the first half finished 2-0.
Slaz began the second half strong and pressured Doncaster D. Slaz were awarded a few short corners but unfortunately could not capitalise on these opportunities. Slaz continued to pressure Doncaster and finally awarded a goal from Laura. Despite all the pressure on the attack Doncaster had a few quick breaks and put another 2 goals past slaz. Final score 4-1 to Doncaster. Player this week went to Bella Kidd.
Under 12 Boys
That time of month again, with the boys U12s out and about again, with us yet again having an A and B team playing. The A Team were at Wakefield in league 2, and were without Charlie H through a late illness. This left us with the first 7, and no subs.
Slazenger A (1) vs. (1) Northallerton [Scorers: Owen]
The first game was against Northallerton and for once we started slowly. Northallerton were applying pressure from the start although, Ethan and Ollie kept it tight at the back. With no Charlie H on the right wing, today’s wingers were Alfie and Dominic, who did there best to create chances when they could. Will yet again was the driving force in midfield, trying to link with Owen up front. We struggled to get the passing going and we were punished going 1-0, and there was nothing Nikolai could do to keep it out. This fired the boys up a little and we started to play a bit more. A good move through the midfield, just left Owen to finish, which he calmly did to make it 1-1.
Slazenger A (0) vs. (1) Thirsk
The next game was against a Thirsk side we had beaten in the previous tournament, but again we started slowly and were put under pressure from the start. Will worked hard in midfield and Alfie tried to get the magic going on the wing, although things were just not going for us. That said, defensively, Ethan and Ollie continued to give great performances to keep the score at 0-0. Nikolai was called into action on a few occasions, and did well to keep the ball out, although a good move from Thirsk led to a breakaway goal.This again spurred us on and we had few great chances to level the game, through Owen, Alfie and Will, but we were unable to make the chances count. The team worked hard throughout the remainder of the game with all the players giving 100%, but we just couldn’t find that goal.
Slazenger A (0) vs. (1) Rotherham
The next game was against a strong Rotherham side who had come down from division 1 last time. We took the game to them from the start and would have been 2-0 up in the first 7 minutes, had it not been for composure on our side, and a couple of great saves from the Rotherham keeper. Will, Alfie and Dominic continued to work hard in midfield to try and create chances, with the ball falling to Owen in the D, who rushed his shot and pulled it wide. Rotherham were then awarded a short corner and this was dispatched with a great shot from their danger man, and there was nothing that Nikolai could have done. We again applied the pressure but just could not get the break we deserved. Rotherham knew the pressure was on and attempted to hit us on the break, but great defensive work again by Ollie and Ethan meant we did not concede again.
Slazenger (5) vs. (0) Lindum [Scorers: Will (2), Owen (2), Alfie]
The final game was again Lindum and he boys were really up for this one, with us needing a win to ensure we stayed in league 2. We stated strongly and dominated the game from start to finish, with Alfie and Dominic working hard down the wings, Will bossing midfield and Owen being a nuisance in the D. A great flowing move from central midfield out to Alfie on the right, who took a couple of touches before crossing for Owen, who then slotted the ball home with a very composed finish. A great move awarded with a great finish. Lindum had a little pressure after this but this was stamped out again by Ethan and Ollie, leading the way for us to press forward. We continued to dominate the game leading to more goals from Owen, Alfie and Will, giving us a 5-0 win in our final game.
Overall another great day of hockey with us managing to stay in league 2. Hopefully next time out we will find that level of consistency which will allow us to dominate more in the tougher games. That said, all the boys should be proud of their performances today. Player of the tournament was a tough one this month, with all the boys in for a shout, although ultimately it went to Ethan, due to his commanding performances throughout the day. Well deserved Ethan! Again, thanks to Tim Michael for umpiring, leaving me to bite my nails to the core from the side lines
Under 12 Boys B Team
The boys U12 B team were back in action today at Doncaster. After a slow start to the day waiting for the pitch to be opened and late arrival of the umpires, the boys remained focused and were raring to go when the whistle went for their opening game.
Wakefield (0) vs. (2) Slazenger B
The Slaz boys dominated both games against Wakefield, capitalising on short corners in each leg: in the 1st leg a straight strike by Noah found the top of the backboard and in the 2nd leg Matthew picked up the rebound from a saved straight strike. In both legs against Wakefield the midfield of Nate, Zach and Noah worked tirelessly with the support of Matthew to move the ball through the pitch, maintaining possession for prolonged spells.
Slazenger B (2) vs. (1) Chapeltown
Chapeltown came out strong in the 1st leg but some solid defending from Daniel, Louis and Charley T, alongside some impressive saves from Charlie Leonard kept the boys in it. The boys regained some composure and with Nate coming on from the bench he managed to slot the opening goal home with his first touch of the game. Not long after, a long corner taken by Noah was picked up by Nate who got his 2nd goal of the day.
Slazenger B (0) vs. (1) Chapeltown
The 2nd leg was more challenging for the Slaz boys who were returning from a 30 minute break out in the cold, wind and rain! Some great hockey played between Louis, Matthew and Nate created the most convincing chance the boys had but unfortunately they didn’t manage to convert it into a goal. Unfortunately a quick break by Chapeltown led to Slaz conceding and walking away 0-1 in the 2nd leg.
Slazenger B (1) vs. (1) Kingston-Upon-Hull
Hull proved to most competitive opposition of the day for the boys with end to end hockey in the goalless 1st leg. The boys worked amazing as a team in both defensive and attacking play. Going into the 2nd leg and final game of the day the boys were tired and soon found themselves on the receiving end of an overload, unfortunately resulting in Hull scoring. This sprung the boys into action and eventually a well timed ball from Zach found Noah in the D who then managed to feed the ball through the keepers legs to secure a 1-1 draw. The boys all put 100% in for the entire tournament and the player could have gone to any of the boys, however today it went to Charlie Leonard for his outstanding saves!! Special thanks to Keith for stepping in to umpire and to Gemma and John for managing the team.
Under 12 Girls
The U12 Girls had three teams out today! The A team were back playing in Division 1 today at Wakefield on a very miserable day! The team welcomed Lillianna as GK as Ami was off playing u13 West Yorkshire!
Slazenger A (2) vs. (0) Ben Rhydding
The girls started strongly with the defence of Matilda, Lorna and Amelia not allowing any attacks into the D leaving Lillianna with nothing to do for this first game. Rosie kept the opposition under intense pressure with her skills on the ball and the team were rewarded when Lauren hit the ball at goal and Edie got a great deflection to put Slaz in the lead. With super sub, Beth coming on and along with Lorna, they pushed the team forward. A quick clearance from Amelia to Rosie, gave Rosie to opportunity to show off her skills. She ran round the midfield and defence and coolly slotted the ball into the goal on her reverse! This ended the game 2-0 to Slaz, and was a great start to the tournament.
Slazenger A (1) vs. (1) Thirsk
Again the girls started strongly and were a constant threat to the opposition. The defence of Matilda, Beth, Lorna and Amelia along with GK Lillianna kept the opposition from scoring. Rosie, Lauren and Edie, put the pressure on the defence and Edie was rewarded with a sweet goal from a first time sweep, hitting the back of the net! Despite the teams hard work, the opposition (plus the York subs they utilised) broke against the run of play and equalised ending the game 1-1.
Slazenger A (0) vs. (1) City of York
The girls knew this would be one of the toughest games and they again started strongly but the opposition broke and scored. The defence of Lorna, Beth and Matilda worked tirelessly along with GK Lillianna to keep any further attacks from resulting in a goal. The defence and Rosie pushed the team forward, with Edie and Lauren working hard on and off the ball but were denied goals thanks to the York GK who played well ending the game 0-1.
Slazenger A (1) vs. (0) Leeds
The girls wanted to win this final game with Amelia returning to the pitch despite feeling unwell. GK Lillianna was called into action and along with the defence of Beth, Lorna and Matilda ensured that the opposition were denied the opportunity to score. Edie and Lauren worked super hard in attack, applying constant pressure to the defence along with Rosie who working hard in both attack and defence. Rosie was rewarded with another goal, which was against the solid York GK (who was playing for Leeds) so the game ended 1-0 to Slaz (but would have been more had the York GK not been playing for the Leeds team!)
Despite not being pitch lead, thanks to the team of parents who collected the results and to Milsy for managing the team.
Under 12 Girls B Team
The B team were playing in Division 3 at Slazenger HC and were hoping for promotion!
Slazenger B (1) vs. (0) Leeds Adel
The girls started well and Izzy scored in the first two minutes. There were some great runs down the line by Darcie and Eleanor with great attempts to score. Phoebe and Ruth worked well getting the ball up to the wings making some good plays. Katie and Pheobie in defence was strong, thwarting several attempts from short corners. The team were strong throughout the game, talking and working together and managing to end the game 1-0 win to Slaz.
Slazenger B (0) vs. (1) Leeds
The game was very equally matched and there was a power struggle to take control of the game. Following a few short corners for Leeds which were defended well, there was a good attempt to score by Darcie. Then, a quick break away from 2 Leeds players resulted in a great save by GK Lydia to keep the team in the game. There were further attacks from Ruth and Eleanor which were unsuccessful as the Leeds defence was strong. There were more fantastic saves from GK Lydia when Leeds broke away again but the third attempt resulted in the first goal of the game in the last two minutes resulting in a 0-1 loss for Slaz.
Slazenger B (5) vs. (0) Huddersfield
The team has a strong start, working well together down the pitch. There were some runs down the wings from both Eleanor and Izzy. Phoebe and Ruth were strong in midfield, making some great tackles and roll-outs to get past players and distributing the ball out to the wing. Katie and Phoebie were solid in defence with the ball only making it to GK Lydia once in the game. It was Darcie who scored the first goal from a lovely cross from Eleanor. Eleanor then went on to score the next three goals (hatrick hero!) and Izzy scored the final goal in the last few minutes which ended the game a 5-0 win.
Slazenger B (0) vs. (3) Wakefield
There was some great defensive skills by Katie; pushing the ball up to midfield and the wings. The team won a short corner and despite great attacking place by Ruth, Wakefield defended well. The team has another opportunity when Phoebe had a break away but Wakefield managed to deal with the threat. Eleanor worked hard and made some great tackles to win the ball, and made a great run with an attempt to score. The team defended well against Wakefield’s first short corner but the second short corner for Wakefield resulted in their first goal of the game. Unfortunately a second and a third followed shortly after. But the ever determined Slaz team kept fighting and throughout the team from the defence through to attack, they all worked hard and wanted a goal back. Eleanor and Ruth made a brilliant attack in the last few minutes, stealing the ball but it sadly did not result in a goal ending the game a 0-3 loss.
There was some great hockey from the girls on a very wet and cold day but all the girls kept fighting. Player of the tournament went to Eleanor for her great tackles, runs down the line, goals and determination throughout the tournament. Thank you to Gemma for managing the team, and to Roberta for the match report and super special thanks to super star Harry Firth for stepping up to umpire for not just Slazenger but also another team who didn’t have an umpire.
Under 12 Girls C Team
The C team were playing in Division 4 at Slazenger HC with new player Lyla (and what a debut performance she had especially considering she has only been playing hockey for a few weeks!) along with Penny who stepped in at the last minute to the squad (and despite being an u10 player was not fazed and demonstrated some brilliant hockey) after Jess had to withdraw after being unwell – we hope you feel better soon! The whole team showed tremendous effort and team spirit throughout especially those other u10s stepping up – Ella, Georgie and GK William!
Slazenger C (0) vs, (1) Wakefield
There was some good passing in the first game and the team defended well. Harriette had some good runs through midfield and the whole team worked hard demonstrating some excellent defending but were unlucky to concede a goal in this match ending the game 0-1 loss.
Slazenger C (0) vs. (1) Leeds Adel
The team again player will, with some great runs and ball control from Harriette who was supported well by Georgie. There was some strong tackling from Emmy and Ella in defence. Penny also worked hard, not fazed that she was smaller than the opposition and she put in some strong challenges. Lilly and Lyla made strong runs down the wing throughout the game but again a late goal was conceded ending in a 0-1 loss.
Slazenger C (2) vs. (0) Ben Rhydding
The team went out to win this game with some solid defending from Emmy and Ella, and some great saves from GK William (stepping up from the u10s!). Penny continued to put in some great challenges along with Lyla and Georgie who pushed the team forward. Harriette dominated in midfield, dribbling from the half way into D and was rewarded with two goals giving the team a well deserved 2-0 win!
Slazenger C (1) vs. (0) Wakefield
The team went into this game off the back of their previous victory and were determined to win! The team worked hard and were regarded with another great goal from Harriette who took ball from Ella just over halfway line and showed off her skills. There were some great saves from William and clearances by Emmy to keep the team on the lead. Lilly and Lyla showing some great ball skills and determination as they continued to apply pressure on the opposition. End score 1-0 win!
Slazenger C (0) vs. (3) Leeds Adel
The team put in some great effort, displaying some good team work and lovely hockey but unfortunately Adel managed break through the defence to score the goals, but the team never gave up and kept their heads high. End score 0-3 loss.
Slazenger C (0) vs. (1) Ben Rhydding
The final game was a really close game, with further great play from the whole team. Unfortunately Ben Rhydding scored following a rebound after William made a good save which ended the game 0-1 loss.
The whole team should be so proud of their performance today especially those younger players stepping up, newer players to the team and the more experienced players who supported and welcomed them all. Player went to Harriette for her continued determination and fight, alongside some fantastic goals! 🤩Thank you to Ruby for coaching, Richard for the match report and acting as pitch lead too! 👏Also loved seeing so many Slaz HC Big Bobble Hats out on show today! 💚
