Men’s 4th’s (3) vs. (1) Wakefield 6th’s
Am excellent result for the Slazenger 4th team as we beat Wakefield 6s at home. It was a dominant display from the 4th team winning a number of short corners but were unable to capitalise until midway through the first half. Shortly after we doubled our lead giving us control going into half time. The second half was just as dominant and we extended our lead from another short corner. In the final minutes of the game Wakefield were able to score and deny our clean sheet.
Ladies 2nd’s (1) vs. (4) Lindum
For once Slaz started strong from the off and looked like this game could be theirs. But Lindum responded well and pressured the Slaz defence. Defence held strong and successfully kept Lindum from scoring even following a number of short corners. Slaz caught Lindum on the break a couple of times with Ruby making some great runs creating Slaz with some positive opportunities. A great first half with Slaz going into the second half just 1-0 down
Again Slaz Started the 2nd half strong pressuring Lindum straight away getting into their 23 early on. Slaz had more opportunities on the break with some great pressure which finally resulting in Slaz equalising with a goal from Courtney. Slaz battled on with some great defending on the line from Donna catching the ball in an interesting place rewarded lindum with a flick making it 2-1.
As the last 10 minutes drew in Slaz were tired and could be seen allowing Lindum to capitalise on this and get a final 2 goals. A well battled game that Slaz looked like they wanted. Final score 4-1, player went to ruby.
Ladies 3rd’s (15) vs. (0) University of Leeds
The scene was set as Leeds arrived with the enthusiasm of a group who had either just finished a night out or were simply overly punctual. Meanwhile, the Slaz 3s were still mustering their forces, with hopes of fielding the minimum required seven players before kick off. Lucy H emerged in a red kit for a home game, causing a collective existential crisis among the team. Thankfully, they were indeed in green, prompting Lucy to dispatch her bewildered dad on a kit retrieval mission. Kudos to Richie, Gemma, and Lucy E for their fashionably late entrances just before pushback, proving that tardiness is practically a team tradition.
With the squad finally assembled and dressed appropriately, Slaz launched into action. Within seven minutes, Mia broke the ice with a goal, setting the tone for a flurry of scoring antics. Lucy E’s bold trek from defence to the top of the D for a short corner paid off handsomely, doubling the lead to 2-0. The excitement was palpable as Mia and Maisie increased the scoring spree, netting two more goals within a minute, bringing the tally to 4-0 in just 13 minutes of play. With the lead secured, Slaz eased off the throttle, showcasing some slick passing and possession play while poor Leeds Uni struggled to find their footing.
Amidst the camaraderie, Caro couldn’t resist joining the goal-scoring fiesta, securing a hat-trick before halftime,. Gemma’s ambitious free hit to no one inadvertently set up Leeds Uni for a chance, earning her a tongue-in-cheek nomination for the Tart Award. The second half saw Mia and Caro competing for the highest number of goals scored during the match,. Lucy E, feeling adventurous, ventured into enemy territory to add to her tally, while Richie, who thought this goal scoring lark looked like fun was determined to get in on the action and not wanting to feel left out, but it was not to be and instead she set up Caro for a sublime finish.
With the clock winding down, Mia and Caro engaged in a last-minute goal-scoring showdown giving them both a double hat-trick and leaving the scoreline at a staggering 15-0. Even the Slaz keeper, Lauren couldn’t resist joining the fray after spending most of the game engaging in quirky dances to stay warm. Determined to make her match fee worthwhile, she seized the opportunity for a single touch of the ball, followed by a celebratory dance to mark her involvement in the game. Ultimately, the match concluded with a blend of mishaps, goals, and instances worthy of the “tart” title, ending with Lucy H being awarded the “tart” title following her kit mishap. Meanwhile, Mia claimed the Player award for playing a cracking game and for her impressive scoring spree.
Ladies 4th’s (1) vs. (0) Wakefield 5th’s
The ladies 4th Team played Wakefield 5th Team away this weekend. Slazenger’s faced a young team but from the start, looked the stronger team. Junior Arina Lee played her First Ladies league game and impressed everyone with her goal in the first half. Wakefield fought back but with Rebecca Green and Sophie Longfield in midfield, their attacks were soon shut down. Francesca Chromiakove and Sarah Skykes were strong throughout and Slazengers walked away with the win. 1-0. Player – Arina; Tart – Francesca ‘just like Ben’ Chromiakova.
Under 12 Boys (In2Hockey England Hockey Cup Qualifying Round)
The boys were at The Grammar School Of Leeds today, in the EH Cup, and were hoping to do well considering the results in their last two outings. The boys played five teams, winning two, drawing one and losing two. We scored 7 goals and only conceded 3, which showed just how tight the fixtures were.
Slazenger (0) vs. (1) Leeds Adel
By our own standards we were disappointing in the first game against Leeds Adel. We dominated the play, although we were not clinical enough from the many chances we had. We put on a great defensive display with Ethan, Ollie and Dominic playing really well. Moving forward we were not as free flowing as we could have been, with Charlie and Alfie struggling to find their best hockey. That said, Will and Owen worked very hard in midfield and up front respectively, with Noah coming on for Charlie and working hard down the right wing. Leeds Adel hit us with a break away goal towards the end, and this was a result the boys did not deserve.
Slazenger (1) vs. (1) Rotherham
The second game was against a strong Rotherham side and the boys were fired up. It was a game that was end to end, with the main battles being in midfield, with Will working very hard. We took the lead half way through the game with a nice finish from Charlie. Rotherham then put the pressure on but we soaked up the pressure, again with Ollie and Ethan playing well. The game continued to be end to end, with us again not being clinical enough in front of goal, and we were punished with what was the last hot of the game, as we allowed Rotherham’s danger playing to walk into the D and get his shot away, cutting across Nikolai into the goal. A 1-1 draw, but another game we should have won.
Slazenger (2) vs. (0) Doncaster
The third game was against a Doncaster side we had not played against this year, and we started strong with some great attacking play. Charlie, Alfie, Will and Owen were causing the Doncaster defense all kinds of problems and we went 1-0 with a great goal from Owen. This spurred Doncaster into life and they then put the pressure on, although Ollie and Ethan managed to keep them at bay. Doncaster then testing Nikolia on a couple of occasions, which unfortunately brought about an injury, that would end up ruling him out of the last two games. That said, he soldiered on for the remainder of the game. The Doncaster heads then went down and we hit them on the attack, with Alfie playing a great ball in from the left, allowing Will to slot the ball home. A 2-0 win and a result we very much deserved.
Slazenger (4) vs. (0) City of York
We then played a York side we were expecting to beat, although we now had a new Keeper, with Noah stepping in for Nikolai. We dominated the game from start to finish, with everyone playing great hockey and working extremely hard as a team. Noah was called into action only a couple of times, but dealt with the trouble well. Apart from that, from defence to attack we were excellent, with Owen scoring a well deserved hat-trick and Will also scoring in a 4-0 win.
Slazenger (0) vs. (1) Ben Rhydding
Our last game was against Ben Rhydding who started strong and put us under pressure, but yet again, our defence stood strong with Ollie playing very well. Will and Aflie continued to work hard in midfield to create chances for Owen, although he could not get the better of what was a good Ben Rhydding defence. Charlie came off injured after five minutes, allowing Dominic to play right wing and he played very well, working hard moving forward, but also showing his great defensive play too. We ended up losing the game 1-0 with a strong shot from the right, and although Noah got something on it, he could not keep the ball out.
After the initial shock of losing the first game, the boys played exceptionally well today and should be proud, as they were playing against teams that were in the higher leagues. That said, we showed that we can mix it with these teams and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season. Player of the tournament for us was Ollie showing consistency, with some outstanding displays. This highlights just how much he has come on this season. Well done Ollie. Again, thank you to Tim for umpiring. Lastly, a huge happy birthday to our very our goal keeper, Nikolai. Not the day we hoped you’d have with the injury, but we hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday.
Under 12 Girls (In2Hockey England Hockey Cup Qualifying Round)
The girls faced the first round in the EH Cup today and were lucky to have a home draw which for some of them was the first time they have played a tournament at Slazenger Hockey Club!
The girls played five teams, winning all five games with a total of 28 goals being scored and zero conceded! Therefore the girls will progress to the Regional Finals on the 14th April, playing at Maiden Castle, Durham.
The whole team played tremendously well, GK Ami kept a clean sheet during today’s tournament making some key saves when needed. The defence of Matilda, Lorna and Amelia worked hard together to stop many attacks, and they pushed the team forward into attack. Amelia made some brilliant passes through to the forwards, she also pushed forward and scored five goals today. Rosie worked tirelessly in midfield, she distributed the ball to the forwards to set up many goals for the team and scored six goals herself. The forwards worked hard today, their press on free hits meant that they won the ball back many times and applied constant pressure on the opposition. The forwards hard work was rewarded with goals galore today, Lauren (4), Ruth (4) and Edie (9). Well done girls! Super proud of you all
