It was another impressive weekend for the club in the last set of league fixtures before the autumn slip weekend and half term. The Men’s 1st team had a great day against Huddersfield 1st, pulling off a 3-2 win which keeps them second in Yorkshire Div 1. The Men’s 2nd team picked up their second win in as many weeks against Doncaster 4th, including a 5 goal haul for Richard Tuddenham; taking his tally to over 400 club goals and pole position in the men’s top goal scorer table. The Men’s 3rd team came back from 2-0 down to beat Wakefield 5ths 3-2, which takes them to 3rd in the league. The 4th’s battled top of the league Halifax 3’s to a goalless draw, giving them a vital point. The Development team showed plenty of grit and determination at Sheffield, but were unfortunately defeated 3-1
On the ladies side, the 1st team battled it out for a 1-1 draw against City of York 2’s, despite being short on players. The undefeated Ladies 2nd team scored a solid 3-1 win over the University of Leeds 3’s; their 6th consecutive win keeps them top of Moor & Dale Division 1. The Ladies 3rd team managed a 2-2 draw with Ben Rhydding 4th. This run stretches their unbeaten run to 3 games and lifts them to 3rd place, tied on points with the top 2 teams and only separated by goal difference. The Ladies 4th team faced a strong Tadcaster side, losing 6-1.
Finally, the only junior side in action this weekend were the U14 girls, who cruised to a 6-1 victory over Ben Rhydding in the EH Championships. Full match reports are below!
Men’s 1st’s (3) vs. (2) Huddersfield 1st’s
Slazenger Men’s 1s hosted a local rival of Huddersfield dragons with hopes of a positive day. Slaz started strong by controlling the tempo and causing some damage down the wings, the first goal came in the first 10 minutes from a great deflection from Isaac Fisher, then not long after Asad Baig’s shot hit the keepers pads and lofted over into the goal to make it 2-0.
Slaz went into the second half with a thirst for more but unfortunately gave away a flick not long in, which Huddersfield finished to put them back in the game. Slazenger pushed for more and finally capitalised from a great team goal put away by Mark Swinden. Huddersfield then score another to make it 3-2 and that’s how it finished after a few missed short corners from Slazenger.
Men’s 2nd’s (6) vs. (2) Doncaster 4th’s
The 2nd’s hosted Doncaster 4’s at Addingford and played some of their best hockey of the season in a dominant display over the visitors. However, with a little more clinical finishing, they could have doubled their tally.
Slaz took a few minutes to get started, and it wasn’t until Doncaster won (and fortunately missed) a penalty corner that it spurred the team into action. With that prompt, the host side began to play some constructive passing hockey. With the midfield trio of Ben Graham, Jack Mumford and Ste Roberts controlling the pitch, Slaz was able to create opportunities and pressure, resulting in Richard Tuddenham converting 2 penalty corners to put the side in control of the game. As the half went on, Slaz enjoyed the majority of possession and converted a further penalty flick to put them in a convincing lead going into the break.
The second half again showcased some strong hockey, Keith Leonard was devastating on the right wing, with one of his crosses resulting in a penalty corner, which Tuddenham scored for his fourth. After being cruelly denied a goal last week, Jack Mumford got the fifth. However it wasn’t all one-way traffic, and Doncaster hit back several times, converting a scrappy goal in the D and a corner of their own to close the gap, but a sixth from Tuddenham (and his fifth in total) put the game beyond doubt. Slaz move up to 8th off of a strong performance, and take a lot of promise from the last couple of weeks into the autumn break.
Men’s 3rd’s (3) vs. (2) Wakefield 5th’s
Derby Day! Both teams came into this game with very similar records, setting up a potentially tense game. Slazenger came out of the blocks quickly, getting a short 2 minutes in, then another 5 minutes later. There was good, disruptive tackling by Slaz, but loose passes led to a lack of attacking threat. Wakefield opened the scoring 17 minutes in, slightly against the run of play. Not long after, Slazenger were reduced to 10 men after Aleks Thompson received a green card. Straight after getting back to a full complement of players, Aidan, as the last line of defence and having no options left, slid out for the ball but wiped out the Wakey attacker, receiving a yellow. Damian Greig stepped up between the sticks to face the penalty flick, but couldn’t stop the goal. As the half closed, the game grew extremely tense, both teams trying to move the ball, but Wakey ended the half in the ascendency, with sharper passing and quicker play. 2-0 to Wakefield at half time.
Slaz immediately started the second half strongly, with an expert aerial from James Swinden brought down well by Aleks, who couldn’t quite get his pass off to John Sykes. However, Slazenger were clearly the more determined team in the second half, continuing to press, getting stuck in, creating chances. The Wakey keeper made some great saves throughout, particularly one from a Slaz short corner. A great piece of movement by John Sykes won another short, converted by Swinden with 10 minutes left to play. Wakefield took their turn to be temporarily reduced to 10 men after a swipe towards Harry Ashford.
The following short corner proved productive, eventually leading to a defensive foot on the line, allowing Damo to equalise from the resultant penalty flick with just 3 minutes to play. Soon after, a strong attacking attitude led to a brilliant pass from Swinden to Sykes, coolly putting away the winner with seconds left. To raise the drama further, Wakey were given a controversial short corner with less than 30 seconds to play, but Slaz held on, confirming a brilliant win. The second half was extremely positive, including some great performances from young players like Jack Sanderson and Harry Firth along the left hand side.
Men’s 4th’s (0) vs. (0) Halifax 3rd’s
A positive result for the men’s 4s as we drew 0-0 to top of the league Halifax 3s who were yet to drop any points. Both teams had chances with the best being a Halifax penalty flick that was sent wide but both teams battled until the final whistle with neither able to create a winning moment.
Development (1) vs. (3) Sheffield HC
Another determined team travelled, again, to Sheffield & after parking issues found they were straight on the pitch. We were 2-0 down after the first quarter & decided to put that down as our warm up. The development team kept fighting throughout & despite some quick opposition held a strong defence. We were unlucky to concede a goal in the last seconds of the first half. The second half finally gave us a break from the low sun & we continued to battle. The determination payed off with a great finish from Owen Wiper. Another great game of hockey with players showing great determination & resilience throughout.
Ladies 1st’s (1) vs. (1) City of York 2nd’s
Slazengers Ladies 1s travelled to face York Ladies 2s with a depleted squad, fielding the bare 11 players due to several absences. This required versatile player Laura Teasdale to step into the centre-back role, where she put in a standout performance alongside defensive partner Marissa, both of whom were strong contenders for Player of the Match.
The youthful Slazengers side started the game brightly, with captain Hannah Field linking up well with vice-captain Frankie Tyrrell. Tyrrell found herself one-on-one with the York keeper after a slick pass from Field, and calmly flicked the ball over the onrushing goalie to give Slazengers an early 1-0 lead. The remainder of the first half was fiercely contested, with both teams pushing for the next goal. Slazengers goalkeeper Dani, who was named Player of the Match, made several crucial saves to preserve the lead going into half-time.
With no substitutes available, Slazengers were aware of the challenge fatigue would pose in the second half. Despite tired legs, their defence held firm, frustrating York’s attacking efforts. Meanwhile, captain Hannah Field continued to create opportunities, frequently feeding striker Millie in search of a second goal to extend their lead. Unfortunately, Millie picked up an injury and had to leave the field in the final 15 minutes, leaving Slazengers down to 10 players.
As the match drew to a close, York took advantage of the numerical superiority and finally broke through Slazengers’ defence in the penultimate minutes, levelling the score at 1-1. Despite the late setback, Slazengers’ determination and defensive resilience earned them a well-fought point. With a well-deserved break next week, Slazengers Ladies 1s will be looking to return with a full squad and renewed energy for their next fixture.
Ladies 2nd’s (3) vs. (1) University of Leeds 3rd’s
This week, Slaz was away in Leeds and joined by some top supporters. We started strong, with lots of attacks, but Leeds Uni defence held out. Eventually, Slaz got a short corner and Stacey Drake cracked it into the back of the net. Leeds uni fought back and attacked the D fiercely being especially fast on the break. Stacey, Bella and Gemma battled hard to keep them from scoring until eventually they managed to sneak one past Tracy. After a quick break away from Ellie, Nicci Swinden received the ball in the D and was relentless until she scored before half time.
Leeds uni started very strong in the 2nd half and instantly were attacking the D. Slaz were steadfast in their defence including Tracy who made some great saves. Leeds uni got a short and Andrea Wallace skillfully deflected a lifted ball off the back line. Slaz continued to battle and managed to attack, which led to a beautiful cross from Maisie Davies to Swinden, who took it around the keeper and scored. Final score, 3-1. This weeks player of the match went to Ni for being all over the pitch, battling hard and demonstrating strong defending.
Ladies 3rd’s (2) vs. (2) Ben Rhydding 4th’s
In a thrilling encounter against a formidable Ben Rhydding side, Slazenger battled to a well-earned 2-2 draw. The first half saw Slazenger take an early lead when Evie found the net with a deft touch, putting her team ahead. However, Ben Rhydding equalized, levelling the score at 1-1 by halftime. It would have been more if it hadn’t been for the great saves from Lauren.
The second half brought intense competition, with Ben Rhydding earning a penalty strike. Lauren dove brilliantly to the right and got a fingertip to the shot, but the ball ultimately found its way into the net, giving the opposition a 2-1 lead. Undeterred, Slazenger rallied and fought fiercely until the final whistle. A standout moment came from an impressive exchange of passes between Erin, player of the match Lucy, and Caro, culminating in Caro’s superb equalizer that reignited Slazenger hopes.
Defensively, the team was solid throughout, with Minch leading the backline and delivering a commanding performance. The draw against such a strong opponent is a testament to Slazengers’ resilience and teamwork.
Ladies 4th’s (6) vs. (1) Tadcaster 2nd’s
Slazenger 4’s put in a strong shift against Tadcaster, despite the challenge of having no subs and battling through unpredictable weather. The game was fast-paced, with both teams pushing hard and tracking up and down the pitch. Rebecca Wade’s goal came from a well-executed short corner, a great reward for some solid team play in the attacking circle. Slazenger managed a few more shots on target, keeping Tadcaster’s defence under pressure throughout the match.
Charlotte Richardson had an outstanding game in goal, making several key saves that kept us in the contest, while the defensive unit worked hard to block Tadcaster’s attacks. The team covered a lot of ground, despite a couple taking a tumble, though quickly got back into the action. Though the final score line was 6-1 to Tadcaster, it didn’t truly reflect how hard Slazenger fought or the quality of hockey played. The team can be proud of their efforts, with Charlotte (GK) and Francesca named as players of the match for their contributions on the pitch.
U14 Girls (5) vs. (1) Ben Rhydding A
Our U14 Girls were playing today in round 1 of the EH Championships and they started strong despite the wet weather with Rosie setting the pace in midfield and distributing the ball up to Edie and Alys who were unlucky to not score. The pressure continued and a quick long corner taken by Rosie who passed to Lauren, who despite the tight angle, managed to score. Ben Rhydding were quick to respond with a quick goal to equalise. The team quickly regrouped and GK Ami made a solid save to set the team off in attack. The defence of Izzy, Lorna, Matilda and Amelia worked well to stop further attacks. Lauren earnt the team a short corner, which was executed well with Rosie scoring to put us back in front ending the first quarter.
The second quarter started with Katie coming on in defence, and Ruth upfront. Adelaide, Rosie, Connie and Lauren continued to work hard in midfield. The attack worked hard with a good press intercepting the ball, Lauren attacked the D and crossed to Ruth who scored making it 3-1 at half time.
In the third quarter, the team continued to play some good hockey in some awful conditions and kept the pressure on the opposition. The defence worked hard, Lorna and Matilda made some solid tackles stopping any attacks down the wings. Izzy was back in defence with Amelia, they cleared the ball wide to set the team off in attack. Rosie and Connie continued to work hard in centre midfield, moving the ball up the pitch to the forwards. Lauren and Adelaide fought hard to win back the ball, and supported the forwards in attack. Despite the pressure, the team could not convert any of their chances. In the fourth quarter, Katie returned to the defensive line and made some well timed tackles. The team looked strong from the start of this quarter and a well executed short corner with Amelia injecting to Rosie who scored made it 4-1. This was followed by another short corner for Slaz, this time with Amelia scoring making it 5-1. The continued pressure from Adelaide against the opposition earned a free hit for Slaz which was quickly taken by Rosie who crossed to Alys who scored making it 6-1 and ensuring the team progressed to the next round.
The opposition team selected Rosie as player of the match but the Slaz team also voted with Adelaide and Ruth coming out as joint player of the match. Coach Milsy was given the final vote, she praised Ruth’s perseverance during the game despite an injury, but cast her vote to Adelaide who showed determination throughout the entire game. Well done girls.
Thank you to the parents for the support and teas after the game, and thanks to Damo for umpiring for us today!
