Test2

Match Report

A new look second team travelled to Lindum for the first game of their league campaign. Having finished the season in third place, they were looking to get back to the same form. However, Lindum 4ths had finished second so this wasn't going to be an easy start, especially with captain Ste Roberts still playing some other silly sport, and Will "old man" Buckley, resting his bad back.

And so it proved. Lindum pressed from the start, making it hard for Slaz to get the ball moving. Lindum themselves looked dangerous on the break, and it took several important saves from goalkeeper moog to keep the visitors in it. Despite this, Lindum went into the break 2 goals up.

With a chance to reassess, Slaz came out stronger and more determined. A more aggressive midfield moved the ball faster, and caused more opportunities. Man of the match James Stevenson was clinical on the right wing and when Lindum's goalie saved a shot from Ian Hedges, Stevenson was there to put it away. Slaz had several more chances, but strong goalkeeping from Lindum kept them at bay. However, another strike from Richard Tuddenham was saved, Ben Graham picked up the rebound, extending his record to scoring in 30 consecutive seasons.

Unfortunately Lindum had their own goal scoring chances, netting two of their own, leaving the score at 4-2. A challenging start to the season, but plenty of positives to take into the league campaign for the 2nds. They face Sheffield Bankers 4ths next week at home.

Match Report

Slazengers 2nd XI fell to a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home against Sheffield University Bankers 4th XI, in what was a frustrating afternoon for the hosts. The game started brightly for Slazengers, and when a penalty stroke was awarded midway through the first half, they made no mistake in converting it to take a 1-0 lead. However, the advantage was short-lived as the home side began to unravel. Poor passing and repeated turnovers gifted the visitors possession in dangerous areas, and Sheffield took full advantage, scoring twice to flip the contest on its head.

Despite a late push from Slazengers, including a disallowed goal from a short corner that would have levelled the match, the equaliser never came. The hosts were left to rue their errors in a performance that will be remembered more for what was squandered than what was created. There were, however, a few positives to take. Jack Lee and James Stephenson both put in strong shifts, with Player of the Match deservedly going to James Stephenson, who has impressed since joining the 2nd XI this season. Final score: Slazengers 2nd XI 1–2 Sheffield University Bankers 4th XI.

Match Report

Slazenger 2nds travelled to Sheffield looking to bounce back from a couple of lack lustre results. However, it wasn\\\\\\\'t to be with the hosts running out comprehensive winners. Sheffield took the early initiative with a pair of well taken goals, before a trademark Richard Tuddenham strike pulled the team back into contention. However, when Slazenger capitalised on the goal to score a second, which was disallowed, the team struggled to find another gear.

Sheffield with the wind in their sales scored further goals, with the visitors unable to gain momentum and find that killer spark. Slazenger 2nds will look to put the early games to bed when they hosted Chesterfield next week.

Match Report

The seconds hosted travelling side Chesterfield 3s, with an eye to recovering from a bumpy start to the season. Coming away with a 6-0 win and a clean sheet, the team certainly achieved that. Even in what could be best described as wet conditions. Slazenger started with the higher tempo and moved the ball around with pace. The home team were able to create space, with Ste Roberts, Owen Coughtrey and Paul Wiper linking up well in the middle. Early in the first half the pressure resulted in a short corner after some deft play by Aleks Thompson. Ian Hedges was able to convert; after the keeper stopped his first strike, he put the second shot into the top corner to put the side ahead. With nerves settled, the team began to press, winning the ball and attacking against the visitors. Jack Mumford took the opportunity inside the circle, smashing the ball past the goalie, and Ian Hedges bagged his second, converting a second corner with a well taken flick.

In the second half, the weather began to dry out. Against form, Slaz continued to play with composure and shape. Aleks Thompson was rewarded for his hard work up front with 2 goals and Hedges fancy footwork bagged his third for an unheard-of hat trick(the first in 10 years?) The last 5 minutes weren\'t the teams finest, and a scrappy defensive effort was needed to ensure that keeper James Walker finished with a clean sheet. Next week Slaz look to keep the momentum going with an early fixture at Doncaster.

Match Report

Test

Match Report

After two wins on the bounce, the 2nds hosted huddersfield 2s for another battle of wits and guile. Under a gentle autumnal sun, the teams met. Huddersfield had the push, and started brightly, but Slaz employed a series of flowing pases to setup an early short corner. A sign of the determination from last week perhaps. However, this clearly pushed Huddersfield to react, clinically beating goalkeeper Walker to go one ahead.

Slazenger redouble their efforts, and there were signs of life aim in the team. Some fanatic link up play set up Aleks Thompson to pick out an aerial pass and slot it into the back of the net on the volley.

Huddersfield fought back to take the lead once more, this time with 'keeper Walker turning the ball into his own net. With 10 minutes to go, it wasn't looking good for the home side. However a last minute revival was spurred when James Stevenson beat the goalkeeper to slot away a second. With minutes remaining, Slaz surged forward, pressing the momentum and looking for an equaliser. With seconds left on the clock, a final penalty corner was won.

As the forward line positioned for the corner, the call went out for 'the torpedo'. Up came young Adam Drake. The seconds ticked down. The ball was injected to the top of the circle. Drake stood ready. He strook the ball cleanly. As the vital seconds ticked away, he drilled the ball into the bottom left of the goal equalising the game. A once a decade goal, and the perfect time to score it. The win keeps the 2nd unbeaten run alive as they go into the half term break weekend.

Match Report

Slaz mens 2nd team took on Horncastle this week, having played them for that last 3 seasons with mixed results and some fantastic games. The Slazenger men were up for the challenge to bring the points home.

The game started at a fast rate with Slaz having most of the ball, passing it well, Horncastle were not to be made fools of and push hard, running a very high press, which paid dividends when they broke after 15 min to get the first goal, this sadly was followed quickly with there second from a great drag flick at a short corner. Slaz kept going getting one back with some great work from James Stevenson cutting through their defence to get a well deserved goal. The half ended again with Horncastle netting again from a short corner, Slaz kept going to half time seeing the fruit of their work paying of and being awarded a penalty flick, sadly we could not convert this. half time 3-1 down.

After the break Slaz came out fighting hard getting a goal back from Ryan Bishop with a great hit finding the goal 3-2, Horncastle once again find the net from the same short corner drag flick, again unstoppable 4-2.

Not to be put down Slaz continue to push working hard taking the lead from Horncastle playing our own high pressure, this paid off with the second goal from Ryan Bishop 4-3 could the comeback be done again, with only 5 mins left Slaz pressed hard but sadly with this left ourselves light at the back allowing Horncastle to seal their win with the last goal finishing the match 5-3.

Match Report

Slaz hosted Brigg for an end to end encounter. However they were to rue a combination of defensive lapses and less than effective penalty corner routines! Slazenger started the brighter, and moved the ball well in space. With the sun setting, it created challenging conditions and forced Slaz to move methodically up the pitch. This was the source of the first goal, when Jack Sumner was setup early to slot away the first goal. However Brigg took advantage of several defensive lapses to net 3 in quick succession to go into the break ahead.

Slazenger played some better hockey in the second half, and won several short corners. However, the team struggled to convert the opportunities, with the Brigg keeper pulling off some strong saves. with 5 minutes to go, Ian Hedges was able to convert a second goal, but by this time, Brigg had found the net twice more to open up an unassailable lead. Slaz look to get back to winning ways next week against Chesterfield

Match Report

The 2nd's hosted Chesterfield 2nd's on Saturday. The team played some of their best hockey of the season, ultimately coming away with a well earned victory. Slaz started brightly, even in the challenging storm conditions, and moved the ball around quickly. Chesterfield were caught on the break, as slaz caused trouble in their final quarter, winning several penalty corners on the bounce. After several fluffed opportunities, Jack Lee converted with a well taken drag flick to put the team 1-0 ahead and settle nerves. The team continued to press, but Chesterfield settled and broke down the opportunities which Slazenger created.

After the break, the game was again well matched, but with Slazenger having the majority of possession. A further well worked penalty corner move was finished by Jack Lee, to put the team 2-0 ahead, but the game wasn't over yet. Chesterfield fought back into contention and scored to close the gap. With an injured James Swinden at the heart of midfield, the team had to reorganise, putting pressure on the home side. However, James Stevenson continued to cause Chesterfield trouble on the right wing. When an aerial was thrown from Adam Drake at the back, it found Ian Hedges in the middle, who played Stevenson into space, to neatly beat the keeper. The third goal put clear water between the two sides, but even then Slaz had to resist a last minute fight back to take the win. The result takes the 2nds up to 7th, setting up next weeks encounter with 6th place Rotherham 2nd's.

Match Report

The Men’s 2nds made the trip to Rotherham for a 4pm start under the floodlights—always a bit of a different vibe, but Slaz came out flying. From the first minute they looked sharp, carrying over that calm, confident hockey from the tail end of last week’s game. The ball was moving nicely, the passes were sticking, and the team created a bunch of early chances. Having Paul Wiper up top gave Slaz loads of options, and it wasn’t long before the pressure paid off. James Stevenson - who ended up taking Man of the Match - opened the scoring with a tidy finish, slotting it past the keeper and setting the tone. Buoyed by the opener, Slaz pushed on again. A run of penalty corners followed, and this time Ian Hedges stepped up and flicked home a well-placed second. At that point, the confidence really started to flow. Then came the standout moment of the match, maybe even goal of the season: a flowing five-player move that went from back to front with proper composure.

Ben Graham drew the keeper out brilliantly before sliding it across for Jack Mumford to finish it off. Class goal, and fully deserved. The second half had a similar feel, with Slaz still trying to play the same passing game, though Rotherham had clearly woken up a bit. They closed space quicker and made it harder to break through. As the legs started to tire, the sharpness going forward dropped off slightly—but the work rate didn’t. At the back, James Walker had another excellent afternoon, pulling off a couple of really strong saves to secure his third clean sheet of the season. The win bumps the 2nds up to 6th and gives them a good bit of momentum heading toward the Christmas break. Plenty of positives, some great hockey played, and a proper team performance all round.

Match Report

Saturday’s match began under a soft, persistent drizzle—a hint, perhaps, of the afternoon to come. Louth 1sts arrived sitting comfortably near the top of the table, their form on both home turf and distant pitches hard to ignore. Slaz, buoyed by last week’s win at Rotherham, knew this would be a very different challenge. As hosts, Slazenger fielded a strong side and opened brightly, moving the ball with real purpose and menace. Yet it didn’t take long to see that Louth carried a sharper edge: they challenged everything, and broke with a pace that showed their threat.

Even so, Slaz struck first. Jack Sumner tucked the opener away at the back post after 'man of the match' James Stevenson sliced through the defence. The celebration barely had time to settle before Louth answered—three times in quick succession. ( We best not mention the third goal coming off a cheeky 1-2 with the strikers own calf muscle..) Slaz refused to fold. Just before half time, Ian Hedges carved open the back line and squared the ball for Alek Thompson to finish, giving the hosts a deserved second.

The pattern repeated after the break. Slaz played some of their best hockey of the season—quick hands, sharp movement, chances appearing across the pitch. But against a ruthless opponent, the odd slow pass was a gift too easily accepted. Where Slazenger couldn’t quite convert, Louth were clinical, adding another three to claim a slightly flattering 6–2 victory. It was unfortunate that the 5th goal was helped along by the forwards own foot, but the 6th was the goal of the game, defender Will Buckley beating his own keeper with the perfectly deflected own goal... if only it had been at the other end of the pitch!

Slaz battled to the final whistle, and while the score line was disappointing, the performances from everyone couldn't be faulted. Slazenger now look to regroup ahead of their final match before the Christmas break, a meeting with mid-table Lindum 4ths.

Match Report

It was the final game before Christmas. Slaz had been playing some of their best hockey in recent games and were looking to put last weeks defeat to rest.

Slaz started a lot more tentatively this week, and took some time to jet into the game. The first 10 minutes had flashes of the old team, rushed passes, forced long balls and invited pressure into themselves. However as time went on, they settled into playing better, structured hockey. With the more structured hockey came more scoring opportunities. Ben Jackson created the first, beating the defence with a mazy run, squaring the ball to Ian Hedges, who tapped it in at the back post. Slaz settled, and with some composed midfield work led by man of the match captain Ste Roberts, the team looked more organised going into the break 1-0 ahead.

In the second half the team looked leaner and keener; moving the ball around with more pace and intent. This was awarded with a string of attacking opportunities, including a short corner. Up stepped Adam "The Torpedo" Drake, who coolly dispatched the short with a well taken strike into the bottom corner. Ben Jackson had spent a good part of the game warming up the goalkeeper with his gentle shots, but the second half was different This time, finishing another trademark blistering run with a clean strike, to make it 3-0.

Lindum were not going to roll over like a Christmas Turkey, and battled back into the game; some lapse defensive work from Slazenger allowed them in to convert, closing the gap and denying James Walker his deserved clean sheet. However Slazenger were not done yet, with time still on the clock, Ian Hedges orchestrated an attacking move, from deep within the Slazenger half, and was on hand in the circle to smash the ball into the net from close range when the goalkeeper had cleared Ben Jackson's first shot.

A good result for the 2nd's as they go into the Christmas break. Merry Christmas everyone!

Match Report

After a 6 week break over the Christmas period, it was clear that the 2nds had been impacted by some rich living and turkey as they warmed up on a damp Saturday morning. Away, Sheffield had been a slick outfit with some strong, youthful players who had troubled the slightly older 2nds. However as the game got going, it was clear that the travelling side was a little lighter in midfield maestros, and so Slazenger got go work. 

It wasn't long before the home side took the lead. A well placed pass from left wing Ian Hedges found James Stevenson to deftly beat the keeper with a well taken strike. While this looked to have set up Slazenger for a strong half, that was the only goal until the break. A little rust, a lot of turkey, and a helping of bad luck kept Slaz from converting any further goals. 

Sheffield weren't a spent force, and threatened several times. Going into the second half,  there was always the risk of a bad spell letting the visitors back into the game. However, Slaz continued to find good spells of hockey,  Richard Tuddenham selflessly playing Stevenson into space,  for him to beat the keeper and dribble it into the back of the net for his second. In the ten minutes that followed, 3 more goals went in. Richard Tuddenham got 2; 1 from a penalty corner strike  and 1 from a flowing move which freed him up to slot it past the keeper. Sheffield netted one in response showing they were still a threat. 

Sheffield scored a second quickly after and looked to be forging a bit of a comeback before James Swinden beat 3 players and smashed the ball into the roof of the net to make it 5 and extend the lead. Sheffield battled until the end, and with legs tiring,  Slaz had to hold on to the final whistle, but took the win and points.

Match Report

Slazenger 2nds travelled down to Meadowhead for their more recent fixture against Sheffield Bankers 4ths. Slaz travelled with a strong side, but when they arrived, it was clear some buckets and spades may have been more valuable than hockey sticks given the depth of sand on the turf.

From the off, Sheffield started on the front foot, more used to the pitch. The generous coating of sand made the pitch slippery, and Sheffield took full advantage of it. Slaz struggled to react to some sharp passing, and Sheffield were several ahead in quick order. Slazenger countered and looked threatening in places, but couldn't find the scoring chances to pull level.

Slazenger's "bomb squad" bench may have had a combined age of nearly 200 years, but the psychological impact of the four man substitution was enough to unbalance Sheffield and Slaz gain the upper hand. Unfortunately they couldn't convert the chances available, and it was only a matter of time before a gentle gust of wind resulted in stalwart Will Buckley's hamstring failing and once again Sheffield had the upper hand. It wasn't for lack of defensive effort, with Matt Green, Adam Drake, and Maff Birkett steadying the ship at the back. By the break, Sheffield had gone 4 ahead, which wasn't ideal, but a strong halftime talk was enough to strengthen the resolve and come out fighting.

Slaz came out stronger, maybe more assured on the shifting sand dunes, winning a short corner which Richard Tuddenham converted. This was quickly followed by a second, again with Tuddenham claiming his second of the game. The passing was sharper and the effort couldn't be faulted. However, Sheffield ran in a 5th goal to keep the gap substantial. Man of the Match James Walker put in an outstanding performance in goal to deny several key chances. In the end however, it wasn't to be. While Slaz won the second half comprehensively, it couldn't overturn the first half deficit. The team looks to get back to winning ways at home next week.

Match Report

Slazenger men's 2nds hosted Doncaster under foreboding skies at Addingford. The away leg had been a cagey affair, with only a goal separating the sides. Slaz started on the front foot and moved the ball around. Doncaster had a font line of young lads who harried the slaz back line. However as the minutes rolled on, Slazenger became more composed and worked their way into a stronger attacking threat. Doncaster had a couple of experienced players at the back who made it hard to convert the chances into goal scoring.

However, the first breaks in the dam came from a couple of mis-hit short corners and before long, Slazenger had gone ahead from a single Richard Tuddenham penalty corner. After the break, the gap continued to grow. Tuddenham netted two more to open up a lead. Further goals came from Jack lee and James Swinden. Slazenger travels to Chesterfield next week.

Match Report

Sometimes, the highlight of the game is a specific goal or passage of play. It maybe says something about the game that the highlight was the post match teas; a well organised pairing of sandwiches, crispy chips and sausages. Each potentially limited on their own, but they worked well together, in a well coordinated move by the Britainnia Inn. The game earlier had shown a distinct lack of this coordination and flair from the visiting side.

Chesterfield 3's sat at the bottom of the league, and initially it looked like the promise of a strong result. However, there wasn't much in the way of enthusiasm during the warmup and the initial touches of the ball didn't bode well either. In fact, it was Chesterfield who to took the lead early and showed a piece of what was to come, beating the goalie with a fast paced attacking move. It wasn't until James Walker parried away a penalty flick that Slaz looked slightly more motivated and equalised through a Richard Tuddenham short corner strike.

At half time there were wise words spoken and discussions of tactics and strategy. Chesterfield utilised their experienced players well to shut out the Slaz attack, while their younger lads ran the attacking moves. However the brutal reality was they were first to every 50/50 ball, and were physically strong on the ball.

Coming out in the second half, Slazenger hauled themselves into contention. A penalty corner finished by Jack Sumner got the ball rolling, followed by a second from Sumner; arriving at the back post with perfect timing to put the ball away. Soon after, Richard Tuddenham got his second from a well worked short corner routine. Each time, however, Chesterfield matched the goal with their own in response. Like the immovable object and irresistible force battling it out for supremacy, it seemed as though it was destined for a draw, but Slaz had one more goal up their sleeves. A well coordinated pass and move routine setup Paul Wiper for a first time strike to seal the win.

It wasn't pretty, and against a stronger, more clinical opponent, it may have been an embarrassing result. However, in the end, Slaz did just enough to escape disaster. Let's hope next week at Huddersfield 2nds, they get back to the exciting form they had before.

Match Report

Slazenger travelled the short distance to Huddersfield for their most recent fixture. After a less than stellar performance last week, the team were looking to put in a stronger showing. Huddersfield were no pushover and like the meeting of two heavyweights, the game was a blow for blow battle which left both sides even by the final whistle.

It was Huddersfield who went ahead with an unfortunate first goal, however strong work from James Swinden and Paul Wiper in the middle won a short corner minutes later. Ben Graham was on hand at the back post to equalise after the first shot was blocked by the opposition goalie.

The game continued to be finely balanced, with both sides having opportunities. James Stevenson and Aleks Thomson both went close, but the Huddersfield goalkeeper put in a frustratingly strong performance. With Slaz unable to find a way through, it was Huddersfield who scored a second from a breakaway goal. However, with the game so finely balanced, it wasn't long before Ian Hedges stole the ball, and setup Richard Tuddenham to slot the ball away to equalise for a second time.

Not to be outdone however, Huddersfield pressed for a winner. Matt Green and Birkett at the back mopped up well. However they were undone when somewhat against the run of play, the ball dribbled in at the back post for a third Huddersfield goal. Again, Slazenger worked hard and a third goal was the reward; this time, Tuddenham netted from a short corner. Slazenger continued to battle hard and looked close to taking the result in the dying minutes, but Huddersfield hung on for a share of the points.

Match Report

There is certainly a link between the level of anticipation level for a game, and the associated travel time. Clocking in at 2 hours each direction, it wasn't much of a surprise that enthusiasm wasn't hitting record levels for this fixture.

Horncastle has been a staple of the league calendar for the 2nd team for several seasons since they moved into the Yorkshire league structure. However, there were few tears at the realisation that, as Horncastle sat squarely at the top of the league and unbeaten at home, this may be the last meeting for some time.

All that considered, a good warmup and some surprisingly sunny conditions (and a good helping of ibuprofen gel) meant the 2nd team were in good form for the starting whistle. In fact Slaz looked dangerous from the off. When Horncastle went ahead from a goal around the 20 minute mark, Slaz hit back almost immediately. With striker Richard Tuddenham out due to a recurring sniffle, Ben Graham led from the front, beating the mountainous keeper meaning at the break things were all square at 1-1.

The second half was more of a challenge. All of the right things were said at half time, however Maff Birkett made the mistake of using long words in his team talk, which caused confusion within the midfield well into the second half. Horncastle were as challenging a team as the first half; moving the ball effectively and attacking at pace. With the midfield still trying to work out what "spurious" meant, it wasn't long before the opposition had scored a second. Things took an even worse turn when defender Matt Green turned the ball into his own net to help Horncastle to their third.

However, to their credit, Slaz continued to work hard. Paul Wiper, and James Swinden moved the ball effectively in the middle, and looked dangerous on the break. James Stevenson caused trouble for their back line, and Slaz had several close chances including an overhead effort from Graham who went close to getting his second in spectacular fashion.

It says something that the "man of the match" vote was tied between Green and Adam Drake for the work rate, keeping Horncastle at bay. However it was the home side who wrapped things up in the closing minutes of the game. It's reassuring that even after 2 hours in the car, the side were able to put out such a strong performance against top of the league. Next week Slaz travel to fellow mid table side Brigg looking to take that form with them.

Match Report

The 2nds continued their greatly anticipated tour of the most distant hockey pitches in Lincolnshire, this week dropping by Brigg to inspect their facilities. While slightly closer than last weeks Horncastle, it was nonetheless another decent journey and so was important the team came away with a win. The team were slightly understrength due to the long league campaign taking a toll on the more geriatric members of the team. However, Owen Wiper and Jez Whawell ably stepped up to the 2nds to plug the gaps.

The game was physical from the off. While hockey is a non-contact sport, these rules get increasingly more relaxed the further you travel east... or so it appeared. Brigg were industrious on the ball and agricultural off it. Slaz worked hard to counter this, moving the ball around quickly. However, an experienced Brigg midfield made it challenging to break through and for much of the first half, there were no chances coming. Unfortunately, at the other end, Brigg counter attacked, found a gap and took full advantage of it to take the lead.

As with last week though, Slazenger were not going to lay down, especially when this was 4th vs 5th and every point counts! The team continued to work hard, and over time gained the upper hand. The work-rate created opportunities, leading to Richard Tuddenham netted an equaliser after good build-up play from Ben Graham. Slazenger were the more productive team as the game went on, creating better opportunities. Ste Robert, Adam Drake and Will Buckley mopped up well to keep Brigg out and up top, Man of the Match Owen Wiper impressed on his debut.

Slazenger stayed composed as the game drew on, and it was Ben Graham who created the opportunity for Tuddenham to force his way through the defence and net a second.

Slazenger look to carry this work rate into next weeks game against Chesterfield.

Match Report

Slazengers Men’s 2nds returned to Chesterfield for the second time in a matter of weeks, this time taking on their second team in the same league — and left with considerably more breathing room than the narrow 5–4 victory over their firsts a fortnight prior.

The game opened as a tense affair, with Chesterfield matching Slazengers early on and the scores level at 1–1 after an early Slazengers goal, only for the hosts to equalise. From that point, however, Slazengers took firm control and never looked back, pressing well and producing some slick combination play that repeatedly cut through a tiring Chesterfield defence.

A hat-trick from Richard Tuddenham — completed early in the second half — along with goals from Jimmy Swinden, Jack Sumner, and Aleks Thompson sealed a convincing 6–1 victory.

Match Report

Saturday saw a welcome change to the 2nd team's long run of away games. As much fun as it had been to travel to the farthest hockey pitches in Lincolnshire, the last home game of the season was very much welcomed. With the season coming to a close, there was a noticeable absence from some of the more elderly players, while on the pitch aches and groans were heard as the warm up started...

Slaz got going quickly and moved the ball around at pace. Rotherham had been hard to break down in the away leg, however some good passing and movement provided Richard Tuddenham with several chances in the early phases of the game. It was from one of these phases that Tuddenham netted his first; surprising everyone with a goal in open play. With a goal ahead, however, Slazenger began to play through the middle and Rotherham cancelled out the attacking threat.

Half time came and with it, wise words from Simon Chamberlain. The team came back on the pitch with renewed focus. Rotherham had their own ideas and threw players forward looking for an equaliser. Slazenger's renewed efforts were rewarded when Ben Graham provided the through ball for Tuddenham to score a second. Minutes later, Tuddenham wrapped up his hat-trick with a third.

Rotherham continued to look for a consolation goal, but an incredible defensive effort, including a famously strong tackle from Adam Drake, and some saves from James Walker himself helped Walker to a clean sheet to top off the performance.

Next week, the 2's wrap up their season with as 4 hour round trip to top of the league Lough 1st's...

Match Report

On paper, a 4 hour round trip to face an undefeated team sitting clear at the top of the league wouldn't have been the most alluring prospect to wrap up the hockey season. Add to that a continued spate of injuries, and none of it spelled classic fixture. However, how wrong we were. After what seemed like an age trecking out to the furthest hockey pitch from Slazengers, a mere 2 hours to Louth HC, Slaz were met by blue skies and almost tropical temperatures. A cheeky warmup and everyone was in good spirits. Well until the hockey started.
Louth were well organised, fit and ruthless in front of goal. Soft passes were intercepted and Slaz found themselves under pressure from the off. It wasn't long before they drew first blood and went 1-0 ahead. However Slaz were up for the fight, and when Ben Graham won a penalty corner, Richard Tuddenham put it away to go level and silence the crowd. 
However, Louth were top of the league for a reason and promptly banged in 4 goals in 10 minutes to open up an intimidating gap. Slazenger battled hard, James Stevenson and Captain Ste Roberts led the way in the middle causing trouble and creating opportunities. It was clear there was still a game on when Tuddenham beat the keeper again,  making it 6-2 at the break.

The halftime talk kept the focus on simply scoring more. In a toe to toe slugfest between these two heavyweight it was going to come down to how many blows Slaz could land.  

The second half saw Slaz battle harder. Things got off to a great start, when Tuddenham bagged his third. Ian Hedges provided a well placed cross for Aleks Thompson to smash the ball into the roof of the net to make it 6-4 which rightly started causing concerns in the Louth supporters. At the other end, Will Buckley, Jack Lee and Lucas Smith had their games of the season to keep Louth out, and as frustration in the home side increased, Tuddenham bagged a fourth to close the gap to a single goal.
Unfortunately, Louth converted a well worked penalty corner, and time ran out for Slazenger to find any further goals. In all however, it was a fantastic clash to wrap up the season, showing real grit, determination and effort from the travelling side and gives the team a solid 4th place finish in the league.