Lancaster Hockey Club match reports

Here are the latest Lancaster Hockey Club match reports.

March 18 2023

Neston 1s 4-4 Lancaster 1s

Lancaster travelled to Neston on Saturday who sit second in the league. Neston needed a win to stay in touching distance of league leaders Bowdon.

Lancaster started the brightest of the two teams and took the lead through Julie Walker in the ninth minute. Soon after Lancaster thought they had a second but the umpire blew for a penalty stroke as Holly Hunter scored. Unfortunately, the Neston goalkeeper saved the penalty stroke diving to her right.

Despite the setback, Lancaster continued to press the Neston defence and earned a flurry of short corners. Club top goal scorer Nicola Conway fired the ball home to give Lancaster a 2-0 lead. Neston were able to press Lancaster when the team went down to 10 and scored a well worked goal making it 2-1 at half-time.

Into the second half and Neston equalised from a penalty corner. Lancaster once again found themselves down to 10 after a clumsy tackle outside the D. Neston converted two more penalty corners taking the score to 4-2.

The game looked to be Neston’s but Lancaster did not give up. As the umpires signalled two minutes left, Lancaster threw bodies forward and in the last throw of the dice won more penalty corners. This time it was Holly Hunter to convert taking the score to 4-3 with a minute to go.

Neston needed to keep possession but Conway and Hunter hurried the players and won back possession. The ball was driven forward into the D and the relentless Lancaster attack won another penalty corner. Hayley Standeven-Johns injected the ball to the top of the D, Ali Standeven-Johns struck the ball at goal and Hunter was there again to deflect the ball over the goalkeeper into the net making in 4-4 on the final whistle. The outstanding come back felt like a win to the Lancaster side.

Team: Leighan Bleasdale (GK) (C), Holly Hunter, Nicola Conway, Jayde Christeansen, Julie Walker, Zoe Oswald, Ali Standeven-Johns, Hayley Standeven-Johns, Libby Thwaites, Caitlin Ball, Ella Bookless and Katie Oliver

Goal Scorers: Julie Walker, Nicola Conway and Holly Hunter x2

Player of the Match: Holly Hunter

Team Sponsor: Sue Bridges Estate and Letting Agents

Match Sponsor: KB Electrical (North West) Ltd

Lancaster 2s 2-2 Clitheroe Blackburn Northern 2s

This weekend Lancaster 2s welcomed Clitheroe Blackburn Northern 2s, in what turned out to be a thrilling game. Lancaster started off the brighter of the two teams with Sophie Christopherson and Amelia Welch driving Lancaster down both wings keeping the momentum with Lancaster. A flurry of short corners were earned after the forwards of Jess Dawson, Susie Crayton and Emily Verden found the feet of the Clitheroe players on a number of occasions.

The ball was smashed out to the top of the D by Christopherson to Emma Wood who calmly stopped it outside of the D, before calmly taking the ball back into the D and hitting it with force towards the goal. The ball was moving too fast for the Clitheroe goalkeeper who tried to kick it but the ball disappeared under her foot, earning Lancaster the lead. A few minutes before half time Clitheroe earned a number of short corners. Seconds before the first half whistle went the Lancaster goalkeeper saved the initial shot from Clitheroe only to see the ball rebound into the Clitheroe player, drop to her feet and for the umpire to play advantage to allow her to smash the ball home.

Lancaster were not deterred by this and started the second half strong again with both half backs Abi Watson and Molly Chapman driving Lancaster forward. Clitheroe fought back and after the ball was stopped on the line by a Lancaster player they earned a penalty stroke. The Lancaster goalkeeper Rebecca Halliwell was millimetres from getting her stick to the ball. As the match went on the Lancaster defence of Frances Archer and Kiera Langley were called into action on a number of occasions to make key tackles and interceptions. Goalkeeper Rebecca Halliwell had to stay alert and made a number of key saves to keep the score 2-1 to Clitheroe.

Lancaster pushed for an equaliser, Lauren Allwood expertly manned the centre of the pitch, covering every part of the pitch. A solo run from Allwood earned Lancaster a short corner in the last minute of the game. The ball was played to Emma Wood at the top of the D, despite the pressure of the Lancaster 2s season depending on an equaliser, Wood calmly once again stopped the ball before stepping into the D and hammering the ball goal wards. As the ball hit the backboard the cheers were not only from the players but the spectators could also be heard loudly chanting the name of Emma Wood. The game ended 2-2.

Team: Rebecca Halliwell (GK) (C), Frances Archer, Kiera Langley, Molly Chapman, Abi Watson, Emma Wood, Amelia Welch, Sophie Christopherson, Lauren Allwood, Jess Dawson, Emily Verden and Susie Crayton

Goal Scorers: Emma Wood x2

Players of the Match: Emma Wood and Lauren Allwood

Match Sponsor: KB Electrical (North West) Ltd

Lancaster 3s 3-1 Lancaster & Morecambe 2s

Lancaster 3s welcomed Lancaster & Morecambe 2s at home on Saturday 18th March. Another must win game for the 3s, who are still fighting for survival at the bottom of the league, after closely missing out on some points at top of the league Garstang 3s the previous week.

Lancaster started brightly from the push back, regaining possession from Morecambe and driving the ball forward. Inners Ellie Blackstone and Naomi Osborne linked up well with the midfield due of Rebecca Airey and Ella Gill, putting Morecambe on the back foot and under pressure from the off.

The pace of Blackstone in particular was too much for the Morecambe defence and early chances from Airey and forwards Ellen Wills and Izzy Liver were just wide of the mark, or saved by the Morecambe goalkeeper.

Lancaster’s persistence was rewarded after 20 minutes when the ball was cleared by the Lancaster defence into the path of Osborne. With the whole pitch ahead of her, she drove past the scrambling Morecambe midfield into the 25, elegantly passing the ball to the waiting Liver who cleverly chipped

the ball over the diving Morecambe goalkeeper. An excellent team goal from Lancaster, and a well-deserved lead.

The goal and re-start injected some energy into Morecambe, who rallied and got themselves back into the game. Attacking in numbers, to flood the Lancaster defence. However, the efforts were safely dealt with by Lancaster goalkeeper Rebecca Halliwell.

More pressure from Morecambe resulted in a series of penalty corners being awarded. Excellent running by Molly Baines nullified the threat, however a mis-hit clearance from Lancaster defence during the final corner saw the ball play back to the Morecambe attacker who confidently slotted it past the diving Halliwell. 1-1 and the half time whistle was blown.

Knowing they should have been comfortably head in the first half, Lancaster gathered themselves for a big second half attack. Wonderful link up play from half backs Jayne Roper and Molly Baines to the Inners in-front of them Osborne and Blackstone, saw waves of attack down the Lancaster wings, with more efforts from Liver and Wills narrowly misting target.

Lancaster’s persistence was rewarded with a penalty corner being awarded. A good injection from Roper put the ball in the slip for Airey, who confidently took a touch and slotted it home on the near post to give Lancaster the advantage.

A nervous 10mins or so past for Lancaster as Morecambe once again rallied and applied pressure onto the Lancaster defence. After another series of Morecambe penalty corners were kept in safety and cleared confidently by Lancaster, they won another penalty corner of their own.

Again, a pacy delivery from Roper was now met at the top of the D by Airey. Her confident strike took a slight deflection off the defender and thundered past the Morecambe keeper making it 3-1 to Lancaster with 12 minutes to go.

With a cushion of goals to secure the win, Lancaster saw out the remainder of the game as they started, confident on the ball, retaining possession and with great passages of play. A confident and deserved win for the team, taking their fate right down to the wire with another must win fixture away at Fylde on the last game of the season. Watch this space!

Team: Rebecca Halliwell (GK), Rebecca Airey, Molly Baines, Chloe Shatford, Jayne Roper, Izzy Lier, Naomi Osborne, Alison Gardner (C), Ellen Wills, Molly Chapman, Ella Gill and Ellie Blackstone

Goal Scorers: Izzy Liver and Rebecca Airey x2

Player of the Match: Ellie Blackstone

Match Sponsor: KB Electrical (North West) Ltd