East Women’s Premier League – sponsored by NE14Hockey

Dereham 5, Colchester 1 (06/03/10)

Colchester had a good idea of what to expect when they travelled to Dereham after being comprehensively beaten when they played hosts earlier in the season in the NE14Hockey East Premier League.

The match didn’t start well for the visitors, with Dereham getting three early short corners and capitalising on all of them. The slick routines of a well practiced Dereham beat the visiting defence with apparent ease- one with a straight strike which went in on the right post, the second which went in on the left post, and the third deflected in at head height on the left.

Notwithstanding the difficult start to the match, Colchester refused to give up and fought back strongly, being rewarded with a well worked goal from Mersea Homes Player of the Match Helen Barnes, who tirelessly worked at hassling the Dereham defenders and constantly applying pressure. The first half finished at 3-1.

The second half started with Colchester playing great possession hockey and frustrating the Dereham players, resulting in a yellow card for a Dereham midfielder. Colchester continued to pass the ball round smoothly but did not manage to break through the final line of the home team’s defence with a goal. Dereham, returned to the full eleven players, continued to force Colchester’s defence to work hard with Karen Harris doing a great job of marking the dangerous striker that Colchester remembered well from their first meeting. A tired Colchester defence were eventually worn down, despite some outstanding saves from keeper Jacqui Crombie, and Dereham managed two more goals for the match to finish at 5-1. All in all a good performance from Colchester and one that the visitors should not be disappointed by.

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Colchester Ladies 0, Canterbury II 4 (27/02/10)

Saturday’s match saw Colchester Ladies 1^st team play hosts to top-of-the-table Canterbury 2^nds in the NE14Hockey East Premier League. Following a three point penalty deduction for Colchester when they were unable to field a team against Thurrock, Colchester find themselves in a relegation position and were keen to pick up points.

Colchester were prepared for the fast paced game and played strongly, and although initially the home team struggled to ensure the passes got beyond the reach of the visitors, they did get the measure of Canterbury and looked an equal opposition. The home team had a high work rate throughout the match, particularly seen in the middle of the pitch from Mersea Homes Player of the Match Angela Roberts who consistently played well and put in strong tackles.

The defence worked hard against the quick and skilful Canterbury forwards, and the first goal came from open play following a save from Colchester’s keeper on the left post which wasn’t quite cleared far enough, left for Canterbury ’s winger to pick up and slot past the defence on the opposite post. Remembering the slick short corner routines from the away outing to Canterbury, Colchester did their best to prevent these being awarded but late in the first half the well practiced short corner routine got the better of the Colchester defence with a couple of quick passes at the top of the D followed by a hard strike crossing the line just below the backboard to put the visitors 2-0 in the lead.

Colchester did not let their heads go down and came back even stronger in the second half. A string of short corners were awarded to the home team, but the Canterbury defence did a great job of keeping the shots out. Colchester continued to work hard and create the chances but the pressure applied by top of the table Canterbury continued to wear them down and a third goal was conceded by Colchester when a forward picked up an attempted clearance and struck it hard on the volley for the ball to end up in the back of the net. The fourth and final goal against Colchester came in the last few minutes when a tired defence could not quite make the ball to clear it from the line. All in all a good effort by Colchester and an unfortunate final score line in a hard fought match enjoyed by both teams. Colchester face Dereham away next week in what is likely to be another very tough match.

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Colchester 1, Holcome 8 (30/01/10)

Colchester Ladies 1^st team hosted Holcombe Ladies 1^st team at Abbeyfields on Saturday 30^th January in the NE14 East Hockey League Premier Division.

The game started at a fast pace with Colchester applying the pressure on the visitors from the first whistle. Colchester strung together some quick accurate passes, providing several opportunities for scoring within the first five minutes. Unfortunately the home team did not capitalise on these chances and were punished shortly after by some great individual work from members of the Holcombe forward line resulting in Colchester going 1-0 down. While the Colchester defence continued to work hard, including a clearance off the line by Sarah Rose, the skilful Holcombe forwards continued to find gaps and managed to slot three further goals away before half time, leaving the home team with a 4 goal deficit to make up.

Colchester did not let their heads go down, with Mersea Homes Player of the Match Karen Harris working hard in the midfield to create opportunities for attack for the home team. Early in the second half, Colchester took an early hit out which found Helen Barnes on the right wing who drove down the line and slipped the ball left to Lucy Struth. Struth then drove strongly into the D, laying the ball off to the far left post for a waiting Angela Roberts to deflect into the goal to beat the Holcombe keeper.

Holcombe regrouped once more after this, and continued to stretch the home team’s defence.  Colchester had two penalty flicks awarded against them, and converted, in quick succession. With yet more individual skill from some members of the Holcombe squad, a further goal was scored before the end, and a well calculated flick from a short corner provided the eighth goal. This left the visitors with an 8-1 win over Colchester, not accurately reflecting the number of opportunities on goal and the pressure that Colchester applied to the visitors.

Next week, Colchester travel to face mid-table Wapping.

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Colchester 1, Saffron Walden 1 (23/01/10)

Following the unlucky loss at Chelmsford last week, Colchester were hoping to get 3 points  playing host to Saffron Walden ladies 1^st team at the meeting of two teams promoted together last season into the NE14 East Hockey League Premier Division.

The two teams were equally matched from the beginning; both sides creating opportunities and responding to pressure applied with Colchester keeper Jacqui Crombie doing an outstanding job of keeping Saffron Walden’s shots out of the net. While it seemed that Colchester , with the home advantage, created the better opportunities of the two teams, the first goal of the match came from a Saffron Walden striker who managed to get away from their defender. Not dissimilar to the first goal from Chelmsford last week, the striker drove strongly towards the back line, then crossed the goal to a line of waiting strikers, one of whom managed to get a stick to the ball to deflect it into the goal.

Colchester kept their heads high, however, continuing to play some great hockey and create good scoring opportunities. Despite the pressure being applied on the visitors’ defence, the home team were unable to finish any of the chances and went into the second half 1-0 down to Saffron Walden.

The second half continued with both teams playing good and evenly matched hockey. Lucy Struth capitalised on a well constructed attack with a goal half way through the second half to put the teams even at 1-1. For the last 15 minutes of the match, Colchester were the team applying most of the pressure on the visitors’ defence. The defence, including Mersea Homes player of the match Naomi Allen, keeping the ball clear of the defending end and helping to apply the pressure on Saffron Walden by pushing high up the pitch. Despite a few late attempts on goal, Colchester did not manage to get the winning goal and the game finished a 1-1 draw.

Next week, Colchester have the home advantage against successful team Holcombe who lie in third place in the league.

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Chelmsford Ladies II 5, Colchester Ladies 0 (16/01/10)

The snow wreaked havoc on the beginning of the second half of the NE14 Hockey East Premier League season following the Christmas break, with the first match postponed and the Colchester team not having trained due to pitches being unplayable. The weather was still causing problems for both teams on Saturday with heavy rain making the pitch very slow and producing some unexpected bounces of the ball. In addition, the Colchester team was missing several regular first team players due to injuries and other absences.

Despite this, Colchester started well and played some great hockey, producing well constructed attacks down both wings. Likewise, the home team managed to stretch the visitors’ defensive set up with some fast breaks from their forwards. The two teams seemed fairly evenly matched with both teams creating opportunities but not managing to capitalise. The first goal of the match came from a fast break from Chelmsford ’s right wing who beat her marker and passed the ball across the face of the goal for a waiting Chelmsford striker to deflect into the net.

In the second half, Colchester started strongly once more, creating the better chances of the two teams. A strong team performance resulted in significant pressure applied in the D. The ball ended up in the back of the net, but not before the umpire awarded a penalty flick to the visitors, which was unfortunately not converted. Another quick break from a Chelmsford striker beat the Colchester defence and an excellent strike from the top of the D finished in a second goal for the home team. Chelmsford continued to stretch Colchester’s defence and two more goals were put past Colchester in quick succession. Colchester picked up their game again following this, building some strong moves from the defence helped by Mersea Homes player of the match Naomi Allen. More chances were created by Colchester but unfortunately nothing was finished with a goal. A last press from Chelmsford saw a goal scored on the final whistle to leave the match at 5-0 to the home team, which was not considered truly reflective of the possession and the play during the game. Colchester host Saffron Walden next week at Abbeyfields.

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Colchester 1, Bromley & Beckenham 5 (12/12/09)

Colchester were hoping to go into the Christmas break with a win in the last game of 2009 in the NE14 East Hockey League Premier Division when they played hosts to Bromley & Beckenham.

The visitors looked the stronger of the two teams in the first half. An early attack down the right hand side with a cross into the D unfortunately knocked in by the defenders let the away team go 1-0 up.  A short corner slipped to the right, driven to the back line and pulled back to a striker on the penalty spot who was on hand to flick it over the defenders sticks led to the away team’s second goal. The visitors scored one further goal in the first half to go into the second half 3-0 up.

The second half saw Colchester pull together and raise their game to construct some good attacks down the flanks with Mersea Homes player of the match Angela Roberts being a key player on the left. Although the away team got the first goal of the second half, the home team were awarded a short corner which was struck well from the top of the D by Lucy Struth to close the gap to 4-1. Colchester continued to create chances for themselves but a good performance from the visitors’ goal keeper kept the shots out.

The final goal of the match came from an unmarked player for Bromley and Beckenham being left free at the edge of the D to get a great strike which beat the Colchester defence. The match finished at 5-1. With other results going their way, Colchester are going into 2010 just out of the relegation zone but with work to do to maintain that position for the end of the season.

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Colchester 3, Cambridge University 2 (05/12/09)

Colchester finally got back to winning ways with a hard fought victory over Cambridge University on Saturday which moves them out of the bottom four.

Colchester started strongly and pressurised the visitor’s defence in the open exchanges.  The forwards worked well with each other passing and taking on players with confidence.  After a handful of chances were blocked by the University keeper Helen Barnes managed to get a shot off which deflected conveniently towards Karen Harris who made no mistake from close range.  The visitor’s slowly worked themselves back into the game but failed to create any clear cut chances, taking the sides into half time with Colchester leading 1-0.

The second half saw much of the same with Colchester doing the hard work but failing to get past the University keeper.  The second goal came from a penalty corner stuck powerfully by Mersea Homes player of the match Clare Griffiths.  The strike found the bottom left corner of the goal where the keeper could only deflect the ball into the back of the net.  The visitors didn’t give up though, and were soon back in the game when the Colchester defence failed to clear the ball resulting in a simple tap in for Cambridge .  The home side once again took the lead from another penalty corner, this time struck powerfully to the bottom right of the goal by Lucy Struth.  The visitors again came back and a poor clearance resulted in the forward having another shot which was deflected in for an own goal.  Colchester managed to hold on for the final ten minutes though to claim an important win with one game left to play before the Christmas break.

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West Herts Ladies 2, Colchester Ladies 0 (28/11/09)

This weekend saw Colchester Ladies 1s travel to Watford to play West Herts who are sitting high in NE14Hockey East Premier league.

West Herts applied pressure from the beginning and Colchester found themselves under attack from a strong home team. The visitors worked hard and continued to absorb the pressure with some strong defensive play and went into the half time break at 0-0.

Colchester continued to play good hockey and in the second half developed some good counter attacks. The home team carried on applying pressure and were awarded several short corners which they couldn’t convert. Eventually the home team tried something different with a lob from the top of the “D”  which went high and then dipped just under the cross bar to allow West Herts a 1-0 lead.

Colcehster counter attacked almost immediately which resulted in a string of opportunities which they could not quite capitalise on. A careless hit out from Colchester resulted in an opportunity for the home team who drove into the D drawing the keeper to the near post before pulling it back to the penalty spot where a striker was waiting to put it past the Colchester defence. Again Colchester continued to build attacks, with player of match Clare Griffiths instrumental in the centre position but they were denied at each turn.

Due to work constraints, Colchester will be losing their coach after Christmas . If there are any interested people they should contact the ladies 1^st team captain or secretary whose details are available through the website. In the meantime, Colchester are looking forward to having their coach back for the match versus Cambridge University at Colchester Abbeyfields after he was unable to make it this week.

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Canterbury II 4, Colchester 3 (14/11/09)

With a long journey and adverse weather conditions making the day difficult, Colchester were expecting a tough match away at Canterbury. Missing a few people and only being able to take 11 people made the task of playing Canterbury , flying high in the table, even more daunting.

The visitors started positively, gaining early possession and putting Canterbury under pressure straight away, narrowly missing the target within the first couple of minutes. Unfortunately Canterbury counter attacked quickly and managed to beat the Colchester defence to go 1-0 up.

Colchester rallied and immediately attacked once more with Helen Barnes on hand to put the finishing touch on a well constructed attack for the teams to draw equal. Colchester continued to apply the pressure on Canterbury , with Emma Cresswell-Maynard putting two further goals past the Canterbury keeper before half time.

Colchester continued to play excellent hockey in the second half, repeatedly putting their hosts under pressure although Canterbury , with the wind now behind them, also looked dangerous on the attack. Mersea Homes Player of the Match defender Sarah Rose did a great job of keeping the Canterbury attackers clear of the goal, including a fantastic clearance from the line to prevent a goal. Unfortunately the home team continued to apply pressure, and scored three goals from well practiced and well executed short corners to get the better of Colchester ’s defence and the match finished at 4-3 to the home team.

All in all a disappointing result for Colchester, but heartening at the same time with a good team effort against a team who have had good results so far this season. Colchester look forward to the challenge of playing host to top of the league Dereham next week at the Abbeyfields pitch.

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Colchester Ladies 1, Thurrock 1 (07/11/09)

On Saturday, Colchester hosted Thurrock at the Abbeyfields pitch in Colchester .

Colchester started strongly opportunities for goals were quickly created. The hosts seemed to be the stronger of the two teams, controlling the play in the middle of the field and continuing to create chances for scoring. Frustratingly for the whole team, luck seemed to be against Colchester with shots passing millimetres wide and balls bobbling unfortunately in the D.

Thurrock continued to work hard and a counter attack saw their first real opportunity to beat the home team’s defence, which they capitalised on to go 1-0 up. The rest of the first half continued in the same vein with the hosts seemingly the stronger team. Colchester’s strikers worked hard and continued to create opportunities but the luck carried on going against them and the visitors went into the second half 1-0 up.

The second half saw more strong hockey from Colchester, with the home team creating some great attacks down both wings resulting in the Mersea Home Player of the Match award being shared between the left and right halves, Angela Roberts and Anna Foley.

This attacking play continued and Colchester were rewarded with the equaliser coming from a short corner struck from the top of the D with Helen Barnes there to slot the ball away. Frustratingly for the home team, the game finished with a 1-1 draw , despite them seemingly have the better and more numerous chances.

Colchester travel to Canterbury next weekend.

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Maidstone 5, Colchester 1 (31/10/09)

This Saturday saw Colchester’s re-match away to Maidstone .

The first half saw both teams evenly matched with Colchester making some strong attacks, particularly down the right through Mersea Homes player of the match Anna Foley.

While it looked like the first half would reflect the level of play, with both teams on an even score, the home team were awarded a penalty corner on the whistle of half time, which they capitalised on and went into the second half 1-0 up.

Maidstone altered their formation at half time in an attempt to overcome the Colchester defence, with a well-executed penalty corner enabling them to extend their lead to 2-0 shortly after the match restarted. Maidstone’s attackers continued to get the better of the visitors and a great shot from a very narrow angle got the better of Colchester ’s defence resulting in a 3-0 lead.

Colchester continued to work hard and played some good team hockey. Lucy Struth showed some strong individual skill in the D where the Maidstone keeper saved her first shot, but Lucy was on hand again to pick the rebound up and put it in the back of the net closing the gap to 3-1.

Maidstone then got another goal back quickly when the defence were split and one of the strikers was left unmarked to extend their lead to 4-1. Yet another slick short corner routine meant that Colchester found themselves 5-1 down, which was a disappointing result after such a promising first half for the visiting team.

Next week Colchester host Thurrock at the Abbeyfields pitch in Colchester .

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Holcombe 2, Colchester 1 (17/10/09)

Colchester were expecting yet another hard match away at Holcombe’s pitch in Chatham on Saturday and were not disappointed as the home team started strongly, putting the visitor’s defence under pressure from the start. Colchester defended well, however, and kept Holcombe’s attack at bay despite repeated attempts. Mersea Homes player of the match and goalkeeper Jacqui Crombie was kept busy but managed to keep the shots out with some great aggressive play.

A penalty flick was harshly awarded in the home team’s favour for a supposed back stick on the line, preventing a goal. This was scored by the Holcombe captain but then disallowed having been taken illegally as she drag flicked it.

Colchester then managed to apply pressure of their own and started moving the ball around more freely. A well-constructed attack down the left then a quick switch round the back to attack down the right resulted in Lucy Struth slotting the ball into the back of the net to leave the visitors, perhaps luckily, one nil up going into the second half.

Holcombe continued to look dangerous, and early in the second half broke through with their centre forward finishing strongly with a reverse flick in to the top of the goal. Holcombe continued to look the stronger of the two teams with many short corners all defended well by Colchester . Umpiring decisions continued to go against Colchester which culminated in the captain being sent off for general team dissent. Shortly after, another defender was harshly sent off for a stick tackle and the visitors were down to nine players. Holcombe capitalised on this and went 2-1 up. Colchester still managed to get one more chance where the ball rolled past an open goal but unfortunately no-one was there to finish the attack and the match finished at 2-1 to Holcombe. Colchester should be proud of the resilience shown and look forward to hosting Wapping at their Abbeyfields pitch next week.

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Saffron Walden 1, Colchester 3 (10/10/09)

Flying high from their win last week, Colchester were looking forward to their match against the other team promoted with them from division 1 North last season. This NE14Hockey East League Premier division match started at a high pace with Saffron Walden playing strongly and stretching the visitors’ defence. A fast break from the host’s midfield resulted in a player left free to strike, resulting in a goal.

Colchester fought back, with Mersea Homes player of the match Helen Barnes capitalising on a free hit into the D, deflecting the ball into the back of the net leaving the score at one a piece going into the second half.

The second half saw the fast pace continue with Saffron Walden looking dangerous on the break, while Colchester continued to apply pressure of their own. The visitors’ second goal was scored after a pass was deflected to Clare Griffiths who finished with a great first time strike from the top of the D that the home keeper had no chance of saving.

With Saffron Walden continuing to look dangerous on the break there was always the risk that the game would end in a draw, until late substitute Susie Bradley placed herself perfectly to deflect a cross into the back of the net in the last 5 minutes.

The game finished at 3-1 to the away team leaving Colchester mid-table and looking forward to facing second in the league Holcombe next week.

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Colchester 2, Chelmsford II 1 (03/10/09)

Having lost their first two matches in the NE14Hockey East League Premier division, Colchester were keen to make amends with a win this week, and local rivals Chelmsford, flying high after two victories from their first two matches, were always going to provide a strong opposition. Colchester started strongly but the Chelmsford defence kept all of the attempts on goal out. Equally, Chelmsford played some good hockey and forced several short corners, all of which were defended well by the home team. A fantastic save from Mersea Homes’ player of the match goalkeeper Jacqui Crombie meant that the score remained 0-0 going into the second half.

The second half saw some fantastic team work with Colchester playing excellent hockey and building pressure from the whistle. The first well constructed attack in the second half resulted in a rebound shot being picked up and driven home by Lucy Struth. The home team continued to apply the pressure and a fantastic strike at a short corner from Clare Griffiths saw Colchester extend their lead to 2-0. Chelmsford then countered and got a goal back after a break by their forwards, but Colchester were the stronger team in the end and finished the game 2-1, despite losing a player in the final 5 minutes.

Colchester make the trip to Saffron Walden on the 10^th October to play the only team to have beaten them last season which should be another great game.

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Bromley & Beckenham 3, Colchester 2 (26/09/09)

Another incredibly hot weekend saw Colchester Ladies 1^st team travelling to Kent to play Bromley & Beckenham ladies in the NE14Hockey East League Premier Division. It was always going to be a tough match as the away team were missing a couple of key players.   Colchester started strongly, applying the pressure on the home team despite the high temperature, keen to get a win after last week’s defeat. The away team took an early lead thanks to a well constructed attack and a great reverse stick finish by Angela Roberts. Bromley & Beckenham then countered, scoring another goal fairly quickly.

The second half saw several harsh umpiring decisions going against Colchester , which resulted in them losing a player for 10 minutes. The home team capitalised on this and put 2 more goals past Colchester ’s defence in quick succession. Colchester then rallied and once again looked dangerous, with Kie.

Both teams continued to play well after the half time break and some more good work from Colchester ’s defence saw another shot cleared off the line from a short corner. Colchester continued to increase the pressure on Maidstone ’s defence with good hockey and hard work from the whole team, resulting in some scoring opportunities the most notable of which was Lucy Struth’s reverse shot which missed the target by millimetres. The score remained 2-0 to the end which was unlucky for Colchester but a strong team performance means that there is a positive attitude for the remainder of the season. Next week Colchester travel to Bromley & Beckenham with high hopes of returning to last season’s winning ways.