Romsey Hockey Club

Romsey U8’s A Team

Alice Appleton

Catherine Clarke

Matthew Dyer

Ellie East

James Fuller

Naeve Poutney

Lucia Rugge Price

Brandon Harris (Goalkeeper)

Romsey U8’s A Team had a great mornings hockey at the last tournament of the season at Trojans.

First up were Trojans A team, which was a very close game and saw Romsey unlucky to score even though they had the majority of the play and although they lost 1-0, Brandon Harris, playing in goal, made some great saves.

Next were Winchester B, which was an extremely well matched game resulting in a 0-0 draw with excellent passing from Alice Appleton, Matthew Dyer, James Fuller and Naeve Poutney.

The first win of the morning was against Bournemouth with James Fuller taking the first goal from a runaway ball, closely followed by a second from Matthew Dyer.

Trojans B were next up with Catherine Clarke scoring the 2 goals for Romsey well supported in midfield by Naeve Poutney and Alice Appleton. Salisbury A proved a tougher opponent and despite persistent defending by Ellie East and Lucia Rugge Price, Romsey lost 2-0.

However, the last game of the morning saw a strong Romsey side unite together to defeat Trojans C by 5 goals to 1, with Matthew Dyer scoring a hat trick and Catherine Clarke taking the other 2 goals.

Well done to all of you for a great team effort and a special mention for Matthew Dyer, who having only just taken up hockey, did amazingly well and looked like he’d been playing for years!!

Romsey U10 Girls team were preparing for the following weeks Regional Finals to be held at Teddington covering the Southern half of the UK having successfully won the Hampshire round. Therefore Trojans tournament proved a great test for the eight strong team.

First up were Salisbury B who also reached the Regional Finals as runners up. On this showing Romsey proved their first placed ranking as they displayed all round consistency in the team with very strong pressure exerted by the midfield performances from Robyn Cooper, Zoe Henderson and Georgia Scott. If Salisbury occasionally managed to get past midfield some good defending and timely tackling came from Harriet Northover and Sophie Davidson with Alice Dyer soundly keeping a clean sheet in goal. Long range strike by Sophie Lawson and good stick play and shot by Sarah Macleod ensured 2 – 0 win for a good first performance in what was becoming a very warm morning.

Second up were Winchester A who proved tough opponents with chances both ends with both teams tackling hard and fair with some great passing movement from the defence through midfield into attack. This provided Sarah Macleod the opportunity to make a great mazy run down the wing beating several opponents before crossing to Sophie Lawson to tap in from close range. There followed an equaliser from Winchester but Romsey stuck with it, with some strong interventions from Harriet Northover and Robyn Cooper and Zoe Henderson showing deft close control on the wing with at times three opponents round her still managing to pass or clear it. With Winchester on the offensive Georgia Scott made a good tackle robbing the opponent and setting off downfield leaving her opponents behind. Keeping her cool she managed to take the ball through and score a very good goal. 2 – 1 to Romsey making it an 8 match unbeaten run from previous tournaments!

Next a very challenging encounter with Salisbury B (all boys vs the all girls of Romsey!). It was a truly engaging tussle with very few chances from either side as the midfield and defences cancelled each other out. Both teams passed and defended well and a credit to Romsey for matching strength and tenacity with the boys of Salisbury! A very fair 0-0 result with both coaches and managers enjoying the close encounter of two evenly matched teams.

Winchester B were next and having played some quick passing and individual skills were soon 2-0 up but Romsey kept coming back and were unlucky on a number of occasions. The only goal from Romsey came from a difficult chance by Sophie Lawson who reverse sticked the ball into the roof of the net. A win for Winchester 2-1 and the first loss by Romsey as energy and stamina were being put to the test in the heat.

Romsey needed a good team performance next and everyone played their part in a sound 2-0 defeat of Bournemouth. It was Bournemouth who made most of the running at the outset as they had some good individual players but were thwarted by the defensive skills of Robyn Cooper, Sophie Davidson and Zoe Henderson defending well in midfield with Georgia Scott and Sarah Macleod stepping in to make timely tackles. Also of note was Harriet Northover who again bought the ball well out of defence to set up attacks. Alice Dyer in goal was at her busiest so far with some very strong clearances and anticipation to defeat Bournemouth attacks. All the team played their part in building attacks with good passing and fast counter attacks leading to a brace of well taken goals by Sophie Lawson to ensure the win 2-0.

Last game up was Trojans C who proved a strong unit which Romsey found difficult to break down. Their attack was particularly good and tested Romseys defence time and again with Alice Dyer performing great saves with hand and feet to prevent at least three certain goals. With defence and midfield working really had it was a nip and tuck tussle. Trojans took the lead and looked as though they would win the match. However a good build up from defence to attack enabled Georgia Scott to round off the move with a strong shot and goal that drew the match 1-1.

Team: Alice Dyer, Robyn Cooper, Sarah Macleod, Harriet Northover, Zoe Henderson, Sophie Davidson, Sophie Lawson and Georgia Scott. All played tremendously well, had fun and their tactics and positioning play worked a treat thanks to Lisa Hendersons coaching and support.

Romsey Hockey Club’s U14 girls hosted a 7 a side festival on Sunday. 7 teams took part from across the county, playing 15 minute matches. Romsey entered two teams, both played really well, playing without goal keepers but using a strong defence. One of the Romsey team’s won the festival, scoring 13 goals and conceding none. Hospitality was provided for the guests, thanks to the players and parents who baked an amazing display of cakes.

The U12 Boys, pictured, suffered a disappointing time at the In2 Hockey U12 Champioship

On Sunday Romsey U12 Girls battled their way to the Hampshire semi finals of the national In2Hockey Championships, only to be knocked out by an older stronger team in Havant A, the eventual winners. Romsey have greatly improved in the second half of this season. Some flowing and decisive play brought back to back 2-nil wins against Havant B and Aldershot & Farnham, boosting confidence hugely, with strong performances from Anna Poller and Abi James, notably supported by Alexia Cross, Ella WIlliams and Ellen Saunders. Romsey then drew with Southampton nil-nil, an exciting match where both teams had chances but a only determined defensive effort from Charlotte Dibden and Jenny Pimley and excellent goalkeeping by Romer Creedon kept Southampton out. By now fatigue was setting in, the team lost some focus and the match against Salisbury was lost 1-nil, but enough had been done to go through as pool runners-up. Romsey were drawn against the formidable Havant A but energy was still low and an early injury to defender and Player of the Tournament Charlotte Dibden didn’t help. Ultimately Havant were simply stronger and the best efforts of Pimley, sub Mollie Biddlecombe and keeper Creedon couldn’t deny them 2 goals. As one of the younger teams competing Romsey were very happy to finish 4th out of 11 teams overall.

Romsey saved one of their best performances for the last league game of the season.

Romsey fielded one U12 and one U10 in their line up and all 12 players did themselves proud.

Romsey pushed off and retained possession for the first few minutes, a super passing move involving debutant Josh Harwood, Sam Bishop, and Chris Harwood moved the ball swiftly in to the Fareham final third of the pitch.

Romsey created a number of chances Toby Hill went close and James Manning commanding in centre of the pitch set up Oliver Bryant who was crowded out.

As the half went on Romsey tired, but the defence of Ian Wilson, Hugh Davidson and Matt Lockhart held strong, Callum Darch was called upon to make two fine saves but he was well equipped to keep a clean sheet by half time.

Romsey started the second half as they started the first and created three penalty corner chances in short succession following superb determination from Romseys Nick Buck who was awesome in front of the defence. The Fareham team were on the rack and Romsey were desperately unlucky when Chris Harwood’s first time shot was saved by the keeper and then David Forgan was unable to capitalise and Fareham cleared.

Fareham then had a breakaway and got clear of the Romsey defence to go one up, and two minutes later doubled their lead.

Romsey were very unfortunate to be two goals behind, even though Fareham were pushing for top spot in the league and pressed again.

Toby Hill crashed in a cross which flew off a Fareham stick and in to the net, Toby was outside the D and so only a corner was the reward, moments later Hugh Davidson who had pushed up from the back got clear and his shot hit the heel of the goalkeeper to be deflected wide.

Romsey pressed for their goal but were denied again by the keeper to go down 2 0 in a fantastic last match of the season.

The boys did not fair as well as the girls in the horrendous conditions at Southampton Sports Centre for the In2Hockey competition.

The boys normal free flowing passing game was hindered by the battling performances of some of the opposition teams. The did however battle hard in their matches against Trojans, Basingstoke and Fareham but were unable to register on the score sheet and lost each match by the odd goal.

The team played with great spirit though throughout and the squad deserves great credit for their effort.

Well done to them all:

Matt Loveday, Harry Croft-Baker, Morgan Robertson, Ben Sluman, Noah Cooper, Toby Field, Oscar Wright, Henry Williams

A rainy, snowy, windy and freezing cold Sunday morning at Southampton Sports Centre did not deter the enthusiasm and talent of the very exciting Romsey U10 girls. They drew Haslemere in the first match and although it took several minutes to get going there was come brilliant play from Midfielders Bobs Cooper, Zoe Henderson and Sarah Macloed. In the last few minutes Bobs set up Sarah to start the success.

Winchester were up next and Ella long – extremely strong in defence with Lola Field and Sophie Davidson hardly let our fantastic Keeper Alice Dyer be worried at all. Romsey were unlucky not to score on several occasions and a 0:0 draw resulted.

A similar story against Trojans, Alice pulled off several fabulous saves but the majority of the play was attacking and the up front team of Sophie Lawson and Georgia Scott were both unlucky not to score.

The final nail-biter against Salisbury saw Romsey tested, but the girls showed their promise and determination. Alice was strong and maintained her clean sheet in goal. Bobs, Ella, Sarah and Zoe kept the play flowing and in the last few minutes Georgia’s patience was rewarded with an excellent goal finishing 1:0

The Girls move up to the Regional phase against other County winners, to be played in April.

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U10s

Romsey Hockey clubs U10s travelled to a very sunny and warm Bournemouth for their annual tournament.

In preparation for the first round of the National U10s tournament next week Romsey entered one boys and one girls team.

The girl’s, playing their first matches un-encumbered by the boys, showed a superb level of maturity and skill, clearly a result of the dedicated and excellent quality coaching every Sunday morning (9.15-10.30 at Romsey School). Some excellent performances from our defenders, Zoe Henderson, Harriet Northover and Ella Long meant all scores were very close. In the midfield, Bobs Cooper, Phoebe Moriaty and Elizabeth Field kept the game flowing. Some excellent passing up front between Georgia Scott, Sophie Lawson and Sophie Davidson meant a very successful tournament for the Girls. Next week they should be a force to be reckoned with!

The boys played six matches against opposition from Trojans, Andover, Weymouth, Bournemouth and Salisbury. Their results were excellent winning four and losing only two. They scored 12 goals and only conceded 7. The defensive success was largely due to three debutants. Ben Sluman excelled in his first matches as goal keeper and Tony Brown and Oscar Wright were very solid in defence. Henry Williams played enthusiastically all day and showed some impressive strength and technique in the tackle. The triumvirate of Matt Loveday, Harry Croft-Baker and Morgan Robertson proved to be a handful for all of the opposition teams to handle and scored six, four and two goals respectively.

Romsey U8’s A Team

Romsey U8’s A team started off the morning against Trojans A team but despite great defending from Lucie Taylor-Blake and Ellen Page they lost 3-1. The following game was a close one which saw James Fuller scoring the goal for Romsey, with great tackling in midfield by Katie Lou Ryan and Helena Ward but Andover A’s managed to get 1 goal ahead which left the final score at 2-1 to the opposition. Next up were the hosts Bournemouth and despite consistent challenging from James Fuller and Jack Sluman the final score of 2-0 to Bournemouth did not reflect the percentage of play, as was the case in the following match against Trojans B which was also 2-0 to the opposition. Their last game of the morning saw Romsey A’s battling against Andover B team who initially went 1 goal up but an equalizer from Alice Appleton took the score to 1-1, but despite constant midfield pressure from Lucia Rugge Price, Andover took 2 more goals for a 3-1 defeat.

Romsey U8’s B Team

Romsey B team started off with a 1-0 win against Andover B due to an own goal!! Next up were Trojans B, which saw Alice Appleton scoring 4 goals from set ups by Joe Arnold and Naeve Poutney for a 4-0 win. Salisbury were a tougher opposition and despite strong defending by Stan Arnold and Kai Volanthen the score was a 3-0 defeat. Trojans A was a closely matched game with the first goal for Romsey coming from Naeve Poutney who showed great control taking the ball up from the halfway line to score, Trojans then equalized and a goal by Alice Appleton followed to put Romsey ahead, however Trojans then managed to squeeze in another putting the final score at 2-2. Romsey B’s last game of the morning was against Southampton, which saw a great team effort with consistent passing and control by Alice Appleton, Naeve Poutney and Lucia Rugge Price in midfield with the goals being executed by James Fuller and Joe Arnold.

Well done to both teams for a great mornings hockey.

A close and hard fought game of 3 thirds, Romsey worked very hard in the 1st third to keep Basingstoke out of the goal a really good defensive effort from Sheila Forbes and of course Romma Creedon in Goal.
Went one nil in 2nd third, Anna Poller worked tirelessly through the whole match and Alexia Cross beat the Basingstoke Keeper, a first for the under 12’s this season!
The entire team put in a huge effort in the last 3rd but Basingstoke levelled in the last few minutes. Well done to the girls under 12 for improving so much in a short period of time.
Final score 1-1

U14 girl’s played their best match of the season against New Milton on Sunday. Although the win was only 2-1, Romsey were the controlling team. Playing in a formation which the girls had practised in their recent matches, their confidence was evident as they were more persistent than ever in their tackles for the ball. The goals were scored by Lydia Kearney. Coach, Carly Peebles named players of the match as Georgia Appleby and Lydia Kearney.
Currently top of division two, with only one league game to play, the team are hopeful of moving up to division one for the next season.

Romsey U14 took on table topping Salisbury away in glorious Spring sunshine.

Romsey demonstrated just how much they have developed over the season by matching Salisbury with end to end moves in the opening exchanges.

Tom Loescher and Chris Harwood combined well up front and created a chance, Nick Buck was solid in the centre of the pitch supported by David Forgan and the impressive Sam Bishop who seemed to be in defence, midfield and attack throughout the match.

Salisbury scored midway through the first period, Callum Darch having no chance with the shot.

Romsey needed to hold out for the break and unfortunately were undone again 30 seconds before the whistle with Salisburys best goal of the game.

Ian Wilson and Hugh Davidson were strong in the centre and Sean Rademaker making moves up the right, and Matt Lockhart at left back, but Romsey were undone with some poor passing and Salisbury scored three quick goals to lead 5-0.

Romsey then pushed for a goal themselves, creating penalty corner chances, with Toby Hill and James Manning combining, but it wasn’t to be and with seven minutes remaining Salisbury scored a sixth.

Whilst the rest of Romsey Hockey Club slumbered under a warm duvet the
U16 boys got up early and braved the snow and cold to play a league
game against Trojans at home on Sunday morning. Their efforts proved to
be worthwhile as they came away with a close fought 1 -0 victory with
Danny Nicholl scoring the winning goal on his debut.

The whole match was generally played in good spirit between the two
rival clubs and despite strong attacking from both teams, the scores
were level at half time. Trojans started particularly well (or perhaps
Romsey were slow!) and probably edged the first half although Romsey
certainly improved as the first half went on. Trojans hit the post and
Romsey also had to thank Craig Mellor in goal for some smart saves and
a strong defence, with Alex Stote as usual playing particularly well at
left back and Fergus Longman at centre back.

Romsey came much more into the game in the 2nd half and Danny Nicholl
down the left started to make some progress and eventually the goal came
from a short corner that was put in by Danny following a shot from Harry
Foyle. Credit to Romsey for changing the short corner routine as the
previous 3 had all resulted in routine saves from the Trojans GK.

Trojans came back strongly but were unable to force the equaliser,
mainly as a result of determined (and at times last gasp) defending from
the whole team who once again worked hard, tracked back and gave a whole
hearted effort.

Under 8s

Romsey U8’s had an outstanding mornings hockey and with the exception of one match, which was a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth, they won all of their matches and conceded not a single goal.

Bournemouth were first up with great defending from Stan Arnold and Catherine Clarke, the score remained 0-0 at full time. Next was Salisbury B which saw James Fuller clocking up 3 goals, one from an early pass where he took the ball up unchallenged to score, Joe Arnold scored the fourth maneuvering around several of Salisbury’s defenders to take the shot at goal. The third match of the morning was against Andover B with excellent clearances from Stan Arnold and Naeve Poutney, the Romsey goal being scored by James Fuller. Next up was Salisbury, A which also resulted in a 1-0 win for Romsey, James Fuller again scoring the goal with great midfield passing from Jack Sluman, Alice Appleton and Tessa Drake. The run of goals from a consistently persistent James Fuller continued into the next match with a 2-0 win against Andover A, both goals within the first couple of minutes, well supported upfront by a skillful Joe Arnold and Jack Sluman. The mornings hockey finished up with another well deserved 2-0 win against Southampton which saw Alice Appleton put away the first goal closely followed by a second from Catherine Clarke.

Under 10s

Romsey Hockey Clubs U10’s travelled to Salisbury on Sunday for fantastically well organised tournament.

The A team players were strong, committed and showed great dedication. Noah Cooper and Ella Long defended strongly and persistently only letting in 2 goals all day. Mid fielders, Sarah Macleod, Zoe Henderson and Bobs Cooper showed off their passing skills and increasingly good positional play – pushing the play up towards the up front pair of Matt Loveday and Henry Williams. The team gelled from the start and the results reflected this with convincing wins in 5 matches and one draw. 14 goals were scored Loveday 5, Henderson 4, Williams 2, Bobs Cooper 1, and MacLeod 1. A performance to be very proud of.

The Romsey Under 10 B’s enjoyed a fine display of excellent hockey tactics and skills that were exciting and impressive to watch. The matches were all closely contested with only a goal either way when there was a result (Won 2, Drew 2, Lost 2).There were many close shots on goal as the team gelled producing some fine passing moves. Sophie Davidson and Lola Field combined strongly in defence and were a tough unit to breakdown as there were no easy goals for the opposition and all the team showed great commitment to work back when needing to defend. Ben Sluman, Harriet Northover , Georgia Scott and Harry Croft-Baker (2 goals) showed great awareness of space and timing when creating passing moves as they linked together on some speedy attacks.. The team produced hockey tactics the coaches didn’t think had been taught yet in one particularly impressive game showing brilliant communication to ‘press’ the opposition so effectively that the opposition had to pass back which so nearly resulted in a goal as it was pounced on by the Romsey forwards. The team should be very proud of their performance and are clearly a very promising group of young hockey players.

U14 girls won 8-0 against Chichester today.

I’ve attached some photos, report to follow

Romsey U14 Boys secured their first point of the season, with their best performance and with the support of some up and coming U12 players.

The game started brightly for Romsey with some excellent passing hockey and strong stick work building on training routines.

Nick Buck dominated the centre of midfield lifting some through passes for the forwards.

It took Romsey just three minutes to open the scoring, U12 Ben Manning shooting strongly past the keeper after a move involving Toby Hill and David Forgan had set him up.

This stirred Winchester in to action and Alex Buck made several fine saves, with Hugh Davidson, Chris Harwood and the impressive Sean Rademaker strong in defence. They kept their sticks strong as Winchester forced the ball in to the D.

After 9 minutes Winchester equalised, but immediately afterwards Romsey played the ball to Sam Bishop and across the midfield to Nick Buck and Ben Davidson, for Ben Manning to rifle a cross in to the D and Tim Loescher rocketed the ball in for 2 – 1 after just 11 minutes of play.

Winchester equalised for a second time when they forced a penalty corner and after several attempts the ball was with a Winchester forward who hooked the ball in from a tight angle over goalkeeper and Romsey defenders.

Winchester were stronger in the middle third of the game and went 3 – 2 up with a long clearance to their forwards who muscled in to the D to score.

In the final 20 minutes Romsey were on top, Zak Cooper and Tom Flood creating a number of chances but the ball flashed wide.

A chance of an equaliser seemed to pass when first the Winchester goalkeeper and then a defender cleared off the line, but with a minute remaining Sam Bishop hit a sideline ball across field to Hugh Davidson who had pushed up from the back and he powerfully shot from the top of the D to make the final score 3 – 3.

Romsey were the dominant side on a cold windy morning against Fareham B, with goals from Tomo Flood (2), Zak Cooper (1) and Tim Loescher (2).  Tomo started Romsey’s tally early on with a quick attack on goal, but despite good passing and determined play by Ben Davidson, they were unable to score again with a shot on goal by Ben Manning going wide. However, the fates intervened during the second third, as Tomo scored his second, and then Zak being well placed on the corner of the goal took a cross from Tim to make it 3 nil to Romsey. Fareham pulled one back following a good pass from the back line, and powered it in. Tim then made it 4-1 to Romsey following a short corner with a precise powered hit on goal following injection from Zak Cooper. During the final third, Fareham tried hard, but were thwarted by Romsey’s backs, Dan Clack and Joe Powell, and failed to make accurate shots on goal. Due to mistimed tackle during the final third, goalkeeper Hal Cross had to face a Penalty Flick, but it was no threat and went wide of the goal. Romsey then finished the game off with the final goal from Loescher.  A good result for the team who all played well together.

Romsey’s girls U14 team played in a 7 a side tournament hosted by Trojans hockey club on Sunday. Seven teams took part, and Romsey won all of their four matches without conceding a goal. They remain unbeaten this season.

Todays results were:

vs Trojans red – 3-0
vs Salisbury – 4-0
vs Trojans blue – 3-0
vs Fareham – 1-0

Romsey shared a five goal thriller with New Milton at a bitterly cold Lymington venue.

Both teams opened brightly with some sharp passing, and Romsey then soaked up pressure as New Milton pressed.

After an interception a quick pass from David Forgan released Tim Loescher to run one on one with the Goal keeper and put Romsey one up in the tenth minute.

The lead lasted just four minutes when New Milton equalised from a penalty corner, but two minutes later Romsey pushed again and this time Nick Buck launched Tim Loescher who ran half the length of the pitch to put Romsey 2 – 1 up.

Romsey had to soak up pressure, Callum Darch making some fine saves, until four minutes before half time New Milton overloaded their attack and pushed the ball eventually in to the empty net.

The second half was evenly balanced, until after 9 minutes of the second half New Milton scored again after a penalty corner and then pressure in the D.

Romsey countered and should have equalised from their own penalty corner routine, Chris Harwood, Alex Buck, and James Manning all going close.

Callum Darch then made some outstanding saves to justify his Hampshire selection along with Sam Bishop, Matt Lockhart in defence to keep the final score 3 – 2.

Romsey boys U16 team played an end of year friendly at Trojans on Sunday and left the pitch in shock at losing a match they had totally tied up, winning 2 -0 with only 10 minutes to go and then con seeding 3 quick, late goals.

The first hour of the match had seen some of the best hockey played by the team this year with crisp passing and interplay with everyone playing well and putting a lot of pressure on the Trojans goal. Numerous chances were created, Lucas Cross had 2 cleared off the line before Stan Reilly scored his first goal of the season with a blistering, rising shot after Monty Roberts had been taken out by the GK. The hard pitch made it slippery in places but also gave the opportunity to spread the ball quickly and wide, to wingers Stan and Ollie Deacock who caused problems for the Trojans defence. Both Fergus Longman and captain Jamie Legge broke forward several times from midfield / defence to launch a number of attacks. Just before half time Romsey doubled the lead when Lucas scored with a clean low hit from a short corner.

Will Archibald, making his debut as a goal keeper did not touch the ball in the first half and needed to be kept active with extra practice in the half time break to stop the on set of frost bite!! Little did he know how the second half would pan out.

The start, indeed the majority, of the second half was a continuation of the first albeit Trojans started to come into the game and forced a few good saves out of Will. It seemed as though the effort put in during the first half would enable a routine 2 -0 victory but with only 10 minutes to go Trojans scored following an excellent dribble and shot. The whole mood of the game changed, Trojans attacked and attacked Romsey failed to keep or pass the ball and panicked somewhat. Tackles were missed, heads went down and the inevitable 2 goals followed , the last one with the final hit of the match.

Certainly taking the chances in the first half when dominant and / or holding firm and passing the ball better towards the end would have resulted in a victory but Trojans carried on going right until the end and credit to them for that.