Week 28

A "flu ridden" Staines kept up the pressure on the top two in the table with a 4-0 victory over mid table Gore Court last saturday.

A shaky start to the game especially by Geraint Hughes led to a few nerves for the home side, but these were soon pushed to one side as Staines began to find their form and the back of the net. Rich Cardigan was the first to get his name on the scoresheet finishing off a fine move with a wafty reverse stick strike which somehow was still rising as it tore past the 'keeper on the line!!

This was the only goal of the first half and Staines did well to not score more with chances going begging. Gore Court were pressed into action as well and the Staines defence had to be alive to keep out a number of penalty corners.

The second half saw Staines play some excellent hockey for long periods, keeping the ball well and constantly probing through Paul Arnott and Adam Hart. Soon Rich Cardigan scored again with a carbon copy of his first goal, a sweetly struck reverse strike flying past the keeper! This relaxed Staines and the excellent hockey continued, Matt Truman this week not getting a tap in, but providing assist of the season with a delightful turn to set up Paul Arnott for a simple tap in. At 3-0 the game was over but with ten minutes to go Staines piled forward once more and John Stannard smashed home a penalty corner strike to make it 4-0.

With the game sewn up Staines were reduced to 10 men after a rash challenge from Adam Hart, but the defence held firm till the end.

This saturday sees Staines travel up to Maidenhead for the penultimate game of the season needing the 3 points to keep pressure on Fareham and Chichester who play each other the same afternoon.

12 of the finest quality SHCG4's players, 11 West Hampstead (WH) players, 2 umpires with whistles, 1 ball, 23 hockey sticks, 1 pitch. Add spectators to taste.

1. It may be necessary to search for the WH ingredients - they're often not where they're supposed to be but careful directions should allow you to find them. Whilst waiting, the G4's may mill around talking amongst themselves (this is perfectly normal) and inexplicably do imitations of a catwalk strut (this isn't normal but shouldn't affect the process)!

3. Allow the umpires to blow the whistles which will start a chain reaction among the player ingredients. The umpires role in this recipe is to regulate progress and they should be left alone to act in their most natural way. You may not see much action from one or two of the ingredients to begin with but in time they will all be incorporated into the mixture. The G4 players may be a bit disorganised at first but will soon come together to stop the WH's from dominating. Likewise the WH goalkeeper, goal posts and defenders will prevent the G4's from being overpowering. Incorporate the spare G4's player as and when required.

5. Repeat step 3. You may notice renewed strength from both sets of ingredients although again they will counteract each other to ensure an even texture.

6. After the second 35 minutes you should be able to remove the mixture from the pitch. The WH's might go off at this point but don't worry, the SHCG4's should be good enough on their own and can easily be revived if necessary with tea, chips and/or alcohol.

Sat 11 March vs London Transport
1-0 win to Staines - goal scorer was Heather Forster, great goal Heather - well done girls!

The people who played in Saturdays game did a fantastic job in the face of great adversity.

Unfortunately from having 15 players available at the beginning of the week we were down to 10 players in the first half and 8 left on the pitch in the 2nd half! Unfortunately Vikkie Bouwer got injured before the game whilst she was on holiday snowboarding and re-injured herself during the 1st half (lifted ball in our attacking D). She played a really high spirited game and helped motivate the team whilst she was there (how are your ribs Vikkie?). A big thank you goes to Emma Crawley and Katie Foster. Emma, who wasn't down to play but borrowed kit to come on for the 1st and part of the 2nd half before going off to play for the 4's at Staines - thanks Emma! And Katie for playing 2 games - the first for the L2's and then L5's game - she looked worn-out by the end of the game - thanks Katie!

Maggie McLernon did a good job up front (she usually plays in defence) and hassled the oppos defence! Heather Howell, Hazel Sloan, Carolyn Doherty and Penny Mixter were solid at the back. Emily Steer, Heather Forster and Helen Tippins were strong as ever in mid-field.

With more players we would have had some more goals but a win is a win. At the moment L5's are 4th in the league and next week is the last league match vs PHC Chiswick 5's who are 7th in the league!