News

Whitchurch vs. Cheltenham (Saturday 28^th Feb 2015)

Whitchurch travelled to Cheltenham on Saturday and were soon into a tough game with Cheltenham coming out strong straight from the pushback. Whilst Whitchurch held off for a short while Cheltenham got off the mark first by taking a shot/cross which deflected off the goalie’s shoulder and in to the back of net. Not long after the first goal Cheltenham were on the attack again and an unmarked forward had a free shot securing their second goal of the game. After these 2 quick goals Whitchurch gained some composure and started to put their opponents under pressure. At the half time whistle the score was 2-0 to Cheltenham.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first half, with Cheltenham getting off to a quick start, taking the score to 3-0. Whitchurch then responded through Phil Willkinson taking a well-placed shot to make the score to 3-1. Cheltenham took it back to Whitchurch by scoring another 2 goals - with one of the goals being a scramble on the line, much to the disappointment of the travelling team.

Poor discipline in the final stages in the game resulted in Sam Jeffs receiving a yellow card, and 10 minutes off the pitch. Despite being 1-man down Whitchurch attacked positively, and with the game coming to an end, Whitchurch receive a short corner. Phil Wilkinson took a well struck hit from the top of circle, to which it was well picked by a defender, however Rhys Welsh tapped it in to make the final score 5-2.

Whitchurch vs. University of Birmingham (Sunday 1^st March 2015)

After a tough game away on Saturday, Whitchurch arrived at the National Hockey Centre ready to shake it off and welcome Birmingham University to Wales on St. David’s Day.

The game started at a high intensity. With moments for either team, Birmingham found their feet and had some sustained some pressure. A through ball into space saw a breakaway, which was slotted into the bottom corner, giving Birmingham a 1-0 lead.

Will Teagle playing a not so safe pass into the centre of the pitch from defence led to another breakaway. Showing some style by taking the ball on to reverse, Birmingham took a 2-0 lead. The students maintained this advantage up to the end of the first half.

Second half started, and the tougher challenges became more frequent. Lots of pushing and tackles from behind led to plenty of cards being shown by the umpires.

A ball down the line took a deflection, which put the ball in the air. This led to a Birmingham player hitting Ben Thomas in the head with his stick. Ben saw red and squared up to his opposite number, earning himself another green card.

With chances coming thick and fast for both teams, and shots being saved off the line, the game became more alive. Iwan Williams - moving like he was 22 - made some outstanding saves in the Whitchurch goal.

On another breakaway for Birmingham, their captain was sprinting through. The stalwart in defence, Alun Welsh, stood his ground and sent the Birmingham player skywards. Despite some positive play from the Whitchurch boys they were unable to break through the Birmingham Uni defence. Finishing 2-0, Whitchurch head to Exeter next week in search of their first win under head coach Rory Gorman.