Saturday February 2nd, 2008

CAMBS Div 1

St Ives Ladies 2nd XI (2) vs Market Deeping Ladies 1st XI (1)

What a disappointing day for the ladies. After the seconds travelled to Uppingham only to find the pitch frozen, the ladies first team conceded leadership of Division One by the narrowest of margins at St Ives.
Deeping faced their toughest challenge yet - the top of the table clash with St Ives 2nd without some key players. St Ives attacked from the off, and Deeping did well to keep out the barrage of shots. The defence, led by Julie Bower, were on top form, having not had to defend this much this season. It took St Ives, who were clearly not the same team Deeping faced before Christmas, some time to break the deadlock as they tried to beat the excellent Laura Gwilliam in goal.
Deeping had attacks of their own - great teamwork between Ellie and Becky Allam led to a well placed hit across the opposition “D” and Janet Eagle-Smith was able to put a superb shot between the keeper’s legs to level the score.
Deeping held the score at 1 -1 for the rest of the first half but an unwanted change in formation in the second half put Deeping back on the defence.
Deeping’s player of the match, Amy Gwilliam, showed dedication and determination  to make a couple more chances for Deeping  in the St Ives “D”, but they were able to clear any further efforts on goal.
Left back Beth Askham worked hard to limit St Ives’ chances, but eventually a series of short corners allowed St Ives to take the lead. This was only the second defeat of Deeping’s season and they now have to hope that St Ives drop a point somewhere, allowing Deeping’s superior goal difference to count.

CAMBS Div 2

Rutland Ladies 1st XI vs Market Deeping Ladies 2nd XI

Match postponed due to frozen pitch

EAST 3NW

Market Deeping 1st XI (7) vs Cambridge South 1st XI (0)

The final scoreline perhaps flattered table topping Deeping, but in all but the finishing this was a performance of high quality which crushed a team Deeping had previously drawn with away from home. Paul Tancred struck four but would admit he could have had eight as Deeping’s wing backs and midfield repeatedly set up chances for the forwards.
It was late in the first half when after a series of near misses Tancred showed his real skills by cutting left before flat-footing the keeper with a clever pin point reverse stick flick. Shortly after that James Sharpe found himself in space after another silky move and for once in this game struck the ball cleanly past the keeper from wide right. The second half saw keeper Ben Hotchkin a virtual spectator, although saving easily when called on, and at the other end the floodgates had to open under repeated pressure.
Tancred struck twice from close range, then added another quality finish and when the ball rolled free to Chris Mann in the D he showed the forwards how to finish as he larruped it into the roof of the net.
A penalty corner on the stroke of full time brought all ten Deeping players up to the D and his team mates indulged skipper Richard Woods who was allowed to strike a high looking seventh goal which somehow dipped to strike the backboard. Deeping have seen off two of the top teams in their last three games, and barring disasters, their main challengers for the 3NW championship will be Ely and Cambs Nomads 2nds who they play in the last three weeks of the season

Div 4NW

Cambridge City 5th XI (0) vs Market Deeping 2nd XI (5)

Deeping only beat City 3-2 at home last year, but a Mike Gregson hat-trick helped them to a resounding 5-0 away win.
Deeping started well, employing an attacking 3-4-3 formation and forced Cambridge onto the back foot early on.
The new midfield partnership of Graham Brewer and Dan Medd constantly harried Cambridge and they found it hard to complete their passes in midfield. They still looked dangerous on the counter attack, but Deeping were having much the better of the early exchanges and were creating chances too.
Russ Seton and Phil Arnold went close to opening the scoring, the former denied by an outstanding, diving stick save, while Arnold saw a drag flick fly squeeze agonisingly past the left post.
When it came, the opener was a scrappy affair, a mis-hit shot from Gregson flicking up off the ‘keeper’s toe and pad, before trickling over the line without troubling the back board. 
Deeping’s second goal was not much prettier, more a testimony to perseverance; Wing back Tom Richardson looked to have lost the ball high in the right channel but showed great determination to win it back. The resulting loose ball was won by Brewer who forced it through to Russ Seton giving him time to pick his spot.
The second half began with Deeping having to ride the storm. Joe Wray in goal will have busier games, but his right pad save at 2-0 was vital. Then Arnold and Jack Seton provided the outlets on the wings, and Deeping counter attacked to score their best goal of the game.
It came from the kind of incisive hockey that Deeping have only played in patches this season. Jack Seton, a thorn in the Cambridge side all match, played his part, returning a swift one-two to Gregson, who finished with aplomb, sweeping the ball into the far corner.
 At 3-0 Deeping could afford to push forward more and more, and with the extra pressure came more chances. Russ Seton’s clean strike rebounded kindly to Arnold who gratefully smashed home only his second of the season.
Despite being four goals down, Cambridge showed why they have taken points off some of the top sides in this division as they pushed and pushed for the goal their efforts deserved.
Deeping held firm through a series of late penalty corners, and from a short corner of their own, Gregson capped an excellent performance, mopping up the rebound from a Russ Seton strike.

EAST Div 5NW

Market Deeping 3rd IX (2) vs St Ives 4th XI (1)

This vital win pushed Deeping nine points clear of the NE14 5NW relegation zone but oh what hard work they made of it. Deeping were able to call on a huge squad for this game, mustering 16 players and leaving out one or two regulars as they put out their strongest side of the season to face a team one place below them in the league.
But they started like a slug on sedatives, conceding the softest and silliest of goals in the second minute of the match. Deeping then dominated the first half but met a massive keeper in good form, and despite a string of attacks were incredibly lucky when, from a rare attack, a St Ives player hit the post when it would have been easier to score.
It was perhaps inevitable that Deeping would get caught on the break as they pushed up more and more but at half-time Adi White replaced Stephen Chambers in goal and he never touched the ball.
Deeping piled on more and more pressure, dominating midfield through Paul Byrne, Graham Barnes, and Simon Burnell and building up both wings with Ben Walden and Anthony Barnes constantly finding space.
But the panic grew in the box and the old jigsaw syndrome set in as a variety of players went to pieces and the chances came and went. When the St Ives keeper made an amazing hand save from a competently struck Simon Burnett reverse hit, it seemed Deeping would never score.
Substitutions were made with ten minutes left and while the new players had limited impact, this heralded a small miracle as Walden’s attempted reverse hit was partially deflected by a defender and somehow bobbled through the keeper’s legs, barely crossing the line. Deeping took a deep breathe and stormed back again and two minutes later the erratically available Byrne, Deeping’s man of the match, showed real quality ending a sweeping move by lifting the ball past the keeper.
St Ives then did what they probably should have done sooner and pushed out into midfield where they were far more disruptive for the last five minutes. Deeping were left defending competently, as they had mostly done since the second minute, with Kevin Richardson and the immaculate Andrew Gregson commanding at the back throughout.