Saturday March 15th, 2008

CAMBS Div 1 Cup Final

Market Deeping Ladies 1st XI (0) vs St. Ives Ladies XI (1)

CAMBS Div 2 Cup Final

Market Deeping Ladies 2nd XI (0) vs Cambridge South Ladies XI (6)

Deeping’s ladies disputed both the Cambridge league Div One and Two cup finals. The ladies first team lost 1-0 to a surprisingly strong St Ives team, while the 2nds who had done very well to reach the final, sadly lost their best player to a family bereavement on the eve of the game and went down 6-0 to Cambridge South despite some tremendous defensive battling and midfield work rate.
However, with the first team promoted to the Premier Division, and massive improvement in the seconds reflected in a mid-table league position, the ladies can look back on their best ever season on the pitch.

EAST 3NW

Ely 1st XI (6) vs Market Deeping 1st XI (4)

Deeping are promoted from 3NW, but still need two points to win the Championship, after this dramatic encounter with Ely led to their second defeat of the season.
Deeping took an early lead through Paul Tancred, but Ely quite quickly equalised and added a second after an extraordinary piece of umpiring from the Deeping representative. Deeping fought back and retook the lead through two more Tancred goals, one a penalty flick after Ali Rowledge was lofted by the keeper. Ely promptly equalised after a daft defensive error and it was a breathless 3-3 at half time. One fascinating side-show was the battle between brothers Jason (of Deeping) and Chris Purllant (of Ely).
It was a contrasting encounter as the Ely goals came from good passing, movement and teamwork, while Deeping more often used the long ball over the top and relied on the individual skills and pace of Tancred, veteran Russ Seton and Rowledge, who had a very good game.
After half time, Ely looked the more dangerous and retook the lead before Treve Wagstaffe cleared up a rebound at a comparatively rare Deeping attack. With ten minutes to go, Ely won one of those either way decisions - a short corner being awarded for what was otherwise a brilliant tackle from the wrong side – and Ely’s well practiced routine produced a goal. The Deeping defence then went to sleep as Ely pinched another with two minutes left.
The game had seen some sublime finishing from relatively few chances, and huge entertainment for the neutral observer, but also served to remind Deeping that Division Two hockey will need better training routines, passing, marking and teamwork or their stay at the higher level may be short.

Div 4NW

Market Deeping 2nd XI (5) vs Ely 2nd XI (0)

Ely arrived for this fixture with just 10 men, including several from the club’s lower division sides. Deeping passed and moved well, exploiting the extra space. Predictably Ely spent the first 10 minutes struggling to break out then almost took a shock lead when a careless pass at the top of the D gave Ely’s lone centre forward a one-on-one which ‘keeper Joe Wray won.
Then top scorer Jack Seton settled Deeping’s nerves, showing great composure to lift the ball over the grounded Ely ‘keeper then calmly slotted a second home from close range as Deeping laid siege to the Ely goal.
Chances went begging before teenager Alex Gale, who hits the ball as well as anyone in the club, marked his second team debut with a thunderbolt from the left edge of the D.
Skipper Graham Brewer then weighed in with his first ever league goal, twisting and turning in the D before eventually pushing home from close range.
The second half saw Deeping stop doing the simple things well and struggling to keep their shape. They still created chances which they too often failed to convert - Paul Byrne almost scoring at a short corner and Robb Dunn, best known as Deeping’s star umpire, going close in his first game of the season.
Tom Allam then tried to deflect a Brewer sweep which his skipper claimed was going in before he scored his first goal for the second team, forcing home his shot after persistent battling in the D.
Three points were very welcome after taking just one from their last 12 and gives Deeping ambitions of a much-improved 4NW top six finish.

EAST Div 5NW

March 3rd XI (3) vs Market Deeping 3rd XI (1)

Through the first half of this important battle, Deeping’s strong squad simply failed to gel, and March scored two soft goals they shouldn’t have - and one quite superb drag-flicked short corner - as they cruised into the lead.
Then Kevin Richardson took himself off at half-time, Kevin Baker came on in the midfield and Magnus Windsor went to right back.
This was a revelation. Veteran Baker has missed most of the season after back surgery and along with the rarely-available Matt Brown in midfield he reminded Deeping of what they’d missed and maybe why they were in such a tough league position. Windsor, more commonly seen on the left wing, nailed himself nervously to the 25 yard line but with his long arms and legs proceeded to win tackle upon tackle, especially on his strong reverse stick side.
The result was that with other players lifting their games Deeping dominated the second half, Baker just claiming their goal in a race with Brown. Despite the defeat, three points may still be enough for Deeping to survive in 5NW and they play the relegated basement team in their last game after Easter. If only they had played like the second half all season…