Saturday January 19th 2008

CAMBS Div 1

Market Deeping Ladies 1st XI (3) vs City of Peterborough Ladies 4th XI (0)

City of Peterborough Ladies conceded the game.

CAMBS Div 2

Market Deeping Ladies 2nd XI vs Huntingdon Ladies 2nd XI

EAST 3NW

Market Deeping 1st XI (7) vs Bourne 2nd XI (1)

With the ladies not in action this week, it was left to the men to enjoy a trio of victories, starting with this comfortable defeat of a strong Bourne 2nd XI. Deeping’s table topping first team seemed to have learned from their lackadaisical performance in their only NE14 NW3 defeat just before Christmas. With a local derby to fire them up, they started the game at a high tempo which paid off within 10 minutes as they went 1-0 up through a well placed strike from Russ Seton. 
Bourne then had a goal disallowed, and a player was yellow carded, before Chris Mann picked up a loose ball from under the keeper and made it 2-0 at half time. 
Bourne seemed a different team after half time as Deeping had 90% of the play and added five goals. It should have been more but for poor finishing.
James Sharpe scored from a short corner and a very well taken reverse stick shot. Jason 'goal poacher' Purllant nicked a goal from Tancred who responded with a brace of his own one of which was the smallest of deflections.
Bourne pushed most of their players up and scored a consolation when the Deeping midfield failed to track back but the game had already been won.
Skipper Richard Woods had special praise for one player. “Andy Kind starred in the midfield working as hard as ever. If everyone followed his example winning the league would be twice as easy.”

Div 4NW

Market Deeping 2nd XI (4) vs Alford 1st XI (3)

Henry Winfield-Chislett was unable to play for the 1st XI this week, but he produced a virtuoso performance for the 2nd team before rushing off to catch a train.
Alford may be the surprise package of NE14 Div. NW4 this season. A young team, recently promoted, they’ve rarely been out of the top three and must have an eye on promotion.
At the start of the season Deeping were delighted to take the three points from the corresponding away fixture when a late winner from Steve Waters completed an act of daylight robbery. Deeping set out from the start to try and disrupt Alford’s passing game. Tight marking and organisation limited Alford to few chances in the early stages, though a dangerous short corner routine came close to breaking the deadlock.
However, Deeping struck first, a cool finish from midfielder Ben Dalgliesh and he soon doubled his tally, latching onto a rebound from a free hit into the D.
Then Winfield-Chislett made his mark. His first was a wonderful solo effort, picking the ball up on the halfway line, and beating three players before striking low and hard into the net. Deeping quickly conceded this rare three goal cushion when Alford’s Stuart Cunnington scored. Shortly after half time he added a second to make it 3-2, and Deeping’s nerves were set jangling once more.
Deeping have struggled to hold leads this season, but Winfield-Chislett again eased the pressure with a contender for goal of the season. An audacious lob from Treve Wagstaff over fully 30 yards was controlled with his first touch, and dispatched reverse stick with his second from an acute angle past a shell shocked keeper.
Deeping could have been forgiven for thinking that was game over, but Alford have the fight and determination to go with their pace, and when Roger Hill scored in the dying minutes, the game was once again on a knife edge.
Deeping went to a five man midfield in a bid to see out the win, but it still took a great piece of goalkeeping from Joe Wray in the last seconds to ensure Deeping took all three points at the final whistle.

EAST Div 5NW

Alford 2nd XI (2) vs Market Deeping 3rd IX (3)

With fifteen minutes to go, trailing 2-1, Deeping seemed dead and buried in this 5NW encounter. Then something extraordinary happened as a number of players appeared to suddenly wake up and they piled on the pressure. They won a string of penalty corners, and after equalising through a clean Simon Taylor strike, they simply piled on more pressure and when minutes later another short corner broke to Nick Maxey he accurately struck the winner home via an Alford foot.
Deeping took both a large and an extremely strong squad to play Alford on the superb astro pitch at Skegness Grammar School and were not too surprised to take an early lead when Muddy Waters pounced on Ben Walden’s cross. But from then on Alford’s young team dominated proceedings and Deeping were extremely fortunate to go in 2-1 down at halftime. They were indebted to some fine keeping from Adi White and some more well-timed tackles from the courageous Andy Gregson .
Deeping are privileged to have two keepers sharing the duties currently and Steve Chambers replaced White at half time to make his own very competent contribution but it was Gregson who made another amazing saving tackle to send a close range shot over the bar as the intense pressure continued.
Then gradually the bruised and battered veteran Kev Richardson somehow found a way to control Alford’s youthful centre forward, and the pressure abated. In midfield Simon Burnell and Nick Maxey suddenly switched on, and with the hard working Anthony Barnes began to rattle Alford’s defenders and pen them in their own half. Deeping kept control of the ball and after skipper Taylor brought them level they powered to a result made all the more important when news of close rivals Boston 2nds surprise win over City of Peterborough filtered through.