Saturday March 14th 2009

CAMBS Ladies Premier League

City of Peterborough Ladies 3rd XI (1) vs Market Deeping Ladies 1st XI (1)

Deeping looked a little sluggish as a well drilled Peterborough attacked from the start and were clearly better adapted to the slow sandy astro at Bretton Gate than the visitors. Deeping took a while to get going and soaked up some pressure.
Gemma Anderson defended well at right back and distributed the ball back to the midfield and there were good calm interceptions and strong clearances from Rachel Gale (man of the match) and Ellie Allam. Good keeping by Angela Cox kept Deeping in touch.
Deeping started to click and in a dangerous five minute spell they made three good chances as Robynne Scott and Sarah Smith both broke through. Scott’s effort was cleared off the line by a defender after she picked up a perfect pass from Gemma Catlin while Smith drew a quality save from the City keeper.
With Peterborough under the cosh a little they suddenly broke fast to score just before half time.
Deeping had much more of the second half as more calm defence kept City under control. In midfield Tash Newitt and Catlin picked up a lot of loose balls and prompted more Deeping attacks; down the right wing Kirsten Hackett showed her usual grit and determination as she bounced off players and crossed effectively.
Peterborough won several short corners but these were competently dealt with, with lead runner Catlin closing them down.
The break Deeping probably deserved came when Becky Allam released skipper Smith down the left and Deeping won a penalty corner. Amy Gwilliam delivered the corner at pace, Smith stopped and Catlin able to pick her spot smashed the ball into a mysteriously almost empty net.
A close game saw Deeping keep their heads and outplay Peterborough in the second half. A draw was at least the reward their efforts deserved.
Huntingdon ladies conceded their game with Deeping’s second team and Deeping will therefore play in the Div 2 league cup final for the second year running.

CAMBS Ladies Div 2

Market Deeping Ladies 2nd XI

CAMBS Mens Div 2 N

Market Deeping 1st IX (4) vs Ipswich and East Suffolk 1st XI (1)

This vital win was far from the rout the score suggests, but Deeping can be proud of the way they wore IES’s rather pedestrian defence down before piling on the pressure in the second half. The visitors started well and keeper Stuart Ireland was regularly tested but Deeping rapidly improved and it was against the run of play when Deeping hesitated at a corner and the Ipswich striker had too much time to pick his spot.
Deeping came back well and unusually Paul Tancred missed a very good chance before he cleverly pounced on the rebound from James Sharpe’s short corner to lift it over the keeper off the wrong foot.
It was one – all at halftime, but Deeping’s stick skills and pace started to open spaces in and around the opposition D. IES still had their chances at short corners, but Deeping dealt with them well. Eventually Sharpe gave Deeping the lead at a short and before IES could recover an unmarked Andy Kind was picked out by Tancred and he just laid the stick flat to deflect home from about two feet.
Umpiring decisions did not favour IES and at one stage they were down to nine players after dismissals for a nasty tackle and dissent.
Deeping were now strutting and the only surprise about their fourth was that it came from sweeper Andy Cannings. He took the return from a well-worked short corner after injecting the ball and swept in at the post for his first league goal in a long time. Shortly after he too was sin-binned for dissent with just minutes of the game left.
Deeping’s Man of the match Treve Wagstaffe defended well at right back and increasingly joined in the second half attacks making space for his halves and forwards. He did well to stand out in an excellent all-round team performance.

CAMBS Mens Div 4 NW

Market Deeping 2nd XI (2) vs City of Peterborough 6th XI (1)

First played third in this vital 4NW fixture and two scrappy goals saw unbeaten Deeping home in this fiercely contested and often ill-tempered match. It simply added spice to the game that both sides featured several old colleagues from the defunct Peterborough Athletic club.
The game began with controversy when, in the first five minutes, Peterborough had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled out for the initial shot being above the backboard. It then took a deflection off a defender’s stick into the goal. Peterborough protested furiously.
The remainder of the 70 minutes was definitely not pretty hockey, but it was certainly entertaining as both sides fought tooth and nail for every ball.
There was no score at half time and honours were pretty much even.
Deeping were making more opportunities in open play, but defensive errors and indiscipline were handing Peterborough penalty corner after penalty corner, and the feeling was very much that it was only a matter of time before they managed to put one away.
Then Simon Burnell continued his impressive goal-scoring streak to give Deeping the lead; not the prettiest of his seven so far this season, but perhaps one of the most important. Chris Mann was tormenting his old Athletic colleagues with his probing runs from midfield.
Deeping hardly had time to settle before Peterborough were back on terms, a lifted cross bypassed the entire Deeping back four and found Deeping cricket club’s Sunday skipper Tom Andrews lurking at the back post, and he swept home the equaliser.
The game gradually got messier and with time ticking away, Henry Winfield-Chislett poached the winner at the far post in a scramble in the Peterborough D. Deeping who were indebted to probing runs and sound defence by Dan Medd and Phil Tokens hung on for the final two minutes to take the points.

CAMBS Mens Div 6 NW

St Neots 4th XI (0) vs Market Deeping 3rd XI (4)

Deeping’s third team reclaimed second place in 6NW with a comfortable away win to struggling St. Neots 4th.
Deeping dominated the match from the opening minute, laying siege to the St. Neots’ defence and forcing a string of reaction saves from the young home keeper. Midfield and forward line often got in each other’s way as they queued up in their eagerness to score, and it wasn't until the 25th minute that Deeping finally took the lead when Ben Walden forced the ball home from short range during another goal mouth scramble.
The second half started with Neots enjoying a rare five minutes of pressure, but Deeping's defence held firm with the returning Will Winfield-Chislett putting in a particularly assured performance. Deeping effectively killed off Neots’ brief resistance with the best move of the game, Steve Waters slapping the ball into the roof of the net off the keeper’s helmet from a pinpoint right wing cross from the excellent Alex Gale.
Gale added a third himself soon after with a fine low reverse stick shot, and Jas Phagora converted one of Deeping's numerous short corners to complete the scoring with five minutes to go.
March Town 4th were thrashed by runaway league leaders Wisbech 4th and it looks increasingly as if Deeping will need to beat March in two weeks time for the second promotion spot.