Saturday 12th December 2009

CAMBRIDGE Ladies Premier League

Market Deeping Ladies 1st XI

CAMBRIDGE Ladies League Division 1

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

Deeping set out confidently to face the team who kept them from both league and cup glory and who were promoted with Deeping after winning Cambridge Two last season. Deeping had beaten them in the Divison one cup this season and fancied their chances.
Despite a continuus onslaught from Rutland in the Deeping D, the first half remained goal free.
After the break an aggressive Deeping took the lead with a goal from Katrina Kennedy. The goal served only to remind Rutland why they had made the journey, and the barrage began once again Eirfat Mustafa on her debut made some impressive runs on the break, but the crosses just weren’t converted.
Rutland finally hit the backboard after 55 minutes, but Deeping were not tempted to play for the draw. However, Rutland’s attack produced short corner after short corner, and Deeping’s keeper was kept very busy.

DIVISION 2N

Market Deeping 1st XI (5) vs Ipswich 3rd XI (1)

Vital points for Deeping as they thrashed the league’s second bottom side.
They have a run of home games and the target has been to pick up valuable wins from teams that don’t travel well.
Deeping dominated the early exchanges but couldn't find a way through on goal. Yet again they then conceded a goal early in the first half. This at least has the advantage that they know and believe that they can come back – and duly they did as they carried on playing the game plan and managed to go into the half time break at 1-1 from a Goal from Nick Brocklehurst.
The second half started much the same as the first with Deeping in total control of the game. Brocklehurst scored a second from a penalty flick and from then on there was only going to be one winner. Goals from Ali Rowledge, Shane Greatrex and Russ Seton sealed the win which rapidly moved Deeping up into mid table at the Christmas break.

DIVISION 3NW

Market Deeping 2nd XI (1) vs Spalding 1st XI (9)

Deeping greeted the final whistle with a sense of relief. The Christmas break in gives them three weeks to get their injured players rested and fit again to start with a clean slate in the New Year and end the vicious circle of playing injured players Once again they failed to finish the game with 11 fit players, Ben Dalgliesh the latest to be struck down by the injury jinx.
However, even Deeping's strongest line up would have struggled to cope with a Spalding side at the top of the league and clear favourites for promotion. Their vastly superior fitness, movement, and range of passing at times tore Deeping to shreds.
After skipper Brewer allowed his man to sprint in behind him for the opening goal in the first 10 minutes, the pressure was pretty much all one way.
Five nil down at half time, even a more defensive approach in the second half failed to halt the slaughter as Deeping strugggled to get out of their own half and Spalding simply pressed and pressed.
The only bright spot was a fine finish from young Jack Seton for a single goal.
Things will have to change in the New Year for Deeping to salvage some pride from what has so far been a miserable season.
As for Spalding, they will face tougher tests in the weeks to come, but the efficiency they showed in dispatching their opposition here shows they have the ruthless touch to go along with the skill needed to take them up to Division Two.

DIVISION 5NW

Cambridge Nomads 3rd XI (1) vs Market Deeping 3rd XI (0)

Having finally got 11 players on to the pitch with seconds to go before the whistle, Deeping might have expected to get a good hiding at Coldham’s Common. But it rapidly became clear, against a very young Nomads team, that Deeping really could win the game, if they could concentrate despite some testing distractions.
Nomads attacked and Deeping’s very experienced defence easily soaked up the pressure, Nomads coming closest when Deeping’s left post man cleared off the line at a penalty corner. Faced with a miniscule centre-forward the lanky veteran Kev Richardson simply picked the ball out like a surgeon with a giant scalpel operating on an ant. In midfield skipper Baker and the back from uni Alex Gale were making inroads and releasing Ben Walden.
Another distraction came when man of the match Walden’s shot (he felt) hit the bar and crossed the line before being swept back by the keeper. No sign of a Russian linesman to save Deeping with the umpire positioned wide out on the sideline and apparently no adequate view of the incident.
Deeping made a couple more good chances before keeper Ray Isaacs, blinded by a low summer sun, duffed a kick on a lifted ball, and somehow Nomads forced the rebound home.
At the turn Deeping felt pretty confident, but if Nomads deserved their win this was when they proved it with 15 minutes of real pressure, drawing a good save from Isaacs and another off the line short corner stop by the left post defender. Deeping though gradually regained the midfield control they needed but were bemused to see the Nomads keeper smash their centre forward to the ground as he was in the act of shooting. No penalty resulted.
It was now that the Deeping club’s new manifesto for respect of the umpires clicked in and their protests were muted. In fairness, Nomads then could have had a penalty of their own at the other end.
This was a must-win game for Deeping and they will have to hope that the various injured second-teamers regain their fitness, making it possible for them to add some younger legs to their hundreds of years of experience.