On a bright and sunny autumn morning these two teams met in Romsey for what ended up being a fierce competition with both sides displaying good skills, control and determination.
Romsey appeared to have the edge but could not turn their dominance into goals. Jack S, Jack M, Luke W and Harry G all going close. However, Hamble always looked dangerous on the counter attack requiring Will R, Owen S, Freddie O, Thomas C and Thomas H to defend well together with Joe W in goal who made a series of excellent saves and interceptions.
It was Hamble who took the lead late in the first half following a goal mouth tussle which ended in a Romsey player taking the final touch as the ball just crossed the line. It was soon 2 to Hamble with an excellent strike from 5 metres.
Romsey came out in the second half with a renewed determination. The defence stood strong with the midfield of Luke W, Jack S, Will R and Daniel B creating a series of attacks, the pressure told and the rewards came. Luke W picking the ball up on the half way line, dribbling stylishly through five Hamble players before striking home to the right of the keeper. Soon it was 2-2, Luke W again collecting the ball in mid-field, dribbling into the D and passing to Jack M on the left side of goal. Jack M struck it home first time. Ellison B and Rupert W continued to create chances which were well defended by Hamble until the final few minutes when the ball was played down the right to Henry A who crossed to Jack M 4 metres from the centre of goal, he controlled before playing a reverse hit high into the net.
Romsey never eased up until the final whistle for a well-deserved win.
An energetic and determined performance from a strong team of Under 14 Romsey boys!
U10s excel at Southampton Mini Festival
U10 ‘A’s
There was a chill in the air as Romsey A Under 10s arrived for their third tournament of the season and they were dominant in possession from the first push back! Making full use of the half-sized pitch they played fantastic passing hockey which resulted in an abundance of shooting opportunities. Romsey A played 5 matches and won them all only conceding one goal in the whole tournament with another dazzling display of hockey.
The first match was against Trojans B which saw them go behind in the first minute. Their heads did not drop and straight away Romsey were on the attack with Oscar and Caitlin linking up well in midfield with Grace who was up front. Daisy played particularly well as the sweeper keeper and together with Evie in defence, were strong in the tackle. The game ended with a 3-1 win to Romsey.
The second match was against New Forest C and their confident play from their first win continued. Sabine and Rosie were excellent at sticking to their positions on the wing which helped Romsey use the full width of the pitch resulting in fantastic crosses which after a lot of pressure, resulted in a goal. The match ended with a 1-0 win to Romsey.
The next match was another strong match for Romsey against Andover B. Sabine crossed the ball for Oscar to dribble past two players and score with his reverse stick. Henry worked tirelessly up-front chasing down the ball and providing Caitlin with a great pass to score the second goal. Evie and Rosie were exceptional in defence always clearing the ball confidently out to the wing. Romsey’s dominance continued with Caitlin scoring another 3 goals to end the match with a 5-0 win to Romsey.
They played Winchester C in their penultimate match finishing with a 2-0 win to Romsey. Sabine stuck to her position on the wing and was confident at taking on players to drive towards the goal. Daisy worked hard to keep possession and provide the forwards with shooting opportunities. The first goal saw Oscar dribbling from the left wing to score. Grace followed this up with a great strike for the second goal.
The final match was against Winchester A. Henry played a key role in driving Romsey forward throughout this match and combined well with Evie and Rosie who were both tournament debutants. The match ended with a 3-0 win to Romsey.
Yet again the U10s didn’t disappoint and continued their excellent form resulting in another fantastic display of hockey in what can only be described as a series of sensational results. Huge congratulations to Grace, Daisy, Sabine, Rosie, Evie, Caitlin, Henry and Oscar for excellent team work through-out the tournament.
U10 ‘B’s
It was Romsey B’s first outing of the season and some fine team work ensured they were undefeated in their 5 matches and didn’t concede a single goal.
The first game against New Forest B was a great start to the day with an amazing performance from Maya and Clara in defence and some excellent attacking play, but ended 0-0.
Winchester A fell behind when Zach got a superb goal minutes in to the match. The defence held together well and the final score was 1-0.
Romsey showed high spirits against Salisbury B with a great goal from Charlie assisted by Camilla, who then scored the 2nd goal after an amazing pass from Zach. Charlie scored again and with strong defending from Clara the game ended 3-0.
There were some lovely passes against Southampton A from Anna, Maya and Imogen but the game finished 0-0.
The final game against Andover A was tense. Romsey dominated play with plenty of goal opportunities, particularly from Joe, but were unlucky to finish with a 0-0 draw.
Goals Galore for U12 Girls at Trojans
After a respectful Remembrance Sunday silence the Romsey U12 side commenced what was to be an amazing display of youth hockey.
The Romsey girls U12 dominated today at their match against Trojans, scoring a healthy 9 goals, whilst conceding none. The incredible win was a tribute to the girls’ hard work in training, their determination, and total confidence on the ball. Each girl showed impressive personal skills on the pitch however their teamwork was seamless. Full use of the width of the pitch and smart, strong passing between teammates meant Romsey had the majority of possession which they put to great use.
Invincible defending from Tilly D, Clara F, Hattie K, Isobel L and accurate/powerful saves and clearances from goalkeeper Ellie G meant a clean sheet for the Romsey defence. Confident interception and clean passing by the midfielders (birthday girl) Hannah T (4), Eliza H, Lucy W (2), Zoe P, and Harriet F (1) kept the relentless pressure on the Trojans defence, feeding ball after ball to the cool, skilful forwards Caitlin J (2), Maddie O and Elsie D.
A fantastic team performance! (Clara F Player of the match)
U16 Boys rocket past Basingstoke
U16s boys played Basingstoke boys on Sunday the 3rd of November. Push back was 12.30pm on a cloudy yet mild autumnal day.
Basingstoke who only had 10 players made a reasonable start pushing the ball through midfield well, however the Romsey defence marshalled by James F sniffed out early opportunities confidently.
Romsey used their numerical advantage and moved the ball about well with great passing from Lorne T, Ollie G, and Ewan M. Romsey spent most of the half on top and scored 4 great goals 2 for Barry H one for Lorne T and one for Ben H.
Romseys play had been excellent with the whole team moving the ball and working for each other allowing moments of individual skill to shine through from the likes of Ben H, Luke W and Harry G.
The second half started in the same vain and Romsey were on the attack again with great passing combinations through the team including great work out wide from Jack S, Owen S and Oliver N.
More goals followed at times it was impossible to keep up with the score but there were some super moves and finishes from Ben H, Luke W and Ollie G.
On the rare occasion Basingstoke attacked Ellison B and James F were there to snuff out the danger and get Romsey back on the attack again.
It was safe to say goal keeper Ollie H had one of his quieter matches!
Final score Romsey 10–1 Basingstoke
Man of the match Ben H – a constant threat
U8s make the most of their lie-in!
Under 8s Winchester Tournament – Sunday 27th October
Once the tournaments start, they come thick and fast every 3 weeks so after another wet training session and, enjoyably, one in sunshine it was time to head to Winchester for the 2nd tournament. The squad was affected by half-term holidays but for those who were available it was a rare chance to enjoy a Sunday morning lie-in as the clocks went back an hour. A rare treat for the parents.
We opened the tournament with an excellent 4-0 win against Winchester which could have been so many more as lots of chances were pushed wide of the goal. It was almost a perfect start for Jake in his first tournament as he hit the ball into the goal but unfortunately it was from outside of the scoring zone. Hamish made lots of strong runs and scored twice, with Cherry also scoring a goal which gave her confidence to give a very strong and energetic performance throughout the tournament.
Our 2nd match was a tough and close encounter with Andover 1s which ended up in a 0-0 draw. Emma and Laurence played well and were strong in defence, tackling well and passing the ball away to the midfielders.
We were then up against Southampton who we had beaten 4-1 in the previous tournament. The team again dominated play with Olivia scoring an early goal to settle nerves. As we only had 7 players, Rory (aged 5 and a half) was playing throughout. He was getting thoroughly involved in midfield making one strong run in particular which was only stopped by his teammate (and sister) tackling him. He continued trying hard and showed determination to score his first goal for the club from close range after his initial attempt was saved. Hamish was cleverly sitting deeper in midfield waiting to pick up loose balls and he was then able to make lots of runs into the space in the right hand corner to make good crosses for his teammates – and he also got 2 goals, with the match finishing at 4-0.
After a long break, we then faced Bournemouth which resulted in another scoreless draw with all players getting involved as play moved from end to end. Jake was able to show great speed and determination to chase down a 50 yard clearance when attacking, but also tracking back to help in defence. He also worked well to come back to collect some amazing, early reverse stick passes up the left hand side from Hamish. This kind of passing could really help the team escape from the classic, 8 player melees that are typical at this early stage in their hockey learning.
Our fifth and final game was against Andover 2s. This time Hamish headed for the left hand corner and sent a reverse stick cross straight to Olivia (in a great position for an attacker) who stopped the ball before hitting into the goal to give Romsey a 1-0 lead. The team tried really hard to get another goal but struggled to escape the opposition’s strong tackling. Just before the end, we had a few attempts at clearing the ball but couldn’t quite managed it and Andover scored. At the final whistle it was 1-1.
It was an amazing effort from this young team, with no substitutes, to win 2 games and draw 3, scoring 9 goals and only conceding 1. The players worked hard throughout with all showing improvements from 3 weeks before. If all players are available for the next tournament, it will be a strong squad to select from.
Scintillating Romsey Under 10s dominate at Winchester Tournament
Winter had most definitely arrived in Winchester as the clocks went back and temperatures tumbled. As a result, spectators and players alike were well wrapped up and an atmosphere of fevered anticipation hung in the air.
As always, the U10s didn’t disappoint and continued from where they had left off at the Bournemouth tournament putting on a display of scintillating red hot hockey that soon had everyone warmed up. The results can only be described as sensational. 5 games, 5 wins. 21 goals scored and only a solitary goal conceded. The best results of the day were beating Trojans 1 7-0 and Andover 1 6-0.
In attack, Romsey were sublime with Charlie, Oscar and Caitlin scoring goals for fun. Henry and Zach were stalwarts throughout and both also managed to hit the back of the net and produce some great link up play.
As always, a great team is built on a solid foundation of defence and credit goes to Maya, Anna and Sophie who all played their part with last ditch tackles and keeping a disciplined shape.
Thanks to Natalie for masterminding the tactics and a huge well done to the fabulous Romsey under 10s who march on to the next event in Southampton!
Men’s 4s shock league leaders
Men’s 4s played Lavant, the league leaders, on Saturday the 26th of October on a fresh Autumnal morning in Chichester.
Push back was 10.30am and Lavant pounced on an early error by the Romsey defence this saw the Lavant centre forward and Captain clean through on goal, with no hesitation he struck crisply into the corner giving Ollie O no chance. 1-0!
This shook Romsey into shape and immediately they started to find space and move the ball down both flanks with Ben Parker and Rob Cavalier distributing well. Midfielders James Butson, Freddie O and Lorne T were working the ball well and getting good delivery into the D.
Lavant were still dangerous on the break and defenders Rob Cav and Lukasz made several great interceptions and a great last gasp tackle from Rob to deny Lavant a clear opportunity.
Romsey were still being positive in attack with midfielders Phil Orak and Mike Pooley backing up the forwards and on one such attack Mike Pooley slid the ball into Sean Rawles who controlled instantly and picked his spot 1-1!
Romsey grew in stature and were tough in the tackle and pressing the game giving Lavant no time on the ball. James Butson, Lorne T and Dan Blackman were terrorising the Lavant defence and great pull back found Rawles in space who shot well only to see the keeper make a great reaction save.
Finally the pressure told and and a great through ball from Lukasz Suleja found a great run from Rawles who took the ball under his spell into the D and hit a stinging shot into the corner, great finish! 2-1!
Halftime came and Romsey were in control and wanted to keep it that way but they had to work hard at the start of the second half as Lavant pressed higher up the pitch but good work in defence from Field, Parker and Suleja kept them at bay.
Romsey were still finding great width and Phil Orak and Lorne T were working well down the right, Lorne found himself in the D and finished smartly into the corner! 3-1!
There was still 15 minutes to go and Lavant were not finished yet and they had a succession of short corners ending with a shot on goal deflecting of a Romsey stick to make it 3-2. Romsey came again with great work from Rawles to force a short corner and in the Melee that followed he quickly reacted to strike the ball home 4-2!
With only minutes to go it was end to end stuff, Lavant were piling on the pressure Ollie O made a fantastic smothering save then got up to make a block. There was nothing he could though however to stop number 20 firing home after a great run. 4-3!
Two minutes to go the Lavant players started to loose discipline and were shouting at each other, Romsey remained Solid and pulled off a great win to get their season up and running.
Final score Romsey 4-3 Lavant
Men of the match – the whole team ! Great team effort
Honourable mention to hatrick man Sean Rawles- great finishing
U14 Girls Triumph over Trojans
U14 Girls played Trojans on Sunday 13th of October on a damp and over cast morning.
Although with only 10 players and a number of U12s playing up they battled well and for the first third of the game the possession was 50/50 . Romsey were moving the ball well in midfield with Katie, Zoe and Eva working well as a team and threatening in attack on several occasions.
In Defence Harriett , Eliza and Hannah were keeping things tight at the back and Keeper Neve was using her feet well to block out Trojan attacks.
Into the second third Romseys confidence grew and forwards, Isobel and Imogen pressed the Trojans defence to great effect springing counter attack after counter attack. On one such attack Imogen broke to the back post to collect a well weighted pass and calmly finish through the keepers legs 1-0! Romsey.
As the game progressed Trojans upped the pressure and Romsey had to be resolute , katie dropped back to help the defence to great effect and Rosanna made a crucial interception in the D after a short corner.
Romsey remained strong and finished the match as worthy winners 1-0.
Player of the match – Katie – a fine midfield performance.
Well done to all girls for a super display and well deserved victory.
U12 boys on a high at home!
Sunday 12 October 2019
Romsey 8 – Andover 0
Romsey U12 Boys played Andover at home in the second match of the season. Despite the rain hanging in the air the boys played beautiful hockey from start to finish. Oscar scored the first goal, assisted by Tom, followed by Freddie and George finishing the first part 3-0 to Romsey. In the second part Jake was quick to score followed by a reverse stick from Josh, assisted by Milo. Milo came back to score the 6th goal with some help from Henry and in the last-minute George scored 7-0 off Theo’s a short corner. Due to Romsey advantage Tom decided to swap the boys normal playing positions in the third part of the match. Tom, Callum and Dylan, who beautifully managed our defence line, got to play up front together with Ben and Theo, Oscar and George were set to play in defence. Despite some difficulties to stick to the new positions the boys carried on great team play and before the end of game Freddie scored a final goal, finishing the match 8-0 to Romsey. Great to see that passing the ball payed off and that the goals scored and direct assists included all thirteen boys. Benji had a quiet day in the Romsey goal😊.
As Tom said last match, “Remember boys-we win as a team and we lose as a team” with the exception that today we certainly won as a TEAM. Well done all boys well done Tom for super coaching and Noah for umpiring.
Another Gr….. eight win for U14 Boys!
Romsey 8 – Winchester 1
A wet and soggy morning in Winchester did not dampen the spirit of this energetic team of Romsey boys!
They were rewarded early on when Ollie attacked into the D from the right neatly tucking the ball into corner. Winchester continued to counter attack in numbers but were frustrated with an in form defence of Ellison, Owen, Freddie, Jack J and Daniel who frequently stole the ball and turned defence into attack.
Romsey soon scored again when Harry found Jack M in the D and he made no mistake from 5 metres. Romsey kept up the pressure with Thomas, Rupert and Henry combining before playing the ball forward to Jack M who saw his effort brilliantly saved by an in form keeper and then coolly lifted the rebound over the outstretched keeper and into the net.
The second half saw Romsey dominate the early exchanges with Thomas, Jack J and Will all having good efforts saved by the keeper before Jack M smashed the loose ball into the net. The pressure led to a number of short corners and finally Lorne, passing to Luke who had advanced to the left of the goal, firmly striking into the bottom left corner.
Lorne then dribbled past 3 players to the goal line before setting up number 4 for Jack M. Goal number 8 followed a burst through midfield by Jack S who found Luke just outside the D on the left who neatly placed the ball into the bottom right corner.
A sharp and focussed performance by a group of hungry players who were fully on form!