Category: Minis Report

Salisbury Hockey Club was hosting the U10 tournament on Sunday 10^th February. Romsey turned up with an 18 strong squad and the coaches decided to split the teams into Girl versus Boy heavy teams getting them extra practice for the upcoming IN2 hockey tournament. Romsey A was a seven boy and one girl strong team: Maggie, Joe, Ben, Charlie, Oscar, Dylan, Benji and Otto.  First match out of five was against Winchester. Romsey started strong with fast dribbling up towards the goal and Dylan scored an early first goal for Romsey assisted by Ben and Charlie. Joe did his first match as a goalie in full kit and managed to withstand Winchesters many shots towards the goal but after a longer battle in front of the Romsey goal, with good defending from Maggie and Oscar, Winchester finally managed to score, and the game ended 1-1.

In the second match Otto was putting on a Southampton bib to make up for their short number of players and he did that with the honour. Romsey had decided to play without a goalie and that played a part when Southampton scored an early goal. Romsey woke up and started to pass much better but despite that Otto managed to score with a lovely straight shot and 2^nd goal for Southampton. That triggered Romsey and Oscar played out the ball with his best golf swing  that travelled all up along the left side to Ben who then had a successful pass to Dylan who netted the ball and 2-1. Charlie was then up for a fast run with the ball and nice row of passes to Dylan and then onto Joe, who managed to even out the goals towards 2-2.

Third opponent was Bournemouth, which Romsey opened with a quick goal from Oscar and within minutes after the first one he was able to run with the ball again and shot a lovely ball into the corner of the goal, giving Romsey 2-0 lead. Then the games changed and Bournemouth played out the ball and had some successful passes through our defence and into an empty  goal and short after that another set of passes from Bournemouth that travelled faster than the Romsey players could run, making it 2-2. Romsey came back with a series of great passes between Oscar – Charlie -Dylan that only just went outside the goal post. Joe had another near goal before Bournemouth over took the game again and scored two goal just before the whistle blew, finishing the game 2-4 to Bournemouth. A raffling and fast game which kept both players and audience on our toes.

The fourth and fifth games were against Salisbury A and D. Joe scored 1-0 assisted by Oscar. Salisbury then had a shot that we thought might be outside the D but was refereed as a goal. Before end of time Romsey scored another goal and game ended 1-2.

In the fifth and final game, Benji started by hitting the nail on the head and fend off the first attempt to a Salisbury goal and after that Romsey showed great teamwork and lots of great passes between each other and Joe assisted Dylan in the first goal. Romsey kept the control of the game and Oscar delivered a nice ball to Dylan, who then assisted Joe to 2-0. Ben had a nice passing from midfielder Otto and Oscar and managed to run with the ball along the side line and score final goal 3-0.

 The Romsey supporters were being shown some brilliant hockey from very keen children. As the last game was played the sun came out and warmed us all up and the children could have gone on forever…. Star of the day must go to Maggie for stepping out of her comfort zone and getting stuck into the matches as the sole girl in the team. Well Done Romsey A.

The weather was cold but bright for New Forest’s tournament at Bournemouth Sports Centre on 20th January 2019.

In the first of their five matches, Romsey had Trojans pinned back deep in their own half for most of the match. Against the run of play, however, Trojans managed to go 1 ahead with a lucky goal. Fortunately, in the last few minutes of the match, Grace was set up with a lovely through ball and calmly finished in the left corner. The match ended 1-1 and Romsey were very unlucky not to win.

If Romsey enjoyed the better of their first match, they completely dominated the second. Clara put in a very solid shift by snuffing out any Salisbury attacks and Charlie defended high up the pitch. The ball was rarely out of the Salisbury half and towards the end, the Salisbury goalkeeper was under siege. Although Camilla and Grace came close, Romsey were unable to convert their territory into goals and the match finished 0-0.

Romsey were able to maintain their dominance in this match. Freddie went on some dazzling runs through the middle and Maya tidied up well at the back. Grace enjoyed the space up front and had soon poached a hat-trick. Charlie then made it 4 with an outstanding solo run topped off with a fine finish. Salisbury managed to pull back a consolation goal at the end and the match finished 4-1 to Romsey.

Bournemouth were a very good team, with 3 big strong boys in midfield. Romsey toiled hard and there was some heroic defending by both Annas, Dylan, Maya and Clara. However Romsey found it very hard to keep possession against such strong opposition and the match finished 3-0 to Bournemouth.

Romsey looked very comfortable at first and went 1-0 up with a goal from Grace. Unfortunately Winchester fought back and went level with a lucky goal following some confusion in the Romsey goalmouth. Romsey then poured players forward but then found themselves outnumbered at the back. Winchester capitalised on this and snatched the winner. The match ended 2-1.

Overall the team looked comfortable in all but one of their matches and all players deserve a lot of credit for their skill and their attitudes. Next up is the Salisbury tournament in February.

Romsey fielded a very young squad at the mini festival in Bournemouth this morning. With an average age of 6 the squad would need to rely on talent rather than size and experience to succeed.

First up were the hosts Bournemouth. Romsey were slow out of the blocks and despite some hard work lost 2-0.

Winchester were next and Romsey fought hard to secure a tight 1-0 victory with Zak scoring the first of the 7 goals he scored across the morning.

By the third game Romsey had found their feet and Andover B were in their sights. Hard work in midfield from Cherry ensured the opposition could never settle and Romsey ran out 2-0 winners.

Andover A were a much tougher proposition but Romsey were determined and eventually Noah popped up at the back post to slot home the winner.

After a welcome refuel break Romsey’s young tyros returned to the field full of energy. Olivia was now full of energy and she created opportunities for her team mates. Henry scored the fourth goal to seal a dominate win against Winchester.

Grace was excellent all day and her tenacity in tackling meant that Romsey were regularly turning the ball over. The last game saw the team really hit too form and won 4-0 against their local rivals. Hamish showing particular skill scoring his goal after a run which included 3D skills.

Despite their success Romsey played with great team spirit and sportsmanship. Debutant Elijah, 3 1/2, was included in everything, definitely one to watch for the future!

In the U10s section, Romsey A played 6 matches and came away with 1 win, 4 draws and only 1 defeat.  Bournemouth A, Andover A, New Forest A and Southampton A were all held to 0-0 draws.  Brilliant defending was needed throughout from Clara, Jake and Maya to repel frequent attacks.  Their only defeat came against Salisbury A, when the team were caught out by a fast breakaway in the first minute of the game.  Wide players Otto and Sophie ran tirelessly throughout to relieve the pressure on the defence but they couldn’t find an equaliser and lost 1-0.  The highlight of the morning was the well-deserved win against a strong Winchester A team.  Some excellent passing in midfield between Freddie and Ben set Dylan up to shoot from the top of the D.  His strike hit the post, but fortunately bounced back out and Jake reacted brilliantly to smash the ball home. 

Romsey B were very strong during the whole tournament, winning four and drawing two matches. The win against Trojans B was a highlight.  After enduring five minutes of pressure in front of the Romsey goal, Charlie broke free and sprinted towards an open Trojans goal, banging the ball straight in to end the match 1-0.  Against Southampton, Joe showed great goalie traits, Benji, Maggie and Anna S were solid in midfield and Oscar managed to score a goal in the last minute, making it a 1-1 draw. Elsie shone in the match against Bournemouth, picking up the ball on the half way line and scoring on her second attempt at goal. Caitlin was then cool under pressure scoring Romsey’s second goal of the match to end 2-0 to Romsey. In the final match of the tournament, Charlie and Grace linked up to score the only goal of the match and another win for Romsey. The whole squad can be proud of their solid performance and their excellent attitude throughout the tournament.  Well done everyone!

Romsey hosted u8 teams from across the county this morning. Everyone enjoyed the sunny weather, scrummy cakes, and some cracking hockey.

Romsey’s squad of 8 was made up of three 7 and 5 six year olds. They all played awesomely!

First up were Trojans B and Zach was quickest off the mark. He bagged a hat trick before Trojans blinked and Romsey ran out easy winners.

Trojans A were a much tougher prospect and proved too strong for the young Romsey team. They battled hard though, Grace was outstanding and very brave in the tackle.

Romsey recovered from their disappointment and battled out a brave draw against Salisbury. Olivia and Emma toughing it out, snuffing the oppositions attacks out.

Our young team returned to winning ways against Southampton. Brilliant passing saw the ball move from left back by Hamish to Zach in midfield up to Henry who ran in Romsey’s first. Zach doubled the lead with another string break set up by Cherry’s strong midfield effort.

New Forest were very strong and won 4 – 0 against a tiring Romsey team. They refuelled though and came out fighting against Southampton B. Romsey won 1-0 courtesy of Hamish breaking from midfield showing remarkable control and some 3D skills before crossing to Noah who knocked the ball in at the back post.

The last game of the morning was against Andover and both teams brought out their A game. They competed hard and drew 0-0 in the end, finishing with a loud round of 3 cheers.

A great morning and some tremendous hockey played by all.

The Roger Merry memorial and Southampton U10 tournament saw much more equally competitive teams than last time and Romsey was less outstanding. That made them work harder and practising coaching tips given by Natalie.

Romsey A played five matches of intense hockey three draws and two wins.

First team up was Trojans B in which Charlie scored the only goal despite several attempts from both Caitlin and Oscar (1-0).

Next up was Salisbury and again, Charlie scored the first goal of the match. Salisbury played the ball nicely towards our goal and managed to get the ball pass our defenders Clara and Anna S and score, ending the match 1-1.

Third match of the day was against Andover. Oscar, Maggie and Caitlin teamed up well as midplayers, passing the ball up to strikers Charlie, Anna andJoe. A long passing from Charlie gave Joe the chance to push the ball into the goal and despite several more shots against the goal, the ball never went over the line. Andover got hold of the ball and run for our goal, which was empty, and put it in only just before the horn went off and the game finished 1-1.

The match against Bournemouth was incredible equal and both teams played well. Bournemouth had a disallowed goal from outside the D and after a lot of hard work Charlie scored a well-deserved goal, finishing the match 1-0 to Romsey.

Finally, the fifth and last match of the day, we were up against Winchester A, a very strong team with a fully equipped fierce goalie. Our defenders, Elise and Clara, worked hard on keeping Winchester out of our goal. Much of the game was in front of Winchesters goal but none of the shots went in and the match ended in a draw 0-0.

A tournament with less goals scored from the team but with fantastic team work and numbers of successful passes. Well done team A; Anna S, Elsie, Joe, Charlie, Oscar, Clara, Caitlin and Maggie.

Romsey’s U8s played in their first mini festival of the season on Sunday. For half of the squad this was their first games for the club and all of them were awesome!

The crisp and sunny morning meant that although warm in the sun there was a distinct chill in the air but after a good warm up the young squad of 6, 7 and 8 years old were ready for their first match. Marshalled into a 2-4-2 formation by coach Robertson the players confidently strode onto the pitch.

First up were Salisbury and Romsey soon started to dominate. Both teams were fielding several debutants and as a result the more experienced players quickly dominated. Henry and Zach were able to make some telling runs and ended up with two and one goals respectively.

After a short high calorie refueling break our young hockey stars were immediately on fire against Southampton. The whole team camped in Southampton’s half for the duration of the game. Olivia was very brave, despite an injury, and kept pushing the ball forward into the danger area. Romsey ended up winning 6-0, Henry getting two, Hamish one and Zach completing a hattrick.

Trojan’s Bs were next in Romsey’s sights and although they showed a little more resistance, we quickly took control of the game. Zach scored two but the highlight was Cherry scoring her first goal for the club having only started playing this season.

Trojan’s As proved to be a completely different prospect but Romsey produced an amazing team performance. The opposition had been seen beating their last opposition 8-0 so it was clear that the next assignment was going to be a tough one. It lived up to expectation. Trojans produced a fierce onslaught that Romsey very nearly managed to keep out. All players should great technique and perseverance in defence. Emma was a rock, always strong in the tackle and regularly winning the ball. Grace and Cherry were like a pair of terriers hunting the ball down and beating it out of the Romsey D. The performance of the match though was from Hamish who battled hard on the goal line and kept out countless Trojans shots on goal. It was almost inevitable in the end that Trojans scored but the effort from the Romsey players didn’t deserve the loss.

Exhausted but still happy last up was a game versus Andover. Romsey’s enthusiasm kept them going though and they were able to dominate again. Noah showed great resolves throughout and made a number of telling contributions in defence and attack. In the end Henry scored a hattrick enabling Romsey to finish the day on top.

A great morning in the sunshine with 15 goals scored and only 1 conceded. Everyone played brilliantly and the Romsey’s team spirit was awesome!

‘B’ enjoyed a lovely sunny morning at the Southampton U10s tournament. Coach Jen Metcalf had the team well organised and everyone can be proud of their performance.

In their first game Romsey took on New Forest B.  The match was great to watch with both teams playing some lovely passing hockey. Defenders Camilla, Grace and Jake were frequently called into action but managed to repel every attack.  In the dying seconds Freddie burst through from midfield and played a perfect pass to Ben, whose shot crossed the line just as the hooter sounded for the end of the match.

Romsey were pitted against New Forest C in Game 2 and again ran out 1-0 winners. More sterling defending from Camilla and Maya was needed early in the game, before Jake’s pass set up Dylan to score from close range. However Game 3 against Bournemouth proved tougher and Romsey lost 2-0.

Against Southampton in Game 4 Romsey started slowly and conceded and early goal.  However the team weren’t downhearted, with Grace and Anna in particular worked hard in midfield.  Perseverance was rewarded when Freddie scored a deserved equaliser and the game ended 1-1. 

The final game also ended in a draw, this time against a strong Andover team.  Both teams had good chances and Jake produced a stunning goal-line save, but neither defence could be beaten so it ended 0-0.