U11's Girls - JNGL Cup Finals at Timperley 11th March

 WHAT A MOTHERS DAY CORKER!!

The U11's made their way to the final at Timperley playing against Timperley and Cheadle.

An early start to a Sunday morning had us all up at the crack of dawn to start the tournament at 9am. The weather was playing ball and a welcome relief to all spectators. Cheadle and Timperley were keen, starting their warm ups as soon as the gates to the astro turf were open.

First clash was Cheadle against Timperley and the two teams went head to head for most of the bout showcasing a fast paced end to end game. Both teams looked strong and the Stockport girls and parents watched with anticipation. Cheadle ran out winners 4-2 of the well contested match.

Gemma keeping an eye on both teams.

Game 1:

Stockport were first pitted against Timperley and quickly took the lead with Eve scoring the first goal.  Hannah M. followed suit and bagged the second after some solid defensive work from Eve and Gemma.

Timperley controlled a good amount of possession and were winning all the drawers but Stockport were hustling and recovering most of the ground balls. Aoife was playing out of her skin covering the whole field, making great checks constantly putting Timperley on the back foot.

Hard work and effort made the half time score 3-0 Blue

Leah collecting another loosey

Half time team talk

Straight back into the second half and Timperley were on the receiving end again with Fran netting Stockport's fourth an fifth with a tidy face dodge and keen eye on the cage.

Timperley fought back but couldn't get passed the 'wall' that was Amelie in between the pipes, her first game in goal producing two massive saves preventing the opposition from getting on the scoreboard.

A Jess B clear with good link up to Leah took the total to 6. Great all round performances from the whole team saw the final scoreline stand at 6-0. Well played to Timperley who fought valiantly till the final whistle.

Strong Clear from Jess and Hannah

Leah - Goal 6

Fran watches her second goal clear the line

One of Eve's many clears looking to move the ball down field

Game 2:
Cheadle were ready for a good competition as Hannah M. took centre stage with the first draw while Jess looked on from the back taking on the goal tending responsibilities.

The first couple of minutes saw an end to end fast paced game. Both teams were defending solidly but the deadlock was broken by Fran sniping her third of the day.

Hannah was back in the middle coming up with the second drawer and hoovering up the loosey one handed. The ball stayed down in Cheadle's half with pressure being applied from all over by the keen blues.

Gemma controlled the ball well looking to feed but Stockport struggled to get another and Cheadle made a good clear and equalised making it 1-1. Carys and Hannah J fought well for loose balls and made it hard for Cheadle to settle.

Half time was all square at 1-1.

Carys grabbing another ground ball

Hannah making it tough for Cheadle to clear

Gemma was up for the first drawer of the second half with Lucy and Isobel ready to charge in. The draw was won and then straight down to the cage feeding Leah to secure Stockport's second, 2-1.

Cheadle started to pressure back but struggled to break the Stockport defence. Another good clear from the blue back line and Gemma picked out a corner which nearly blew the back of the net out making it 3-1.

Cheadle's goalie made two great back to back saves then they clawed one back keeping the game close at 3-2. Amy and Jessica E helped turnover the ball and followed Leah down field who was stopped twice again by the Cheadle goalie.

Stockport applied more pressure trying to get the fourth but Cheadle rallied and kept Stockport at bay but were bot able to net anymore themselves, leaving the final score 3-2.

A great event hosted by Timperley and brilliant performances by all teams meant for a perfect start to Mothers Day. Thanks to Timperley, Cheadle and the referees.

Well deserved - Well played girls!

Unauthorised selfie!

Put me in Coach

Manager is not happy with this warm up!

Isobel must have covered about 10km

U10s at home to Mellor

It was great for the U10s to finally play again and we were happy to have Mellor down to provide the opposition.
Playing 8-a-side on a small pitch made for a tight and competitive match with both teams showing good skills and the willingness to get stuck in to fight for the ball.

Any even first quarter ended one all with Ethan scoring a good goal for Stockport. Dan was doing well at the face-off and possession was fairly equal with both teams turning the ball over under pressure from the defences with Archie having one of his best games in a blue shirt.

Since neither team had any substitutes all the lads got plenty of game time and the middies were working hard to keep up with the pace of the game. Sam put in a lot of effort and was keen to get involved at every opportunity showing the confidence he has gained from playing with the U12s.

Mellor had the better passing game and worked themselves into a lead in the 2nd quarter despite some good saves by Thurston. The speed of Devon and Euan was definitely an asset for Stockport and they also provided some useful commentary to those of us on the sideline. Bertie wasn’t intimidated by the bigger opposition and was fully committed to the cause through the whole game.

Stockport had some late chances but weren’t able to get back on level terms with Mellor running out winners 5-3

Ethan doing his bit to keep the pitch in pristine condition

Dan going up the middle

I think Ethan did touch the ground at some point but there is no evidence of it here

Sam has got this situation under control

Archie on his man, Bertie making sure Thurston is awake

The ball is in there somewhere

Thurston looking for the right pass

U14s WACS/Cheadle Hulme v Stockport/Brooklands

The debate often rages on about the merits of joint teams and what this does for the game of lacrosse at junior levels.  Some people even have the audacity to refer to them as 'Mongrel' teams.  However, what they do miss are the benefits that's teams/players still continue to play, and still continue to commit to the sport.  Benefits include friendships, different coaching methods, different facilities, and above all else they are still playing.  There are downsides, but lets not dwell on those, and lets look forward to our own U14s team for a few years to come.
The game itself was the proverbial game of two halves, with players playing outside of their normal positions, players struggling to cope with the zone being played and generally moving the ball at a walking pace.  The first quarter was very even all over the field, even at face, even in attack and even in defence, which is probably why we ended up with a 1-1 quarter.  The 2nd quarter things moved in favour of the hosts, with a 3-1 quarter leaving us 4-2 down at half time.
Then the game changed, by playing players in the strongest positions we looked much stronger in Defence, Mid and Attack, and we moved the ball quickly, from one end to the other with some delightful goals scored along the way.  By not allowing our hosts time to set up their excellent zone, we were incisive and made it count with 0-6 quarter in our favour, before a 2-2 final quarter.
Thoroughly enjoyable game, played well, by all teams participating.  Good participation from our U12s, and U14s, and the Brooklands players and coaches.