U12s Stockport vs Cheadle Hulme

U12s Stockport vs Cheadle Hulme.

Playing at home on this mild winters morning for a match against Cheadle Hulme , who's squad numbers have massively improved in size and numbers from recent years through picking up some redundant players from Wilmslow Phoenix who's junior programme which seems to have all but disappeared. They now just need some refs to go with it, as the Stockport club were to field two refs, so the game could commence.

Q1. Face off commenced and Stockport were off to a great start moving the ball fast and scoring first with Henry Parker. Cheadle Hulme played mostly with three or four key players, who size wise wouldn't of looked out of place in the u14s and one player especially in the U16`s!
Stockport were not phased and carried on regardless, another goal by Henry, two by Freddie and then Louie was in on the act with a great goal too, a total of 5 goals to Cheadle Hulme`s reply of 2 by the end of the first quarter.

 Q2.  Stockport seemed to be working just that little bit harder at fighting at possession of the ball, stringing a few nice passes together lately and improving all the time, Seven more goals by the Stockport team this quarter, 2 goals by Ethan and one each by Tom, Freddie Henry Louie and Finn.
Cheadle Hulme did score another two goals making it 12- 4 overall at the end of the second quarter using the same big players to run through to the crease, not that pretty.

Q3.  Stockport pretty much dominated the whole game with great fighting spirit, apart from the odd counter attacks by the four larger Cheadle Hulme players and also on occasion some unusual episodes of holding back the Stockport keeper outfield by the same Cheadle Hulme player, who needed the rules explaining to him during the course of the game. Six more goals among the players of Henry, Euan, Ethan, Jacob jnr and two for Finn while Cheadle Hulme managed two more goals also.

Q4. This game became a great credit to the Stockport perseverance and hard work scoring six more goals this quarter by Henry, Tom, Finn, Jacob jnr and two more for Ethan, with Josh getting back into the swing of it and saving 3 or 4 shots on goal by Cheadle Hulme, overall quite an entertaining game with a large amount of goals scored and a really good turn out by both teams, especially the amount of spectators Cheadle Hulme brought to the match also.

Goal Scorers.

Ethan 5, Henry 5, Finn 4, Freddie 3, Tom 2, Jacob jnr 2, Louie 2, Euan 1.

Final Score, Stockport 24  Cheadle Hulme 7

U11s Girls Stockport 9- 3 Timperley - 03.11.19

Quick over view
Scorers:
Carys J - 5
Isla G - 2
Jess - 2

Quarter Scores:
Q1  3 - 1
Q2  4 - 2
Q3  5 - 3
Q4  9 - 3

Final: Stockport 9 - 3 Timperley

****STARS OF THE FUTURE****

Thank you to the parents for helping clean up after bonfire night and for all assistance in the kitchen and with line marking.

The weather was fair giving both the players and parents a little respite from the rain. The pitch was softer than usual following the recent bad weather and foot traffic from bonfire night.

This U11 team seems to improve week on week and with three new-comers to the team, the bench was full.

Lilly-May Liv, Lilly-May Leo and Phoebe L put the famous blue shirts on for the first time today and it was great to see them as part of the stunning U11s. I had a quick chat with the girls after the game, as they were enjoying a hot dog, to make sure ether they enjoyed the game and being part of the team. They were full of smiles and and keen to suit up again (i'm sure the hot dogs had something to do with this). Milly S

Post Game - Pre Hot Dog - First ever game for these two. Sorry, we missed Lilly off this pic

Timperley came fully loaded with a healthy squad and similar to us they had plenty of new-comers who all looked like they were enjoying the game.

The game started quickly and the ball went from end to end with both teams charging towards goal. It was a stale mate for a while with both teams playing tough defence and closing the door to goal. This was indicative of the way the game was going to be.

Stockport kept persisting and were linking nice passes together. Its great to see the girls at this stage of their development looking to move the ball to each other. This is a definite difference from last year and a noticeable difference to other teams. Carys J finally broke the dead-lock with a rocket passed the Timperley keeper.

After a few more charges up field stockport ended up coming out on top of the first quarter 3-1. Carys was on the rampage and confidently took the first three goals. 

Timperley obviously had good team team talk at quarter time and the second quarter was very close with both teams only scoring one. Millie M was in the cage for Stockport and she seems to be really enjoying the position. She made her trade mark save and took a solid shot off the beak, sending the ball into the cricket screens.

Both teams ran hard and tried many avenues to get one up but the second quarter stayed tight at 1-1.

After a quick trip to the kitchen I came out to the third quarter to find the game tied at 4-4 - Game On!!! Timperley fourth was cancelled due to a crease foul and the game continued at 4-3.

Jess E changed into another gear in the third period and turned on her pace to net a tidy goal making it 5-3. She is always looking to get into better positions in the offensive end and as the team develops she will be on the end of a lot of assists.

Amber F was very visible all over the field getting stuck into ground balls, playing good defence and trying her best to get on the score sheet. Emma W had another great game covering every inch of grass, picking up loose balls and moving the ball well showing great vision and anticipation.

In the last quarter Isla G also got the bit between her teeth and started to weave through the Timperley defence and slotted in a nice shot passed the Timperley keeper which brought a loud cheer from the parent packed pavilion. Her sister Amelie kept Timperley out at the back with Effy as they both played tough positional defence.. Effy, Amelie and Molly each got their turn to show off their skills in clearing the ball from the back.

Jess, Carys and Isla all grabbed another goal each with solid build up play and continued passing. Timperley kept pressing but were not able to come away with any more goals. 

All in all another great performance from a team that is developing in leaps and bounds. Roll on the Cheadle. Keep it going girls!!

U11 Girls Stockport 12 - 6 Mersey Gold - 01.12.19

Quick over view
Scorers:
Carys J - 5
Isla G - 2
Jess - 1
Amy T - 1
Iris - 1
Effy - 1
Millie Sm - 1

Quarter Scores:
Q1  3 - 1
Q2  4 - 0
Q3  4 - 2
Q4  1 - 3

Final: Stockport 12 - 6 heaton Mersey Gold

Big smiles from a great team!

Thank you Pete for umpiring and thank you for the help in the kitchen and setting up the pitch (Chris, Paul SH, Paul F, Rob).

A frosty morning called for a close pitch inspection but the ground was consistently smooth although little hard in some areas. But, the sun was coming up and we were not going to call it off.

The girls got stuck straight in and started clearing the heavy frost with plenty of running. Carys took the first goal putting Stockport in the lead. Iris followed suit and snagged her first ever goal (hopefully the first of many) and the second Stockport goal!! I'm sure she's got plenty more tricks up her sleeve with her quick turn of pace. Carys claimed her second and Mersey pulled one back before the end of the first quarter. Hot water bottles were dished out to each team to defrost the icy fingers - this went down a treat.

Carys took the draw to start the second quarter quickly rattled in her third before she tried to break the pipe by shooting a laser past the Mersey keeper. Jess had a couple of chances which she created with her speed and quick side step and finally bagged goal number five for the 'port. The girls were battling all over the field and Holly, in her first game was playing great positional defence, picked up loose balls and was completing passes - most impressive for her first appearance at Cale Green. Keep it up Holly!!.

Amber and Lilly (Lilly's second game) showed true team spirit playing hard from the off. They chased and picked up ground balls, looked up field and moved the ball and helped out their team mates all over the field. Phoebe L played the whole game with a massive smile on her face is fitting in nicely into the team. I can see her getting on the scoresheet soon with her tidy stick skills.

Amy T was solid at the back, making block after block in her new boots. After another good stop, she picked up the ball and went the whole length of the pitch to net goal number six. They don't call her End-to-End Amy T for nothing. Iris, Lily-May Liv were getting increasingly involved scooping ground balls and making passes. Carys closed the second quarter with her fourth goal leaving Mersey 7-1 down and little shell shocked.

Millies Sm played the first half in goal and had done a sterling job, but she was itching to get out field and warm up a little. She did so by blasting in the first goal of the second half making it 8-1 Stockport. She turned to the bench and beamed a big smile - great game Millie.

Milly Sh took over the goal tending duties and she put in an amazing performance making numerous stops. Mersey could have easily come back into the game if it wasn't for Milly's keen eye and cat like skills - Cat-in-the-Cage.

Jess had a couple more great dodges on goal but just missed claiming her second goal. Her dupe step is going to hurt some defenders ankles. Effy and Isla were plugging away from the first whistle, and we all new at some point they were going to score. Isla made it her business to slot in goal number 10 and then thought, she may as well do it again and took goal number 11 to bring the score at the end of the third quarter 11-3. Another great game for Isla.

The hot water bottles were now luke warm and Stockport started to look a little tired in the last quarter. Mersey wanted to even things up a little and kept pressing and had some impressive chances on goal. Milly Sh battled valiantly in the crease but eventually the determination from the black and gold attackers squeezed three past the keeper. Effy wasn't happy with this and scored her first for ever goal taking the final score to 12-6 in Stockport's favour. Excellent work Effy!

The girls are passing the ball more each game and it really is great to watch. Keep it up girls! Lets give everyone a run for their money at the Christmas 8s.

U12s Stockport vs Sheffield Steelers

Sheffield v Stockport U12s 30/11

Over the hills

A bright but chilly morning presented itself, as we made the much-anticipated trip across the Pennines to Yorkshire and 'Steel City'.  Despite the early start, a good crowd of Stockport supporters assembled on the 4G pitch to cheer on the boys.

Stockport had a strong squad of 14 and watching them and the opposition warm-up, the two teams appeared to be physically similar in stature. Our regular keeper Josh was unwell so Dan played Q1/Q2 and Freddie put on the goalie kit for Q3/Q4.

Q1

At the beginning of the season, there were periods during games when the crowd and coaches could sense a bit of lethargy in the boys however, over the last few games this has disappeared and Stockport came out of the blocks quickly. The boys showed great physicality within the first few minutes with Ethan leading the charge. Henry won his face-off and Stockport immediately took the lead 0-1. The boys dominated the game with Ethan scored three swift goals 0-4. All of the boys were playing their part and the Stockport defence repelled any Sheffield response. Tom finished the quarter with a good individual goal 0-5.

Great tenacity and energy made this a very dominant quarter. There was only one place with steel in it and that was Stockport!

Q2

This quarter, saw another solid start from Stockport but Sheffield put together a good attack and got their first goal on the board 1-5. Euan fired a shot over the bar and Ethan scored again soon after 1-6. Impressive play between Louie to Tom resulted in a goal to make it 1-7. This was followed by an impressive solo goal from the face-off by Freddie 1-8. Credit was given to keeper Dan in this quarter, who despite periods of inactivity and standing in the cold saved any Sheffield shots. A great interception by Stockport led to Jacob getting his first goal of the game 1-9. Felix, who always loves to try and get a goal, was unlucky this time but Ethan was there again to pick up the pieces to finish the quarter 1-10.

Q3

This quarter started with some solid saves from the Sheffield keeper. Two goals from Ethan extended the lead to 1-12. Solid defence at this point particularly from Archie did not let Sheffield into the game. Thurston took one for the team with a stinging block using his midriff that left the crowd wincing. The quarter finished with Sheffield getting a second goal 2-12.

Q4

More good saves from Sheffield could not stop Ethan bagging a couple more goals at the beginning of this quarter 2-14. All credit to Sheffield as they now started playing better and giving us more of a game. Three quick Sheffield goals made it 5-14 and we could sense some anxiety in the crowd. This did not dissipate into the Stockport players though and they responded well. A rare own goal and then a fierce Henry goal pushed out the lead to 6-16.  Felix finally got on the score sheet and Stockport got one last goal to conclude the fixture 6-18. Despite this being a stronger quarter for Sheffield, it was too little too late.

Today’s result simply demonstrated how much the Stockport team have settled into the game.  Our players are consistently demonstrating that they know and understand their positions, and as a result, they worked as a single, solid unit straight from the whistle…the boys were all singing (…or should that be playing) from the same hymn sheet. Across the course of the season, the coach’s role has shifted and they can now look at performance and fine-tuning skill rather than basic team structure.

Today was a real crowd pleasing performance! The boys simply gelled and played with consistently good: skill, energy, passion, physicality and a respect for each other. 

The cold was now irrelevant as we trekked back to the mecca of Stockport with smiles all round.  Stockport U12’s are turning into a force to be reckoned with! 

Great job!

U14s at Timperley

With no official fixture listed this morning, the club took the opportunity to arrange a match against Timperley, and on a bitterly cold morning their ground was in good shape to get a game on.
It was a strange game, and one where I felt we simply didn't get going.  The team have been together now for some years, and train well together on Tuesday's, but this game it felt like we didn't know each other, and our usual fluidity and transition just didn't surface all morning.
However, the lads dug in, and ground out a result which until half way through the 2nd quarter felt like it wasn't to be today.  Falling behind 2-0, before pulling on back leaving the quarter 2-1 to Timperley.  Although Q2 swung the game in our favour, it wasn't the usual fare of fast passing lacrosse with an end result, it was just hard fought, and we managed a 1-3 quarter to put our noses out in front.  Q3 was a 0-3 quarter, and we finished with a 2-2 quarter leaving us the victors at 5-9.  The defence continues to do its job, improving and listening.
Goals today Jacob (3), Hugo (2), Rhys (2) and George P (2), but probably the most telling today was only 2 of the 9 goals (from 28 shots) were assisted relying more on the individual perseverance and performance.

More Photos on Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/182853094@N08/albums/72157712018825861

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