Leadenham 2-0 Grantham

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Leadenham 2 – 0 Grantham

Following the Christmas festivities and the Club EGM, a full team and sub (nearly 3 – Blobby and Alex Clark!) took on Leadenham at Cranwell. The weather forecast looked pretty grim, but the showers held off.

The first half was more about remembering how to play hockey, as four weeks break and no practice meant that Leadenham were certainly the slicker in the pass. George Lodge, Graham Johnson, Andy Nix, Nick Jack and Andy Willey in goal, a cameo for Simon Hill, kept attacks under control, also stifling a couple of short corners in the first half.

Strong play by new man Nigel Baldwin and Nick Wraith in the centre midfield also assisted defence and helped bring the ball forward in attack. Wing men Andy Hill and Mark Pearce toiled with some joy, but front men Muz Pirwana and David Braunton didn’t really carve out any real chances to threaten the Leadenham goal in the first half.

Grantham were pleased to remain level at half time.

A formation change moved Andy Hill up front and David Braunton to right wing. Grantham probably had a little more of the play and the game was more evenly played than the first half. Some runs down the right wing and crosses to Muzzamil Pirwani nearly broke the deadlock.

Two short corners for Grantham produced saves or deflections for Baldwin and Braunton, but this time it was Leadenham’s defence’s turn to stand firm.

As you’d expect, the longer the game went on, tiredness crept in, the game stretched and gaps would appear as players strived harder for the breakthrough. It was Leadenham who scored first, counter attacking quickly to outmanoeuvre Grantham’s defence. 1-0.

Grantham strived to try and equalise, following our brilliant comeback at Long Sutton we knew we had done it before.

Another short corner, but no reward. Runs at leadenham by Baldwin, Pearce, Hill, Pirwana and Braunton pushed the game well into the Leadenham half, but another swift counter attack from Leadenham led to a superbly struck goal (unfortunately the wrong end for Grantham), an Aguero-esque volley leaving Willey helpless. 2-0.

Happy to have played, but probably deserving only to loose by one goal, the final whistle came. Some of the silky play just before Chirstmas, is certainly still there, but cobwebs need blowing off!

Now on to two home games at the Mere’s 2pm, if anyone wants to come and cheer us on.

Latest news our last match at the Meres will be 6th February 2pm, subject to the weather.

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10-man Grantham beat Bourne 6ths 3-0

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After a couple of home defeats, 5-1 against Horncastle 2nds and 3-1 against Long Sutton 4ths, Grantham recorded a 3-0 victory against Bourne Deeping 6ths.

It seems Grantham play better when a full team is not available…10 today took on a youthful side from Bourne.

With Nick Jack in goal for the first time this season, a back three of George Lodge, Jem Hill and Graham Johnson, midfield of Mark Pearce, Nick Wraith, Will Hill, David Braunton and Andy Hill, set up behind Jack Lee in attack.

Bourne got their team to the pitch first and took the end that Grantham usually play from in the first half, playing down the slight slope. The game was fairly even to begin with each team probing each other’s defences, and as in Grantham’s previous two matches the home team took the lead about half way through the first 35 minutes. Jack Lee increasing his tally for the season to two.

George Lodge, who normally plays upfront or on the wing, took a little while to settle into the right back slot, but towards the end of the first half was beginning to boss Bourne’s left wing attack.

At the half-time whistle Grantham were very pleased to keep the lead, not having conceded any goals.

From the start of the second half, Grantham weathered and repulsed attacks by Bourne, but did concede a couple of short corners, but these were dealt with one way or another.

Going up the other end of the pitch Grantham forced their own short corner and Jem Hill scored with a clinical shot, deflected by the keeper, but still hitting the back board to give Grantham a 2-0 lead.

Despite only having 10 men, Grantham stuck more to their positions of play and worked together as a complete unit, rather than attack and defence with very little in the midfield (as happened in the previous two games). Another attack led to Jack Lee scoring his second of the match at the second attempt, which left the result in no doubt.

There was some good play by Grantham, better link up between players, although wayward passes still need working on and not getting caught on the ball!

Next week sees Leadenham 2nds come to Grantham, which should be a sterner test, from the team who nearly won promotion last season.

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2015/16 season is go…

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Grantham Hockey Club officially got their season underway this weekend with a training session at The Meres Leisure Centre.

The core of the team that ended the 2014/15 season welcomed new arrivals before learning about the new rules introduced for this season.

This extra practice should help us adapt quickly to the changes to long corners, self-take free hits and green cards now forcing players to leave the field for two minutes.

With another training session at The Meres this weekend (12th September, 2pm, players new, current and old welcome to come along) before our first league match on 19th September, Grantham are looking in good shape.

We are always looking for new players, however, and anybody interesting in joining the club should phone David Braunton on 07967 566943 or email [email protected]

This season sees the team competing in Division 6NW (N) of the East League against teams from Alford, Bourne Deeping, Horncastle, Leadenham, Long Sutton, Louth and Spalding after an encouraging third-place finish last season.

We begin this year’s campaign hosting Louth 2nds before heading to Spalding 5ths.

Weekly training will begin on Monday 21st September, 8pm at The Meres and anybody interested in playing hockey are most welcome to attend.

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Long Sutton 2-5 Grantham – Deserved Away Win

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East League Division 6 NW (N) – Long Sutton 4ths 2-5 Grantham

A full complement of Grantham men travelled to Long Sutton for their fourth league game of the season and came away with a well earned 5-2 win.

The first half began with Grantham in the ascendency as David Nix, Oli Phillips and Adam Phillips worked well in the centre, testing the opposition’s keeper early on. The combination of a strong centre feeding the wingers Will Hill and Simon Curzon-Hepworth allowed Grantham to score their first goal through Adam Phillips.

The momentum remained with Grantham but a number of missed tackles within the midfield allowed Long Sutton to break through and claw back a cheap goal at the expense of the experienced backline of Andy Willey, Graham Johnson, Nick Jacks & Neil Hanlon.

It was shortly after that Grantham were given their first yellow card with Adam Phillips being sent to the benches following being dragged to the ground by the opposition and dissenting. Unfortunately for Long Sutton this fired up Phillips when he returned and a well-worked short corner earned him his second goal of the day.

The first half finished with Grantham remaining the dominant force but another card was given to Jem Hill, once again for dissent, something which captain Johnson was quick to stamp out at half time.

A reinvigorated Grantham began the second half with vigour and following well-practised routines from Declan Curzon-Hepworth and Mark Pearce it was possible to build from the backline and reward David Nix with a goal to increase the lead to 3 -1. Long Sutton were quick to respond and close the gap, however Grantham remained determined and Oli Phillips was unlucky not to score after a slip from the oppositions back line left him one on one with the keeper.

Once at full strength again Grantham produced a number of textbook passing routines, keeping the ball well out of reach of the opposition before finding Ali Phillips once again and he completed his hat-trick.

Unfortunately Grantham’s full 11 did not last long as the response from the opposition was to force players off the ball with a number of bone-crunching tackles. Oli Phillips was unlucky once again as, following a Tom Daley-esque dive across the goalmouth he connected with the ball to send it soaring into the net, only to have it disallowed for an earlier infringement, losing the much desired advantage.

David Nix was then hooked over by a Long Sutton defender and was reprimanded by the umpire for retaliation, and received the third and final card.

With both teams down to 10 men the game proceeded in much the same way as the start with Grantham dominating the midfield. Similar to the first half David Nix returned fired up from the bench to supply Oli Phillips with a superb pass onto the left wing who then placed it through Long Sutton’s defence to Paul Hollingworth who finished with sublime accuracy.

This first league win of the season was achieved under difficult circumstances for Grantham who hope to extend their winning ways against Alford in the coming week.

Harrison Green man of the match was Adam Phillips.

Team: A Manguzis (GK), A Willey, G Johnson (C), N Jacks, D Nix, J Hill, W Hill, O Phillips, A Phillips, M Pearce, S C-Hepworth, D C-Hepworth, N Hanlon, P Hollingsworth, D Sykes (umpire)

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Grantham 0-3 Spalding 5ths – A Slow Start

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East League Division 6 NW – Spalding 5ths 3-0 Grantham

Grantham’s first league game of the season began with a slow start as a well-drilled Spalding side capitalised on all chances to win 3-0.

The first half began with Grantham finding their feet in an unfamiliar formation, a consequence of having a completely new roster for Grantham’s captain Graham Johnson to call upon. However, the first goal against new keeper Arnold Manguzis came from a deflection from a Grantham defender and the keeper was left with little chance to make a save.

The remainder of the first half remained a struggle for Grantham as the youthful Spalding team stormed through the midfield and defence with little resistance, but Granthams experienced back-line of Andy Willey, Nick Jacks, Graham Johnson and Paul Burns did well to prevent all but one other attempt on goal from reaching the back-board. The closest Grantham chance came when Oli Phillips drove down the left wing and crossed but no Grantham player could reach his pass.

Following a reshuffle of the pack to adapt to the pace of Spalding’s attacks, the performance in midfield improved dramatically in the second half. Will and Jem Hill combined well with David Nix, David Braunton and Mark Pearce to open up play and control the ball within Spalding’s half. A number of chances came from Nix striking at the top of the circle and Jem Hill placed a powerful shot just a hairs breadth from the cross bar.

Grantham also benefited from a calm approach when attacking and defending, especially as Spalding became increasingly frustrated at not adding more goals. The result was a number of short corners for Grantham, although none were converted.

As the second half progressed Spalding capitalised on a breakaway chance and scored leaving Grantham with little chance of getting back into the match.

Oli Phillips, returning for his first full league game since breaking his leg October 2012 was named as Grantham’s Harrison Green man of the match.

Team: A Manguzis (GK), A Willey, G Johnson (C), N Jacks, P Burns, D Braunton, D Nix, O Phillips, W Hill, J Hill, M Pearce, D Sykes (umpire)

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Gallery: Get Back Into Hockey Day

Gallery

This gallery contains 15 photos.

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Grantham 1-0 West Bridgford – Grantham Begin Season With Friendly Success

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Grantham Hockey Club began their pivotal 2013-14 season with a 1-0 friendly win over West Bridgford at The Meres.

What started as a grey and overcast morning, ended in warm sunshine with the new-look Grantham Men’s first team looking good value for their success.

Following a close season in which player availability has been a concern, Grantham had 18 players to choose from, a pleasing turnout indeed.

New captain Graham Johnson subsequently explained the new team formation – 2-3-3-2 – and slotted players into their positions with a rolling sub system in operation for eight of the outfield positions.

Grantham took a little while to adapt to the new system, but after a short period of time they start to take control of the match. A series of quick attacks spearheaded by David Nix from a defensive central midfield position pushed West Bridgford back and earned a short corner. Although the strike was easily dealt with. Will Hill and Ben Willey combined well up front and on the right hand side, good defensive play from David MacDonald, Andy Nix and Andy Willey showed that in spite of a lack of match fitness, experience and good timing are valuable tools to have in the arsenal.

New goalkeeper Arnold Manguzis played excellently on the occasions he was called upon – never having played in goal for a field hockey match, skills learned in ice hockey and martial arts came to the fore with lightning-fast reactions repelling shots at Grantham’s goal and at half-time there was no score.

After the break, Grantham started positively, controlled more of the game and generally dictated the play. West Bridgford didn’t manage a shot on goal and were well marshalled by Grantham’s defence.

Grantham won a series of short corners, but unfortunately Alex Clark’s drag flicking couldn’t get through the wall of defenders.

As the match wore on, West Bridgford did manage to feature a little more in the game, forcing a short corner, however a rather slow push out was latched on to by David Braunton and quickly dispatched to the left wing.

Picked up by Oli Phillips, playing his first game since breaking his leg early last season, he drove at the goal and released a pass into the West Bridgford cricle, which was slotted him by Clark to put home side 1-0 up.

For the remainder of the match Grantham managed to keep West Bridgford at bay, and indeed there were more encouraging signs of the team beginning to gel, the play taking part mostly in the opposition’s half.

At the final whistle there was a tangible sense of achievement at making the perfect start to the season.

With a few more players still to join the squad Grantham can hopefully look forwards to not only completing the season, but with a good competitive team with a positive attitude and outlook. Roll on Peterborough City next weekend!

Grantham’s Man of the Match was debutant Manguzis.

Reminder: training starts this Wednesday, 25th September, 8-9 pm.

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Get Back To Hockey Fun Day A Success

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A cheery group of Grantham Hockey Club Committee members gathered at The Meres Leisure Centre this Saturday, to see if their efforts in issuing a rallying call to the hockey playing masses of Grantham and the surrounding area would turn up in response to coverage in the local press, appearances on the radio, emails and tweets cajoling former players and lapsed players to turn out.

Around 20 people turned up for the event, including some ladies too. Oli Phillips had laid on a series of challenges which the intrepid group undertook in small groups, an exercise of passing and shooting at goal, dribbling round a series of cones and a quick passing. Some prizes had been provided and Team One went on to win a pair of socks – someone suggested time share might be a good idea, or half a sock each.

The event was wrapped up with a short friendly match, first-team captian Graham Johnson leading one side against vice-captain David Braunton, wearing attractive green bibs. Graham’s team went ahead in the early exchanges in spite of the greens’ good positional play and slick passing.

In the second half the greens showed their dominance controlling play and limiting the captain’s team to very few clear shots at goal. A fine solo run from defence by David Braunton levelled the score and left most of the captain’s team standing still in his wake and the honours were shared.

Thank you to everybody for coming along. Thank you also to the Grantham Journal, BBC Radio Lincolnshire and Gravity FM for their help in publicising the event, as well as the many other clubs, communities, businesses and individuals who have helped us spread the word.

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Gravity FM Goes Hockey-Mad

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Gravity FM devoted much of their 10-11am show this morning to our campaign to keep the hockey club alive, promoting next week’s Get Back Into Hockey event.

You can listen to John Pennington talking to Ela Watts during the show in the video below. The clips below feature him talking about the history of the club, the history of the game and what the event will involve.

Many thanks to Paul Wilson for recording the interview and producing the clip for us as well as Gravity FM for their time and support.

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Grantham Hockey Club on BBC Radio Lincolnshire

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This Saturday, John Pennington chatted to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Rob Underwood during his morning show to raise awareness of our upcoming Get Back Into Hockey event next week.

You can listen to the interview below:

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