Romsey were disappointed to take nothing from this game, in which the scoreline did not reflect the play, and Romsey felt decisions didn’t quite fall their way.
An evenly balanced opening saw Lavant take the lead from a penalty corner, after a Romsey defender was sent to the half way line at the first taking for holding his stick in the air ahead of the goal line. The man advantage was nearly cancelled out with Romsey clearing the ball first through Lukasz Suleja twice and then Andy Moger, but the ball stayed in side the circle for Lavant to force it past Ollie O’Hara in goal.
After O’Hara made a great save from a Lavant shot to avoid it becoming 2-0, Romsey went on the offensive.
Stan Cazaly weaved his way through the Lavant defence only to see his shot well saved by the keeper, and both Bryn Wathen and Barry Hatch had firm shots padded away. Romsey almost equalised from a penalty corner but Matt Dukes shot was saved and the follow up cleared.
The second half started with Romsey still in attack mode, and as Sean Rawles played the ball to Colin Harwood from a penalty corner, he passed to Duke to swivel and shoot to make it 1-1.
The turning point in the game came mid-way through the half, after the Lavant keeper had been forced in to making two more fine saves from Wathen and Duke, Josh Harwood played a ball through to Stan Cazaly on the far post, he stopped the ball and pushed it past the keeper for 2-1. With the ball at the centre cirlce and the teams lined up for the pushback, the Lavant umpire at the far end of the pitch consulted with his colleague and the goal was ruled out for a lifted ball. This was harsh on Romsey, but with Lavant keen to win and providing both umpires, it was a pill they had to swallow.
As against the Isle of Wight a few weeks earlier, with 15 minutes to go, Lavant were awarded a penalty corner and as Ollie O’Hara saved the high flick it dropped to a Lavant player to push it over the line for 2-1 to the home side.
Romsey were crushed and while pushing for an equaliser, and reflecting on their goal that was disallowed, let Lavant have the run of the Romsey half and Lavant quickly scored four more goals with numbers overloading Romsey in the last ten minutes to provide a scoreline that did not reflect the game.
An interesting match awaits in 2019 at home for Romsey as Lavant push to win the league.
U10s are awesome too!
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.
U8s Are Awesome!!!
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!
U10s have amazing time in Southampton
‘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.
M4s struggle on the Island
Romsey travelled to the Isle of Wight with just the eleven players, hoping for no injuries without any subs, and competed in a hard fought match which the scoreline didn’t reflect.
IOW deservedly took a 2-0 lead, despite some fine saves from Ollie O’Hara in goal, Romsye changed tactics, and this allowed Josh Harwood to link better with Sean Rawles and bring in Matt Duke and Stan Cazaly.
Romsey won a penalty corner before half time and as Rawles played the ball to Colin Harwodd, he slipped it right for Josh Harwood to move forward and score for a 2-1 HT scoreline.
In the opening 20 minutes of the second half Romsey were on top, Man of the match Matt Duke, had two penalty corner shots cleared off the line, Barry Hatch and Sean Rawles both went close, and James Tower, Will Payne and Stan Cazaly all found themselves in the IOW circle.
Romsey couldn’t convert a string of penalty corners themselves, and then found themselves 3-1 down with 13 minutes to go, when IOW converted their first penalty corner of the half.
This led to Romsey leaving Lukasz Suleja and Andy Moger exposed and alone at the back, as the team pushed up, and Romsey conceded three quick goals to be 6-1 down.
Matt Duke scored from a penalty corner to bring the scoreline closer to reality, for 6-2 which was harsh on Romsey.
M4s put Gosport to the sword
Romsey put Gosport to the sword, and but for some excellent saves from the Gosport keeper could have scored double figures in this one sided match.
Stan Cazaly was played in down the right by Man of the Match Josh Harwood, and his pull back was thundered home first time by Colin Harwood for 1-0. Then Josh Harwood played in Harwood senior for a first time strike for 2-0.
Stalwart Carl Hendy then got on the score sheet for 3-0, and again 4-0 just before the break.
The defence of Lukasz Suleja and Will Richards remained solid pushing up debutant, 64 year old Nigel King and Simeon Field from full backs, and a fine move down the left from Matt Duke to Josh Harwood to Stan Cazaly saw the youngster again set up Colin Harwood for his hat trick.
Andy Moger then scored the goal of the game, picking the ball up from King and powering in to the circle to smash in to the corner for 6-0.
Gosport pulled a goal back with a fine breakaway leaving keeper Bryn Wathen no chance to cover, but Romsey bounced back with a seventh when Hendy got his hat trick, and topped it off with his fourth from a fine lifted pass from Harwood senior at a penalty corner for an 8-1 scoreline
U16Gs sail past Havant
Romsey played Havant at HMS Temeraire in Old Portsmouth with the spinnaker tower as their backdrop.
Push Back was 1pm and Romsey started the match well with Tessa D making a break down the right and forcing herself into the D before shooting wide. Romsey continued to work hard and were passing the ball well in midfield with good work Katie S, Emily J and Grace M.
Havant were quick on the break and the Romsey defence had to be solid with Alex O, Ellie E and Mollie O snuffing out any chances they had. Romsey picked the ball up in Midfield and drove forward and Anna R put a lovely pass through to Tessa D who finished clinically 1:0 Romsey!
This spurred Havant on and they grew into the game and were starting to create chances and Daisy R was put to the test and made nice couple of stops to keep Havant at bay.
However eventually they broke through and scored 1:1, Romsey seemed to be stunned as they had been the better team, so much so with only a few seconds to go in the half Havant scored again 2:1 Havant!
After a good half time team talk Romsey started the second half full of determination, the midfield with Liz F and Clara H were finding their passing game and picking out Jess W who was making some great runs into space, the pressure was building and Grace M was making some great drives down the right wing. It was not long before Grace M found herself in the D and put away a loose ball to equalise! 2:2
Now with ten minutes left and all to play for Havant were on the attack again but there was no way past the Romsey defence with great tackles from Antonia L and Molly O. Alex O was reading the game well and drove Romsey out of defence with Ella M working hard in midfield and breaking into the D and shooting but only to see the ball come off the post.
Romsey had a short corner which was executed well and Liz F smashed a shot which hit the back of the net! the whistle went but not for a goal the ball had not come out of the D, what a shame. Time was now running out and Romsey Midfield were hunting the ball down and as we entered the last minute of play a through ball found Tessa D who had made a great run and under pressure she made no mistake and slotted the ball home! 3:2 Romsey!
A fantastic result and great match to watch , the whole team gave 100% and deserved the win .
Player of match Liz F- Great passing today well done!
Marvellous Minis
Romsey took two teams to the Winchester mini tournament last Sunday.
Romsey 1
Romsey 1 enjoyed the day and showed great spirit despite some challenging matches. Special mention should go to Zach W and Hamish N, who both stepped up from the U8s and played really well throughout.
In their first game the team were caught cold (literally!) and conceded an early goal, but some stoic defending from Hamish N and Ben G kept Andover at bay for the rest of the game. Defending was the order of the day again in game 2 when they came up against a very strong Bournemouth team. They lost 2-0 but gained in confidence throughout and Dylan W almost scored at the end of the game.
Game 3 saw Romsey playing some lovely passing hockey as they took on New Forest. Joe G scored the team’s first goal of the day when he ran onto Dylan W’s precise pass. The New Forest goal was under constant pressure and Romsey were unlucky not to extent their lead, but the 1-0 win gave them great confidence
Game 4 was again a tough match with some tenacious battling from Elsie D and Maggie N in particular, but Southampton proved too strong and Romsey lost 2-0. The team were not to be downhearted and bounced back brilliantly in Game 5 with a 2-0 win against Winchester, with goals from Joe G and Zach W.
By Game 6 everyone was feeling rather tired after a long morning of hockey. Trojans dominated the game and Maya S was forced to make several goal-line saves, and ultimately the team did well to restrict a strong Trojans team to 2-0.
Romsey 2
Winchester hosted the U10 mini tournament and Romsey arrived enthusiastically with two teams. Romsey 2 played with seven players and without any subs and all players were made to swap positions for each match. Clara, Anna, Otto, Freddie, Oscar, Grace and Caitlin all played to their full potential and really showed that great team work really does pay off! Romsey 2 were unbeatable and they barely left the oppositions half of the pitch, winning all six matches! Anna, Clara and Otto were super in defence, protecting the goal when playing without a goalie and being confident to go in for tackles. It was Grace and Otto’s first tournament and they both did brilliantly. Grace and Caitlin showed some great link up play as forwards with Grace scoring six goals and Caitlin three, out of the 13 Romsey goals scored on the day. Freddie and Oscar played well in midfield with strong shots and arguably sometimes too high balls, but both boys scored two goals each.
Below is a list of the match scores. Well done team, you all played fantastically and with amazing energy.
Salisbury-Romsey 2 0-2
Romsey 2-Bournemouth 2 2-1
Southampton 1-Romsey 2 0-1
Trojans 2-Romsey 2 0-4
Romsey 2- New Forest 1 1-0
Romsey 2-Winchester 3 3-0
First match of the day was against Salisbury and Freddie and Oscar were keen to show their confidence on the ball with great skills and had a few disallowed goals due to their shots being too high. Grace scored the first goal after good dribbling up to the D by Oscar and then assisted by Caitlin. Minutes later Freddie shot a hard ball straight into the goal and the match finished 2-0 to Romsey. The strong defence of Clara and Otto were resilient in their tackles.
The next match was against Bournemouth and Freddie was “on fire” and started the match with a nice shot to score just minutes into the game followed by a great assist to Caitlin who scored our second goal. Towards the end of the match Bournemouth was fortunate to score through Grace’s legs and the match ended 2-1.
In the match to follow, Southampton 1 put hard pressure on our team and this was the match that challenged us most. Grace scored our only goal assisted by Oscar.
Nat Jupp the coach went through a serious pep talk before the match against Trojans, which was expected to be our hardest game of the day. On the pitch Romsey dominated the play and won 4-0. Early in the match, Grace scored assisted by Caitlin again and then Freddie dribbled to Oscar who scored our second goal. In quick succession we scored another two goals, by Caitlin and Grace who were a great partnership in front of goal.
In the match against New- Forest 1, Caitlin scored the only goal and Otto shone by fending off two near misses from New-Forest 1.
In our final game it was time to meet the hosting club, Winchester 3. Grace managed to be in the right place when needed and scored the first goal. Romsey had several attempts at the goal and after some great passing in and around the D Oscar hit a smashing shot up into the corner of the goal. In the last minute of the match Grace managed to put in a 3rd goal after great stick skills from both Caitlin and Oscar. Since the team decided to play without a goalie, Anna in defence had an important job of keeping the opponents away from our goal.
It was fantastic to see them all working hard and having fun in a tournament that couldn’t have gone any better. Well done to all team members; Otto, Freddie, Clara, Caitlin, Oscar, Grace and Anna.
M4s sweep past S&W 2s
Romsey had the rub of the green on the day, in a match where they only had the bare 11 players in windswept Dorset.
In an even opening 20 minutes Romsey pushed in to the Swanage circle, Barry Hatch mistimed his shot, and Sean Rawles and Colin Harwood likewise missed chances.
As Swanage broke it was Simeon Field, Lukasz Suleja and Duncan Sanders who provided solid defence for Romsey to push further up, with young Will Payne covering left back and left half in his man of the match performance.
Romsey broke the deadlock when Colin Harwood ran from the 23 yard line directly in to the circle, forcing a fine save from the keeper, only for Stan Cazaly to recover the ball and square it back for Harwood to slot at the near post.
Romsey doubles their lead with a fine penalty corner routine, Rawles played the ball to Harwood who waited and then played it back to the near post for Rawles to rifle in from a tight angle.
2 0 at HT, and Romsey were tiring, and had to absorb pressure at the start of the second half. Nick Welby in goal was called to leave a Swanage ball from outside the circle it hit the post and rolled in to the goal before a Swanage stick could touch it, and Welby made a fine save at his near post to keep out a fierce shot, before another shot was deflected by Payne on to the post high up and the ball bounced off to the far side of the pitch.
Romsey then took advantage of gaps in the Swanage defence, Harwood following up in the circle pushed the ball in for 3 0, and then a fantastic move from the left side from Harwood senior to Harwood junior, to James Tower, saw the ball played out to Stan Cazaly on the right. He played it in to Sean Rawles for 4 0.
Rawles then got his hat tick following up from a penalty corner routine, and Harwood senior got his from close range for 6 0.
Harwood then hit his fourth from another Cazaly assist, and then Tower, Rawles and Cazaly set up Barry Hatch to touch in for 8 0, and his first goal for the Club which hit the loudest cheer of the afternoon.
There was still time for Swange to create a wonderful move, cutting through the Romsey midfield and defence only for Welby to pull off a fantastic save to keep a clean sheet.
The scoreline was not reflective of a closer encounter, but keeps Romsey top of the league, and now travel to second place Isle of Wight in two week time.
U16 Girls edged out in tight battle
Romsey hosted Southampton on Sunday 14th of October.
Heavy overnight and morning rain meant for a damp start to proceedings , the first half was very tight with the best chances falling to Romsey and attackers Neve A , Jess G and Anna R were regularly getting into the D but the Southampton’s goal keeper was on good form snuffing out several chances .
Romseys defence was very strong with good work from Alex O and Katie S ably assisted by Ellie E , Zara M and Antonia L .They were regularly making some excellent interceptions and feeding the ball in midfield where Clara H and Liz F were pushing the ball forward well .
The half finished with no score but Romsey were on top . The second half got underway and Romsey carried on in the same vain winning a succession of short corners after some great work down the right wing from Grace M .
It wasn’t long before the break through came with great battling work from Jess G which resulted in a ball crossing the face of the goal where Ella M had taken up a superb position to calmly slot the ball home. 1-0 to Romsey !
This spurred Southampton on and now they were looking the most dangerous they had all match , they were putting the Romsey defence under more pressure and brought a couple good saves from Romsey goal keeper Daisy R. Unfortunately a goal mouth scramble ended with Southampton scoring. 1-1.
Romsey tried to regain the momentum which saw good work in the midfield from Emily J working the ball well to Neve A who almost weaved her way through into the D.
Time was running out and Romsey were caught out on the break and the Southampton forwards poured forward and with only 2 minutes to go they got a short corner . They worked it well and had a shot which went through a crowd of players and agonisingly crossed the line , visibly the Romsey players heads went down , it was a cruel way to loose the match after all the effort they had put in .
Well played Southampton and unlucky Romsey , but a good match to watch .
Player of the match – Jess G , good battling up front !