Stourport Hockey Club - match report
The men's 2nd XI rounded off the first half of their Midlands Men's Division 4 West matches with a commanding 5-2 victory over their visitors, Stratford 2nd XI, on Saturday (December 6).
This was highlighted by an impressive return of Stourport's danger man. Adam Leeke, from a serious brain injury, with two well-taken goals. Stourport settled quickly and opened the scoring through Leeke, who expertly diverted a driven ball into the net with a sharp deflection.
The home side's strong start continued as Daniel doubled the advantage, drilling a precise short-corner strike into the bottom corner. Stratford responded before the break, taking advantage of a brief lapse by Stourport, to reduce the deficit, but Stourport retained control to enter the half-time break, 2-1 ahead. The hosts reasserted their dominance early in the second half when Sebastian, reading a Stratford attack superbly, stepped in to intercept before carrying the ball forward and finishing with composure to restore the two-goal cushion.
The home side extended their lead when Leeke claimed his second, driving a stunning short-corner effort crisply into the side netting. Stratford found a second goal of their own, but the momentum always lay with Stourport. The home side put the match beyond doubt by Harrison, who produced a calm and confident finish into the top corner to complete the scoring. The intensity, discipline and clinical edge proved decisive and with the return of Leeke after injury gave Stourport an additional boost, to an already impressive team performance against a Stratford side that are currently joint top of the table, meanwhile the victory leaves Stourport tenth in the division going into the Christmas break.
The men's 3rd Xi had all the chances and should've come away with all three points, but ended with a 1-1 draw when they travelled to take on Birmingham 1st XI in this Midland Men's Division 6 South West match. Stourport opened the scoring in this match against the side below them in the table in the 20th minute through a Munashe Nhongo goal from open play. Stourport's lead didn't last long, though, with Birmingham scoring the equaliser seven minutes later. As they go into the Christmas break, the 3rd's are in eighth place and with the same amount of points as Birmingham but with a better goal difference.
The men's 4th XI battled hard in their Men's Division 7th South West but was unable to overpower their visitors, Pershore 1st XI, who came away with the three points after a 2-4 victory. Pershore started strongly and took the lead after seven minutes, and then doubled their advantage in the 15th minute and added a third after 19 minutes. The two-goal lead didn't tell the whole story, though, as Stourport had created several good openings in the first half but were unable to take their opportunities.
Stourport began the second half with more intensity, their pressure paying off in the 50th minute when Daniel pulled the scores back to 1-3 with a well-worked move, then, against the run of play, Pershore responded immediately and scored their fourth goal. The match continued to ebb and flow from end to end with Tom White scoring a second Stourport goal in the last four minutes. This match leaves the 4th's in 11th place with seven points, two points behind Barford Tigers 4th XI in tenth place and six points ahead of Olton & West Warwick's 5th XI in 12th.
Stourport's Under 16 boys shone when they travelled to Wolverhampton for the Midlands Indoor competition, where they finished second overall. The U16 delivered a fantastic day of Indoor hockey at the Midlands Indoor Junior Competition, where they finished second behind a strong and deserving Repton side. The team showcased quality, resilience, and consistency across all five matches, playing some outstanding hockey throughout the day.
Match results:
1-1 Vs Repton - A tightly contested game against eventual winners, with Oliver making some strong saves throughout the game.
4-2 Vs Sutton - Strong attacking play secured a confident win.
3-1 Vs Rugby - Disciplined performance with well-taken goals.
8-2 Vs Charnwood - Dominate from start to finish.
2-5 Vs Beeston - Leaving everything on the pitch to secure a win and taking the keeper off at 2-2 Beeston took their chances well in a high-tempo encounter.
This was a brilliant team effort all round and a well-earned runner-up finish, giving the team plenty to build on in a performance that gave the boys lots to be proud of.
