Busy weekend for Stourport Hockey Club
With a squad of 13 players and against one of the best sides in the league, the men's 1st XI match against hosts Oxford Hawks was never going to be easy, as the men's 1st XI lost 2-7 on Saturday.
Oxford raced into a 0-3 lead by the 25th minute. By the time Stourport scored their first from a short corner in the 63rd minute, through Daniel Dew, their hosts had added a further four goals. Stourport added their second also from a short corner through Leo Delves three minutes after their first, but it wasn't enough to alter the direction of the points.
Travelling to Shrewsbury with a very mixed side and the odds stacked against them, the men's 2nd XI came away with a 3-1 victory over Shrewsbury's 1st XI in their Midlands Division 4 West match. A competitive first-half display produced an evenly balanced match with both sides creating chances, but unable to break the deadlock at the break.
An injury late in the first half to Phil Baldwin left Stourport struggling in the second half to match Shrewsbury's physical intensity. Despite some excellent saves by Oliver* in the Stourport goal, the home side capitalised on this with three well-worked goals, the first of which was scored in the 38th minute. Stourport's persistence paid off, pulling a goal back when Stourport's player of the match, Barnaby*, finished off a Rob Lashford assist in the 45th minute. However, it wasn't enough as Shrewsbury added a further two goals in the fiftieth and sixty-fiftieth minutes. With four matches left and survival all but secured, the team's focus now turns to finishing the season strongly.
The ladies' 1st XI travelled to take on Oxford Hawks 1st XI, in their Women's Conference Midlands, going down 1-3. Stourport and Oxford created chances in the opening quarter, but the score remained 0-0, which was a fair reflection of the quarter. The Stourport girls worked hard, but two goals in the 21st and 22nd minutes left the visitors 0-2 down at the break. In the second half, Stourport continued to work hard and kept battling, pulling a goal back after 52 minutes when Lucy Walton converted a short corner. Oxford fought back, reinstating the two-goal cushion just before the fourth quarter, and a minute after Walton had scored her goal. Stourport continued to push forward right to the end of the match but were unable to score any further goals, coming away with an unfortunate 1-3 defeat.
* Donates a junior player
