HOCKEY: Emphatic Spalding secure promotion
MARCH 2nd 0 SPALDING 1st 9
SPALDING toasted promotion in style with this emphatic mauling of March last Saturday.
With rivals Wisbech going down 4-0 at Peterborough Town 4th, Spalding secured a top two place to guarantee promotion.
And the men need just five points from a possible nine to clinch the title and become NE14 Hockey Division 3NW champions.
The first half saw Spalding playing some of their finest hockey all season, carving March open with some glorious passing hockey.
Glen Perkins got the opener, finishing of a flowing move.
Spalding looked in the mood for scoring goals with Martin Perkins flicking the ball home from a short and Pete Wright sweeping in the third.
March didn't know how to cope with the onslaught and Jason Purllant added another from close range before Phil Callow got in on the act.
March would have been praying for the whistle but Glen Perkins added his second to take the visitors in to a 6-0 half-time lead.
The second-half saw much of the same outcome with Spalding having all the possession and March desperately defending to keep the score line in single figures.
Purllant got the second-half tally under way from close range and Martin Perkins quickly followed by adding his second.
With March tiring and Spalding seeing all of the ball, Purllant completed a treble to round off the scoring.
LONG SUTTON 1st 1
CITY OF PETERBOROUGH 2nd 4
THIS was another disappointing home display from Sutton.
Sutton managed to maintain good possession in the first half, but failed to find any meaningful penetration.
After conceding a string of penalty corners, they were lucky to be only a single goal down at the interval.
The second half started with more promise, with the rare sight of Jimmy Harrison scoring a short corner goal.
But from then on the home team lost their way, allowing Peterborough too much space and time on the ball - with inevitable consequences.
SPALDING 3rd 5
WISBECH 4th 3
PROLIFIC Shaun Dewing took his tally to 31 goals in 11 games for the 3rd team as Spalding edged this thriller.
The game was tight and both sides were playing end-to-end hockey in a bid to clinch crucial points.
Dewing converting the first penalty corner with an absolute rocket to open the scoring, before Wisbech hit back with a routine of their own.
That man Dewing restored the lead with a clinical strike to make it 2-1 at the break.
Wisbech levelled early in the second half, but Nick Law squeezed home a short corner effort to restore the lead.
A defensive error helped Wisbech restore parity once more, but there was still time for Dewing to add to his tally and wrap up the points.
LONG SUTTON 3rd 5
ALFORD 2nd 3
REJUVENATED Sutton bagged an outstanding win.
After three weeks of cancelled games due to weather, the score was 1-1 at half time thanks to a clinical finish from Ben Shore.
The second half started with solid teamwork and two brilliant finishes within five minutes from man-of-the-match Steve Saint.
Alford pulled goals back but Saint put away two quick-fire strikes to seal the win.
LONG SUTTON LADIES 2nd 7
ALFORD LADIES 2nd 2
AMY Wells fired a hat-trick as Sutton hit seven.
Sutton took a while to get going with several players playing out of position.
Eventually the young forwards got to business yet again with a well-deserved treble from Amy Wells and another two from striker Kate Ireland.
There was also one apiece for 'golden oldies' Carol Ludlam and Sam Carr.
Hannah Greenacre, playing her first full senior match, was unfortunate not to have scored herself.
SPALDING took two sides to the 12's Lincs Hockey League at Skegness.
Team B finished top of their group, gaining promotion to Division One with five wins out of five - scoring 11 goals and conceding none.
Playing only friendlies, Team A also picked up five wins out of five, hitting 11 goals without reply.
Team B: Harry Bettinson, Joe Higgins, Jack Drury, William Flatters, Dominic Ibrahim, Carlos Ortiz-Jimenez, Luke Barkworth (GK) & Sam Sly.
Team A: Katie Gray, Cameron Ibrahim, Hector Moore, Harry Higgins, Claude Smith-Hughes, Max Pearce (GK) & Peter Gray.
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Weather for Spalding
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -6 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
